Transitions l

SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"I just need some time, okay?"

Dawn's words were the same as yesterday, but I didn't feel nearly as scared now as I did then. Yesterday, the mere fact that Dawn was asking for time instead of enthusiastically proclaiming her love and desire to get back together made me worry that she WASN'T going to get back together with me.

Today? I knew it just meant exactly what she was saying. She needed time: time to make a clean break with Ryan, time to sort out her emotions, and time to get herself settled as an individual instead of as half of a romantic couple. I wasn't worried, because I knew that when it really mattered, Dawn would be with me again.

Besides, since we both knew that day was coming, we could still be friends with a few benefits along the way. And so I didn't hesitate to pull her into my arms, brush her bangs back behind her ear, and bend to kiss my Dawn once again.

I had struggled to come up with a term to describe the way these kisses with Dawn felt. They didn't have the volcanic passion of some of our kisses. Instead, it felt like the moments just before eruption, both of us holding back from dropping to the floor right then and there to fuck each other's brains out. It was as if our love and passion were ... simmering ... right before the eruption itself.

Eventually, this "simmering" kiss came to an end, and fully dressed we exited my bedroom. It was relatively early, but Paige was already up and cooking breakfast. And to my utter surprise, Dawn rushed into the kitchen and immediately went to pick up the smaller girl in a big hug.

When the hell did they start getting along? I wondered.

The girls put their heads together and talked quietly, giggling along the way. But their conversation was brief and the next thing I knew, all three of us were seated around the table with pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. We didn't talk about relationships or love or anything else. Instead, three friends just chatted amiably until the meal was done.

In the end, I shared another simmering kiss with Dawn. And she left to try and put her life in order.

Dawn wasn't the only one working to get her life straightened out. I was in the living room, daydreaming about Dawn when I heard a car pull into the driveway. Dayna's Impala was already parked at the front with Adrienne's Mustang behind it, those being the only two cars in our household. So in curiosity, I peeked outside and saw a Volvo station wagon coming to a halt. Moments later, the car doors opened and an unfamiliar middle-aged couple got out of the front two seats while a young woman with dark auburn hair got out of the back. I didn't catch her face, but there was something oddly familiar about her, and they went out of sight while heading around to our front door.

Paige looked up when I headed to the window. And when the doorbell rang, she smiled and said, "They're here."

"Who?" I asked curiously.

My petite redhead just flashed me an enigmatic smile. She went to the door and I followed after. Checking the peephole for confirmation, Paige then opened the door and smiled bashfully. "Hi Uncle Frank. Aunt Polly. Hey Kady."

My jaw was on the floor as I stared at the familiar redhead. I hadn't seen her since leaving High School and I was astonished to find her in my house, all grown up and looking even more beautiful than ever. "Kady Jacobsen?"

"'Sup, Ben," Kady nodded to me then looked at me while rubbing her own chin and cheeks. "Getting scruffy, aren't you?"

I smiled as I rubbed my own chin and cheeks. I was never good at growing facial hair, but as I got older, it grew in a little faster, giving me at least a little scruff if I didn't shave for a couple of days, like this past weekend. I frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Paige broke off from her conversation with the older folk to turn to me and say, "I TOLD you we were cousins."

I nodded and just then, Adrienne emerged a little bleary-eyed from her bedroom, wearing just a skimpy teddy and bikini panties. She stood up straight and looked surprised to find there were guests in the hall.

Kady whistled appreciatively, her eyes yo-yoing up and down the blonde bombshell's body. "Morning, Cap."

"Uh, hi everyone," Adrienne stammered, her eyes looking a little bloodshot. But she recovered quickly and stood up straight. "Ah, I'm just going to go take a shower now." And with a shrug, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Kady grinned at me, a naughty gleam in her dark blue eyes. "Just like old times."

Eventually, we got through the introductions. As the story went, Paige's dad and uncle didn't really get along, despite being brothers. Their entire extended family had always been pretty liberal and open-minded about politics and social issues. But Paige's parents were born-again fundamentalist Christians and tried to have as little to do with the rest of the family as possible. Paige's condition was a scandal they chose to simply ignore and cover up, and no one else in the extended family knew about it until Paige called her uncle a few days ago to ask for help. She figured if anyone would understand, it would be the parents of a lesbian daughter.

She was right.

Paige had filled them in on the basics over the phone: who she was staying with and why. Uncle Frank specifically sat me down and shook my hand, thanking me for everything I'd done for Paige up until this point, with inviting her into my home and taking her to prenatal visits and such. "It takes a special kind of man to do that, especially one so young," he intoned.

I just blushed in embarrassment. And so I stuck around for the conversation to follow as we all worked on a plan.

The first thing Paige's Aunt and Uncle offered was a place to stay. As it turned out, Uncle Frank had been transferred back up to the Bay Area and now lived in Atherton, which was convenient since Kady had been attending Stanford this past year as a freshman. And while Paige could stick around my house until the end of the semester, they were inviting her into their home in the summer and through until the baby was born in September.

"Trust me," Aunt Polly said sagely. "The bigger your belly gets, the harder it is to even move. We'll give you all the help you need. And whatever you decide to do with the baby, we're with you."

And just like that, Paige had a support system around her. She had family around who would care for her, and I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Then Adrienne came out, fully dressed. And the conversation turned from serious planning to a more pleasant getting to know you. The parents wanted to know more about Paige's life and how she'd gotten involved with me and Adrienne, which of course led to the story of the fight way at the beginning of our college careers. The Jacobsens collectively discussed living arrangements at their house. And Kady started cracking jokes about whether she'd get ostracized at Stanford, not for being lesbian, but for having a cousin who went to Cal living under the same roof.

And we happily chatted the rest of the morning away.

From the front porch, we said our final goodbyes and then watched the Jacobsen's Volvo roll down the street. I was one of the first to turn back and start going into the house.

But before I could go through the front door, Paige reached out and snagged my hand. "Okay, Mister. You are telling us EVERYTHING that happened between you and Dawn in your bedroom last night."

Adrienne gasped and covered her open mouth with one hand. "Dawn was here last night?"

Paige giggled. Adrienne started smiling. And sighing, I looked at the two girls and nodded.

Dawn didn't come back to me through the rest of the afternoon. Without a cell phone, she had no way of for me to contact her. I had no idea what she was doing or who she was talking to. But I had faith that she wouldn't let the day pass without at least checking in.

So I stuck around the house, dreaming about the future. Billy Crystal (in that ancient movie I keep teasing Bert about) once said it best: "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

But I tried to be patient. Dawn needed time, and I would give it to her. Besides, she was kept at the forefront of my mind as people continually walked up and asked me about her.

Brandi was the first to emerge. Turned out, she'd come home in the middle of the night after being out on a date. As a second-semester Senior staring down Graduation in another month, she could afford to be lazy and slept in until 1pm. Of course, the minute she came down, Adrienne and Paige started jabbering to her about me and Dawn. And of course, my sister then had to get the story straight from me.

Dayna blitzed in shortly after. Dawn had actually called her before she returned home, but she still wanted the story from my side.

And then Gwen and Robin stopped by just before dinner to dig for more information. Seriously, I knew girls liked to talk, but having them all come in waves like this was just ridiculous. I was getting a sore throat after talking so freaking much.

At least Gwen and Robin told me that they'd gone with Dawn to get a new cell phone, so if I needed to I could call her. They actually seemed surprised when I told them I'd wait.

And then right at dinner time, my patience was rewarded.

Dawn had come back.

I was in the kitchen (gasp!), doing my best to help out/stay out of the way. It wasn't very often that Dayna, Brandi, Adrienne, Paige, and I were all in one place at the same time, but tonight was one of those nights and the girls decided it was reason enough to cook a big meal together.

One minute, Dayna was next to me, guiding me as I tore out rectangles of aluminum foil for some sort of baking dish cover. The next she was gone, leaving me to look up in confusion before I realized she was just outside the kitchen, hugging her little sister firmly.

"You okay, kid?" Dayna was patting Dawn's shoulders. The noises around me went silent as the other girls realized Dawn had arrived and that she wasn't in the best of moods.

The younger blonde was wiping her eyes, looking all hollowed out. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, deflating as she did so. But then she picked her head back up and stated, "It's over. Ryan and I broke up."

The breakup was expected by all, but that didn't make going through it any easier for Dawn. She was clearly exhausted from her day. But after letting go of Dayna, she spied me and immediately walked over with her arms open for another hug.

I knew she needed her best friend right now, not a potential lover. I welcomed her against me and hugged her fiercely, pecking her forehead and otherwise keeping my embrace completely platonic. I didn't say anything. She didn't need words from me. She just needed my reassuring presence as a reminder that I was still here and that she could always depend on me.

Brandi was next to me then. Looking straight at Dawn, she sighed in dramatic annoyance and said, "Will you please take him out of here. He's just getting in the way."

Brandi smirked as she said this, and Dawn took the hint, smiling at my sister before taking my hand and leading me back into the living room. The two of us sat down on the couch. Dawn thumbed the tears out of her eyes and brushed her hair back behind her ears. And then she told me about the breakup.

Ryan had been waiting at the apartment when she got there. He'd returned the previous night and intuitively knew where she was. It was just the confirmation he needed to make his own decision.

