textfiles/sex/EROTICA/C/crystl10.txt

                            Reconciliation

   A few weeks later, Beth and I were playing with red silk scarves.  They
didn't impose a true physical restraint, but Beth loved them.  Since the
symbolism was far more important than the actual physical binding, I had
purchased a few in various colors.  I hadn't gotten tired of Beth; although
we had almost a purely physical relationship, she and I were still
experimenting with various positions and combinations of mental and physical
stimulation.  I had just finished tying Beth to the bedpost when the doorbell
rang.  I ignored it and slowly continued to undress Beth. The bell continued
to ring.  I finally stopped after I unfastened her garter belt, and dressed
hurriedly.  I kissed her, loud and sucking, at her already-wet, very sweet
portal.  I playfully stroked her clit and said, "Don't go 'way now."  I shut
the bedroom door.  "Who is it?" I asked the intercom, with a _strong_ current
of annoyance in my voice.

   "Crystal.  I _have_ to talk to you."

   What?  No matter what it was about, I wouldn't be able to deal with it
until later.  "Now is _not_ a good time."  I paused.  "Have you been
drinking?"  Given my experience with Crystal and Beth, I figured that a
county girl's courage came from the bottom of several bottles of Bud Light.

   "No, I have not," came the peeved answer.  I could even hear the insulted
overtone through the distortion of the intercom.  "It's very important that I
talk with you _now_."  I told her to call me Saturday morning, and that I'd
be glad to discuss whatever it was.  The doorbell (beep, actually -- it's
much more annoying than a bell) began to sound insistently.  I sighed,
erection gone, and let her in with smoke coming out of my ears.

   The first thing she did was look tentatively around the living room for
the other female.  The smoke started coming from a different location when I
saw her.  Cryssie had again let her hair grow and tied it into the long
ponytail that I found attractive.  She was dressed to thrill in tight black
pants and a low, _low_ cut top that exposed a lot of her modest cleavage.  I
briefly wondered how Beth would look in the same outfit.  With her chest,
Beth would probably be illegal in at least forty states were she ever to
dress like that.  "What's so fucking important?"  It took me a few seconds of
staring at her to remember that I really should be pissed off.

   "Iknowyou'remadatmeandyoushouldbebut..."  Crystal gasped to catch her
breath.  Some things never change.  She looked at me evenly, her black eyes
full of pride.  Whatever she was going to say, she was going to say as my
equal, not as some scared county girl.  "I miss you," was all she said, in a
factual tone of voice.  Great.  Just what I fucking needed.  Not that I
wasn't extremely pleased by the statement or the reappearance of my
girlfriend Crystal, as opposed to the county girl who had broken up with me.
However, I _did_ have Beth, Crystal's roommate, tied up about twenty-five
feet away.  My silence caused her to glance around the living room nervously.
"Am I too late?"

   "Actually, I'm sort of -- occupied -- tonight," I started, trying to be
tactful.  "I'd like to discuss this tomorrow, if you don't mind."

   Crystal sat down and pulled out a cigarette.  Lighting it, she said, "Yes,
I _do_ mind."  Her assertiveness almost knocked me down.  "I've been going
out with parent-approved fucking boring morons for the last six months.  The
guys whose idea of a good time is dinner, drinking and fucking."  She paused.
"In that order, in the dark, on top of you pounding away, saying, 'Oh baby,
is it good?'  Then they get up and _leave_ in the damn morning," Crys
complained.  "I enjoyed what we had, and I want it back.  Sex is incredibly
more complicated than fucking, and these morons don't care beyond which hole
they get to use."

   I gaped at her, amazed that she had learned those lessons that well from
me.  She put her cigarette in the ashtray, and studied it for a moment.  "I
see she smokes the same kind I do."  Logically, there was no way Crys could
tie the butts in the ashtray to her roommate, but my composure slipped a
notch nonetheless.  Crystal stood up, sensuously wiggled her way to me and
put her arms loosely around my neck.  "What is it with you and women who
smoke skinny cigarettes?  Do we suck cock better or something?" she kidded.
Her eyes turned serious again a second later, and we kissed slowly.  I
started to get an erection.  "So you _do_ miss me," Crys cooed.

