Ardmore Pt. 02

At the time she was volunteering some of her free time with her mother at an abused women's shelter in town. So oftentimes her dinner conversation revolved around her activities there. While I found the discussions interesting, I was surprised that Ari often sat silent stifling yawns. He rarely contributed anything to that part of the conversation, which I found odd since Adrienne was so strongly committed.

The only person who wasn't too keen on Ari was Gary. He didn't resent him, just the reason for him being there. While cordial, he always told me that Adrienne and Ari would never become a couple. This was his father's idea and it was a bad one. He never said why he thought the way he did; so I assumed he was just being overly protective.

For my part I didn't spend much time thinking about Adrienne's love life. When I reached high school our wrestling team was consuming a fair amount of our energies. Both Gary and I had achieved all-state rankings in our respective classes and as usual, Adrienne was up in the stands with my father during all our home contests.

As the team's standing improved so did our notoriety, and of course our stock amongst the girls in school. Gary was basking in the limelight attempting to date the entire junior class. He must have gone out with a couple dozen girls by the end of the first half of that year. How he remained good friends with so many I'll never understand.

Me, I had latched on to a pretty blonde named Brenda Williams. Well that wasn't exactly true. She had actually latched on to me.

I had known Brenda since junior high where we regularly competed in math classes. She was perhaps the brightest kid in the school and definitely one of the most popular. Her intelligence, coupled with an effervescent personality and dazzling looks made her a magnet for male attention.

Gary once briefly dated her as a freshman. He succeeded after failed attempts by most the freshman class. Because of his past interest I avoided her. For reasons I couldn't fathom, she began shadowing me as we began our junior year.

Initially the flirting was subtle; she began to appear at our practices that summer then when classes began she was often sitting near me passing obscure notes. By the second week of school I had received several calls at home asking about homework assignments. This was unusual because her grades were never doubt. Then when I returned the calls it was obvious her interests were more in me than my notes.

Gary cracked up when I told him what Brenda had been doing. But as often happened, Adrienne overheard my story and wasn't amused. She had a few run-ins with Brenda while she dated Gary. He knew his sister wasn't a fan and told me. Adrienne never said why she disliked Brenda but her facial gestures spoke volumes. Regardless of her displeasure, Brenda was one hot chick. When Gary guessed that I was holding back because of their past history, he encouraged me to 'go for it'.

Our first date was extraordinary. All night I kept asking myself the same question. Why Me? Here was this five foot four stacked honey with a smokin' body who thought I was her dream date. She was easy to talk to, sweet, sexy, and she wanted to know everything about me.

The girl could not keep her hands to herself, small wonder that by Christmas I was silly in love. In the year and half we were together she taught me how to kiss, swapped her virginity for mine and introduced me to the joys (and terrors) of public sex. After wrestling, school work, and working part-time, every remaining minute was consumed with Brenda.

By the end of my junior year I had a little over $ 700 saved up from part-time jobs. This was my money for incidentals needed for school. As Brenda and I became closer the desire for a car became more urgent. Papa wasn't pleased with the idea; he wanted the money to remain in the bank, at least until I turned 18. Left up to him, Brenda and I could either hitch a ride with another couple or use public transportation.

There was but one option left to me, to plead my case with my mother and let her persuade Papa. My mother was much more receptive to me buying car. Being the more practical of the two; she extracted specific promises from me as to access by the family as well as my obligation to pay for my own insurance and upkeep. In the end I got the car but the cost was measured in a lot more than money.

With me working mainly for money to support our weekend excursions into Philadelphia; the only free time we spent apart were my now infrequent Sunday dinners at Gary's. Brenda loved to dance, so we were often found either at one of the clubs in the city or at one of the ever-frequent campus parties in the area. We might have been underage but no one would refuse Brenda entry, and where she went, I went. Our times together were always an adventure.

