The Other End of the Stic

Sheila glanced at the clock with pleasant anticipation. It was almost lunch time, which hopefully meant Liam would be coming down from the reading room. Liam was...well, actually Sheila didn't know what Liam was. He wasn't a student, nor faculty either. But he did have the all-access library card only the provost could give out to serious visiting scholars. He'd appeared at the start of fall term and asked to see one of the oldest of the antiquities in the collection − something only Sheila, the head librarian, could unlock.

Sheila remembered that she'd kind of hovered that first day, but relaxed when she noted how carefully he'd handled the fragile tome. She was also impressed by how he seemed to have no trouble reading the obscure language it was written in.

He'd offered to buy her lunch that first day so he could ask some questions about the library's holdings. It turned out be a good get-together; each impressed the other with their keen intellect. They'd been eating lunch together every school day since then. To Sheila, each midday was a longed for glimpse of having a boyfriend.

She'd never had one. Not for lack of wanting one, but for her enormous body. Her breasts were somewhere between volleyballs and basketballs in size, and didn't look out of place on her frame. She was teased unmercifully in high school, was ignored in college, and was all but invisible in graduate school. At 27, the experience of a good-looking man smiling across the lunch table, talking to her familiarly, laughing if she said something funny... Well, it was as close to romance as she'd ever been.

The elevator doors opened and there was Liam. He gave her a little wave. Sheila was ready, and gestured with her head towards the main doors. She grabbed her lunch from a mini-fridge under the counter and headed there herself. When it was as nice as it was that day, they'd go around to the sunny side of the library to a picnic table that was seldom in use. They sat down and tucked in.

Liam had never said a word about her weight, and it was unusual for Sheila to do so. But on that particular day, maybe because she at last felt at ease enough, Sheila broached the subject. "I'd do anything to have a size like everybody else. I'd even go under the knife, but surgeons have already told me I'm not a good candidate. I just have no will power, I guess."

"You're holding the problem from the wrong end of the stick. You could..." Liam suddenly blushed scarlet, and he bit into his apple noisily. Sheila was clever enough to see that it was an excuse not to finish the sentence. She pounced before the moment could slip away.

"I could...what?" Sheila said, trying to sound casual.

Liam chewed for a while, then played dumb. "Beg pardon?"

"You said I was holding my problem from the wrong end. What is the right end?"

"It was a silly thought. Forget I said anything."

"This silly thought...would it work?

"Sheila...uhh..."

"Would. It. Work?"

He didn't look her in the eyes. "Yes. But you'd never go for it, even if you believed me...which you wouldn't."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"On thy head be it. We need more time and privacy than we have here. You said you live alone; is your place nearby?"

"Yes, it's over on the Bluffs."

"Let's go there after work and you can laugh or get mad or...whatever happens."

The subject was in abeyance for the rest of lunch, and they talked about trivialities. Sheila was reluctant to push now that she had this much commitment. When lunch break was over, they went inside. Liam went up to the reading room, and Sheila caught up on cataloging. Just before evening shift change, she went up to the reading room. Liam wore gloves to protect the tome, and they came off with a rude sound. Sheila put on a pair to handle it during the short journey to the vault. When she came back, Liam said, "Ready?"

"Let's go," Sheila replied.

It was a short but quiet ride to Sheila's house. She still didn't want to rush Liam, who was clearly of two minds about this. They arrived and went inside. The house was tidy and tastefully decorated. She sat down in her custom chair and he sat on the nearby couch. "So you were saying?" she started.

"Yeah. Holding the problem by the wrong end." He seemed to steel himself. "Your problem isn't too little will power. Your reason tells you what you ought to do, your will is to overrule it and do things you shouldn't. You could surrender your will temporarily. Then when I Told you to stick to your diet, you'd have to do it."

Sheila's mouth hung agape. She didn't know what she'd expected, but this wasn't it. Liam added, "There. See. An unusable solution you'd never go for."

Sheila's mouth came shut with a faintly audible snap, and her eyes narrowed. "How can you do that?"

"I don't spend days on end poring over old Lore books just to write academic papers."

"I did say I'd do

anything

, didn't I?" Sheila murmured to herself, thinking things through.

