Tessa's Escape to Athena's Ground (8 page)

-17-

FRIDAY

Jason’s note had advised her to dress ‘tourist casual,’ so Tessa set aside Carmen’s beautiful ‘extras’ and donned a pair of white jeans, a sunny yellow knit top and cute, but comfortable, sandals. A simple hair style and light makeup had her ready with twenty minutes to spare. She used the time to check for email, and smiled when she saw there was one from David.

Tessa,

After reading your last email, I wish I could wrap my arms around you and give you a Triple A, First Class Hug. You’re right, we all do carry some bags through life and I’m glad you’ve lightened yours. I must admit, though, now I’m curious about a load that could only be dropped on the other side of the world! Maybe someday you’ll tell me about it. Until then, I’ll just smile for your elation and share your sadness that you struggled with that burden for so long.

I’m sure you know I was disappointed that Australia got dibs on you. I’d hoped this would be our time to finally meet face-to-face, but I understood. And now that I know you are finding what you needed, that you’ve gotten some peace (or resolution?), I feel better.

You said that if we’re lucky, life gives us bags that are no heavier than what we can carry. Here’s a second baggage-carrying bit of luck: that each person finds someone who can share the load until the burden is lighter or the person is stronger.

And if we’re truly lucky, maybe life gives us both light loads and a partner who can help us carry. I’m wishing you continued progress and lighter loads.

Yours, David

Tessa wanted to write back, but knew David’s heartwarming reply deserved a thoughtful response. It was 9:55 and she had to be in the lobby by 10:00.  “Later, sweet David,” she said out loud as she turned off her laptop and ran for the elevator. She made it to the lobby with a minute to spare.

“Tessa?”

Tessa turned toward the voice. It was deep and rich and more heavily accented than Jason’s. It came from a very tall, tanned, blue-eyed blonde, an in-the-flesh man far more gorgeous than the one in Carmen’s photograph. Were they one and the same? Tessa prayed they were.

Luckily for Tessa, sometimes prayers are answered.

“Have you eaten?” Ben said as he led Tessa to his parked car.

“Yes, a couple hours ago.”

“Alright. How about this: I take you to my favorite sight in Sydney and after, we have some lunch. Sound good?”

Tessa stared into Ben’s bright blue eyes and thought anything with him would probably be good. “Sure.”

The ride was a short fifteen minutes. Ben parked at the harbor, took her hand and tugged at her playfully. “C’mon. Let’s go visit Granddad!”

Tessa’s mouth dropped open, which Ben hadn’t seen because he was excitedly leading Tessa forward. ‘Granddad’ turned out to be the Sydney Opera House, and Tessa was more than a little relieved.

“Ben, this place is breathtaking! The design is…I’m speechless.” Like millions of people, Tessa had seen photographs of the famed Sydney landmark and when she’d first arrived in Sydney, she’d walked the harbor area and seen the famed landmark from  a distance. But the up-close and in-person experience was wholly different. With the sun glinting off the sail-like roof, the place felt absolutely magical.

“Quite something, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah. But why did you call it Granddad?”

“Let’s get tickets for a tour and then I’ll introduce you.”

Ben practically trotted up to the little building that sold tickets and Tessa wondered if Ben’s grandfather was a ticket seller. But the seller turned out to be a middle-aged woman. “Over here,” he said, holding their tour tickets in one hand and tugging Tessa with the other. They climbed the stairs of the Opera House and Ben led Tessa to a corner near the main entrance. “Tessa, meet Granddad…or at least a small part of him.” Ben pointed to the stonework. “Granddad was one of twelve hundred men who built this amazing place. He used to take my dad here, point to this section of the building, and say ‘that’s me.’ I was little when he passed, so I don’t remember him too well. But dad used to bring me and my brothers here on Granddad’s birthday, pretty much every year. He’d take us to this spot and we’d all wish Granddad a happy birthday.”

“What day is your Granddad’s birthday?” Tessa asked.

“March 14.”

