Chapter 4: Getting it all out in the Open

I lay in bed listening to my alarm clock, letting my thoughts drift back over the last few weeks. I realized that this was the first time in five years I'd lived in the same place for so long. My relationship with The Girls was improving, and it felt good to finally be putting down roots and building friendships. Client relationships were nice, but it was hard to let my self get too close to someone I'd likely never see again.

I was still curious about what it was like to grow up outside of the Institute. Although I'd heard plenty of stories from clients over the years, it was infinitely more valuable to actually watch the lively banter between Sarah, Don and Rachael. Perhaps that was why I'd been spending so much time with the Whetsons. Or maybe it was just that aside from my college professors they seemed to be some of the few people who actively questioned my intentions and seemed genuinely interested.

I'm not sure what I expected to get out of college, but working closely with peers (i.e., my classmates) rather than clients provided a refreshingly new dynamic. Even Kelly had been different. I wasn't sure if she was quite the typical 'one night stand, ' but it had been a fun night. Although I was slightly worried that she seemed to be avoiding me in the cafeteria, it wasn't like she was glaring at me, and I didn't want to risk making things even more awkward by trying to force a friendship.

As I stumbled into the shower, my thoughts drifted towards The Girls. With my apology I'd completed phase two of my plan, now the fun could begin. Since I wasn't happy with their previous attitude, phase three required that I subtly guide our relationship towards one that was more mutually beneficial.

The Girls were still a little pissed at me. I could tell that they were eager to re-establish our relationship, but weren't quite certain how. I wasn't nearly ready to be monogamous, but wanted something deeper or at least longer lasting than a client relationship. The challenge would be to guide The Girls' expectations so that they appreciated such a relationship and invited me to participate as if it were their idea in the first place.

'Alright, enough deep thoughts for one morning, ' I thought with a shake of my head as I shut off the water. 'It's time for class.'

I was still distracted thinking how I could 'train The Girls' when I finally got to class, but somehow managed to get there several minutes early anyway. I was lost in my own little world daydreaming when Brad flopped down in the chair next to me.

"Man, first they love you, then they hate you, and now they love you again. How do you do it? I mean, look at her," Brad asked, pointing at Amy. "She's practically drooling over you."

"Well, being an Elite does have its benefits."

"Dude, I would give my left testicle to have that sort of effect on women."

"Would you now?" I asked, amused at the sincerity in his voice.

"Honestly, just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. You wouldn't believe how hard I've tried. I'm starting to question whether I'll ever lose my virginity."

Now, there was an honest answer! Not that talking about one's virginity with a Docent was that unusual, even for guys, but judging by his expression I sensed he actually meant it. I mentally reviewed all I knew about Brad. While he was one of the class clowns, he seemed like the type of person that wanted both attention and to get along with everyone. In all likelihood he was trying too hard, but at least he didn't have a problem talking to girls and was obviously making an effort to improve his skills.

"I'll tell you what, Brad. Let me ask around, I'm not making any promises, but I might be able to find someone willing to help you out."

"Dude, thank you," he replied, firmly squeezing my shoulder before getting up to take his more customary seat in the back near the door.

As an Elite I still had access to the client and Docent registry, but I didn't want to risk stepping on anyone's toes so instead called Kael. After outlining my problem Kael strongly hinted that one of the ways a Docent could share the benefits of an Elite's status was by doing them 'favors.' As long as the favors were not too annoying or difficult most Docents would be willing to help out. After repeating all I'd learned about Brad to Kael he promised to discreetly ask around and see if any of the retired Docents on campus would be willing to help out.

Within a half hour I received a call from Cara who seemed remarkably open to helping out, but would prefer to discuss the details at one of the finer restaurants Colorado Springs had to offer. Catching her not so subtle hint I quickly agreed to pick her up and go get dinner.

Cara turned out to be a junior who lived in Kelly's dorm, appeared to be about 5'6", and had curly dark brown hair and a mellow personality. During dinner I learned she would be more than willing to give some pointers to Brad and that she'd always wanted to spend a weekend skiing at Vail. Before flying out to Colorado I'd been told that Vail was annoyed at losing some of its more prominent guests to Aspen. The resulting turf battle ensured that both Vail and Aspen would be more than happy to host an Elite any time I wanted to visit.

With my current lack of action, spending the weekend with any woman sounded like a good deal. Did I mention Cara was hot? Her Institute training and obvious attraction to me were a definite bonus. It was our common background that I found most appealing.

"I miss hanging out with Institute people," I sighed after one of Cara's cruder references to our training.

"You know what? Me too," she agreed with a laugh. "Although what I really miss is hanging out at the airport Docent Lounge waiting for an Elite to pass through."

"Yeah, those were some good times."

