The Proposal

Mark grabbed his jacket on the way out of his apartment. He was meeting Tara for dinner across town in forty minutes. He'd spent the better part of the afternoon grooming himself and picking out the perfect shirt. The constant deliberation on small choices helped him manage the anxiety. Tonight was finally the night.,

Mark and Tara had been dating for seven months. They met in college, but never synced up enough to date. Mark was a serial monogamist, and Tara somehow managed to be absent in the few spats of time he was on the market for a new long term girlfriend. For the whole time he'd known her, Mark had not known Tara to have an actual boyfriend or even hook up with anyone. All of the guys who claimed to spend the night with Tara also had a list of similar claims with other apparently chaste women. No one believed them, but their persistent rumors helped maintain an air of doubt.

None of this would have mattered, except all of their mutual friends knew Mark and Tara were meant for each other. The two of them spent more time together than Mark spent with any of his girlfriends. They had a visible connection, but somehow managed to find other things to distract them just before the big kiss. College ended, Mark broke up with his then-girlfriend, and happened to run into Tara at a wedding a year later. He asked her out and after some withering back and forth, she agreed.

The next seven months gave Mark an entirely different life. All of his previous girlfriends had been some level of a burden. One constantly fished for compliments or praise. Another turned out to be a tad more religious than Mark felt comfortable with. And yet another found all of Mark's friends more interesting than Mark. Tara, by comparison, was a perfect match. Mark found himself living in a cliche, a happy comfortable cliche. They laughed at each other's jokes, they liked the same kind of music and movies, and they had the same political opinions. Everything that made them great friends in college made their relationship click from the moment it started. Mark finished work each day desperate to get home or to Tara's apartment so they could be together. Only one problem remained. They hadn't had sex.

Mark confronted the wait until marriage issue with his overtly religious girlfriend. He didn't like it, but he understood the woman's reasons. Tara's lack of intimacy wouldn't have bothered him if it had an established reason. And it wasn't only a lack of sex. It was almost a total lack of sexual contact. Tara hesitated to kiss him. Despite his concern about it, Mark hadn't brought it up. All the pleasantly green signals outweighed the massive red one. It certainly didn't help his anxiety about the evening's plan, though.

He picked Carillo's, a local pseudo Mexican place and their favorite place to eat. Tara liked it because they had a meager variety of Mexican foods. Mark liked it because they also served pretty much everything else he liked. He could order a burger, a donut, and a plate of fully dressed nachos without the waitstaff looking at him like a lunatic. He headed out to the balcony after waving hello to the hostess, who saw them often enough to know their faces if not their names. She smiled at him and brought over two menus, knowing full well neither of the diners would need them.

Mark ordered two soft drinks. He drummed his fingers across the table while he waited. The hostess returned with the drinks and a tray of overly salty chips and salsa. Tara bustled in as the hostess left. She wore a navy blue dress that hugged her slim body before flaring at her knees. Mark was struck by how beautiful she could look while being in such a fluster.

"Sorry," she said, breathlessly. "Carol kept us late to go over the break out groups for tomorrow. We're supposed to somehow cut our development time by a third. Sorry. Oh, did you order yet?"

Mark shook his head. "No, sorry you had a hectic day."

"Oh it wasn't. Just had a bit of a rush getting here. How are you? How was your day? Did you get that thing done you were worried about?" Tara's flushed skin glowed under the orange lights. The dress showed off her elegant neckline which rose and fell with her excited breath.

"I did," Mark said, smugly. "Now, I have to see how a few other things panned out." His voice quivered slightly as he remembered why he was nervous. His hand fumbled around the small box in his pocket while his mind anguished about the few questions left in his mind. "Oh, did you see the new trailer for the next Marvel movie?"

They fell into their normal conversation, discussing the things they found amusing. Tara complained about her work with little conviction, both of them knew she loved her job. They ordered. Mark braved something on the menu called a "Mexican Calzone." He also decided whiskey might make things go a little smoother. Tara stuck with tequila. As she ordered, a sense of comfort and familiarity threatened to overwhelm Mark. It was always her drink, pretty much no matter the situation. Tequila, neat. He could see flashes of their future where they sat in dark restaurants, the clear liquid swirling at the bottom of her glass as she took small sips and squeezed his knee under the table.