He had been remarkably calm about the whole thing. He was the one who suggested that their relationship had run its course, that they'd gone as far as they could together, and no amount of "hoping" would change that. She just wasn't meant for him, and as much as he hated it, he understood. From then, it just became an organizational discussion about how to get through the last five weeks before his graduation.

Ultimately, Ryan was moving out of the apartment, willing to live at home at take the BART to school for the last few weeks. Dawn had argued with him on that point, saying that she could easily move back into the house with us. She'd crash in Dayna's room since her sister spent all her time with Kevin anyways. And even if Dayna were there, she wouldn't mind sharing with her sister, or maybe even with Adrienne and Paige.

But Ryan put his foot down on that one. He didn't want to have any part of moving Dawn back into a house with me. He accepted the inevitability that Dawn and I would get back together someday. But for his own personal pride, he wanted to make sure he didn't have any influence in speeding up that process. It was spiteful, but Ryan deserved to be a little bit bitter over the way things were turning out.

In the end, Dawn left the apartment with Gwen and Robin to get lunch and to buy a new cell phone while Ryan stayed behind to start packing up. When she returned, they talked a bit, exchanged final hugs, and then said goodbye. After that, she just had to go for a walk to clear her head. And when the weather started turning cold, she came back to the house.

Dinner was served then. The six of us assembled at the table, just me and my five past and present roommates. I was surrounded by excellent company and provided with delicious food, and yet I spoke little and ate even less. Same with Dawn.

The both of us were wondering: Where do we go from here?

We were back in my bedroom, behind a closed door. I knew no one would intrude on us. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Adrienne was standing guard just outside, absolutely ensuring that no one interrupted us. For some reason, she seemed to want to see me and Dawn get back together more than we did.

As usual, I was sitting up against the headboard, pillows comfortably supporting my lower back. At present, Dawn was sitting sideways across my bed, her feet dangling off the end while leaning back with her hands planted behind her for support. From this angle, I could see her entire body in profile, from head to toe. I admired the way her sunny blonde hair hung loose behind her shoulders. I traced the sharp features of her surpassingly beautiful face as she stared at the side wall. I trailed my gaze down her graceful neck, across the curves of her bosom and torso clad in a simple ringer T-shirt that rode up to show me a couple inches of skin around her waist before her low-slung jeans began. And then her long legs stretched out and away to my right, ending in bare feet as she crossed her ankles and absentmindedly wiggled her toes.

Neither of us had said anything for a few minutes. Dawn was still lost in her thoughts and I didn't want to interrupt her. Last night, I'd pushed aside any concerns and just kissed her, but I knew that wasn't what she wanted today.

Eventually, Dawn sighed and said apologetically, "Ben, I love you."

I waited a few seconds to see if she would continue before commenting, "I like the words. Not so sure about the tone."

She sighed again and said, "I love you, but I'm not ready to get into a relationship again."

"Okay. I can wait."

She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows before saying, "I just ... It's that ... Even right now, I feel myself wanting to fall into old habits about being with a boyfriend, habits I formed being around Ryan."

"We have our own habits. It's not like we didn't spend any time together these past couple of years."

"Friend habits, not boyfriend/girlfriend habits. I need to get those out of my system. And maybe I won't ever totally get rid of them, but still, I need more time than this."

"I told you, I can wait."

"I'm not talking days, Ben. Weeks at least. Maybe even longer."

I shrugged. "So? We're eternal. I'll wait for you forever."

"I'm not spending the night tonight."

"Okay."

"I might not spend the night here for the rest of the semester."

"Okay."

"I'm not even sure if I want us to have sex right now."

"Okay."

Dawn rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Stop saying that."

"What? 'Okay'? You don't get it, do you?" I smiled at her. "I'm ready for us now. I know I'm ready. There's nothing you can say to me that will change that. I want you, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get you back. I'm pretty sure you already want to get back together with me, so the hard part's out of the way. Now it's just a matter of waiting until you're ready, and doing whatever I can to help that process along."

Dawn glanced at me and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's easy for you to just wait. Most guys want to get into a relationship to get regular sex. You can get it anytime you want."

I shook my head. "No, I'm serious. I'm going to wait for you."

Dawn arched an eyebrow at me. "Huh?"

I shrugged. "No sex for me. I'm waiting. I'm done with the casual hookups with girls I barely know. They don't do it for me anymore."

"You still have Adrienne."

I shook my head. "She'll understand. You're all I want right now."

"Ben, this is you. Be serious."

"I am being serious. I'm waiting for you, and that's it."

Dawn sighed. "I don't need you to do that for me. We tried this last time, after we first got together at camp. Being 'faithful' nearly killed our relationship and I ended up with Ryan."

"That was then. This is now."

Dawn looked at me intently, frowning and furrowing her eyebrows again. With a chirp of mild surprise, she said, "Huh. You ARE serious."

I nodded.

She arched an eyebrow and asked, "Well ... what if this takes me... months before I decide I'm ready."

I reached out with my foot and gently ran it along her leg. "Hey, I already said I was going to do whatever I could to speed the process along." I chuckled. "Besides, how long can YOU go without wanting to make love to me?"

Dawn smirked and asked, "Is that a challenge?"

I sat up quickly, waving both hands, "No! No!" And then I grinned. "Just know that I'm ready when you are."

Dawn smiled and then rolled onto all fours, crawling over to me and then almost experimentally tilting her head and pressing her lips softly to mine. It was another one of our "simmering" kisses, and I felt my blood pressure starting to rise.

Blood pressure wasn't the only thing rising, and after a moment, Dawn's hand brushed over my crotch to confirm her suspicions. She pulled away, grinning at me. And then she asked in a smoky voice, "What would you do if I suggested we have sex right now?"

"Throw you onto your back and fuck your brains out," I immediately replied.

"But if I tell you 'not yet'?"

"Then I reserve the right to jerk off as soon as you're gone."

"And what if I send Adrienne in here to tease you?"

"Please don't be mean."

"Alright, alright," Dawn giggled. And then she sat back and looked at me adoringly. "You're really going to wait for me? Big Ben, Playboy of Cal Berkeley, man who's bedded half the campus already, is going to keep it in his pants?"

"Because I love you," I said firmly.

She smiled and kissed me again, quickly but firmly. And then she backed off again and said, "Thank you. You know I want to be with you again. I just need some time to get my head straight."

"You'll know where to find me."

She nodded, got off the bed, and then she was gone.

APRIL 21, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

Pain suddenly blossomed in my right hand. I jerked upright in my chair, gritting my teeth as I realized just in time that I probably shouldn't scream in a filled auditorium. With wide eyes, I looked down at my hand, half-expecting to find it severed at the wrist with blood spurting out of it like a fountain.

But my hand was still attached. And there was no blood. There was a little blue ink on the back of my hand, relatively between the third and fourth knuckles. And Dawn was just removing her ball-point pen, the sharp conical metal tip gleaming like a surgical instrument.

I glared at her. She just grinned and turned forward to face Professor Ice as she wrapped up and dismissed the class. But immediately after dismissing us, the professor looked over at me and called out, "Ben, please stick around for moment."

I glanced at Dawn, who just shrugged and shouldered her bag. She caught Bert's attention, and with parting head nods, the two of them filed out of the class. I'd catch up to them later. Then I headed down to the front of the class where the professor was packing up her own materials.

Seeing me, Professor Ice smirked and commented, "How you do so well despite sleeping through half of my lectures, I'll never know. If you weren't so good a student, I might be offended."

My mouth went dry. "Ah, no offense, Dr. Isakova."

"Call me Viktoriya," she clarified in a charming accent.

I arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm serious," she said. "But not unless we're in private or until the summer."

"The summer?"

"I'll explain in a minute." She shouldered her bag and stood up straight. "I understand that you do not have a class after this. Please, will you walk an old woman to her office?"

Before I could think about it, I was already commenting, "You're not an old woman."

She flashed me a brilliant smile. "Why thank you, young man." And then she turned and began striding out of the lecture hall.

Professor Isakova wasn't an old woman. Mid-30s, I guessed. And a tall Eastern European beauty with chestnut brown hair, piercing dark blue eyes, and a fit body. Still, I didn't know what had possessed me to say that. Habitual flirting, I guessed. But not wanting to get myself into anything deeper than I already was, I kept my mouth shut as I followed after her.

Professor Ice comparatively lived up to her reputation on the short walk over to her office. She walked purposefully ahead of me, moving briskly and with such long strides that I had to focus to keep up. She neither turned around to look at me or otherwise speak with me for the entire trip. And in fact her only change in demeanor was when a fellow professor walked the other way and she tilted her head in a polite, but restrained, greeting.

But then her demeanor changed once again once we got to her office. She closed the door behind us, opened the top button of her blouse and then sat down in her desk chair, the desk pushed against the wall so that there was nothing between her and me as she gestured me into a wing chair. She crossed her legs, which made her knee-length skirt ride up her thigh and show me that she had really well-formed legs. And when the ice-façade dropped and she flashed me another pleasant smile, I started to feel a trace of panic.

It felt like ages ago, but what was it Erica and Angela had told me about Professor Ice way back at the beginning of the year? My memory was great with anything I'd ever read, but conversations didn't always click. Still, I distinctly remembered some jokes about a student named Brian Ogilvie and rumors that he was sleeping with her. And with everything going on with Dawn right now, the LAST thing I needed was a professor hitting on me. I was already wound up from going a few days without sex as it was.

But just as I was starting to work up some sort of defense, a knock came at the door. Professor Isakova brightened and called, "Come in."

