Train Me

by Mia Ford

  ‘Oh! You bet!’ she replied. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Boston’s impressive, but I didn’t expect this. We’re so close to the water on this vessel; I’ve always felt so up high before and looking down at everything.’

  ‘This is much better, huh?’

  ‘Definitely!’

  ‘That’s why I’m not that keen on the bigger vessels,’ he told her. ‘They’re more for private parties than for the sea, but this is more personal. I feel at one with the ocean a lot more.’

  ‘I think I understand now, why this can become so addictive – and why you love spending so much time out here.’

  ‘This is my favorite place,’ he admitted.

  ‘I think I thought it was something to do with….’

  ‘With what?’ he asked, seeing that she was unsure of the summation she was about to make of him.

  ‘Well, with having a big toy to yourself, I guess,’ she said, ‘but I can see now it’s a lot more than that.’

  ‘Ha! I guess that does come into it,’ he admitted, ‘but everyone who spends time on the water has to take pride in what they’re doing. Negligence leads to accidents, but our parents’ business would sink pretty quickly if anything like that started to happen.’

  ‘I see now why they have such faith in you,’ she reflected, taking another sip of her cocktail.

  ‘Oh, but I don’t tell them everything,’ he admitted. ‘They might raise a few eyebrows if they knew you were here for example.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Darlene agreed, looking a little abashed. It was his first subtle move towards taking their date to another level and he liked the fact that she was blushing, even though nothing particularly forward had yet occurred.

  ‘Darlene, there’s something I’m curious about,’ he then said, before backtracking, ‘but actually I don’t want to ruin a good sunset.’

  ‘It is beautiful, isn’t it,’ she agreed. ‘But go on, I’m not that secretive – at least I don’t think so.’

  ‘It was just something we talked about at yours place the other night, but I thought you might not want to go into it with our families there.’

  ‘You’ve gone to such an effort with all this, ask me what you like,’ she insisted.

  ‘Oh, this is no effort at all, I’m just delighted to have your company,’ he said, with a shrug.

  ‘If you say so,’ she replied, showing her first sign of being shrewd enough to compete with whatever wit he offered. He paused a moment, considering her college degree and wondering whether, although she was inexperienced, Darlene might be twice as clever as him. But it was only a temporary detour.

  ‘I was just wondering if there was more to it?’ he went on. ‘I mean between you and that guy? – but I know it’s none of my business.’

  ‘Oh, that! If you mean am I heartbroken or something, then don’t worry.’

  ‘No, actually I was worried you might be scarred by something,’ he replied. ‘That was why I was a little unsure about asking you out, in case there was something you didn’t want to go through again.’

  He was not being entirely sincere on both counts, choosing his words as tactfully as he could in the hope of prying. As it turned out, however, his guess proved fairly close to the mark.

  ‘You get that impression, huh?’ she said, thoughtfully. ‘And there’s us doing our best to show that everything is normal.’

  ‘Don’t worry if you don’t want to talk about it,’ he urged, while thinking completely the opposite.

  ‘No, not at all,’ said Darlene. ‘If I don’t feel secure enough to talk about it out on the open water then where?’

  ‘Secure?’

  ‘Yeah! What happened was, the guy turned into a bit of a stalker,’ she revealed.

  ‘A stalker? Jeez, I thought it was the mother you said was weird.’

  ‘That’s right, she was. I think that’s why I didn’t clue on that he was a little bit unhinged also, because I was focusing on her too much,’ Darlene explained. ‘The truth is she wasn’t even half the trouble.’

  ‘Was he aggressive?’

  ‘You wouldn’t think it to look at him. It all came when I decided we weren’t head over heels for each other, like our parents wanted us to be, and then his nature changed completely.’

  ‘He didn’t like you having a mind of your own?’

  ‘The best way of explaining it is that he had a real sense of… entitlement about him. As soon as I called it off he responded as if I was taking away some kind of birth right. At first he started telling me how I had to change my mind and come back to him, egged on by his mother of course, but that soon progressed to calling me all kinds of nasty names.’

  ‘Sounds like a real psycho.’

  ‘They were positively medieval. It opened my eyes a bit to some of the wacky religious types my parents still socialize with. Most of them are lovely people, but there’s always one or two at every church that act as if they are the judge of everyone.’

  ‘He didn’t hurt you, did he?’ Kurt asked and it was as he did so that he stepped closer, sensing his chance. The story was just perfect for making him look the concerned and compassionate type. Whomever the barmy Christian she was talking about was he felt like patting him on the back and saying ‘well played’. Through being weird and unhinged the dude had missed out on the hottest of babes, at the same time as virtually chasing her into his territory.

  ‘Not… like that,’ Darlene replied, ‘but, erm… I was intimidated for a while. Felt like locking myself away from the world.’

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t.’

  ‘Thanks for asking me out, Kurt. It really gave me a boost,’ she then said, smiling sweetly his way and, if he couldn’t step forward and kiss her then, when could he? Darlene had not flinched at all from their closer proximity, though she still looked shy of him. They were alone on the ocean, with the lights of several other yachts visible about them but not close enough to feel like they were intruding. The setting sun meant they were now casting shadows on the cabin behind them, while the temperature was also cooling slightly. Kurt was not the most romantic type, but he knew how the ladies loved a taste of the sublime when giving themselves over to a man’s embrace.