After their food came, Mark struck up a different type of conversation than usual. "Let me ask you a question. And, don't get offended, but it's high time we talked about some of this stuff. You remember Rick from college?"

Tara nodded, "Sticky Ricky. Sure, I think he's in Phoenix now."

Mark chuckled, "Sticky Ricky, I forgot about that."

"Not the best thing to get a nickname for. Did he ever admit to who did it?" Tara picked up one of the chips and nibbled lightly at it. "Also, I always admired him for walking it off. Didn't even cover himself up, brazenly walked out."

Mark smiled, "I don't know what else you do when you're duct taped to the dinning table in a sorority house bare ass naked. Hell, it's a wonder he didn't get arrested for something."

"I never heard he was completely naked. I think he had on a banana hammock." Tara cupped her hands in front of her with a devilish smile.

Mark cleared his throat. "Well, remember that kind of makes my next question a little awkward. He told a few of us on different occasions that you and he, you know, fooled around."

Tara's demeanor changed immediately. She sat up more rigidly and looked around as if to be certain no one had heard him. "Mark, don't be ridiculous. Of all the people, Sticky Ricky is certainly not the kind of guy I would...I mean, he lied about all the girls didn't he?"

Mark mirrored her suddenly rigid behavior. "I don't know. I didn't follow him around to see who he screwed." He took a long breath. Some tension in the conversation had been expected, but he didn't think the wall would go up so quickly. Nevertheless, he plowed ahead, "So, in college who did you...you know?"

Tara looked at him mournfully. "Why are you asking me that? Have I ever asked you?"

"No, but it's not like I've kept it a secret." Mark cleared his plates away. "Tara, I love you, I really do, but before we go any further, we need to talk about this stuff."

She folded her napkin and dropped it on her plate. "Ok. You're right. I've put it off long enough. We shouldn't talk about it here though. Let's go back to the apartment. Settle up. I'm going to the bathroom."

Tara pushed away from the table and disappeared into the restaurant leaving Mark sitting awkwardly at the table. The hostess returned, "Everything alright you lovebirds?"

Mark smiled, but didn't answer.

***

They traveled to Tara's apartment in near complete silence. Mark tried to make light conversation about some signs they saw along the way, but Tara continued to be agitated and uneasy.

Entering the apartment, Tara dropped her keys in the ceramic bowl inside the door. They clattered loudly and the door hit the wall with a sharp thwack as she made her way to her bedroom. "Do you want a drink?" she asked, breaking her long silence.

"Sure," Mark said, closing the door quietly behind him. Tara grabbed two glasses and dropped some ice in them. Reaching above her kitchen sink, she retrieved a bottle of tequila and poured a generous amount into each glass. She kicked off her heels as she walked back over to Mark.

"Let's sit," she said, her voice somber and foreboding. Mark tried to hold back a full blown panic and took a big gulp of his drink, bursting into a coughing fit as the stringent liquid burned its way down his throat. "Watch it champ," Tara said, another familiar phrase. She had said it a million times before, and it eased Marks nerves slightly. "Ok, let's talk."

She watched Mark expectantly until he replied, "Um, would you like me to go first."

"Nope. I'm trying to get ready for this to be over." In one big gulp, she downed the whole glass of tequila. She went back to the kitchen for the bottle, pouring another as she made her way to the couch. Her skirt flared out in a small spin as she dropped to the coach.

"What do you mean, over?" Mark asked, still fighting back the panic in his voice. "What are you going to tell me?"

"I'm VBG positive." she answered. She stared blankly at Mark as her words landed. He dropped to the chair opposite her. The glass shook in his hand as he brought it up to his lips, but not out of nervousness for the first time all night. The phrase VBG filled him with excitement.

"When?" he managed to ask.

Tara's voice remained cold. "The vaccine before college. Point zero three percent. I'm one of the lucky girls."

Mark's brain struggled to remember all of the things he knew about VBG. Volatile Bovine Gene Syndrome. The whole thing started by a virus called the Merkantz Virus, but that wasn't very catchy. No one could really pinpoint when it started to be called VBG or where the term originated, probably some talking head on one of the news channels. It had stuck much better than the Merkantz Virus. Tara certainly didn't look like she had it.

Mark knew he had to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to offend Tara because he still loved her even if this would present a unique problem. "You do not show any of the symptoms."

