Mary, The Damsel in Distress Pt. 03

"Well, I think you just answered your first question, Kat, you bad girl," Mary said, and Kathryn looked at me.

"OK, yes and yes," she said. I was actually shocked. "I've thought about it, yes, but there have also been a couple of occasions when the opportunity was there, and well..."

"Well?" Mary said. I was flattered, but also slightly terrified.

"Well, I was tempted to act on it," Kathryn finished, took another gulp of wine and avoided my eyes. "Right! My turn. Phew," she went on, a little embarrassed. "Richard, Truth or dare?"

I still wasn't ready for a dare, though I could feel the effects of the wine. "Truth," I said.

"OK, Richard," Kathryn said. "Have you ever wanted to fuck me?" she said, and I did a spit take. Luckily the oven timer beeped at that exact moment and I stood up.

"Dinner's ready!" I said.

"Sit down and answer the question, babe," Mary said, and walked into the kitchen. I waited for Mary to return with food, hoping they'd just move on. She'd made baked ziti and it was amazing.

"Oh my god, Mary, this is fantastic, thank you," I said, taking a bite. Kathryn nodded in agreement and we all chowed down.

"Thank you, but answer the question, Richard. Have you ever wanted to fuck Kathryn? It's a simple enough question."

"Of course I have," I said, and took a chug of wine. I wasn't going to say anymore. The girls smiled at each other naughtily. "That's it? No follow ups?" I said.

"No, I think you made your position perfectly clear, dear," Mary said, and both the girls laughed. "My turn, babe."

"OK, Mary. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," she said.

"Have you ever faked an orgasm?" I asked, temporarily forgetting about the situation she was in when we met. "No, never mind, that's..."

"No I haven't, Richard," she answered, interrupting me. "You're the only man I've ever been with and you being the consummate gentleman and possessor of an electric tongue and an even more electric cock, every time we've made love, which has been a lot, you have made me come. Usually more than once." I guess she didn't count all the other men before me, which was a nicer narrative than the truth.

"So, Richard popped your cherry, Mary?"

"Yes he did. He's been the only one, and I'll never need another. Man, anyway," she said and smiled at me. If this was her truth, I would let her have it. It was pretty lovely.

"You absolute pirate," she said to me, and all I could do was shrug.

"OK, Kat, Truth or dare?" Mary said.

"I think I've revealed too much already, so... dare," Kathryn said.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Kathryn?" I asked her. "Mary will dare you anything."

"Yes, that's true. Kat, I dare you to flash us your tits," Mary said. Kat shook her head and removed one of her socks.

"Sorry, babes," she said. "I'm not drunk enough for that."

"Well, drink up," said Mary and they both laughed. I sensed that Kathryn was withdrawing a little from the innuendo and raunch of the evening.

"OK, Richard," Kathryn said. "Truth or dare?" I was ready for a dare, and said so. I finished my wine, and poured everyone a new glass. "OK. Richard. I dare you... to kiss... mmmm Mary."

"Oh, come on, Kat, say what you want to say," Mary said. "Don't be a bore."

I stood up, walked over to my girl and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She smiled at me sweetly but shook her head at Kathryn. "That could have been yours," she said and Kathryn blushed and looked away. Was Mary trying to push us together?

"Truth or dare, Mary?" I said, then went to the kitchen to fetch another bottle. We were all tiddly now. After the last few questions, I was ready for something to happen.

"Go on, Richard. Dare me," she said. OK, I would.

"OK, Mary, I dare you to sit on Kathryn's knee and kiss her for one minute," I said. Kathryn looked a little uncomfortable, but Mary stood up, sauntered over, and sat down. Mary put her arms around Kathryn's neck, and I saw Kathryn's hands fall to Mary's waist. Mary pressed her lips lightly against Kathryn's and the two of them had the softest little make out session I'd ever seen.

It probably lasted longer than a minute, and after a while, Mary stopped and sat back in her chair. Both girls drank some wine, and Kathryn was definitely flushed. "Well, that was nice," I said and we all laughed, breaking the tension.

"Truth or dare?" Mary asked Kathryn. I'm not sure if Kathryn was ready to go on. She breathed deeply, looked over at me, drank some more wine and leaned forward.

"Dare," she said, and I could tell she was hot after that kiss.

