Chapter 1: School Days

When she took time to think about it, she recognized she was homesick. Brenda Reichart was in her first semester at Coddington College, Providence, Rhode Island. She was the beneficiary of a "full ride" athletic scholarship in volleyball. She wasn't playing a lot just yet but that was gradually changing as she improved and got the feel of a much more competitive environment than her high school experience.

The homesickness was understandable. She had come from Fairmount, a small town in central Indiana, to a city on the east coast. Even though it wasn't a big city or a big college, she felt almost invisible for a while. It was only the stiff regulation of her campus life that kept her from giving up and going home. She had classes of course, and practices, and rules of behavior, and diet restrictions, and even dating restrictions. Thankfully, she had a roommate, someone to talk to and share her feelings.

Tamara Kinross was also a freshman student, although not an athlete. She had a partial academic scholarship and chose Coddington because of its more modest cost compared to the bigger schools. She was from Yarmouth, Massachusetts and spoke with a distinct New England accent. Brenda loved the accent and the two hit it off quite quickly. Brenda and Tamara both were fundamentally neat people with reasonably disciplined lifestyles, which helped reduce any conflicts.

Physically they were as different as night and day. Brenda was a towering six- foot-one-inch redhead with a spectacular figure. She was every red-blooded guy's wet dream. Tamara was barely five-foot-three and very slim while quite attractive as well. Her skin was a caramel color from being part African-American.

"My great, great, great, great grandfather was a runaway slave. He got together with a white woman along the way. I guess some of the genes got passed along and I'm the result. The rest of my folks are mostly white. We've lived in Yarmouth a long time, I'm told. It's not a big town, only twenty five thousand I think, but it's nice ... except in winter," she laughed.

"Fairmount is even smaller, only about six thousand in the area," Brenda replied. "I was really anxious to get out of there and see the world, but now ... I miss it."

"I know what you mean," Tamara nodded. "My boyfriend is still there and I don't know how long it will be before I get replaced. I'll know better at Thanksgiving. My girlfriends will tell me if he's out with other girls."

"I don't have a boyfriend to worry about. I played the field and kept them all guessing. Fairmount is too small to have any secrets for long, so I stayed the 'good girl.' I feel like that's going to change while I'm here."

"You a virgin?" her new friend asked in surprise.

"Yeah. But ... I'm thinking I'd like to put an end to that if I can find the right guy."

"Shit, I ain't been since I was fifteen. You got some catchin' up to do, girl."

"I know. But I don't want some ass clown who runs around telling all his buddies he scored with 'Big Red.'"

"Big Red?" she laughed. "I guess that fits."

"Yeah. You should have seen me three years ago. Almost this tall but a stick body and a red Afro. No tits, no ass, braces and zits. I was a real beauty."

"Well that's all gone now. You make me feel puny. I'm not exactly Queen Latifah you'll notice."

"What kind of scholarship did you get?" Brenda asked, wanting to change the topic.

"Academic. I'm pretty good at math, biology and history. My folks want me to be the first in the family to get a college degree. I'm going to do my damndest to do it. They sacrificed a lot to help me get here so I'm not going to let them down if I can help it."

"Good for you, Tamara. I'll be the first in my family too although I've got a brother and sister who will be right behind me."

"Are they athletes too?"

"Chuck is, along with being a computer nerd, so I guess that's what he'll go for. Terry, my sister, doesn't have any clue what she wants yet. She's only fifteen so she's got some time."

"I've got two brothers," Tamara said. "Neither of them is going to college. Leon is driving a forklift at the lumberyard and Jimmy will struggle to finish grade twelve. I don't know what the hell he'll do for a living. Mostly he just watches TV and hangs out with his friends. I just hope he doesn't get into trouble."

"I guess that's what makes it important for you to get a degree, huh?"

Tamara nodded, looking unhappily at her hands as she did.

"I've got to remember that it's just as important for me, too. Dad wants me to take over our hardware store some day. That's why I chose business administration for my major. Might as well figure out what it's going to take to do it properly."

