Wish Upon a Star

Dale sat back after his little speech, looking slightly helpless. I scooted up next to him and looked him straight in the eye.

"Look. I appreciate you wanting to protect me, and I appreciate you not wanting to take advantage of me or any sort of situation. But the honest-to-God truth is that if I didn't want to be here with you right now, and if I didn't want you to do something, I'd tell you. You're the best friend I've ever had, and... well, like I told you a bit ago, I love you. There's nobody in the entire world I'd rather be with right now, and the fact that you want to grab my ass..." I grinned before I finished my speech. "...I think that sounds like fun."

Dale cracked a half-smile.

"You do have a nice ass," he admitted.

"Why, thank you," I nodded to accept the compliment. "I rather like it myself."

Dale actually grinned.

"It looks especially good in those g-strings you keep wearing."

I shrugged.

"They're all I wear. I can't stand the thought of having a panty line in a good, tight pair of jeans."

"I guess I'd never thought about what kind of underwear you were wearing. I would think about you taking your pants off and you always wore a g-string in my imagination, but I never really thought about what you really wore."

"Kind of a dream come true, then, aren't I?" I teased him, giggling. "No wonder you were getting it on with yourself the other night."

"Hey now," Dale objected.

He kicked at me, but I dodged his foot and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me," I sang.

"Come here then," Dale said. He reached for me hand and tugged me toward him.

I did as desired, swinging one leg over his legs and straddling his lap. Dale put his face close to mine and hesitated for a moment. I closed my eyes and felt his warm breath on my lips. I could feel a shiver running through my body. He kissed me softly, carefully. His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me toward his chest. Perched on top of his boxers, I could feel his cock through the smooth, thin fabric, and I scooted up a bit so I was on top of it. My desire was running wild beyond imagination. I desperately wanted him to be naked, me to be naked, to feel that growing cock in my mouth, in my pussy. I moaned hoarsely.

Dale, apparently, was still feeling restrained. He broke the kiss and half-pushed me away.

"Don't... I don't think this is the right time," he said. "I... I'm not... ready yet."

"Oh," I said quietly. "OK, sure."

I moved off his lap before I curled up and looked down at my toenails. They had been painted before we left, but with all the walking, the paint was peeling. I began to pick at the polish on one of the nails. It didn't want to come off, so I wrapped my arms around my legs and laid my head on my knees. I glanced over at Dale. He was looking a bit strained.

"You OK?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "I just... shit, I want you so bad, but I don't think we should do it like this, right now."

I thought about arguing, but I could tell he already felt like he had rejected me. I didn't really see it that way, but I didn't think I could convince him of that.

"What do you think it should be like then?" I asked tactfully.

Dale looked at me and thought for a moment.

"I think... I think it should be the most perfect moment two people can ever have together. I think we should talk about it before we do it, because then we'll know what each other expects afterward. Plus... I've never... I don't know how it works," he finished helplessly.

I couldn't help but laugh. He looked so pathetic.

"It's not like I do, either, silly," I giggled. "All I know is that Thing A goes into Slot B and repeat. But I don't figure it can be that difficult, or there are some people at school who never would have worked it out."

"Yeah, but don't you think it should be... I dunno... more than just a hump in the hotel room?"

"I dunno. Never really thought about it, I guess. What did you have in mind?"

"I guess I had always pictured it as this perfect date. You know, where I pick you up and take you out to dinner – and it's perfect – and then we go somewhere – and it's perfect. I guess maybe I'm crazy, because I had always pictured that telling you I loved you would be more of a 'perfect' situation than it wound up being, but I can't help it. I want it to be perfect."

"Well, then, what do you propose we do with the rest of this evening? I mean, it's only like 10:15. We could get dressed again and go somewhere, or we could stay here and do something else."

"We could keep playing," Dale suggested. "Only we could throw in a few dares to make it more fun."

"Mmmm sounds like fun," I grinned. "I believe you never did answer my question about what you wanted to do with my ass."

Dale groaned.

"Do girls ever forgetanything?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered. "Now, I want my answer. What did you want to do with my ass?"

"Just wanted to grab it. That's all," said Dale flatly.

"Well, when you put it that way, it's no fun," I said. "Next question."