"Kat, I dare you to make out with Richard," Mary said. I felt a jolt of excitement in my body. This was something I'd thought about many times, since we'd first met about ten years ago. She had probably been my main fantasy girl until I met Mary, anyway.

Kat stood up and looked at us both. She kept looking, apparently deciding what to do. But she sat back down and took her other sock off and threw it at me. Mary made a sad face, and I have to admit I was disappointed. I looked at Mary. "OK, girl. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Mary replied.

I was hoping she'd say that, because I had a question for her. "Mary, were you hoping we'd all have a three-way tonight?"

"Richard!" Kathryn said, then both girls laughed. Mary paused.

"Actually, babe, I don't know the answer. I didn't plan on it, I hadn't hoped for it, but now that we're all here, yes, I'd like for it to happen," Mary said, leaned forward and drank a little more wine. This was getting a little nerve-wracking now. "Truth or dare, Kat?" she went on.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Kathryn said. "No matter what happens next, it will be something. Either I'm going to do or say something I regret, or this dress is coming off."

"Yes, and?" Mary said. I sat back and watched the scene.

"One more, Kathryn, and we'll say goodnight," I suggested.

"OK, Mary. Dare," Kathryn said and sat back.

"I dare you to stay with Richard and I tonight," Mary said, and the room fell quiet. Now, this was interesting. I watched both the girls, to try and read what they were thinking. They were looking at each other. Then, Kathryn looked at me, with a serious expression on her face.

She stood up, and both Mary and I instinctively did the same. She didn't say anything for a painfully long time, and was obviously thinking about it. Kathryn reached under her long dress, and before I knew what she was doing, she pulled down her underwear, stepped out, and handed them to Mary.

"Not tonight, guys, but here's a little memento for you, Mary," she said at last. I laughed, but Mary looked a little sad. They hugged and Kathryn turned to go. "Thanks again for a wonderful day and for the lovely dinner," she said to Mary. "Goodnight Richard," she said, looked at me slightly strangely and left.

I exhaled heavily. "Holy fuck. That was actually pretty intense," I said.

"It was nearly intense," Mary said and started to clear away. I thanked her again for the dinner, and went to lie down on our bed. A few minutes later, Mary lay down next to me.

"Did you really want her to stay?" I asked.

"Yes, I really did," Mary answered.

"And what did you imagine might happen?"

"I imagined we'd all fuck each other," Mary said, which made me laugh a little.

"It wouldn't bother you seeing me fuck another woman?"

"Not her, no. Other women, maybe, yes."

"I don't know if I could have done it, Mary," I said. She was Jimmy's wife after all.

"I would have liked to have found out," she said, and I felt sleep coming on. Despite the heavily sexualized overtones of the evening, I wasn't feeling particularly horny, and would have happily gone to bed without getting any. Mary and I got undressed and crawled under the covers. Her skin against mine always felt like the most wonderful thing in the world, and she quickly got me going.

Mary spread her legs. "I'm wet and ready," she said, implying we could skip the foreplay section of the evening and proceed to the main course. We made love, softly and lovingly, facing one another, but inevitably, it heated up.

"I love you," I said as the blood started to really pump in our bodies.

"Shut up and fuck me," Mary replied and we both laughed.

_________

The summer was full of activity for the both of us. Mary got accepted to the state college, and would start in September, where I was amazed to discover she wanted to study mathematics, and was brilliant at it. She was very industrious and managed to get some serious financial aid, which would ease both of our burdens significantly. She continued working for us in the office, and perhaps most remarkably of all, appeared to have no decline at all in her desire for me. And making love with her, living with her, sharing everything, remained utterly joyous and magical for me.

The best news was we never saw any sign of her father, Mr. Z or the goons, and I felt as if life was back to normal now. As normal as life could be with someone special like Mary, anyway. She had continued to see her therapist, Mrs. Collins, and coming up was another joint session, which I was dreading. The day came.

Mary and I sat in Mrs. Collins waiting room, and I was fidgety. Mary was completely at ease, but I wasn't, and Mary picked up on that. "Just relax, dear," she said, sweetly.

"Well, this always feels like an interrogation."

"And you don't enjoy squirming in discomfort? I don't mind watching you that way," Mary said, giggling.

"I appreciate that, angel," I said, and Mrs. Collins called us in.

