Being Jim Ch. 07: Barbra's Wish

As I neared the group Barb stepped away to meet me with open arms. A hug and a peck on the cheek set the tone for my initial behavior without saying a word. I smiled and looked deep into her eyes and tried to convey that I got the message as I took her hands in mine and we walked the final few feet to join the group. Barbra made introductions.

"Jim, this is Steven and his roommate Karie..." she indicated the younger model guy and little not so little miss giggles. "And this is Tommy and Timmi." She held her left hand out towards the two GQ wannabes who were shoulder to shoulder conspiratorially as if they were whispering comments to one another. "Everyone, this is Jim. Now he doesn't know you at all yet so be nice." She said the last part directed more towards Tommy and Timmi than the entire group. They just smiled like they had just been given a challenge turning their heads slightly to one side and raising an eyebrow as if to say "Who me?" Karie giggled.

"Now Barb... you know I'm ALWAYS... nice..." Steven said with a bit of a pout then grinned much like the other two guys had. Again Karie giggled but covered her mouth this time as well, possibly to hide her growing smile.

"Uh huh..." Barb said giving Steven that one eyebrow raised 'don't fuck with me' look. That just made Steven giggle like Karie and Barb couldn't help but to grin at that as she slipped her right arm in my left somewhat as a show of possessiveness I thought. Not that I minded. I wisely kept my mouth shut with all the banter and decided I'd remain mostly quiet except when I had to speak to be polite. I figured I needed to get a feel for this group before I said or did something that would either make a bad impression or worse embarrass Barbra.

"I got a call at the shop just before I left to pick up Timmi, Matt was running late and hadn't picked Tina up from work yet, so they're going to be late. I say we go ahead and get a table while we can." Declared Tommy with a flip of a dismissive wrist and a slightly shake of his head as he raised his chin up as if slightly annoyed.

"He's always running late." Steven declared as if he was just over it and ready to move on.

"Matt's always slowing us down." Timmi added then blushed and grinned as if he said something that he shouldn't have.

Karie had stepped inside to the hostess desk and asked about a table for eight. She came back out and told us that another party had just left and they were bussing the table but we could be seated in just a couple of minutes. We all stepped inside and the temperature fell by a good twenty degrees or more, much more comfortable. Barbra's arms broke out in goose bumps and she rubbed her arms to warm them up then leaned close in to me.

We were soon all led to a big round corner booth table. Timmi and Tommy slipped back around to the middle followed by Karie and then Steven. Everyone scooted around counter clockwise two places so that Birthday Girl Barbra could slide in then I sat next to her on the open end. That left the other open end available for Matt and Tina when they arrived.

Our waitress was at the table in a flash, and taking orders for drinks and appetizers. Now I'm not a big drinker and never have been so I usually forgo alcohol in favor of soft drinks. I ordered a coke but everyone else ordered some sort of mixed drink or another. Barbra asked for a White Russian. We also ordered several appetizers, wings, poppers, fries, and even some egg rolls. And then the interrogation began.

"So, Jim, where are you from?" Karie asked right out of the gate. All ears and eyes were on me, Barb just smiled and winked.

"Right here actually, born and raised. I did spend a few years living on the family farm my last couple of years of high school and for a couple of years in college." I offered matter of factly.

"Ooh, a farm boy..." Tommy crooned as he twirled his swizzle stick in his mixed drink.

"Where do you work?" Steven asked as he leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his hands cupping his drink as he looked past Barbra to see me.

"I work out at the plant now and for the past several years but I used to work for Dom's Pizza before that, for many years." I told the table.

"So you can cook? Or just deliver... pizzas..." Timmi said with a sly grin and winked at me. I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything nasty and Barb slid her left hand along my thigh reassuring me that I wasn't alone but to be cool. I smiled and shrugged in way of answering his question.

"How did you meet Barbra?" asked Steven as he took a sip of his cocktail.

"We met online at Night Friends." I said turning to look at Barb I asked. "That was what, a year ago maybe?"

"About a year, yes, but we didn't actually meet face to face until after that big snow storm." Barb confirmed and smiled a quiet knowing smile that told everyone that there was more to the story... a LOT more.