   I stepped back reluctantly and cleared my throat.  "Ummm... Crys...  This
really isn't for you."  I whispered, "I've got someone in the bedroom now,
and she's been listening to everything we've said."  My eyes pleaded with her
to respect the fragility of the situation.

   "Is she your girlfriend?" Crys whispered hesitantly.

   I shook my head.  "No, not really.  It's pretty much physical, animal
sexual attraction," I whispered in reply.

   "Then she can leave and find another animal to be physical with," Cryssie
shot back, still being quiet.  "I'll wait.  Or she can watch.  Y'know, we're
very erotic and fun to watch when we fuck.  I like being watched."  I
couldn't believe this was my little county girl talking.  "She can't be very
good if you stopped to answer the door on her.  Does she swallow like me?
Does she take it up the ass like me?"  Her aggression secretly pleased me.
On the other hand, Beth had probably pissed the sheets.

   "Crystal, _please_.  Leave.  You should at least respect my trying to
defuse the situation," I begged.
   
   "I want to meet her," Crystal complained.  I pointed at the door.  She
looked at me as she backed out of the apartment.  "Please tell me it's not
Pam, 'cause I didn't see her at the club tonight, and I know how close you
two are," she said.  There was fear in her voice.  "I wanna know who my
boyfriend's been makin' it with since I stupidly walked away from him," she
said softly, her voice full of regret.

   "I'll see you for lunch tomorrow," I said.  "Call me when you want me to
come pick you up, and dress for a day in the country."  Crystal smiled
weakly, then kissed me on the cheek.

   She turned to leave, then pivoted and brushed the front of my pants with a
mischievous smile before leaving.  I exhaled in relief as I watched her
leave.  I returned to my bedroom and untied a _very_ panicked Beth, who was
too upset and nervous to be able to dress.  She had forgotten that she could
have freed herself.  I spent about an hour calming her down, then helped her
put her clothes on.  Beth ran out the door without so much as a kiss or
goodbye.  I shook my head, all alone in my apartment, wondering what had
happened, and how it had happened so fast.

   The doorbell rang, interrupting my musings.  "Who is it?" I sighed,
fatigued by all the shuffling and rushing and hiding.
   
   "Crystal.  Can I come in again?"  I buzzed her in, wondering what else was
about to go wrong.  She gave me a warm kiss.  "You didn't tell me that you
were boppin' my roommate," she said.  It was not an accusation.  I heard
amazement, and some amusement in her voice.  "I saw her leave, I was
watchin'.  I hadn't even noticed her car.  I shoulda known that something
strange was going on these past few months.  I just thought that she was
still having trouble dealing with the Scott thing," she continued.  Crys sat
on the sofa and waved me over.  "C'mere silly, I won't bite.  After all, you
weren't my boyfriend anymore.  After my parents, I'm surprised that you want
me back.  Besides, it's kinda my fault she came after you."

   "How is it your fault?" I asked.  "Did you know that Beth watched us that
night she had passed out earlier?"  Crys' startled reaction told me she
hadn't.  "Yeah, she did.  She had -- hopes that I could turn her into the
sexually dynamic, irresistible woman you are."  That drew a warm smile from
Crystal.

   "Well, it's kinda my fault because we got drunk on wine at home one night
right after you n'me broke up, see?  Beth asked me all kindsa questions, a
lot of 'em rude and none of her business, but I was drunk and she was drunk
and we were girlfriends..."  Her voice trailed off.  I agitatedly waved my
hands for her to go on.  "I talked about some of the things we did," Crys
finished, hanging her head.

   "S'OK.  I asked Beth about it right from jump, so I knew she had talked to
you about _some_ stuff."  Very quickly I added, "I don't need to know
details, please."  A guy should never be privy to his girlfriend's
discussions of the two of them among her female friends; it can be a
little -- disconcerting.  "Anyway, like I said, it wound up being purely
physical."

   "She pretty good?" Crystal asked, curious.  I shook my head, waving my
finger to indicate that I wasn't going to answer that question.  Shrugging in
her best "it was worth a shot" gesture, she resumed, "She _did_ fantasize
about you.  Beth's even got a nice black dildo.  I heard her masturbate a
coupla times with it."  My eyes bugged out.  "Don't be too shocked.  After
all, _you_ knew that she watched us," Crys pouted.  "And you didn't tell me.
You _know_ how much I like to be watched."  She paused, and the room was
silent.  "Don... did she..."  Crystal hesitated, clearly unsure of how to
bring the subject up.

