Chapter 16

"I have to go, Joe," Sherri said.

"Already?"

"I have some things I have to get done this afternoon before work tonight."

I frowned. "I'm taking too long to tell this, aren't I?"

"No," Sherri said. "At least I don't think so. Some of the details might be important later. It's hard to know ahead of time."

I nodded.

"Besides," she said, "the telling is as important as me hearing."

"Huh?"

"Have you ever had a nightmare that woke you up?" Sherri asked. "Maybe as a kid?"

I nodded again, remembering one about men in black hats and masks.

"It wasn't as scary after you told someone, right?"

"No ... no it wasn't." Mom had held me and I'd slept soundly when she returned me to bed after my tale.

"So who else could you tell your story to?"

I froze, just for a moment, thinking. "A shrink maybe. But not any of my family or friends. Allen, maybe, if he wasn't in the story. But that's about it."

Sherri nodded. "So take as long as you like. As long as I can get the other things I need to do in my life done, I don't mind."

I frowned, thinking about how much of her time I'd taken up. For free, no less. But I didn't want to stop. Talking to Sherri was definitely better than trying to drown my sorrows in alcohol.

"I'm glad you don't mind," I said. "I think, if I didn't have you to talk to, I'd just be getting drunk night after night."

Sherri smiled. "Good."

"So," I said, "I want to continue. And soon."

Sherri gave a non-committal nod.

"How about tomorrow?" I said. "In fact ... how about I make that a request instead of a question?"

Sherri raised an eyebrow.

"I want you to come back tomorrow morning," I said emphatically. I looked as firm as I could muster.

Sherri laughed.

"Well, that's nice and direct," she said, smirking. "Like we want you to practice. So, sure. I'll come back tomorrow."

"Late morning?"

"That would work," she said. "About eleven. But you don't need to go to all the trouble with breakfast." She gestured toward the kitchen where the dishes were still piled near the sink.

"I'll fix something."

Sherri smiled and nodded. She stood and gathered her things. At the door, she gave me a hug, and then a deep kiss, surprising me as she pushed her tongue into my mouth. She pulled back, slyly grinning.

"I'm coming back because you were assertive when you asked," she said.

"I thought so."

Sherri rolled her eyes and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing down the stairs.

That afternoon I ran errands and did my chores around the house, but my mind wasn't on them. Instead, I kept reviewing what I'd already told Sherri—poking for gaps or things I'd overlooked. The only ones I found were pretty minor.

I also contemplated the story yet to come. Sherri was definitely right about one thing—talking made it less scary. I still wasn't looking forward to re-living some events, but it wouldn't be as bad as I'd first feared.

I decided to treat myself to something more meaningful than frozen pizza for dinner. I cracked open a bottle of Chianti while the scampi sizzled and the vegetables steamed. I paused, gazing at the ruby liquid in my glass. I hadn't opened a bottle by myself since the night I'd called Sherri.

Of course, my gut started churning immediately and my pulse raced. Fear and doubt were powerful habits. At least powerful for me.

I sighed and finished cooking dinner. The TV provided unsatisfactory companionship while I ate, but it kept the room from being too quiet. After way too much channel switching, I finally gave up and clicked it off.

With the TV off, the apartment was too quiet. Just the hum of the refrigerator and hints of wind from outside. I poured myself another glass of wine and then stared at the bottle. It was almost empty.

Damn.

I decided that going to bed early would be a good idea. To my surprise, I fell asleep quickly and slept soundly.

By the time Sherri arrived the next morning, I'd prepared a simpler brunch. Just eggs, bacon, and juice. And homemade biscuits. And coffee.

"You're treating me again," Sherri said with a grin as she slid into the seat across from me. "And making me glad that Tina taught you to cook."

I shrugged. "You're spending time with me for free. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks." Sherri's smile was genuinely warm as she buttered her biscuit. Her eyes widened when she took a bite.

"These are really good!"

"You're welcome," I said.

Sherri couldn't reply with her mouth full, but her eyes were alight with mischief. As if she had some quip buzzing in the front of her brain.

"There's one other thing," I said, pre-empting whatever subject Sherri was going to launch into. "You ... uh ... said that it was okay to ask for sex if there was already a sexual relationship and if I was tactful about it."

