Chapter 16: I Give Kay Too Much Wine.

"I don't know how that went Kay, but it didn't sound too bad from what I heard of the conversation."

"It didn't go badly but it didn't go well either. The best thing I can say about it is there wasn't an absolute and immediately negative reaction. Mom's not happy; if she was she'd have let me know that. Since she didn't say anything about the arrangement I know it's bothering her but not how much, yet. Dad on the other hand is really bothered by it. He wants to think about it and that means he'll talk to Mom and Junior before he makes up his mind as to how he feels about it. He'll talk with Mom and Junior tonight and then again tomorrow after he's thought about it overnight. He wants me to call him again tomorrow and by then I expect he'll have put his thoughts in order and'll be able to talk more from thought than from emotion. At least he's thinking about it before making his mind up but that's typical of him. We learned early as kids not to push him for an immediate answer for anything we wanted. If we did, he'd always go against what we wanted but if we gave him time to think it through, we at least had a chance. He's been that way all his life as far as I know. He does the same thing with decisions about things on the farm. So I know it's not just me or what us kids asked."

"Are you okay with it? I don't mean just the phone call, I mean about this arrangement. Are you still okay with living here with me?"

"Yeah, I'm okay with it, both the phone call and living here. It really is a good deal for me and I know it. If I was anywhere else I'd still have the problems I have but wouldn't have as nice a place to live and the work you want from me to live here is nothing really. I'm going to put it out of my mind for tonight; there isn't anything more I can do right now. I have to wait for my Dad to think it over. I'll know more tomorrow after I talk with him again. I'd like to drop it for now, okay?"

"Okay, it's your call but I'll do anything you need me to do to help you. Now, what's this about the pizza guy?" I was trying to change the subject so she actually could let it go for tonight.

"His name is Billy and he's been in several of my classes. I'm not sure if he's in the same program as I am because almost everyone has to take those classes but I saw him a lot on campus. He's a nice guy and has always been friendly to me, but not too friendly, if you know what I mean."

"When you say friendly, do you mean friendly in passing or friendly in he wants to know you better but is going slowly? If it's the latter that's good and goes along with what I said to you about finding someone and getting to know them intellectually and emotionally before you do anything physically. Is he at the same point in school as you are? Does he live on campus or what?"

"I really don't know what his interest level in me is but it doesn't matter, I really have no interest in him. I don't find myself thinking of him at all, good or bad, other than when we cross paths on campus. He just said he's living some place with three other guys so he has to be off campus but I don't know where. He's delivered to you here before and he's impressed with your house and with the fact that I live here now."

I could tell from the way she talked about this Billy that she really didn't think of him other than as a classmate. Too bad for him. We ate the pizza as we were talking and when it was gone I cleaned up, after all she set up.

I stepped back into the great room and looked over at Kay. She seemed to be deep in thought and I could understand that she wanted to drop it, so I tried to help. "Do you want to play some cards tonight?"

"Thanks Rob, that'll help some won't it."

"Well it'll take your mind off the situation with your parents or I'll trounce you because it didn't." I was smiling and she smiled back at my little joke.

"I'll get the cards and the score pad. Do you want to play at the dining table or here on the floor?"

"We'll play here but I want to get something first." I got up and went into the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

When Kay saw what I was carrying her eyebrows went up. "You're not a drinker Rob, are you?"

"Not really, beyond sociably, but I enjoy wine sometimes and this seems to be a good time for some. I think you can use it to help relax for tonight and let go of what your parents are going to say or not say tomorrow. I'm going to have to find something to keep you busy tomorrow while I'm working so you don't obsess about this before you call home." I poured us each a glass and handed Kay hers. "Drink up."

"Do you think I need to drink to forget my troubles or are you just trying to get an advantage for the cards?" She had a grin on her face as she said that and I thought it was a good thing.

I smiled back at her. "Both!" We played and we talked and we talked and we played. We drank the whole bottle of wine and I got a second which we also went through while we played three of our three game rounds, I won six of the games. It was evident her mind wasn't on them.

It was after one when we stopped playing and a while since we finished the second bottle. I made sure Kay had more than I did, not to beat her at cards but to help her relax and let go of the problem for the night. "I think it's time to quit and go to bed. I have work in the morning even if you don't."

"Okay Rob, let's go to bed." There was a definite slur to her speech so I knew the wine had gotten to her. I also knew she didn't mean for us to go to bed together, not that I would mind, but I knew it was the wine making her a little fuzzy headed. I wasn't going to take advantage of her, it wasn't my style and I'd feel like a heel.

I stood up and offered her my hand to help her up off the floor. "Come on Kay, let me help you up." I pulled her to her feet but it was as if her legs were rubber bands. They wouldn't support her. I had given her too much wine, she was more relaxed than I intended but she'd sleep well. I picked her up in my arms and carried her to her room. She put her arms around my neck; it felt good with her leaning on me and her head on my chest.