"I don't know what I'll do with my degree," Tamara said. "Maybe go into teaching or something."

"Lots of time to decide, Tamara."

It was Tamara that suggested to Brenda that she should see a doctor and get a prescription for birth control pills.

"If you're going to be with some guy, you don't want to rely on him having a condom. Even then, in the heat of the moment, shit happens. You don't want to get pregnant, that's for sure."

Brenda nodded. She had been thinking about it and Tamara's nudge had pushed her into action. It would take some time before the pills would be completely effective but she was in no rush to try them out. First, she had to find a suitable guy and not just some one night hook-up.

Mike Wilson was a mature student. He was a business administration senior who picked up a few spare dollars as a teaching assistant. He was automatically assigned as a tutor to any of the athlete scholars and they were expected to take advantage of his help.

"Hi, Mr. Wilson. I'm Brenda Reichart. I understand you'll be my tutor."

"Hello, Brenda. Please call me Mike. I'm not faculty, just a tutor. How are you making out so far?"

"Okay, I guess. I'll know better after the first semester exams."

"Do you have enough time to study with all your practices and games?"

"Yes. I take some of the work with me on the road and my roommate is good about both of us having quiet time for work."

"That's great. That's really important. Is there anything I can help with now?"

"Maybe you can tell me what to expect on the exams."

"Sure. I can show you what previous first year first semester exams looked like. That will give you an idea."

That was the beginning of a working relationship that Brenda found very helpful and easy to find time for.

"He's a really nice guy, Tamara. Older, but not that old. He was in the Army and just came back to finish his degree and then he's going to go after a MBA at one of the Ivy League schools. I guess the Army is paying for college and his post grad costs."

"Let me guess," Tamara grinned, "he's cute too."

"Yeah, cute and nice. If he asked me out, I'd go."

"Dropping a few hints wouldn't hurt," her roommate suggested.

"I wouldn't know how without being too obvious."

"There's no such thing as too obvious. When you get a chance, ask him what he does for fun ... or in his spare time. If he's even semi-conscious he'll pick up on it."

Brenda thought about it and decided to try it when the opportunity arose.

The opportunity came unexpectedly at lunch the following week when Brenda spotted Mike Wilson alone at one of the tables. She hastily purchased her soup, salad and milk before making her way to his table.

"Hi, Mike. Mind if I sit here?" she asked shyly.

He looked up and seeing a familiar face, quickly responded.

"No ... not at all. I'd welcome the company."

Brenda was becoming used to that sincere smile of his. Nor was he tongue-tied like some of the other guys. More importantly to Brenda, she was at ease in his company. She wasn't in awe, although she was attracted to him.

"I don't remember seeing you here very often," she began.

"Not surprising. I usually bring a sandwich and a soft drink with me and eat in my cubby-hole of an office. I share it with a couple of other TA's and today I'm the odd man out."

"I'm surprised you're eating alone. I thought you'd have a lot of female company," she smiled.

"Nope. But then, I thought you would have a lot of male company."

"I'm very fussy about who I eat with ... or spend time with."

"Well, I feel honored then," he said with his trademark smile.

They sat and ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"So ... what do you do in your spare time, Mike?"

"Not a lot. I go to a movie now and then. Read, study a bit. I'm preparing my applications for some of the MBA programs I'd like to get into. I'm hoping for Harvard, but so is almost everyone who can afford it. I'm not holding my breath."

"I hear it's really expensive."

"It is. I wouldn't have a hope of getting in if it weren't for the GI Bill support. I'm from a small town and my folks aren't able to help me financially. That's why I joined the army. I got all the help I needed from them at the expense of having to give them six years of my time."

"You're a senior now so you'll be graduating in May I guess."

"Yes. I'm pretty well guaranteed that."

There was another silence for a few moments.

"What do you do with your spare time?" Mike finally asked.

"I don't have a lot when volleyball season is on. Practices and games plus studying keep me pretty busy. I don't have a boyfriend, if that's what you're wondering."

