My Graduate School Romance Ch. 04

"Are you afraid he might tell us stuff about the younger Sean?"

"No. There's nothing I'm ashamed about. Oh, I think I mentioned it. Tuesday evening at seven. We have a doctoral discussion group at Pete's Pub. Always good for the brain."

"That's what you said. I'm psyched for it. So, Thursday we go to lunch with your buddy. When do we get ready for the gig. It's going to take me a while to get your makeup just right."

"How long?"

"Probably at least an hour. We'll need to be there by six-thirty. Leave my apartment by six-fifteen. We should probably be working on our costumes no later than five. That doesn't leave a lot of Sean and Katie time, if you know what I mean."

"How about if we block out Friday for Sean and Katie time?"

"I have a morning shift. I should be home by one. That would work."

*****

My first chore on Monday was to go downtown and pick up my dress for Halloween. Doris, the trans saleswoman, had recommended that I bring my artificial hips and breasts to make sure the dress fit correctly.

The tailor brought out the dress and after struggling into my prosthetics, Doris helped me try on the dress.

I could already feel myself sweating under the plastic breasts and hips, "Doris, I'm going to sweat my ass off in these things."

"It's one of the occupational hazards of cross-dressing."

"Anything I can do?"

"Use some antiperspirant. The spray kind will work best. Spray it everywhere that will be covered in plastic. You also might want to cut the sleeves off a t-shirt and wear that underneath."

"Okay. So, how's this dress look?'

Doris imitated Natasha's accent, "You look mah-vah-luss dah-link."

"Thanks. Help me get all of this off."

I wanted to keep the costume a secret, so I left it in the truck of my car until I could get it to Katie's.

*****

As I was driving back to my apartment, I received a text. I pulled over to the side of the road to answer it.

Maria: Sean, when can I see you again?

Sean: Tomorrow?

Maria: Want to come over for an Italian breakfast?

Sean: Sure. Are you on the menu?

Maria: I am the menu.

Sean: 9-ish?

Maria: See you then.

*****

I met Astrid at eleven thirty with a plan to look at some apartments. We had an appointment with an agent at her old complex, but as we were leaving my parking lot, we saw people loading up a U-Haul van. It was less than 100 yards from my apartment.

Astrid slapped my arm, "Let's talk to the manager here. Maybe that place is available."

I drove to the office and within 30 minutes, Astrid had rented the apartment. She called and cancelled the other appointment. She could move in the following Monday, one week.

I suggested we find her some furniture. Rather than buy, Astrid wanted to rent. There was a rental shop just off campus and we soon had enough to furnish her new digs. The furniture would be delivered on Monday afternoon.

Astrid and I spent the rest of the day doing research and writing. We walked home early and I noticed that Astrid was unusually quiet. Normally she'd be talking my head off. When we got home, I grabbed the next book for Dr. Wilson's class and sat down on the couch.

Astrid came over, took the book out of my hands, and sat facing me on my lap, "Can I ask you something?"

"Is this what you've been thinking about all afternoon?"

"Yes." She placed her hands behind my neck, "Sean, I've told you that I love you. I also think your idea that I don't know you well enough to love you has a lot of validity. And yes, I remember your lecture about Greek love. Would you mind terribly ..." She hesitated and looked into my eyes. She was struggling with something.

"Astrid, you're my friend. I won't mind doing anything for you. What is on your mind?"

She took a deep breath, "Can you tell me what you are looking for in a girlfriend?"

I nodded, "On one condition. You don't try and recreate yourself to fit what I'm going to tell you."

Astrid shook her head, "I won't. I'm wondering if what I'm looking for and what you're looking for is even close to being the same."

"Fair enough. I'm not looking for a girlfriend."

"You're not?"

"Let me rephrase that. I'm looking for a partner to share my life with. Someone that I can share experiences with. Someone who has the same interests, the same values, the same goals. For example, music is important to me. It wouldn't make sense for me to be with a person who hates music."

Astrid nodded, "I can see that."

"At almost forty-nine, I can safely say that my life is at least halfway over, probably well over halfway. I want to find someone that I love and they love me in return. I want to find someone who will share my life's work, the joys, and the sorrows."

