California Dreamin'

All characters are over the age of 18.

Thanks readers for sticking with me. Part deux continues the slow burn, but I hope will have a satisfying payoff by the end of this chapter. Our confused hero is still coming to grips with his life in California and dealing with the strange and enchanting creature that is his new roommate. I'd thought we would have been into some new characters and spicier bits by now, but Jack and Sloane needed some more time to get 'acquainted'. It happens.

It bears repeating that the story deals with first times, college, coming-of-age, straight sex, and will introduce bisexual and group/poly action, a transgender character and some cross-dressing, alcohol and some light experimentation with drugs. If any of that isn't your cup of tea, you might want to skip this one.

From chapter 3 on, I'll start filing these in the story category that most closely matches the most prominent themes and perversions our characters indulge in. Honestly, you wouldn't believe the things California kids do these days...

Favorite and follow to make sure you get notified of each new chapter, in case it isn't a category you watch.

I expect at least 4 chapters at this point, but could go longer depending on how y'all like it. Let me know in the comments what you think, or if there's a situation you just can't wait to experience.

* * *

I bolted awake. A shrill beeping forced my adrenal gland into gear and I flew out of bed.

It's the smoke alarm,

my groggy brain offered

.

An acrid scent filled my nose as I instinctively ran for the stairs, t

oward her

, still in just my boxers. I sprinted upwards but slowed as I began to recognize the smell intermingled with the smoke

. Bacon.

I reached the kitchen and found Sloane using a towel to futility wave air up at the offending detector. I managed a lopsided grin and detoured to the the large doors leading to the patio. I slid them open, then padded back to the kitchen to open those windows as well.

"Are you trying to

cook

?" I asked playfully, just as the smoke alarms stopped wailing. She tossed the towel onto the counter.

"I figured after making you do the walk of shame last night, it was the least I could do." Sloane gave my exposed torso an extended glance.

"That's very nice of you, but why don't we leave future culinary efforts to me?"

She grinned back and leaned against the island across from the stove. I padded over and eyed the blackened strips of

something

still tiredly sizzling in the pan. I studied the look on her face.

Are things different after last night? Where do we go from here? Do I...

I approached her and did an awkward one-arm hug around her shoulders. I somehow just noticed that she was only wearing a thin t-shirt, the cold air wafting through causing her nipples to strain at the material.

"You sleep well until the commotion?"

"Yeah," I answered truthfully. "Had some interesting dreams.

Nice dreams.

" I flashed her a warm smile and took my arm back.

"Jack," she said slowly. "Do you wanna talk about last night?"

I crossed my arms over my bare chest. "I uh... do we need to?"

"Don't have to," Sloane grinned. "Just know that nothing has to change. Can be just little fun between friends."

"I understand," I croaked out.

Did I? Does she mean change from before, or change from last night?

"Like, I mean, I would be okay if you wanted to still kiss me every now and then.

Little changes,

maybe

."

I reached my arm back out and this time used it to pull her toward me. She came willingly. I gently pulled her head towards mine and kissed her, mouth close, with just a slight tilt of my head.

"I think I could handle that," I said quietly as I pulled away. Her hands on my hips kept our bodies together. I stared into her eyes and was hit with a torrent of images and thoughts, chief among them the absolutely gorgeous being with her arms around me. Six months ago I was a sheltered community college student content to be cloistered in my parents' house. Now I was two blocks from Huntington Beach with a strikingly attractive girl telling me that I could kiss her more often. I smiled and leaned in for one more.

"So is my breakfast salvageable?" she asked.

"Oh, no way," I said, lobbing a glance toward the stove. "You might even have to chuck that pan."

"How 'bout I buy you a Starbucks instead?"

"Deal."

We changed and walked out into the already-pleasant morning. The coffee shop was a few blocks away, and already bustling when we got there. As we stood in line, I began to notice people's glances at us. I couldn't explain it, but it's like they knew this was a different arrangement than the last time we got coffee.

Something had changed.

The guy taking our order even flashed me a look like

wow man, nice...

Or at least that's how I read it.

We're not together,

I told myself.

Don't become one of those guys that made her cry. We are definitely not 'together'. This is just something... new. Don't screw it up.

