The Sandman Pt. 02

"I'm not usually working Saturdays," I told her, "but one of the other guys is off having a minor surgical procedure so I've got his slot, but we could catch up afterwards."

"I live in Elwood," she replied, "but I could run you home and we could stop off at a café on the way home, perhaps."

The implication hung heavily in the air. I might be twenty, going on twenty one but I knew how the world worked when it came to this kind of thing. I said okay and we parted company not long after that but I did think long and hard about it on the way home and the following day. Was I cheating? Charlie and I hadn't made any commitment. We'd sent texts but for the most part we'd avoided the elephant in the room. She was giving me space and part of me knew I needed that space but the other part of me wanted to see more of her. It was a strange head space to be in. Kim thought that maybe I could call Charlie and just sound her out.

"The problem with you two is you've fucked but neither of you know if it was just a one night stand or the start of something deeper."

Kim has a habit of cutting through the bullshit. It's one of her most endearing and annoying traits but when Charlie texted me to say she was working a double shift, Saturday afternoon through to Sunday morning I kind of hit the ball into the stands and left it there. For all I knew, Saoirse and I might just have a coffee and she'd drop me at home.

I wouldn't say our one night stand was planned, it was more like a slow moving train. If you stay still it passes right by but if you jump aboard then you're along for the ride. I know my encounter with Charlie had awakened something. I just didn't know if I was ready for it but I still got ready for the night in a white shirt, black trousers, flat shoes and black jacket.

Saoirse turned up halfway through my shift. She looked pretty hot in a ruffled blouse tucked into leather pants, and that studded belt really drew attention to her waist. We didn't have a chance to chat because I was on the door for a good couple of hours and when I came back in she was circling the room, chatting to people she knew or had just met, it was hard to work out.

When it came closing time I said my goodbyes and met her out in a lane leading to King Street. She gave me the once over and I felt a slight wooziness. By rights I should be heading to my car but instead I was following Saoirse to her car. The arrangement was to go for coffee somewhere but as I slipped into the passenger seat of her Holden Commodore I knew the only place I was going was her house. No words had been spoken but neither of us had to voice that thought.

In fact the only time we came close to discussing it was outside 7 Eleven in Elwood, she'd just topped up her tank and I was sitting with a Slurpee between my legs as the car burbled quietly. She looked left and then right as she prepared to pull out.

"Right takes me to your joint but left leads to my joint."

"Left turn, Clive," I slapped her leg, "your joint, and you do have coffee I hope."

"I've got instant and espresso," she planted her foot, "or you can have something stronger."

The V8 engine responded instantly and the car leapt forward. She's got a red VF Commodore SS with a 6.2 litre V8, which is way cooler than my ancient VR Commodore and mine only has the six cylinder engine. Somehow I doubted she'd drive anything mundane. Saoirse is a marketing manager for a big recruitment agency and her house used to belong to a drug dealer she told me as she pulled up in front of the iron gates. The wall is nearly eight feet high and covered in yellow rendering.

"I got it for below market price because it was owned by a drug dealer. The only drawback is that sometimes guys buzz the intercom and ask for Nick the Greek, some of them can be pretty bloody persistent."

The baseball bat by the door suggested she had a backup plan in case some druggie decided to climb over the gate and take a closer look.

"And if that doesn't work, Rusty will bite their nuts off."

Rusty was a Doberman who sniffed my feet and wagged his tail but apparently he hates men.

"I have to lock him in the bedroom whenever guys come over, you want coffee or something stronger?"

"What've you got?" I asked.

"I've got it all," she smiled crookedly, "wine, whiskey, bourbon, and of course Guinness."

"Guinness," I replied, "it's one drink I haven't tried yet."

"Ah, this should be an experience," she chuckled, "you'll either love it or hate it."

While she poured out two glasses of Guinness I prowled about the kitchen, which had a wall oven, stove top and fridge. The island bench was as clean as a whistle and I propped against it.

"So, you with anyone?"

"Not likely," she replied, "I was with someone up until I got this job in the city but to be honest a steady girlfriend just cramps my style. It starts off nice and casual, a little roll in the hay once a week but then they start staying over and before you know it they've been there for three weeks and I can't find the remote, and she wants to sit and talk about where we're at now."

"So, do I have to call a taxi tonight?"

"Fuck it, you can stay the night," she shrugged, "but it doesn't mean we're an item."

I rolled my head to one side and looked at Rusty drinking his water.

"So, have you had sex with a woman before?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"What happened?"

"It's still happening, I think," I smiled crookedly, "I think she's waiting to see what I'll do and I'm doing the same thing."

"So you're the curious type."

"Kind of," I admitted, "curious is a good way to put it. I like men but girl on girl has its advantages but as to how long it lasts is anyone's guess."

"It lasts as long as you want it to last," she handed me a glass of Guinness, "if you want my advice don't go hanging labels on yourself unless you've really got a thing for labels. I'm fluid, I can fuck men and women but I have a preference for women."

She picked up her glass.

"Shall we?"

Her living room is equally impressive with a wide L-shaped couch big enough to sleep on and a large wall-mounted smart tv. Our coming together was slow at first, teasing touches but by the time I was on my second Guinness, I was getting turned on. Saoirse had an easy going way about her, letting me find my own way. I almost got the feeling I could just fool around without kissing but maybe that was just my inexperience, because when I turned and put my leg in between her legs she merely smiled and flicked at my hair.

