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Sweet Dreams Are Made of These - 9
by Innuendo (keepsake411@yahoo.com)

Will they or won't they? Questions answered and 
reconciliations abound. (FFM, oral, fantasy, rom)

***

Decisions vary in scope and importance. We make them 
all the time; their making defines us as people, tells 
others who we have been, what we are, what we might 
be. Maybe you like pina-coladas and getting caught in 
the rain, or hot summer nights with a tall glass of 
cold lemonade. A slender girl with legs that climb all 
the way to heaven, or one with curves that don't quit, 
promising to send you freefalling into love. The high-
paying stressful job that will line your pockets with 
green and face with stress, or something more menial, 
impacting the lives of others in such a meaningful way 
that one can't help but love the work they do. 
Decisions deeply rooted in every sphere of life. 
Family. Lovers. Friends. School. Jobs.

Marriage.

Jahn had spent a lot of time over the previous months 
thinking about his future. Somewhere along the line, 
he had finally realized that what he was doing wasn't 
just an attempt to retain a sexy, thrilling 
relationship with two incredible women, but he'd 
actually fallen in love with both of them. A slow 
revelation, chiseling away at his defenses like a 
miner's pick with a slow and steady tapping, It came 
to him that what he thought was love in other 
relationships was just commitment, but without an 
emotional bond. Not that all fault could be laid at 
his doorstep, but there was a recognizable element of 
self-involvement. 

Together, Jen and Fiona were stronger than any one 
woman and had managed to drag him out of the shell 
he'd erected. That former solitude, the loneliness of 
it, held no appeal for him. He'd looked to the heavens 
and found his sun and moon. He wanted to reach out, 
draw them close, and never let them go, to marry them.

Jen examined the ring cupped in her palm with wonder, 
but Fiona stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown a 
second head. "That's... polygamy," she said, words 
tumbling from her mouth as if forced. Her sister half-
turned to her, listening quietly.

"You're absolutely right. People judge it harshly for 
a lot of good reasons. I don't think any of those 
reasons apply to us, do you? What you think matters to 
me, not others."

"It's not... legal." Flatly delivered, her response's 
meaning was unreadable.

"Of course, the marriage would be strictly ceremonial. 
I can give you my name, my commitment, my... self. The 
tax breaks, all the rest of the things that go along 
with so-called real marriages? They're not what 
_matters_. You and Jen matter."

Fiona's voice was strained, but she continued. "How 
could we possibly arrange the wedding?"

"Entirely up to you. We could take our vows 
separately, or together. I like the latter, since all 
three of us would be in this together, but it's your 
call. Whatever makes you most comfortable." 

"The... other things?" A subtle emphasis on the word 
'other' framed her question. Of course, there was 
always the specter of sex to haunt the relationship. 

A touch of humor tinged his response. "Jen's done a 
fine job of arranging that, and we're not even 
married." The blonde's cheeks colored a light pink, 
but she was smiling. Fiona, on the other hand... was 
he losing her?

"I... what would Mom say? I don't think-" Jen looked 
up sharply at this reply from Fiona, another more 
obvious realization having the blonde. He knew what 
that was – her father. 

Mary Reed was an entirely different matter. During the 
short time Jahn had spent with her away from her 
daughters, he'd managed to get across to the woman 
just how much both of her daughters meant to him. Last 
month, he'd called her again, looking for some advice. 
After a reminder about his testicles being on the 
line, she'd answered.

"I already spoke to her.  If this is what _you_ want, 
we have her blessing." Turning briefly to Jen, he 
said, "However, if you want this too, you're going to 
have to talk to your father. He'll never accept it 
from me." The blonde looked back, blue eyes appealing, 
before lowering them in tacit agreement, returning to 
examination of the sparkling ring in her hand. 

"And the people at work? I have to... deal with that." 
Yes, there was a slight complication due to her 
position in the company; she was upper management in 
V&P's billing department, and had to maintain far more 
professional standards than lower level Records 
workers like Jen. Still, he didn't think that would be 
a problem. 