Tara relaxed somewhat, apparently relieved her boyfriend had not immediately left. "It's never become active. I've had some medication and so long as I don't ever, well, as long as I never orgasm, I won't have any of the symptoms."

"Orgasm? Why an orgasm?"

Tara shrugged. "Irony, I guess. Doctors say it has something to do with blood flow and heart rate and hormone levels. Apparently if my body chemistry hits a critical mass, the virus will stop being dormant and go full blown."

"So you've never..." Mark asked.

Tara shook her head as she sipped her tequila. "No, not never. I didn't get the vaccine until I started college. Not since though. So, no I haven't slept with anyone in what six years? Oh god, I've lost count."

Anger welled up suddenly in Mark, "And you've led me on for all this time without telling me that? Jesus, Tara, how could you leave out that you have this big glaring reason not to have sex with me. All this time, I've been freaking out about why you shut me down the second I get close to you, and it's this of all things."

Tara wiped away a tear, but held her gaze on Mark resolutely. "I wanted to tell you. You don't know how much I've thought about it. I love you too Mark. I was afraid that if I told you, it would be like all the other guys I've ever tried to date. They want to see the freak show, but they don't want to come along for the ride. This isn't a one sided deal, you know. Not a lot of guys are ready for that despite what you read on the internet."

"You're contagious?" Mark asked, slightly alarmed.

Tara bit her lip in frustration, "No. That's the first thing everyone thinks. It's only sexually transmittable, and it's only after it actually manifests. I'm a benign carrier at the moment."

They both went silent for a while. Mark's thoughts returned to the virus. As much as it could ever be narrowed down, the strange syndrome was borne out of cancer research. While searching for gene targeted treatments, a lab developed a virus intended to alter the genetic code of cancerous cells so they would become inert. Instead, in a freak development, the virus mutated to attack a set of cells which used latent genes to rebuild themselves. The result was alarming. The virus swept the nation quickly, hitting college campuses the hardest. A vaccine was developed, but it was already too late for many young women.

"Have you thought about going forward with it?" Mark asked.

Tara put her glass down on the coffee table. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulder as she leaned forward. "Every night since we started dating. It drives me crazy not to be with you. But I knew you'd never want to be part of that."

"How would you know?" Mark asked, incredulously. "Hell, Tara, after all this time do you think I would love you less if you changed? Would you love me less? It's a few differences in our physique, not a change to who you are. From what I've seen, no one seems to mind it. Um, Kerri, from work, she's VBG positive. They have all those programs for it and everything. And what guy wouldn't want it?"

Tara frowned, "It's not something you accept, Mark. If you have VBG, any other woman you want to sleep with would take one look at you and run screaming the other direction."

"You think I'm going to want to sleep with other women?" Mark resented the remark. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the box. He slammed it on the table between them.

Tara's eyes went wide as she stared at the small black case. "Oh my god, Mark. Oh my god."

"This isn't exactly how I thought it would go, but here we are. My only hesitation was that you seemed weird about sex. You're the most amazing woman I've ever know, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And despite what you think, I don't see how VBG changes that one way or the other. If that's what it's going to take to be with you, then sign me up. I've always found those women hot anyway."

"I didn't know," Tara answered after a long pause. "I thought you'd leave."

"You were wrong."

"We could...I've thought about this. We could be together, and I can do other things if we're careful. And really, if it came to it, I would be ok with you having another woman." Tara had started to cry. "No, I mean it, I know that..."

Mark crossed over to her and brought her lips up into his. They kissed deeply. He pulled away and wiped the tears from her cheek. "I want this. With you. Whatever it makes of us. I'm not going one more night without being with you."

Tara glanced at the box on the table. "Ok," she said meekly. She took him by the hand and stood up. "I'm ready if you are." Mark squeezed her hand back, and she led him to the bedroom.

***

"How will it happen?" Mark asked as they entered the bedroom.

Tara shrugged. "Just happens."

"All at once?"

"Not all, but most. Big changes right at the start, then it sort of evens out over the next few days. We may have to call in sick to work tomorrow." She unzipped her dress. The tight garment peeled off of her, revealing her lily white skin underneath. Mark had seen her in underwear or gratuitous bikinis but never like this. "Are you nervous?"

Mark gulped. "A little. More excited than anything else. It's not dangerous is it? The change?"