He lay down on his side of the bed, propping his head up with a pillow. I crawled up and put my head on his chest. I had often done this on his bed at his house, because I loved listening to his heartbeat and his breathing. It felt different now, though, because he knew what I was up to. He placed one hand on my stomach and the other behind his head.

"How do girls do it?" he wanted to know.

"Do what?" I asked. "That's a pretty vague question."

"How do girls get off? You said earlier today that you'd tell me later, and when you teased me about getting off the other night, I remembered."

"Ohhhh," I said. I'd forgotten about that promise.

"Well, I can tell you, but first you have to demonstrate that you have a proper knowledge of female genitalia."

"OK," agreed Dale suspiciously. "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing but answer a single question. First, do you know what and where my clitoris is?"

Dale turned red, but he answered promptly.

"Well, I know a clit is what gets girls off, but I can't say I know exactly where yours is or what it takes to make it work."

"Maybe one day I'll show you," I teased him. "All right, basically what girls have to do is just rub or pinch their clit until they cum. I mean, there's a little more to it than that, but that's the basic idea."

Dale sat still for a few seconds.

"How do you know how to rub it the right way?"

"How do you know how to get yourself off?" I asked. "You just know, that's all. It's not a complicated thing. It just feels good, so you keep doing it until you... you cum."

I was vaguely aware of Dale's cock growing next to me. I wondered if it had ever done that before while I was lying on his stomach. If so, his baggy jeans had hidden it well.

"Is it my turn now?" I wanted to know.

"Sure," said Dale.

I could tell he was still trying to picture a girl getting off. I wondered if the girl in his mind was me.

"Did you get off in the bathroom a bit ago?"

"Yes," answered Dale honestly. "Can I dare you now?"

"Only if I get to dare you next," I agreed.

"I was actually thinking the dare would be the end of the game," Dale countered. "And since you got to ask a question first, I get to ask the last."

I could see where this was going. He wanted to dare me to masturbate in front of him, but he didn't want to reciprocate. I wasn't sure if I was up for that sort of performance. On the other hand, the more I thought about it, the more erotic it sounded. I was starting to get wet just thinking about him watching.

"That's not fair," I objected. "I get to dare you, too. Why don't you ask one more question, then I'll dare first, then you can do your dare last."

Dale hesitated. I figured he was thinking about the unspoken "fair dare" rule, where if I asked him to do something mundane, he'd have to request the same of me. I hoped he would consider my dare enough to go ahead and ask what he wanted of me; I was really getting wet thinking about it.

"All right," he finally conceded. "Question: would you ever masturbate in front of anyone?"

I laughed outright. It was such an obvious dare-posed-as-a-question that it was humorous. However, I had to answer.

"Only if there was some sort of sheet over me, and it depends who was watching," I responded.

Dale looked slightly disappointed. I sat up slightly and looked him in the eye.

"I already know what you want to dare me," I informed him. "And I'll do it – if you follow my conditions."

"You'll do it?" Dale asked incredulously. "I didn't actually expect you to be willing to do it."

I shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, if you don't want me to...," I began.

Dale cut me off.

"No, I'd love to see you do it," he stated excitedly. "I just... I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"No making fun of me, no talking, and you have to sit over there," I stated, indicating the far side of the bed.

Dale nodded and started moving. He scooted across the bed and sat expectantly on the bottom corner, waiting to see what I was going to do next. Feeling slightly self-conscious, I covered myself with the comforter and reached a hand down to my pussy. Stroking the soft cotton fabric of my thong, I could feel the dampness inside, and I slowly pushed a finger underneath to touch my clitoris.

"Oh, shit," said Dale.

His eyes were fixed on the comforter, and as my hand had moved, Dale had caught sight of it.

"I wish I could see your hand," he said, beginning a stream of patter, despite my condition. "And you... I'd love to see what you're doing."

I pushed a finger into my pussy and arched my back for effect. I was so wet that my juices flowed out around my finger. Well-lubricated, I returned to my clit. It had hardened slightly, and the more I thought about Dale sitting and watching me, the harder it got. I moaned.

"Oh, yeah. More," said Dale.

I could tell he was having a hard time not talking. The visual effect was overwhelming him, even if there was very little to see.

"Shut up," I told him. "No talking. Just watch."