"Remember all those long talks we had early on, when 
you told me about your job? V&P is a family-owned 
corporation, you said. One that believes family 
matters, and that family isn't defined by traditional 
norms. It wasn't chance that both you and Jen work 
there, or that several of your co-workers have cousins 
and even parents in other departments. All of those 
big social events, the reasons why people seem to 
marry in-company so often." 

Jen stopped him from continuing. "Can I say 
something?" Turning her full attention to Fiona, her 
voice gentle, she said, "You're my sister and my best 
friend, Fi, but that's not enough anymore. I've been 
waiting.... like my whole life for someone to love... 
hell even _like_ me. It's lonely, and I don't want to 
live like that anymore. I love Jahn, and I can't think 
of anyone I'd rather share him with than you." Holding 
up her hand, eyes filled with determination, she slid 
the ring onto her finger.

Desperately, Jahn reached out with, "We've made it 
this far, Fiona, past family and the obstacles that 
matter. The rest is love and commitment. Am I wrong? 
Don't you feel the same? Or is living like that too 
much to deal with? I want to think that I've moved 
past being so narcissistic, but if I've completely 
misunderstood..."
 
Brown eyes flooded with tears. "Of course I love you, 
Jahn, and I'm well past any resentment of Jenny. It's 
just... I never could have wished for anything like 
this. It seems like there are so many reasons we 
shouldn't, like this is wrong or something. I love 
you, but..."

"We all need somebody to love. This is about what 
_you_ want. Will you marry me?"

"I..." Staring at the back of her hand, she examined 
the ring, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her gaze 
shifted aside to Jen's worry-filled expression before 
cutting back to his, and some of the luster returned 
to her eyes. Whatever concerns that exceptional mind 
of hers could raise, she left them unspoken, resolve 
in her features. She slid her own ring into place. 
"Yes."

***

Hard decisions had to be made in the first weeks after 
the trio got home, and Jahn, like it or not, had to be 
at the center of all of them. Mary had accepted the 
arrangement, and even seemed pleased when he told her 
both of her daughters had said yes to the proposal, 
but Donovan was now the paramount issue, and Jen 
seemed to understand that if they were going to go 
through with a wedding, her father's approval was 
absolutely critical.

It was a cool and confident young woman that 
approached her father's booth at the Johannesberg 
prison, not a vulnerable little girl praying for her 
daddy's approval, though Jahn was certain that at 
least some part of his fiancée still craved it.

Donovan sat with the phone in his hand, a huge bull of 
a man attempting to discern exactly what had changed 
his daughter's attitude so dramatically. A steely 
stare that got no visible reaction from Jahn gained 
the man nothing, but the ring on Jen's finger told him 
a great deal. Those blue eyes looked briefly approving 
then narrowed.

Not stupid, Jahn thought. He knows damn well that 
something's up and that it probably has to do with 
Fiona.

"Hi Dad!  We just got back from Florida a few days 
ago, and I wanted to give you the good news. Jahn 
proposed!" With a bright smile that seemed a little 
forced, she raised a hand to show off her ring. "We're 
going to get married, come spring!"

Donovan said a few words that Jahn couldn't make out, 
seeming to give Jahn a nod of acknowledgement, though 
not quite approval, because he was still waiting for 
the bombshell. Was that a question he was asking? Jen 
obliged with a response, though hesitantly.

"Yeah... about Fiona. I know it's not something you 
want to hear, but he's marrying her too." A shadow 
seemed to fall over the big man's face and it hardened 
into something like the granite cast Jahn had seen 
when they first met, but darker. From where he stood, 
the harsh words the man was speaking were only a 
drone, but he could guess.

"No, Daddy. I _am_ okay with it. I'm not doing this 
because it's what he wants, but because it's what _I_ 
want. I love him, and so does Fiona, and he loves us 
both. Do you understand that?"

Donovan spoke again, most of it unintelligible from 
what Jahn could read of his lips, but the last looked 
something like "It's not right."