Tara stepped closer to him. Her bra boosted up her small breasts giving her a pleasant curve of cleavage. Her underwear matched her dress, a navy blue bra with plenty of lace and a pair of light blue panties that hugged her ass snugly. She clearly didn't mind looking sexy. "No, it's not dangerous. Not any more than regular sex." Her fingers deftly slipped the buttons on his shirt apart. Her hands snaked inside his shirt and pulled it off of him. His breath was ragged and quick. Tara touched his stomach, amazed at the heat coming off of his skin and the quick heaving of his thin abdomen. Mark wasn't muscular or particularly fit, but he had a slim waist.

Tentatively, Mark reached out to touch his girlfriend. He found himself treating her like a powder keg, as if the slightest touch would cause a sudden frenzy of change. His hands brushed against her shoulder as she leaned in to kiss his neck. Taking more liberties, his hands started to roam over her shoulder and back, until his fingers reached the clasp of her bra. In a quick flick, he loosed the clasp. The bra went slack on her shoulders. Gently, he lowered it away from Tara's body, his eyes fixed on her bare breasts for the first time.

Tara undid his belt as he removed his shoes and socks with only his feet. They kissed awkwardly as they undressed, slowly moving closer and closer to the bed. As Mark's pants fell around his ankles, they tumbled onto the bed. Mark hovered over her, staring down at her beautiful body while her hands traced small patterns on his back. "Can I say something?" she asked. "I know that this should be gentle and intimate and sweet since its our first time, but....it's been six years since I've so much as touched a man's skin." She pulled his head down to her lips and nipped at his ear. He could smell the tequila on her breath. "Fuck me."

Mark's cock strained against his boxers. A dark spot of precum oozed through the cotton fabric as he pulled them down. His cock sprang free and Tara eyed it greedily. She wiggled out of her own panties, pulling them away before Mark pinned her legs together and pushed them forward. "You said you wanted to get fucked," he teased. Her bare pussy glistened with arousal. Her legs formed a pinup silhouette as he held them up. He moved beside her and positioned his cock at her pussy lips.

For a very brief moment, both of them hesitated and had second thoughts. Life would change dramatically if they went through with it. Then, Mark's cock pushed inside, and they both knew there was no going back. The perfect warmth enveloped his cock as it slid inside of her, meeting no resistance. Tara let out quiet gasps as she adjusted to the feeling of having a cock or anything inside of her for the first time in years. The excitement of it made her tingle.

Mark's hands moved over her legs, groping her hungrily as he started to slide his cock in and out of her. Adjusting slightly, he let Tara put her legs on either side of his head as he pushed down on the back of her thighs with his torso. Her eyes were wide and fixed on his as he slammed into her again and again. Wet sounds filled the room, but she wanted him deeper. She parted her legs fully, but he raised up, keeping his cock only barely in her, he looked down at her fully naked body. A small part of him regretted what was about to happen to the petite girl impaled on his cock, but he had seen enough of the porn to know that it was a fair trade. He also noted that despite not having sex for half a decade, Tara had kept her pussy shaved bald. His hand reached down and rubbed the smooth skin before finally sinking forward, pushing his cock deeper and deeper inside of her until he was nose to nose with her.

Tara sighed in contentment as he filled her up. Her hands raked across his back as he started humping into her faster and faster. She could feel his cock starting to throb inside of her, and his strokes growing erratic. Her hands moved down to his ass, pulling him into her with more force each time, urging him to keep his pace even as his orgasm approached. He slowed, not wanting to finish without her. Lust clouded out the significance of making her cum, but an overriding need to give the love of his life release punched through the haze. He lowered his mouth to her breast, taking her nipple into his lips and flicking his tongue over the bud. Her hand moved down between them, playing with her clit in time with his strokes. He shifted and brought his hand up to the side of her face, turning her head to look at him. He locked eyes with her. Her mouth opened slightly as she cooed out moans. His hand moved slightly down to her neck. He didn't squeeze or choke, but wrapped his hand firmly around the back of her neck. Mark pushed his forehead against hers and began to push into her harder. Her moans grew shorter and higher pitched. She called out his name in quiet whispers. He couldn't handle it any longer. Hot cum sprayed from the tip of his cock, and Tara exploded as the dam broke inside of her. Her body went rigid as more and more of his cum pumped inside of her. Her legs wrapped around Mark as her whole body quivered with pleasure. Finally spent, Mark slumped forward onto her, catching his breath while she came down from her orgasm.