Gaming: D&D Pt. 10

My wet hips slapped into her wet buttocks, as I drove my distended length into her depths. Simran had to lean forward, and brace herself with her hands, to prevent me from driving her into the next room.

I don't know how long we lasted. But my balls seemed to burst as I exploded inside her, and I cried out her name.

I clung to her, breathing deeply. Simran turned, and wrapped her arms around me.

- "Wow." she breathed.

***

That incredible shower fuck cause me no end of grief. I couldn't figure out what had happened. It was as if I had lost control, and treated her ... well, I wasn't sure how I had treated her.

I felt a bit guilty, to tell the truth. I had enjoyed two powerful orgasms - and I was pretty sure that she had not.

I tried to make it up to her, the next time we were alone. I went down on her with infinite patience, teasing and caressing and trying to give her the mother of all orgasms. The result was satisfying ... but no more than that.

Somehow, there was something wrong - or missing - with our sexual relationship. It was good - but not great.

I loved her. Absolutely. Completely. I worshipped her. I was an attentive, conscientious lover, who put her pleasure before my own. I would go down on her at the drop of a hat. I always made sure that she had an orgasm - before my own.

But there was something ... not quite right. What was it?

I wasn't going to ask her about her sex life with Arjun. I didn't even want to think about that - just as I was sure that Simran didn't want to hear about Jen, and especially not Diane.

It all came to a head - literally - in February. Simran was staying over with me, after a Valentine's Day date which we had both enjoyed. I was going down her, my head between her legs, taking my time, trying to maximize her pleasure.

She came - quietly. I could feel it. A slight tremble. No fireworks, no ringing bells, no explosions. I felt defeated.

Simran could tell, immediately, that something was wrong.

- "Ian? What is it?" she asked.

- "I don't know, Sim." I said. "I don't ..." I had no idea where to begin, or how to start. Thinking about sex is one thing - talking about it with your girlfriend quite another.

- "You can tell me, Ian." She sat up in bed, looking quite concerned. "You can tell me anything - you know that, right?"

Great - now I had her worried that something was seriously wrong. And the longer I sat there, without saying anything, the worse she was going to think it was. So I took the plunge.

- "I don't quite know how to say this, Sim. Forgive me, if it comes out ... wrong. But - am I satisfying you? Sexually?"

She blushed, a little, But she didn't laugh, and she didn't shy away. Instead, my beautiful girlfriend took my hand, and then she kissed me on the cheek.

- "You are a gentle, generous lover, Ian." she said. "You always make sure that I ... reach a - a climax."

I had to smile. She was nervous, too, and certainly no more accustomed to talking about this subject than I was.

"You really do put me first." she continued. "If I so much as shift my hip, you're ready to change position. You're patient, and attentive ..."

- "But?"

- "There's no 'but', Ian."

- "Okay - how would you describe our sex life?"

- "It's good." she said. Then she blushed again.

- "Good." I repeated. "But not great."

Simran gave me a long look.

- "Is that what's worrying you?" she asked.

- "The fact that our sex life is just 'good'? Yes - that worries me." I admitted. "You haven't thought about it?"

She didn't answer immediately.

"You have thought about it." I said.

Simran squeezed my hand tighter. "Ian - if I tell you this - you have to promise me that you won't forget two very important facts."

- "And they are?"

She kissed my cheek again. "First and foremost, Mister - I'm very much in love in with you. That's not going to change. And second ... I enjoy being intimate with you. That's not going to change, either."

It was my turn to kiss her cheek. "I won't forget. I promise." I was never going to forget what she had just said.

She sat up a little straighter in the bed. "Alright. In that case, let's treat this as a workshop: how do we improve our ... -"

- "Intimate moments." I suggested.

- "Right - those." Simran smiled. "Sometimes, Ian ... you treat me like ... like I was fragile. I won't break, you know, if you squeeze me too hard. Trust me - I'll let you know if you're hurting me."

I nodded. That was certainly true. I was a bit too ... careful.

"And ... you're still putting me on a pedestal, Ian. Not so much when we're out. But ... when we're in bed. I don't know how to describe it. You're almost ... reverential, when we make love."