The door swung open and to my utter surprise, Kim Fukuzaki was on the other side of the door. The very pretty Japanese-American girl with blonde streaks in her hair was wearing a familiar black and hot pink leather motorcycle jacket and white tank top underneath. She carried her motorcycle helmet in one arm and slapped it as her arm went rigid in surprise at seeing me. "Uh, hey Ben."

"Kim, hey," I replied, just as much in surprise.

"Ah, so you two already know each other?" Professor Isakova inquired.

Kim blinked at me, still surprised. I recovered first and replied, "Sort of old friends. Kind of lost touch this year."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to reconnect," the professor said warmly. "Congratulations to you both on being accepted into the Undergraduate Business Program."

Now Kim had recovered and she bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Dr. Isakova."

"You'll need to start calling me Viktoriya," the professor clarified. Her eyes darted to me and she smiled again. "But not just yet. Have a seat."

Slightly confused, Kim took the wing chair next to me, giving me a look of 'What's going on?'

I shrugged, not having any answers of my own and we both turned to our professor.

Professor Isakova clasped her hands together and held onto her own knee over her crossed legs and smiled. "I'll get right to the point. Every year I invite my two best students to intern with me over the summer. I'm sure you've heard of some of the research we do into all fields of business, from economics to marketing to organization, etc. I typically publish a paper at the end of each summer, and my assistants will have their names on it as well."

Both Kim and I were nodding. It was a rather prestigious honor and opportunity, and something discussed every year among the students. It was a paid internship and only given to students entering the Undergraduate Program. And those students almost always became the stars of the program in the coming years. I felt my heart speeding up with anxiousness.

Professor Isakova spread her arms. "You're my two best students. I'm inviting you both to work with me. What do you say?"

Kim and I both looked at each other, smiles spreading across both our faces. Yeah, I was a little nervous about working with Professor Ice, but the potential rewards far outweighed any potential discomforts. I mentally smacked myself for even beginning to think that she'd been coming on to me (I must have been even more sex-deprived than I'd thought). And now that I realized that wasn't the case, I quickly warmed to the idea of joining the internship.

"Yes," Kim replied quickly.

"Absolutely, Dr. Isakova," I answered as well.

"No, no. 'Viktoriya', remember?" the professor laughed. "I know it takes some getting used to. I am well aware that my teacher-student persona is not conducive to familiarity. But when we're in private, or during the summer when we're in a working relationship, I find all that stiffness to be a detriment. Okay?"

Kim and both caught on quickly. "Of course, Viktoriya," I said.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Viktoriya," Kim added.

"Okay. I'm going to give you the paperwork now. I expect that despite this initial enthusiasm, you will consider all your options carefully. If you plan to continue and join me, please return the paperwork by Friday."

APRIL 23, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"All done? Turned in the paperwork? You're one of Professor Ice's interns?" Dawn reached out and took my arm as I caught up to her, hugging herself to my side.

"Yup," I nodded in confirmation. "Still can't believe she picked me."

"YOU can't? I can't believe she picked you. You slept through most of her classes."

"Only Macroecon in the mornings," I said defensively. "I was always awake for the seminar."

Dawn rolled her eyes and I grinned, hugging her arm closer to me. We walked along in silence for another few moments before Dawn glanced over at me. "You look relaxed."

I shrugged. "It's Friday."

"No. You look ... settled. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you'd gotten laid this morning."

I frowned and protested, "I didn't!"

"Oh, I know you didn't. You don't have that 'look'. But at the same time, it's been almost a week and you're not cranky or edgy or anything."

I shrugged. "I told you: I can wait."

Dawn sighed regretfully. "You never should have told me you would. I never would have gotten my hopes up over this and you could've been happily boinking Adrienne or the Tri-Delts or anyone else while waiting for me. Paige, especially, has been looking a little anxious. Girl needs something to take the edge off."

I arched an eyebrow. "You encouraging me to have sex with Paige?"

"Well," Dawn stammered. "I'm not encouraging..."

I shook my head. "I'm waiting. I want to wait. And I'm happy to wait. You're worth it, and you're all I want right now."

"But you're YOU. You've got to be all clogged up inside."

I shrugged and smiled mischievously. "Who says I'm clogged up? This memory of mine is good for more than just memorizing text. I was happily replaying some old thoughts I had of you when we were younger."

"Oh?"

I grinned and blushed, looking away. "Nevermind."

"No, tell me. Tell me."

I glanced back at my best friend, taking in her sweet face and radiant smile. I could never dream of hiding something from her if only she asked. With a small sigh, I thought back to the morning's masturbatory session. "Morris Camp, of course, where most of our best memories are from. We were fifteen, and that last week, while we were kissing, you got all hot and just HAD to start rubbing yourself."

"Oh, THAT day," Dawn whistled.

"I remember the way you looked, completely naked and very well developed for a 15-year-old. I remember the glow of your skin, the firmness of your breasts, how you hadn't started to shave-"

"Ben!" Dawn hissed. "We're kinda out in public right now!"

I chuckled. "Anyways, you remember what happened after that?"

"'Course I remember," she blushed. "You started jerking off and you actually came on me."

"Best moment of my life up until then."

Dawn giggled and sighed. "A lot of our best moments were at camp. It really sucks that we're not going back this year. I don't know WHEN we ever will again."

"Someday," I said reassuringly. "But for now, I guess we'll just have to make new moments together. We have all the time in the world."

She glanced at me out of the corners of her eyes, looking at me with longing. "You really mean that, don't you."

I smiled warmly. "Of course I do. I told you, at Robin's Swinger's Party, that if we ever started a relationship again, it would have to be the kind that lasts forever. I won't ever lose you again."

Dawn came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the path, jerking me to a stop since she was still holding onto my arm. And as I swung around, she reached up with one hand behind my ear and pulled me to her for a patented volcanic kiss that sent shockwaves down to my toes.

Almost as suddenly as she'd kissed me, Dawn let me go. And from just inches in front of my face, she stared at me wild-eyed and panting softly. "Damn you. Between the memory at camp and telling me that, you really know how to get my motor running."

"I'd be happy to take care of it for you," I said softly.

For a second, I thought she might take me up on that. But just as suddenly, she sighed and looked away. "Not yet, Ben. Not yet."

"Okay," I replied simply. "I've got a lot of old memories to keep me company. And I'll wait for you forever if I have to."

APRIL 29, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"Watch your hands, Mister."

Reflexively, I jerked my hands away from Dawn's ribcage, only now becoming fully aware that my palms had been sliding up her torso, my thumbs and forefingers coming dangerously close to the undersides of her breasts while she sat in my lap.

"Sorry, sorry," I muttered. "See what happens when you don't let me type? This was all going faster when you just dictated and I did the typing."

"Well you don't punctuate the same as me," Dawn complained. "Weren't you taught to put two spaces after a period every sentence?"

"No. Why would I?" I craned my head around her shoulder to look at the monitor and check out Dawn's style of writing. "Just seems a waste of space."

She sighed and then shifted her ass on my lap, rubbing her fiiine butt against the semi-growing bulge in my shorts. "Maybe you should move back to the bed."

A different idea of "bed" popped into my head, and I moaned softly. How could I NOT think of sex when the most beautiful girl in the world was sitting in my lap, and when I hadn't had sex in nearly two weeks. It had been an absolute ETERNITY for me.

I agreed with Dawn. If I was going to stick to my promise to wait for her, separating myself from temptation was probably a good idea. But with her warm body right in my grasp, I couldn't help but hug her from behind and grind myself lightly into her buttcheeks. "But are you SURE you want me to go away?"

There was a flutter in Dawn's voice as she sighed. Turning back to face me, I caught a flash of arousal in her eyes. But a second later she turned away again and said, "I'm sure."

With that, she stood up and I extricated myself from the desk chair we'd been sharing. Without a backwards glance I went over to her bed and flopped onto it face-down, grabbing my own study materials.

I could wait. I was horny as all hell. But I could wait.

MAY 1, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"Dammit! How long is it going to take for Dawn to pull her head out of her ass and take you back?" Adrienne seethed quietly.

"Hey, hey. Relax," I soothed while rubbing her shoulders. I was sitting on the couch while Adrienne sat on the floor in front of me, her head bowed forward while I did my best to work all the kinks out of her neck.

"Can't relax," Adrienne growled. "As much as I love your massages, Tiger, it's a full body massage I really want, outside AND inside."

"What?" Dayna chirped from across the coffee table on the other couch. "I didn't take care of you enough this morning?"

"Love you, D, but even your strap-on isn't the same as having a living, panting man heaving himself over you," Adrienne complained.

"Don't I know it," Dayna sighed dreamily. "Of course, you know Kevin would nail you in a heartbeat if you ever wanted. He gets sooo hot when I tell him about our little trysts."

"Never gonna happen," Adrienne shook her head. "Tell him all you want, but there's only one dick in this world for me and it's right behind me. If ONLY I can get Dawn to set it free."

"What's to say she's going to set it free even after they finally get back together?" Paige spoke up. "Ben's been very serious about this 'only want Dawn' thing."

Adrienne sighed and smiled at the petite redhead. "Because it's Ben. And it's Dawn. Once they get themselves figured out, you know Dawn's gonna share with us. Even you."

Paige tittered excitedly at that.

"Besides, Ben would never let us go completely unsatisfied, would you, Tiger?" She reached back and patted my hand.