I set her on her bed and she sat up for a minute before she toppled over with her legs sticking out over the side. When I was carrying her, it was evident she hadn't put a bra on after her shower. I didn't know how she liked to sleep but I figured she was ready for bed in her tee shirt and pajama pants. I scooted her around on the bed and got her on her side under the covers. The cats jumped up on the bed and proceeded to do their head butting thing for some attention from me. I stroked them a little to make them happy and after a little bit they hopped over Kay to curl up on her far side. "Good night Kay." She mumbled something but it really wasn't intelligible. I turned off her light and left her room, closing the door most of the way but leaving it open enough for the cats.

I went back to the great room and cleaned up the little mess we had made. I took the glasses to the sink, put the wine bottles in the recycling then went on to my room. I brushed my teeth and thought about reading some but decided it was too late. I climbed into bed and was very shortly dead to the world.

When my alarm went off I thought about throwing it against the wall but it was only a momentary thought. I wasn't feeling badly but I definitely knew I had a little to drink last night; not a hangover but a heaviness in my head. I needed to get up and get going for the day. So a quick trip through the bathroom to take care of the morning's urgency and to do a quick wash of my face then to the kitchen. A bowl of cereal and a pot of coffee gave me the motivation to get on track for the day. If I'm going to do this more I need at least two things, more wine and a supply of vitamin 'B'.

I wondered how Kay was doing. I walked back to her room and peeked in on her. She was pretty much just as I had left her, still on her side, breathing easily and sound asleep. I had no reason to wake her so I just turned around and went to the office to get some work done.

I had been working all morning, doing the morning checks and reviewing the log files to ensure everyone's systems were still percolating away without hang-ups.

It was about two o'clock and I was still making phone calls when Kay stuck her head in the door. Her eyes looked a little red, her hair was disheveled and she was still in her tee shirt and pajama pants. "What did you do to me?"

I smiled. "I didn't do anything to you; I just kept your wine glass from running empty. You're the one who drank it all. You were soaking it up like a sponge. We, make that mostly you, went through two full bottles of wine. When I said it was time for bed you wanted to get in my bed with me."

"I didn't! Did I?" She looked absolutely horrified. "Please tell me I didn't really do that. What must you think of me?" She brought her hands up and covered her face while shaking her head in denial.

I took pity on her, it's not fair to torture puppies, kittens or young women, but with the last group it can be fun. "No, you didn't do that. When we finally quit for the night you couldn't even stand up. I had to carry you back to your room, then the cats and I put you under the covers and said good night."

"Is that what happened? Oh thank you. I don't remember anything after we started playing cards including how I got in bed. My tongue feels thick, my head like it's filled with lead and my stomach is complaining just a little."

I looked down at my feet and was feeling a little sheepish. "I guess I should apologize to you for that. I gave you too much wine and I did it on purpose although I ended up giving you more than I intended. My idea was to get you to relax and not worry about what your parents were going to say tonight. I didn't realize how much I really gave you until we quit and you couldn't stand up."

She glared at me. "I relaxed alright. I relaxed so much I didn't get up until fifteen minutes ago." Then she popped me on my arm. "You rat!"

"Think of it as a therapeutic treatment. You needed to rest and you sure can't say you didn't rest, you slept about twelve hours. In about an hour when your head clears a little more, you should feel much better and be ready to make your call home. Between now and the phone call you should drink plenty of water and eat something."

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about food with this lead ball in my head. There's no telling what I'll find in my stomach."

"Drink the water for now. In an hour I'll make you some mac and cheese, the starch will help you feel better, and besides, it's the original comfort food."

"I don't know about that. I'm going to go brush my teeth and take a shower."

"That'll help; make it a hot shower but drink some water first and you'll start to feel normal again."

Kay left and I went back to what I was doing. Half an hour later I decided to call it quits for the day and went to the kitchen to make the mac and cheese. It wasn't anything special, thank goodness for Kraft.

Kay came in looking better and sat down at the table. I scooped some into a couple of bowls, slid one in front of her and sat down with the other. "Here you go, this should help some. This is either a late lunch or an early supper, your choice."

"Thanks Rob. I appreciate you helping me out. Did I really ask about going to your bed last night?"

"You did but I don't think what you meant was what came out when you said it. In any case I wasn't going to take advantage of you. When a woman wants to get in my bed I prefer she's more than just barely conscious and you weren't last night."

"You know Sue told me you were an old fashioned gentleman and you've certainly proved it on more than one occasion with me. I want you to know I'm not like too many of the kids I see on campus. I don't go out getting myself snockered or otherwise incapacitated normally, even if you've seen me that way twice now. I've given you the opportunity to take advantage of me and you didn't. I know some girls would feel slighted that you didn't but I really am grateful."

