Triptych
Twenty-five
“I DIDN’T KNOW you had electricity out here,” I said as Kate lit the lantern in the caravan.
“Where did you think the hot water for our showers came from?” Kate asked.
“Um… I thought it was like the LP gas for the stove.”
“It’s a switchable system. During warm months, we don’t turn on the generator much. That’s why it took a minute before the lights came on tonight. I still like to have my room pitch black when I sleep at night, even in the dorm. It feels more like home.”
We got into the caravan where a lantern cast a soft glow on us. I looked at Kate and saw the tracks of tears on her cheeks. Her pajama shirt was torn and dirty where she’d been tossed to the ground.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “I’ve got a clean T-shirt you can put on if you want to get out of that dirty pajama top.”
“It isn’t necessary,” she said as she calmly unbuttoned the shirt and let it drop to the floor. She pulled my shirt off and led me to the bed. “Hold me, Tony,” she whispered.
We fell into the bed and I held her to me, her breasts pressed against my chest. My heart-rate sped up and I was rapidly getting hard—a situation she could scarcely miss. When our lips met, I was pressed against her tummy with just the fabric of my sweats separating us. My right hand stroked the entire length of her back from hairline to the waist of her pajama pants, and then I got brave and continued down to cup her pert little butt in my hand. Kate moaned into my mouth. Her own hands were busy, stroking my arms and shoulders, cupping my cheek and neck as we moved against each other. My hand slid up to cup her breast and tweak her nipple a little, which elicited an excited gasp. My left hand was wrapped around her and still touched her back as my right hand repeated its journey south, this time sliding beneath the elastic waistband of her shorts.
Kate’s breath was coming as fast as my heart-rate and I let my hand caress her butt, then gradually glide across her skin until it was between us playing in the tangles of her hair. Her hair was soft, like down, and wet. I could feel her slit and the moisture gathered there.
“Tony. Tony,” she gasped into my mouth, not pulling away, but trying desperately to speak. “Please stop. I can’t control myself. Please.”
All through that, she was continuing to kiss me desperately. I knew I could plunge in further—bring her off. But I’d just decked a guy who couldn’t take no for an answer. I wasn’t about to become that guy. I pulled my hand out of her pants and pulled away from her.
“I’m sorry, Kate. I know we’re not ready and I got carried away. I pushed and I’m sorry.”
“No!” she said and attacked my mouth again. “Thank you, Tony. Thank you.”
“Of course, Kitten. I will never force you to do anything.”
“I know. But thank you for trying.”
Huh? She buried her face against my chest now and I could feel the first hot splashes of tears. I petted her hair and cooed little comforting phrases as I kissed the top of her head.
“You’ve been so nice,” Kate whispered, her voice cracking as she cried. “All y’all. You’ve never done anything I didn’t want—what I said I wanted. But… but… I started to think that you didn’t really want me and I was just pushing myself on you. I was afraid… you were… just being nice to me.”
“Kitten, we want you. I want you. Lissa and Melody are crazy about you. We just don’t want to scare you off, so we try not to ever do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
“But people do that, don’t they?” she asked. “When they date, people try to get their dates to do things. Oh, I know we have to always respect each other’s wishes, but it doesn’t mean we can’t… push a little. You just did and it told me that… that I’m desirable… by someone… other than Dusty. But that you respect me enough to stop.”
I was beginning to understand. Had we been so respectful of Kate’s wishes that we never let her know we wanted her. That was going to stop. I lifted her face and kissed her—not with the desperate passion we’d shared a minute ago, but softly, barely touching her lips with mine.
“Did I ever tell you about the kissing contest we had at the posing party?” I asked.
“You didn’t have to tell me, silly. I was there.”
“Oh yeah, you sure were. But you only know what you saw, and you don’t know what happened afterward,” I said. “I’d already mistaken Allison for you. I thought that since you’d posed in Lissa’s position for me to sketch that you’d also copied her when you kissed me. Turns out Allison is a quick study. And remember, I was still pretty new at the whole business of girls being interested in me. I’d only been with Melody and Lissa for a few weeks and had never kissed much before that. Then someone kissed me so softly and so tentatively that it took my breath away. There was so much promise in that kiss that all I could think was that I wanted to touch those lips again… and again. I’d already screwed up my guessing and I only had three names left. I couldn’t believe that Bree would be so tentative about kissing me. Amy wouldn’t kiss me so tenderly. So I figured it must be Allison.
“Then, when my blindfold was taken off and I saw I had switched the two of you, I couldn’t believe it. But I went to bed with the memory of your kiss on my lips. In fact, I fell asleep and dreamt of you. It was pretty steamy,” I said.