“If I’m ever in Sydney on March 14, I’ll stop by and wish him a happy birthday.”

Ben pulled his eyes from the stonework and focused them on Tessa’s. “That’s sweet.” He brushed a soft, swift kiss on the tip of her nose and said, “Let’s go catch the tour.”

While the outside structure was the standout feature, the Opera House interior was no slouch. Everyone on the tour wore headphones so the guide could speak quietly and still be heard loud and clear. They saw some of the performing areas, heard about the history of the amazing landmark, and even got a peek behind the scenes. Tessa got a kick out of seeing the space where giant doors opened to admit shipments, and limos carrying performing stars.

After the tour, Tessa picked up an Opera House tee shirt for herself and a postcard to send to the office. She’d probably be home before the postcard got there, but that was alright with her.

“It’s a bit touristy, but if you love the Opera House, lunch outside is pretty good,” Ben said.

“I’m a tourist and I’m not ashamed to look like one,” Tessa said.

Ben led her to a table in the busy corridor nestled below the Opera House. They ordered sandwiches and fries, and washed them down with ice cold beer.

“It sounded like your sessions with Jason went well,” Ben said, between bites.

Tessa felt odd discussing her ‘sessions’ with another man, even if it was another therapist. But Ben’s face was completely and utterly inscrutable, as if he had veiled discussions about oral sex and masturbation each day, and twice on Sunday
. Hell
, Tessa thought,
maybe he did
.

“They did, after I got over my initial shyness.”

“Everyone is shy at first. That’s why we spend the first hour or two doing non-threatening things.”

“Like the sightseeing drive with Jason before breakfast,” Tessa said, and Ben nodded. “And the tour of the Opera House with lunch.”

“Guilty as charged,” Ben said. His face became serious and he dropped his voice well-below the noise around them. “I know your history, Tessa, and I know you aren’t sexually active. What I don’t know is your present. Do you date? Is there someone you’d like to have a relationship with?”

Tessa was grateful she had been chewing when he asked; it gave her a minute to decide how open to be with Ben. Her instinct was to play her cards close to the vest, and she quickly swept that idea away. By the end of the night, she’d surely have been naked with this guy. If she could open her body to him, why not her heart?

“I met someone online and it’s turned into almost daily emails, texts and phone calls. We even Skype now and again. He’s sweet and smart and I’d like to see if we could have something together.”

“Does he feel the same?”

“Yes. In fact, he asked me to join him over Christmas/New Year’s break and I said yes…until Carmen reminded me I’d already obligated this time to therapy.”

“So you broke your date?”

“Yeah. I told him why, without telling him what kind of therapy.”

“Some blokes would get it, others…not so much,” Ben said smiling. “Okay, honestly, most guys wouldn’t get it at all, but a few would.”

Tessa laughed. “That’s what I thought too. That’s why David only knows I’d obligated myself to this time in Australia to deal with some extremely important personal issues.”

“Smart girl.”

“I suggested he pick a long weekend in February, and he did. He lives in Chicago and he’s coming to meet me in New York. I trust I’ll have my…issues…resolved before I put our relationship on the line.”

Ben took a long sip of his beer, sat the bottle down, and took Tessa’s hand. “It took a while for your issues to develop and it’ll take a while before they’re resolved, even with the best Aussie therapy team toiling by your side.” He winked at the Aussie team comment. “But if you give it your best effort, open up, and work the lessons, you’ll be in a lot better place when you meet...what’s his name—David?”

“David.”

“David’s a lucky man to have a chance with you.”

Tessa felt her face flush.

“You do blush easily. Am I going to be treated to a lot of that later?” His blue eyes were full of mischief.

“I hope so.”

They both laughed.

They strolled along the harbor for a while, hand in hand. Tessa wondered why Ben was spending so much more time ‘bonding’ than Jason had. She finally got the courage to ask.