"Oh my god! I remember that storm! I was stuck at home for almost a week!" Tommy said.

"You didn't seem to be complaining at the time..." Timmi blurted out as if he were offended.

"Oh honey, I wasn't complaining!" Tommy added with a smile and sipped his drink and waggled his eyebrows at me. That was about when the reportedly always late Tina and Matt showed up.

Tina scooted right in next to Tommy and hugged and they exchanged air kisses. It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes or groaning. I mean come on... flame much more and someone was likely to pull the fire alarm I thought to myself. Matt slid in on the end next to his wife and looked around reluctantly at the rest before seeing me and realizing that I was not one of the "girls". I stuck out my hand to shake his in way of greeting.

"You must be Matt." I said. Barb jumped in with the introductions.

"Matt, this is Jim... a friend of mine. Jim this is Matt and Tina." Barb said giving what had to be a silent warning to Tina as Tina smiled first at barb but it looked a little forced then it brightened considerable as she extended her hand across the table to shake mine.

"Hi... Jim was it?" She said holding my hand a heart beat or two longer than was necessary to shake it in greeting. Then gave Barb a little smirking grin and levitated one eyebrow up for a moment before turning to the others at the table. "So? What did we miss?" She asked the table at large.

"Oh not much, we were just getting to know Jim a little better." said Tommy with a sly grin and a wink.

Matt put both of his elbows on the table and put his hands to his face as if he had been through this routine before and was pretty well over with it really. That's when our server came to the table bearing our appetizers. Everyone took a few minutes break on the inquisition and we all ate and drank.

The banter and talk fluctuated between bitching about work and plans for the upcoming week or innuendo for antics they had seen, or been part of. There were several toasts to Barbra wishing her happy birthday early. Barb broke the news to her friends that she was finally going to walk her bridge. They all seemed happy about that but wondered who was going with her since she was divorcing Jess then they all put it together some faster than others that it was I that was accompanying Barb up to walk the bridge. More knowing looks and perhaps jealous leers followed as did more innuendo and thinly veiled suggestions and hints.

Now I'm normally a pretty easy going kind of guy. I've been open minded all my adult life and I've certainly been around my fair share if not more members of the alternative lifestyles. Usually though I was known to those folks and they respected my orientation as I did their own so they were cool with me. This table though, friends of Barbra's or not was starting to wear on my nerves, get under my skin a bit.

I knew from experience that I needed to stand up for myself if I was going to get any respect from them at all. And, I thought, if I wanted to be in Barb's life and have her in mine I needed to at least be accepted if not respected by her friends. But how do I do that with this bunch?

These guys... except for Matt apparently were all to one degree or another, bitchy little twats that loved a good cat fight as much as they did breathing.

Karie and Tina were wildcards in my mind. Being a roommate to an effeminate gay man could make her a bit of a boss or the other end of the spectrum, a clinger. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt by not judging her at all and simply letting her define herself. So far she had been mostly sweet and unassuming towards me.

Tina struck me as a bit of a boss, definitely a girl on the prowl even if she was married. She seemed to be practically ignoring her husband and he seemed to be suffering it as just another day in the life. I won't judge him either as he seemed sociable enough when we first met a little while ago.

So what to do? I remained quiet and smiled a lot and just let it roll over me as I looked for a clue or an opening to work with. I didn't have to wait long.

Tommy was regaling the table with a lewd story about some "friends" getting nasty at the bar the other night. How one got a little drunker than usual and horny and decided he wasn't going to wait till they got home to have some fun. So he crawled under the table and began working on his boyfriend right there as the music blared and the show on the stage was in progress. A drag show... go figure.

Well apparently the guy was rather talented with his oral administrations and got his friend off in no time but that wasn't enough to pacify his horny desires at the moment so he moved to the next chair under the table and began to work on him. Only the "him" in question was actually a girl in drag... or going "Butch" as it were. He got a mouthful of surprise! The table broke up laughing and the comments began flying.

"So he was looking for a pole and got a hole!" Steven chirped in.

"Nothing there but hair!" Timmi giggled.

"I'll bet SHE was disappointed." chimed in Tina.