   "I'm _not_ going to tell you what went on between us, Crys.  You should
_know_ better than that," I warned.

   "Oh, I wasn't going to ask you about that.  It's just that... well...
ummm..."  I waited, bobbing my head rhythmically to urge Crystal on.  "Did
she, like, _say_ anything about me?  Like, I mean, ummm... _being_ with me?"
I blinked, and wondered aloud why she had asked.  "Well, y'see, I bought some
adult movies after we broke up, 'cause it was a while before I thought I had
found somebody worth going to bed with, and I used to find -- don't laugh at
this -- the tapes partially watched sometimes, but it was like, always
stopped right after the lesbian scenes.  For the longest time, I was afraid
Beth was turning gay on me.  I never heard her talk about any interesting
guys except when I heard her beat off with the dildo and call your name.  Now
I know why she was so damn secretive about her weekends, but I -- ummm...
really thought that Beth had a _girl friend_."

   I saw no need to reveal the Phil and Heather story.  Beth and Crystal's
long relationship was about to come to a crashing halt.  Maybe they'd be able
to patch it up later, once I was out of the picture.  I put a tentative arm
around Crys and she leaned against me quickly, with a happy sigh.  It might
be a long time before I'm out of this picture, I thought happily.  "No sex
tonight, Don, OK?  I just wanna _be_ with you," she purred.  I kissed her on
the cheek.

   "Let's go to bed," I softly replied, not letting go of her as we walked.
I had to stop at the bathroom first, so I reluctantly let go of Crystal as
she continued to the bedroom.
   
   "Don!!!  Red silk scarves????"

   Oh shit, I thought as I tried to piss faster, you forgot to put the damn
scarves away.  I hurried into the bedroom, positive that I was in for it now.

   Crystal was sitting on the bed, arms and legs folded, and she was rubbing
one of the scarves between her fingers.  "I'm curious," she said with a
smartassed grin.  "Exactly what did you and Beth do with silk scarves?"  Crys
pouted mockingly.  "And _why_ didn't you ever do it with me?"  She giggled
and hit me in the face with the scarf she was holding.

   "Because I didn't think you'd be into being tied up," I replied honestly.
No sense in trying to hide anything now.  It would only waste time.

   "You're into -- bondage?" Crys asked, incredulous.

   "Noooo, _I'm_ not.  Neither is Beth, really.  She just likes to think
she's not in control, and not responsible for her actions.  She wasn't ever
tied up so tight that she couldn't get away, but the symbolic gesture really
let her let go."  I paused briefly, then said, "_You_ let go quite nicely on
your own.  Beth needed the illusion of being powerless to stop it."  The
bedroom became quiet.
   
   "So, did it get _you_ off harder?"  Crystal's question shattered the
silence and my inner calm.  I paused, thinking for a moment.

   "I -- enjoyed it," I admitted.  Crystal would have to accept that things
had happened since we'd been apart.  As would I, since neither one of us was
inclined to celibacy.

   She hummed noncommittally.  "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but that
tying up thing is just a little out of my range.  Is that going to be a
problem?"  A year ago, right after we had met, Crystal would have been
incapable of having this discussion.  I had helped create a monster.  She
waited patiently for my reply.

   "Noo-o-o-o," I drawled, drawing out the word.  "I don't think so.  I mean,
you're much more confident and self-assured than Beth.  I can't see any
reason to indulge in that particular fantasy of mine if it's going to be a
sore point.  I can live without it 'cause my curiosity has been satisfied."
I tugged gently on her ponytail, and Crys smiled.

   "Remember what you told me?  _'Everything_ is negotiable between two
mutually involved parties,' right?"  I nodded.  Damn, she had been an
excellent student.  "And, I like my hair like this too, Don.  My parents
can't stand it, but there's a lot they've had to get used to recently," she
stated with a gleam in her eye.  "But -- no sex tonight," she cautioned,
turning out the light, then rolling over against me.  Crystal nestled herself
comfortably into the contours of my body.  "Don?" she said, pausing for a
second.  "I'm glad to be back," she finished.