He grinned. "As a matter of fact, I was wondering. I don't have a girlfriend, in case you were wondering about that."

"I was, to be honest. Maybe we could go to a movie sometime."

"That sounds like a good idea. When can you make it?"

"This Saturday okay with you?"

"This Saturday would be great. Anything in particular you'd like to see?"

"You choose. I'm sure I'll like it," she smiled, pleased that this hurdle had been so easily passed.

The first week of December marked their third date. Brenda had been very tempted to be the aggressor in this new relationship but decided against it. She was having a hard time reading Mike. He was invariably polite and quite proper with her. They had graduated from holding hands to a light kiss on the lips and then a more intense and lingering kiss at the end of the night. She had already decided that Mike would be the one to take her virginity. That is, if she could get him to take that step.

It was almost ten o'clock when the movie ended and they stepped outside onto the sidewalk into a blast of cold, damp wind. Brenda felt the immediate effect and shivered as she clutched Mike's arm to her, hoping for some body warmth.

"Mike, I'm freezing. Let's get to the car quickly."

He had wrapped his arm around her trying to shield her from the wind but it was almost a hundred yards to the car and it was straight into that wind.

"Almost there, Brenda. Hang on," he said, holding her closer again.

They finally reached his aging Pontiac and he quickly unlocked the door and Brenda hastily jumped in, still shivering from the cold. Mike was quick to start the car and turn the heater up full, hopeful that warm air soon would be forthcoming.

"Oh, I feel like I'm never going to be warm again," Brenda managed through chattering teeth.

"We'll go to my place," Mike said without hesitation. "It's closer and plenty warm."

"Good. Sooner is better," she said, trying to smile through her chills.

It took less time to get to Mike's apartment than it did for the heater to have any effect in the car. Fortunately, Mike's parking spot was close to the rear door and they hustled into the hallway before he punched the elevator button for the fourth floor. The elevator compartment was actually very warm and Brenda finally could feel some relief and color began to return to her lips.

"That's better. I guess it was the shock of the cold that got to me," she said as they exited the elevator and walked a short way down the hall before entering his apartment.

"I think it's the damp that makes it feel so cold," he suggested. "Anyway, this apartment is warm, so if you like, I can take your coat and I'll make some tea to help warm you up."

"Thank you. Tea sounds great."

Brenda sat on the compact sofa and rubbed her hands to get the circulation going. At last she was beginning to feel them warm up. She was grateful she had worn slacks and her walking shoes as they gave her some protection from the cold.

It wasn't long before she heard the kettle boiling and the clink of spoons on ceramic. Mike reappeared with two steaming mugs of tea, setting one down in front of Brenda then taking a seat beside her.

Brenda had her hands wrapped around the mug to pick up as much heat as possible.

"Warming up?" Mike asked.

"Yes, finally. I'm going to have to invest in a proper winter coat and gloves if this is what I can expect."

"Good idea. Some boots too."

Brenda nodded, finally able to relax and lean back. She looked around for the first time and saw that the apartment was very neat and clean. Not surprising, she supposed, since Mike was that kind of man.

"I like your place. You keep it very tidy. I guess all those stories about bachelor pads aren't true after all."

"The army drilled that into me. I was as messy as the next kid when I lived at home. Now I find that I can't stand clutter. Funny how that happens."

"My mother was on me all the time," Brenda admitted. "I was supposed to set an example for my brother and sister. Between that and getting me to stand up straight, it was a constant contest of wills."

"I had two older sisters. They were pretty messy, so my folks didn't get on my case too much. Just the usual stuff. I think Mom spent half the week doing laundry," he chuckled.

Brenda finished her tea and set the mug down on the coffee table. She turned to Mike, smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him. Within seconds he had not only responded but had allowed his hands to roam a bit, something he hadn't done before.

"Very clever of you to arrange to get me up here to your little hideaway all to yourself," she needled.

Mike twirled an imaginary moustache, raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I've been trying to find a way to get you all to myself and tonight was just too good an opportunity to pass up."

