I'm working at starting my own company. This means that while I employ several people I, personally, an overworked and underpaid. And I can't even bitch about it because I'm the boss. Still, in the long run it should pay off handsomely.
Working obsessively is death on any sort of meaningful relationship. If you're dating someone they expect you to spend some quality time with them, time being something that I seem to be chronically short of. This means that any relationships I have are of the transitory kind, friendly while underway, but not going anywhere.
I had a rare day off and being between relationships (isn't that a big surprise) I decided to go for a hike in the nearby nature reserve. There were several reasons for this. It was a bit cool for the beach, I needed the exercise, and you could meet some interesting people at the reserve. By interesting I mean single and female and probably available. You could run into groups wandering along the trails and there was often an odd person who didn't mind a bit of congenial company, or even mine if there was no-one else around.
I rolled up at one of the starting points and my timing was excellent. Even as I was parking a couple of buses drove up and disgorged a couple of hiking parties. I just naturally tagged myself onto one of the parties and we headed off up the trail. That's where my luck came to a complete halt.
There must have been at least half a dozen attractive young things in the party that I would have been delighted to get to know, but they all seemed to have boyfriends attached. There were also some slightly older women (older than me, that is) and a scattering of teenagers. While I wasn't averse to chatting up the slightly older ladies I didn't get a chance. One of the teenagers glommed onto me.
Why she picked me I have no ideas. There were a number of husky young men in the group and from the hostile looks I received I'd say that they were more than willing to escort young Brianna. She had other ideas.
Brianna was in the age range fifteen to twenty and if I was going to hazard a guess I'd say in the upper part of that range, but with cosmetics these days I wouldn't place a wager on it. She was the essential cheerleader/prom queen type of girl. Fair of face and fantastic figure. One of your blue-eyed blondes that have a trail of men walking behind them, drooling. The sort of girl a boy takes one look at and knows he's out of his class.
Like I said, she attached herself to me, trotting along beside me and talking. Boy, could she talk. I was right about her age range, eighteen, correct about her being a cheerleader, wrong about being prom queen (Melissa got that gig), and just about everything else I needed to know about her. Several of the young men in the group tried to divert her attention from me but were monumentally unsuccessful.
From my point of view this was both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because it was highly flattering to my ego to have such an attractive young thing hanging onto my arm. (She nearly tripped on the trail and decided she needed my arm for support.) A bad thing as she was a little too young and naïve. Damnit, I wanted a young lady I could take to bed, not one I feel I should send to bed.
Seeing that there were several young men available who would be only too eager to help soothe Brianna's feelings I decided that some low shock tactics should send her scurrying for safety.
"Ah, Brianna, you did say that you were eighteen, didn't you?" I asked innocently.
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, it's just that being eighteen means that you're an adult and fair game," I observed.
"Excuse me? Fair game?"
"Mm. For hunting and fucking. See where the path forks up ahead? I'll take you down the left fork to a little nook I know. Once there I'll take off your clothes and fuck you so hard you'll have to finish the hike bow-legged."
"Oh. OK."
OK? Did she just say OK? Talk about being taken by surprise. I'm effectively offering to rape her and she says OK?
"Excuse me? Did you say OK?"
"Well, yes. Wasn't that what you want?"
"I have to admit that I sort of had the idea that you were a virgin," I admitted. "Are you sure you know what you're agreeing to?"
"Well, yes, I am a virgin, but I have to become an ex-virgin sometime, don't I? I'm also fairly sure I understand your intent. Me, naked, you with an erection and a willingness to show me how it's used."
I was shocked. Sweet young ladies just did not act this way. I suspect that Brianna picked up on my surprise as she proceeded to explain.
"Look at me," she said. "I'm young and I'm beautiful, I have a great personality and excellent social skills. I have friends galore. But that's all they are, friends. The nice boys all look at me and think I'm out of their class and don't try to date me. The losers and jocks don't give a damn about me. They ask me out simply to get a chance to score. I don't go out with them because you never know how some of those oafs might choose to score. I'd be taking my life in my hands to date some of those creeps."
She took a deep breath, looking a trifle disgruntled.
"I figured that I'd find someone nice and let them seduce me. That way I'd know what sex is like and I might be able to project that knowledge, and get some of the more, more reasonable, guys to date me. I'm not looking for a life mate but I do want to get myself a decent boyfriend. Someone intelligent and not afraid to get a damn job."
"OK, I can understand where you're coming from, but why choose me? I mean, the suggestion I made wasn't exactly subtle."
"No, it wasn't, was it?" she giggled. "Hey, come behind the bushes so I can give you a quick fuck. A real smooth line. That's what showed me you were basically a nice guy."
"Colour me confused."
