Aren Blac

(At some point in our lives we all stand on that precipice wondering if the one choice we know is going to change our lives is the right one. I've even seen people flip a coin since they don't want to make that choice by themselves and ultimately they now have something else to blame if it goes wrong.)

My thanks to LSEiland for her editing.

As I woke, I could hear Cheryl quietly talking to someone. When I opened one eye she was on the room phone, a smile threatening to split her face in half. She was still topless as she spoke on the phone.

"Yes, we slept for about an hour. He's a man and I slept half naked with him, Karen.... No, not once; his hand went to my stomach and stayed there. Not once did he even touch my tits.... He gave me a choice, Karen. Me, yes, he gave me a choice.... Yes, we picked the right one, I know that now.... Oh, Karen, he called me honey. He looked right at me and called me honey.... You too, hugs babe. See you tomorrow."

For my part, I closed my eyes, gave it another five minutes and made groaning noises like I was about to wake. The empty space in front of me was quickly replaced by a warm body. Her hand held mine and replaced it on her stomach. A few minutes later, I opened my eyes and went to pull my hand away from her stomach; my hand made it by a couple of inches before her hand held mine still.

"Thank you."

She didn't see the confused look on my face.

"For what?"

"There is much to tell you."

I felt I had to stop her. Just remembering the fear in her eyes was enough.

"You have no need to say anything."

"Yes, I do, and it's important. The evening before Karen came to visit me, my husband came home drunk. He wanted sex, and I refused. He told me that I couldn't refuse him since I was his wife. He then took what he wanted, and when I didn't appreciate the fact that he had just raped me, he beat me up. Karen took one look at me and knew."

Even as Cheryl talked, her hand squeezed mine hard as she re-lived such a dark time in her life.

"I come with baggage. I understand you're a man, and Karen will take care of that side of things for you. This is all I can give you at the moment."

The lump in my throat made it difficult for me to breathe properly. It took a few swallows to move it so I could talk.

"I like the sassy lady who talks to me at the gym. Are you that person?"

Since I could only see a head full of blonde hair, I knew I was going on instinct with this conversation. A part of me prayed that I didn't fuck it up and make things worse.

"Yes."

"I like the sassy lady who laid bare her history and soul to me. Are you that lady?"

"Yes."

"I like the sassy lady who showed bravery I have never seen in anyone other than Karen. The same sassy lady that could have run and hid in the bedroom, instead, she pulled her top off and lay next to me because she knew I wouldn't hurt her. Honey, are you that person?"

This time her body stiffened for barely a second before she molded her body into mine. The grip on my hand lessened, and I rested it again on her stomach. Moments later, her shoulders shook and she cried. Cheryl turned. Her head rested under my chin and the rest of her body sought out the warmth we both shared.

It still took a moment before I heard, "Yes."

There was no need to say more. I'm not sure I dare push her more, anyway. I held her and that was all I could do for now. Cheryl needed time to regroup as I held onto her. Each of us was stuck in our own thoughts for some time.

"I don't know about you, but I need the bathroom. I'm sure we both need something to eat as well, so why don't you order room service. Now I challenge you... I will answer the door to room service and you will hide in the bedroom, but the state of dress you go into the bedroom must be the same state when you come out."

She giggled and her head came out from under my chin. Her eyes were red, but the smile made up for the sadness I still see in her.

"You're just curious to see if I'm going to keep showing you my tits."

I had a favorite professor back at MIT. Whenever he pondered a difficult question, he always made a face like he was staring at the stars, hoping for some divine intervention. He clearly wasn't, and by the time he looked at the class, half of us were laughing at him. I tried so hard to emulate that same expression towards Cheryl right about then.

"Let's just say we are exploring your comfort zone to its fullest potential."

The full on laugh I got from Cheryl could still be heard from the bathroom. I heard her talk on the phone for a moment, and when I got back she was still only wearing shorts.

"You do know we will have to get dressed sometime?"

"Oh yes, I know that. A nice dinner down in the hotel restaurant will be nice. But we have a day, Cheryl, and I'm not wasting any of it."

