Dana's Story Ch. 36-37

Following the humiliating debacle with Chet, Dana is determined not to let her experience with him ruin her evening. She accepts an offer from one of her matches on the hook-up app, and enjoys very pleasurable night with him. She also has intimate conversations with Zoe and, surprisingly, June before sharing Randy's bed again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Pies On The Run was mostly a delivery and take-out joint, but they had a couple of tables, usually unoccupied. Dana occupied one, a second, uneaten slice of pizza and a tumbler of soda providing her justification for taking up the table. She'd left the party without any unseemly haste (she hoped), but leave it she had as swiftly as she could. Nobody had pointed or whispered as she passed, so she counted that as a win.

Probably nobody knew who she was, or cared. She kept telling herself that, but Chet's cruel words kept circulating through her mind. She'd cycled from teary certainty that her reputation was irreversibly ruined to weary resignation to angry defiance several times now, and it was getting old. She chose to take that as a good sign that her emotional reaction was passing.

She checked the time on her phone again, and was again surprised by how relatively early it was. Just after ten p.m. Her humiliating bathroom encounter had happened early in the evening.

She ignored the hook-up app on the home screen, choosing instead to check her email. And her text messages. And scroll through several social media sites. Each time making a point of ignoring the hook-up app.

A few pages of the latest novel she'd bought, and she found herself studying the home screen again.

She wasn't feeling particularly desirable right now. Or trusting. Trying to score anonymous sex online had seemed like a much better idea Before Chet.

On the other hand, letting Chet's behavior influence her own might be letting Chet win. More than he already had. And they did say the best thing to do after getting thrown was to get right back on the horse, right?

Dana stared at the app for what seemed a long time, struggling with the decision. She ate a bite of pizza. Drank some soda. Stared at the app--and then frowned, annoyed by her indecision.

She touched the icon to open the app.

She had a number of messages from her matches. Was that anxiety twisting her belly, or excitement?

She checked them one by one. Most were dully unimaginative. Hi or Hello and seldom anything more. One read U R Cute HMU. It took a moment to parse that as "hit me up."

There were two crude offers of sex without any preliminaries. She unmatched those immediately.

It's getting late. We're running out of time for a date before you tell me tomorrow whether it was your best idea ever.

Dana smiled. Someone who'd actually read her profile. Shocking. His profile identified him as James, a senior. He was Japanese-American, and attractive, with a nice smile. And a body-builder, as two pictures demonstrated. One showed him dressed for the gym, mugging with a friend for the camera in a dorm room. The other was a posed picture showing off his biceps.

And nice biceps they were.

Dana flipped through his pictures twice. He was hot, and there was enough self-awareness in his expression in the strongman pose that she found it charming and not obnoxious. And she liked his response to her words.

She typed a reply and sent it. It's not that late.

She waited. One minute. Two. Her anticipation faded. He could be doing anything right now. He probably wasn't even looking at the app.

Her phone chimed and a reply appeared.

The depends on how thoroughly we want to test your idea.

Dana hesitated. What do you have in mind?

That's entirely up to you. We can hang out, watch a movie, swap tall tales, whatever you're comfortable with. No purchase necessary. No obligation. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

Dana smiled. She liked him. Well, she liked how he presented himself. Her smile slipped a bit. Chet had put on a good show, too, at first. What if James talked a good game but turned out to be another asshole?

She stared at the chat log, thinking it over.

If she got any bad vibes from him, she'd bail out immediately. Fear counseled caution, but she knew a lot of that was due to her experience with Chet. What if James didn't turn out to be an asshole? Having a nice time with a friendly guy, even if all they did was hang out and talk, would go a long way toward washing the taste of Chet out of her mouth. So to speak. And if he turned out to be a good guy and sexy, too? So much the better.

That's quite an offer, she typed. I'm tempted to say yes.

He didn't respond immediately. Then a picture appeared. A still of Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons, fingertips steepled. Excellent.

Dana laughed out loud this time, and typed Where am I going?

James gave her his address, in one of the senior dormitory buildings. She'd seen it but never been inside. It wasn't far away. Dana agreed to meet him there in a few minutes. She glanced at her purse. She didn't often carry one, but it contained a few essentials in case she stayed overnight with someone. It would come in handy now.

