Dana's Story Ch. 34-35

With all of her usual playmates otherwise occupied, Dana decides to try mingling at a party in hopes of finding someone new to bed. It's not her strong suit, but her options are limited. Alas, even in a fantasy world like Literotica, not every experience can be a peak experience, and this adventure is not one she will remember fondly. Things will go much better in the next installment, which will be posted soon.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Dana jerked awake when her alarm went off the next morning. She was alone in the makeshift double bed. Randy had gone home exhausted and satisfied at oh-dark-thirty, leaving two very satisfied women in his wake. And Zoe, apparently, had risen and left for her classes without waking Dana. Or if she had, Dana didn't remember it.

She was strongly tempted to reset her alarm and go back to sleep, but she knew herself well enough to know she had to make a habit of getting to the gym if she intended to do it regularly. By the time she'd showered and dressed, she just had time to grab a protein bar on the way out the door. It was cold and blustery outside, and dampened her resolve, but she made it to the gym nonetheless.

A little over an hour later, Dana was no longer cold. She wore gym shorts and a tank top, with her hair in a pony tail to get it off her neck. She was sweating heavily, and breathing like she'd been running. All the same, she was very pleased with herself. She'd lifted more weight today than she had on Tuesday, and would lift more on Saturday. Not a lot more, only ten pounds more on her squat and dead lift than last time, and five pounds on her bench press--but it was a personal best.

The app on her phone beeped at her. Rest time was over. She had one last set of dead lifts to complete and she'd be done for the day.

She stepped up to the barbell and shifted her stance slightly to make sure she was where she needed to be. She went through her mental checklist as she prepared for the lift. "Bend over...grab the bar...shins forward, knees out. Ass up...tits up, neck straight." She took a couple of deep breaths, tensed her abs and dragged the bar up her shins until she stood upright, shoulders back, then down again. Once more. Then again. And again. And one last effort, making sure not to drop the bar but control its descent.

"Oh dear god..." she muttered. The bar felt ridiculously heavy, and she wondered how she'd lift even more next time. She felt simultaneously absurdly pleased with herself and embarrassed. Pleased that she was actually working at something athletic, and making improvements, and embarrassed by how little weight she was lifting compared to other denizens of the gym.

And not just the guys.

The tall black woman with the unlikely name of Bambi, for instance. Dana had watched her squat and dead lift well over twice Dana's body weight earlier today. The same woman, now dressed in street clothes, who had paused on her way out of the gym to watch Dana. Dana raised a hand in greeting. "Hi."

"Hi," she said. "I watched your dead lifts. Mind some advice?"

"Not at all," Dana said, wiping her face with a towel. "You're...I heard someone call you Bambi?"

Bambi smiled, revealing straight white teeth. "Jean, actually--but everyone calls me Bambi." She was gorgeous, and up close Dana could see that she was about forty. She was even taller than Dana had thought, definitely over six feet, and built like a movie star from the fifties.

Dana offered her hand. "I'm Dana."

Bambi's grip was strong. "Nice to meet you, Dana."

"So? You had some advice?"

"Yes," Bambi said. "Don't arch your back quite so much on the dead lifts. I know, the guys here told you to do that. But they're guys and you're not. You're a lot more likely to overextend your lumbar spine than they are. You'd do better to concentrate on trying to pull in your navel to keep your back flat."

"Oh," Dana said. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"You're welcome. You're new here, aren't you?"

Dana nodded. "This is my second time here. Well, my third, really, but the first time was just to try it out. How long have you been coming here?" She wondered how long it had taken Bambi to start lifting so much weight.

"I started about a year ago," Bambi said, surprising Dana.

"A year?" She'd made all that progress in a year?

Bambi laughed. "Seems impossible, doesn't it?"

"It does," Dana admitted.

"I know," Bambi said, shifting her purse and gym bag to her other hand. "I remember being where you are now, and thinking the same thing. But if you keep at it, and keep trying to lift more every session, you'll be amazed at how much progress you can make in just two or three months."

Dana nodded, wanting to believe it. "That's what Randy said, and Mr. Blaine--"

Bambi laughed. "Mister Blaine? You mean Rick?" The gym's owner and manager.

"Yeah," Dana said, a little annoyed by Bambi's laughter. Calling adults Mister or Missus was how she'd been raised. That she was an adult now herself hadn't magically changed that habit.