Jenny flared up angrily, voice thick with emotion. 
"Maybe not, but _you_ made it this way, _you_ made 
this situation different, Daddy. You and your friends! 
Did you think I wouldn't figure out that the people 
you've got looking out for us have been chasing off 
any guys that we might have been interested in, or 
showed the least bit of interest in us? Do you know 
what that's like, how lonely that is? Mom told me how 
you used to be this big ladies man, and how you fell 
in love with her instead. You had them, then her; and 
we had nobody. Nobody!"

Donovan seemed to reel as if punched, and Jen 
continued, "Don't take this away from me, just because 
it doesn't seem right to you! You made it "wrong" 
because you wouldn't let _me_ have a normal life, and 
now you want to take what I do have away! Do you hate 
me because I'm not like you? Is that it?" Jen sounded 
as if she were losing her composure, close to tears. 
Reaching out, Jahn laid a reassuring hand on her 
shoulder.

Something like panic replaced the darkness and 
hostility on Donovan's face, and Jahn was reminded 
again of the odd mix of love and hate at war inside 
the man, as if he were some sort of mutant 
representation of that yin/yang business. Leaning 
forward, the man spoke urgently into the phone, 
indiscernible chatter nearly an octave higher than his 
usual base rumble. Reassurance. Letting her know he 
did love her. Trying to fix the colossal fuck up that 
had been his interference in his daughter's life and 
was now threatening to take the one thing he did love 
in life away from him. Whatever dark principles the 
man held, they were losing the war against the one 
thing that mattered most to him. Good.

In the end, Jen had her way, and while her behemoth of 
a father looked beaten, he also appeared much happier. 
The hot seat didn't seem quite so hot when Jahn 
finally had to sit down and speak to the man, though 
Donovan immediately put him on the defensive.

"Hope you're sincere, boy, that you really do love 
her, because you know the consequences if you hurt my 
girl." All cold menace, delivered under a veneer of 
calmness for Jen's benefit. That would be terrifying 
under other circumstances, but for some reason their 
mother was still more intimidating. 

"Or you'll cut my balls off, right?" Jahn delivered 
the line without a hint of sarcasm to discourage any 
suspicion of mockery. "I do love her, yeah. With all 
my heart."

Donovan stared at him coldly for a moment then gave a 
short bark of a laugh. "You've been talking to Mary."

"Wouldn't be where I am without her approval, sir."

"No, don't s'pose you would. Mary's a beautiful woman, 
all class, but she's got a firebrand temper. Mess with 
her little girls, either of them, and she's like the 
wrath of God. Didn't take shit from me, or any of the 
guys."
	
The guys. "Your 'friends,' I take it?"

After another uncomfortable stare, Donovan said, "I 
don't care if you don't like what they stand for; 
they've done right by me. Pick up a paper. Wasn't 
right for me to have them shielding Jenny the way they 
did, but that's on me. Not them." 
	
"Including Edwards?"

"He's to his old man what Jenny is to me. That's all 
I'm gonna say on that."

"And this neighborhood watch program of yours?" 
Carefully delivered, treading that fine line of 
sarcasm and respect.

"They'll make sure Edwards stays where he belongs, but 
otherwise... I'm ending it. I trust Mary's gonna keep 
a real close eye on you, but it's _your_ job to make 
sure nothing happens to my girl."

"'Til death do us part," Jahn said softly.

Donovan looked taken aback at the quote, but nodded. 
"Just like that, kid. Now fuck off and put Jenny back 
on the line."

***

Resolving the conflict with Jen's father had brought 
all the sunlight back into her disposition, and she 
spent the ride home gushing over the fact that things 
seemed to be working out just right. There was a touch 
of shadow over her newfound enthusiasm, as if she 
feared that it couldn't last. He'd have to work on 
changing that, and spent most of the afternoon making 
good on the attempt. 	