She also texted Zoe, letting her know where she was going and who she was meeting. Just in case. Zoe was probably in bed with Bobby and wouldn't see it for quite some time. But she'd see it sooner or later.

The moment Dana sent the text a weight she hadn't even been aware of, brought on by Chet's behavior, melted away. Dana felt giddy with relief, and a familiar tangle of excitement and anxiety about her adventure settled in deep in her belly. She was really going to do this, and she looked forward to it.

* * *

James was taller than Dana had expected, about six inches taller than Dana herself. He was waiting for her in the lobby, sitting on the arm of a sofa dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, when she entered his dormitory. He rose from the sofa and called to her. "Dana?"

Dana nodded. "James?" she replied, as they approached one another.

"Yes," he said. They did an awkward little dance, neither sure whether to shake hands or hug, before they hugged briefly. Behind him several other students sat in a circle having a lively conversation.

He was attractive, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he had the same charming smile she'd seen in his photos. The shirt was remarkably tight, showing off his muscles. Dana couldn't blame him for that. She was wearing yoga pants to show off her ass, after all.

"It's good to meet you," James said. He gestured at the sofa. "Would you like to sit down? We can sit and talk for a bit."

Dana sat with a glance at the other students. Their conversation was quite animated and loud. The lobby was open all the way to the top floor, curving staircases on either side. James sat beside her, at a conversational distance. Dana couldn't help but think of Chet squeezing in right beside her. She liked this better, and tried to put him out of her mind.

"I'm glad you replied to my profile," Dana said.

"I wasn't the only one, I'm sure."

"No, but it was the only one I actually liked," Dana said.

James laughed. "Dick pics?"

"No, thank god," Dana said. She hadn't even considered that possibility. "Just a lot of boring one word responses, or crude propositions."

"You'll probably get a lot of that," James said, "but you can dismiss them pretty easily." He paused. "So when did you create this new profile?"

Dana smiled. "About six hours ago."

James' eyebrows rose. "Really? Why did you--"

A burst of laughter from the other group interrupted him. When it died down, he asked again, "Why did you do it? What are you hoping for, Dana?"

I was hoping to get laid. But she wasn't willing to say that to this stranger quite so soon, or so bluntly. "Uh..."

James obviously recognized her discomfort. "I withdraw the question," he said. "Tell me something about yourself, something you feel comfortable sharing."

Relief and embarrassment sent heat into Dana's cheeks. "I'm from a small town in southern Virginia," she blurted. "I have three siblings...." Sharing family details and her interests was much safer than admitting her motives for creating her profile. She relaxed again and turned his question back on him.

James was one of two children, his family from Baltimore, Maryland. He shared some of her interests--genre books and movies, though he didn't play RPGs. He surprised Dana by telling her he wasn't much interested in ball games, though he wrestled and studied jiu jitsu. "A cliché, I know," he said, "but what can you do?"

He also did a lot of weightlifting, Dana observed, noting that she'd admired his muscles. He obligingly flexed an arm for her, and she took the opportunity to poke at his biceps. It felt like a rock.

"I've started weight training," she said, flexing her own arm and poking at it. "But--nothing."

"Nothing yet," James corrected her, squeezing her biceps--or lack thereof--with one hand. "Give it time. Where do you train?" She didn't miss that he didn't withdraw his hand.

"Blaine's Gym," Dana said.

So did James, it turned out.

"I've never seen you there," Dana said, then rolled her eyes at her own statement. "Of course, I've been there maybe three or four times so far."

"When do you work out?" James asked. When she told him, he nodded. "I work out in the afternoons. No surprise that we haven't met."

Another raucous chorus of laughter filled the room. Dana glanced at the group again. When she turned her attention back to James, he leaned a little closer. "It would be less noisy in my room," he said. "We can continue our conversation there. If you're satisfied that I'm not an ax murderer."

Dana liked that idea. He was attractive, and he seemed like a decent guy, and he wasn't testing her boundaries the way Chet had.

He straightened up. "Or we can stay here, if you'd rather."