Astrid put her hands behind my neck, "So far, all that makes sense and fits with my thinking."

I cupped her denim-clad ass cheeks, "Here's where I think we'll diverge. I imagine that a young woman like yourself might be thinking about a family. Lindsey told me that a primary reason she is getting help with her addiction is that she wants to have a family."

Astrid leaned in and kissed me, "How do you feel about having more kids?"

"I'm not sure. Let's play with hypotheticals. Let's say that right now you and I decide that we're going to start a family. That you get pregnant tonight. I will be 49 when the child is born. I will be 67 when the child turns 18 and goes off to college. There's a reason that young people are blessed with children. That's because it's harder to be a parent when you're older. And all that assumes you get pregnant right now."

"I'm on the pill, so that'd be impossible."

"Exactly. You probably wouldn't want to have a child until you've got your degree and have a position somewhere. That's what? Three, four years down the road?"

"Yeah."

"So that puts me at 70-, 71-years old when our child turns 18. See what I mean? Child rearing is difficult. It is a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, children are wonderful. I'm just not sure I could be a father again."

Astrid nodded, "I suppose I need to decide that part of my future. I don't know. I've always assumed I wanted to be a mom."

"That's something we would need to figure out. Something else to think about - I want to help people. Remember my paper about the Philippines?" Astrid nodded. "That's something I'm serious about. If I'm going to do something like that, I'm going to be in the place for quite a while. I would need a partner that would go with me and either help me or have some kind of similar task there."

"I can teach English as a second language."

"But would you want to be there for an extended period?"

"That doesn't bother me."

"How would that fit in with children?"

Astrid nodded, "I see your point. Although I suppose we could take our family with us."

"We could. A lot of people would think we'd be crazy for taking kids to a developing country. Personally, I think it would be a great learning opportunity. I remember when my kids were in Japan, not that Japan is a developing country. Living there opened a whole new world for them. A whole new perspective."

"That would be so cool."

"It could be cool. It could also be a nightmare. One of my Navy friends was the Naval Attaché at the embassy in Kenya. While they were there, they discovered that their daughter had a congenital disease that couldn't be treated in country. After several trips to Europe to see specialists, the family had to cut short their tour of duty."

"Yes. That would be a nightmare."

I gently touched her cheek, "So where do you see yourself in ten years my beautiful friend?"

"That's the thing." She looked down, then back at me, "I don't know." She stared into my eyes, "Sean, I've always seen myself having kids. Growing up I saw the families that my friends came from - a mom, a dad, and siblings. I always said that I would have a family like that, not like the one I was in - mom, me, and a live-in nanny. But now I'm not so sure."

"Not sure about having kids?"

"I see some of my friends that have a family. On the outside it looks like they have a picture-perfect life. On the inside, I know they're miserable. On the flip side, I have a friend from high school who grew up Catholic. Her name was Mary Kate. In high school, she told me that it was expected that she had to have a big family. When she went off to college, her mom took her aside and said that if she didn't want to get married, she shouldn't. If she got married and she didn't want to have kids, then she shouldn't. I've thought a lot about Mary Kate. She did get married, but when I saw her a few years ago, she said they weren't going to have kids. She said it was a big weight off her shoulders. She's very happy."

Astrid looked into my eyes for a while. I could tell the wheels were turning. I decided silence was best.

Finally, she took a deep breath, "I don't know. I guess I'm afraid to make a decision. Fifteen years from now I know I will look back and know I made the wrong decision, whatever that decision is. If I decide not to have kids, I will regret it. If I decide to have a family, I feel I will regret that too."

I took her face in my hands and gently kissed her, "Astrid, for right now I suggest you live in the moment. Carpe diem. You are a young woman. You have about eleven more childbearing years in front of you and you don't need to decide now."

She nodded, "I think that's good advice. Since I should seize the day, I would like to make love to you."

Don't use 'make love'. I looked at my watch, "Let's eat dinner. Then I have rehearsal. When I come home tonight, we'll have some passionate sex."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

*****

We had a relatively short rehearsal that evening, mostly perfecting our acoustic set. When I came home, Astrid met me at the door wearing one of my t-shirts. It barely extended beyond her crotch providing a nice view of her lovely legs.

