The First Time

THE FIRST TIME

An Alternate Memories Story

GARY

It was May 1966. I had graduated from college the previous December, a feat that I accomplished in only three and a half years through a combination of night courses and summer sessions, but I still lived in Dayton. Upon graduation, I had been commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army and I was expecting to enter active duty in Virginia in June. To me, it made little sense to travel back to my home -actually my parent's home- in California to just then turn around a few months later to go all the way back across the country. So for the five months I had, I continued my computer job and continued to date Maribeth.

I had first met Maribeth at a fraternity party that was held at my house on Maplelawn Avenue, far from the probing eyes of the Greek Police. I recall it was to celebrate Halloween, but there weren't a lot of costumes. However, there was an abundance of liquor. It was expected that each guest would bring a bottle of something. The fraternity provided a huge punch bowl with orange juice but guests added all or some of whatever they brought; gin, bourbon, vodka, rum, it didn't matter. Add a little ice and we christened our creation a 'blow job cocktail.'

I didn't technically have a 'date,' but I had agreed to drive one girl to the party, but she brought a friend, so to some people, it appeared that I might have had two! By ten p.m. the party was roaring and had spilled into the backyard. Some of the brothers were sharing the DJ job and it was just about then that they decided to shift from the raucous rock and roll to the Everly Brothers hit "All I have to do is Dream." About seven couples embraced and swayed to the romantic tempo on the makeshift dance floor in the living room. It was just about then that I glanced across the room to find a pretty brunette looking at me.

I guess I had noticed Maribeth previously, but we hadn't been introduced and I had no idea if she was alone or was someone's date, but with my brain 'well lubricated' by that point, it seemed that the gentlemanly thing to do would be to ask her to dance. When I approached, her eyes widened but then dropped demurely to the floor. I may have asked, but I think I just took her hand and led her to what passed for a dance floor in the living room.

We embraced and I sensed a hint of hesitation as I pulled her against me, but she complied and was soon pressed hard enough that I was conscious of the soft swell of her breasts.

"Hi, I'm Gary. This is my house so I guess I'm the host for the evening."

Our faces were only inches apart and I was immediately aware that my partner had the most expressive eyes and lips that I'd seen on a woman. Her reply was barely a whisper and consisted of only her name, "Maribeth."

Even though we were only swaying to the music and not attempting anything approaching a legitimate dance step, nevertheless, Maribeth stepped on my foot a couple of times and I took the opportunity to inform her that she was a "terrible dancer." Maribeth glanced down and laughed at my brutally truthful comment, "Yes I am, I'm sorry."

My insensitive comment seemed to break the ice, so when I drew Maribeth against me again all of her tenseness seemed to disappear and she laid her head on my shoulder and I felt her hands squeeze my biceps. The rest of our first conversation is fuzzy, but I learned that she had come with Hal, who was one of my fraternity brothers, but one that I only knew tangentially. Hal was a poster boy for what some called a 'beta male.' He was shy and timid, so I was surprised that he had successfully attracted anyone as pretty as Maribeth.

MARIBETH

I knew Hal through one of my girlfriends who told me that he was looking for someone to take to a Halloween party. I had just graduated from High School the previous June and the prospect of actually going to a college fraternity party was just too tempting.

It turned out to be an awkward date. He was quiet and shy and I was nervous. We hardly talked and when we got to the party we ended up going our separate ways. I knew a couple of the other girls and started a conversation with them, but Hal just got a drink and sat in a chair by himself.

The college guys seemed much more handsome and mature than the boys I knew in high school. As you might expect, they were a hot topic in our little group. The punch was unique, to say the least, and I was starting to feel a little buzz after only one glass, but I noticed that a lot of people were well beyond one.

One guy, in particular, caught my eye and I learned that he was renting the house we were in. A friend of mine laughed and told me he had two dates and pointed to a cute woman with a platinum blonde pageboy and a tall girl with a pigtail wrap. I didn't know if she was just kidding, but I kept looking out of the corner of my eye. While they seemed friendly enough, I noticed that they circulated separately.