Sherri nodded and swallowed. She began dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

"So ... I was wondering, since this is breakfast ... if you'd be interested in a B&B. Well, really a B&C, or whatever the equivalent is. Me going down on you."

Sherri's eyes shot up in surprise.

"I thought you were going to ask for a blowjob," she said.

"Well, I don't want to be too selfish," I said with a bashful shrug.

Sherri grinned. "Good." She paused and leaned back, looking at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well, I think a goddess worship ceremony might be worth doing," she said.

"What? Goddess worship?"

"It's from Tantra. Or at least Americanized Tantra."

"Huh?"

Sherri sat forward and placed her arms on the table. "You've heard of Tantra, right?"

I shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, as originally developed in the East, Tantra was a path to enlightenment through the body and breathing. It covered everything from sitting to walking to sex. Americans grabbed onto the sex part and have pretty much ignored the rest."

"Okay," I said. "That doesn't surprise me. So what's goddess worship?"

"It's a ceremony dedicated to pleasing the woman," she said. "Celebrating the Goddess within her."

"Okay..."

Sherri noticed the skepticism in my face and smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it, Joe. Regular sex is fine."

I let out a deep breath. "Good. I'm not sure I'm ready for some Eastern religion mumbo jumbo."

Sherri didn't get offended, but merely shook her head slightly, a wry smile forming on her lips.

"That's okay," she said. "There are some aspects that you might enjoy that don't require you to accept the 'mumbo jumbo.'"

"Anyway," she said, "that's for after breakfast. I'm not about to be distracted from this food because you're under the table."

I chuckled. "I think that's the first time a woman has turned down sex for my cooking."

"Tina taught you well."

I laughed again. "She did. And I suppose if we're going to eat first, I should continue with my story..."

Sharon's mother knew Tina and I'd had sex. I couldn't get that thought out of my mind. I was sure Mr. Delgado would call her back. He'd checked on Tina, hadn't he? And she'd tell him.

And he'd kill me.

Somehow I babbled through a few more minutes on the phone with Sharon. I didn't really hear what she said. We eventually hung up and I just sat on the floor, slumped against the wall.

I was still slumped there, my mind locked in the hamster wheel of 'Sharon's mother knew—he'd kill me, ' when Tina arrived. Stirred by her knocking, I answered the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately upon seeing my face.

"Condoms in the trash."

"What?"

"I put the condoms, no, the condom, in the trash."

"Again, what?"

I let out a long sigh. "Sharon called. When you and I were at her parents', I threw the condom in the trash can in the bedroom. Her mom found it."

"Oh." Tina's eyes fell and she bit her lip.

"Did your dad say anything?"

Tina shook her head. "We only talked for a little while this morning. He was happy I was home safe. Then I went to work."

I let out a relieved sigh. "Then your father might not kill me."

"Kill you? What about me?"

"You're his favorite eldest daughter," I said, with a wry smile. "I'm the older guy who's corrupted you. No, I think he kills me."

Tina didn't smile at my lame joke.

"I'm just relieved," I said. "I was panicking there for a moment."

"Yeah." She still wasn't smiling.

"Let's get started on dinner," I said, moving toward the kitchen area. Tina followed. We were soon chopping and sautéing and setting the table for our meal.

During dinner, I could tell that something was still bugging Tina. I asked her about her day and got only brief, curt answers. I tried making a joke, but it fell flat. Finally, I took a deep breath.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Something's bugging you. Is it your father?"

"It's not my dad," Tina snapped. "It's you. How you reacted."

"What?" My heart started racing.

"You were all worried about what my father would do to you. You didn't even think about what he'd do to me!"

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I'm sorry."

Tina leaned back and looked at me.

"Okay," she said.

"You're right. It'd be worse for you," I continued. "I should have really thought about that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Joe," Tina said with a sigh.

"Anything I can do to make it up to you?" I asked.

Tina shook her head. Then she paused. "Actually, I'd like to go to a movie."

"One movie, coming up."

We cleared the dishes and I found an old newspaper. The listings weren't too out of date and we soon headed out to the theater. When we returned, I put my arm around Tina.

"Want to spend the night?" I asked.

"Well ... I think I want to sleep in my own bed."