"Further," Liam pressed his point, "doing this isn't effortless for me, and having an obedient woman around and having to constantly restrain myself... That much distraction I couldn't afford. You'd have to agree to be made into a perfect girlfriend to make it worth my while. So just say no."

"Yes."

"See, I was right."

"I meant, 'yes, I want it.'"

Liam did a double take. "What!"

"If this will get me the svelte figure I've always dreamed of, I'm in."

The look on Liam's face suggested to Sheila that he hadn't expected the conversation to get to this point. "I plan to be here until the end of Spring term. In that time I

can

do it: I can guide you to lose weight and to change your relationship with your body so as to keep it off. I can raise your stock on the girlfriend/marriage market sky high."

"That sounds wonderful."

"But I'd live here and teach you how to please me in every way."

"That sounds wonderful, too."

Liam had an exasperated look, as if she wasn't getting the point. "You do realize we're talking sex, right? You'd be like a...a sex slave!"

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you?"

"No! Of course not, but..."

"You keep trying to make this sound like a bad thing, but it's not working. Look, Liam, I've never had a boyfriend. I've never had sex. If you're trying to scare me off by promising me these things, you're not going to succeed."

"You've never had a boyfriend? Like...not ever?"

"Not ever."

Liam pondered that admission, chewing on his lower lip. At length he seemed to come to a decision. "All right. Lean back and close your eyes."

Sheila was a little surprised that it was going to happen right then and there, with no wind up, but she did as she was bid. Liam began chanting in a language she didn't recognize. Gradually, there was something to be seen in the darkness behind her eyelids. A translucent form became visible. The edges of the form weren't sharp and distinct but Sheila suddenly recognized them as conforming to her own outline. She raised her hands in front of her with her eyes still closed. The form she could "see" duplicated the gesture.

Then there was something else in this phantom realm − another figure approaching her. But it was enormous, a colossus! And it was reaching for her! In the real world, her arms flailed to ward the thing off. That action did not stop the spirit form in the least. "No! No!" she yelled. But it didn't stop; instead it brushed up against her briefly, and only then backed off.

Sheila's cries were silenced by that short touch. The contact filled her with emotions. She felt desirable and desired. She felt cherished and contented. When the mighty figure backed off and the touch was broken, the feelings vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared. "No! No!" Sheila cried again, but this time, the words were in the voice of a broken-hearted child. Her arms flailed again, but this time were trying to draw something to her, not push it away. "Come back!"

Mercifully, the spirit form approached again. This time Sheila was only hopeful as it enveloped her. Then it touched that tender spot again, and the beautiful emotions swirled up within her once more and cradled her psyche.

"You can open your eyes now," Liam said, rousing Sheila from the reverie that had kept her in that strange phantom realm. She blinked and saw Liam sitting on the couch across from her, looking no different that he had a few minutes before. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful," she murmured in a voice like a sigh.

"This is what you'll feel throughout our 'deal,' except those times when you pull your spirit-self out of contact with mine."

"Ah-huh," Sheila said, a little overwhelmed still.

"Well, suppose we go on a date...girlfriend."

"Ah-huh."

"Suppose you shower and get pretty, and I'll bring over a few things."

Sheila got up; her chair was one of those especially designed to make that easier for a large woman. She headed for the stairs, but then turned to ask a question. Liam was gone, and Sheila was sure she hadn't heard the door. She shrugged and headed up stairs; nothing seemed impossible right then.

Sheila showered, dressed in her nicest clothes, and put on a little make-up. By the time she was done, she was more on an even keel. The positive emotions were still strong within her, but she wasn't totally blissed out like she had been at first. When she came downstairs, Liam was back as mysteriously as he'd left, dressed nicely for their date.

Once more, they took Sheila's car. Liam directed them to a restaurant she'd never visited before. The decor was lavish, and the cuisine French. When they were seated, Sheila glanced tentatively at the menu, then smiled shyly. "May I order for you?" Liam asked.

"Yes, please."

"Any food allergies?"

"No."

Liam ordered for both of them, including glasses of an expensive wine. He said, "I'd like to ask some questions now. Whenever I ask you something, Sheila, you need to answer truthfully."

