Coeds (Part 3)
Kathryn M. Burke
Just after Thanksgiving, after Melanie had returned from a short visit to her family home, she asked Della to have a little
tête-à -tête
while Joseph was out of the house.
"What is it, dear?" Della said. Then, with sudden concern: "You're happy here, aren't you?" What she would do about her husband's importunate appetite without the help of this sweet young thing, she didn't wish to contemplate.
"Oh, yes, wondrously happy!" Melanie burbled.
"That's a relief."
"It's just that—I've met a guy."
"You mean a fellow undergraduate."
"Yes."
"And you like him?"
"Yes."
Della got right to the point. "Have you slept with him?"
Melanie blushed immediately. "No."
"But you want to."
"I guess so. He's awfully sweet."
"Well, I say, go ahead! You're certainly not going to spend the rest of your life tending to my husband!"
"I suppose not. But—but that's not what I wanted to say."
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"Well, you see, he—um, he likes you."
"
Me?
How do I come into this?"
"I'm just telling you what he said."
"How does he even know me?"
"He took a class with you last year. He's a senior, like me."
"And what did he say exactly? About me, I mean."
Melanie's blush got deeper. "Oh, you know how guys are. They express themselves pretty crudely sometime."
"What did he say?" Della said insistently.
Melanie sighed. "Well, if you must know, he said, 'Gee, I'd really like to poke that lady professor.'"
Now it was Della's face that got hot. She didn't know whether to be amused or outraged. "He said that?"
"Yeah."
"He has fantasies about bedding down lady professors?"
"Just you, I think."
"That's very flattering."
"I'm sure he doesn't actually expect it to happen."
Della paused a long time before saying, "Well, maybe it might."
Melanie's jaw dropped. "You—you want him?"
"I didn't say that. But the idea intrigues me."
"But—but I thought you were, um . . ."
"You thought I don't like sex? I spread my legs for my husband often enough—maybe not as often as he wishes, but I do it. It's just that I don't care to be manhandled by a guy."
"Joseph doesn't manhandle me!"
"I think he regards you as something like a daughter."
"A daughter! That's horrible!"
"I didn't mean it like that. It's because you were a virgin when he first, um, had you. I gather he's a lot gentler with you than he is with me."
"Maybe . . . but he pounds me sometime."
"Sure, but he pounds me
all
the time. But that's beside the point. If you really feel that strongly about this guy, you should by all means go to bed with him. Maybe he's the one for you. After that—well, we'll see what happens. What's his name, anyway?"
"Matt. Matt Bennett."
"Well, you pursue this relationship with Matt."
"What about Joseph?"
"Don't worry about him. He has no earthly right to be jealous. Anyway, maybe we can all work something out."
And with that, Melanie walked away with a lot to think about.
Sure enough, she did begin sleeping with Matt—in the afternoons, when they had no classes. She felt it would have been just a bit indelicate to come home to the professors' house, sit down to dinner with them, and then say, "Okay, I have to leave now to be with my lover!" Even if that happened, what if Joseph wanted more action when she came back? Melanie didn't think she'd be quite up for that.
Joseph took her involvement with Matt with equanimity. As long as she remained available to him, that's all he cared about. He himself knew that his relationship with Melanie was not likely to be permanent—better enjoy it while he could!
But this whole business of Matt being attracted to his wife tickled Joseph more than he could say. He kept urging Melanie to bring her new beau over to the house to meet the focus of the guy's fantasies—and finally Melanie did one Friday evening.
Matt Bennett proved to be a tall, lanky fellow with a quick smile and an honest face, topped with an unruly mass of dark hair. When he caught sight of Della, his eyes widened and he stalked over to her, saying, "Hey."
"Hey," she said back with some sarcasm.
Then, unexpectedly, he gave her a bear hug that came close to collapsing her lungs. She expelled a gurgling cough as she unconsciously threw her arms around his neck (women instinctively do that when hugged, don't they?)—but when Matt lowered one of his hands to fasten it on Della's bottom, she revived and wriggled out of his grasp, saying sharply, "None of that, now!"
Matt, crestfallen, muttered, "Sorry."
Melanie and Joseph were watching these antics from across the living room. He lowered his head and whispered to his lover, "Does he know about us?"
"Yes."
"He does? And he doesn't mind?"
"I guess not. I think he figures that having part of me is better than not having me at all."
"Good thinking." Then, after a pause: "I have a plan—let's see how it works."
Matt had been invited over for dinner, and the two women prepared the meal as the men chatted idly in the living room. The dinner was fabulous, and everyone lounged around afterwards talking on general subjects. Then, around 9 p.m., Joseph said casually:
"I think Melanie and I are going to be otherwise occupied for the rest of the evening. Why don't you two amuse yourselves as you see fit?"
Della, not entirely surprised (or particularly disturbed) at this turn of events, watched the pair ascend the stairs. Turning to the young man who sat dumbfounded on the couch, she said, "Come on, guy. We'll find something to fill up our time."