- "Good word." I said. It was true. I adored Simran. I worshipped her. And I guess I was somewhat in awe of her. She had picked up on it.

- "One last thing - and please remember what you promised, before I say this - sometimes, my orgasms ... (she blushed again) ... are a bit ... predictable"

"I hate to say it. It sounds horrible - to complain about the ... quality of my orgasms."

- "They're good, but not great." I said. And then I mustered all of my courage. "What could I do, Sim, to give you more powerful orgasms? You must have had some ... before?"

Simran's face clouded over. She knew exactly what I was thinking.

- "No." she said. "No, Ian. Don't ever think that. Don't ever compare yourself to Arjun. He was selfish in every way - all the time."

- "But -"

- "There are no buts." she said. "You are superior to him in every way. Every way, Ian - do you understand me?"

I nodded.

"I'm not asking you to be selfish. Well ... maybe I am. A little more selfish. Some of the time." she said. "How I can tell what turns you on, if you're so dedicated to pleasing me?"

I must have looked perplexed, or uncertain. She squeezed my hand again.

"Ian - please believe me. You are more of a man than Arjun was - by any standard. There's no comparison. If I had experienced you first, there is no way I could have stayed with him."

"I'm not asking you to be like him. I'm just suggesting ... that you let me down from the pedestal, from time to time. You've stopped deferring to me, in public - mostly. Now you should stop deferring to me in private. Don't always put my pleasure first."

"Remember New Year's Day - in your bathroom? Ian - that was the best sex I've ever had. Intense, passionate - and completely unexpected."

"Surprise me. Take your pleasure, Ian. Take me."

That was an invitation, if I'd ever heard one. I flipped Simran onto her stomach, and took her from behind - hard, and fast.

She was right: she wasn't fragile. I pounded her, slammed my erection into her, grasping her by the hips to pull her towards me.

My orgasm was incredible.

Afterwards, she clung to me, breathing heavily into my ear.

***

- "You've been really busy." said Nate. Parvani was making tea.

- "I guess so." I admitted. It was true,. I was pouring my heart and soul into my thesis, while simultaneously trying to resolve my issues with Simran. That meant that I had been neglecting my responsibilities to my D&D group.

Over the past month, I had cancelled once, and delivered two sub-par performances. It was still enjoyable, to get together with my friends on Thursday evenings - but I was letting them down, and I knew it.

- "Roll up a character." said Nate.

- "What?"

- "Just roll the dice."

I did as I was told. I thought that it was just an experiment. He gave me five dice, and told me to take the best three. My first roll was 6-2-3-6-6.

- "Eighteen! Holy shit!" said Nate. Parvani came out to see what I was doing. "Looks like a fighter." he told her.

My rolls were average thereafter - though my constitution and charisma were fairly good.

- "Roll four dice." said Nate.

I did. 6-4-3-1.

- "You're a fighter." he said. "A Captain of mercenaries. You have 14 men. It's up to you to decide who they are. Next Thursday, we'll begin."

- "Begin what?" I said.

- "Your story." said Parvani.

***

Simran was especially attentive, after our valentine's Day conversation. We made love several times - and on each occasion, I tried to ... change my game.

She stayed over in my apartment, one night. When I awoke, she was already out of bed. She had started a pot of coffee - bless her heart - and was curled up on our second-hand couch, reading, when I came out into the living-room.

Her hair was messy, and she had no makeup on. She was wearing track pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I poured two cups of coffee, and brought her one.

- "Thanks, sweetie." she said.

I sat down opposite her, and began to read some schoolwork. There was no way that this dry reading could compete with my beautiful girlfriend. I could tell, from the shimmying and shaking under her shirt, that she wasn't wearing a bra.

- "Simran?" I said.

- "Hmmm?"

I didn't give her a chance. I pounced on her, and trapped her on the couch. It took me only a few moments to undo her buttons, and confirm that she was braless. I pulled her pants down, to discover that she wasn't wearing panties either.

Moments later, I had her half-naked on my couch. Simran didn't complain.