As usual, Mrs. Collins sat in judgment of me and our relationship, and as Mary was her primary client, I couldn't blame her for that. Mary was both of our primary concern. Mary filled her in on the positive developments of her life, including college and her job, in which she had received a well deserved raise from Jimmy.

"And Richard," Mrs. Collins started. "How do you think Mary is coming along?" Everything she said sounded like a trap.

"I think she's becoming the person she was meant to be," I answered, and Mary held my hand.

"And do you think there's a place for you with that person?" Mrs. Collins asked. I thought for a moment.

"I would like to see a day when Mary is completely independent," I answered. At the moment, she was still financially dependent on me. The 10k she'd "earned" had gone towards initial college expenses, despite me suggesting she use it to get her own place.

"And what steps have you taken to ensure that will occur?"

"Mary has her own bank account and a steady income. She has insisted on paying half of our bills at our apartment, but her savings have been building up."

"I notice you say 'our apartment', but it's in your name isn't it, Richard?"

"What difference does that make, Janet?" Mary chimed in. "I live there. I have a key." Mrs. Collins ignored her interjection, and as usual, answered in the form of a question.

"Where do you see yourself in five years, Mary?" Mrs. Collins asked.

"I see myself having graduated college and breaking into a specialized field. I see us married and at some point soon after that, I want to have a baby," Mary answered succinctly.

"I see. And, the fact that you will be, say 25 years old and Richard will be 40. That's acceptable to you?"

"It's not acceptable, Janet," Mary said, and I could feel her irritation with her therapist now. "It's completely normal. There's nothing to accept other than that we love each other and are a positive force in each other's lives."

Mrs. Collins looked at us both. She clearly disapproved of me and still didn't trust my motives. "Mary, would you mind stepping out so Richard and I can talk?"

Mary stood up, gave me a slightly too long kiss on the mouth, looked at Mrs. Collins, and left the room. There was a pause, then she started in.

"I'm not a Freudian therapist, Mr. Sanders," she said. "But this relationship is simply boiling over with issues. As far as Mary is concerned, you are a father figure, a savior, a benefactor and a lover. For you, she is a child, someone vulnerable and needy to exploit and shape as you see fit. Unfortunately, she is a consenting adult, so there is nothing legally I can do."

She would never get over the manner of our meeting, and it seemed as if that was all that mattered to her, my apparent abuse of Mary. I was a manipulative, pernicious man, and Mary was an innocent, naive youth. I thought I had got past all of those feelings, but they began to creep in and I recalled her father and the room where I had paid to fuck her. Mrs. Collins looked at me with a firm stare. "Do you have anything to say?" she said after a minute.

"You didn't ask me a question," I replied, in a much more friendly tone.

"OK, Mr. Sanders," she went on. "Will you do the right thing and end it with Mary?"

"Kick her out of my apartment, you mean?"

"When the time is right, yes."

"So, you admit that she's not ready to be out there on her own," I suggested.

"She should be allowed full independence. I can put her in touch with social services for aid. Aid that's not tainted by perverse sexual motivation."

"And I should fire her from her job at my firm?" Mrs. Collins didn't answer. "And I should make her pay me back the entirety of my life savings that I used to clear her father's debts so she wouldn't get murdered by the mob?" I went on. I regretted saying that.

"You continue to pay her for sex, Mr. Sanders. Every day," she replied. There was some truth to it. Mrs. Collins stood up, went to the door and asked Mary back in. They both sat down, and Mary held my hand again.

Mrs. Collins started to speak. "It's my opinion that this relationship is extremely unhealthy for you, Mary. What I would like to see are some boundaries and lines being drawn. Richard is your benefactor, and ought not be your partner as well. It's simply a toxic combination, as any therapist or social worker will tell you. Every day that this continues without those boundaries, this is simply another form of prostitution." I saw Mary go red in the face as her therapist said that. "You must choose one or the other, Sir," she said, looking at me.

"The most important thing is that Mary be given every chance to stand on her own two feet."

"So, in your role as benefactor to her, you agree that sleeping with her is a violation of a boundary?"

"If you don't look at it from Mary's perspective, probably," I answered.

"I would like to have you both back in here in two weeks, and I would like to see some progress towards Mary's complete independence, as well as a firm boundary in your motivations, Richard," she said. It was obvious what she meant, and I could be objective enough to see that it made absolute ethical sense to cease a sexual relationship. Mary had made that impossible, however, and it certainly wasn't what I wanted.

