Twelve

Vera's phone rang. It was another unsaved number.

"Hello?" Vera spoke.

"Vera, how are you?"

"Mason?"

"How did you figure out it's me?"

"I'd recognize your voice anywhere."

"I wanted to prank you. It kills my morale that I didn't get through with my prank."

"Sorry." Vera laughed. "You are around?" Mason lived on her street, that was where they met. He worked in the neighbouring state so he only came into town at stipulated periods.

"Yes."

"Until when?"

"I depart tomorrow."

"Too brief. Why?"

"Long story. Will you come over now?"

"It's too sudden. I've not even had my bath."

"I will wait for you. Get on."

"Huh. Okay. See you soon."

Vera was expecting him next weekend, not this weekend. I have to shave my private part. If I expect him to be erotic, I should trigger it.

She grabbed her shaving stick and quickly, but gently, grazed it through her genitalia. She was done in no time. She had her bath and dressed up. She walked down the street to Mason's house.

They hugged as she stepped in.

"I really missed you. You are now prettier." Mason complimented.

"Thank you. You smell good."

"I'll be attending a friend's wedding soon. What have you been up to?"

"You know, school. And life." Vera shrugged.

Both of them conversed about different subjects. As usual, Mason had asked if he could come introduce himself to her mum.

"What do you want to see my mum for?"

"For our eventual marriage, and as your husband-to-be."

"Mason. I can't even consider marriage soon."

"Do you want me to wait? I can, if you'd insist."

"You can't and I don't want you to. When do you leave for your wedding?" Vera deviated, she wasn't going to go down that road with Mason again.

"In an hour, maybe."

"I need a favour. Please." Vera was becoming nervous.

"What's that?"

"I want… I'd like… I want to have sex."

"You are mad."

"I'm serious."

"You could come with me to the wedding."

"Why are you deflecting? I'm serious about this. I don't remember mentioning such to you before. That should let you know how serious this is."

"I'm not sure I comply."

"I thought you would be excited about that? Isn't it a win for you?" If you love a girl so much but she doesn't love you back— it should be appealing, and not appalling, that she offers you sex.

"It's not that. Both of us are supposed to be delighted. Our minds are supposed to be in sync."

"Oh. You want to make love?" Vera laughed. She found that hilarious. Whenever she thought of making love, only one person was on her mind — Wilson. Any other person she gets down with, would equate to having sex with— not lovemaking. Maybe if Mason pounded her meat, he would consider it lovemaking because he loved her but from where she was standing, it would always be sex and nothing more. But lovemaking ought not be one-sided, it should be both parties feeling the wave or that would not qualify for lovemaking— her mindset.

Mason had been silent. Maybe he was embarrassed.

"If you don't want to, that's understandable. You are not obligated to."

"It's alright. We can go ahead if you want."

"And if you don't want? We shouldn't."

"Let's do it." Mason attempted to kiss her lips but Vera turned her cheek.

"You won't kiss me? Why?"

"I don't like kissing."

"Why not?"

"I just don't." Vera lied. She loved kissing. She could kiss Wilson for hours without turning weary. But during her flings, she had indulged some horrible kissers. They were so terrible at kissing that whenever she remembered the kisses, she always cringed. She once caught Jake with his eyes wide open while kissing her. She addressed it and Jake said it wasn't a big deal. Jake was absolutely undeserving of her. She made a grave mistake holding him in high esteem. There was another time she was kissing a guy and it felt like he wanted to swallow her mouth with his big lips, she was so disgusted. Another time, a guy with bad breath kissed her. She, altogether, decided her kisses were exclusive to only Wilson or maybe any other person she might later fall in love with.

"Let's go to my room." Mason gave up.

"One more thing. You should know that…" Vera narrated her ordeal. How gentle she'd prefer him to be and how much of a need his meekness was. "… Summary is I need a lot of foreplay — the doctor's words."

"Understood."

On the bed, Mason started sucking her boobs. His style of making out wasn't impressive but it was arousing— the paramount factor. He touched her clit with the tip of his tongue, then thrusted his fingers in her. The mood was partly set. He wore the condom Vera had brought. He pressed some of her bring-along lubricant onto her urethra, dripping down to her vagina. He rubbed some lubricant over the condom on his dick too. As he made to penetrate, that fear gripped Vera again. She remembered her incident with Jake on her first attempt. The pain will relive.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I can't." Her eyes had turned teary.

"Be calm. Don't let the lubricant dry up. Just endure. I'm sure you can." Mason convinced in a soft tone.

"It will pain me. No! I can't!"

Vera slipped out from under Mason and sat on the corner of the bed.

"I'm really sorry, Mason. I thought I could. I was wrong." Vera's voice was now shaky.

"I'm sure you can but if you insist you can't, it's fine. I need to climax if I'm avoiding blue balls. Would you blow me?"

Vera knew she couldn't. She wasn't being wicked or selfish but in her devastated mood, she couldn't implement a warm gobble. In addition to her despair, Mason wore a condom until just now. The condom smelled rancid, she couldn't tolerate the odour— talk more of digesting it.

"Nah. I'm not in that state of mind. I'm sorry." Vera was genuinely distraught.

"Okay. How about a handjob?"

I put him in this situation, he was initially reluctant. It's only necessary that I get him out of it.

"Alright. Let me pee first though." Vera stood and walked to the bathroom. She was absolutely nude.

"You are so sexy. Your body is so hot." Mason articulated —from the bed.

"Really? Thank you." Vera's mood lifted. She hadn't heard that in a while. Hearing it in her agitated state really eased her mind. She appreciated it.

He still complimented me after I lured him towards blue balls. So kind.

Vera got on the bed. She was still not interested in furthering the activity but her conscience would not spare her. In a bid to evade the moment ASAP, she wrapped her palm around his dick and swung her hand laterally on his manhood at a speed.

"I won't ever cum like that."

"What?" Vera bursted into laughter. Her morale had been shot head-on.

"That's how that guy hurt you the first time. He's taught you to be in a rush. He rushed in. I require slow strokes if I'm planning to cum."

"Oh. Wow." An extreme lovemaker is what this man is. A mix of rough and slow wouldn't be bad. Extremely slow might be undulating.

"Don't worry. I will stroke. You, caress my nipples. That's my weak point. I'd appreciate if you could use your tongue on them too."

If this man knew his nipples were the bomb, he should have shaved the hair strands surrounding both. I couldn't even kiss a guy with a compact mustache because I hate tasting hair, how and why would I suck on nipples surrounded by hair? Not me.

The next few minutes felt like the longest hours. Vera was caressing his nipples and glimpsing at his penis — hoping to see an eruption. Vera's mind wasn't settled enough to be in the mood for this type of stuff. Her conscience was what prompted her.

"Won't you cum?"

"I will. Hold on."

"Okay."

After another set of minutes, there came the downpour. Vera was so relieved that one would think she was the one that climaxed.

"I'm sorry again for the discomfort."

"It's okay. You will have to brace up eventually and get some D."

"I try. I really do. It's beyond my power."

"It's very much within your power. It's you. You have to want it. Your body bends to your orders."

"That's so easy for everyone to say. I'm the one that knows where the shoe stings. I appreciate the pep talk."

Mason went to bathe. He dressed up for the party and dropped Vera off in her home.

Vera was still so worried. How couldn't I go through with it again? I should call Rhoda and Aleesha before this confusion gets me out of my mind.