Ben wrapped his arms around her and leaned into her, so close she felt his lips brush against her ear. “Because we increase the intimacy level today, Tessa, and it’ll be easier for you if you’re more comfortable with me. Feel like you know me, a little bit anyway.”

Tessa realized the note Jason had slid under her door hadn’t said what Ben’s therapeutic goal was. So she asked him.

“The first rule, the one you practiced with Jason, is to ask for what you need.”

Tessa nodded.

“The second rule, and I think you and Carmen have had some long conversations about this, is to give what you can.”

“Yes, I know that. But I don’t know what that means, exactly, in terms of what you…” Tessa blushed again.

“It means that we’re going back to your hotel. I’m going to ask you to give me what you can, and together, we’ll discover what some of your limits are.”

Asking a man to do things to her, things that she wanted, was hard, yet Jason had opened her up to it. But that sounded like a walk in the park compared to the flip side: being asked to do something she might not really want to do. Apparently her thoughts were displayed on her face, just like the newsfeed crawler at the bottom of a CNN news story.

Ben said, “You won’t have to do anything you absolutely don’t want to. But I will try every trick in my considerable bag of tricks to expand your sexual repertoire.”

“Expanding my sexual repertoire shouldn’t be hard, since I have none.” Tessa didn’t laugh because it was true.

Ben hugged her. “If you really want to be ready for a new relationship, whether it’s with David or someone else, you have a lot of work to do.” His eyes began to twinkle. “Our work is cut out for us, so let’s get going.”

All the way back to the hotel, Tessa wondered if she’d lost her ever-loving mind.

-18-

They were barely inside the room when Ben took Tessa into his arms. “Take a deep breath. It’s just me, Ben, the Aussie goofball with a special talent for sexually empowering women.”

Tessa’s heart was racing, and Ben held her without moving for several minutes. When he did move, it was not subtle. Before she knew it, her sunny knit top was over her head and lying on the floor.

“Don’t think, Tessa. Just stay with me. Only stop me if it truly violates your morals or is painful. If you tell me to stop, I will. Are you with me?”

Tessa said she was, though she wasn’t sure how he could hear her over her pounding heart.

Ben unhooked her bra, and it joined her top on the floor. He pressed her against the wall and dipped his head to her breasts. “Beautiful,” he said, nuzzling her cleavage with his chin. “I want to suck your tits.”

Tessa gasped a little. She hadn’t let Mark use vulgar expressions for her body parts.

“Don’t like the word tits?” Ben said, and Tessa shook her head. “Most men don’t like cute or anatomical terms for the body parts of a woman they want to make love to. Kind of ratchets down the testosterone and shuts down the libido. Give what you can, Tessa. Can you hear the words I need to use to feel sexy, without flinching? Can you give me that?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, back to my original question. I want to suck your tits. I want to knead them, stroke them, take your nipples between my teeth and bite them. Can you give me that?”

“Yes.”

Ben’s mouth immediately fastened to one breast while his fingers kneaded the other. He wasn’t gentle like Jason, but neither was he abusive. He behaved like a hungry man at an all you can eat pizza bar.

After the initial shock wore off, Tessa closed her eyes and gave in to the feeling. Ben’s tongue teased her nipple and she was so wrapped up in the sensation she hadn’t noticed his hand at her jeans. He’d unzipped her pants before she realized what was happening.

“Slide your pants off for me, Tessa,” he said, and returned his attention to her breasts.

Tessa did, and Ben steadied her as she kicked them off her ankles. “Now your panties.”

Tessa hesitated, and Ben added, “We can’t make much progress with your panties on.”

She slid them off, and they joined the rest of her clothes on the floor.

Ben stepped back and looked her up and down. Tessa wanted to melt into the wall.

“Tessa, you have a perfect body for fucking.”

Tessa flinched at the word and Ben chuckled. “Still having trouble with the words most men think.”

She nodded.

“But you’ll give that to me, won’t you? Don’t want to rain on my testosterone.”

She nodded again.

“Thank you.”

Ben tugged his own clothes off. Free of his jeans and underwear, Tessa could see his penis was full and erect. It looked a little scary.

