Chapter 6

Brian parked along the curb and walked through a carpet of autumn leaves to number 325. He rang the bell and the Dug answered the door. "Hi, Dug," he said.

"Hey, man." The two bumped fists.

"So -- how will the team do this weekend?" Brian asked.

"We won't lose."

"You're sure of that?"

"Absolutely -- We won't lose 'cuz this is a bye week."

"I'm almost ready," he heard Debra call from her room. She bounded out wearing jeans and a knitted turtleneck and carrying her overnight bag and his old laptop case.

"Put those in the back seat," he said. She sat beside him and took his hand. He pulled out his Blackberry. "What do you like on your pizza?"

"Pizza tonight? Yum."

"It's a new place -- supposedly very good. I'll call an order. What toppings?"

"I don't care -- whatever you like is fine."

"If you were ordering it for yourself, what would you have?"

She shrugged. "What do they have?"

"Pepperoni?"

"Yeah..."

"Sausage ... onion?"

"Yes to both. You know I skip lunch on Friday because I know we'll have dinner together. This is making me hungry."

"Olives?"

"Yeah."

"Green or black?" She shrugged. "Green pepper?"

Debra shook her head. "If you want. I'd only pick it off."

He manipulated his handheld. "I'd like to place a carryout order ... large, hand-tossed with pepperoni, sausage, onions, and both olives. For Albert. Thanks." He cancelled the call. "It should be ready by the time we get there." He put the car in gear and headed toward his part of the city. "I see you brought the laptop. Are you planning on doing some work?"

"Yes. This isn't your food pantry weekend, is it?"

"No. I have nothing planned."

"Brian -- this laptop has made such a difference for me. I can check my email ... I can take it to class and type notes. It's lowered a barrier for me and I can't thank you enough."

"I'm delighted it's working for you."

He stopped the car outside a storefront. "Do you want to sit or come in?" he asked.

"I'll sit here ... lock the doors?"

Brian pressed the button on his key fob and the doors locked. He returned moments later with a pizza box. "Here," he said, "you can hold this on your lap."

"Oh! It smells so good! It's making me ravenous. I could devour it right here."

"Let's wait. I have a bottle of Chianti at home." He put the car in drive and headed toward his apartment building. "I'm cursed with having a common first name as a last name," he remarked. "When I say an order is for Albert, they'll say, here you go, Al. If I say it's for Brian, they'll say, here you go Mr Brian." He pulled into his parking space. "I'll take the pizza and you can grab your bags."

Debra set her empty wine glass on the table. "I haven't had pizza that good in years," she said. "I can't believe I ate four slices. Two is normally my limit."

"Between us we polished it," Brian replied.

She pressed her hand against her belly. "I'll bet my stomach is bulging. The wine was excellent, too. You know -- I really look forward to our weekends together. Whether we do something together or just do our own things -- I get a good feeling just being near you."

"So do I," he said.

"I hate having to leave on Monday. By Thursday I'm anticipating Friday and I have trouble keeping my concentration in class."

Brian picked up the plates and glasses and placed them on his counter. "So, what do you want to do, now? Watch a movie ... go out ... do some work? Or should we go straight to the necking?"

Debra smiled and nodded. He led her to his sofa and she sat on his lap. Brian slipped her glasses from her face and set them on the side table. Then he caressed her face and kissed her lips. "I see your perm is starting to relax," he remarked as he ran his fingers through her fine, light hair.

"Yeah ... Should I ask Kaycee to re-do it?"

"Of course. I think it's a perfect look for you."

"I have something I want to show you," she said.

"What's that?"

She picked up his hand and pressed it against her left breast. "Feel my heart?"

"It's pounding."

"It's because I'm nervous."

"Nervous about what?" He regarded her face and gazed into her eyes. "Are you ready to move beyond the collarbone?"

"I think I am," she replied.

Brian traced the outline of her breast through the thick knit of her turtleneck. "You're not wearing a bra," he remarked.

"I don't always. I'm small enough on top not to need one. I wear one so I won't show through or stick out. This top is heavy enough so I don't need to worry about that."

"Did you know the other day I was reading about a company that sells false nipples so that a gal can go all day looking ... erect?"

"I would never want to call attention to myself that way," she replied.

Brian continued to stroke her breast. He could feel her nipple firming.

Debra unbuttoned his shirt, another blue Oxford embroidered with the university seal. "How many of these shirts do you have?" she asked.

"It's like a uniform. It's handy when I have to go through security checkpoints."

She slipped her hand under his shirt and caressed his chest. Then, she pulled the hem of her turtleneck from her waistband. Brian slipped his hand underneath and fondled her breasts, his fingers against her skin. "Your heart's not pounding so hard."

"It was the anticipation. You're putting me at ease." She unbuttoned his shirt all the way and slipped it off his shoulders. Then she grabbed her hem and lifted her top over her head and set it on the floor.