   We went to Crys' place the next morning.  Beth was not there, but there
were signs that she had spent the night in her own bed.  Crystal changed
clothes, and we went to the country for the rest of the day.  We talked about
our last date during the ride.  I told her how I had felt, and what emotion
her eventual reaction had evoked in me.  "I apologize for my folks' behavior.
It's a very late apology, but it's something I never did, and I should have."
Crystal became silent for a few seconds, then quietly said, "I'm also sorry
that I let them intimidate me, and that I -- disappointed -- you."  The hurt
of rejection had subsided a long time ago, but I had never gotten over the
disappointment of seeing Crystal revert to her former self.  Her apology cast
off that piece of mental baggage I had been carrying around for the past few
months.

   We went horseback riding, stopping for lunch on a tree-filled ridge
overlooking smaller, bright green rolling hills.  The air was saturated with
the intoxicating (especially for a city kid) scent of late spring, and the
horses grazed quietly a few yards away.  Crystal hadn't mentioned her
roommate, and I was more than happy not to broach the subject.  There was one
question that I _had_ to have an answer for, though.  If I didn't get an
answer I liked, then our relationship was really finished.  After lunch, Crys
rolled over on her back, placed her head in my lap and peacefully closed her
eyes.  All the apologies had been made and there was no tension between us.
"Crys?"  She purred in acknowledgment.  "Why did you come back?  I _have_ to
know.  It's extremely important to me."

   Cryssie didn't move a bit.  "Worried that I'm just back for the sex?"  She
had figured it out, so I didn't say anything.  "I'd be lying if I said that
it wasn't _one_ of the reasons," she replied, still comfortable using my lap
as a pillow.  "And it was one of the things that made me realize I missed
you, but it wasn't _the_ reason I missed you."  Eyes still closed, Crystal
looked perfectly at peace with the universe.  "It wasn't that sex was always
unsatisfying after we broke up -- I just didn't always feel --
_comfortable_ -- expressing myself.  I never met anybody I was completely at
ease with."

   "Six months is hardly an eternity for an attractive, intelligent 25-year
old woman," I interrupted.

   Crys opened her eyes, drawing me into her twin black pools.  "No, but it
was long enough for _this_ 25-year old to decide she didn't want to play the
games any more.  I don't wanna guy who thinks I'm a slut just 'cause I'm
horny.  I don't wanna guy who gets upset when I wanna be sexy for no apparent
reason."  She paused, then sat up lazily.  "If you intimidate a guy in bed,
then he's gonna take it out on you _out_ of bed, 'cause he's afraid of you."
I nodded slowly in comprehension.  "County guys can't handle getting dragged
to the dance; they don't know what to do except it means they're gonna get
laid as long as they don't fuck up.  I'm tired of going out with guys who
walk on egg shells around me just to get laid.

   "But the biggest thing is that everybody -- and I include my folks here --
wants me to be what _they_ want me to be, _when_ they want me to be it," she
continued, frustration evident in her voice.  Crys paused a moment to catch
her breath, then resumed speaking, calmer and quieter.  "Except you.  You
always wanted me to be Crystal, nothing more, and you wouldn't accept less.
I -- appreciate that much more now, after going back to who I used to be and
trying to fit that in with who I am now.

   "You do things for me and with me because you want to do them; I've
learned to do that.  I don't do things because I wanna get a guy or keep him.
County guys only do things to get you and keep you until _they_ decide
whether or not you're a permanent 'keeper'."  She looked away, distressed.
"Is any of this making sense?"  I replied by running my finger very lightly
down the entire length of her spine, making her tremble.  "I guess I missed
the freedom I felt with you.  It was kinda like -- soooo different at first,"
Crys said, "bein' with a guy who like, didn't feel obligated, or didn't feel
like you owed him somethin'.  I really didn't mean to get so -- involved, and
I don't think you did.  It just sorta -- happened.  We were boyfriend and
girlfriend by our own decisions about ourselves.  I finally understand what
you meant that night about me considering myself your girlfriend."  Crys took
a deep breath and exhaled.  We were surrounded by the sounds of the open
country for an infinite period of time.  "Izzat good enough?" she finally
asked.  We necked under that tree for at least an hour before we decided that
we had better return the horses.

   Beth's white Fiero was in the driveway when I pulled up in front of
Crystal's place.  Our mood vanished instantly.  "See ya soon," Cryssie said,
easily, confidently as she slid out of the van with a kiss.