"Yes, Liam."

"This

is

your first date?"

"Well, I was once paired with a boy for 'seven minutes in heaven' when I was thirteen. He groped my breasts, and I rather liked it. Later I overheard that I'd only been invited to the party so the fellow could pay the forfeit on a bet he'd lost. That sort of took the shine off the apple. Oh!" The touch on her spirit self increased in strength for a few seconds, making it easier for Sheila to push the sad memory way into the background. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome. How much do you know about sex by other means?"

"Let's say...nothing. I have had health class, and I saw my brothers growing up."

"How often do you masturbate?"

"What's that?"

Liam looked nonplussed. "Ahhh...self pleasuring to orgasm."

Sheila giggled. "An explanation of a word I don't know with another word I don't know isn't too helpful." After a beat when she looked at Liam's face, she added, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, darling. I'll just add a few more units to my lesson plan. Are you using birth control now, or have you in the past?"

"No to both." Sheila blushed a little at the directness of the questions.

"You can use the student health service, right?" When Sheila nodded, Liam continued, "Make the earliest appointment you can to deal with two things. First, ask for a diet and exercise plan suited to yourself at present. Then ask him to prescribe birth control. IUD's are convenient and effective, both of which we want, but not every woman can use them. The doctor will help you sort out your options." Liam noticed the look on Sheila's face. "Sheila?"

Her eyes came up and refocused on Liam. She gave a embarrassed smile and a shrug. "It was a silly thought. I was wondering how often getting fitted for birth control comes up in first date conversation, even given the hook-up culture on this campus," she said.

"This is just the first of many ways our relationship will be incongruous. Ah, the soup's here." A bowl of cream of wild mushroom soup was put in front of each of them. It was delicious; Sheila could tell that there was a splash of sherry involved in there in some way. The entree was exquisite, too, but the portions were small by her standards. When they rose from the table, Sheila was still hungry, and mentioned it.

"You've had the right amount of nutrition, so no more until we have breakfast." Sheila sighed, but the fact that Liam was holding hands with her as they walked back to her car made appetite easier to bear.

He held the door for her as she got in to drive. As they drove back to Sheila's house, Liam gave a little chuckle. "To avoid awkwardness later, I'll just mention, we

are

going to kiss on the first date."

Sheila laughed. "As if that wasn't my fondest wish," she thought. Soon they were back in her living room.

"Suppose you sit in your big chair, and I'll sit facing you, resting most of my weight on the padded arms," Liam suggested. When they were thusly arranged, he continued, "Now give me a kiss." Sheila leaned forwards and gave Liam a brief peck, like a child would give to a maiden aunt on Christmas.

Although he was startled at her naïveté, Liam kept that emotion of his face. "That was a good start," Liam encouraged. "This time we'll let our lips stay in contact for longer." They did just that, and after Sheila's face clearly betrayed that she recognized the difference between the two efforts. Liam continued, "This time while we hold it, I'll be using my tongue to pleasure your lips."

Sheila moaned in the back of her throat when Liam flicked his tongue against her lips. For an instant she was sad that she was only feeling this now at 27, but that thought was quickly lost in the maelstrom of her emotions. Finally, their lips parted.

"Now you do what I just did," Liam directed. Sheila's response was as enthusiastic as a man could wish, and Liam was pleased. When they paused again, he added, "This time we let our tongues meet in the middle."

Sheila was soon carried away by what was happening to her lips. And though she was momentarily nonplussed when Liam captured the tip of her tongue for the first time with a light suction, she soon was improvising on her own. Liam added something new without speaking, drawing his fingertips along the edge of her ear.

They just kissed for quite some time, but at last Liam pulled back. "Well, I'm not going to teach you the whole curriculum the first night, so it would be mean to get you more revved up without planning to ease you down. We should think about getting ready for bed."

"Revved up?" Sheila thought. Then she realized that was a good word for it. Her body felt full of energy − she was almost vibrating with it. Did that imply she could feel even more? And what did he mean by 'ease you down?'

Liam eased off of his unnatural perch and helped Sheila stand up. "Let's brush teeth and do other ablutions, then meet in the bedroom."