As I Docent I loved hanging out at airports as it gave me an excellent opportunity to refine my skills. Later I tried to repay the favor by scheduling extended layovers whenever I traveled to visit clients.

By the time we headed back to campus it was a foregone conclusion that Cara would show Brad the ropes, and that as soon as there was enough snow we'd check out Vail. The mood was broken when I pulled up to the dorm just as Kelly was coming out. She saw I wasn't alone and actually glared at me.

"You should do something about that," Cara commented off handedly as we approached the dorm.

"She's been avoiding me so I assumed she wanted some space."

"Maybe," hedged Cara. "But have you tried talking with her? I think the whole campus knows you had a falling out with The Girls because of her."

"Huh? I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Normally it wouldn't be a big deal as people are always hooking up at parties, but you should probably check just to be sure the two of you are on the same page."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem. Let me know if you want to talk about things, just one Docent to another."

"I will," I replied.

In retrospect I agreed that adding a male Elite to a table filled with at least seven of The Girls made it look even more intimidating. The now regular appearance of Brad seemed to signal it was okay for other guys to join as well. In fact, it was becoming common for some of the guys from my own wing to eat with us; usually it was just Chris and his roommate Sam, but David was known to stop by on occasion. If anything, this only added to my enjoyment of meals as I now had people to back me up when I tried to 'enlighten' The Girls as to what guys are really like.

Sometimes it's nice being the only guy at a table full of girls, but lately The Girls had started to get carried away with all the innuendo. It was good to have a bit more diversity at the table.

Later that week Brad once again sat next to me before class, but this time he was positively radiant.

"Dude I just..." he started to gush but I quickly cut him off.

"You had a wonderfully private experience that if you ever wish to repeat on this campus you will not talk about in public," I reminded him while firmly holding his gaze.

"Right, but..." he tried to continue, and again I cut him off.

"Brad, I'm serious. I know you need someone to talk to, but not in public." I knew he was hurt so I offered, "Want to go over the homework at my place after class?"

He would have to be a complete idiot to misinterpret the look I gave him, and after a couple seconds he finally understood my barely hidden question.

"Dude, I'm so there!" he replied, once again glowing as he dashed back to his usual seat.

'Let's hope this doesn't backfire, ' I sighed, but Brad's enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn't help smiling for the rest of the period.

I ended up having a long conversation with Brad after class. Apparently Cara had quite the time teasing Brad while forcing him to go slow.

'Dude, she made me wait an entire hour before we even got naked, and all we were doing was kissing and petting!' he exclaimed at one point. After a rather condescending look he grudgingly admitted it had been a lot of fun even if frustrating how long it took to get things going. This time I didn't need to glare as Brad was quick to start prattling on about all he learned and seemed quite eager to test out his newfound skills.

We ended up talking for quite a while, but I was still able to round up most of The Girls and some of the guys from my wing for a late lunch. I was touched that everyone had waited for me and couldn't help smiling as we headed off to the dining hall.

I found Cara waiting in line for the sandwich bar. After glancing around at what else was offered, I decided to join her. As I approached I noticed that she too seemed to be glowing.

"My, aren't we just positively radiant today," I teased while gently nudging her arm.

"Hey Alex! Yeah, I guess I did have an interesting study session last night."

"You guess? That's not what Brad said."

"What! That little brat's been talking?"

"No way," I soothed. "He just needed someone to help go over his homework and stopped by after class."

"Whew," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "Just remember whose ass I'll kick if word gets out."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep him in line. I'm just happy you're happy."

"Trust me; I haven't been this happy in months."

"Months?" I teased. "People can last that long?"

"Months isn't that long, some people last years!"

"No way, it's only been a couple weeks and I'm already feeling antsy."

"Really, all those Girls and it'd been weeks?"

"I've never tried to manipulate multiple clients at once and I don't want to rush things with The Girls."

"If you start feeling too antsy, let me know if you ever need some help."

"Careful, I might just take you up on that."

"I hope so," she purred, standing on her tiptoes to firmly kiss me on the lips before sauntering out to find a table.

This earned me quite a bit of heckling from Chris and Sam, a knowing smile from Brad, and some envious looks from The Girls.

'I'd say phase three is progressing nicely, ' I thought before noticing Amy glare at Cara's retreating back. 'Well, not perfectly, but The Girls are improving.'

Things seemed to be going well as we approached the last week of First Block (remember, each class is taught individually as a 3.5 week block, take the final, get .5 weeks off, and then you move onto your next class/block). Academically I was doing very well, but was guardedly optimistic about my next class. It was a course on "Cultures and Society", and after seeing the world from so many perspectives it was hard not to be overly critical of the way the texts seemed to define rather fuzzy differences in such black and white terms. I'm much more a computers and numbers type of guy, but if I'm attending a liberal arts college I should at least sample the various courses they offer.