She would rub her butt up against my crotch the entire night, whether on the dance floor or standing near a secluded wall. She was exhausting. It got so I was guaranteed to be tired and horny as I drove her home each night. Then once we reached her door we spent almost as much time kissing and feeling each other up.

I turned eighteen in February of our senior year. Brenda, who was a couple of months older, decided we would celebrate by loosing our virginities. Her declaration had not come as a surprise. I had been carrying a condom in my wallet for several months in anticipation.

We went to her sister's apartment on the Bryn Mawr campus. Brenda had made arrangements and the place was empty. She had assurances that it was ours for the night. She had accurately assessed our lust for one another, but not how often I could recoup. For us, it was barely enough time.

After a few shots of vodka I found myself buried in Brenda's wet and snug pussy. She was a wild woman. She was also double jointed, the importance of which guaranteed me a sore back for days. Even so, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Sex was a revelation for Brenda. It made a serious imprint on her personality. Put another way, she became insatiable. We had sex in the back seat of my car, in the swings at the playground, on the train station platform, and on the train itself. We once even tried oral on a Ferris wheel. I was walking on air and completely addicted. Brenda loved sex and her enthusiasm was infectious. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of thinking her enthusiasm and love of sex applied to me as well.

A month before our senior prom she dumped me. She didn't leave a message or write a letter. First we had sex under the stands of the baseball field. Later as we dressed she simply looked me straight in the eye and calmly told me the score. I remember the scene well. As usual, her logic was unassailable.

She had early admission to UC Berkley and would be pre-med. We had talked about her planning to be a doctor, but Berkley was a stunner. Her sister was attending Bryn Mawr, and both her mother and aunt were alumnae, so naturally I assumed she would be following them. I was so wrong.

Knowing I was planning on college close to home she thought a long distance relationship would be impractical. I listened in silence, thinking that the practical part had more to do with her sexual appetite than her need to focus on her studies. With her looks she would have no trouble replacing me at Berkley.

She wanted a clean break, no complications. We would always be 'friends'. I agreed. She showed surprise that I took it so well. We even parted after a passionate kiss. Inside I was a wreck, but I refused to give her any satisfaction of my condition. We had talked about our lives after high school many times so her announcement that afternoon came as a complete turnabout.

It was awkward seeing her at school those last couple of months but I acted my part.

After high school we did correspond for a short time while she was at Berkley. Our relationship was never the same though. We lost touch after freshman year.

The problem was that I thought I actually loved her. The breakup hit me hard. I had never experienced such pain before, and it was unceasing. Over and over I replayed our adventures, our promises, what we had said before and after sex. Nothing made sense. Without a way to reconcile her behavior all I felt was lost.

I didn't go to my senior prom. My teammates had rented several limos. I didn't see the point. Gary tried to set me up but I refused his help. As a last resort Adrienne offered herself as my date. She knew all about my breakup, in some respects she knew more than Gary.

Anyway, I made the big mistake of telling her she was too young. It was a thoughtless comment that I regretted as soon as I said it. When I saw the hurt in her eyes I immediately tried to apologize, but she would not accept it. Our conversations were cool for a time thereafter, and for a while I was afraid the breakup had cost me both of my closest female relationships.

There was a certain payoff in my own self-pity so I didn't outwardly indicate I missed either of them. Fortunately I still saw a lot of Adrienne, so our issues did eventually resolve themselves.

I had changed though. Never again would I allow myself to become 'whipped'. The sex hid too many things. It dulled my senses and masked the truth. I swore it would not happen again. Somehow I needed to harden myself against such traps.

Chapter 7: The Grand Experiment

Brenda knew the colleges where I had applied. They were all in the area. However, I never had the opportunity to tell her I had been accepted to Temple University. They offered scholarship help if I wrestled. They also offered student housing. I accepted the admission and rejected wrestling and the housing, instead opting to pay my way and commute. Papa was not amused.

Gary tried to talk me out of it and so did Adrienne. I had told them both about my intentions. Gary would be wrestling at Penn State. He argued I could join that program if I wanted. My grades were excellent and with my all-state ranking they would undoubtedly make room for me.