Despite the implication that she and Liam wouldn't be making love tonight, to the inexperienced Sheila just sleeping together was a big enough step to make her a bit anxious. She washed up and brushed, then undressed, finally removing her huge, custom designed and hand-made bra. She eased the big twins down from their confinement. Her nipples unbent and popped forwards. Unlike many large-breasted women, her nipples were enormous − as big as most women's thumbs. They didn't point straight down, but their natural position was well below the level line. She re-covered herself almost completely with a shapeless flannel nightie.

When she entered her bedroom, she saw the Liam did not share her reticence about exposure. He sat comfortably in the nude on the foot of the bed. Of course, Sheila realized he had no reason for such reticence: his body was handsome and conditioned. Between his legs was his male member; it was a bit of a relief that it looked like what she expected, what her brothers had looked like when accidental exposure had provided her a glimpse. He chuckled a little at her approach. "Isn't it a little early in the season for flannel?" he inquired archly.

"Well, I..." Sheila's eyes opened wide in distress! She'd intended to make a little white lie − assert that all she had was flannel. But the first words of that untruth leaving her lips was all it took to strip her of the beautiful emotions that had buoyed her all evening. Her soul was instantly, sorrowfully, bereft. "...do have something a bit lighter," she finished hastily. As quickly as they'd vanished, those sweet cushioning sentiments were back in place.

If Liam noticed her lapse, he gave no sign of it. "Go ahead and put it on," he said gently.

Sheila moved to the dresser and pulled out a sheer, summer weight chemise. All the while she was readjusting her thinking. The wheels of her mind turned furiously but silently, "He said I'd be a 'sex slave,' and I guess I forgot all about that because I wasn't turned into an automaton. I'm guessing I

can

disobey, and the only sanction is the withholding of his gift. But what a sanction!"

Out loud, Sheila only said, "I have this." She held it up for his inspection.

"Much better," Liam asserted.

Sheila turned her back to Liam for the actual switching of the garments, to put off him seeing her breasts for a second or two longer. She steeled herself and turned to face him. She didn't meet his eyes. "I know, I know. With these two udders and these two teats I look just like..."

"Don't say it!" Liam ordered sharply. He stood up and stepped close. "Part of what we need to accomplish this year is: positive body image. You're not to put yourself down, understand?"

She nodded and raised her eyes. She watched as Liam raised his hands and gently stroked her breasts through the fabric from their tops to just around the nipples. After several near misses, he finally let his hands take hold of those organs. Sheila sucked in her breath. It was beyond all her experience to learn what a lover could do to her by tugging and playing with those pink projections.

"I find them completely charming. And you don't have to take my word for it. Look around and find the evidence," Liam insisted.

Sheila complied, but for a moment didn't get the point. Then understanding came. "Your..." She struggled with the word for a moment. "penis is larger, and...uh...standing upwards."

"Exactly! My touching you, desiring you, makes it react. And I'll be teaching you more about the way your body reacts analogously tomorrow. For now let's just lie down together." He took a few steps to turn off the light and then took her hand and guided her into bed. He turned her so that they were on their sides, facing the same way. Sheila felt his swollen member caress her bottom. "People call this 'spooning' or 'making spoons.' It's a popular way for lovers to sleep." Sheila felt his hand slide around her waist. "Good night, darling," he whispered.

Fairly soon, it seemed that Liam was asleep. His member had slowly deflated against her, and his breathing was regular. But as this was the first time Sheila had ever slept with a lover in her bed, she was a bit restless. Finally she rose as carefully as she could, intending to read a bit. Her intention was short-circuited when she passed the kitchen. "I'm starving," she realized. She opened the refrigerator and perused the offerings. But the moment she decided and reached for a turkey leg waiting there, she was bereft again.

She yanked her hand back as if scalded and slammed the door closed. The soul-touch was back mercifully quickly. "How did he know?" she whispered to herself. She tiptoed back to the bedroom. Liam gave no sign of any awareness. An experiment occurred to Sheila. She pantomimed reaching for the candy dish on the dresser. Nothing happened. Her hand came closer and closer. Still nothing. Seeing that he still was oblivious, she changed her intention to actually take a piece.