This story has a germ of basis in fact. The sex is pure extrapolation.
Chapter One
In college, I was neither a timid virgin nor a horndog. Sure, I relished taking the occasional lover to my bed, but I enjoyed the company of women in general. I treated them as true friends rather than potential conquests. I think they picked up on that. It intrigued them to hang with a guy who was "safe" without being gay. So, while my fellow juniors made nuisances of themselves trying to get a girl to talk to them (let alone "give it up") I was at the center of a circle of young women, whether working or playing. If a girl desired something more from me, I was happy to oblige, of course. I seldom refused an invitation for intimacy, never pressed for it, and never, ever bragged about it afterwards.
Alright, that's not completely true. I did press for it once.
It started when I gave Mary a backrub. I know, you're thinking that's pretty damn intimate. And it is. There's a difference between sensual and sexual, though our culture seldom separates the two. I like making my friends happy, and enjoy the trust they show me in allowing such sensual touching. During exam week, several of my women friends would ask me to work out the stress knots in their backs, or soothe away headaches with a light stroking on their scalps. Some even reciprocated, which was a bonus.
Mary was different. At first, she was hesitant when I offered a simple shoulder rub. It took a couple of weeks watching me de-stressing the ladies of my study group that she realized I wasn't making a move on her. When she finally accepted the offer, she was hooked instantly. As I gently squeezed her tight shoulder, she sighed. When I began to work circles down her back with my thumbs, she moaned. Yes, moaned – loudly. I'd never heard a reaction quite like that before (outside the bedroom). She earned us some quizzical looks from some nearby students, and I ended the session fairly quickly. After that, I took her to a more secluded place for massages; there were usually empty classrooms or quiet corners of campus where her vocalizing wouldn't attract attention. But as the sessions got longer and more thorough, I began to notice another reaction. Several minutes in, I detected a very faint musky scent. Being no stranger to a woman's pleasure, I realized that Mary was getting turned on. Her moaning was, in fact, the sexual reaction it sounded like.
I didn't know what to make of this new development. It hadn't been my intention to cross the line between the sensual and the sexual. I didn't mention my discovery to her; instead, I gradually began asking her about herself. Mary was about five years my senior, married at 20 and divorced at 22. She confided that she was still a bit of a romantic, regardless of how much a jerk her ex had turned out to be.
"I'm a very sensual person," Mary said after a few minutes of companionable silence. "And a very sexual person," she added, with a slight blush. I mentally scrambled to think of the right thing to say, but before I could open my mouth, she glanced up.
"I love sex. But the problem is, if I have sex, I fall in love. I'm not ready for that right now."
Sorry, Ryan,
her eyes seemed to say before she looked away.
She wanted it. She needed it. But she couldn't have it. I felt sorry for her. But I also began to desire her. Mary had a fine body, with all the right curves. Even at 21 I was able to appreciate my pretty friends without necessarily lusting after them. But in Mary, things were getting confused. My need to see my friends happy was tangled up with my body's more carnal need. She craved sex, but she would fall in love with whoever had sex with her. She didn't want to fall in love with me. It was something I pondered over the better part of the week, but the problem kept going round and round in my head. Then, I looked at it sideways and saw an absolutely crazy solution. If she couldn't let herself have sex with a friend, then I'd give her a stranger. The plan would likely end our friendship, and might well land me in jail, but my little head was louder than my big head at this point.
*****
Friday was the day. Most classes were over by late afternoon, and students and staff alike had cleared out. I caught up with Mary in the student lounge just as she finished packing her class notes. We chatted about the latest assignment for the morning class we shared. Nonchalantly, I offered her a backrub before I left campus. Her eyes lit up and she enthusiastically agreed.