"Oh dear. Oh dear me," Brenda feigned, holding the back of her hand to her forehead. "Whatever shall I do?" she cried in mock fear.

Mike couldn't help it and began to laugh. It was contagious and Brenda was soon laughing with him.

"Seriously," he said, taking her hands. "I have been wondering how to tell you how much I love being with you and how much I'm attracted to you."

"And I've been wondering how I can get you to be a little more ... forward. I should tell you something. Something important."

"Go ahead," he said tentatively.

"I ... I've never been with a man. I'm a virgin."

"Oh ... oh, well ... that's a surprise," he said wide-eyed. "I mean ... no disrespect ... it's just that ... well you're very beautiful and you act very mature. I just assumed..."

"I was saving myself for just the right person -- the right guy. I think that's you, Mike. I want you to be my first."

She had a sincere but somewhat concerned look as he watched her carefully.

"Are you sure, Brenda? This is a big step in your life. I want you to be sure."

She nodded. "Yes ... I'm sure."

He rose and guided her wordlessly to the bedroom. He turned on a single small lamp on an end table before turning back to her and holding her at arms length. He silently pulled the covers down, then went to the bathroom a brought back a bath towel. It was something Brenda hadn't even thought of but knew instinctively what it was for. There would be blood and he knew that.

Mike reached into his night table drawer and took out a packaged condom.

"You don't really need that," Brenda said, taking it from him. "But if it makes you feel safer, let me put it on."

"I'd rather you were protected, Brenda."

Her high school girlfriends were right. At first there was pain, then brief discomfort, and then gradually a pleasant warmth. Mike had been very patient with her and he made sure she was aware of everything that was happening. He gave her confidence, both in him and in her decision. She had waited a long time for this and now it was here.

His foreplay wasn't anything Brenda hadn't experienced before. She might have preserved her virginity but she had plenty of experience with oral sex, both giving and receiving. Mike had raised her temperature with his patient prelude, and when he broke through, Brenda experienced a sense of relief tempering the pain.

Their union was short-lived. Mike was already very stimulated by Brenda's response to his entry and his excitement in being her first had tipped him over the edge sooner than he wanted. Happily, there was very little blood and Mike removed the towel, throwing it in the bathtub and disposing of the condom in the toilet.

"Sorry, Bren," he said as he returned to the bed. "I knew I wouldn't last very long the first time. I was just too revved up. I'll do better next time, I promise."

"Uhhhmmm," was her only response. In truth, in spite of the condom, she had orgasmed when she felt his release. She had never felt a sensation quite like it. It wasn't like the orgasms from oral sex. Uncharacteristically, she decided she could be patient ... at least for now. There was a little soreness after all. There was no need to hurry.

They lay in each other's arms for several minutes after their initial coupling. Mike was letting Brenda decide what would come next while he was recovering. She wanted another "real" orgasm delivered by Mike's hard cock inside her. This time there would be no condom. She had waited a long time to get this far and now she wanted the complete experience.

She slipped down his body and pushed him onto his back. Taking his semi-erect member in her hand, she looked up at Mike and smiled. It was her turn to get him ready for what she was determined to have.

Mike watched as her tongue flicked out to the glans of his cock. He twitched involuntarily as it made contact over and over again. At last, she took him in her mouth and using her tongue and lips, began to fellate him. She had no intention of driving him over the top. She only wanted him ready for her.

Within seconds, she could hear Mike's grunts of approval and his reaction to her attentions. Better still, he was becoming fully erect again.

She decided he was ready, and rising up, mounted him. Her hand gripped his now rigid cock, aimed it at her newly christened vagina and began to lower herself onto it. There was a moment of discomfort, followed by a new, pleasantly-filled sensation. She continued to lower herself as far as she dared.

Leaning forward, a hand on each side of Mike's head, her eyes fixed on his, she began to move. Slowly inch-by-inch rising, then descending, up again and then down. She was searching, looking for that perfect combination that would take her to orgasm. She was following an instinctive path.