"Agh!" Jen gasped out as Jahn went down on her again, 
nibbling lightly at her clit, enjoying the musky scent 
of her arousal. "God, I love the way you love me." The 
teasing motion of his tongue around her swollen lips 
and then back to their original target caused her to 
arch her back and surge against him, clutching at his 
head with her thighs, fingers digging tightly into his 
skull to grip what she could of his head. Her climax 
was a frantic thing, violently pulling him into her, 
encouraging him to partake more deeply of her most 
personal essence. When she finally let him up for air, 
the satisfied expression on her face could do no less 
than bring a smile to his.

"You get to look forward to this for the rest of your 
life," he whispered in her ear, after he'd moved up 
the bed to lie down beside her. The beatific look on 
the blonde's face was all the repayment he needed.

***

September days seemed to start flying by as the trio 
began to carefully let out the news of the impending 
wedding. Fiona had already spoken to Vander about the 
matter, confirming what he'd already suspected: the 
company had absolutely no problem with what her boss 
termed an 'alternative marriage' The man's choice of 
expression had an uncomfortable feel to it, and Jahn 
was glad he didn't have to deal with the flack that 
those who led other 'alternative' lifestyles had to. 
World was an ugly place sometimes, and he didn't want 
that for Jen and Fiona. 
	
Donovan's advice to pick up a paper had haunted him 
for a while, and he eventually took a trip to the 
local library to search their archives. The man's 
conviction predated  most of the library's online 
resources, and Jahn had to kill most of an afternoon, 
but eventually found an old scanned copy. Jen had been 
right in her assessment – the assault and murder had 
been nasty pieces of work, and by all witness 
accounts, racially motivated – a deadly assault on a 
Native man drinking at the same bar Donovan and some 
friends were hanging out at. Jahn had stumbled over 
that bit, looking for the name of the man killed, but 
it hadn't been Fiona's father, who he knew by name, if 
nothing else.

While the attack happened long before hate legislation 
had been instituted, the circumstances had been 
sufficient to put away anyone involved for most of a 
lifetime: Tate Harding, the dead man, had left a 
family behind, and the only man who'd been 
successfully fingered for the murder had taken the 
rap. That was the important part, what Donovan had 
been referring to. Several men had been pointed out as 
being with Donovan that evening, and it was believed 
that they'd been directly involved but the police had 
nothing to implicate them. Donovan was the one who 
went away. A Margrave was named, though it didn't 
appear to be the same man as their neighbor across the 
street.

Click.

Donovan's people weren't just doing looking out for a 
friend, they were doing it for a friend who'd 
sacrificed his entire life for them. It was the 
darkest examples of loyalty Jahn had ever heard of, 
and he wasn't sure how he felt about that, but it... 
made sense. More importantly, he didn't feel like he 
had to worry they might take exception to their 
buddy's little girl sharing her man with a half-breed. 
Those friends would do what _Donovan_ wanted. 

Case closed, he thought numbly, turning off the 
computer.

***

Life's never that simple, though. Just when you think 
you've fixed all the problems, another pops right up.

"It's wonderful that Jenny was able to work things out 
with her father," Fiona said serenely as she put away 
the last of the dishes they'd been washing together. 
"But... there's still some unfinished business we need 
to take care of."

Glancing sideways at her, he noted the emphasis she'd 
placed on 'unfinished,' and said, "I already called 
Greg. He was pretty cool about it, and seemed a lot 
more relaxed when I talked to him." Apparently, Jen's 
intervention had helped Greg and Amy's budding 
relationship over a major hurdle, and the man had been 
shockingly friendly when Jahn spoke to him, treating 
their previous grudge as long dead past. Though, it 
seemed Jen already knew all the details..." I guess 
Amy's been hanging out with Jen and her friends since 
then."

Fiona nodded as they headed into the living room to 
relax. "On top of everything else, Edwards was a 
control freak. Amy didn't have any friends of her own. 
I'm told she used to be a lively, outgoing person 
before things fell apart for her, and Jen has been 
helping her get some of that back  Amy needs someone 
who actually cares about what she feels to look out 
for her, and friends to uplift that battered spirit. 
She has that now, she'll be okay."