"My name isn't Todd and I'm not the age when my hormones are running roughshod over my morals. Besides, if I take a woman to bed with me, I'm interested in her pleasure just as much as my own. In both of the opportunities you've given me, as you put it, I doubt you would have even remembered it, let alone enjoyed it. If my partner doesn't enjoy it, my enjoyment isn't as great as I think it should be, as I expect it to be. Sex should be fun and a pleasure, not something dulled by drugs or drink. I'm not saying a little alcohol will always lessen the pleasure but a lot would. In the levels we're talking about, alcohol is a depressant not a stimulant and certainly not an aphrodisiac. The only drugs I like during sex are the endorphins the body releases. I don't know of any drugs from outside the body that truly make sex better. Some may seem to at the time but after they're through your system you feel worse. Sex should always be something that, when you remember it, you smile not grimace."

"My few experiences with it didn't leave me with the smile you seem to be talking about. Oh, I smiled, for the guy's sake, but it really didn't do anything for me. I remember them, sure, but not with any great fondness or revulsion."

"Can we talk about it without my embarrassing you or offending you?"

"Sure, why not, maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"I'm not sure you're doing anything wrong. Maybe your choice in partner but that's probably about it. Sometimes it's the first experience that puts you off and makes you tentative for later encounters. Was your first time embarrassing or too painful?"

"Embarrassing, maybe, I wasn't sure of what I was doing or if I was doing it right. The guy didn't seem to be sure of himself either. It may have been his first time too but I'm not sure. We didn't really talk about us and doing it, before, during or after. I was in my senior year of high school and there was a spring community dance, the kind of thing where everyone comes together, adults and kids. I had been dancing with a couple of guys from school and pretty soon only with one of them. He suggested we slip out for a walk, so I went with him. We got away from the hall, we were walking and talking and he took me to a grassy field. He must have been planning on getting lucky because he had a blanket stashed by a tree. When we got to the tree, he pulled a Houdini and out popped the blanket. It was fairly warm so when he suggested we sit for a while and talk that's all I expected. We were making out some and talking about school and the kids in school and who was going to do what after school. Pretty soon we were just talking about the kids and who was with who and doing what. Pretty soon I was feeling like I was behind the times and he was convincing me to catch up. We had gotten to where we were laying out on the blanket and we were moving along further than I expected. Without really thinking about it, I found myself with my dress pulled up and my panties pulled down. He was rubbing against me talking about how great it was and why we should and I gave in. He pushed his pants down around his knees and was pawing at my breasts with one hand and lining himself up with the other. I felt myself being filled and didn't do anything to stop him. I was on the pill to regulate my periods, so pregnancy didn't worry me. He lasted about thirty seconds and was done. Then he was talking about how we had to get back before we were missed and that was it. It didn't hurt other than some friction but I sure as hell didn't get anything out of it."

"It didn't hurt even when he started?"

"Oh, you mean my hymen? I lost that sometime before, riding a dirt bike we had on the farm. At least I didn't have that to contend with too."

"What about your other experiences?"

"I went out with this guy in my freshman year three times. He took me to a football game, a party and a movie. After the movie he took me parking in his car and we ended up in his back seat. It wasn't as comfortable as the blanket and he lasted a little longer but not much, maybe ninety seconds. At least he didn't try to rush us back to the campus. We talked some both before and after and he was telling me how much he liked me and thought of me but he never said anything about loving me and he seemed to care more about himself than me by far. A little later that night in the car he wanted a second round but I told him I was uncomfortable and wanted to go home. The truth was, I again didn't get anything out of it and was a little upset. I was in the dorms then and so was he, so when we went back, I kind of made sure the front desk saw us and that put an end to him trying to sneak up to my room with me. He tried a couple of times to get me to go out with him again but I always made sure I was busy."

"Is that all the experience you've had?"

"No, there was one more time. It was this past Valentine's Day. There was a party in a frat house that Robin and I were invited to. We went and there were a whole bunch of guys and girls there. A nice looking guy started hanging out with me and kept offering me a beer. I took one but only to keep something in my hand and stop him from trying to get me more. We'd been there a couple of hours and I saw Robin go upstairs with a guy. I was kind of interested in the guy I was talking to and wasn't going to leave without Robin. So when my guy asked me up to his room, I went with him. At this point I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me so when my paramour started undressing me I decided to try one more time and let him. It was my first time in a bed and the guy was okay; he didn't rush things and seemed like he was trying to make me feel good. I'll give him credit for that but he must have had too much to drink. He couldn't get it up, at most he was slightly stiff but there was no way he was going to be able to get into me. I tried to interest him more with my hand but that wasn't working. He wanted me to blow him to get him hard and he tried to push my face down onto him. I've never done that and I wasn't about to be forced to. After about half an hour of working him with my hand I gave up and told him I'm sorry. I know I didn't have anything to be sorry about but I acted like it was my fault and it gave me an escape. That was the last time before I met you and you know the story there."