"Oh. 'Cause I thought we might..."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Okay," I said. "Do you want a ride home?"

Tina nodded. At her dorm, we exchanged a brief but definitely romantic kiss. I drove home frustrated.

I went to campus the following day, but my mind really wasn't on my work. I wanted to make things better with Tina, but I didn't think apologizing any more would be a good idea. Besides, I was sure I was right. Her dad would kill me, not her.

That didn't change the fact that I needed to make things better. Instead of concentrating on my programming, I just stared at the computer screen, trying to come up with ideas. I could always bring her flowers at work, I realized. It had worked once. Maybe it would make things better again.

Tina smiled when I entered the door of the poster shop, a dozen roses in my hand. She said something to her manager, who nodded. Then Tina came around the counter and gave me a hug and kissed me hello.

"What a surprise," she said, taking the roses.

"I wanted you to know that I do think of you."

Tina smiled, her gaze lingering on the flowers before returning to me.

"My dad did call today," she said. "He's coming down next weekend and wants to talk to me. The way he said it, though..."

I shuddered, and then tried to control my body's reaction.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Tina let out a small resigned sigh. "No. He didn't mention you and I think I want to face him alone. Thanks for offering, though."

I didn't know what to say and struggled silently for words.

Tina bailed me out. "My boss says I can leave a little early. What do you want to do tonight?"

"I thought I'd take you out for dinner. Maybe Chinese? Then back to my place for dessert." I leaned in close so her boss couldn't hear. "I want to eat a lot of dessert." I wiggled my eyebrows for emphasis.

Tina smiled. "We'll see."

The Chinese restaurant I'd picked nearly at random was mediocre, but it didn't matter. Tina laughed at a lame joke I made about "pu pu" platters and before the meal was over, we were holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.

"I'm ready for my dessert," I said once we'd returned to my apartment.

"What did you have in mind?" Tina said with a leer.

"Oh, I thought I'd kiss, lick, and suck until you can't stand it anymore." I pulled her into my arms and ran my hands down to her ass.

"What if I don't let you?" Tina teased.

"Well, maybe I'll have to tie you up." I raised my eyebrows questioning.

Tina started to laugh, but bit her lip before she made much noise. I tilted my head, silently questioning. She nodded.

"Then get on the bed. Naked, of course."

Tina did laugh this time, but she also pulled away and headed for the bedroom.

I went to my closet, looking for something I could use as rope. My robe sash and an old tie became makeshift cords. When I turned, Tina was stretched out on the bed, watching me.

"Hands above your head."

Tina lazily raised her wrists.

It took forever to get her arms tied. First I had to wrap the fabric around her wrists, not too tight because I didn't want to cut off circulation, but not too loose so it would slip off. The tie and sash were too wide to tie good knots with, but I managed. The tie would probably never recover, though. Then I had to secure the other end to the bed. Since I didn't have a headboard, there weren't any obvious anchors. I settled for using the bed leg for the sash and just shoved the other end of the tie between the mattresses. Hopefully our weight would keep it tight. When I was done, I knelt at the foot of the bed and looked into Tina's expectant eyes.

"You sure you want to do this?" I asked.

"I said I want to explore."

"Okay."

I lowered my head and kissed the inside of her thighs. As she squirmed and let out a low moan, I slowly worked my way in. I took my time, licking and sucking. I wanted to tease her as long as possible before she came.

I didn't get to tease very long. Tina shuddered and arched her back, tugging against her bonds. I held her hips so she couldn't squirm away from me. She announced her orgasm with a shriek.

As she tried to catch her breath, I backed off a little. But I realized she was still wet and very aroused. I wondered how quickly I could get her to come again. Before she'd fully recovered, I started licking again.

Tina moaned and started shaking. I slid one finger inside her as I sucked her clit. With another shriek, she came again.

Again, I didn't let her fully catch her breath. I brought her to a third orgasm. Then, as quickly as I could, her fourth.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" she cried.

I looked up at Tina, her face and chest covered in sweat. "You want me to stop?"

"Yes," she gasped. "I can't take it! No more!"

Her expression was more pained than full of pleasure. I sat back, and then moved around and untied her. She burrowed into my arms as soon as she was free.