I just smiled and patted back. "That'll be up to Dawn."

"I'm not worried," Adrienne sighed. "I'm just so stressed."

"Why is that, anyways?" Brandi spoke up. "You suddenly realized you'd forgotten some major assignment that's due on Monday?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," Adrienne sighed. "Something personal."

"So personal you can't share?" Paige asked curiously.

"No, of course not," Adrienne shook her head and then moaned when I hit a particularly good nerve. She closed her eyes and took another moment to enjoy the sensation before rolling her head around a bit and then opening her eyes again. "Guess it's not 'personal'; it's more 'professional'. But I don't really want to say anything else until I've got a better handle on what's going on."

"Professional? You're not in any trouble, are you?" Dayna piped up, big sisterly concern on her face.

"No, of course not. Quite the opposite. But I haven't decided yet. Can we just drop it?"

"Sure" "Sure" the girls shrugged. But I knew there'd be some gossiping later on. They were girls after all.

"What about you, Ben?" Paige asked. "You've gone two weeks without sex now. Aren't YOU stressed?"

I sighed. I WAS feeling rather tense, and HAD been getting even more tense with every passing day. But I'd manage. For Dawn, I'd manage. Besides, I still had a lot of memories to keep me company. "I'm fine."

"Sure you wouldn't like a little blowjob to take the edge off?"

"PAIGE," I growled.

"Oh, poo."

MAY 6, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

The bathroom door closed, shutting Dawn away. And from the couch across from me, Gwen actually threw her pen against my chest.

"Hey!" I squawked in surprise.

"You are SUCH a moron," Gwen sighed.

"What?"

"You never should have promised Dawn you'd wait for her."

"What? Why not?"

"Because..." Gwen rolled her eyes. "If you hadn't, she'd have already gotten back together with you by now."

"What?"

Robin nodded. "She told us this morning. Don't mistake us, she's happy you did. But she said flat out that if it wasn't for your promise to wait, she probably would have caved like last weekend after the two of you went for that walk together up Grizzly Peak. Girl said she's hornier than a mutated goat."

"Huh?"

Gwen sighed and leaned forward. "Dawn's scared. I think she's over Ryan and she wants to be with you again. She's totally in love with you and she always has been. But she's really, really scared. She keeps talking some crap about how she's a horrible person who doesn't deserve you. And she knows that if you two ever break up again, the relationship might never recover. So she's being really cautious about whether she really wants to make this leap beyond friendship."

"It's getting annoying listening to her waffle every other day," Robin complained. "I say she just goes for it already."

"And she would have, if not for this little 'test'." Gwen looked at me seriously. "She almost WANTS you to screw up and fuck somebody just so she can say 'I told you so' and then put you guys getting back together on hold."

"So what? She's just going to wait until I lose control and nail somebody?"

Gwen shrugged and gave me a sharp look. "I don't know. Are you?" Unspoken were the words, 'We KNOW what you're capable of.'

I blushed and looked away. "No. I'll wait for her forever if I have to. She's too important to me to screw this up."

Both girls softened their looks and actually smiled at me. "We thought so. You want our advice?" Gwen asked. "Just go for her. Next time you get a chance, seduce the hell out of her. She'll let you. She WANTS to. She's been going without sex just as long as you have. Push her just a little bit, and she's yours. You can move on from there."

The toilet flushed behind the bathroom door and the girls quickly backed into their seats, putting themselves in casual studying positions once again.

I'll admit, their advice was something to think about.

MAY 7, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"Here?" Dawn arched an eyebrow at me as we pulled outside the romantic French restaurant. I had Adrienne's Mustang for tonight's non-date.

"What? Don't feel like French food?"

Dawn frowned and looked over at me. And in a quiet voice, she said, "Ben, don't push me."

Well, there went THAT idea. I HAD planned on pushing just a little. Nothing overt. Since we were both single, Dawn agreed to get dinner with me on a Friday night. I figured taking her to a romantic place would set the mood. We'd talk and chat like normal, but I'd remind her how much I loved her along the way. Afterwards, we'd return to her empty apartment, pop a sappy DVD into the TV, and cuddle. I'd initiate some light petting. Maybe some subtle making out. And then I'd see where things took us.

But the instant the words left her mouth, I scrapped all those plans. I'd never been the kind of guy to push a girl any further than they wanted, and I wasn't about to start with Dawn.

Dinner became Baja Fresh takeout.

The DVD became Pirates of the Caribbean.

And while we cuddled, no petting or making out occurred.

Later that night, I called up memories of the out-of-control orgy at camp when I nailed Dawn, Adrienne, DJ, and Felicia all at the same time. But three tissues later, I still wasn't satisfied.

How long would she make me wait?

MAY 14, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

Dawn and I walked into the house together. Adrienne was in the living room and she said brightly, "Hey, guys! Oh, Dawn! I wanted to show you this outfit I just got!"

Quickly, the statuesque blonde grabbed Dawn's hand and practically dragged her into the bedroom, scurrying like a little girl. Chuckling to myself, I just went into my own room, unshouldered my pack, and started pulling out my keys, wallet, and cell phone to drop onto the dresser. I'd even started pulling off my shoes before I realized my room was already occupied.

"Venez à moi, mon ami..." Monique St. Claire purred, crooking a finger at me. The statuesque French babe reclined back against my pillows, clad in an eye- popping set of lingerie. Her curly bottle-blonde hair fell to her shoulders over a lacy red bra that did much to lift and present her massive tits for my viewing pleasure. Red garters and stockings covered her long legs, ending in fuck-me red heels. Humming, she slid two fingers into the matching lace panties, which were transparent enough to let me see the dark pubic hairs of her trimmed bush.

"Uh, Monique?" I arched an eyebrow in question while my eyeballs ogled her body. "What are you doing here?"

"Zhat should be obvious, no?" the older girl replied sweetly in her cute accent. She sat up and knelt on top of the mattress, hunching forward to push her cleavage out. "I have just fineeshed my very last class ever and I want to celebrate. I think you can help me, no?"

I blinked rapidly before replying, "No." I shook my head. "No."

Monique's face fell and she started pouting, with big cocksucking lips and obvious heat in her eyes. "And why 'no'? You are single. I am single. And we have played zis game before."

Reaching down, Monique opened the front clasp to her bra, spilling out her big Double-D tits capped with pale pink nipples. Still with the straps around her shoulders, she cupped the massive melons in her hands and raised one up, taking a long lick at her own nipple.

Yeah, my shorts were tight. And I found that I was shivering so hard my eyesight was getting shaky. Four weeks already. I hadn't gotten laid in four weeks.

"Come on, Ben. I would very much like to feel you gripping my tits, squeezing them and pinching while you drive that beeg cock up my ass."

Ah, HELL.

I am a sexual creature.

Before I realized it, I'd taken two steps toward the bed. But that was as far as I got before coming to a dead stop and clenching my eyes shut, forcing myself to remove the memory of Monique holding her tits out for me. Gritting my teeth, I fought to turn myself against the invisible force directing me to jump onto the bed and tear Monique's lingerie away before sinking my dick into her willing body.

Even though there was nothing physically holding me, I found myself straining so hard that my muscles were tense and actual tears rolled down my cheeks from the exertion. But at last I broke free of whatever hold my sexual desire had on me as I stumbled two steps back. "I can't, Monique," I gasped, feeling out of breath. "I can't."

Monique pouted. "Sure you can." She got up onto her knees and crawled forward along the bed, parking herself at the edge. "Perhaps I should start first. Let me suck on your cock and swallow your load to get us started. Zhen you can eat my pussy and make me scream in passionate ecstasy before you mount my body and have your way wis me."

"Monique, no!"

She sighed. "Adrienne said you might need zome convincing." With that, Monique shrugged out of the bra and stepped off the bed, stalking toward me purposefully.

But Monique's first word stuck in my head: Adrienne. What did Adrienne have to do with this? Adrienne had said I would need some convincing? That meant that Adrienne had put Monique up to ... knowing full well that I... "ADRIENNE!" I bellowed in shock, immediately turning and marching out the open doorway over to the other bedroom.

Without warning I burst through the unlocked door into Adrienne's bedroom, ready to spew hellfire before I came to a dead stop at the sight of a half-naked Dawn.

Indeed, my Dawn was topless, wearing just her jeans as she clamped her arms over her bare breasts. Technically, she didn't need to. Adrienne was standing right behind Dawn, her own hands covering Dawn's tits as she palmed them caressingly. Adrienne also lifted her lips away from Dawn's neck, a smug little grin on her face.

"The hell?" I stammered.

"Ohmigod," Dawn stammered. Then she quickly broke herself free of Adrienne, darting over to her bra and shirt which were on top of the bed. And while she was frantically trying to put her clothes back on, a topless Monique, wearing nothing but her garter, panties, stockings, and heels, wandered in the door.

Dawn looked at her, then at me, and gasped, "Ohmigod!" Without another word, my best friend flew right past me, past Monique, and then out the front door.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! SHIT!

Whirling back to Adrienne, I clapped both of my hands on top of my head and gasped, "What the fuck did you DO?"

Fully-dressed, the stunningly gorgeous blonde just flipped her hair back and smirked at me, looking anything but apologetic. "Making something happen, like I always do."

"WHAT?"

"Trust me, Ben."

"Trust you? Trust you? The last time I trusted you I ended up with an extra girlfriend to keep me occupied while you left me for Grace!"

