In my senior year of college, my roommate John and I were in a dorm building that also served as housing for the law school. John started dating Sylvia, one of the law students, and I was a little jealous. Sylvia was a gorgeous, Asian-American girl with a tendency to wear short skirts. She had a deferential quality toward John, and she was more assertive with me.
One day I went up to her room to return a bottle of honey I'd borrowed. I glanced over at some sheets piled up on her bed, and for a moment thought that John was lying in there. He wasn't, and as I started to leave, I asked where he was and mentioned looking at the sheets. "And you thought that was John?" she said mirthfully and gave me a pat on the butt, sending me on my way.
That minor physical reprimand was on my mind the next few days. I wondered if I might get further instant chastisements from Sylvia's hand for future wisecracks or other transgressions.
That Saturday night, John and Sylvia had a date. She showed up at our room in a short black dress, dark tights and heels. I guess I wasn't very subtle about looking her over, as she and John both seemed to notice it. "We've got to get you a girlfriend, Gene," John said as the two of them took their leave.
I expected John would stay at Sylvia's that night, as he normally did on the weekends. Late that night, I was lying in bed in the room he and I shared, visualizing Sylvia in that short dress, Then I imagined the two of them scolding me for checking her out; then John grabbing my arm and bending me over a desk, so Sylvia could deliver a spank like she had the other day; but this time with my pants and underwear down around my ankles.
It was just a fantasy. I didn't expect that anything like that was going to happen.
Sunday morning I woke up at 7. As expected, John's bed was empty. But unexpectedly, there was a text from Sylvia that had arrived just a few minutes before. "Get up here, Gene," it read. "We want to see you. As soon as you're up."
That was odd. I didn't know what to make of it, but thought a quick reply was in order. "Be right up." I brushed my teeth, put on a pair of sweatpants over the briefs I'd slept in, plus a T-shirt, and walked up the stairs in a pair of moccasins I used as slippers. I was about to knock on Sylvia's door when it opened. John ushered me in. He was dressed in sweatpants as well. My eyes quickly moved on to Sylvia, as I wondered what she'd be wearing this early morning. I'd hoped a Teddy nightie, but it turned out to be a long T-shirt, which was almost as good.
John sat down on a sofa next to Sylvia. "What's going on?" I said, standing in front of them, a bit worried maybe something was wrong.
"Nothing much," John said, his tone slightly sharp. "But it's come to my attention that you've been checking out my girlfriend a lot, and making wisecracks sometimes at her expense or mine, and that she even had to give you a smack on the butt the other day to keep you in line."
I didn't know what to say. Was this a serious complaint? It appeared so, from John's expression, but then I looked at Sylvia, and she gave me a wink and a quick smile.