Taking hold of his hand, Fiona said quietly. "Greg 
isn't the ancient history I wanted to talk to you 
about."

Only one person came to mind, and he felt his stomach 
lurch, because he was sure there was only one person 
she could be referring to. "Andrea? Look..."

"Hear me out, Jahn, okay?" she interrupted. His lips 
felt tight and bloodless as his mouth thinned into a 
disapproving line, but he nodded anyway.

"I'm not sure if you've realized it, but Andrea and I 
don't just work together. We're in the same 
department, and though you might not be able to tell 
from the titles, she's the head of A/R and I'm moving 
up to a similar position in A/P." Receivables and 
Payables, he thought. Billing. Right. "We don't just 
work together, we have to work as a team, and if my 
promotion comes when Jordan retires, I'll have to work 
a lot more closely with her."

Somewhat bluntly, he asked, "Okay, so how do I fit in? 
As you said, it's ancient history."

Quietly, she said, "I've seen how you react whenever 
her name comes up. You're bitter about that breakup, 
even if you've mostly moved past it since then. It's a 
toxic issue for you, and if I'm going to be around her 
more often, the subject of work would have to be off-
limits. You know how important my career is to me; I 
don't want the two poisoning each other." He did know 
this. While he and Jen could best be described as low-
level functionaries, Fiona was an expert at what she 
did, and had the potential to become regional manager 
someday.

Mulling the thought over for a few minutes, he finally 
asked, "Okay, I understand the conflict here, but what 
am I supposed to do? Confront her, have another shout 
down? I had my fun the first time, and ultimately it 
just turned out to be an embarrassment, and made me 
look and feel like an asshole. On some level I know 
she wasn't solely at fault for the way things turned 
between us, even if that sideshow with Greg was a 
major factor."

Fiona nodded. "Right, you and I discussed that. 
Andrea's rather bitter about how things turned out as 
well. There are a number of good reasons behind her 
feelings that have nothing to do with you. You weren't 
meant for each other."

 A note of sarcasm entered his voice, "I'm sorry _she_ 
feels that way, but-," Then he picked up on the rest 
of Fiona's response. "What the hell? Since when do you 
have any personal insight into Andrea's affairs?"

Calmly meeting his confrontational glare, she replied, 
"We were friends for a long time. Our friendship 
cooled off a bit, and these days it's a friendship of 
mutual professional respect." Noting the look on his 
face, she reassured him. "That's well before you came 
along."

"Doesn't seem to jibe with what you told me the first 
time we met. What was it you said? Something about her 
being a user?"

"You don't remember how you and I first met, do you?" 
She delivered the question matter-of-factly, as if it 
were of little consequence.

In an even voice he said, "You're changing the 
subject."

"No, this is relevant."

"Wellllll," Jahn hedged. "I'm sure we met before the 
first time you asked me out, at a party or 
something..." Fiona gave him a slight smile, squeezing 
his hand as she did so. 

"Don't be embarrassed about it. You wouldn't remember, 
but I do. It was Christmas of 2008. That was one of 
V&P's parties, remember. Couples such as yourself and 
Andrea were present, of course, but plenty of singles 
looking to meet somebody." He did remember that part. 
He'd had more than a few half-drunk women hitting on 
him. Eyeing his fiancée, he asked, "You weren't one of 
those girls pawing at me, were you?"

Laughing, she shook her head. "No, but I distinctly 
remember what a gentleman you were about the whole 
affair; that made a huge impression on me. More 
relevant to what I'm getting at, though, I remember 
Andrea treating you like a well-trained puppy. Not the 
first time she's treated one of her boyfriends that 
way. There's a reason she does it, and I understand 
and sympathize with her feelings, but it's still a 
terrible way to treat someone you're supposed to care 
about. It's using." 