We fucked on the couch - like maniacs. I tried to drive her into the cushions, while Simran tried to pummel and hammer me into submission. I groaned, and spewed semen into her.

***

I tried tying her up. Wrong idea.

***

Then I let Simran tie me up.

She loved it. She went down on me, as if she was desperate to learn what state secrets I might divulge. Then she got ... mean - she teased, and tortured me.

Finally, she mounted me, and rode me like a thoroughbred. Her full breasts swung above my face, and I could watch her pursed lips as she thrashed and plunged atop me.

It was the most incredible sex of our relationship - thus far.

Afterwards, she lay beside me, with her head cradled on my arm.

- "You know, Ian, when I made that suggestion about our ... intimate moments?"

- "I distinctly remember something like that."

- "I'm being serious." she said. "I only meant to suggest that you didn't have to put me first, every single time. That you should feel entitled to seek your own pleasure, too."

- "I understood."

She turned her head, to look into my eyes. "Did you? Because I don't remember saying anything about bondage."

We both laughed. But then she reached out to place her finger against my lips.

"Seriously, though: you don't have to come up with something original every time we make love. I'm afraid that one night you'll drag out a suitcase full of toys, or that you'll have set up a trampoline, or something ..."

- "Those are both good ideas." I said.

She pinched my lower lip.

- "I've discovered that I like being pampered, and adored a little ... just not all the time. I love it when you ... when you go down on me - it's just that we don't have to begin that way every time." she said.

"And once you have brought me ... to orgasm - you don't have to try for a second. You should please yourself, too."

I kissed her fingertip.

- "Thank you, Simran. This is priceless information for me to have. Thank you for telling me." I meant it, sincerely. How many women tell their significant others what they like?

- "I just want you to be happy." she said "As happy as you make me".

***

Nate had really done his homework. He had created beautiful, hand-drawn maps, and sketches of the most important NPCs (non-player characters). He helped me flesh out the 14 men under my command.

- "Roll fourteen dice." he suggested. "If you roll a six, that guy gets a significant stat, or characteristic."

Nate had also picked out the music for my adventure. Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, Enya, Clannad (Enya's sister's band - they did the awesome soundtrack to the TV series The Hooded Man), the Stones 'Paint it Black', and 'Achilles' Last Stand' from Led Zeppelin's Presence album. He had also included some Genesis standards, like 'Watcher of the Skies', and 'The Knife'.

He led me straight into an ethical dilemma. My little band was part of a mercenary company, employed by a Baron who was rebelling against a Prince, his liege lord, with the help of the neighbouring Kingdom.

When the walls of the capital were breached, I followed my special instructions, and drove for a temple in the eastern end of the city. After a hard fight (two of my men were killed), we captured the temple - and the Prince.

New orders came down from on high. The Prince was to 'disappear' - and we were to bury him in an unmarked grave.

My character, Bohemond (Yeah, I like Norman knights), couldn't do it. I called my remaining soldiers together, and put the question to them. Most of them didn't like it, either. We were warriors - not murderers.

We smuggled the Prince out of the city, with his elderly servant, and made a run for it.

Just like that, we were hunted fugitives, with an army chasing us, and virtually no one on our side. That was where we ended our first game.

It was my first experience as a player since Burnsie's introductory sessions. I was discovering, firsthand, the joy of playing the game - of not knowing what was going to happen next. I had been a GM for so long, I didn't know how it felt to be a player.

- "Holy shit, Nate." I said. "That was awesome."

- "Glad you enjoyed it." he said. "There's more to come."

***

Simran was being unusually cagey, as we had a pint at the local.

- "So." she said. "Tell me about the suffragist movement in Britain."

- "Come again?"

- "Women demanding the vote. Britain." she said. "Tell me about it."

I knew the basics, of course - it's a fascinating story ... Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, and the split in their ranks caused by the First World War. They were also divided on the issue of tactics; Emily Davison threw herself in front of the King's horse at the Derby in 1913 - and was killed. I knew a bit from previous reading, and even more from Yvonne Bennett-Smythe's book.