We sat at a table outside, sipping our coffees and eating breakfast. Except for my perhaps heightened sense of

something else

, nothing had really changed. We chatted and laughed, took bites of each others' pastries and played our usual game of making up backstories for each person that came into the shop. Sloane almost snorted a mouthful of latte when I posited that an overweight businessman leaving with a large bag of bagels was actually a drug lord packing his entire inventory under his clothes.

"You know what," said Sloane after only the crumbs of our baked goods remained, "I feel like a beach day. Whaddya say we skip school today?"

"On a Tuesday? Aren't you a naughty girl..." I had only two classes today anyway, neither of which was better the the chance to see her in a swimsuit.

She flashed me a look that seemed to confirm my assertion. "I just, we..." A pregnant pause inflated between us, then slowly let out. "Need to go shopping." She took me by the hand and we were off down the sidewalk.

We strolled further than I had been from home, which given that today was going to be a day off, I was completely okay with. We cut down to the boardwalk and wandered in to a little surf shop that looked like it hadn't changed much since the sixties.

Sloane browsed through clothing while I aimlessly tried on sunglasses and hats. She appeared a moment later with a royal blue pair of swim briefs, clipped on to a hanger.

"Those baggy trunks you brought are just horrible," she said plainly. "What do you think about these?"

I pulled at the rather small assemblage of stretchy fabric. "Don't leave much to the imagination, do they?"

"That's the point, dummy," she smiled back. "You swam competitively in high school, I bet you wore something like this, right?"

"Well, that was during races. You know, for speed."

"Well now you can wear them for different reasons, like to show off those nice legs."

My cheeks got warm. "Well, I guess if you like them."

"Good. And if you go out looking all hot, I'll just have to make it worth your while..."

I wonder what that means.

I reached for the hanger and glimpsed the price tag.

Holy crap, $138.

She mush have noticed the look on my face.

"My treat. Grab the hat and those sweet Ray Bans you had on a minute ago too."

"I can't let you buy all this stuff, that's like four hundred bucks!"

"Consider it a thank you for keeping my house from burning down." She pecked me on the cheek and set everything on the counter. "Or you can just accept the fact that you have a sugar momma now and get on with it." The girl behind the counter chuckled and put my new things in an expensive-looking bag.

"Thanks Sloane, that was super generous of you."

"My dear parents are more than happy to treat you," she said with a tinge of irritation. "Come on, we need to go back to change and pack"

We made our way back to the house and separated. In my bathroom, I held the blue swimsuit she'd bought me up to the mirror. From waste it to hem, the trunks were maybe six inches. The pocket for my man bits looked like it would hang down lower than the bottom of the leg opening when filled.

I guess I'm in California...

I had worn some pretty skimpy racing trunks before, but

not this short.

I stripped and allowed an admiring glance at my body in the mirror. After laying on the roof deck for a few Saturdays, I was finally not embarrassingly pale. After high school, I'd worked hard with jogging and body weight exercises to keep everything toned. "Not bad

",

I said aloud, after a mild full torso flex. "I'm not fooling anyone with this," I added, swiping my fingers through the few odd patches of peach fuzz on my stomach and thighs. I hadn't done it since my last race, but I quickly lathered and ran a razor over everything.

I glanced down at my half flaccid cock. "Why not?" I wasn't going to risk anything in that area, so I grabbed my electric razor and buzzed the already-short hair off my balls and base of my shaft. I took another, longer, appreciative stare at my now hairless body before I pulled the shorts on.

"

Niiiiice...

" said Sloane from the door.

I jumped and knocked the shaving cream over. "Shit, you scared me!"

"Sorry, I was beginning to wonder if you were having second thoughts and took off for class."

"Nah," I recovered. "I'm all in, obviously. You ready to go?"

She had a large beach bag over her shoulder and a wrap that hung down nearly to her knees. It was tied in the front, but I could see a hint of cleavage where it opened. I did some mental deep breathing to keep from getting hard. In these shorts, that would be

bad

.

"I'm just gonna toss on... some more." I walked through to the closet and grabbed some loose basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

"Aww, I liked the last view," she whined.

"I'll take it off when we get to the beach," I tutted back. "Besides, you're all covered up too."

"I wanted to preserve a sense of mystery," Sloane giggled. "And this bathing suit could cause an accident..."