"This doesn't make her any less capable as a 
professional, or a horrible person. Andrea's got a 
wickedly sharp intellect that she's put to great use 
for the company, and as a person, she's the friend 
others can look to for sound advice and a shoulder to 
lean on."

Jahn studied her for a moment, considering the 
insights she'd offered. "Okay, so the reason she acts 
the way she does is..?"

"That's her story to tell, not mine. We may not be 
best friends anymore, but I won't do that to her."

A slight smile tugged at his lips. "Seems to me that 
what you're really saying is: we need to have a talk 
with Andrea."

"People don't communicate with each other often 
enough," she confirmed.

"And she already knows about us? If I show up with you 
on my arm, it's not going to cause a problem?"

Fiona shrugged. "She doesn't know yet, but it won't be 
a problem. She's got herself a new man now, someone 
she actually cares about and treats as an equal."

Something his fiancée had said tugged at his brain. 
"You remembered me from a party nearly four years ago, 
asked me out right off the bat the second time we met. 
Coincidence?"

That alluring smile he loved so much made a return 
appearance, "You'd be silly to think that I spent four 
years pining about in expectation that the pair of you 
would split, but opportunity knocked very loudly. Why 
do you think I went ballistic when Jenny snatched you 
up?"

***

Seeing Andrea again could have gone more smoothly, but 
Jen got wind of the fact that Jahn was in the building 
and intercepted him at Fiona's office. Her ambush was 
effective, practically jumping onto him to drag him 
down for a kiss. Swapping tongues certainly did have 
its appeal, but the demonstration was uncomfortably 
public. His face flushed with heat as he realized 
other workers were staring. Pouting prettily up at 
him, his girlfriend drew back. "You could have stopped 
by my floor to say hi, you know."

Shifting nervously, he said, "I've got an appointment 
to keep."

An icy voice interjected, "Sucking face on the office 
floor, Jahn? Keeping it classy, I see." Andrea. His 
ex-girlfriend stood there, pulling on her overcoat in 
preparation for the lunch Fiona had arranged. As 
beautiful as ever, with those sculpted features, 
perfectly prepared shoulder-length locks a lovely 
shade of strawberry blonde, and green eyes that 
glittered like cut gemstones.  Nearly Jahn's height, 
Andrea Dunlap seemed to tower over his diminutive 
fiancée.

Spinning about to face Andrea, Jenny scowled up at 
her. "That was uncalled for."

Andrea was a master of communicating condescension and 
quirked her lips in a smile that dripped contempt. "I 
suppose that's true. It's hardly fair to fault someone 
for an inability to control their baser impulses."

Jen's hand curled into a fist, and she half raised it, 
"Bitch, I'll show you an inab-"

"Jenny, chkt." The blonde's expression turned stony as 
Fiona headed off the confrontation, but she acceded 
and gave Jahn a possessive hug before stalking away. 
Strange, he was going to have to ask Fiona what _that_ 
was all about sometime. The brunette turned her 
attention back to Andrea. "I wish you wouldn't treat 
my sister like that."

Andrea gave a slightly dismissive gesture of her hand. 
"You know we've never gotten along."

"That's true, but this is a different situation. Jahn 
is our fiancée. We, all three of us, are getting 
married early next year."

"Our-" The incredulity on Andrea's face was palpable, 
almost priceless, though it was hard for Jahn to enjoy 
it under the circumstances. "-married." Still, however 
sharp surprise she'd just had, the taller woman 
composed herself quickly, her face becoming a mask of 
indifference, though it was clear to him that gears 
were turning and she was making a host of connections 
in her head. Click, click, click, he figured.

With a forced smile, his ex said, "I've got to hear 
this one."

***

Jahn had never had the opportunity to witness Fiona in 
her element, doing what she did best at her job. As 
she took control of the lunch date, it became clear to 
him that what she was doing must be very similar to 
how she handled clients. Displaying tact, diplomacy, 
and that all-important respect, she made a concerted 
effort to keep everyone at ease. His fiancée 
immediately began a process of defusing any tensions, 
starting with a non-apology to both of them for 
pushing the confrontation, then following it up with a 
real apology to Andrea for the way she'd snatched up 
Jahn after the couple had broken up. Jahn didn't think 
that was something she needed to justify, but it was 
obvious Fiona felt as if making there had been a kind 
of betrayal in it.