“Here’s the thing,” I whispered. “Melody came in to wake me up in… uh… an intimate way. I came up out of my dream realizing that what I was dreaming about was really happening and I… I thought it was you. I screamed and panicked and practically knocked Melody onto the floor. I was afraid I was cheating on Melody and Lissa with you. That’s what I dreamt about after we kissed.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You don’t need to be sorry. Once they figured out what happened, both Melody and Lissa confessed that you’d kissed them, too, and they expected they’d dream about you all night, as well.”
“I didn’t mean to create a problem.”
“It was no problem, believe me. We all three realized that we were falling for you in a big way, but we knew that for whatever reason, you weren’t ready yet. I finally figured out that you just weren’t very experienced, but then you told me about not wanting to rush through anything. So we tried to honor your wish, not because we didn’t want you, but because we didn’t want to scare you away.”
“Am I really stupid to wait so long?” Kate asked.
“Kitten, it’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to the three of us.”
“I can’t imagine that,” she giggled.
“Okay, remember the gala?” She nodded against my shoulder.
“Melody and I came back after loading the boys in Jack’s car and Allison was describing what she’d heard the night before.”
“You heard that?” Kate gasped.
“You guys were so intent on the story that you didn’t see us come in. We also heard what you said.”
“Oh…” she groaned.
“If I have the words right, it was ‘I wish I could inspire that kind of passion.’ Wasn’t that it?”
“Yes.” The syllable was so soft that I barely heard it.
“Well, guess what. You were the inspiration for what Allison heard. From all three of us.”
“Oh my god!”
“Kitten, we’ll wait as long as you say, but never doubt that we want you. Melody wants you. Lissa wants you. I want you. We just hope you want all of us.”
Kate pushed herself up and pressed her lips against mine again, letting us just enjoy the simple contact. Then she buried her face in my neck with one leg thrown over mine, definitely in contact with my continuing erection.
“I love you,” she whispered in my ear. “All y’all. I can’t wait to see Melody and Lissa.”
Eventually, sleep captured us. I don’t know about Kate, but I know what I dreamt.
I woke up spooned behind Kate with my hand lying lightly against her bare breast and my throbbing hard-on wedged between her ass and my groin with just our thin pants between. Oh god! I was going to die. I started to move away from her but she caught my hand and held it against her breast.
“Hold me just a little longer, Tony? Please?” she whispered. I wondered how long she’d been awake.
“I’m a… little… uh… I don’t want to…”
“It’s okay. I don’t want to do anything with it right now, but now that I know what it means, I don’t mind it being there. And it feels so nice to have you touch me and have your lips against my skin. I didn’t know there was anything like this in the world.”
I relaxed. I just breathed out and enjoyed the contact—the supple skin beneath my fingers, her hardened nipples, the grip of her butt against my erection. There is really something incredible about just being on edge. If she’d ground her butt against me for a minute, or if I’d taken a few thrusts, I’d have come in my shorts. But we just lay there with my chest against the bare skin of her back, feeling her breathe. I needed a really tough racquetball game right now. I’d smear anyone who came against me. I felt so keyed—so powerful. I was going to remember this feeling. I was going to remember it for a long time.
After breakfast, Kate took me into the little living room of her parents’ home. In addition to the fireplace and the tall windows on either side of it, the rest of the room was lined with bookshelves. Over the fireplace, though, was a picture that was painted in near photographic detail. It had to be Kate’s. I stared at it again, finally realizing what I was seeing. It was a close-up.
Kate focuses in on tiny details and that’s what she paints. The result looks abstract until you realize what you’re looking at. It’s a big painting—maybe two feet across, but all you see are the tips of some fingers and a chain or something beneath them. There’s a design at the end of the chain that might be a circle. I felt the bracelet on my wrist.
Before I could ask Kate about it, though she handed me a book.
“Here. Read this.” I flipped the book open. “Not now, dummy. When you have time to really read it. You only have two classes this week while the rest of us are slaving away. Read it then.”
The Road Less Traveled. It sounded interesting.
“What’s it about?”
“Lots of things, but what I get out of it is the principle of delayed gratification. It fits in with so much. Grandpa Ken gave it to me to read when I was about 14. I’ve read it several times.”
“Okay. I’ll read it.” It wasn’t a particularly long book. I was pretty sure I could get through it in the next week. By the time I’d considered this, Kate was pushing another book into my hands.
“This comes second. Only after you’ve finished the first book.”
I looked at the title of the second book and my eyebrows shot up in the air. Well this could be interesting. Ignoring her instructions, I flipped through some of the pages. There were pictures. I closed the book and looked at the title again. The Joy of Tantric Sex. What?