Oh yeah, she liked him. The offer to stay in a public place was definitely worth bonus points. Dana smiled. "Less noisy would be good."

Visibly pleased, James led Dana up three flights of stairs to the top floor. The floors were coed, he told her, with girls on one wing, guys on the other. A circular balcony around the central atrium allowed people to get from one side to the other.

James' room was nearly at the far end of the corridor, close to the fire exit. He pointed out the communal bathroom as they passed it, noting that the girls' bathroom mirrored it across the atrium. The building was older than Dana's dorm, and seemed more solidly built. She heard muffled music from a couple of rooms, but little else. Better soundproofing, too, apparently.

That could be handy.

"Come on in," James announced, opening the door and waving Dana through.

His room was remarkably neat. Crowded, but with everything well organized. It was about as deep as Dana's dorm room, but narrower. On the other hand, he didn't share it with anyone. There was only one bed, the head and one side against the walls of a corner formed by a closet next to the door.

A corner computer desk surmounted by a huge widescreen monitor and keyboard occupied one corner of the room. The other corner had been turned into a mini-kitchen with microwave, hotplate, mini-fridge, and foodstuffs neatly organized on wire shelves. He even had running water in the form of a built-in sink and mirrored cabinet. Opposite the bed was a flat screen television and DVD player on a wide, low dresser.

"Nice room," Dana said.

James closed the door. "Privileges of seniority. I did my time off-campus as a sophomore," he said, referring to the lottery for distributing dorm rooms on campus. Freshmen were guaranteed a dorm room, but sophomores had the lowest seniority and were most likely to have to find their own accommodations.

"This is the first time I've had a room to myself," he added.

Dana accepted his invitation to sit. The bed had several pillows propped against the wall to make sitting and watching the television more comfortable. After some discussion, James queued up Ghostbusters and joined Dana. They had both seen the movie many times, so they talked while it played.

The conversation roamed over many topics. Dana found herself spending more time looking at James than watching the movie, and he was doing the same. The conversation ground to a halt. Dana squirmed a little, horny and nervous at the same time. She wanted to make a move on James, but fear of rejection stilled her voice.

It was stupid. He'd replied to her profile. He'd responded to her texts, and she was sitting alone with him on his bed on the pretext of watching a movie. The chances that he wasn't interested were miniscule. And yet...her old habit of concealing her feelings, her fear of revealing a vulnerability, had her in its grip.

She looked away, staring at the screen as the Staypuft Marshmallow Man terrorized New York City. A sideways glance confirmed that James was still watching her. Damn it, she thought. Don't be such a wimp. Take a chance.

Dana turned toward James and pulled him in for a kiss, heart pounding.

As if he'd been waiting for some sign--and perhaps he had been--James followed up with another kiss. They separated for a moment, looking at one another, and then with matching grins of anticipation, wrapped their arms around one another and spent a few minutes making out. They slid to one side a little at a time until they lay facing one another.

James kissed well, and oh god, but when he ran the fingers of one hand up through her hair to grab a fistful and gently pulled her head to one side and nibble on her ear, it thrilled her. She felt it harden her nipples and kindle heat between her thighs. She renewed their kiss, running her hands over his arms and torso, admiring the sculpted firmness of his muscles.

His hands weren't idle. He maintained his hold on her hair, returned her kisses with enthusiasm, or breaking away to drive her crazy when he nipped and nibbled at her earlobes and neck. His other hand explored her body, caressing her breasts, belly, thighs and buttocks. Dana ground her vulva against his thigh, wanting more, wanting to feel his skin against hers.

"Dana," James said, voice raspy, his lips brushing hers, "do you want--"

Dana reached back to pluck his hand from her ass and thrust it inside the waistband of her pants.

She felt his lips curve against hers in a smile. "Okay, then."

He resumed kissing her, fondling her ass as he did, before withdrawing his hand long enough to roll Dana onto her back. His fingers slid beneath her waistband again, warm and solid and confident. Dana moaned happily, spreading her legs, as James discovered just how wet and eager she was.

"Nice," James whispered, stroking her a few times before she felt two fingers penetrate her.