"No doubt!" laughed Barbra, as she sat her drink down so as not to spill it.

"Yeah, most guys don't know what to do with one anyway huh, especially with their mouths." Tina added in sarcastically. It sounded to me like she had been sorely disappointed before, maybe often. I looked at Matt and he was avoiding everyone's gaze and sipping his beer.

"Girlfriend! I'll have you know some of us guys know exactly what to do with our tongues." catted Tommy as he nudged Timmi with his left elbow causing Timmi to spill his drink.

"Oh hoh hoh... That's for damned sure!" crowed Barb as she gave that knowing smile and raised a single eyebrow giving me a sideways glance that drew everyone's eyes across the table from us, to me. I blushed slightly and gave a timid grin and shrugged. This may well be the opening I was waiting for. Tommy fixed his gaze on me as did the rest of the table.

"So Jim..." He licked his lips and glanced around the table with a quick sweep then locked his eyes back on mine. "I think Barbra just said you might have some talent that you're not sharing. Care to elaborate?" He said and smiled sweetly and fluttered his eyes at me, both of his hands holding his cocktail on the table in front of him swirling the ice and mixing his drink, a lone cherry floating around atop the ice with a long stem on it.

"Well... I wouldn't want to brag or anything... it is kind of personal after all." I began humbly.

"Oh he don't know anything either... he's a man." Tina snorted dismissively and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah... He's probably all talk too..." Tommy said agreeing with Tina. I felt Barb's hand on my thigh under the table again, almost pleading me to let it go. But... I had had enough. I smiled and raised both eyebrows at Tina and Tommy questioningly and blinked slowly one time.

I reached my right hand out across the table and plucked the long stemmed cherry from Tommy's drink and said.

"Bitch Please! Don't judge someone if you don't know anything about them!" and then made a show of slowly popping the cherry, stem and all into my mouth.

With my eyes locked on Tina's except for an occasional glance at Tommy to make sure he was watching as well. I rolled the cherry around in my mouth then pushed it out through my lips only to pull it back in and chew up the cherry and swallow it... then I stuck my tongue out with the cherry stem resting on it sans the cherry. I pulled my tongue and the stem back in and closed my lips raising one eyebrow and used my tongue to tie a knot in the stem. Then, again slowly, I eased my tongue back out to display the stem with one knot on it. That got both a slight rise of the eyebrows from both Tommy and Tina and a grin from Matt. I wasn't finished yet though. I pulled my tongue back in and winked and then tied a second knot in the stem. Again I slowly stuck my tongue out to show the second knot.

"Woo hoo hoo!" cried Timmi clearly impressed. I saw Karie squirm a little and Steven just kind of whispered something under his breath into Barbra's right ear. Before further comments could be made however I held up my right hand with my index finger extend as if to say "Wait just a second..." then pulled my tongue back in yet again.

I tied, with a little difficulty yet a third knot in the stem between the first two. The look on everyone's faces when I slowly extended my tongue to show the third knot was priceless. The smiles on Tommy's and Tina's faces were mixed... with a little shock and admiration, perhaps mixed with just a hint of envy towards Barb as well. And with that I was now "In" the group and not some interloper that was fair game to pick on and belittle.

Barb's grip on my leg under the table shifted a little to the left and she cupped my balls through my jeans and squeezed with the silent promise of more thanks to come later. I had given her some bragging rights and perhaps a bit of a queen bee status amongst these catty girls be they male or female. I had the feeling that I would be getting to know this bunch a lot better after this evening.

Two more rounds of appetizers and three more rounds of drinks and a couple of hours later the little impromptu birthday gathering broke up. Everyone hugging and wishing Barbra a happy birthday and a happy... time... later. All giving me hugs as well, pushing it in some cases, but friendly all the same. They knew I was spoken for as it were so they behaved for the most part. There were some whispers exchanged between Tina and Barb that I didn't ask about but the leer I got from Tina before she collected Matt's arm and they departed was enough to let me know that she would be thinking about my demonstration and the possibilities for some time.

Alone at last with barb outside the bar and grill we were standing beside her car. I got the long awaited and much craved kiss from her that I was looking forward to all evening. It was a slow sensual deeply passionate kiss, with her tongue dueling with mine almost stroking it lovingly before we pulled apart to talk a bit as lovers do.