Adrienne frowned. "This is different."

"Different? How?"

Adrienne sighed and folded her arms. Then she turned to look past me at Monique, now with an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry, cherie. This didn't quite work out like I may have expected."

Monique just glanced at me and then out the door where Dawn had fled. "Is something going on between them that I don't know about?" The accent was severely toned down.

Adrienne sighed. "Apparently. I'm sorry."

Monique shrugged. "It's okay." And then the busty French bombshell sidled up to me, completely unselfconscious that she was still topless with her big tits jiggling. After looking at me carefully, she reached a hand up to my face and smiled. "You're in love, aren't you?" she asked sweetly.

I blinked and nodded.

"I understand." And then grabbing my head, Monique pecked me on both cheeks before stepping back. Crossing her arms across her torso, which inadvertently pushed her tits together and up, making them even more enticing, she sighed and said, "I would have liked to spend one last time with you before I leave here. But if it doesn't happen, that's okay."

"You sure?" Adrienne asked. "I feel like I owe something to you now."

Monique shook her head. "No, it's okay. Kerri and Erica are throwing a little party tonight at their place. There will be some cool guys; and of course the girls. I'm sure I'll be fine." And with a last smile, Monique went out of the room to fetch her clothes.

Adrienne followed her to the door and then closed it behind her, only then turning back to me with a sly little grin on her face.

I blinked in shock at the grin. My initial anger had started to fade as I felt bad for leaving Monique high and dry. But as I realized that this was all part of some manipulative plan of Adrienne's, the anger was coming back. "Adrienne, what the fuck are you doing?" I asked quietly, but menacingly.

With a smug expression on her face, Adrienne leveled her gaze at me and stated, "Kicking you and Dawn in your respective butts."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You set me up with Monique? You tried to seduce Dawn? Why?"

Adrienne shrugged as she returned back to her bed, dropping onto it and leaning back on her arms. "Only two things could have possibly happened. One, you caved to your libido and nailed Monique, in which case you ended this 'waiting' thing once and for all and Monique got a nice celebratory fuck; or two, you didn't."

"Well, I didn't."

Adrienne smiled. "No, you didn't. Outside of me or Dawn, I figured Monique would be your most tempting bait. She's tall. She's blonde. She's got big boobs. And she LOVES the way you fuck. Maybe Kerri/Julie as a pair might have been more enticing, but both of them have boyfriends and it was easier to set Monique up."

"Why set me up in the first place?"

"Well like I said, there were only two possible outcomes. If you were really serious about Dawn, you wouldn't cave to Monique. And you didn't. So congrats, there."

"I COULD have!" I growled, quite angry with Adrienne. "And it would have ruined everything!"

"Maybe," Adrienne shrugged. "But it would have brought this whole standoff between you and Dawn to a halt. She'd realize you weren't ready yet, you'd stay friends, and that would be it. OR, maybe she wouldn't have gotten upset at you. Remember, I was ten seconds away from seducing HER. You cave, she caves; it's all the same. Maybe then you two would've gotten over your hang-ups and realized you're making this harder than it needs to be."

I shook my head. "Dawn might've never forgiven me for banging Monique, not even if she slept with you."

"Of course she would. She's your Dawn," Adrienne said matter-of-factly. "It's a moot point. You didn't cave. And you interrupted us before she could."

"And she's STILL mad at me."

Adrienne rolled her eyes. "Dawn's not mad. She's confused. Give her a little bit and she'll realize that not only was she caving to me, but that you DIDN'T sleep with Monique. You didn't have the time and Monique still had her clothes on. Well, most of them. I talked to Gwen and Robin, too. Dawn's been waiting for you to fail, and now that you've been tested and DIDN'T fail, I'm hoping she'll wake up and realize just how committed you are to her."

I sighed and folded my arms, frowning grumpily. I couldn't find a hole in Adrienne's current logic, but things might've turned out differently and her meddling could have seriously fucked things up. I scowled and glared at her menacingly.

Adrienne rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Get off your ass and go over there."

"Huh?"

"Go to Dawn. Get this worked out. Tell her how much you love her and how much you want to be with her. AGAIN, if you have to. Because right now, I think she's ready to listen."

Still slightly annoyed at Adrienne, I nevertheless agreed that I needed to see Dawn right away, talk to her, and get everything worked out before any misunderstandings cropped up over this. Shaking my head, I turned and went to the door.

"Hey, Tiger," Adrienne called after me, making me stop just as I opened the door.

I looked back and arched an eyebrow.

"If things work out, please remind Dawn that I'm desperately horny and really, really need your cock."

"Ben?" Dawn called through the door, apparently checking me out through the peephole.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Her voice trailed off.

"Because what?"

She was quiet for a few moments before mumbling, "Go away, Ben."

"Why?"

"Please? Go away..."

"I'm not going away, dammit!" I pounded on the door. "Dawn! Let me in!"

"Ben..."

"DAWN!" I pounded a few more times.

Everything went silent. The seconds ticked past. And just when I was about to start pounding on the door again, I heard the shucking sound of the lock.

The door didn't open, so after another second I twisted the handle myself and gingerly eased the door inwards. Dawn was already walking away from me, heading into her bedroom. Quickly, I moved inside, closed and locked the door, and then followed her into the bedroom.

I found her stomach-down on top of the bed, her face in her arms as she cried. Quickly settling next to her, I gently brushed her hair back from her face and tenderly ran my fingers along her cheek. "Dawn," I said softly, soothingly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for everything!" she whimpered and put her face down, sobbing even harder. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I'm sorry for Adrienne. I'm sorry for Ryan. I'm sorry for everything! I've been so stupid and selfish," she blubbered.

"What do you mean?"

She looked up at me, her eyes red-rimmed. "Look at me. Look at who I've been for the past four weeks ... Look at who I've been for the past two years. I'm a self-centered bitch!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm a self-centered bitch!" she repeated. "Eveything I've done, I've done for ME. I was scared of getting into a new relationship. But rather than talk about it with you, I just buried my head in the sand and waited... hoped ... you would fuck it up! To get ME off the hook!"

"Being scared is understandable."

Dawn shook her head. "This whole time, I wanted my cake and to eat it too. I couldn't be with you? Okay, I'm going to string along Ryan, a great guy ... I'll tell him I love him and let him believe I'll move away with him when deep down, I always knew I didn't want to be with him forever. I didn't want to be lonely. So I had you during the day, my Ben, to talk to and to be with ... and I had him to keep me company at night. Don't you see? I'm a user. I HURT the man I claimed to love. And somehow ... someway ... I just KNOW I'm going to poison our relationship, too. I want too much. I want what's best for me, no matter who I hurt in the process."

"Dawn-Dawn-Dawn..." I held her shoulder firmly, shaking her lightly, just enough to get her attention. And then staring straight into her eyes, I said warmly, "You're allowed to be self-centered."

"What?"

Still holding her gaze, I nodded encouragingly. "Everyone is self-centered. Everyone is looking out for their own self-interest. Otherwise, what's the point of living? You can't help anyone else if your own life is in the toilet. Dawn's gotta take care of Dawn. You can't live your life to make someone else happy, you've got to live to make YOURSELF happy."

"You don't." Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. "You're Mr. White Knight, always off to rescue someone. Adrienne loses her family? Ben takes her in. Paige gets disowned by hers? Ben spends all his time comforting her and driving her to prenatal visits. It's what you DO."

"To make ME happy. Yeah, I'd like to think my actions improve the lives of others. But come on, I'm the most self-centered guy I know. I do those things to keep the people I care about close to me. If I do these things, then THEY will come do nice things for ME. That's my goal. Heck, even with sex, I work so hard to give girls the greatest sexual experiences of their lives so that they keep coming BACK and I get laid even more! Totally self-centered!"

"Then WHY be in a relationship? Why devote so much of yourself to someone else?"

I turned my hand and caressed her cheek. "And it just so happens that sometimes, making someone else happy is the best way to make yourself happy. And when two people find a way to do that together, THAT'S a relationship. Because being in love, feeling that warmth, is the greatest feeling in the world. I want that ... for me."

Dawn just blinked, and I shifted forward to bring my other hand up, cupping her face in both of my hands. "And because I'm a self-centered person, and I want what's best for me, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you back. I know that being with you, loving you, doing everything I can to make you happy, would make me feel better than if I was with anyone else. So ultimately, loving YOU is the best thing for ME. Cuz ... y'know ... I'm selfish like that." I grinned.

Dawn managed a smile, but a second later she bit her lip and frowned. She sobbed some more and turned her face away from me. "But maybe we shouldn't be together. I don't deserve you."

I sighed. "Dawn, you're being ridiculous."

"No..." she shook her head. "You say you're finally ready to be with me. Well maybe I'm not ready to be with you!"

"Why not?"

"Because! Clearly, you're all I ever wanted. I've been waiting YEARS for this. I strung along RYAN for years over this. And when the chance finally came, I hesitated. I got cold feet. I got scared. It wasn't supposed to be like this between us! It wasn't supposed to be this hard! You and me were supposed to fit together so naturally!"

"We do," I said reassuringly, turning my hand to start stroking her spine as if I were giving her a back massage.

"Then WHY did I hesitate?"

"Like you said, you were scared. Though I'm not exactly sure of what. I've never been very frightening to you."

