Family Ties

“I’ve seen nude people all my life,” she said with a shrug. “I mean… it’s art. You can’t draw the human body if you don’t know what it looks like.”

“And you can definitely draw the human body.”

“Thank you.”

I sat back and heaved a sigh of relief.

“Were you really that worried? That I might actually break up with you?

Over… that?”

“Yeah, I was. It seems silly now, but…”

“No, it’s really sweet.”

“It is? Why?”

She thought about it a moment. “I guess because I worry about the same thing. I mean, I thought you were going to tell me you weren’t interested when we had that big talk after the Halloween party. And I’m constantly afraid you’re going to break up with me because I’m not… ready… to, you know, go all the way.”

“I won’t break up with you ’cause of that. I knew you weren’t ready from the beginning. Well, when I first admitted that I liked you. Yeah, sex is really important to a relationship, but I think you’re worth the wait.”

“Thank you.”

“Besides,” I added with a grin, “to hear Wren tell it, you’re just waiting for the right guy to unleash your inner nympho.”

“Remind me to wring her neck,” Christy muttered. “For real this time.

And don’t believe everything she tells you.”

“Why? She’s been right about everything so far. Yeah, she has her own agenda, but I don’t think she’s lied to me. Has she?”

“I don’t know what she’s told you. She won’t tell me,” she added sourly.

Then, just like her father, she visibly adjusted her attitude and decided to make the most of the situation. “But I flatly deny anything that doesn’t make me look like a paragon of virtue!”

I laughed. Then I set my book aside and gestured for her to join me on the couch.

“Oh, no! You just wanna take advantage of me in a weak moment.”

“Weak moment? What’re you talking about?”

“I’m feeling particularly affectionate toward you right now.”

“Oh? Why?”

“For saying I’m worth the wait.”

“Well… you are.”

“See? You’re doing it again, making me really like you.”

“Then come up here and show me. You can sit in my lap,” I added with a grin. “We’ll talk about the first thing that comes up.”

She rolled her eyes but joined me anyway.

“There,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her, “much better.”

“For the record,” she said, “that’s the worst line ever. No girl in history has ever fallen for it.”

“Would you rather…?” I kissed her gently. “Fall…?” I kissed her again.

“For something else?”

“Mmm. Yes, please.”

I kissed her deeper. Then she began planting kisses on my neck. My dick reacted predictably.

“Ooh! There he is.”

“Told you,” I said dryly.

“You may need to tell me again.”

“How ’bout if I just kiss you instead?”

“I’d like that.”

I spent a long time thinking about Christy during my run the next morning. I was a little surprised that the nudist camp hadn’t been more of a sticking point. Then again, it was the least shocking part of my lifestyle. The swinging would probably involve a much larger adjustment. That is, if I ever found the

right time to tell her. And I couldn’t imagine any right time to tell her about my experiences with Mom and Erin, much less my fantasies.

I also found myself thinking about the question that had been lurking in the back of my brain for a while: who exactly was seducing whom? Christy made Kendall look like an amateur when it came to getting what she wanted without having to take responsibility for it. And for some reason that really bugged me.

I didn’t want her to be a take-charge type like Wren or Sara, but I didn’t want a passive wallflower either. She wasn’t in many ways, like her art, but she definitely was in the relationship department, and especially about sex.

Things would get predictable and boring if I were the only one to start things or decide what we did.

But since I couldn’t do anything about her behavior, I had to change mine. I decided I’d do anything she wanted, as long as she started it or asked for it. She couldn’t just hint or tease or tempt, even if I knew exactly what she wanted.

Unfortunately, I’d be setting myself up for disappointment if I didn’t do anything unless she asked. After all, we’d be spending the night in the same room without any fear of being caught. Rich and the rest of her family were thousands of miles away (well, hundreds in Danny or Jim’s case, but that was good enough). And my family wouldn’t bat an eye if we slept together.

Heck, I thought with a chuckle, I could have sex with her in front of them and it wouldn’t faze them, as long as the circumstances were right.

I started another lap around the neighborhood while I worked out my rules of engagement. What was I willing to do and what would I make her ask for explicitly? Where did I draw the line between passive object and active partner? My imagination went wild, but I couldn’t make a rule for every situation, so I eventually settled on a single one: Christy would have to start anything that involved my penis inside her.