This fictional tale is based on true events. Although it's not necessary to read another of my stories prior to this one, "What I Did For Love" will provide more insight into the central character, a woman struggling with sex addiction.
Notes: (1) All the characters in this story are 21 years of age or older. (2) This story is intended for adults only. (3) Unlike the real world where it's important to know who your sexual partner is and to practice safe sex, in all of my fictional tales, no one has any sexually transmitted diseases. (4) In the world of fantasy your proclivities are just that: yours. In the real world, mutual respect for your partner and yourself are essential.
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Relationships suck.
And not in a good way. Your emotions, in an effort to do the most natural human thing, cause you to be attracted to another person, maybe connect with him. If all goes well, this may lead to commitment, marriage and a family. But, in my experience, those emotions led to relationships only to cause pain.
Relationships manipulate you such that you have warm, happy and content feelings simply at the thought of sharing your life with the man of your dreams, another soul, the perfect mate. Just like you'd always hoped. Then, sometimes with absolutely no warning, something changes. And that selfsame perfect man with whom you are in that perfect relationship rips your heart right out of your chest, like a scene in an Indiana Jones film. Those good feelings of hope (in actuality, probably just dopamine receptors), the caring, the selflessness, the love itself get sucked right out of your body. Once the pain finally departs, you're left feeling empty, dull and numb.
It did for me, at least.
A year ago I began a healthy and rewarding relationship with a man named Harold. Six months later his company decided that he was needed in London and after a week of tearful goodbyes he moved there. I missed him so. Emotionally, I was a mess. I had just started getting my roiling brain on the path to possibly opening up my deepest feelings, thoughts and desires to a man with whom I "had a relationship." Now that was just a footnote in the story of my sordid life.
I was still going to my SA (Sexaholics Anonymous) meetings and they were helping, at least to some degree. After Harry left, though, things became so difficult that I returned to seeing my former therapist. I was slowly learning things about myself, which was good. But I remember the pain and crying in almost every session, which was not so good.
Over time, though, I was able to mourn the loss of my relationship with Harry and to face my sexual deviance. That was perhaps the hardest thing I'd ever done. I realized how I'd been objectifying sex and in turn had been turned into a sex object by the men I was with. The men, that is, whose cocks I'd had in my mouth, whose hard-ons had given me the biggest and most intense orgasms I'd ever known, whose semen I'd begged to swallow. All of it was finally a thing of the past.
I'd tried to understand what had happened to me to even want to become a sex object. Being an object, I learned, was in many ways the polar opposite of love for one person.
But after a lot of work, I felt it was time for me to move on. It was time for me to reboot my libido, to focus on having a healthy, happy and loving relationship.
Though I missed Harry, the emotional bonds that had tied us together weakened over time. Now it was truly the moment for me to focus on connecting with a man again, getting into a new, healthy relationship. In fact, although I was loath to admit it, there was even a generally unacknowledged part of me that was hearing my biological clock ticking softly.
Regardless, I was feeling good and had a sense of optimism about my future.
But there's an old, a very old joke that comes to mind: A guy is out in the wilderness, it's cold and snowing. He's run out of food. He's cold. No one is around for miles. Then he hears a voice. The voice says to him, "Cheer up. Things could get worse." So he cheers up. And things get worse.
OK. I didn't say it was a good joke, just an old one. But it comes to mind when I think about my current contented emotional state and my ability to maintain it.
6:00-7:00 Jack Frosting
So it was inevitable. Because then it happened. Something I'd hoped would never happen. On a cold, wet, blustery late autumn evening at a coffee shop a few blocks from my therapist's office, I bumped into Steven.
Suddenly, all of the good, difficult psychotherapeutic work I'd done over the past few years since I'd broken up with him was put in jeopardy.
"Patrice, hi. How are you?" Steven said.
He smiled and I felt a profound shift deep inside of me.
"Steven, uh, hi. I'm good. In fact, I'm doing really well. There've been quite a few layoffs at my firm, but it looks like my job is secure, so I'm really happy about that. Especially around the holidays."
"Well, that's good to hear. You look as lovely as ever," he said. Then eyeing me a little closer he added, "I'd forgotten how big your - "
"Don't start, Steven. It's been a long time and I don't want to bring up the past."
"Fine, fine. I understand. Do you have time for a coffee? With this storm, maybe something sweet like a latte? How about something to eat? A little
amuse-bouche
before dinner? You always liked those double chocolate brownies. Would you like to split one?"
Until that moment I was still feeling pretty good about myself. I'd had a good session. All of that sex addiction was in my past. I was feeling strong.
"Are you kidding me?
Amuse-bouche
? When did you get so continental or alimental?"
"Actually, I just started taking a French class, trying to see if I remember anything from college. Plus, you know me, always concerned with your happiness."
That was it! I didn't need his crap.
"OK, bye. I'm leaving."
"No, Patrice. I'm sorry, really. Old habits and all that. Please sit with me. I'll order a brownie with the drinks and if you don't want any, that's fine."
One part of me was yelling: Run away. Run away. But another part was somehow glad to see him. I should have listened to the first part.
"Alright, Steven. Sure, a latte and a bite of a brownie sound good," I told him. "So, brushing up on your French?"
We got our order. The place was pretty empty. We sat at a corner table and chatted about the more recent events in our lives. We got caught up.