My first encounter with Steve was on the phone. His wife, a friend of mine from work, thought he might be interested in my studies of sexual asphyxia. He had already encountered the rare deviance as a cop at the scene of accidental deaths. At the time they were thought to be suicides. All of a sudden I found myself having a discussion of strange sexual practices with someone I'd never met.
But, that's how it is with Steve. Sexuality dominated his lifestyle in the early 70s, and although he's less physical with it now, he still studies it, and our conversations at some point always touch on sex, whether it be some bizarre weirdness or more common sensual passions.
Steve's varied experience in sexual matters gave me some comfort when I found myself being attracted to another woman. I had always dated men and enjoyed some time in the bed with a few of them, never thinking I could love a woman. That is until I met Janice and discovered that she was a lesbian, and that she turned me on.
Somehow I knew Steve was the one person who would understand, and of course he did, telling me to "go for it." He told me about a five year relationship he had with a man, and that he considered himself bi-sexual, even though he hasn't had sex with a man for years.
So, I went for it. Janice and I became lovers, lived together for several years, moved to another city, had major fights about her seeing other women, and here I am, alone again.
Alone, except for tonight. Steve was passing through town on vacation and is spending the night. It was good to see him again, having dinner, talking all evening, catching up on old times. But now, for some sleep.
We're sharing my bed, but we've done this before when Janice and I were still a number. It's nice having a friend lying beside me in bed again, and even though we're just sharing the bed to sleep, I have to admit there is a tingle of excitement running through me. I wonder if Steve felt it.
