BETH'S PROBLEM
Elizabeth Jasmine Amani is a black-haired beauty of Persian descent. She had always been told she descended from ancient Persian royalty, and her parents had migrated to the US before she was born. She knew the main language spoken in Iran, Persian, because her parents were much more comfortable speaking that in their home. She could still speak it and understand it, but the further away she got, the less she used it.
Her mother was what became known as a "tiger mom" if they had come from Asia. She was a perfectionist and always pointed out any imperfection she perceived in Beth's work or behavior. By the time Beth was in her senior year of high school, she had constant anxieties, even though her grades were the best in her class. She had numerous major universities vying for her attendance. Her chosen field of study was psychology. Beth enjoyed nothing about high school except the time she could steal away with her friends. Mother was always checking on her and disapproved of her friends.
Once at the university, Beth put her foot down and told her mother not to call her every day. Beth told her she would call if she wanted to talk to her mother, but now, she needed to concentrate on her studies.
The first sign to Beth that she might have a problem was in her first year at the university. Because she was on her own, she had to make a dozen little decisions every day that had been made by her mother for her entire life. She was quickly overwhelmed with the need to make so many decisions. It was her new roommate, Michelle, that saved her existence at the university.
Michelle, who wanted to study the restaurant industry, quickly figured out this smart girl in her room was frozen with fear at every little thing. Michelle had two choices, she could help this pretty little Persian girl, or she could drive her out of school. Fortunately for Beth, she chose the former. She decided to help this girl learn how to make simple decisions. She felt like she didn't want the mother to win. Especially, as she got to know Beth, this girl was smart. She could research any topic and write a paper about it that impressed her professors. When Michelle learned a little more about Beth, she began to understand that it was the act of choosing itself that paralyzed Beth. She couldn't put the options in order and rank them.
For the next four years they were almost inseparable. Beth became much better at hiding her insecurities and making little decisions on her own, but fear was always present in her soul.
After graduating, Michelle moved into the restaurant world and Beth into graduate school. By then, Beth could make her own decisions. She was always sure it was the wrong one, but she HAD to just move on. Her anxieties were controlled with medications, but she hated needing them and feared she would become addicted.
They didn't see much of each other for the next five years. After Beth graduated with her master's and her doctorate in human psychology, she took a professorship at her Alama mater and settled down into university life. She felt at home there, and she started with the basic courses. There were no decisions to be made by a first-year professor. For the first time since leaving her mother, her anxieties lessened. She could reduce her medications, and her analyst was happy with her progress. However, she never really told the truth to the analyst. Those anxieties were always present, just further inside her at the moment.
Her dating life up until then had been hit and miss. She would date several men but be unable to commit to anyone. When the time came to make a commitment, she would freeze, and the man would interpret that as rejection. It happened several times.
It was at this time she met Andy. Andy was a couple of years older than her. He didn't seem to try to push her. He figured out quickly that the simple thing of choosing a restaurant would take her time. She seemed to get agitated while trying to decide where she wanted to go. Once they had found a restaurant she liked, Andy would just take her there. It seemed to Andy that she didn't mind going to the same restaurant frequently.
Andy was a businessman that had made another "better mousetrap" in his field, and his company was doing very well. He worked night and day and didn't have much time for dating. Something in this woman's eyes, however, enchanted him. He liked that she was very smart, and very pretty. At first, he didn't understand why she hadn't a boyfriend, but the more he learned of her, the more he understood her issues. Since he was busy with his company, he didn't mind an occasional date with Beth. And it didn't seem to bother her if he didn't call her for a couple of weeks. She never called him. At first, he thought that was because she wasn't that into him. But, after a couple of months of this, he was beginning to think she just needed him to make the calls.
The first time they had sex was one of the happiest days of Andy's dating life. After several months of dancing around each other, Andy decided it was time to either get serious or get out. He took her to her favorite restaurant. She was in a very good mood.
When he got her back to her apartment, he dove in. "Beth, I really enjoy my time with you. You are beautiful and smart. I love our conversations. I would like to take this relationship to the next level. I understand how difficult decisions are for you to make. Therefore, I am going to make this easier for you. I am going to stand up and hold out my hand. I am going to ask you to sleep with me. If you take my hand, we will go into your bedroom and enjoy the night. If you can't make the decision, you can trust me to make it for both of us. If you choose not to take my hand, I will leave you alone."
Andy stood up and held out his hand. Beth was not surprised, and in many ways relieved that he took the step she couldn't. She had wanted to for a while now but couldn't make that decision. She reached out and took his hand immediately.
Andy smiled and led her to her bedroom. Once inside, he sat her down on her bed and began kissing her on the neck and shoulder. He worked his way up to her face and kissed her on the mouth. Beth started getting hotter the minute he kissed her neck. That was something no other man had done to her, and it felt good.
He then put his hand on her breast. She closed her eyes and leaned back, pushing her breasts forward. He took the hint and unbuttoned her blouse enough to reveal her bra. He then put his hand into her blouse and began massaging her breasts. She sat quietly, enjoying him touching her. She didn't need to start him or tell him where to go. One of her most sensitive areas was her nipples. They were protruding under her bra in an obvious manner. He didn't hurry but told her to stand up. When she did, he took her hand and had her sit on his lap. He put one arm around her and pulled her to him. She put her head on his shoulder and enjoyed him feeling her body. His other hand was probing her chest and stomach. He stopped and removed her blouse. He then unfastened her bra. She sprang out like her breasts had been released from prison. The nipples were hard.
He bent down and took one of her nipples in his mouth. As he massaged the nipple, he could feel her shudder. She must like this. Andy would have to remember that. While doing this, he pushed his other hand under her skirt waistband and toward her honeypot. He ran his hand over her panties. She was very wet. He massaged her pussy through the panties for a couple of minutes until she looked into his eyes. Those eyes he loved so much had a fire in them that he could not deny. He had her stand up, and he began stripping his clothes off until he was naked. His little general, which by now was not little, sprang to life. He wasn't huge, but it had always served his needs up to now. He stopped and put on a condom. That was Beth's cue, and she stripped her remaining clothes in seconds.