My relationship with The Girls was progressing nicely as I slowly let the tension grow. I wasn't ready to try anything sexual with them. I wanted to be sure that they not only allowed me to turn down their offers, but also wouldn't start fighting over me and lose my friendship in the process.

We still did things as a group, however. For example, we now went running together on a regular basis and I never had a problem filling the room when I wanted to watch a movie. But The Girls almost seemed scared to flirt with me lest they go too far and end up teasing me. I wasn't in a rush, so I didn't exactly spell out the rules. It was touching to have The Girls hesitantly try to make things more intimate. Even if I was guiding their seduction, they were learning what I liked and it was an enjoyable process for all of us.

That said, I needed to get laid. Aside from my brief time with Jamie and my night with Kelly, I'd been celibate ever since arriving on campus. It wasn't the sex so much as the physical contact I shared with my clients that I missed the most. When working with clients we are constantly touching: Holding hands, sneaking kisses, snuggling up to watch a movie...

On impulse I decided to take Cara up on her offer and headed over to her place to ask for some 'advice.' Cara suggested we take a drive even though it was Friday and her roommate was studying in the library. We ended up driving all the way to the Breckenridge ski area. While they didn't really have any snow yet, the resort was more than happy to host an Elite and his guest.

It bothered me that I seemed to be sneaking around, but Cara pointed out that we were consenting adults and that it really wasn't The Girls' business. We had a lot of fun joking around over a candlelit dinner and I was in a remarkably good mood when Cara suggested that we spend the night.

Back in our suite Cara sensed my need and tried to take advantage of the situation.

"Want to play Hold Off?" she asked with a devilish gleam in her eye.

Since Elites, and many Docents, want to be able to control when they orgasm, a game was developed to see who could outlast the other. Unless one strongly preferred bottom, they typically flip a coin to see who's on top and let the evening proceed at a very relaxed pace often spending more time on foreplay (champagne, sensual massage,... ) than on the actual "competition." However the sex is usually quite energetic as the loser must then do everything in their power to ensure that their partner cums at least twice in restitution. In most cases the more experienced participant "wins" and thus is given twice the opportunity to help the other improve their skills.

We had a great time fooling around in the suite's hot tub while enjoying the fruit platter and champagne I'd ordered from room service. But against an Elite Cara was vastly out-classed. Even though she won the toss, chose top, and was milking my cock like a pro, my skilled fingers soon pushed her over the edge.

Cara wailed her defeat as I felt her vaginal muscles clamp down, and she collapsed into a quivering mass on top of me. Never one to miss an opportunity to 'help' others, especially a fellow Docent, I carefully controlled my reactions and was certain that she learned a lot in our evening together.

While she'd noticeably improved, the next morning's competition again found Cara cumming first and me cumming twice. I was tempted to let her "win" that afternoon, but knew that she'd notice and resent me for it. All in all, it was an awesome day together and reminded me of just how much I enjoyed working with clients and others from the Institute.

Unfortunately the first block class final was coming up on Wednesday so I couldn't spend the entire weekend hanging out. Instead we decided to head back to the dorm late Saturday night. Along the way Cara offered numerous suggestions for ways I could improve things with The Girls, but overall she seemed impressed with my progress.

"Maybe we can do this again some time?" Cara asked as we pulled up to her dorm.

"I don't know if I could handle round two!" I protested. "I was just doing this to help Brad."

"I'll bet," she replied with a smile, but her eyes had a mischievous glint to them when she added, "Too bad we didn't go skiing at Vail."

"You mean I have to spend another weekend with you?" I cried, slumping into my seat.

"A promise is a promise."

Unfortunately neither of us could keep a straight face for long and the car filled with laughter. It was several minutes before we settled down.

"Alright, I need to get back and start studying."

"Yeah, me too."

"Thanks for an awesome weekend."

"No problem. We'll have to do it again some time," she replied with a wink as she got out of the car.

Even though, as far as I knew, Amy was the only other morning person, there were actually several of The Girls at breakfast on Sunday. They seemed very interested in where I had disappeared to on Saturday.

After some particularly insistent comments I finally snapped.

"I haven't accepted any clients since coming to CC and I needed to get off campus."

I hoped someone would change the subject, but Amy wouldn't let it drop.

"You're obviously one of the best Docents, why should you give all that up just because you started going to college?"

"Because I don't have time to fly all over the world scoping out cities during the week and working with clients on the weekend."

"Then don't," she placated. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd love to have a Docent for a weekend."

"Or a night," Jess murmured.

A few weeks ago I would have refused. I mean, if international clients couldn't keep my interest why would local clients be any different? But a few weeks ago I'd nearly messed up.