We talked of general things for now, not wanting to start a real conversation only to have it stall when room service arrived. I now knew she had two sisters and a brother and that it was her idea to build the apartment above the gym. The knock on the door sent Cheryl into the bedroom, her t-shirt in her hand. When I called over that it was safe to come out, now she came out of the bedroom empty handed, the t-shirt on the bed. I pulled mine off and tossed it to her. She threw it into the bedroom and joined me for lunch.

"So, what do you think?"

Cheryl could clearly see me confused. Heck, I still had yet to take a bite out of the sandwich I had in my mouth, so I sure didn't know what she was referring to.

"You're the only man that's seen my tits since my husband, so what do you think?"

Her face was a mask. It worried me that she was withdrawing into herself, and to do that needed something from me to put her there.

"Please go to the bedroom and get your t-shirt."

"What."

"Well, it's occurred to me that your wondering why I'm talking to you and not your tits. Cheryl, don't pick a fight with me. All I'm trying to do is keep us going forward. You told me you come with baggage; well, that's fine. So tell me the name of the therapist you're talking to about your rape."

Her shoulders relaxed and she went back to eating. The smile even made it back to her face.

"Beth Osterman, over on forth; Karen usually comes with me. Sometimes when she has a contest, I go alone."

"My aunt and Brandi have often told me I have an infuriating habit when I am given a gift for birthdays or Christmas. I will carefully un-wrap the gift, not tear the paper off to get to the gift. I would peel off the tape, undo the wrapper and put the carefully folded wrapper to one side, before I would even play with the gift."

Watching her as I talked, I could see she tried to hide some confusion.

"Your tits are not everything about you, Cheryl. One day you will allow me to un-wrap you, and I will be as gentle then as I am with any gift I'm given."

She dropped what was left of her sandwich back on the plate and ran past me into the bedroom. The urge to follow her, and check to see if she was okay, eased when the toilet flushed and she came back into the room looking rather sheepish.

"I'm going to need to get some pads."

Hey, I'm a guy; my initial thought was that her monthly had started.

"I want to talk to Beth when I get back. If I can arrange it, will you come with me?"

"Sure, if that's what you want. May I ask why?"

Cheryl blushed and went back to finishing off her sandwich. The pause was simply because she was hungry.

"I'm going to introduce you to Beth. I know when we get back I'm going to start talking to her about you. She's going to want to talk to you, so I want you with me from time to time."

Her face gave her away, and I wisely kept my mouth shut.

"You talked about us all going forward. We both want that. I'm not letting my ex-husband run my life. He ruined my body and has fucked with my mind for too long now."

The tear that trickled down her cheek was a forewarning of what was to come.

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you than we have now, please be patient. Karen has promised to look after... your needs. I can't offer you more; I wish I could. Just don't give up on me. We are a package deal."

For such a long time, all I could do was sit and watch Cheryl. Finally I stood and turned the TV on, where I found a music channel. I stood over her and extended my hand. She took it and we danced real close. Not once did she hesitate when she held me.

As the morning progressed, we alternated between the couch and dancing as we talked, the music a permanent fixture with us. When a slow one came on, or one that we liked started, we would automatically get up. The conversation was never interrupted as we shuffled around the hotel suite.

*******

"Close your eyes."

I looked at her instead. The smile on her face was her response. With a shrug, I closed my eyes as we held each other on our makeshift dance floor.

"Tell me everything we have talked about this morning."

The laugh I gave her showed I was up to her challenge. I started with her family, then that she lost her virginity the evening of the prom. Her grades at college and the names of two of her sorority sisters, was what I mentioned next. I told her the team her ex played against the day he blew out his knee. By the time I got to the vows Karen and her ex gave at their marriage ceremony, she was pressed close to me on our dance floor.

I stopped before she told me to because she had figured out by now I was paying attention. We still shuffled around our dance floor for a minute or two before Cheryl suggested we got dressed and go for a walk before dinner. We did a couple of laps around the park across the road from the hotel before she spoke again.

"Why didn't I meet someone like you at college?"