"I'm not scared of you, Ben. I'm scared of losing you. I couldn't take it again. I don't know ... I still think that somehow I'm going to poison our relationship. Or you'll do something stupid to make me hate you. I don't know! What if we're not ready for this? Maybe you were right. As friends, we can be eternal. No risking a relationship."

"And no reward," I countered. "Yeah, there are risks. There always are. But if we don't risk it, we'll never be as happy as we could be. I don't know if this is destiny or some fantasy cooked up by our parents to have shared grandchildren or something. What I do know is that I love you, that I've always loved you, and that you've always loved me. I think that what we have together is strong enough that we'll be able to work through our problems as they come up. I think we just need to TRY. Because to waste our lives being just friends would mean the both of us were missing out on something truly special."

Dawn shook her head and looked at me through bleary eyes. "I don't deserve you. I'm not the perfect Dawn you think I am. I'm just a 19-year-old girl."

"Of course you are."

She shook her head again. "I was ready to commit to Ryan."

"Like I was any less ready to commit to Adrienne? I gave her a promise ring, remember?"

"And you weren't ready to be mine after she broke up with you," Dawn pointed out. "Just like I'm not ready to be yours yet."

"But you belong with me. If you need to take a little more time to realize that, so be it."

"Took you almost a whole year."

"I'm a slow learner," I deadpanned. "Besides, this is different. Your breakup with Ryan wasn't the same as with me and Adrienne."

Dawn chewed on that for a little bit, staring off at nothing. But after a moment, she frowned and fidgeted with her hands. "You didn't let Monique seduce you, did you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No."

Dawn quivered and bit her lip. "Then I'm not as good a person as you; not as faithful. You've kept to your word of waiting for me, but I'd have let Adrienne seduce me."

"So?" I shrugged. "What, are we gonna pretend the thought doesn't turn me on?"

"Don't you see? I wasn't going to wait for you!"

I smirked and shook my head. "And I never asked you to! Yeah, I promised I'd wait for you, but I never bound you to the same. Look, if you're still not ready to take me back but you're horny as all hell, I'm dead certain that Adrienne's also horny and I'd be happy to escort you back to my place so two of you can get jiggy with it. Just don't blame me for putting my ear to the door and listening in while I jack off."

"Ben..."

"I'm serious," I said firmly. "I want you back, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. If you really need more time, I'll wait. I promised I'd wait as long as it takes and I'll keep on waiting. But I won't hold you to the same."

Dawn sighed and frowned at me. "You can't wait forever. You're you. Sooner or later your dick is going to take over your thinking."

"Not this time. I'll admit, I sincerely hope you don't keep me waiting too much longer; I AM more desperately horny than I've ever felt in my life. But if it's about tests, I'll keep taking them. Send Monique after me. Send anyone you want after me. Park me in the middle of the Tri-Delt Sorority house. I swear to you I'll keep waiting. For you. Because I love you, Dawn."

A wicked gleam came into Dawn's eyes, and she couldn't help but smile. "In the middle of the Tri-Delt house? You'll really hold out?"

I gritted my teeth and sighed. What foul torture had I just invented for myself? But I took a deep breath and nodded. "For you. For my Dawn."

She went quiet again and looked away. She brought one hand up to cover her eyes, holding her temples with her thumb and middle finger. And in a plaintive voice, she whimpered, "What if we don't work out? I couldn't take it."

"Have faith in us," I said reassuringly. "We've already been through so much together and we still love each other. Even after the long separation from the time we were 10-year-olds, and after dating other people, even me dating your little sister, we've come back to each other again. Believe in us, Dawn. Not because of fate or destiny or anything our parents want for themselves. Believe in US. Believe in ME. Because I love you. Because I'm your Ben. And you're my Dawn. Forever."

Dawn didn't answer verbally. She just turned, wrapped her arms around my head, and gave me the most passionate volcanic kiss she ever had.

Dawn and I had come a long way since first exploring our sexuality back as little kids. I remembered being eleven and at camp when Dawn first started wearing a bra. That was the same summer we'd first discovered our special clearing, and in that quiet privacy, she'd stripped her top to show me the bra and then taken off the bra to show me her budding breasts. I didn't have hormones yet and didn't really pay her boobs much notice, other than to confirm that our chests looked different. She'd wanted to see my wiener and without a second thought, I'd dropped trou.

When we were fifteen, we shared our first kiss. It had taken some time to figure out how not to slobber too much, or bump into each other's noses. Looking back, I was amazed at how innocent we were at that age, given what Brooke and the twins had been doing well before reaching the big one-five.

And at sixteen I'd taken Dawn's virginity. She was already a beautiful young woman then, proudly sporting unbelievably firm 32C tits. But even as hot as I found her then, she was ravishingly gorgeous now. Her hips had filled out. Her face had matured. And of course her breasts had gotten even bigger. At sixteen, Dawn had still been amidst her adolescent transformation, still a teenager. Now, nearing 20, she was all woman. Even Adrienne had commented back during her first summer camp that Dawn was so much more beautiful than when she was sixteen.

And I beheld that beauty before me now.

Even after crying so much that her eyelids were puffy, Dawn still had the face of an angel, the most beautiful I'd ever seen, including Adrienne and Felicia and all the other gorgeous women I'd ever known. Now, as she lay back across her bed and smiled up at me, her blue eyes were crystal clear as she stared at me with loving adoration. Her fine blonde hair haloed around her head on the pillow. And a happy little smile tugged at the corners of her fine lips.

"I love you," she said softly.

"I love you, too," I replied warmly. It was cliché, I know. But it's all in the delivery. She truly meant it. I truly meant it. And that's all that mattered.

We kissed again, a simmering kiss that was building in intensity. I covered her body with my own and reached out to intertwine the fingers of both my hands in both of hers. We gripped each other and held each other and Dawn moaned into my mouth as she felt my weight pressing down on her.

Our lips didn't break apart for the next ten minutes, save for the two brief separations necessary for the removal of our shirts. We tugged at each other's clothing with practiced ease, almost as used to doing it as we were to undressing ourselves. And then before I even realized it, we were both fully naked. Dawn's big tits were crushed beneath my chest as the intensity of our kiss heated up even further, not quite boiling but just a scant few degrees below. My bare cock was pressed between our bellies while my balls were draped directly over the top of her pussy. Our skins were heating up and we both luxuriated in the feel of each other's body in such an intimate position. We were almost there.

But I didn't need to rush this. Dawn and I had sex about a month ago, on two consecutive nights. The first night was when Ryan locked us in, and we'd spent the ensuing hours finally giving into our desires after so many close calls over the previous two years. That night had been almost entirely about relief and enjoying the moment, unsure of whether we might get back together when the sun came up.

The second night I'd attacked her, unable to restrain myself when I realized that I hadn't lost her, that she couldn't commit to Ryan because she still loved me too much. She and I just HAD to get to the lovemaking before we thought too much about it, before all the myriad complications of our relationships got in the way.

So those two parts were already done and taken care of. Yes, I was excruciatingly horny after not having any sex, not even a blowjob, for the last month. But I didn't feel a sense of desperate urgency. I'd already had the "give- into-my-lust-for-Dawn" fuck. I'd already had the "show-Dawn-I-want-her-back- and-that-I-surrender-to-her" fuck. All that was left was the "seal-our-relationship- and-be-together-forever" lovemaking, and for that, I REALLY wanted to make it right.

So despite feeling the moisture of her pussy beneath my crotch, despite the desire in her eyes, and despite the way she rolled her hips up invitingly, I took my time.

I kissed my way down the ravishingly beautiful blonde's body. I let my hands roam while my lips centered down the middle. And I played Dawn like a finely- tuned instrument. Years... years together had taught me the best spots for fondling. I didn't need any operating manuals; Dawn's likes and dislikes were burned into my brain. And by the time I got down between her thighs and took my first lick, Dawn's pussy was extremely soaking wet.

Already gasping like a racehorse, Dawn tensed up and grabbed at my hair. "Please, Ben. I can't wait any longer. Get up here and FUCK me!"

"Patience," I said softly. "It will be worth it."

Dawn's legs elevated over my shoulders and onto my back while I dove in to feast on her swamped pussy. Her labia were spread wide on their own and glistening hot pink in the room's lights. Her clit had long-ago emerged from its hood, beckoning for my attention. When I'd first done this to Dawn, I had been but a novice. Now, I grinned as I started thinking of all the considerable skills I'd learned since then. And I put those skills to use.

Strangely enough, I hadn't gotten much practice at eating pussy lately. The simple fact was that many of my recent sexual encounters had been with multiple partners, whether with Adrienne and Brooke over Winter Break or playing around with several Tri-Delts or Jillian and Rebecca at Carter's party. And most of the rug-munching had been girl-on-girl. Even my one-on-one times with Adrienne and my lone steady girlfriend Cadence had mostly revolved around shoving my cock into their bodies. Adrienne had modeling friends for cunt-lapping and Cadence just wasn't into cunnilingus as much as other, more kinky activities.

But lack of practice didn't mean lack of ability. I promised myself that from this day forward, I would start practicing my pussy-eating skills on a daily basis. I assumed Dawn wouldn't mind being my rehearsal dummy.

She certainly seemed to be enjoying it right now. Once, she jerked so hard in orgasm that she actually pulled some of my hairs out of my scalp. Another time, while my fingertip was teasing her anus, she came so hard that her legs went totally limp and I thought I'd accidentally made her pass out. And the third time she came, her thighs clamped onto my ears and pinned my nose into her crotch for almost a full two minutes. I might actually have suffocated to death if I hadn't eventually managed to pry her legs apart long enough to take one deep breath before she clamped back down.