I guess that I must have started to stare when the music changed to a slow ballad, and the guy that I'd been watching suddenly put down his drink and walked in my direction. I was so startled that I didn't know what to do when he just took my hand and led me a few steps to the area they'd cleared for a makeshift dance floor.

I will always remember the moment when I first felt him pull my body against his. He was six feet tall and I was a five foot nothing, and two of me probably didn't weigh as much as him. To me, he seemed huge, with well-developed shoulders and arms which embraced me effortlessly. Once on the dance floor, he introduced himself, but it seemed that words all got stuck in my throat and all that I could manage to squeak out was my name.

'Paralyzed' is too strong a word to describe that first minute, but I was certainly unsure of myself, and in my nervousness, I stepped on his toes as we began to sway to the melody. When it happened a second time, Gary paused and looked into my eyes. Then he told me that I was a "terrible dancer," and it was true, I felt like a klutz. But then something magical happened. Instead of walking away, he pulled me even closer and held me in such a strong and comforting way that for the first time in my life, I experienced the feelings that women crave in the arms of a real man. Suddenly all of my nervousness and self-doubt disappeared and I just laid my head on his shoulder and we fell into the hypnotic rhythm of the song.

As the night wore on, the music alternated between hard rock and harder rock, but once in a while they'd play a romantic ballad and we danced to several. By that time it became apparent that most everyone had coupled off and the odd men (and women) were starting to leave. I had tried to stay sober, but even my moderate drinking had created a warm feeling in my chest. It was just at that point that Gary decided to show me the rest of the house and that's how I ended up in his arms in one of the bedrooms.

GARY

Maribeth had long dark hair which she wore in an attractive knot on her head, and as she laid it on the pillow I looked deeply at her. An hour before I didn't even know who she was, but since then...

My feelings are hard to describe but there seemed to be an instant connection with Maribeth and I sensed that she felt it too. When I snuggled next to her and our lips touched for the first time, I marveled at their softness, but what I mostly remember was the husky taste of her breath mixed with a faint residual taste of the 'blow job cocktail' she'd been drinking.

I suppose I could have pushed it that first time, but I was conscious that we were far from alone and I was sure that Norm or one of my other friends might be searching for a nice quiet place to do what Maribeth and I were doing. Plus, it was getting late, and I was sure that she didn't have an all-night hall pass from her parents.

By the time we returned to the main room, there were still a few couples dancing, but several were entwined on the sofa and in the two easy chairs. Maribeth looked around for Hal, but someone told us that he'd left. I learned that she lived only a couple of miles away, so a few minutes later, I collected Wendy and Cheryl and the four of us piled into my 1960 Valiant and I took everyone home. It would have been nice to get one more kiss from Maribeth that night, but the best we could do under the circumstances was a quick thank-you peck on the cheek.

MARIBETH

Oh, I had 'made out' with some of the guys I'd dated in high school, but their stiff lips and fumbling efforts were amateurish compared to what I was feeling with Gary. His kisses were soft but confident. I liked that his lips were usually just slightly parted which allowed him to bring the tip of his tongue into play. I quickly grasped his technique and responded in kind. Lips and tongues probed and caressed each other's mouths and after only a few minutes I began to feel a sticky wetness in my panties and I realized how much his kisses were turning me on.

That first time is so etched into my memory. I remember that it was far too short. When Gary drove me home, he also had to chauffeur his two 'dates' as well, so we couldn't have a proper kiss at my house. As I walked to the front door, I remember thinking about the man I'd just met and implored an unseen deity, "Please God, don't allow tonight to be a one-and-done."

GARY

Maribeth had told me that she worked part-time at a local dry cleaning store. I had a dance coming up that was sponsored by the military fraternity 'Scabbard and Blade' coming up in two weeks, so I decided to try to kill two birds with one stone. I collected my dress blues and found the store without too much trouble. When I walked in, Maribeth was talking to another girl and she turned when the little bell attached to the main door tinkled, announcing the arrival of a customer. When she saw me her eyes lit up and she gave me the nicest smile. She introduced me to her friend whose name I've completely forgotten and then seemed lost for words.