- "Why are you asking?" I wondered.

- Indulge me." said Simran.

So I told her what I knew.

"How could I learn more about this?" she asked.

- "Well, I recently read a great book about suffragists and the war - I told you about the author - Yvonne Bennett-Smythe. She's a friend of Dr. Welsh. I met her in London."

Simran reached into her briefcase (she had come straight from work). She pulled out a legal file folder, and extracted a thick sheaf of papers. She passed them to me.

I read the title. "Suffragists after the Vote". And then I saw the author's name: Y.A.C. Bennett-Smythe.

- "Holy shit." I breathed. "How did you get this?"

- "I've been asked to edit it." said Simran. "There's a new edition of her book coming out in North America, and she's added two chapters."

- "And you're editing it?" I said.

- "I know. Isn't that amazing?"

It was. You can believe in a 'Small World'. Or you can subscribe to the theory that things happen for a reason. But it was pretty cool. Dr. Welsh thought so, too.

- "I'd like to meet your girlfriend, Ian." he said.

We did lunch at the Mexican restaurant. Welsh and Simran were like old friends right off the bat. They skipped the 'make fun of Ian' routine entirely, and moved straight on to the subject of Yvonne's book.

I was very mindful of what Simran had told me about Arjun. There was no way I was going to repeat his gaffe. I let her talk.

She came home with me afterwards, going on and on about how wonderful Dr. Welsh was, how lucky I was, and how interesting it all was.

Once back at my apartment, I phoned in an order for pizza. I was very surprised to find Simran in the doorway of my kitchen, clad only in panties and a chemise. She smiled, and crooked a finger at me.

- "Come here." she said.

- "The pizza will be coming in 40 minutes." I pointed out.

- "You'll be coming much sooner than that." she said.

***

Simran and I had reached a new level. I continued to open doors for her, and treat her with respect in public. But she never complained that I was putting her on a pedestal again. Somehow, I had found a good balance - and it didn't take a conscious effort to maintain it. It became natural.

Our ... intimate relations were also excellent. I stopped trying to come up with something new and exciting every single time (though I still thought about the trampoline, occasionally).

I discovered some essential truths. I didn't have to rock her world each and every time we went to bed. It was okay to let Simran take the lead, too, and let her give me pleasure. I also found out that talking more - and more openly - about sex could lead to ... great sex.

There were many, many ways for us to come together. There was comfort sex, and unhurried moments when just lying beside this beautiful woman made me feel secure and wanted. There was impromptu sex, that seemed to spring out of nowhere, unexpected and un-choreographed.

And there were intense, passionate couplings, when I lost track of time, and place - of everything except the irresistible need to be even closer, even deeper inside her.

- "I love it when you're on the verge of losing control." she said. "Normally you're the opposite: calm, cool, and collected."

- "Aren't you afraid, at all?" I asked. "It scares me, a bit."

- "That's part of it. But you'd never hurt me, Ian. We both know that."

Sometimes, I learned, just fucking was okay. It was casual, recreational sex - with the person I loved. I was shedding a lot of inhibitions and hang-ups, and so was she.

- "When we first started making love," she said, "I had to overcome my urge to ... resist, when you went down on me. For some reason, I felt like you shouldn't be doing that ... that I didn't deserve it."

- "I'm glad you got over that."

- "Me, too."

***

I only had three exams in April. One of them, though, was an oral comprehensive. Four professors - including Dr. Welsh - sat around a table and fired questions at me. I wasn't just ready - I was pumped.

The night before, I didn't sleep at all. I drank coffee, and listened to The Jam (thank you, Derek) while bouncing up and down. My answers must have been good - the profs kept interrupting me, so that they could ask a new one.

I didn't just pass - they awarded me a PWD - Pass With Distinction.

Then Welsh offered me the research job in London again. "July - Three weeks' work, this time." he said. The pay was just as generous. I had a few questions of my own.

Simran agreed to meet me at Falafel Hut for lunch - it was only two blocks from her office. She knew that something was up. I didn't keep her in suspense.

- "Simran - would you like to go to Britain with me in July?" I asked.

*****