"If you had, you wouldn't have dated him. Peer pressure; all the pretty and rich people gravitated towards each other. The thought, let alone the actions, of dating someone like me meant you would have been ostracized by your sorority house, and any friends you had outside of them as well."

Cheryl was going to try and defend her friends. I knew she would be wasting her time. Beauty and geeks never mixed unless one wanted something from the other, because that's just the way it is. Once outside of college influence, it changed slightly, but not all that often. The paths that people now walked were already set for them.

We both kept an eye on the time, and I made Cheryl shower first. By the time I got out and dressed, she was waiting on the couch. We walked hand in hand to dinner and covered almost every topic conceivable. Her main sport was baseball. I promised not to laugh when she told me her team, and promptly did so when she did.

In her defense, she rattled off stats. In mine, I reminded her that I'm a geek and we don't do sports. We stayed for coffee and headed back to our room. Cheryl was quickly out of her dress and into her usual shorts and t-shirt, before reminding me that I was over dressed. I countered by coming back in shorts and reminded her she was the one over dressed.

She was still smiling when her shirt lay on the arm of the couch, her tits once again on full display.

"Can I ask you something?"

I nodded and waited. She watched as I folded her t-shirt before placing it back on the arm of the couch.

"Why aren't you hard? I'm ok looking and sat next to you with my tits out. Human nature dictates you should be hard."

There was no denying I had been expecting this conversation off and on throughout the day.

"It's that fine line thing again. If I'm tenting my shorts, the only thing you're going to be is uncomfortable. Yet, if I don't, then something is wrong with either you or me."

Cheryl actually thought about my statement for a moment, and then nodded her head.

"I'm as red blooded as the next man, Cheryl, and you're as red blooded as the next woman, despite your history. You rushing to the bathroom earlier proved that when you soaked your panties."

Poor Cheryl went beet red; I felt her heat from my side of the couch. It took her a while, but she admitted something I had eventually worked out. When the clock chimed ten, we headed to bed. My hand stayed on her waist and she spooned herself into me. That night would rank amongst the best sleeps I've had in some time.

*******

Cheryl waited for me to wake before she moved close. Her hand touched my cheek and stayed there. She smiled that smile I had looked forward to every time I went to the gym. No longer was it from across a desk, she was in bed with me, inches from my face.

Her lips touched mine. She was still tentative at first, but her response increased.

Finally our lips parted and her forehead touched mine. She let out what little breath she had left.

"I asked for a day, and you gave me that without judging me. You showed me I judged you, and for that, I can only apologize. If you don't mind, I would like to give you a gift before we leave. It's not much, but it's the best I can do and I trust you now."

Nodding my head, I watched Cheryl stare back at me. She pulled air into herself and lifted the covers off the bed and stood facing me, paused for a moment and then pulled down her shorts. Her hands were a distraction for her now. A couple of times, she placed them over her pussy.

Once she realized what she was doing, she placed them to her side. The smile fought hard to remain with her. She looked worried, until I realized that she wanted me to stand. Oh, my goodness. I realized it's rude to stare, but my brain told me to shut the fuck up and look at Cheryl. The blonde was natural if her pubic hair was anything to go by. Her hips screamed 'hang on for the ride.' Even the little tattoo of a heart with the devil hiding behind it about half way between her pubic and hip bone, looked real cute on her.

"An item of clothing for each item of clothing, I believe the deal is."

My shorts got handed to her once I was able to pull them over my hard on. Her smile was only matched by the shading that now covered her cheeks.

"If you try and tell me that's morning wood, I may have to kill you."

We both giggled, and I shrugged. What's a guy to do when given that type of death threat? She held out her hand, and I grasped it. The fear was barely being held in check for her. This was taking its toll on Cheryl, and I truly felt for her.

"I want to give you a gift. It's perhaps more than I can offer you, so if I panic and rush out, please don't let it put a dent in your ego because you're doing wonders for mine, and I'm trying. Perhaps a little too hard, but I want to try."

We showered together that morning. I touched parts of her, and her eyes looked like a deer caught in headlights, but she hung in there. She touched me and her hands shook so much that I had to take a step back, but she hung in there. She looked like she won the state lottery when we got out of the shower. She even stood still as I wiped her down with a towel.

