Part II - F/M ending
James let one night go by before calling Carrie. He was desperate to talk to her and see her again, but didn't want to let on. What he didn't realize was that she had him figured out. She knew he was desperate to see her again, and also knew that he would try (and fail) to hide it from her. After all, he was only 18 and even for someone 18 was inexperienced and naΓ―ve. He called right when she expected him to call, on the second night she had made herself available to talk to him.
At that moment Carrie still wasn't sure what she wanted from James. She cared about him, but saw him as a person who was very unfocused and needed some guidance. She knew plenty about his life from listening to his nervous chatter and could tell that he was a very lonely and unhappy person. She could see that in him, because she knew from her own experience what it was to be shut out of a normal social life.
When James called, he was very nervous and unsure of himself. Like the timing of the call, his nervous behavior was exactly what Carrie was expecting. She knew that part of the reason he was nervous was that he, like her, felt drawn into a relationship that made no sense. However she also could tell he was nervous because of what he did and did not know about her. He knew nothing about her past, but he did know that pain and suffering were an important part of what had made Carrie who she was.
There was a dilemma facing James that struck him only after she had picked up the phone. When you're 18, just where do you invite a woman who is 32? He hardly could imagine taking her to a campus party. He had no clue what kind of movie she might like. When he suggested taking her out to a hamburger restaurant near campus, she flatly told him she didn't eat meat. That rebuke unsettled him and left him with no other options. Finally she resolved the problem herself.
"I'm working the early shift on Friday and I'm getting off at 6:00. Why don't you just pick me up at work and we'll head back to my place? I'll cook you dinner."
James agreed. He was nervous about going back to her house and not really looking forward to eating whatever she'd be cooking for him, but he realized he might be even more uncomfortable with her in public. It was true that going back to her house was the best option.
Friday afternoon James left his dorm and caught a bus to go the short distance from campus to Carrie's restaurant. The restaurant was fairly nice and Carrie was wearing a black dress that was the uniform for all female employees. Her hair was done up and she was wearing make-up. The make-up was a bit of a surprise to him, because he had never seen her wearing anything on her face before.
When they got back to her house, the first thing Carrie did was wash her face to get the make-up off. She took off her hose and work shoes, replacing them with a pair of flip-flops. She left her work dress on because of her guest. Normally she wore nothing when alone in the house, but figured that he wasn't quite ready for that.
Carrie had James help her in the kitchen, directing him to cut up vegetables and set the table. He did not realize it, but that night of cooking would be important for his future with Carrie. She put him to work partly to keep him busy and make him less nervous. However, she had other purposes for having him help her. She wanted to see how cooperative he was and how willing he was to follow orders. His willingness to follow orders in the kitchen would, in turn, determine how the rest of the night would unfold. It turned out that the nervous freshman was willing to do whatever she told him to do.
Carrie thought about her camera and her photography. She realized that she had enjoyed looking at James' body the previous night they had been together. She began thinking about how she might get him to pose for her, because she wanted to add his body to her collection of photographic images.
As they ate dinner, she quietly probed him with questions about his feelings towards nudity and photography. It turned out that he was quite fascinated by nude photography. Carrie talked about her own photography, and then dropped a small fact about her past, that she had worked as a nude model for the university art department before she got married. That detail of her life fascinated James. He asked her what nude modeling was like, to which she responded:
"I loved it. It gave me a real rush, standing there completely naked in front of all those people, and having them study me in detail. It was a total turn-on for me."
The expression in James' eyes answered Carrie's question. He would be perfectly willing to pose for her if she handled it right.
They sat down on her sofa and began kissing. She pulled off his shirt and unbuckled his pants. When he moved his hand to unzip the back of her dress, she moved it away.
"You need to wait, James. You need to be patient. Right now it's my turn."
She pulled his pants and underwear off, leaving him totally naked. She would remain completely dressed. He felt very vulnerable, but that feeling of vulnerability made him very aroused. She was free to explore and touch his body, but hers was still concealed by the black restaurant dress.
Carrie very quickly established herself as the dominant partner in the relationship as she continued to caress and kiss her naked boyfriend on the sofa. He was scared, but at the same time he was thoroughly enjoying the experience. She decided to take matters one step further. She backed off slightly, placed her hand on his bare chest and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I have a question for you, and I need you to answer me honestly."
"Uh...yeah, I promise. I'll be honest..."
"You know that there's a leather paddle hanging near the window. When I got back Monday night, I noticed that it had been turned around. It wasn't hanging the way I usually hang it. Now, was it you who moved it?"
"I...I..."
"Answer me honestly, James. Did you touch that paddle?"
"Yes...I...I...you know...I was curious...so I picked it up."
Her hand stayed pressed against his chest, where she could feel his heart beating furiously.
"...and what were you thinking when you were handling it?"