  Everything was perfect, especially Darlene. It still seemed absurd that such a girl would get through college without having the boys trailing around after her, but it had taken her a while to step out and he wasn’t about to complain.

  Leaning gently forward, Kurt paused for effect, thinking it looked good to show hesitation. The pupils of Darlene’s sea blue eyes widened, showing him it was a good move, but he could tell then she would let him. Then their lips met and the kiss took him back to being fifteen years old when he had first kissed a girl properly. The reason was for that was in sensing the nerves that made Darlene rigid were the same nerves of a girl who had never been kissed properly, just as Marlene Foster had never on that day they were late for lessons.

  Kurt was not prepared for such a reminiscence, which made him glow inside in a manner no girl had ever caused. Who would have thought the daughter of Clive Furse would knock all the others out of the water, but Darlene was doing so despite her in-experience.

  But then Kurt also realized, in a sense this experience would be something knew for him also. Back when he had taken that first step with Marlene, shyness had held him back from going one step further and, for a number of reasons, they had never gotten around to it. Since then, despite his many conquests, Kurt had always been with women who knew what they were doing. Up until now he had not concerned himself that he had missed out on anything. That was until his lips met with Darlene and he was transported back to first love.

  Suddenly he was nervous too, as he realized that, in a sense, now was the chance to make up for that one that got away. Darlene was stiff and trembling just as Marlene had been, but his experience meant that this was an opportunity to go one step further. Being a first kiss sure fed his ego, but being the first kiss who then led the girl all the way too was some
thing else entirely.

  Nothing was certain. Even if Darlene wanted him she might still hold back, imagining they needed longer together before taking the next step. He knew that some girls who were less comfortable with being sexually active liked to test men by making them wait. If so, that would be a disappointing end to an evening that had gone perfectly so far.

  Kissing her sweet lips, Kurt’s next subtle move was to gently place his right hand on her shoulder then, when she did not shrink from his touch, he stepped closer so their chests were almost touching. Indeed, as they became delightfully breathless, their chests did touch and Darlene did not give in to any of the voices telling her ‘no’. He knew she must have been competing with a few of them, because her breathing was staggered and her trembling increased. That was how he knew that she must have waited too long for physical love and wanted him to take her in his arms and put things right, because she did nothing to discourage him and their kissing became more passionate.

  When Kurt opened his eyes again it was darker; the sun setting fast. There seemed nothing more to say and he sensed that the dying light helped to hide her shyness somewhat.

  Taking her by the hand, he gently guided her back into the deck and then down the steps into the first cabin. If Darlene didn’t want to go all the way with him then she would surely have said so by then.

  The air was electric between them, because Kurt also felt pressure and nerves about getting it right. Knowing that he was taking her into uncharted territory, he was anxious to make sure the voyage was well manned. Getting it right mattered more than he realized and he longed for her to take as much pleasure from the lovemaking as he.

  Inside the cabin he kissed her again, running his fingers gently through her hair before loosening her shoulder straps and letting her dress fall to the floor. Usually he would have proceeded swiftly onwards, considering that his mainsail was perfectly aligned, but he knew that with Darlene he still needed to take his time. These were sensitive seas, but ones that knew of man’s tendency to pillage. They needed to know that he arrived without arrogance or supremacy and only wanted to dock there as an equal.

  Feeling the bare skin of her midriff on his hands for the first time, Kurt was struck by how soft and delicate she was – and yet all woman. If she had commanded him to do something there and then, he felt he would have swayed to her will, but she was unaware of her power over him and so he maintained the illusion of control.

  In a state of passion, he could not recall for some time – if ever – Kurt found the nerve to act confidently. Leaning into her, Darlene allowed him to take her weight and dip her in the manner of a gentle waltz. But, instead of spinning her around, he let the momentum take her onto the bed and then lay beside her. All the while their lips refused to part, though his hands were becoming ever more adventurous, loosening her bra and stroking her wonderful legs and inner thighs.

  Darlene had begun to moan a little, even before they were naked and he knew that each sound of delight and yearning she made was genuine and not for show. She was not trying to impress him needlessly, but being led by him and letting him be the one to teach her the pleasures of love and desire.

  Her body did not disappoint. The change he had seen in her when first casting his eyes her way at her parents’ house had not been imagined, but was at his fingertips. Being unclothed together and feeling the length of her body against his was like being challenged to accept a lost treasure without knowing whether or not it could really belong to you. Like many an explorer before him, however, he would risk whatever curse or consequence that might arise as a result because to take and possess meant everything to him. It was his nature to yearn for such a find, despite knowing all the perils of the sea.

  And so, it was his doom to suffer if fate so decreed.

  In the meantime, any sensations he felt were quite the opposite, however. Darlene continued to let him lead the way, but all the rigidity in her had melted away and she was fully compliant. She might have been a novice, but one blessed with fine natural talent and that was all that mattered. They responded instinctively to each other and no doubt she was surprising herself in the process; she was surprising him too and he was sure there wasn’t a luckier man alive on the entire West Coast that night.