“See what your beautiful body does to a man?” He took Tessa’s hand and placed it on his erect penis. “Can you stroke that for me?”

She could, and did.

Ben groaned softly. “You have a nice touch. Don’t stop.”

Ben slid his hand to Tessa’s crotch. When he zeroed in on the space above her clitoris, Tessa groaned. He smiled. “It was warm today. Let’s cool off a little.” He took Tessa’s hand and led her to the shower. They stood together under the warm water and Ben lathered Tessa with soap. He massaged her back and the crack between her buttocks. He turned her around and soaped her breasts. Then he trailed his soapy hand down to her wet mound and began to massage. Tessa sighed and closed her eyes. “Spread your legs further apart for me, can you?”

Tessa did. She thought she knew what was coming, thanks to her lessons with Jason.

Ben rinsed the soap from her mound and kneeled. “I understand you like this,” he said, and thrust his tongue past Tessa’s vaginal lips. She quivered. “I see it’s true. And do you like this?” He spread her lips and began to suck her clitoris. Tessa whimpered. “Another yes. Give it to me Tessa, give me your sex.”

Ben began to work Tessa’s sex. Fast. Slow. Tongue. Fingers. Tessa began to grind her hips against Ben’s hand and mouth, moaning. And just when she thought she might come, he stopped.

“Not yet, Tessa. Today’s lesson is about giving what you can. I wanted to be turned on by your sex, and you obliged.” He made his point by placing her hand on his penis, which had grown even larger. It seemed a lot bigger than Mark’s had, and Tessa wondered how it would ever fit inside a woman.

Ben lathered his balls and his penis. “Wash me, like I washed you. Can you?”

Tessa’s hands were shaking. She hadn’t touched a man’s private parts for a very long time.

“That’s nice,” Ben said softly. “Wash my cock really well.” Tessa heard the word but didn’t flinch. Ben noticed and smiled.

Tessa began as though she was washing a dish. As his penis twitched under her touch, she found herself responding to it with strokes and massage.

“Nice,” he whispered. “But I’d like you to rinse the soap off now.”

Tessa did, and was surprised that he seated her on the side of the tub. When he turned to face her, his large, throbbing member was directly in front of her.

“Suck me off, Tessa. Can you give me that?”

She wasn’t sure she could. Mark had asked her, early in their marriage. It felt dirty, and after trying a couple of times, she began to refuse.

“You told Carmen you regretted not meeting Mark’s need; that it might have contributed to his using another woman. You said you wanted to try this.”

Tessa nodded, eyes filling with tears.

“You just washed me. It won’t be gross.”

Tessa took his tip into her mouth and closed her eyes. With thoughts of popsicles, she began to suck and lick.

“Nice,” Ben said, and his voice sounded funny. He stroked her hair. “Now take my cock deeper into your mouth. You can do it. Just watch your teeth.”

It was huge. It was throbbing. And Tessa feared he would spew his cum down her throat and she’d gag. She almost stopped. Almost. Because a mental image of Mark with his face between the legs of another woman reminded her she wanted to offer a man more than fifteen minutes in the missionary position once a week.

She grasped Ben’s shaft at the base, near his balls, to provide more friction and she drew his penis into her mouth until she nearly gagged. She slid her mouth back and forth over his penis, faster and faster, until she felt it begin to quiver.

“I’m going to come, Tessa. Move away if you don’t want…”

Tessa froze. She didn’t particularly want a mouthful of semen but Ben’s penis was jerking inside her mouth like a trout on the end of a fishhook and her brain wasn’t moving fast enough to safely evacuate it. Two seconds of brain freeze was all it took; Ben groaned and his penis spurted  with a force that shocked her. His penis was inside her mouth, there was what felt like a cup of slimy liquid at the back of her throat, and her brain was still frozen. Tessa’s autonomic nervous system took over: it cleared the thick, salty liquid with one big swallow.

And then she gagged.