"That, lover, was impressive! I knew that you had a very talented tongue but no amount of praise could have proven it better than what you did with that cherry stem! And what you said!" She giggled remembering my calling out Tommy earlier.

"If I didn't know better I would have thought you KNEW him when you said "Bitch Please!" I thought I was going to pee my panties! That was hilarious!" She grinned looking deep into my eyes with her arms on my shoulders and hands around my neck. My own arms were around her waist and hands resting on the small of her back.

"I've been around his type before... a time or three dozen. I didn't want to piss anyone off, especially your friends but I also knew I had to stand up for myself... and make a statement. What better way to make a point to someone who thrives on shocking others and flying in their faces than to basically do the same to them? He was being bitchy so I called him out on it. And I showed him... and Tina... and the rest I guess that sometimes it pays not to pass judgment on someone before you get to know them first. And I guess I also stood up for you... I mean YOU chose me as your friend, not them. They were belittling your choice by being condescending towards me." I said with a shrug as if anyone would have done the same.

"You still amaze me. I wish I had met you when I was much younger..." Barb trailed off wistfully.

"That probably wouldn't have worked out well, I'd been much much younger too... maybe too young depending on how far back you're talking about. But I'm happy I've met you now and we've gotten to know one another." I added with a warm smile and leaned in to kiss her again softly. Her head tipped up and her brown eyes shining in the light of the street lamp in the parking lot.

"Yes, I'm very glad we met too... you don't know how happy you've made me this past year." She spoke softly after we both came up for air again. Barb was running her fingers through the hair on the back of my head and rocking slightly from side to side as if to rub herself against my chest and abdomen as we stood toe to toe beside her car.

"I hope that you don't think that there isn't any more to come... happiness I mean. I will help you in any way I can, you know that right?" I said as I rested my forehead lightly against hers.

"Oh I'm counting on it lover... I feel so alive when I'm around you I just can't stand it sometimes when we're apart. I think about you, I dream about you, I wonder what you're doing..." Barb admitted and then drifted off to silence as if she were censoring her own words.

"I sense a 'But' in there somewhere..." I nudged with a quiet assertion.

"But I don't want you to feel tied down. That you have to feel like I'm demanding all your time, I feel guilty sometimes knowing that you're a young man and your whole future is ahead of you yet. You don't need to be tied down to an old woman like me."

Barb tensed in my arms as she admitted this last, closing her eyes and appearing to hold her breath. In my heart I knew that she loved me and more than just a friend and she as much as just told me that standing here in this parking lot. But at the same time she knew that she couldn't put demands on me because of her marital status and the fact that we both had previously declared that what we shared was unique in a way. Unique in that yeah we were friends, very special friends with amazing benefits but friends that cared about each other beyond physical gratification and the emotions tied to them.

I know I truly cared that Barbra was happy no matter how or what we turned out to be, and I knew in my heart that she felt the same way for me. What I couldn't figure out was why she felt guilty for having my attention and my affection for her. I honestly think that it was new to her. No one other than her own parents had ever loved her unconditionally and accepted her simply for herself before me.

"Barb... I have no claims on you other than my friendship. If we never made love again or even kissed again, you know I would still love you just as much and hold you just as dear in my heart as I do now. I don't give my friendship lightly, and my love is even rarer still. I make no claims on you and I ask none from you other than, hopefully, the same love and friendship."

I paused and brought my right hand up to her lovely saddened face and gently raised her chin with my fingers as she opened her eyes to search mine. Her big brown eyes glistened in the light of the street lamps over head, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"When you're ready to cut me loose and not play with me anymore that's up to you and I will respect that... but if you're worried about holding me back or tying me down with our relationship stop worrying. If you want to know about anything or anyone else I might play with I will be honest with you and share, up to a point anyway, what you want to know. I will no more kiss and tell with someone else than I would about you. What we have is between only us. That's the way it should be with anyone really. Up until promises are made and someone becomes exclusive of all others. But you know all that, we've talked about it many times. Why are you feeling this way now?" I asked trying to get her to open up and let me in.