Adrienne disagreed; she thought the Temple offer was too good to turn down. But in her view the idea of working my way through school was impractical, even if I lived at home. It would have been better to take the aid, live on campus, and wrestle for their team. Her argument was well reasoned and she was passionate in its delivery. I could see her concern for me but it wasn't enough.

In my mind I associated wrestling with Brenda. My passion for the sport was gone, replaced by a gnawing ache. Depression does that to you, but I was too young to recognize it. To my way of thinking, wrestling was too public an activity. I wanted to withdraw into solitude; my studies alone afforded me that privilege.

My decision caused a financial shortfall that could only be met by student loans and a part-time job. In an unexpected move, Papa said he only had enough money to cover my first year. Still I remained unyielding. I promised to work my way through to graduation. Inexplicably he gave up when I mentioned that.

At the time I was eighteen. Only Gina and I remained at home. My oldest sister, Maria, was a surgical nurse in Baltimore. Julia was married and a mother, while Gloria was finishing graduate school at Brown. Even Gina, a newly licensed engineer, was planning on moving out in the spring. Perhaps after guiding my four older siblings into adulthood Papa was too tired to contend with my growing moodiness.

Contrary to the self-confidence I tried to display to him, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. At school I went through the registration process in a haphazard fashion. In my first semester I had decided to take differential calculus because math felt comfortable.

I did not have a major in mind. Business was intriguing. The behavioral sciences were interesting. In fact, I was curious about every subject in the catalog, though not driven by any. I thought to take my time, choosing at the last possible opportunity. In the meantime, whatever my eventual major, I did have one concrete goal, to graduate in 3 years.

I picked several courses based upon my advisor's recommendations. For the last I chose sociology in part because Adrienne encouraged me to take it. It turned out to be my favorite.

My Soc professor and I hit it off immediately. He made the subject fascinating by continually blending in economic analysis as a way of objectifying behavior. There was also enough cynicism in the course that I was hooked. In addition the Prof was big on research, an area where I excelled.

We read "Tally's Corner" and discussed cognitive dissonance. I was taken with the subject and wanted to pursue my own independent study. My professor bought into the idea and suggested, though half in jest, that it would be safer if I researched women in the sex trade as opposed to street gangs. It was said in jest but I took his idea seriously.

At the end of that first semester I had a 3.8 grade point average and a determination to try for an independent study the next semester. It took half a dozen research proposals delivered over the Christmas break to obtain permission for the project.

I settled on getting a job in a gentleman's club as a means to accomplish that goal. I even persuaded my Soc professor to write a letter of introduction. He thought it was a hokey approach, but I was confident it would help in getting the job. Later, the letter did prove useful, but in a manner not intended. Getting his recommendation was easy, the job was another matter.

Club after club turned me away. My age was often being given as the reason. I was seeking jobs at the seedier places in town. Fighting a growing despair I started going to the more upscale gentlemen's clubs. At the last establishment, Xanadu, I struck up a conversation with one of the bouncers, Albert Farina. Albert, like me, had been a state ranked high school wrestler and we knew of each other by reputation.

As we talked he found himself drawn into a potential brawl between four disgruntled patrons. Their battle began as soon as they reached the street. They had not counted on Albert being an obstacle to their fight. Seeing that he was outnumbered, I interjected myself, careful not to cause injury or expand the disturbance.

I should mention that I was still in pretty good shape at that time of my life. At 5'11" I weighed in at 195 pounds, most of it muscle, and fortunately I now moved almost instinctively, a benefit from years of training.

I held one man and simply talked some sense into him. Of course, that was after his buddy got kicked in the shins by Albert to facilitate his reeducation. That man and I also had a very calming conversation; as calming as possible while I held his friend in a headlock. Acute pain has a way of making alcohol take a back seat. It was soon after order was restored that I found I had a job.