  Afterwards they lay in each other’s arms for some time. Indeed, until there was no more light coming in through the windowpane at all and the only reason they could still see each other was the artificial light from the deck that made its way through the door.

  Kurt had, of course, made sure the yacht was sufficiently lighted so any passing vessels had no reason to come dangerously close, while he also knew they were nowhere near any significant traffic. This part of Oregon’s coastline had been set aside for luxury, but the sea taught caution nevertheless and it was a few checks of their position that caused him to get up at last. At that point Darlene said she would come with him, but he assured her he would only be a minute and then returned to lie down beside her again after having a naked check of the deck that anyone with binoculars might have found amusing.

  He judged they still had an hour to kill before having to get back, with the aim of getting her home around midnight (though he didn’t care that much if she was a bit late – it wasn’t as if she had made a habit of such things in the past and the idea of Clive Furse having sleepless nights amused him).

  Unusually for Kurt, he found he had the need to seek reassurance from Darlene that the experience had been to her liking – even though his ego told him it had been fabulous for them both.

  ‘I hope I haven’t put too much pressure on you?’ he said as he lay back down, causing a confused expression to turn his way.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ she asked. ‘You put no pressure on me whatsoever.’

  ‘That’s good. It’s just that I know some women feel pressure if a date has gone well. You have to believe me I didn’t plan to kiss you when I did – it just happened.’

  That was sort of a lie and also sort of true, in that he had planned it but it would also have happened anyway.

  ‘I guess you need to get to know me a bit better,’ was her response. ‘I’ve really not been the kind of girl who does this often – what am I talking about? I haven’t done this at all.’

  ‘You mean you’re a…?’

  ‘Oh! Not quite – I don’t really know,’ she confessed. ‘I sort of still think of myself in that way – though not after this evening of course,’ she added with a smile.

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I guess I should just tell you. I did have a sort of sexual encounter with my ex – I don’t know if you got the impression they were a bit against sex before marriage.’

  ‘I did get that impression.’

  ‘Well, truth is that when we were still getting along and it looked like we would see it through – mostly because I wasn’t thinking and had my head in the sand – we did decide we’d give it a go.’

  ‘In case you’re worried, Darlene,’ Kurt added, ‘you could have had all of your college tutors and I wouldn’t think less of you.’

  ‘I’m not so sure about that, but thanks,’ Darlene replied.

  ‘So, you say let’s give it a go but – what, was he weird in the bedroom as well, or something?’

  ‘Not weird, it just didn’t go very well,’ she revealed. ‘Neither of us knew what we were doing and – I guess I’m not officially a virgin but I know you’re the first to get it right.’

  Kurt took all that to mean that Mr Orthodox had had a bit of a faulty sail. His boat may have temporarily docked but was washed back out to sea before it could hang around and enjoy the amenities.

  As a result of her revealing story, Kurt felt quite smug. No guy who was in his mother’s pocket as much as Darlene’s weird ex was should have been a match for him in the bedroom anyway, but it was still gratifying to know that when she compared the lovers she’d had he would look like something of a sex god.

  It was then that another curio
sity returned to him and he faced the dilemma of whether or not to question her. Most likely there would be no better opportunity but it was potentially awkward in revealing that he had been in her bedroom. At the same time, it might provide a perfect tonic to her own embarrassing story, meaning they could both have something to laugh about.

  For better or worse, led as ever by sexual intrigue, Kurt decided to get it out in the open and ask her.

  ‘While we’re on the subject, Darlene,’ he began, ‘I have a bit of a confession of my own.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘But you have to try not to think less of me. It sort of happened accidentally on purpose, if you take my meaning.’

  ‘Not really. It’s too dark in here for you to have filmed us so what can you possibly mean?’

  ‘Damn, I didn’t think of that,’ he replied. ‘No, I’m referring to when we met at your house the other day.’

  ‘As you said, it wasn’t really possible to talk at the time.’

  ‘That’s right, but I must confess, I sort of stepped into your bedroom.’

  ‘You sort of stepped into my bedroom?’

  ‘Well, alright! I did go in there.’

  ‘You didn’t have time to be trying on my dresses.’

  ‘To explain myself, I was looking for advice of some kind.’

  ‘From the imaginary gnome who lives in the cupboard?’

  ‘He was no use. No, what I mean is I was looking for inspiration… a context of some kind. You know, so I could make a connection with you.’

  ‘It seems to have worked. So, what was it?’

  ‘I was being a bit of a chancer, I admit,’ he said, now making it all up, ‘but I thought that if you had a poster of a band, or a book we’d both read it would make for a good conversation starter. I guess I was trying too hard; you’re not furious I hope?’

  ‘I should be – but no,’ she replied. ‘Truth is the idea excites me; I’d like to take you into my bedroom, Kurt. Getting around my parents’ scruples in that way might never be possible though.’

  ‘Yeah, I sort of got that impression,’ he said, with a wry smile.