From the beginning of this story, David has encouraged Mary to expand her sexual horizons. Here in Chapter 12, those horizons expand in a big way.
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Mary was thrilled to learn Mariana wanted to meet her. I showed her the nude photos we'd taken. "She's a beautiful girl, David," Mary said. "If she ever gets tired of being a professor, she can always become a dancer." Mary thought it was interesting that Mariana's sister was a dancer. It seemed to give them something in common.
We decided to invite Mariana for dinner. Meeting at the club for the first time would be too loud and hectic for serious conversation. It was a much better idea for Mary to cook one of her healthy meals at home. We could enjoy ourselves in a quiet, cozy environment.
Mariana showed up with a nice bottle of wine. I poured three glasses, and we sat in the kitchen sipping the wine as Mary finished preparing our meal. Mary hadn't had a chance to cook for anyone but me for a long time, and she outdid herself. She prepared a dish that was originally intended to be vegan, but she added thin slices of steak to make it more appealing to carnivores like me and Mariana.
"Mary, this is delicious," Mariana said after the first bite. "I wish I could cook like this."
"It just takes practice," Mary said. That, of course, was a lie. Cooking is a skill that requires aptitude. No one can become as good a cook as Mary just through practice. It's a gift, and few people have it. I don't.
"This is the healthiest meal I've had in years. I've had a lot of frozen pizzas and ramen noodles since I started grad school," Mariana said.
"Oh, you should never eat stuff like that," Mary said, sounding alarmed. "It's not good for you at all, dear."
"I know that. And I plan to change my ways. Now that I've got tenure, I should have more time to take care of myself. Could you give me this recipe?"
"Of course, honey!" Mary said.
That was the moment things got a little weird. When Mary heard Mariana say that, they began having an intense conversation about diet, exercise, meditation, yoga, and on and on and on. I contributed nothing to the discussion. I couldn't. They went back and forth so quickly there was no way for me to say anything. It felt as though they'd been friends since they were little girls.
I could describe the rest of the evening, but it was all pretty normal. We had cocktails after dinner, and the women got just tipsy enough to laugh and giggle at all kinds of things that weren't all that funny. Mariana said she was very impressed by the quality of Mary's photos, and that prompted Mary to drag out the album of the two dozen pictures we'd had printed professionally. Those enlargements looked much better than anything you could ever see on a computer screen, or a cell phone.
"I wish I could look this good," Mariana said. "I'll never have pictures like that."
"David and I can take pictures of you that are just as good as this," Mary said. "It took some work, but I think we've got the process figured out now."
"I don't know if I'm brave enough to pose like this," Mariana said quietly.
"Why don't we find out?" Mary asked.
As she was leaving, Mariana gave Mary a big hug, then made an interesting request.
"May I kiss you?"
Mary was surprised. "I suppose."
Mariana pulled Mary to her, pressed their lips together gently, and gave her a kiss so romantic it made my heart pound. They kept kissing for a long time, and I could tell Mary was overwhelmed by her first experience being kissed by a woman.
"I'm going to want to do that again," Mariana said when it was over.
"I'm going to want that too," Mary said.
We decided that I'd take Mariana to see Mary dancing the following Friday. I couldn't help but hope an evening like that would end up with Mariana joining us in bed. The sonic stimulator could guarantee it would happen, but I didn't want to use it. I wanted the evening to unfold naturally so both women did what their hearts told them to do.
Mariana was nervous when we went to the club. She was afraid one of her students or colleagues would spot her. Her job was secure now that she had tenure, but she didn't want to be the subject of campus gossip. Nobody would think twice if the president of the university showed up to watch exotic dancers perform, but that was because he was a man. Women are held to different standards. I didn't think it was likely that anything would happen that ended with Mariana being slut shamed, but I was ready to use the sonic stimulator to defend her every way I could.
"I don't know what to drink," Mariana said. "It's been a while since I've ordered cocktails."
"Mary always gets diet ginger ale and vodka. No sugar or caffeine," I said.
"I'll give that a try."
I asked for a table in a dark part of the back, letting Mariana watch the dancers without being too visible herself. It was obvious that she loved watching. I mean, she really, really loved it. She made no secret of her fondness for beautiful naked women. We'd been there about a half hour when the DJ announced Mary was about to dance. "Please welcome back a dancer who has become a real favorite here," the DJ said. "Give it up for our very own Red!"
Mary had been dancing for a few months, and it showed. She could look coy, then sultry, then wild, then lustful, and all while dancing gracefully and removing items of clothing one by one. Mariana was as spellbound as everyone else. She gripped my hand and watched with a slack jawed expression. Mary tended to have that effect on people the first time they saw her dance.
Seeing Mary slip off her panties was like some kind of erotic revelation. She spun around on her pole, looking joyful, as though she wanted nothing more than being naked in that place for those people at that exact moment of time. So many men were waving so many bills at Mary after she finished that it took her a long time to collect them all. She'd kneel down in front of each customer, pin them with a sexy look, then lift up her garter to give them a place to stick their money.
Mariana was panting with lust by the time Mary picked up her clothes and walked off the stage. The next dancer was a cute young woman named LuAnn, but who danced under the stage name Roxy. She was a good performer, but Mariana was overwhelmed by Mary's dance. "That was very hot," Mariana said. "I've seen a lot of dancers, and I've never seen anyone better than Mary."