"I've said to both of you that you weren't made for 
each other, and part of that is because you never 
really talked to each other, never connected on an 
emotional level. If you had, you might have understood 
why."

He'd never been to any kind of therapist, but this 
felt like going to a relationship or marriage 
counselor. Except in reverse. Fiona was pulling it 
off, though, and gave them a nudge in the direction of 
discussing their past. All nudges – he noticed that 
she never seemed to push Andrea, letting the woman 
decide for herself when and what she'd share.

Andrea Dunlap had been an all-star student, outgoing 
and popular. Growing up, from a small town and 
conservative background, with the full support of a 
loving family she seemed destined for great things. 
Always sure what she wanted to do with the rest of her 
life, she rocketed through high school and into the 
state college with a full ride. Her star was rising, 
and she knew she was going places, until she met Brian 
Cadley. An entire world seemed to shift in place as 
she fell head over heels for him, but it wasn't a 
change for the better. 

Cadley was a destructive influence, the life of beer-
soaked parties, the kind of guy who had no commitment 
to anything but getting drunk and getting laid, and 
freeloading off anyone that would have him around. 
Compounding matters, he'd gotten her pregnant, and 
made it clear he didn't really care. Andrea closed up 
on that topic, and Jahn wasn't sure whether she'd had 
an abortion or gave the baby up for adoption. Either 
way, it was clear that she'd been emotionally 
devastated by the experience.

Andrea's life had gone into tailspin, grades slipping, 
alienating friends, scholarship under threat, ignored 
by a live-in boyfriend, unable to talk to her parents 
about what had happened. Fiona had helped her get her 
head on straight, and after that, Andrea had done what 
she did best, in clinical and single-minded fashion 
setting to rights her academic standing, tossing the 
frat boy to the curb, repairing her friendships, doing 
whatever she had to do to get her life back on track.  
She'd sworn to herself that she'd never lose control 
of her life again, never let some heartless asshole 
use her like that.

Control. That's what it came down to. She'd closed 
herself off emotionally, and Jahn had never made the 
effort to dissolve that barrier, to find out what 
drove her. 

The situation with Greg and Jahn had been strange 
synchronicity. Most guys she'd met after getting 
things together were either over awed, or intimidated 
by her new-found level of confidence and insistence on 
absolute control over her life. Those that did 
approach her were generally dismissed. Greg and Jahn, 
however, had been sincere in their approach, with an 
eye to romance, and she'd been thrilled to have the 
attention. But neither had connected with her in their 
time together, and her _need_ to control the situation 
had caused it to evolve into that odd three-way 
relationship that none of them were comfortable with. 
He'd been surprised to find that Andrea wasn't simply 
dating someone else or ignoring one man in favor of 
the other, but avoiding them both.

He'd been stupid in some respects. It was never about 
the material things for her. Why should it? She'd 
always had the money and success, things she'd earned 
for herself.

As if the New Year had swept away the old debris, the 
relationship between Andrea, Greg and Jahn simply fell 
apart. It had been an abrupt wakeup call for Andrea, 
and the rage and helplessness that had inspired her 
screaming fit at V&P when they broke up had been a 
sort of catalyst. 

Greg and Jahn weren't the only ones that had found 
someone new that day. A man named Christopher Ford had 
been at his cubicle across from her office when Andrea 
had her emotional tear-up. He'd had a bit of a crush 
on her for the longest time, admiring her from a 
distance, and when he heard the break down, he was 
there to help pick up the pieces. The situation had 
given them the opportunity to connect from the start - 
here was someone she could finally open up to, someone 
who would understand that her reserve and aloofness 
were simply a defensive façade, and would never step 
across those boundaries without invitation.