Reception gave us back our cell phones, and I paid for the room. It was worth every damn cent as well. Cheryl was quiet as she drove across town. She pulled up outside the hotel and smiled that smile at me.

"Karen won't let you get as far as reception. Thank you for yesterday, and I'm phoning Beth Osterman as soon as you leave the car. She's not going to believe the progress I made with a man."

I just leaned across and kissed her cheek. Cheryl turned her head and went into attack mode. Our lips touched, and we kissed. Her arms wrapped around my neck and wouldn't let go until she was finished.

"Thank you, Martin. Now, go. Remember, Karen promised."

Cheryl pulled away and I watched as she did. Once she turned left at the light, I walked into the lobby. Karen was waiting for me.

*******

"I was beginning to think that you were going to become a permanent fixture out on the sidewalk."

We walked to reception, and Karen repeated the same process Cheryl did with our cell phones. Once inside the hotel safe, and the receipt in her bag, we walked to the elevators and on to our room. Karen sat on the couch while I put my suitcase away and then joined her. She handed me a drink and waited for me to finish mine.

"I know she told you everything. She didn't want to at first; she thought it best it came from me. I couldn't do it. It was Cheryl's life; she had to tell it from her standpoint. Even Beth agreed. You're going to like Beth."

Karen suddenly stood and reached for the buttons of her blouse. I asked her to stop and sit back down for a moment. She looked confused, but did anyway.

"You had Cheryl semi naked almost the whole day and she didn't freak. I figured you would want me at least the same way."

"I need to ask some things first. You're married, do you love Cheryl?"

Karen nodded, at least allowing me to ask my questions.

"My life went from simple to downright complicated within months of leaving the army. Cheryl was my friend since the first time we set eyes on each other. What that husband of hers did turned her inside out. She needed stability, so I married her. We are partners in everything, she knows me just as I know her.

"I placed my life on hold so I could get my friend back. The girlie sex is fantastic, but we both, and I do add Cheryl to that equation, need cock. Neither of us are lesbians, but I'm not putting Cheryl back on the meat market for someone else to fuck up."

"So, the marriage is fake?"

"Not all of it. We are partners, and I'm keeping her. She made a bad choice and now I have her mind focused on making the right choice."

"I'm not a magician, Karen."

"Oh, yes you are. That girl gets semi-naked, hours after leaving her in a room alone with you? By the end of a day she's sharing a shower with you? You did that. Not someone from the gym, but you."

Karen watched me for a moment, and then pressed ahead.

"Look, I'm not even supposed to tell you this, but I'm going to. Cheryl is at your folks place right now, and will be until the morning. She wants to know everything about you and those who know you best. You got under her guard and showed her that not all men are bastards. I imagine what your folks are saying to her now is proving that to be true."

I suppose all this still goes back to the three day promise. I had agreed, my folks had my back and perhaps meeting Cheryl, since they had already met Karen, was a natural extension to all this. My aunt and Brandi had been right. They couldn't give me answers because all the information was one sided. Now with Cheryl there, they could form their own opinion for when I spoke to them again.

"There are a couple of things I need to know. Cheryl is actually great fun to be with. I felt that way back at the gym and I will continue to look out for her, but the emotional minefield that is Cheryl has a key stone. I know if I push that she will crumble, so I will need to avoid it. What is it?"

Karen sat and thought for a moment, and nodded her head.

"Good point. Her ass, don't go near it. Oh, you can give her ass a slap on the way past, but touch her anus and we will have a basket case on our hands, giving Beth years more therapy to handle. When Rick raped her, he took everything from her. She had never done anal sex. Rick took that cherry from her, and she needed stitches after he was done."

"And you?"

"Nope, I'm good, love anal. I'm one of those women who believe in the theory that I was born with three holes and enjoy the use of all three."

"Karen, you swerved around the question real well. So shall we go back and try again."

Her eyes left me and watched the floor for a moment. To us, this was truth time, I suppose.

"Don't ever tie me down. I will hold your hand all day long, but don't ever hold or tie me down."

All I said was 'agreed,' and then went to move on.