"Smooth," she traced her fingers down the front of my blouse, "but how far would you go?"

I leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Saoirse let me push hard against her as she parted her lips and then her hand cupped my left breast and squeezed. I moaned and found her breast with my right hand as I worked her mouth. We parted a few moments later and she exhaled slowly as she moved her other hand down to my buttocks. I raised myself to let her get a better grip and kissed her again. It led to a long twenty minute session of just kissing and feeling each other through our clothes. My blouse was half out of the waistband by the time she finally pushed me away and undid her studded belt, the press stud popped loose and she unzipped her pants.

"You comfortable here?"

"As good a place as any," I started unbuttoning her blouse.

"A woman after my own heart," she looked down as I kept going.

We undressed each other slowly, devouring each other with long, lingering kisses and constant stroking and caressing and then the lovemaking began in earnest as I went down on her, sliding my tongue over her shaved pussy and feeling her tremble under my finger work. It took a surprisingly short space of time before she orgasmed and then it was my turn and I spread my legs for her and she moved down on me. Her fingers slipped inside and l closed my eyes and let her go to work on me, she knew how to stimulate my clitoris to perfection and when I finally peaked I held her tight against me until it was over. It wasn't the only time we made love that night. Saoirse is an energetic and enthusiastic lover, we did it three more times until finally we'd had enough. By that time we were in her bed and she excused herself to have a cigarette.

"I don't smoke often," she flicked ash into an ashtray.

"I don't smoke at all."

"Doesn't bother you does it?"

"No," I rolled onto my back.

"You know I could do this again," she replied, "not tonight but another night."

It was a generous offer and Saoirse laid out the ground rules. We wouldn't be exclusive, she wasn't going to pay my bills or be my girlfriend. This was a friends with benefits arrangement and I agreed to consider it but didn't give her an answer because tonight wasn't the night for it.

Ultimately I decided against it but the one night stand with Saoirse did teach me one thing. I liked doing it with women more so than with men. There were things about sex with women that really turned me on, the unhurried approach, the kissing, and because you're not making a baby the act itself becomes far more enjoyable. The only thing that did bother me was the jealousy part. I mean Kim is my best friend and I've got other good friends too and that was a question I put to Charlie when I drove down to Dromana to see her on Sunday night.

"It can cause problems," she conceded as she settled against her bedhead, "but a lot depends on how strong your relationship is in the first place. If there's tension between you and your partner then of course she's going to feel funny if you go to see a girlfriend. I've always taken the attitude that if you decide to crawl into bed with another woman then I'm not going to try and drag you back. I'm just not like that. I may not be the perfect woman for you."

"I did sleep with one woman, last Saturday night," I flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, "Saoirse."

"Saoirse?" Charlie's eyes shifted, "the Irish woman, about thirty something?"

"You know her?"

"Hell yeah," she smirked, "we fucked a couple of years back, now there's a coincidence for you. Is she still in Box Hill?"

"Elwood," I replied, "Pine Avenue, number thirty seven."

"So how do you feel about Saoirse?"

"Okay," I shrugged, "she made me an offer."

"Friends with benefits?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you too, huh?"

"She makes that offer a lot, I took her up on it for a month or two but then we moved on."

"I moved on already," I rolled onto my side and leaned on my palm, "but friends with benefits sounds like a good start," I looked up at her.

"I'm curious but I'm young, so while I can limit myself to one person I'm not about to go all out just yet, maybe in time I could come around."

"Friends with benefits," she contemplated me, "I like the sound of that, we take it one day at a time, it's a journey, not a destination."

I guess that sums it up for me. The last six months have been a destination for me, a slow growing into something and growing together. Ultimately the friends with benefits arrangement went on for nearly three months before I came out and put my status as 'in a relationship.' My dad was cool about the whole thing, he just wants me to be happy and lately he's talked about Charlie and I getting our own place. It's something I'm open to but right now I'm happy just living at home and having Charlie living with her parents. I know in time we probably will move in but we're not going to live according to peer group expectations. I've seen a few relationships ruined because people did things not because they wanted to but because other people wanted them to do certain things. We do see Saoirse now and then at a Destroyers gig, she's the archetypal player, I watch her move in on a straight/curious woman and we take bets on whether she'll pull or not. I respect her though, she might be a player but she's honest about it.

Needless to say I've gained quite a few new friends courtesy of Charlie. One of those friends is Sandy, the lead singer from Sandy's Destroyers. We get out to one of their gigs whenever we can manage it and at least once or twice a month we drop in for a few drinks with the girls from Sandy's Destroyers. They play covers for the most part but just lately they've started writing and recording their own songs.

That's about it from this little black duck. I wanted to write more and maybe I will, but I have to get ready to go out. Charlie and I are taking Kim out for her post-birthday bash. She had her twenty first birthday last week but we'd arranged this thing months ago, we're heading up to the Yarra Valley for a chicken and champagne balloon flight and then it's back to her joint for a family barbie. Dad and Analyn have finally admitted they're in a relationship, which is hilarious because I knew ages ago. He tried to have a serious, father/daughter talk about it and I just stared at him and burst out laughing and told him it was cool. Life is good right now, I have a lesbian girlfriend, a straight girlfriend and a stepmother, even good things come in threes!