"I wasn't sure you'd be here," I said, but then showed her my uniform and said that I needed two things for the upcoming event; a clean uniform and a beautiful woman. Would she be interested in helping me with both of those requests?

It seemed to take a second for the nature of my request to sink in, but when it did, Maribeth cocked her head and said, "Are you asking me for a date?" Indeed I was, and then she immediately peppered me with questions about the event. Where was it, who would be there, and most urgently, what should she wear? It took me a little while to answer them all, but when I was finished, she wrote up a ticket and asked the other girl to watch the store for a minute. Then she picked up my uniform and asked me to follow her into the back.

When we got there, she folded the shirt and pants and placed them on a table. Then she pinned a number on each item and wrote them on her copy of the ticket. When she finished she put my uniform in a bin, then she turned and wrapped her arms around my neck, she gave me the softest, most erotic kiss I'd ever received. When it broke, Maribeth looked up at me and said, "Wow. I was just hoping for a phone call, but you made a personal visit."

Two weeks later, Maribeth, wearing a nice off-the-shoulder blue A-line dress held up by thin spaghetti straps accompanied me to the Ball as part of a double date with my friend Norb and his fiancee, Kathy. I say, fiancee since their wedding seemed to be on again after a three-month hiatus where they said they had broken up. They had this weird relationship where they were engaged, and then they weren't. By the time that one got used to the fact that they weren't dating, suddenly they were. Truthfully, I no longer gave a damn.

A military dance is pretty much like its civilian counterpart, but a long way from a fraternity party. Most of the attendees were members of the ROTC, some faculty officers, and me. Since I had already been commissioned a few months previously, I was technically an 'officer,' but since I hadn't yet reported for active duty, I was in a sort of limbo. It really didn't matter though because what was occupying my thoughts was the young woman on my arm.

MARIBETH

The dance was held in a large room at the University. Gary introduced me to some of the officers and I was amazed by how handsome all the men looked in their dress blue uniforms. The ladies that I met were very nice, but the only one that I really felt comfortable with was Norb's date, Kathy. I had met her at Gary's party and Norb was also in the ROTC, but still hadn't graduated, so wasn't yet a commissioned officer. Even though Kathy was a couple of years older than I, she confessed that she was feeling a little intimidated among so many powerful-looking men and beautiful women. I was elated to find that I wasn't the only one secretly harboring those feelings.

The rest of the night is somewhat of a blur. I know we had some wonderful hors d' oeuvres and wine. The music was slow, and most of my memories are being held in Gary's strong arms as we swayed to the beat. I had put on some perfume for the occasion, but it was obvious that Gary had worn some fantastic cologne that I'd never encountered before. The combination of the food, the wine, his warm body, and the cologne was making me feel more loved and adored than I had ever experienced.

I was a 'virgin' and like all girls, I desired to be a woman. I recall some thoughts I had that tonight might be the night when I would cross that threshold. I wondered if Gary had that intention. Would I be taken back to his apartment? How would he seduce me? Was I ready?

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind in a jumble of feelings about the prospect. Of course, many were doubts; would I be a disappointment? Maybe he wouldn't like my body or maybe I would turn out to be as terrible a lover as I was a dancer. Then there were the apprehensions that all girls have when we first learn the meaning of 'sexual union.'

We have all explored our own bodies and our fingers have probed into the spot where we've learned that a man's penis is designed to go. I have done this countless times and so I was no stranger to the pleasant feelings that come from touching myself between my legs, but I thought that penetration with my slim fingers was a whole lot different than taking a man's engorged penis into that small tiny hole. I idly wondered if the passion that I was feeling would be enough to overcome the apprehension of what I thought might be a painful experience.

GARY

Dancing with Maribeth was something out of a dream. I don't know what the perfume she wore was, but it was definitely having an effect on my libido, and I began to fantasize about making love to her. Oh, like a lot of guys my age, I probably have these kinds of fantasies about women that I meet, but this seemed to be different. The way that Maribeth molded her body to mine as we danced was creating an emotional connection and I wondered if she was feeling the same primal urge as I was. Though I had never asked, and she had never said, I assumed that she was still a virgin.

