6 Crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s

She pulled into one of the parking at his condo and sat in the car for a little bit to prepare herself for whats to come. She had asked him to drive back for her to retrieve her car so that she didn't have to trouble him later. They both knew though that she was still feeling a little uncomfortable.

Alan arrived at his house and changed into something a little more comfortable. He wasn't quite sure where the idea of marriage came from but as he thought more about it, he realized that this might be a good thing. He eventually had to settle down with someone and what better person was there than someone who understood him. She didn't want to give emotionally and he didn't want to waste time in compromising and spending unproductive time with someone. He couldn't see how this marriage couldn't be something they both want and need. Well, she didn't need it but she needed something else from him and he doesn't think that he will be able to find another lady that would work with his lifestyle as much as her.

The doorbell rang and Alan went to get the door. "Hi. Come on in."

She walked in and went over to sit at the dining table. "For convenience, lets sit here so we can write both our demands down and see if we can reach a consensus."

"Of course. Let me go grab some paper and pen."

He came back and placed it in front of her. Ashley picked up the pen but did not begin to write. "Do we really need to involve marriage?"

He looked at her. He didn't expect that she was still so innocent. "Its for your piece of mind."

She thought it over. "It is for my piece of mind. Okay. As I do not have much free time right now and I expect that I would still be busy once everything is stabilized, I am willing to learn how to cook and cook for you on weekends. You can choose what you would like. I will make every effort to cook every weekend but if I am preoccupied with work then we will have to let the housekeepers do it. I will do my best to keep up appearance outside as a loving wife and cooperate with you on attending functions." She went on and on about the little things as she wrote them down before placing the pen down. "I have had only one relationship in my lifetime. I have never...never..." Her face blushed as she wasn't really comfortable with discussing about intimacy with a person she has met only twice.

He could only smile at her shyness. "You have never been intimate with someone."

She nodded her head as she looked at the paper avoiding eye contact with him. "I understand that you are a healthy male and you are in your primes but I don't think I can give you that yet. I am willing to share a bed with you for now though in case we have any surprised visitors."

He laughed internally. This would be fun. "Yes, I am a healthy man and I do have needs. If you won't fulfill my needs then i will have to go elsewhere."

She looked up with her face flushed, "You can't. If word gets around that you have a mistress or that you are sleeping around, how will I be able to face other people? Just give me a little bit of time..."

He smiled and touched her hand in which she jumped a little. "I am not a sex addict. If you are willing to be faithful to me than I will do the same. I will wait but don't keep me waiting for too long."

She was able to relax a bit after that. They finished writing down their terms and discussing how things would proceed forward. They would register their marriage first and in a few years after everything had calmed down for her then they would hold a ceremony to keep up pretenses. They would go and put on an act for her father so that he would be able to be rest assured that she would be taken care of for the latter half of her life. She would move in with him and when her father passes then they would move into her childhood home together.

Her position as CEO became stabled after the announcement of her marriage with Alan was made public. The funding that he put into her company just further cemented her position. For three months after their marriage, neither of them talked much to each other as they were both respectively dealing with their own company's development. She did keep good on her promise and learned culinary arts to cook for him during weekends.

They were married together for 3 months before her father passed away. Her father passed away peacefully as he believed that his daughter had found the one who will cherish her throughout her lifetime. After her father passed away, they sold their current residence and moved into Ashley's childhood home. She kept even more to herself after she lost her father and Alan tried to be as supportive as possible.

Two months after her father's passing, 5 months into their marriage, he sat on their bed instead of going to lie down. "Is everything okay with you?"

Ashley looked over at him from her side of the bed. She had already lied down and was browsing her phone which had always been the norm. Tonight, Alan wasn't lying down and doing the same. "I'm fine. Is something wrong?" She genuinely said it with concern as she wasn't sure why he wasn't sticking to their normal routine. She briefly thought about how he said that she shouldn't keep him waiting too long and if he was acting differently because he was feeing randy.

"It has been five months since we got married and I just feel like we are too distant from each other. We seem more like roommates than a married couple."

Yup, he wanted to be intimate tonight was what she thought. She still hadn't prepared herself for it though. Things were going so well in their relationship. She appreciated all the support he gave her as she was in her difficult period after her father's passing and she enjoyed that they were respecting each other's opinion and lifestyle.

"I'm sorry. I have been neglecting your physical needs and I understand that you need to be intimate, I'm just not..."

She thought that he wanted sex? He wasn't feeling nothing while sleeping next to her but since she hadn't said anything, he assumed that she still wasn't ready and was not going to rush her. He just wanted them to move closer and onto that route one day. It was getting harder and harder to resist urges. They haven't even made out, let alone kiss if it wasn't a show for people to see. He didn't expect a loving marriage but he also didn't expect a marriage with no feelings at all.

"I understand. I'm not rushing you but shouldn't we try to get to know each other more or at least have a little more physical interactions so that one day you may be ready?"

She stared at him dazed. What was he saying? "You want physical interactions?"

"I married you to avoid the trouble of blind dates and to settle down. I didn't marry you to become celibate."

She still wasn't understanding what he was saying and it was frustrating him. He went over and kissed her. It was angry at first but his anger slowly started to fade as he was finally getting somewhere with her. 15 seconds into the kissed, he groped one of her breast lightly and then broke away. "I want to know that I'm not lying down next to a log."

When he first came in for the kiss, she was shocked and after he moved away, she was even more shocked. She didn't know these little acts of affection or intimacy was what he wanted. But if they didn't do even these little acts of intimacy, how can they go all the way? Was she expecting that one day she would just be ready to have sex with a guy she didnt know and just lived with?

"I understand." After she said that, she went over and sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He raised one eyebrow as he looked at her but responsively wrapped his arms around her. She leaned in and gave him a kiss which he responded by using his tongue to ask for access into her mouth. She obliged and they made out for a good few minutes before he fell back onto the bed taking her with him. She shifted her position so that she was on top of him but as she felt that he had gotten hard and might want to take things further, she pulled away. "I'm sorry, I'm just not ready. I do understand what you mean though and I will work on myself."

Alan sighed, "I understand too. Thank you for understanding my position. I will go cool down in the shower. Go to sleep first. Good night."

"Good night," she replied as she watched him walk off to the restroom.