My mouth hung open slightly as I wondered what

that

would look like. "I'm ready if you are."

We slipped on flip-flops at the door and made the short walk to the beach. Being a weekday morning, it wasn't busy yet. Taking the boardwalk to the south, we passed a couple of lifeguard towers and a number of food carts opening for the day. We cut down to the sand and picked a spot close to the water. Even though it was nearly October, the the temperature would be over eighty by mid-day. Being able to take a quick splash in the chilly Pacific would be welcome.

I spread out our large beach blanket and rolled our towels into makeshift pillows. Sloane nestled the bag next to a rock and kicked her shoes off. I watched in anticipation as she slowly removed the wrap.

Her matching two piece was a deep, rich red, what there was of it. I think she probably faced away from me as she disrobed to show off her backside first. I quickly understood why. The bottom piece was a thong my mom would have called 'butt floss', literally only a string that split into two as it rose from between her cheeks, arching high over her hips at the perfect narrowing of her waist. I stared in awe at Sloane's toned ass, the many trips up and down the stairs every day obviously paying off.

The top of her bikini was the same narrow string tied behind her back and around of her neck. She turned slowly toward me, smiling more nervously than I'd ever seen her. The small triangles barely covering her breasts left her amazing tits plumping out in all directions.

Sloane gave me a top to bottom stare as well, a subtle nod fueling my self confidence.

"Uh... Jack?" she said, raising an eyebrow and staring at my midsection.

I glanced down and realized my growing hard-on had pushed the stretchy fabric of my trunks quite far away from my body. I quickly dropped to the blanket and covered myself with a towel.

"Sorry," I stuttered, "but that bikini, you weren't kidding.

Shit

..." I took a few deep breaths and tried mostly unsuccessfully to think of something else.

She knelt next to me and whispered in my ear. "

Sorry, not sorry

." She pecked me on the cheek. "As soon as you get that thing under control, we can go put our toes in the water and have a walk, 'kay?"

My mental gymnastics over the next five minutes were impressive. I focused on the fact that I was having a beach day when I should have been in class, wearing new sunglasses I never would have been able to afford, a few of many ways my life had improved recently.

New me is was crushing it.

When I finally got down to a half chub, I stood and adjusted my shorts with a nervous grin.

We strolled down the beach, fingers laced together. I began to notice people staring at us for real. Some veiled glances, some outright gawking. Risking a look at her, then down at my own body, we looked good.

Like, really good

. I wished I'd brought my phone, I would have sheepishly asked if we could take a selfie to send my friends back home. They'd probably accuse me of some kind of Photoshop shenanigans, which a month ago, I would have agreed with. A pang of guilt turned my stomach as I realized I hadn't talked to any of them since the day I left.

A sand volleyball game held our attention for half an hour or so. Eight rather fit young men and women passed the ball back and forth with a skill that had obviously come from many hours spent on this beach. They weren't bad to look at, either.

On the walk back, I raised an eyebrow under my Ray Bans as a pair of guys spied us from up the beach. They appeared to changed course. I subtly gestured to Sloane when they were twenty feet out and obviously headed toward us. She released my hand and walked to them.

"Oh my god, you little slut!" said the shorter of the two. He was about my height but heavier than me and wore a rash guard. He looked vaguely Latin, but had no trace of accent other than

Los Angeles.

Sloane hugged him and pecked his cheek.

"Oh, hey you guys! It's been a awhile."

"Is this the one we've been hearing about?" said the taller of the two. I guessed six-one and nicely toned and tanned. His swimsuit wasn't as short as mine, but close.

"Alex, Ricardo, this is my new roommate, Jack."

I extended my hand and shook each of theirs. Alex seemed to be trying to crush my hand, Ricardo kinda gently palmed it. "Nice to meet you guys."

"You too, Jack," said Ricardo. He glanced back to Sloane and smiled. "I definitely see what you mean." He gave me a not so veiled top top to bottom eye grope.

"So how do you all know each other?"

Alex responded. "This one does hot yoga with your little biscuit of a roommate. They get sweaty and then drink all my cold brew."

"Alex and Ricardo live above the yoga studio I go to," said Sloane. "That's how we met."

"So are you two trying to set some kind of record for

least fabric harmed in the making of two complete swimsuits

or something?" Ricardo asked.