Well it was almost that easy. Actually Mr. Rui (pronounced Roo), the club's owner, asked me into his office after the melee. When I told him I was looking for a job and why, he responded with skepticism. He politely told me that I was too young to work in the club where booze was served. However, when I produced the letter from my Sociology professor he let out a laugh so loud that people came knocking.

He simply waived them away, but not before summoning one of his dancers. A tall caramel colored black woman appeared minutes later. She was a knockout. "Wow" was my first thought as I took in her beauty. She must have come directly from the stage, as she was loosely covered by a silk robe, which allowed me glimpses of her bare breasts as she entered.

Rui passed her the letter; she scanned it quickly and then looked over at me, a small smile barely escaping her lips. "Independent study?" She asked me, her voice clear and surprisingly authoritative.

"Yes ma'am." I managed to croak out.

She turned back to Rui and nodded. At that point he merely said thanks and she left. Rui got up, peeked outside his door momentarily and retook his seat. I in turn sat studying him more closely.

"Kid, that's some letter. I get about one joker a year trying to 'research' my ladies. You're the first to bring me proof." With that said he sat and chuckled to himself.

He was a bull of man. Though several inches shorter than me, he weighed in at about 240 or so, and he too appeared a man used to physical exertions. All this was in contrast to his very measured way of speaking. That was the reason his employees were so alarmed. Rui rarely laughed, and if he did he was never so animated.

He then reconsidered giving me a job. It turned out that Mr. Rui not only had women working in the club, he also provided entertainment for private parties' offsite. It was my luck that when I met him he was in need of another driver (or footman as he called me). I was to drive and provide security.

The job was mine with three conditions: that I had a driver's license since I was to use a company car, that I got a haircut, and that I come to work always in a dark suit. He explained that his business was based upon image, and the image I projected reflected the reputation of the club.

If mine were some scheme to meet women it would be to my benefit to leave right then. Fraternization with the dancers was strictly forbidden. The club did not even allow boyfriends or husbands to enter during working hours, so relationships with other employees could also not be tolerated. Image, reputation and business, these were the words Rui emphasized over and over as I shook my head in agreement.

I arrived home an hour later more in doubt than I expected. It's one thing to fantasize about working around a group of hard bodied dancers; it's another to actually have that job. I knew I needed to get over Brenda and that I had been slowly withdrawing from everyone. Working at the club would be like shock therapy.

My schedule was set for Friday and Saturday evenings between 6pm and 2am. I was getting a whopping $ 8.00 an hour; this at a time when the minimum wage was $ 2.30. The money was better than I imagined! All that remained was to explain this to my father.

I had to tell Papa about my new job since I would be coming in quite late, and it wasn't enough to merely say I would be working nights. My father is not a stupid man. I told him about my research for class then about the job itself. He didn't ask many questions, only advised me to be quiet when I arrived home. He would explain the rest to my mother.

Inwardly I gave a sigh of relief. If my mother objected, my plans would be history, which is why I approached him first. He would do the talking for me.

I thought when we finished that I would never understand Papa. I prepared to lay out all the arguments I could. Again I was caught off guard when he acquiesced to everything. Based upon his reaction I decided not to tell my friends until I had been working for a while.

In order to maintain some distance between myself and the ladies in my charge I decided to adopt a persona solely for the Club. I altered my physical appearance by shaving my head completely bald, and instead of the dark suit, I purchased a used tuxedo with red bowtie and cumber bun. In hindsight, being bald caused more turmoil with my parents than my coming in at 3am.

When Friday arrived I thought I had it figured out. On assignment, I was going to behave like a fly on the wall: speak only when spoken to, act only when demanded, and project a face devoid of emotion. Ostensibly, this was a research project (or so I deluded myself). Questions could not be asked during engagements so the drive times would become the principal research periods.

The club had a day manager and a night manager in addition to Rui himself. Rui had eighty ladies in his stable (his term not mine). Less than two dozen or so did out-call work; and they were to be my principal concern.