Each orgasm took the edge off of Dawn's raw physical desire. Twice more, she had pleaded for me to stop eating and to get up there and fuck her. But after that last orgasm, her entire body relaxed and she simply raised her arms, whimpering, "Please, Ben. Just come and be with me."

Only then did I move up her body, take her in my arms, and nudge my cockhead into her folds.

"Ohhh ... Bennn..." Dawn crooned as I began to stretch her entrance. Her legs remained parted to the sides, unresisting as I sank into her slowly. She was tight after having gone celibate for the past month, but with so much lubrication, I was able to smoothly glide into her until we were fully joined.

"Ohhh ... Bennn..." Dawn panted. Her chest was heaving up and down, pushing her tits into me while she weakly held my arms. She seemed completely without energy, her body in a state of total, blissful relaxation, save for a fire in her brilliant blue eyes.

"is this really happening?" she asked softly. "Do I really get to have you again?"

"It's real," I replied just as softly. "I'm yours, forever, if you'll have me."

"Forever, Ben. Forever," she breathed and only now moved her limbs, hooking her ankles around mine and tugging me even deeper. I pressed Dawn into the mattress a half-inch as she pulled on me. Then I slowly retracted back while turning my face into her neck. Pumping slowly, I nibbled on her sensitive skin, moving up to her cheek and ears before she turned her face to me and met me in a fresh kiss of passion.

"Love me, Ben..." she pleaded, tightening her arms around my back and clutching me against her chest while I continued pumping in and out of her. "Love me..."

"I'm loving you, Dawn," I grunted with my thrusting, concentrating on my prick pistoning in and out of her body. Her tunnel cinched around my rod, squeezing and caressing, sending waves of pleasure into my brain. She felt so perfect. "I'm loving you..."

She crooned happily, and tears began forming at the corners of her eyes. There was something she wanted in my responses, a tone of meaning, and apparently she was getting it from me. "Love me, Ben! Love me!"

"I love you, Dawn!" I answered with my heart, dipping my face down to kiss her lips. "I love you!"

"Love me always, Ben!" she pleaded. "Promise me!"

"Always, my Dawn," I sighed, staring into her eyes as my hips sped up their thrusting, in and out of her body with relentless force. "Always. I'll love you the way you always wanted, the way you deserved before, the way we were always meant to be. I love you."

"Oh, gawd!" Dawn threw her head back and gasped. Out of nowhere, Dawn's entire body shuddered beneath me as she triggered an orgasm. "Love me, Ben!" she screamed.

"I love you!" I bellowed as I sped up as well. I felt the pulsing rhythms of Dawn's climax inside her body, her pussy muscles spasming and yet seeming to squeeze me purposefully at the same time. From her entrance to her womb, the vaginal pressure milked my cock from base to tip, drawing my sperm out of me. And I found myself thrusting uncontrollably as my own orgasm built inside me with imminent need.

"I love you!"

"Love me, Ben! Cum in me!" she cried, squeezing my neck and wrapping her legs even tighter around my waist. "CUM IN ME!"

"Oh, Dawn!" I bellowed. "DAWN!" I yelled again. I felt the burst of pleasure inside me. And then a powerful jet of spunk raced up my shaft to explode out into her sucking body.

"Yes, Ben! CUM! CUM!" she screamed as a second orgasm tripped over her. The pussy ripples started again, milking me from entrance to womb once again, drawing shot after shot out of me.

"UNNGHHH!" I grunted as my cock fired and fired and fired again, pouring out rivers of cum from my body. I hadn't had sex in a month and for someone like me, that meant I'd stored up a LOT of sperm. And with absolutely indescribable relief, my balls continued to evacuate their contents as I continued spurting my load into the depths of Dawn's body.

"YES! YES! FILL ME!" Dawn shrieked at the top of her lungs, her mouth gaping wide as she continued screaming. "FILL ME!"

I did. I more than filled her. My own mouth was gaping wide as the pleasure assaulted my brain. For what felt like hours, I felt the semen racing up my shaft and flying out of my body to meld with hers. Over and over again I spurted, hosing down Dawn's innards with my creamy load, until her vaginal cavity overflowed and mingled cum began to leak out around our joining.

Together, we came.

Together, we exploded in ecstasy.

Together ... the way it always should have been.

MAY 15, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

The clock read 8:23am when my eyes fluttered open. I didn't need to move to see the digital readout; it was in my line of sight just past Dawn's right ear. My arms instinctively tightened as the tingling sensation of awareness spread throughout my body, and I realized that not only was my morning wood pressed into Dawn's naked asscrack, but I was also cupping a very round, very firm breast with absolutely nothing between her skin and mine.

Reflexively, my hand squeezed the boob and Dawn moaned lightly. My mind was a blank slate. I'd been so exhausted that I slept deeply and soundly through the night, a dreamless sleep that was entirely about recovery. I didn't know where I was or why. But I knew I was holding Dawn — my Dawn — in my arms; and nothing else mattered.

I continued rubbing Dawn's breast until I heard the barely noticeable change in her breathing. I stopped rubbing just then, but Dawn began taking longer and deeper breaths and presently she began turning her head towards me. And as the morning light shone down brilliantly on her angelic face, my stunningly beautiful soulmate lit up in a wide smile and said happily, "Hi, Ben!"

"Hi..." I smiled happily and squeezed her a little tighter, my hand idly rubbing her breast as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I dipped my face toward hers, puckering my lips as she closed her eyes and moved in to meet me.

And we came together for the sweetest kiss in the world.

I intended to get more of these kisses every day. Nothing could stop us or separate us anymore. Dawn ... and I ... were together again.

Of course, mornings being mornings for me, the sweet kiss started simmering up. I imagined "volcanic" would be only seconds away. After all, I AM a sexual creature. But as I rolled Dawn onto her back and moved myself over her, she giggled and then reached a hand to the middle of my chest to stop me. "Nuh-uh."

My face fell and my eyebrows canted to the sides in disappointment. "Huh?"

Dawn giggled and shook her head, an impish smile on her face. "Get dressed."

"Get dressed?" I looked at my soulmate agog. Dressed? I wanted to make love to her. Right now!

"Trust me," Dawn giggled again.

My eyes went WIDE and I looked at her in annoyance. Of all the fucking things to say to a guy when he puts his heart on the line and...

Dawn was arching an eyebrow at me, a tease on her face.

I sighed immediately. No way could I feel annoyed at Dawn, not on a morning like this. I smiled and nodded. Then I turned and started hunting around for my clothes.

We got dressed pretty quickly. I knew Dawn had something specifically in mind since she didn't bother to mess with makeup, simply throwing on baggy sweats and tying her hair back in a ponytail. And while I was still perplexed, I let my gorgeous girlfriend grab my elbow and pull me out of the apartment.

Minutes later, we walked up to my house and I let us in the front door. I was still a bit confused, but my confusion started turning into hope as Dawn marched me right up to Adrienne's bedroom door and knocked firmly. I looked at Dawn for confirmation, the smile on her face and the way she felt to me through our mystical connection all the answer I needed.

"Who is it?" Adrienne called groggily a minute later.

Without answering, Dawn opened the door and led me inside. It took a second for our eyes to get adjusted to the dimness, but soon enough I was able to see Adrienne sitting up in bed, the blankets around her waist, and a rather sexy negligee hanging off the ends of her pendulous breasts. To my left on the day bed, Paige was similarly waking, rubbing her eyes as she picked her head off the pillow in surprise.

Adrienne was the first to react, her gaze trailing from Dawn's face and down the other girl's arm until she saw Dawn's and my hands clasped together. After another few seconds, Adrienne flicked her eyes up to Dawn's and said warmly, "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," Dawn blushed demurely. Then she looked up and said, "Now let me REALLY thank you." And with that, Dawn jerked me in front of her and then gave me a healthy shove forward, sending me sprawling across Adrienne's bed.

Quickly, I turned around to a seated position and looked back at Dawn. "You serious?"

Dawn nodded with a big smile. "Uh-huh." Then she glanced over to the daybed and crooked a finger to Paige, pointing back over to me. "You too, Red."

Adrienne purred into my ear as her arms circled around my shoulders from behind. Paige let out a squeal of delight and promptly vaulted off her bed and then bounced into my lap. And standing in front of me, Dawn just smiled while reaching down to pull the sweater over her head, revealing that she was completely naked underneath.

It was good to be me.

"So everything's back to normal?" Brandi leaned back against the couch, a pint of Haagen-Dazs Mocha Almond Fudge in her hands. My big sister kept herself in great shape and rarely indulged in such sweet treats; but if there was a time to just say "fuck it" and enjoy oneself, the last week before graduating college made perfect sense, even if it wasn't even noon yet.

I smirked and sank down onto the opposite couch, kicking my feet up onto the coffee table. I'd just said goodbye to Dawn at the door while she and Adrienne headed back to her apartment to change her clothes and pack an overnight bag. Even though I'd offered to stay with her at her apartment, Dawn didn't want to spend any more time alone in the place she'd shared with Ryan. Instead, she had every intention of spending what remained of the semester at this house with her friends and family, saying that it felt like coming home.

Arching an eyebrow at my sister, I said, "Define 'normal'."