Dale accordingly fell silent, straining forward from his perch.

I began my ritual of rubbing and pinching, slowly at first, then accelerating. My breathing got heavier and heavier, and my nipples poked outward through the thin fabric of my shirt. I closed my eyes. I could hear Dale sitting nearby, and I moaned again to gauge his reaction. He cleared his throat but sat still.

As I got closer and closer to climax, my fingers moving faster and faster, I kicked the comforter off and spread my legs wide across the bed.

"Oh, shit," Dale said.

I managed to open my eyes and glance at him. His penis was so hard it was poking through the opening in his boxers, but he was oblivious to everything but my hands. I smiled and closed my eyes again.

I let out one last moan as I felt my orgasm building in my abdomen. I have large orgasms – they start somewhere in my stomach and thighs and build inward until everything comes pouring out of me all at once.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God," I muttered as the twinges began to center on my pussy.

I bit my lip and stifled a scream as I came. Liquid poured over my fingers and thong and onto the bottom sheet of the bed. I continued rubbing as my orgasm subsided, then covered my pussy back up and wiped my hand.

I lay still for a few seconds, recovering; at last, I opened my eyes. Dale was still watching me silently. I closed my eyes again, waiting to see if he would make any sort of move. It didn't hurt that the hormones were kicking in. I'm one of those who falls asleep after sex – guys have generally found that amusing. Finally, Dale sighed.

"Hi," I said simply, reopening my eyes and not wanting him to be too embarrassed.

"Hi," he responded.

"Enjoyed the show, I guess?" I smiled.

"You could say that," he nodded, climbing into his side of the bed.

We pulled our comforters back up and stared at each other silently for a few minutes. I was having a hard time staying awake. My eyes kept closing, and I would force them to reopen. Dale reached over and stroked my cheek. I held his hand and put it to my lips, kissing his fingers.

"You want to go to sleep then?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Sorry, it's just hormones," I explained. "Getting off always does this to me. Makes me sleepy."

"Does the same thing to me," Dale agreed. "Call it a night then?"

I nodded again, and Dale flipped off the lights. I snuggled over onto Dale's shoulder and was out almost instantly.

*****

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ROME (DAY TWO)

Tuesday dawned sunny again, and Dale and I woke about the same time. I lay still, wondering if he was still asleep, when he rolled over and saw me watching him.

"Good morning, sexy," he said gently.

"Hey," I responded. "Sleep well?"

"Never better," Dale smiled. "Come here."

I cuddled up onto Dale's shoulder, and he wrapped me in his arms, warming me inside and out.

"You're sexy," Dale commented at random.

I laughed softly.

"You're crazy," I replied. "Or biased, at the very least. Nobody's ever thought I was sexy."

"Yeah, well, I do," he said. "Especially after last night. I hope I can do that to you someday."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," I assured him. "I'm not hard to please, I don't think."

Dale smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"I guess we'll find out. I'd give you a better kiss, but I have horrible morning breath," he explained.

I nodded.

"I probably do, too. Shall we get up?"

"Probably," Dale agreed. "It is nearly 9 a.m."

Dale kept his word and got up, wandering into the bathroom. I waited a minute and then got an idea. Silently, I rose and walked over to the bathroom door. I knew I had been locking the door every day, but I was curious to see if Dale had done the same.

I tested the handle. It turned. I left it closed and hurried over to my backpack. I grabbed my clothes and make-up and walked back to the door. The shower was still running, so I opened the door and walked right in.

"Don't bother turning the water off," I announced. "I'll just climb in when you're done."

Dale's head appeared around the shower curtain, wide-eyed.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"You want me to leave?" I asked. "Sorry. I just tried the door handle and when it was unlocked, thought I'd come in and say hi. I didn't want to embarrass you."

"Um... it's OK," Dale said. "It's just... well... OK, this is embarrassing... I've never shown a girl my dick before. What if I don't measure up?"

I smiled indulgently.

"Tell you what. Why don't I hand you your towel before you get out of the shower, and then you don't have to show it to me till you're ready. How does that sound?"

Dale nodded. The shower turned off a few minutes later, and I dutifully handed Dale a towel. He emerged, wrapped, and stared at me. I was still clothed in my T-shirt and thong.