Bambi must have seen it in her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have laughed. It's just that...nobody else here calls him anything but Rick."

"I guess not," Dana said, trying to let go of her irritation. Bambi had apologized after all.

"And who is Randy?"

Dana smiled. "My boyfriend. He introduced me to this place."

"He'd better be good to you, then, Dana," Bambi said. "You stick to this for six months or a year, and you'll be fighting guys off with a stick."

Dana tried to suppress a smirk, but failed. "What if I don't want to fight them off?" she asked, feeling daring for voicing the thought.

Bambi's laugh this time was loud enough to draw attention from some of the other gym patrons. "Well, that's between you and Randy, I suppose. Good for you for keeping your options open!"

She looked like she was going to say something more, but then shook her head slightly. "It was nice to meet you, Dana. I have to get going, but if you're serious about training, I expect we'll see one another again."

Dana shook her hand again. "It was nice to meet you, too, and thanks for the advice."

She watched Bambi exit the gym, then turned her attention to removing the plates from the bar, re-racking and wiping down everything. She picked up her phone to check the time. Good. Plenty of time to shower and dress for the walk across campus to class.

* * *

Dana returned to her room late in the afternoon. Her classes ran til noon, then she had lunch at the commons before spending some time in the library studying. The room was unoccupied when she got there. The scented candles they'd used to illuminate the room for the threesome with Randy had burned out during the night, leaving only melted wax and a pleasant lingering scent.

Rearranging the dressers, beds, and desks wasn't easy. "This is why you're lifting weights," Dana reminded herself repeatedly. So things like this would be easier eventually. She was grateful for a break when her phone chimed.

Getting sandwich at Jimmy Wong's. Should I get one for you? Zoe texted.

Yes, please! The usual, Dana replied.

She resumed dragging furniture around. She was exhausted and sweating by the time she had the room back in order. She stripped the beds and remade them, then sprawled on the pile of bedding to rest. She was still lying there when Zoe entered the room.

"Yay! Food!" Dana said, sitting up.

"Hey, Dana," Zoe said. She kicked the door shut behind her. She set two brown paper bags down on the nearest desk, then removed her backpack and coat. "Hey, you rearranged the room. You didn't have to do that alone."

Dana shrugged. "I didn't want to wait. You didn't have to buy dinner."

"You made both beds, too. Thanks, roomie. We'll call it even, then," Zoe said with a smile. She opened one bag to pull out two wrapped sandwiches and packages of chips. The other bag contained two plastic bottles of soda--and a large paper cup full of ice.

"I can't believe you insist on a big cup of ice in the middle of January," Zoe said, handing it to Dana, along with her food.

"It's a southern thing," Dana said, removing the lid and pouring her soda into the cup. "You wouldn't understand."

Zoe sat down at her desk to unwrap her sandwich. "We both live in Virginia, you know," she replied.

"Yeah," Dana said, "but you live in Northern Virginia. It's completely different."

"Right," Zoe drawled.

Dana grinned but didn't answer. She took a bite of her sandwich. It was simply turkey with some kind of mayo-based dressing on a baguette, but damn it was good. Much better than anything so simple ought to be.

They caught up while they ate, not that there was a lot to share. Until Zoe made her announcement.

"Dana, you know how we were gonna go to that party tomorrow night?"

Dana looked up from her meal. "Were?"

Zoe nodded, looking apologetic. "Were," she confirmed. "Bobby's plans for tomorrow night fell through, so...."

Dana could fill in the blanks. "So instead of trolling for a hook-up, you're going for the sure thing."

Zoe brightened. "Exactly. Can you blame me?"

"No," Dana admitted after a long pause. "I guess not." She couldn't. She'd do the same in Zoe's shoes. Of course, Zoe actually liked those stupid parties. She was actually good at making small talk and being charming and social and hot. Dana had little doubt that Zoe could have picked someone up.

She'd always figured her own chances were a lot worse, and had only agreed because Zoe would be going with her. There would be at least one person she could talk to, and someone to provide encouragement in the unlikely event that she found a potential playmate.

"I'm sorry to leave you hanging like this," Zoe said. "But you can still go by yourself?"