Mike stared at her, transfixed by the amazing woman above him. She was the most voluptuous female he had ever encountered, much less bedded. She was inexperienced and yet not. Somehow, despite her naïveté, she was already beginning to show signs that she intended to be an active partner. It just couldn't get any better than this.

It took a while before Brenda found the right place, the right moves and the right rhythm. When she did, however, it was like a bird learning to fly. Finding the secret, she worked it and worked it and worked it. Now she knew what all the fuss was about. Now she began to experience the physical feedback that told her where the pleasure lay.

"Oh, Mike! God ... I love that big cock in me. Take me, Mike, fuck me!" Brenda's eyes were closed as her head swayed almost in sync with her breasts. She was in another erotic dimension. It was all new, waiting to be explored.

Mike was surprised by the crude expression, but strove manfully to give Brenda what she demanded. It was wilder than he expected. In spite of her inexperience, she was a more dynamic woman than he expected. Her powerful thrusts were carrying him along with her.

"Oh, Bren, it won't be long now! It won't be long." Mike's strangled cry as he gasped for breath, drove Brenda relentlessly onward.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah ... oh yeah ... oh fuck, Mike. I'm going soon too," she cried. Her eyes were shut, her head still moving, her mouth open, wheezing as the end approached.

Mike finished first, shooting his remaining semen into her womb in smaller spurts. It was enough to send Brenda off to her personal paradise.

"Ahhhhhhhh! Ohhh ... Michael ... Yeeesssss!"

They lay on the bed, breathing deeply, exhausted from their exertions, done for the night Brenda assumed.

She was wrong. She awoke some time early in the morning, Mike's finger slowly stroking her pussy lips. It was pitch black and she was unable to see his face. She felt herself responding to him and she lazily reached for his cock. It was hard and ready.

"Hmmmm ... want some more?" she asked dreamily.

"Uhhm ... yes please." She imagined the smile on his face. Reaching for him, she pulled him to her, kissing him gently. It was the precursor of their next joining. Gone was the earlier wildness, replaced by a serene Brenda surrendering herself to her new lover as he moved over her.

The pace was slow and Brenda swam lazily in the comfort of having a man inside her. It was lovely and warm and filling. The thought that this would be a nice thing to do quite often slipped through her consciousness.

They lost track of time but when it ended, a deep sense of satisfaction lingered. There were no fireworks, only pleasure and contentment. Within seconds, both were fast asleep.

They spent the rest of the school year together. Brenda briefly debated moving in with Mike but the rules prevented first year students from living outside the dorms unless she was at home. Even so, they spent every available hour with each other. He would help her with her studies and she would cook and tidy his apartment when time permitted.

She wondered if she was falling in love with Mike. He was such a mature, beautiful man. He had his life plan in place and he was working towards it. An MBA first, then a corporate job with a future. Who knew where that might take him? They talked about being together afterwards but the more they thought about it the more difficult it became.

In April, Mike received notification that he had been accepted at Harvard Business School. It was the chance he hoped for but hadn't expected. He was excited by the prospect. An MBA from Harvard would open a lot of doors.

So now Mike was leaving and she would be without her lovely, gentle man. They were so good together. She would shed a few tears when he left but it wouldn't change anything. He gave her the key to her personal sexuality. She knew what gave her pleasure and she knew that she wouldn't be satisfied with less. It struck her as selfish, but she had been spoiled and was reluctant to settle for less.

Brenda went home to Fairmount for the summer, filling in time by helping her father in his hardware store. It was a pleasant break after her freshman year in college with the constant pressure of keeping up her grades and her commitment to the volleyball team. One constant was missing Mike. They had been together from December through mid-May when he left for Harvard. She was sad to see him go but knew from the beginning that it was going to happen. If it wasn't Harvard it would have been some other Ivy League school.

There was no likelihood of finding a summertime boyfriend in Fairmount. The supply of even slightly interesting men was very limited and the eagle eye of her mother would make keeping it under wraps almost impossible. She surrendered to a summer of celibacy. Besides, she had tasted the real thing and wasn't about to step backwards.