"Are you and Dawn together again?" Brandi asked, the spoon halfway to her lips. "Are you her boyfriend? Is she your girlfriend? Are you back to the way you always should have been: soulmates destined to be together, ultimately settling down and having the family that you — and everyone else it seems — always wanted."

I chuckled and nodded. "Uh, yeah. I guess you could say that."

"And Adrienne... ?"

I shrugged. " ... Is totally behind us. She actually orchestrated the little stunt that pushed me and Dawn back together last night. Right now, Adrienne's still just my adoptive sister and good friend."

"And lover," Brandi added.

I arched an eyebrow.

"Come ON, Ben. My bedroom is just above hers. You guys woke me up this morning. ALL of you, even Paige."

I blushed and looked down, remembering just how much our voices would carry up into Brandi's bedroom. "Sorry."

"You should be. Two self-inflicted orgasms and it's still not enough. Hence the ice cream as a futile attempt at fulfillment," Brandi complained, her eyes momentarily darting to my crotch.

I started to make a flirty comment as invitation, but held my tongue at the last moment. Brandi and I weren't like that; not anymore. I'd ruined my sister's relationship with her boyfriend, putting her in this position where she had no guy with whom to seek sexual relief. And since she no longer wanted a physical relationship with me, I couldn't help her out either. Teasing her would only rub salt into the wound, and I looked down in embarrassment.

Brandi sighed. "It's not your fault, Ben."

We both knew what she was talking about. "Isn't it?"

She shook her head. "I'm not going to dwell on the past. Right now, I'm just a 22- year-old girl without a boyfriend. Most sisters never even think of using their brothers for sexual release and I'm just one of them. It's fine. Hence the ice cream."

I smirked and Brandi waved the spoon. "So how does it all work?" she asked. "You and Dawn and Adrienne and Paige and ... am I missing somebody? You've gotten around these last two years."

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, that's it. I think Adrienne and I will always have a sexual element to our relationship, and Dawn doesn't seem threatened by it. Adrienne wants to stay strictly with other girls and I'm just her cock on the side. We've become great friends, and siblings, and that's it."

"And Paige?"

I took a deep breath. "I don't know exactly. I knew she always had a crush on me, but she seems to have gotten over it. Over the past few months, she decided that I belonged with Dawn, and she's accepted that. Right now, I think she's more focused on her pregnancy and getting through that before she can really think of anything else."

"And yet she still eagerly jumped your bones this morning. I forgot how high a pitch that girl can squeal." Brandi grinned. "You didn't hurt the baby, did you?"

"No, of course not." I shook my head. "Actually, Paige kept urging me to go harder, whining that she wasn't as fragile as I might think. But I just couldn't bring myself to nail her that hard. Her belly's getting pretty big."

Brandi sighed. "You remember what I said about leading her on?"

I nodded. "I do. Paige and I have talked about it. She says she knows that anything that happens between us is purely physical."

"Saying she knows it and truly believing it are two different things."

"I'll be careful," I promised. "I care about her too much to reject her right now. Pretty soon it'll be a moot point anyways. She's moving out to stay with her Aunt and Uncle for the summer, and she's been granted a leave of absence next semester to have the baby. We may not be seeing much of each other."

Brandi nodded and dug out another scoop. For a minute, with the spoon still in her mouth, she zoned out toward the window, looking thoughtful. Then after taking a deep breath, she put the spoon into the ice cream bucket and set it on top of a coaster. And she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Looks like everything worked out for you in the end."

I shrugged and canted my head to the side. I started thinking of Dawn, and an uncontrollable smile crossed my face. "I can't disagree," I said while zoning out myself. Then I turned to look at Brandi and grinned. "I got her back."

Brandi smiled wanly and sighed. "I'm happy for you, little brother. Really, I am."

I read the melancholy in her tone and said, "You'll find yours someday."

Brandi bit her lip and looked ready to cry, but she nodded. And taking another deep breath, she sighed. "It's just hard sometimes. Since we Seniors don't have any finals that really matter, I've had a lot of time to just sit around and think. Here I am, about to graduate, and I feel like so much in my life isn't settled. I have no idea how this new job is going to work out. Dayna and I are moving to San Francisco, this massive city that can just swallow people whole. A lot of my friends are moving away and I don't know if I'll ever see them again. And on top of it all, everyone around me seems so settled in their romantic life. You and Dawn are back together. Dayna's more in love with Kevin than ever. And did you know Angela Chan's boyfriend proposed to her last night?"

Getting out of my seat, I circled around and sat beside my big sister, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her to the crook of my neck.

"You'll find the right man for you someday. You're smokin' hot and you've got guys coming up to you all the time; maybe guys not worthy of you — not yet — but they'll come. You only turned 22 like two months ago and you have your whole life ahead of you. You're right, you're starting a brand new job; but it's with the company you've been interning at for three years now. Dayna's still living with you, and you KNOW she's always got your back." I rubbed her arm, squeezing her tightly. "And no matter what else may ever happen between us, I'm your brother. I'll be right here for the next two years if you ever need me. And even after I've graduated and gone too, you'll know that you can ALWAYS depend on me."

Brandi smiled and rubbed her head against my neck. Then she chuckled and tilted her head up to look at me. "Hey, I'm the elder sibling. Aren't I supposed to be reassuring you that I'll always look out for you?"

I shrugged. "I'm a boy. Protecting my sisters is like a genetic instinct."

Brandi smirked and shook her head before reaching up and tousling my hair. "Every now and again I look at you and see the little brat who used to annoy the hell out of me. But you grew up, Ben. You grew up."

I smiled. Then Brandi just put her head back down on my shoulder and hugged me tight.

MAY 17, 2004, SOPHOMORE YEAR

"Mmmm-wah!" Dawn finished kissing me and then coyly said, "Byee..."

"I love you," I hummed.

"I love you, too."

"Gawd you guys are sickening," Robin drawled.

Gwen giggled and elbowed Robin in the ribs. "Hey, if YOU'D spent all of last night in Ben's bed, I'd bet you'd be just as syrupy the following morning."

"Morning, maybe," Robin sighed. "It's after lunch!"

Dawn just giggled and then stepped back from me, comfortably ignoring her friends' banter. She turned and hooked her arm through Gwen's. "Lay off her. If YOU didn't have Steven you'd be just as bitter."

Gwen sighed dreamily, thinking of her new boyfriend. "Yeah..."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Just think. This may be the first Finals Week when Ben ISN'T fucking your brains out!"

Gwen swiveled her eyes slyly over to me. "Well ... Finals aren't over yet."

Dawn cracked up and tugged Gwen away from me. "Come on. You don't want to be late." Dawn had a Monday afternoon final in the only class she didn't share with me, and so did Gwen. Robin and I were free, so I was heading back to the house while Robin would be diverting to her place along the way.

I smiled and waved to my departing girlfriend and the hot dirty-blonde on her arm. "Bye. Good luck, ladies. Have fun."

"No," Dawn flashed me an impish look over her shoulder. "YOU have fun." And then she and Gwen headed off.

Robin looked at me with eyebrows raised. "What did she mean by THAT?" She actually looked a little scared that I might club her upside the head and drag her off to my cave to have my way with her.

I chuckled and shrugged. "I dunno."

Not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed, Robin nodded and fell into step alongside me. Together, we chit-chatted until we hit Bancroft; and then we went our separate ways.

Adrienne was in the living room and smiled brightly, a naughty grin on her face. I arched my eyebrow in surprise but she merely hugged me and greeted me before turning back into the living room. Paige, perhaps feeling like she was dragging thirty extra pounds around her waist, just waved.

Nonchalantly, I just went into my own room, unshouldered my pack, and started pulling out my keys, wallet, and cell phone to drop onto the dresser. I'd even started pulling off my shoes before I realized my room was already occupied.

"Venez à moi, mon ami..." Monique St. Claire purred, crooking a finger at me. The statuesque French babe reclined back against my pillows, clad in an eye- popping set of lingerie. Her curly bottle-blonde hair fell to her shoulders over a black bra that was so sheer as to be almost entirely transparent, putting her pale pink nipples on display. Black garters and similarly-transparent panties and stockings covered her long legs, ending in four-inch stiletto heels. She reached a hand back and ran it through her hair, an inviting smile on her face.

"Uh, Monique?" I arched an eyebrow in question while my eyeballs ogled her body. "What are you doing here?"

It turned out, there was an envelope on the pillow behind her. She finished reaching through her hair, snatched it, and then flicked the hard rectangle at me like a frisbee. Reacting quickly, I trapped it between my hands and then hurried to pull out the single sheet of paper folded inside.

In Dawn's handwriting, it read:

I felt bad for the way things turned out last Friday, what with all the relationship issues we were both going through. But none of them were Monique's fault, so I'm charging you with making it up to her. I'll be stuck in my final until at least 5pm, so she gets to keep you for at least that long. I promised her you'd do your best to show our appreciation for her understanding. In short, if she's not passed out from pleasure when I get home, I'm going to be very mad at you. =)

Love, your Dawn.

In mild shock, I dropped the letter to the floor just in time to see Monique step in front of me and then grab hold of my collar with her right hand. Her eyes were on fire as she started tugging me back to the bed. And hearing movement behind me, I looked back just in time to see Adrienne's naughty grin as she closed my bedroom door, shutting me inside and alone with the scantily clad French babe.

"Venez à moi, mon ami..."