Emma flicked through the pages of the book, which was a very expensive and weighty hardback. There was a mixture of line drawings and black-and-white photographs supporting the text, which made the book seem bizarrely academic. It was with a certain amount of apprehension that she took the book to the cash desk because the reputation of the book was such that it was pretty much a confession to the world that she had a teenage lover.
However the middle-aged shop assistant who frowned so severely and unsympathetically at Emma as she wrapped the book up as if it was a bundle of dried faeces was less concerned about the book, of whose reputation she was thoroughly ignorant, than about Emma's toplessness. In fact the eyes that Emma felt like cloaked daggers as she walked along were not at all aware that she'd even bought a book at all. Book shops were still places where semi-nudity was generally confined to the book-shelf.
Emma knew that there was no likelihood that she'd ever be able to read the book at home, where Maisie would be forever demanding her attention. And even if Maisie were not there she still felt sufficiently embarrassed about her relationship with her not to want to be seen reading a book on the subject of such intimacies by her flatmate and guests. She therefore walked to a nearby park, and sat down to read it as discreetly as she could. She deliberately chose to lie down on her front on the warm summer grass, so that her breasts would attract rather fewer in the way of lascivious stares.
How to Bring Intimacy into Your Life
was the title of the next section she looked at. There was a line-drawing of a boy's erect penis being stroked by the hands of an older woman.
"When and How to start intimate relations is a tricky question which I've often been asked. I think the honest answer to that question is to ask the questioner just why they are asking the question. I don't believe it is right to start an intimate relation unless the entire reason for doing so is to do with wanting a fulfilling and close loving tenderness with them. And this is a view widely shared by those I have discussed the subject with. It is quite natural to feel a strong and deeper affection for teenage friends, and only natural that you should want to express this affection in the most intimate way possible. It must be remembered of course that others may not feel that an intimate closeness should be quite as free and varied as you do.
"In particular, it is worth mentioning that once you have started on the path of intimate relations, it cannot be reversed. My daughter, Jennifer, would not now contemplate a relation that did not include complete vaginal penetration - and already my son, Kevin, considers time spent with a lover that does not involve fellatio or cunnilingus as wasted effort. But once started on this path, there is undoubtedly satisfaction and joy that brings a relationship closer together."
After this preamble, there was a section which described techniques of introducing oneself and one's lover to the joys of sex. Throughout there were constant warnings about going too far to begin with, because this was a subtle and progressive process and as much attention must be given to psychological preparedness as to the physical. As regards to the physical, the advice was generally to do with precautions for anal intercourse and, indeed, vaginal intercourse.
"In the heat of the moment it is always possible to forget the discomfort that your activities may cause. As a general rule, do not start any kind of penetrative sex until your partner actually requests it (and don't worry, he or she will in due course!). Even then judge your penetration appropriate the participant's experience and their physical limitations. Some men and women may have very tight orifices, so don't think those of your lover are going to be very different. The advice I would tend to give is: Stick to the oral sex for as long as possible. Your lover can get considerable joy from having his or her sexual organs caressed by the tongue, and they will never tire of stimulating your own - in particular the penis if you have one. A word of warning however - it is possible to choke on a fully erect penis, so to avoid future distress, gauge this behaviour appropriately. "
Emma flicked through the pages until she came to a chapter entitled coyly
Other Couples and You
. This chapter concerned itself with sex with other couples.
"It is always a delight to find that other couples share intimate relations with others, and my husband and I have always enjoyed inviting other couples around for additional entertainment. Naturally, one has to be conscious of the very different mores different couples may have. Martin, my son, was most distressed to find that another couple did not practice either anal or vaginal intercourse. It was all that he could do to prevent himself from taking the poor girl's maidenheads. The embarrassment has of course also been the other way, when another couple tried to urinate in my mouth and wanted me to penetrate him with a dildo. I don't wish to proscribe such behaviour (it is perfectly acceptable if all concerned are in agreement) but we have set our own limits."
Emma found all this very interesting, but she wasn't sure how especially relevant much of it was to her relationship with Maisie. She turned to the index to see what other sections there may be. This proved to be more promising. There was a section on
Single Women and the Single Friend
,
Group Sex
and
Techniques for Appropriate Physical Intimacy
. Some of the illustrations showed various kinds of intimacy, in which the two teenagers on the flyleaf and some others had penises and dildos inserted inside them, and others where they were shown applying their tongues greedily to clitorises, anuses and erect penises. There was even a section concerning the swallowing of semen, with a photograph of the girl, Jennifer, splattered with semen from several penises of quite differently aged males.
However, this was Emma's lunch break and she had to get back to the studio fairly promptly before filming was due to start. Emma closed the book and discreetly slipped it into her bag. Guiltily looking around her, she stood up and made her way back.
After work, Emma wandered into a nearby naturist cafe, where she knew she wouldn't be disturbed as she sat down with a pot of tea and continued reading Delia Cook's book. She wasn't too sure what she expected to achieve by this exercise. She wasn't at all sure that her relationship with Maisie really had a great deal in common with the typical relationships described in the book. There was no real family intimacy involved at all now that to all intents and purposes Maisie was no longer living with her mother but was more or less a permanent resident at Emma's flat.