"It was kind of a bet," I fibbed.

"Who lost?" said Alex, glancing between us.

I felt my cheeks flush and just stared at the sand. I could feel Sloane looking at me.

"I'd say everybody won," Ricardo laughed, now with a hint of accent. "Spicy!"

We chatted for a few minutes on the beach. Sloane kissed their cheeks and said goodbyes as we parted ways. As we began to walk in opposite directions, Ricardo yelled after us.

"Sloane honey, your shoulders are looking a little pink. You oughta put on some sunscreen. Bye you two!"

"They seem nice," I said, once out of earshot. "They're... together, right?"

"Oh yeah. They throw amazing get togethers, Ricardo is quite the cook. I bet you guys could crush a dinner party."

"I'd be down."

We got back to our things as the beach was starting to fill. I glanced at Sloane's shoulders, they didn't look particularly pink to me, but I wasn't going to waste a chance to rub something on her perfect skin.

"Do you want some—"

She already had the tube out and was giving me a coy look. "You know my aversion to tan lines... don't miss any spots."

"No ma'am," I said with absolute honesty.

"Alright, start with this side." She dropped to the blanket and laid on her stomach.The beautiful round of her ass was a sight to behold.

"Top to bottom?" I asked as I popped the lid off the tube.

"Uh humph," she answered, face pressed into the blanket. "And don't forget my feet."

I squirted a generous dollop and held it between my hands to make sure it wasn't cold. Starting with her neck, I gently massaged the cream into her golden skin. It smelled vaguely of coconut and some other tropical fruit. I worked my way down her back, and detoured over her shoulders and arms. As I reached the strap of her bikini top, my careful attempts to pull it aside to rub lotion under the string simply untied it.

"Just leave it," she said. "I'll fix it when I flip over."

With her eyes not able to see me, I gawked at her body below me. The scant red straps of her thong were now the only clothing she wore. A couple of thirty-something guys walking by gave me very jealous stares. I grinned stupidly and continued my way down. When I'd reached just below her waist, I instinctively skipped over her firm cheeks and started down her thighs. I got all the way down her smooth, long legs and was rubbing her feet probably more than necessary when she turned her head and grinned up at me.

"I think you missed a spot."

"Yeah, I uh... do you want me to just..."

"If there's sun hitting it, rub it down." She turned her head back into the blanket.

I took a deep breath and warmed another palmful of lotion. I pressed one hand against each of her firm cheeks and slowly massaged outward in circles. Gently pulling the straps aside, I rubbed it into her hips. Finally left with only the delicate crevice where the single string disappeared, I just went for it.

God, I hope she's not ticklish.

I paid precise attention to the sunlight hitting her gorgeous backside, careful to obey her command. My index finger slipped just a bit further than I meant and she shifted, but didn't say anything.

My shorts were getting uncomfortably full and I was trying to control my breathing. I knew where this was headed and having finished, I flopped onto my stomach next to her. My growing erection pressed forcefully into the sand. I turned to look at her and she'd turned toward me at the same moment. My thoughts raced for a moment and I risked something that was definitely

new me

.

"Sloane, you're the most beautiful girl on this beach."

"Well, aren't you sweet." She grinned and reached her hand out to mine. "Are you hitting on me, Jack?"

"No, I mean," I stuttered, "objectively you are hotter than any other person I've seen here."

"Are you looking," she giggled.

"No!" I said louder than I meant to, "like

noticing

is different than

looking.

I just—"

"You're allowed," she interrupted. "I'm just teasing you. Everyone likes to go shopping at the meat market. That's why we all come here..."

Jesus, even when she was giving me a hard time she's sexy as hell.

I lay in silence for few minutes waiting for my shorts to fit properly again. I began to feel this sunlight baking my own skin.

"You care if I go in the water for a few? I'm getting warm."

"Go for it. Be careful, there can be riptides this time of year."

"Ok, thanks." I rose and made the short walk to the wet sand. I took a few deep breaths and began to jog down the beach. I wanted a decent bit of distance to swim back, so I estimated a quarter mile or so before cutting into the water. I pushed through the shock of the cool waves and ran through the surf until I could dive outward. My face broke the surface and wonderful memories of swimming flooded back.