“You’ll understand,” she said softly.
Before we left, I looked at the picture over the fireplace again.
“Kate? Did you paint that?”
“Yeah. It was a while ago.”
“What is it? I see fingers and I think a chain.”
“It’s my mother in her workshop.”
“What does she do in her workshop?”
“Makes jewelry. Pretty much everyone here makes something or grows something. Papa and Grandpa make musical instruments like the guitar Papa played last night. Mamma sells her jewelry through boutique shops and a few jewelers. She used to sell at concerts. You never know when someone famous will buy and make her famous, too.”
By ten o’clock, we were on the road and headed back to civilization.
I understood something new. Civilization is a relative term. Kate’s family had carved out their place in the world and loved it there. They were creative, each in a different way. Papa Dave and Mamma Helen made candles, and they were pretty exquisite. I wanted to buy a couple to take home, but when I asked Kate about the protocol she said that nothing was ever sold within the community or on its property. If I wanted to buy something, I needed to stop at one of the shops that carried their work and buy it there.
Grandpa Leo and Grandma Bliss and their family were in charge of the livestock, though I discovered that everyone helped with the care—especially the kids. Even if you couldn’t pour candlewax, you could still feed the chickens. I also realized what a hardship it would be if Dusty actually left the commune. He was a vital part of the care of animals. His brother Jim had been gone in the army for a couple of years and Dusty had stepped into the role as rancher. I really hoped he got his act together.
Papa Oke pulled me aside to give me the fatherly chat just before we left while Kate ran back to the caravan to get something she’d forgotten. I’d thought he was a little cool toward me the whole time I was there. He hadn’t said more than a dozen words in my presence. I discovered the reason, though, as he focused on me. He had a speech impediment I guess is what you call it. His words were clear, but it seemed like he had trouble forming them. He spoke haltingly and carefully.
“I love my family,” he said. “Every soul here is my family. I wish Katarina stayed here. I miss her. Take care of her. If you can’t, then bring her home.”
“Papa Oke,” I said. “I love Kate and I’ll do my best for her. But she’s an amazing girl and will always do whatever she wants. If I can’t take care of her like you say, I’ll help her do whatever she decides next. That’s all I can promise.”
“It’s good.”
With that, there was a little scuffle and I turned to see Kate running toward the car with her brother, sister, and Rainbow chasing her, laughing. Kate had changed clothes. The bibs were gone, and instead she was wearing the white shorts, tank top, and light-weight hoodie she’d worn to the zoo.
“It’s so cool!” Sunday screamed. “You never showed us this.”
“I wasn’t going to wear anything white here,” Kate laughed. “I’m going back to the city now.”
“You’re so pretty, Kate,” Willow said.
I finally noticed that he had a bit of the same impediment his father did. I’d simply written it off as being shy, like Kate at school last year. The kids hugged Kate and then turned to me. They hesitated for only a moment before they had their arms wrapped around me.
“Thank you for protecting Kate,” Willow said, just loud enough so that I could hear him. The boy had a serious case of hero worship—not for me, but for his sister.
“Can we come and visit you sometime?” Sunday asked. “All three of us?”
“Anytime you arrange it with Kate, you can come to visit. Maybe you’ll want to come to the city for college eventually, too,” I said.
Grandpa Ken came up to me then and shook my hand. He towered over me. I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by the man.
“It was a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I’ve never seen Katarina look so happy. I know you have a life in the city, and it’s apparent that my little granddaughter is enamored with it as well. But… we could use some new talents out here if you ever get tired of the bustle. For now, think of the community here as a retreat if you need one.”
“Thank you, Grandpa Ken,” I answered. “I’ll try to control my violent streak.”
The guy actually laughed.
“If I actually thought you had a violent streak, I wouldn’t invite you back,” he said.
Gypsy called both of us together and pulled both Kate and me into a hug with her head between us.
“Next time you come, bring the others,” she whispered to us. Kate’s head whipped around and her eyes got big. “Did you think you could hide such a thing from me, Lyubitshka?” Kate hugged her mom more fiercely and then we got in the car.
Some of the other folks had gathered to wave and wish us well, but finally we made it down the drive and Kate opened the gate. It felt like I was leaving another world and I had to wonder if any of us would ever come back. As soon as Kate got back in the car, she shed her hoodie leaving her in only her shorts and thin tank top.
“Um… I know the rule, Tony, but is this too distracting?” The girl actually giggled.
God her tits are beautiful. And beneath the thin fabric of the top, her nipples were clearly visible. Did I really want her to cover that up?
“Let’s see how it goes,” I said. “I’ll pull over if I need to stop and stare—or anything.”
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