"Yeah, I don't think so," Dana said. The party was always only a means to an end for her. Noisy, dark, crowded, and full of drunks. Everything she didn't like. The only attraction had been the possibility of scoring a one-night stand.

"I'm sorry, Dana," Zoe said again. She paused for a moment. "Is your gaming group playing tomorrow night?"

"What?" It took Dana a moment to work out the seeming non sequitur. "Oh! You want the room to yourself. Yeah, they are." She shrugged. "Maybe I'll join them after all." She'd much rather get laid, but if that wasn't going to happen, gaming was a passable alternative.

"Yeah," Zoe said, looking apologetic again. "I'd like to have the room for at least a few hours. If you come back late, well, we've been there before." Her apologetic expression morphed into a wicked grin.

"Yes, we have," Dana agreed. Now it was her turn to pause. She'd seen Zoe and Bobby together several times, and had joined them twice. She could think of many worse ways to spend a Friday night. "In fact--"

"Dana," Zoe said abruptly, interrupting her. "I love you like a sister--"

"Not exactly like a sister," Dana said, interrupting her. She knew what Zoe was going to say, and it disappointed her but didn't surprise her.

Zoe laughed. "Okay, not like a sister. I love you like a lover, but all the same, I am not inviting you into my bed tomorrow night."

"Yeah, I got that," Dana said. "I understand."

"Do you?" Zoe asked, honestly concerned. "Are you sure?"

Dana took a moment to really consider how she felt. She nodded. "Yeah, I do."

She liked having sex with Zoe and with Bobby. And she liked having sex with both of them. But she didn't always want that. Sometimes she wanted to focus on one lover--and have one lover focus on her. She could hardly fault Zoe for feeling the same way. "I'll make myself scarce tomorrow night. You kids have fun."

Zoe relaxed, apparently convinced of her sincerity. "We will. And, you know, you might consider going to the party after all. You never know. You might get lucky."

Dana grimaced. "Maybe. I don't know." She felt torn. Sitting on a gaming session would be fun. She always enjoyed the games. But if she went to the party there was a chance--a small chance, admittedly--of scoring a one-night stand. Or possibly more, if things went really well. On the other hand, the odds were that she'd spend several hours enduring a dark, crowded, noisy room and end up with nothing to show for it.

She met Zoe's gaze and shrugged. "I've got all day tomorrow to decide."

* * *

At four o'clock Friday afternoon, Dana still hadn't decided. She'd debated the question internally all day, unable to reach a decision and stick to it. Joining Dave and the guys for gaming was the safe choice. Guaranteed fun, but it meant going to bed alone, and seeing or hearing Zoe and Bobby going at it. Which would be arousing, yes, but also frustrating. Going to the party was almost certain to be frustrating in a different way.

And yet. She might get lucky, in more ways than one. It could happen, however unlikely it seemed, and she would really like that. So now here she stood wrapped in a towel, freshly showered and exfoliated, legs newly shaved, skin moisturized, studying her face in the mirror. It didn't hurt to primp for the party, after all. If she went, and it was a bust, she could still join the game late, they'd be playing for hours.

The door opened and her suite mate June appeared. She wore a robe with a towel over her shoulder, a basket of shower supplies in hand. She lifted her chin in greeting. "Dana."

"Hey, June," Dana replied. She smiled, refusing to let things get awkward. So June was about to prepare for her date with Randy. So she'd be sharing Randy's bed later tonight. So what?

"You have a date tonight?" June asked, pushing open the water beaded shower curtain to hang the basket over the shower head.

"Hmm? Oh--no, I don't. I'm going to a party," Dana replied, and realized only then that, yes, she had decided on the party.

"Yeah?" June replied. She removed her robe and hung it by the door. She stepped into the shower stall and pulled the curtain closed. "Well, have fun."

"You, too," Dana said. She looked at her reflection in the mirror again. Did she mean that?

Yes, she did. She hoped June and Randy had a good time. Sure, she was envious. But only in the same way she felt envious of Zoe and Bobby tonight. They were all going to get laid for sure, and she wasn't. She didn't begrudge them the pleasure, she just wanted some for herself as well.

And going to the party was the only way to make that happen.

Well, not the only way, it occurred to her.