"Hey, lover boy," Astrid went on tip-toes, grabbed my face, and gave me a luscious French kiss. "I have been thinking about how I want to make love to you this evening."

I grasped her butt cheeks, pulling her into me, "And what did you come up with?"

"Well, I'm torn in two. After I get you hard with a very sexy blow job, I was thinking that we would have an exquisitely slow grinding session."

"That sounds very nice. It doesn't sound like you are torn."

"That's because I didn't tell you the other part. I want you to fuck the shit out of me. Pound me as hard as you can until I come and then keep me coming."

"Two diametrically opposed types of sex."

"I know. I suppose they both start the same way." She took my hand, "Come this way my lover."

Astrid led me to the bedroom and lost her t-shirt. She pulled my t-shirt over my head, "I love your hairy chest." She ran her fingers through my shagginess. She kissed me and then worked on my belt.

I placed my hands behind her neck, "Something tells me you enjoy undressing me."

"I love undressing you. It's like unwrapping presents on Christmas, but in this case, I know what I'm getting."

"Is that disappointing? Knowing what you'll get?"

"Hell no. It's exciting. Every time it's exciting."

Astrid hooked her fingers into my boxers and dropped my pants and skivvies to the floor.

She knelt and took my shaft in her hand, "And here is my Christmas present."

Her red lips encircled the head, then gave a gentle suck, "I love everything about you." She traced her tongue around the sensitive crown. I felt myself begin to grow, "Mmmm. So nice." More of my shaft went into her mouth as she cupped my balls, "Simply delicious."

Astrid began sucking and bobbing in earnest now. Soon I was at maximum hardness.

She looked up at me, "Time to start the second half of the evening's agenda."

"Which version the slow sexy one, or the pussy pounding one?"

"Both."

I climbed up on the bed and placed a pillow behind my head. Astrid crawled up the length of the bed like she was a cat stalking her prey. She placed my leg between her breasts and slid up my leg. I felt her pubes on my foot and she humped me a little.

Astrid took my erection into her mouth again and began rubbing her moist labia on my calf. Then she moved her chest from side to side, her erect nipples rubbing on my thigh. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but it was strangely erotic and felt great.

After several minutes on my leg, Astrid moved north and straddled my stomach. "Time for part one, the slow, comfortable screw."

She leaned in and kissed me, then slid down, placing her vagina over my erection.

She smiled at me, "I love this part."

"So do I."

Astrid slowly pressed me into her womanhood. Her warmth and wetness surrounding me. She placed her hands on my chest and began a slow grinding, her head thrown back, eyes closed. I placed my hands on her ass, enjoying her toned body.

She whispered, "When I have you inside me, I feel complete. I am a complete woman. That this is life's apex."

I don't think I have seen Astrid in such a state of bliss. I decided to let her do with me what she wanted. Her hips moved in an ultra-slow rhythm, our pubic mounds providing a gentle friction between our slippery genitals. I could feel her pussy grasping and pulling on my erection as she slowly moved her hips. The sensuous nature of our coupling cast a euphoric spell over us. She never moved quickly enough to bring me even close to a climax, but the pleasure flowed through my body. I was hypnotized as Astrid kept up her slow-motion coupling. I became lost in the moment, savoring every second. The bliss seemed to go on and on.

Finally, Astrid looked down and smiled, "This is amazing. If you don't mind, I think I want you to pound me now."

You need to get the right position, Sean. What will get the biggest impact? "Okay, come over to the edge of the bed. Grab those pillows."

I propped up Astrid's butt on the pillows so that I would be striking the roof of her vagina, "I know this is awkward, but I think it will work."

I grasped her hips and pressed myself into her pussy. She placed her legs on my shoulders.

I looked down at her, "Ready?"

She smiled and nodded. I started slow and gradually built up speed. She wanted to be pounded, I wasn't going to let her down. After a minute or two, my hips were pistoning Astrid like a jack hammer. Soon she was whimpering and I just kept going. She grasped my hands and squeezed as I felt her pelvic muscles begin contracting. Astrid arched her back, her head holding up her body, her mouth open, gasping for breath. Her nails dug into my hands grasping her hips as I slammed into her time and again.