There was no indication that her parents suspected she was no longer their virginal daughter. She admitted to having a boyfriend but was closed-mouth about any details of their relationship. She knew her mother, of all people, might suspect, but if she did she kept it to herself. One thing about her mother Brenda always admired; she was non-judgmental. As the eldest child she was expected to set an example and her mother guided her but didn't control her.

September came quickly enough and her return to Coddington was with mixed emotions. Mike was gone and she really missed him. There were lots of potential partners around but she wondered if any of them held the right combination. It might take a while but she could occupy herself picking through the possibilities.

Her new roommate was Julie Carpenter, another sophomore who was simply a student. Julie was a chunky five-foot-two brunette with a bad complexion and no sense of dress. Unlike Tamara, she was anything but neat. On the other hand, she was quiet and definitely not a party girl. She spent a good deal of her time in the library when she wasn't studying in the dorm.

"What's it like being you?" Julie asked when they were lounging around in the dorm one Sunday afternoon.

"What do you mean?" Brenda asked.

"What's it like to be beautiful and know that every straight guy on campus would love to be with you?"

"I don't know ... I don't think about it. I guess I'm used to it now. I try not to let it go to my head," she chuckled.

"You're so lucky. When I look in the mirror I wonder what I've got to look forward to in the next few years. I haven't had a date in so long I can't remember when."

"People change, Julie. I did. I didn't look like this until I was sixteen or seventeen. Everything happened so slowly that I really didn't notice it at first."

"I can't believe you weren't always pretty."

"Oh yeah ... trust me, I didn't always look this way. I was a bean pole with braces and acne. Even my hair was a mess. I didn't have any dates either until things started to change. My body started to fill out when I got active in sports. Then my braces came off. One day, when I looked in the mirror, I noticed I didn't have any zits. It just happened and it took a while to get used to it."

"I don't think that's going to happen to me," Julie said forlornly. "Maybe the acne will go away but I haven't exactly got an athlete's body."

"You can do something about that, you know. It's called exercise. The school has a program for women that would help you. You just have to decide that it's important to you."

"I guess. I'll think about it."

"You don't have to do it alone. They have women's fitness classes in the evening during the week. That would at least get you started," Brenda said, hoping she sounded encouraging.

"Maybe I'll go one night and see what it's all about," Julie said, sounding slightly more interested.

Brenda smiled. "Tell you what, I'll go with you. I have my own workout schedule for volleyball so I can use the equipment as well. We can do this together."

"Okay," Julie said, obviously responding to Brenda's willingness to accompany her.

Brenda had little difficulty in make her grades during her freshman year. With Mike's help, she passed every course ending up with a three-point-five average, more than enough to maintain her scholarship. Once she had accomplished the hurdle of getting used to the demands of college she, developed a routine that worked well for her as she balanced her studies, volleyball, and Mike.

Early on in her sophomore year she had a number of male students approach her looking for a date. With her memory still fresh from being with Mike, she had turned everyone down when she couldn't see the maturity that she had become accustomed to with her first lover. It was frustrating at first and she decided perhaps she should at least try some of her potential suitors to see if any of them would provide her with both companionship and perhaps sex.

No one was further from her ideal man than Johnny Carlton. Johnny was the antithesis of Mike. Brash to the point of being a braggart, he set about pursuing Brenda the moment he knew she had become available.

In his own mind Johnny was an athlete ... in the bedroom. Brenda was now well known on campus and would be a formidable challenge to the over-confident young man. However, Johnny had something going for him. He was rich, or more accurately, his parents were.

It was rumored that the Carlton family owned a large portion of southern Rhode Island, particularly the open land around Hope Valley. Reportedly, Johnny was expected to inherit the family development business from his father when the time came. In the meantime, school was a place for him to have some fun, drink beer and screw girls. Earning a degree in business administration would be an irritating inconvenience as the price to be paid for his entertainment.

Johnny met Brenda the second week of their sophomore year. They were sharing some classes and Johnny didn't waste any time in approaching her.