Everyone stood up. Mary didn't say anything, and we both left and headed to the car. As we drove home, Mary spoke up at last. "I love being discussed as if I'm not even in the room," she said, and it was obvious she was upset.

"I'm sorry, Mary, I... "

"So, you think it's best for me that I progress towards independence and that we have relationship boundaries?"

"Mary, I... "

"Fine. If that's what you want," she said, not letting me speak. "But I still require your assistance to be able to stand on my own two feet. And so long as you're my benefactor, we'll have to adhere to strict boundaries from now on. Roomie."

I sat there in silence. She was annoyed with me for seemingly agreeing with Mrs. Collins on this. As far as I was concerned, the pleasure I derived from our relationship was secondary to her wellbeing, and Mary's pleasure was secondary to that as well. In that, Mrs. Collins and I could concur. I looked forward to a night on the couch. "Please drop me off at the grocery store, Richard. I'll walk home from there," she said. She was deadly serious. It was a quick trip by foot from the store to our place..

"Do you want me to wait for you?" I suggested, but she closed her door and entered the store without looking back. I couldn't help but admire her gorgeous ass and legs, and smiled to myself. I parked the car and waited for her. Twenty minutes later, I saw Mary exit. She saw me in the car, but walked right past me, towards the apartment. She was carrying a bag over her shoulder, and it looked heavy.

I watched her walk down the street, the most gorgeous girl that I'd ever seen. It was three blocks to our place, so I drove past her and waited in the parking lot. I could see her approaching, so went up, went inside and left the door open for her. I sat down on the couch and picked up a book to read.

Mary came in, and started putting her groceries away. I noticed she'd bought some microwave meals for one, and I couldn't help but smile again. When she'd put everything away, she went into the bedroom. She left the door open, then started taking all her clothes off. She was now nude, looking like some dream sequence in a teen movie, but she didn't acknowledge me.

I saw her grab a swimsuit, which she put on, and a towel. "I'm going for a swim, roomie," she said, gave me a little wave and left, closing the door behind her. I poured myself a lemonade and sat out on my balcony, where I had a full view of the pool.

Mary dived in and started swimming. A few other people were sitting in the community area, including an older couple and a small group of teenagers. It looked like a couple of guys and a couple of girls. Mary swam over to them and started a conversation. I could tell from her body language that she was being her best bubbly self.

She pointed up to our apartment, clearly showing the others where she lived, and no doubt saw me watching her from the balcony. She sat on the edge of the pool, and even from this distance, she looked unbelievably hot. One of the boys, a wiry black kid about her age, sat next to her, no doubt drawn in by her irresistible allure, as the others swam around. Another boy surfaced and placed his shoulders under her feet, lifting her up as he stood up. They all laughed, that I could hear.

The African American boy put his arm around her waist, and she didn't object. Completely against my will, I got turned on watching this scene, as it looked like a prelude in some well-produced porno. A part of my rather voyeuristic mind actually relished the idea of seeing her with some athletic young man, theoretically, anyway.

One of the other boys splashed Mary and she put her arms above her head and squealed in delight. I couldn't help but smile. The guy sitting next to her put both his hands on her, around her back and on her belly. I bet that felt good to him. I went fully hard. A minute or so later, the entire group, including Mary, left the pool area, climbed up the stairs to the second level and went to an apartment opposite mine.

Mary glanced very quickly over at me, then went inside with all the others. They left the door open and I could see her drying herself off with her towel as some hideous modern music started blaring. I saw the black guy hold her around the waist again, before the door closed. Fine. I exhaled and went inside.

As far as personal safety went, I wasn't worried about her. She was petite, but she was the toughest kid you could imagine. I just wondered how pissed off she really was, and if it was enough for her to sleep with someone else, or if this was merely a way of making a point about so-called boundaries that the therapist and I had discussed. It did not escape my mind, however, how easy it was for her to get sex if she wanted it.

I wasn't going to let this bother me, so I went for a walk, leaving the front door unlocked for her. It was a lovely day, not too hot, and ideal for strolling and meditation. All the issues and thoughts from the therapy session ran around my head, as well as the image of her having fun with kids her own age. Make no mistake, despite her storied past, she was still a kid.