Jahn listened to her story, and told her his own, 
letting her in on a lot of things about himself that 
his ex had never known, but that Fiona had coaxed out 
of him through long conversations.  Andrea was walled 
off by her emotional cloister, Jahn by his self-
involvement. Two castles – so close and yet so far 
apart, doomed from the very start. Fiona had been 
right all along, the former couple hadn't been meant 
for each other. 

A wave of peace enveloped his heart, as understanding 
unfolded in his mind, the bitterness washing away with 
a low tide. When Andrea reached across the table with 
that same revelation clear in her glittering green 
eyes, he took her hand in his own. A gentle touch, it 
was one of forgiveness, as was his own to her.

***

"I'll admit, it wasn't very nice of me to force a 
confrontation like that, but I didn't want the ghost 
of an old relationship hanging over our heads. It 
worked out for the best, don't you think?" Wrapping 
the leftovers, she put them in the fridge and turned 
to him.

"For the best," he echoed agreeably.
	
"Perhaps you'd like to punish me?" she asked with a 
teasing smile, turning slightly to show him the curve 
of her butt.

Startled out of his reverie, it took him a moment to 
register what his fiancée had said, and he laughed as 
he made the connection, a riding crop and an old-
fashioned wooden paddle coming to mind.   "You've been 
talking to Jen."

A hint of concern on her face, she asked, "That's okay 
with you, isn't it? We've been talking a lot more 
lately, and of course you're a part of a lot of our 
conversations..."

Grinning, he said, "I might find it kind of awkward if 
_you_ were to ask to play out any of Jen's 
elaborate.... dress-up scenarios or some of the other 
wild stuff she gets up to. I've always gotten the 
feeling that you prefer to keep your kinks on the 
down-low."

Relaxing, she smiled flirtatiously. "I love the things 
we do together, but I do have some adventurous spirit 
and you don't always have to be gentle with me. You 
just have to ask first. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Leaning back, he stared pointedly at her 
backside. "So, you feel you should be punished, do 
you?'

Brown eyes widening, her cheeks darkened to a slightly 
deeper tan of something like arousal, and she 
responded with a touch of sass in her voice. "It _was_ 
dreadfully forward of me."

Standing, he grasped her wrist firmly and pulled her 
to the living room couch.

"Bend over and take off your panties." With a look of 
mock reproach over her shoulder, she complied, raising 
her skirt and dropping the flimsy undergarments to the 
floor.

"It's awfully forward of _you_ to take advantage of a 
helpless young woman in this fashion, isn't it sir?" 
she teased. He admonished her with slap on her ass, 
hand coming down in a heavy arc, not enough to hurt, 
just to sting. She inhaled sharply and skin of her 
bottom turned a mahogany shade from the contact.

The room was filled with her breathless squeals as he 
paddled her, the play incensing his cock, and she was 
convincing enough about it that he worried whether he 
was really hurting her. But she egged him on with 
those over-the-shoulder smiles, and it was clear from 
the wetness between her legs that she was as turned on 
as he. When Jahn finally entered her pussy from 
behind, the girth of his cock embraced by that 
delicious slick tightness between her legs, she came 
violently, her spasms incensing him further, taking 
control away. Lost in the moment, he released his load 
in her, a liquid reprieve.

***

"Have you decided whether you want to go on the 
campout with us?" Jen's question was casually 
delivered, but she knew it carried baggage. The plan 
intended a weekend event next month, and Greg and Amy 
both had accepted an invitation to come.

 The baggage, though... it didn't have any weight to 
it anymore. The garbage had been buried, the rest was 
simply shared history.

"I'd love to."

To be continued...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It's okay to *READ* stories about unprotected sex with
others outside a monogamous relationship. But it isn't
okay to *HAVE* unprotected sex with people other than
a trusted partner. 4-million people around the world 
contract HIV every year. You only have one body per 
lifetime, so take good care of it!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kristen's collection - Directory 72