"I brushed my teeth, so I can kiss you when you're ready," I volunteered.

Dale smiled.

"Give me a few minutes," he agreed. "You gonna take a shower?"

I stepped into the shower and tossed my clothes over the top of the shower curtain.

"No fair," cried Dale. "I wanted to see."

"I'll show you mine when you show me yours," I responded, turning the water on.

If there was an answer, I didn't hear it over the water, and by the time I was done showering, Dale was back in the bedroom. He had left the door open, however. I stepped out of the shower, naked, half-expecting Dale to appear instantly around the corner. He didn't, though. I figured he took my 'show you mine' statement literally and dressed.

"To Vatican City?" Dale asked once I came out of the bathroom.

"To the Vatican," I confirmed.

*****

The Vatican was beautiful, and the museums could have taken our entire two-week trip if we had wanted, but we finally tore ourselves away and wound our way back to the trattoria. We arrived later than we had the night before, so we had to wait for a table, but finally one opened.

"So what was your favorite thing today?" I asked as we got our drinks.

"I honestly have no idea," Dale shook his head. "There were so many beautiful things, I don't think I could pick just one. You?"

"I have to say getting to see the Sistine Chapel was a definite highlight, but you're right – there were definitely too many beautiful things to have a favorite."

"So what are we doing tomorrow? Any ideas?"

"Well, we'd talked about the Forum and the Circus Maximus, but I don't know beyond that. Maybe we can sleep in a bit. I'd like to have a bit of a rest. All this sight-seeing has really been taking it out of me."

Dale nodded.

"That does sound nice. And I can give my dad a call and make sure Bryan's keeping his end of the bargain. Are you OK in that respect?"

"I think I am," I said calmly. "I'm getting over it. I mean, it's like your dad said: I shouldn't have come as the only girl with four guys. But I wanted so badly to come... and maybe I'll have some long-term baggage, but I couldn't have had a better opportunity to get over it than to be here with you."

Dale smiled wanly, like he didn't really believe me.

"I think you still have a few problems. You still don't seem right to me. You're probably just trying to make me feel better," he said.

"A bit," I confirmed. "Is it working?"

"Yeah, it is," Dale admitted. "I just can't seem to stay upset around you for long."

"Good!" I giggled. "That means I can be as annoying as I like, right?"

"Don't try to piss me off," Dale warned. "You know I can beat you up."

"You would hit your girlfriend?" I asked, pretending to be offended. "Please. You'll never lay a finger on me because you're scared I'd compare you with Bryan. It'll be interesting to see how you behave in tae kwon do once we get home."

Dale looked thoughtful.

"You know, tae kwon do really did help when I woke up and saw Bryan on your bed. I don't even know how I managed to get up and over to him, but I saw him, and I heard you fighting him, and the next thing I knew I was standing over him and you were calling my name."

"It was pretty impressive," I nodded. "I was about to just give up when you yanked him off of me. I had thought you were still passed out."

"What are you going to tell your parents when we get home?"

I looked soberly at Dale.

"You wanna know the God-honest truth?"

"Of course."

"Not one damn word."

Dale looked shocked.

"Hear me out before you go judging me," I broke in before he had a chance to argue. "First, my dad was only going to let me come on this trip if there were other girls along. There weren't and I came anyway, so he's going to be pissed at me for that. Second, Bryan has been brought home under the pretense of being sick. If I go around and suddenly start saying that he got sent home because he tried to do something to me, it'll be a contradiction of the story and – assuming everyone believes it – your mom will be pissed at your dad for not telling her the whole truth, and my parents will be doubly pissed at your dad for not telling them anything. Third, it's not like we'll be able to prosecute anything because the crime didn't happen on American soil. And finally, if my dad finds out that the group split up and you were alone with me for over a week, do youactuallythink he'd let me out of the house for the rest of the summer? Especially to see you?"

Dale contemplated my answer as our plates arrived.

"I hate to admit it, but you're right," he finally said, diving into his pizza.

"I know I'm right."

"Yeah, but... I don't know... I just thought that maybe you'd at least say something to someone, just to let them know what went on."

"You know what went on," I said, "and I'll probably tell Bridgette and Jennifer, just because they're my friends. But beyond that, nobody needs to know."