How does one make such an assumption? In Maribeth's case, I just sensed a certain wariness in her behavior, the look in her eyes, and the initial tentativeness and uncertainty when I first kissed her. She just struck me as a girl who had not yet crossed the threshold of womanhood.

MARIBETH

As the event began to wind down, Kathy told me that she and Norb were leaving, and Gary and I said goodbye. She hadn't told me where they were heading, but we girls seem to have a seventh sense about some things, and I just "knew" where they were headed.

GARY

I had not specifically invited her to this event to seduce her. I just liked being in her company. However, nature was whispering in my ear and I thought that tonight might not end with me just returning her to her home. My apartment was an option, but I assumed that an invitation there could only be interpreted one way, and if I suggested that, how would Maribeth respond? I didn't think that I was a master of the art of seduction, so I was wary.

Actually, we had already settled into our seats when I asked. I chose to make it clear that if we would be heading to my apartment it would be entirely Maribeth's decision, so I turned to her and said, "Where to?" She paused for just a moment and it seemed like she was contemplating her answer, but quickly a smile lit up her face and she said, "Do you still have that bottle of Sangria?" I nodded and pulled out of the parking slot and headed to my place.

For most of the short ride, Maribeth was effusive in telling me how much she had enjoyed the evening and how much she liked being with me. Of course, I was gratified to hear her kind words, but a very large part of my attention was focused on the heat that I could feel from the hand that she'd placed on my thigh. I did think to myself that if she shifted her hand a few inches she would discover that I liked being with her too.

When we arrived, I acted like the perfect gentleman as I walked around opened her car door, and helped her out. Then, taking her hand, I led her up a short flight of steps to the porch and opened the front door. I held the door and let her go first but just as she stepped across the threshold she paused and glanced back at me over her shoulder. Her eyes locked into mine for just a second, and it seemed to me that she was acknowledging where her next step would lead her.

I had just closed the door when I felt Maribeth's weight lean back against me and I had to wrap my arms around her to stabilize both of us. Maribeth's head came up to just under my chin, and I found my face buried in her hair and I discovered that this simple act was having a profound effect. The smell of her hair is hard to describe, but when combined with the background aroma of her perfume, I was creating a tingle through my body that was rapidly heading southward.

MARIBETH

When Gary asked me, "Where to," I realized that my moment of truth had arrived. I was well aware of where my answer would lead and I had actually been thinking about it for most of the last two hours. I knew what my body desired, my panties were soaked and I felt my skin tingle with anticipation of Gary's touch. I did take a second to answer, but I realized that I had already made the decision. I forget my exact words, but when he shifted the car into gear, I knew we were heading for that special moment. As he drove, I felt his leg through his pants, and was conscious of the muscles underneath, so much different than my own soft thighs.

To a woman, the look and feel of a man's body elicits strong feelings of safety and protection, stability and caring. It is the ying to our yang and I, for one, began to realize that I felt more complete as a woman with a man in my life. So it was with this mindset that I stepped into Gary's apartment, realizing that when I next crossed that threshold I would be a different Maribeth.

With his hands, Gary embraced me by the waist so that I was flushed against his front. I felt him hardening behind me as I leaned back into him and he sighed at the contact.

"Hey," he whispered into my hair. His hand splayed the width of my stomach over my dress. I tried to relax into the engulfing warmth of him despite feeling his cock pulse against me. My heart raced while dampness and heat built below.

Gary said something, but his words were muffled by the fact that his face was buried in my hair, he pulled off my short jacket and threw it across a nearby chair. His hand returned and I felt it cup one of my breasts. I tried to turn enough so we could kiss but succeeded in only leaning my head against his chest. Truthfully, I couldn't feel his hand through my bra and the bodice of my dress, but when I placed my hand over his it was a clear signal from me that his caresses were more than welcome." Is this ok?" he whispered into my hair. I just squeezed his hand in response.