"Maybe."

While I'd been looking at Amy, Jess and the rest of The Girls smiled. After their strong reaction to Kelly, I wasn't expecting such open support for me accepting clients and I found the whole conversation unsettling.

I was still feeling confused when I got back to the dorm and decided to go for a run. On my way out Jackie asked if I wanted any company, but I really wasn't in the mood, quickly made my excuses, and left.

Running alone for the first time in weeks, I didn't have to shorten my strides and found that I was now in very good shape. Cutting loose, I picked a pace slightly higher than comfortable and just ran. A few miles later I felt the altitude catching up with me and knew I should head back, but turning around was just too much effort. Instead I slowed my pace a bit and kept going.

It wasn't until several miles later when I stumbled that I realized I'd run all the way through down town Colorado Springs and was now on a part of the trail I'd never seen before. Luckily there was a picnic table nearby that I gratefully collapsed onto. The running had helped. Resting my arms on the table and cradling my head I thought back on all the things that made me happy. Inevitably I kept returning to the Institute: the good clients, the difficult clients, hanging out in the airport Docent lounges, training weekends ... it was all 'work, ' yet it was also my life.

It was at that moment that I admitted I could just as easily fully retire as stop breathing or give up being an Elite. Deep down I knew there was always the chance of another Tess incident, but after sampling the 'real world' for the last few weeks, ruining my perfect reputation just didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. Plus I'd had multiple partners since Tess and not had a problem.

So why not take on some clients? Wracking my brain, I'd run out of excuses and decided to try again. Maybe this time the clients would be different. Or maybe I'd be different. Either way, I was ready to work with clients again and vowed to call Kael once I returned to the dorm.

The decision made, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders as I got up and slowly began walking towards campus. I knew it would be dark by the time I got back, but it didn't matter. At least one of The Girls would wait until I got back before going to dinner, Kael would still pick up on the first ring, and life would go back to normal.

'Well, at least life would get a bit more normal, ' I thought with a smile, already wondering who Kael had selected 'just in case' I changed my mind.

When I called later that evening Kael was thrilled to hear I was again accepting clients. While some may have gloated, Kael just laughed and told me he'd be emailing me some promising profiles to check out. In fact, he informed me that recently several of the college faculty and local residents had inquired as to whether the services of 'the Elite' were available. This wasn't all that unusual when an Elite moves to a new area, as it is hard for them not to stand out, although he warned that my popularity may get a tad distracting if I started accepting clients from the general population. Before hanging up Kael warned me to start off slow and not to rush into things, as all of the clients were local and there were other Docents in the area.

A few seconds after hanging up I received a message from Kael on the best matches amongst the faculty's children. There was a profile attached for a high priority 'special' client whose parents demanded the very best, and had arranged for a week's vacation to a secluded resort in the Cayman Islands for the first week of November. She was a bit young for my tastes, but I'd promised Kael over the phone I would consider it.

I started reviewing the faculty children, and it was amazing how well their personalities appeared to match, at least on paper. As an Elite I could be very selective and tended to accept clients that had a hard time fitting in with their peers because of their height, intelligence, or the prestige of their parents. Although few of these clients realized it, most were quite beautiful, which only set them even father apart from their peers.

In the end I accepted a few new clients for the first three weekends in October and told Kael to go ahead and make all the arrangements for the first to be over the 5 day weekend between classes.

With spending most of the weekend with Cara and going running all day Sunday, I hadn't studied much for Wednesday's final exam, so consequently didn't get much sleep Tuesday night. I think things turned out okay as it was entirely made up of short essay questions. After near completely filling my bluebook I was supremely confident I'd aced the class as I turned in my final a half hour early.

With just four days to prepare the planning for my first client weekend things were a bit rushed, but Kael did an amazing job as usual. Even though there wasn't enough snow to go skiing, I had a great weekend hanging around Keystone. The resort practically gave me a condo to use any weekend I wanted it and I came to appreciate the outdoor heated pool and hot tub as we relaxed in the brisk mountain air. Later, I learned that the president of Vail Resorts--which owns Keystone, Breckenridge, and Arapahoe Basin in addition to Vail--actually called up the president of Aspen to gloat about their 'resident Elite.' I didn't mind the publicity so long as I stayed for free.

Each client offered their own challenge, quirks and preferences, and Bethany was certainly no exception. Because her personality was not quite the perfect match I was accustomed to, there were quite a few surprises over the course of the weekend, but nothing too embarrassing. It made the weekend much more interesting for me, and Bethany seemed to pick up on my enthusiasm. Initially I feared calling out the wrong name again, but like all of my other encounters since Tess, this wasn't even remotely an issue. Never one to question a good thing I eagerly looked forward to my next client.