Finally, I felt myself approaching the edge. I kept driving. I thrust deep into her pussy and shot my load. Three, four times, then I stopped. I could feel her vagina clenching me and I could see her abdominal muscles working hard.

Astrid eased her arched body back to the mattress and looked up at me, smiling, "That was great."

I looked at my hands. She had drawn blood on the backs of both.

I showed her, "Remind me next time to stay away from those claws."

"Oh, I'm sorry Sean."

"As long as you enjoyed yourself."

"Oh, I did! I did!"

*****

Before I left the apartment the next morning, Astrid asked me what my plans were for the day. I told her I had an appointment and that I would most likely meet her at the library in the afternoon. I didn't know how long I would be with Maria so I sent Katie a text saying that I couldn't have lunch, but I would see her at Pete's that evening.

I arrived at Maria's apartment a little before nine. She met me at the door wearing a white silk nightie. It came down to just past her crotch. The material was smooth across her breasts with just a hint of nipple, her legs appearing long and lean.

Maria greeted me with a hug, "Buongiorno amico mio."

I gave her a gentle kiss, "Buongiorno my beautiful friend. How are you?"

"I am so happy that you call me your friend. I think that is a title that I treasure. Please come in. I was just joking with you that I was the menu. Perhaps what I meant to say is that I was on the menu."

"I will be happy with everything you give me. I will be in heaven if you give yourself to me again."

"You are so romantic Sean O'Brien. To start out, I have some coffee and pastries for us."

She took my hand and led me to her kitchen table.

We chatted amicably over the simple breakfast. I asked her how her classes were going and she admitted that she was struggling with the writing. I suggested that she work with Astrid. I related how much her coaching had helped my own writing.

"Do I have to go to the Writing Studio?"

"I don't want to speak for her, but I bet Astrid would help you any time. We hang out most days on the second floor of the library."

"Oh, that is good to know."

She downed the rest of her coffee, "Perhaps I can entice you to my small bed."

I emptied my cup and stood up, "You may entice me anywhere my beautiful friend."

Maria's apartment was a single room efficiency. She had a twin bed pushed against the walls in a corner. She reached out and took my hand and led me over.

She stopped in front of it and placed her hands behind my neck, "Last time we were together you did not have the benefit of undressing me. Would you like to do that this time?"

"I don't think you have much to remove, but yes, I would like to."

She pulled my face down and gently kissed me, then raised her hands above her head. I reached down and grasped the hem of her white nightgown and lifted it over her head. She wore nothing underneath.

Maria's breasts were average sized. They were in the middle of her chest with little to no sag. Her quarter-sized areolae were a pleasant shade of brown against her olive skin with conical nipples. Even though she was short, proportionally her legs seemed long and lean. She had a very small tuft of dark pubic hair above her slit.

"Maria, you are stunningly beautiful. A feast for my eyes."

"And you will be a feast for my mouth. May I?"

"You may."

Maria pulled my t-shirt over my head and quickly had my pants around my ankles.

She knelt and studied my tented boxers, "What is it about seeing someone almost naked?" She traced her finger along my bulge, "I know what is hiding there, but the anticipation is so exciting. The initial view of your penis will send shivers down my spine. Sometimes it is almost better to delay it."

"Are you going to delay it?"

Maria pulled my boxers down and laughed, "No! I want you. Would you mind lying down for me?"

"My pleasure."

I stepped out of my pants and climbed onto the bed, placing a pillow behind my head. It seemed like I was doing this exact same thing last evening with Astrid.

Maria nestled between my legs and took my tumescent penis between her lips, "Mmmm. So nice." She began sucking on the head hard, bobbing up and down. I felt myself growing in her mouth.

I looked down at her. Her eyes were closed. She seemed to be savoring the sensations. She moaned her approval and the vibrations shot up my spine.

"Oh Maria, that's amazing."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to test some things I've heard about the male anatomy."

"I don't mind."

Maria smiled at me, "Pull your feet up. I need access to all of you."

Fun! She wants to learn about my prostate. I pulled my feet up and kept my legs spread.

Maria locked her eyes on mine as I felt her finger gently rubbing my anus, "I've heard a lot of things about men, but I've never actually experienced them myself." She was so beautiful with her brown hair framing her blow job.