There were guys on Randy's hall who had made it quite clear to her that they would be happy to bed her if she ever gave them the opportunity. Some she'd found rude, crude, or unattractive. Others...not so much. She'd never given them any serious thought before.

Now she stared into the mirror, contemplated the possibility. She could do it. She really could. It would be terrifying, shocking, and very, very slutty, but she could show up and almost certainly find someone to take her to bed. It was an exciting thought, and she indulged the fantasy for a minute.

She wouldn't. She couldn't. That was how she'd wrecked things with Darren. She'd wanted to have sex with him. He wasn't there, but Randy had been, and she'd eagerly fallen into his bed, too concerned with her own pleasure to consider Darren's feelings. She'd hurt him badly.

She didn't regret becoming lovers with Randy, but she did regret the way it happened, and the hurt she'd inflicted on Darren. The humiliation she'd felt when Darren broke up with her wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat either.

Things were different with Randy. They had explicitly agreed to an open relationship. But to show up on his hall, to try to sleep with one of his neighbors the same night she knew he would be bringing June back to his room? No. Even if she were a hundred percent certain in her own mind that she wasn't doing it to spite him, it would certainly look that way.

"No," Dana said aloud.

"What?" June called from the shower.

"Nothing," Dana replied. "Just talking to myself. Have a good night!"

"You too," June said absently.

Dana escaped the humid environs of the bathroom. Zoe was still out, so she had the room to herself. She picked up her phone as she passed her desk and sat on her bed. The party was still more likely than not to be a bust, and trolling Randy's neighbors was not an option.

But there were other ways to troll for sex.

Dana opened up the app store and began searching through it. She'd briefly tried a hook-up app once during Christmas break, but had chickened out when someone tried to set up a meeting. Maybe it was time to try one again.

It probably wouldn't do her much good tonight--she'd have to set up a profile and take some pics. But she had time to get started, and just thinking about using an app to score anonymous sex was a fun way to pass the time.

Downloading the app took only a couple of minutes. Creating a profile took considerably longer. Dana first spent a while scrolling through female profiles to get a sense of what people included. Some profiles consisted of a single image and minimal text, not much more than placeholders. Others had several photos, and more detail about the user's interests. Some included links to other sites, where the users posted more photos. She wasn't going to do that, not tonight anyhow.

The site didn't allow nudes--not that Dana was ready to post any--but lingerie and bikini shots were common, as were photos where cunningly worn towels revealed a lot of skin. She didn't have much in the way of lingerie. A few nice bras and some panties, but she and Zoe were both more about getting entirely naked than wearing frilly, lacy things for sex. But she was sitting here wrapped in a towel.

She didn't take any photos yet. She still needed to finish with her hair, but the knowledge that she would be taking some racy photos later made the process more exciting. By the time she was satisfied with her hair, imagining how she'd look in her pictures, and imagining guys admiring them, had her more enthusiastic about the party. She briefly entertained the idea of getting her toys out and masturbating, but reluctantly decided it would be better to wait.

If she ended up alone tonight, as still seemed likely, she'd use them then and her orgasms would be better for having let her desire grow.

Dana took a lot of selfies with her camera. She deleted most of them. Taking a good selfie was harder than it looked. She got a couple that were passable, but that was all. She set that project aside and worked on the text of her profile. It needed to suggest her true purpose--getting laid--while being plausibly deniable if the wrong person saw it.

The thought of Betty Smith discovering her oldest daughter trolling for anonymous sex online was terrifying. It really dampened Dana's excitement for a few moments. She took a deep breath and forced herself to sit up straight again, out of the hunched posture just the thought of it had produced. She reminded herself that it would never happen. Or almost certainly never.

She fiddled with the wording for some time--until Zoe arrived to find her sitting on her bed, typing into her phone.

"Hey, roomie," Zoe said, "what are you up to?"

"Creating a profile," Dana replied.

Zoe's question had been casual. Now she gave Dana her full attention, and Dana made a face. Her oh-so-casually vague reply had not gotten past Zoe.

"What kind of profile?" Zoe asked with a wicked grin.

Dana held her phone up for Zoe to see. "A dating app."

"Hook-up app, you mean," Zoe said. "'Yes, this is a new profile. Is it the best idea I've ever had? Swipe right. I'll tell you tomorrow,'" she quoted the first line. The rest she read silently. There wasn't much.