She groaned and lifted her hips, groping with one hand until she found and explored the bulge in his jeans. He was definitely excited, which pleased her, though not as much as the sensation of his fingers stroking in and out of her pussy. "Oh, god," she muttered, "just like that, please don't stop."

Chet had left her hanging, and despite the emotional turmoil she'd experienced afterward, her libido was undiminished. Fooling around with James had reawakened her desires, and she knew she was on a short fuse now. She wanted, needed, the orgasm she'd so narrowly missed earlier.

Dana lay, eyes closed, feeling the lovely tension in her body winding tighter as James kept up a steady rhythm. She released his cock to fumble with his belt. It was difficult to unbuckle one-handed and without looking, and while distracted by growing pleasure.

Success! Unbuttoning and unzipping him was easier. James' fingers felt magical. Dana trembled all over, the pleasurable sensations concentrating between her legs like the charge before a lightning strike. She plunged her hand into James' jeans, discovering a lack of underwear and a hot, hard cock rising from a mass of springy pubic hair.

She wrapped her hand around his length--and cried out as her orgasm overtook her. Dana shuddered, grip tightening on James' cock, making incoherent sounds of pleasure for long seconds before her climax faded. She sprawled on the bed, sighing happily, stroking the length of James' cock.

It was the least she could do for him.

And not enough.

Dana pulled him into a kiss with her free hand. "God, I needed that," she said. "Thank you."

Now she pushed him over on his back. She released her hold on him long enough to tug his pants down to his knees. James seized the opportunity to peel off his shirt while Dana straddled his legs and wrapped one hand around the base of his cock again.

He grinned in anticipation. Dana matched his grin with one of her own, then leaned forward to swallow the length of him. James groaned loudly and muttered, "Oh my god...." Dana backed off, caressing the shaft with her tongue, before sucking and licking the head. James made loudly appreciative noises.

Dana swallowed him again. He was of average length and girth, neither as thick as Randy nor as long as Bobby, and the practice she'd had served her well now. She did her best to blow his mind--so to speak.

The tension she could feel in James' thighs and see in his abs, and in the way he clutched at the bedding, made it easy to draw out his pleasure. When she sensed him nearing a climax, she backed off to grin at him while she stroked him slowly with her hands, feeling incredibly sexy. When the crisis had passed, she took him in her mouth again.

During one such intermission, James insisted that she take her top off. Dana paused long enough to strip off her blouse and remove her bra. James tried to fondle her breasts, but she pushed him down with a hand on his chest.

"Later," she said, thrilled by his obvious desire, and feeling powerful. She swallowed his cock once more, determined to make him come this time.

She sucked and licked him enthusiastically, and when she sensed the gathering tension this time, instead of backing off, she redoubled her efforts. James writhed slowly beneath her, moaning and groaning. His thighs and torso went rigid and he fell silent for a few heartbeats.

His cock erupted, throbbing and spurting semen. James cried out, "Oh god! Oh fuck!" and rocked his hips in a vain effort to drive himself deeper. Dana continued sucking him, lips sealed around the shaft until James sagged beneath her, gasping for breath.

She let his cock escape her mouth, but licked it repeatedly until all traces of his orgasm were gone.

"Oh my god, Dana," James said, "that was incredible." He gestured for her to come lie next to him. "Come here."

She shook her head and stood up beside the bed to kick her shoes off and strip out of her pants. Naked now, she leaned over to yank James' shoes off, then drag his jeans the rest of the way off to join her clothes on the floor.

Dana studied his body by the shifting light of the DVD menu. She'd seen the way his biceps popped when he flexed. Now she admired the muscles of his chest and abdomen, and the lines of thighs and calves. He wasn't bulky, just very, very well-defined. She didn't doubt that his ass was rock hard as well.

She wanted very much to feel his body on hers, and to wrap her legs around that ass while he fucked her good and hard.

She stretched out beside him. She flashed back to Chet and wondered for just an instant if he, too, would refuse to kiss her. James pulled her tight against his body and gave her a frantic, sloppy, very thorough open-mouthed kiss that put her fears to rest.

When it ended, they remained on their sides, bodies pressed together.