"You have such beautiful breasts," he said. He held her, caressing her shoulders.

"I love feeling your skin against mine," she replied.

"Maybe we should go in the bedroom."

"Maybe we should..."

Brian lay on his back on top of his bedspread. Debra lay beside him and he coaxed her to lay atop him. They shared long and passionate kisses as he stroked her back and felt the warmth of her belly against his. He held her across the small of her back, slipped his fingers under her waistband and caressed the tops of her buttocks.

He eased her to his side. Then he sat up with his back against his headboard and invited her to sit between his legs and rest her back against his chest. He held her around her waist and nuzzled her shoulders and the base of her neck. "I like how this feels," she said.

Brian cupped his hand over her breast. "Have you been doing your homework in the shower?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Have you been stroking it?"

"Yes."

"Does it feel good?"

"Yes, it feels good when I stroke it. I can feel it start to get firmer."

"Does it feel firm, now?" he asked.

"Mmm ... Yes..."

He caressed her nipple with his thumb. "I can tell this is arousing you."

"How can you tell?"

"By how your breathing changes ... the muscle tone in your body ... When I do this..." He stroked her nipple. "I can feel your whole body react. You have little tells, Debra. You can't hide them."

"Yes, I'm becoming aroused," she admitted.

"You have a wire running from your nipples directly to your clit." He rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, and he could feel her thighs twitch. "You feel it in your clit, don't you."

"Yes..."

"Let me show you something." He eased her from between his legs and then stripped off his slacks. "Give me your hand." Brian lay on his back and pressed her palm against his firmly erect organ.

"Wow," she remarked.

"I'm a red-blooded male," he replied. "This is what happens when a red-blooded male sees the woman he loves topless. Feel here..." He adjusted her fingers so she was holding his organ through the fabric of his briefs. Then he guided her free hand to his chest. "I have a similar wire running from my nipples to my dick. Touch me here."

Debra began stroking Brian's nipples. "It is getting bigger and harder," she remarked. "Are you doing that?"

"No -- you are. Despite appearances, our genitals are quite similar. They're built from the same building blocks." He lay beside her and caressed her breasts, ending each stroke by squeezing her pale areolas and pinching her nipples. "When I do this I'm indirectly stimulating your clit."

"It feels good," she said.

"You're enjoying feeling aroused?"

"I am. It feels really good."

"I think we've had a breakthrough tonight, Debra. I'm proud of you."

She smiled. "I'm proud of myself."

"Should we stop here?"

"I don't know. I think if we stop now I'll feel unsatisfied."

"I think when a woman reaches a certain level of arousal, the resolution can be only one of two outcomes: orgasm or frustration."

"I've never been aroused like this before. What would be the next step?"

"Nipple stimulation can only take you so far -- though I have read that a few women can achieve nipple orgasms, and that some new mothers experience orgasmic sensations when they nurse their babies. The next step would be direct stimulation of your clit."

"I don't know..."

"I could try stroking you through your jeans. They're making a pretty good camletoe."

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "You mean to say I've been walking around displaying my anatomy like that? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No, Debra -- it's because of how you're lying here."

"You're not just saying that ... are you?"

"Not at all. Remember, Debra -- you're at the wheel. If you want to hit the gas, we can go further. If you want to hit the brakes -- that's okay, too. We have plenty of time and there will be other opportunities."

"All right, we'll try it."

Brian shifted her so he could lie on his side and hold her around her shoulders with his left arm. He grasped her knee and gently opened her thighs. Then he worked his finger between her labia and began stroking her. "Does this feel good?" he asked

"Mmm ... It feels like it might feel good."

"Touch me if it helps."

She smoothed her hand along his arm. "I think you have a nice body, Brian."

"Despite the lack of rugged, good looks, upper body strength and a letter jacket?"

"I told you ... you're nice-looking."

"Not bad looking was what you said. That's not the same as nice."

"It's what I meant," she replied. "You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?" She explored his muscles. "You have some strength in your arms. I can feel it when you hold me -- I feel your strength and your tenderness. You're gentle with me ... and patient. No one ever has had any patience with me ... the way you do."

Brian watched her ribs move as her breathing deepened. "Is it feeling good, now?"

"Mmm ... It is. I like how you're holding me."

"You enjoy the arousal."

"It all feels really good, Brian. Mmm..."

Debra's lips parted as her breathing grew heavy. She continued caressing his arms and shoulders.

"Do you think," she asked, "I can have an orgasm like this?"

"That's up to you," he replied. "My advice is to take a Zen approach. Let go of your desire for one. The best way to achieve it is not to reach for it."

He continued to hold her and stroke her. Then he lifted his hand from her jeans and caressed her cheek.

"Why did you stop?" she asked. "It was feeling good."

"My hand was getting tired. I was afraid so was your clit. It's mainly a bundle of nerves, and nerves can tire of stimulation. That would lead to a numb clit and I can't think of anything more pathetic than that."