back, squinting up at the star atop “our” Christmas tree. I was naked, sweaty, and gasping for air; Ben, my fiancé, lay beside me in a similar state of exhaustion.
I momentarily suffered from a phenomenon known in sexual circles as ‘severe afterglow’ or SAG. Ben had brought me two glorious orgasms through the creative application of tongue and touch. Together with spreading pleasure from my tiniest toe to the ends of the hair on my head.
After those two minor climaxes, we’d merged our bodies together and worked to bring mind-blowing ecstasy to our partner. We succeeded. My body had a sheen to it from the exertion I’d contributed to that final union and the resulting mutual climax, my third of the evening. I’d also had one that morning before we went to work. Sometimes I think Ben is making up for the two years he didn’t have sex. I’ve had more sex with him in seven months than the whole time I was in high school and college. Ben is a machine.
As Ben regained some composure, “Avery, asking you to be my ‘temporary girlfriend’ is clearly the best decision ever made in the world.”
I laughed and said, “No. Me agreeing to take on that onerous task was the best decision.” I flipped over on my stomach and showered his neck and face with hundreds of little kisses. I stroked his manly chest. He loves it when I do that. I added, “I now think the title of ‘temporary girlfriend’ is one of the most honorable and noble titles a woman can assume in the western world. I shall carry the title forever with grace and dignity.” I thought for a moment and added, “Well, perhaps not dignity. After all, a girl’s gotta have some fun once in a while.”
Ben tickled me until I rolled out of reach, screaming with delight at his attention. I looked from the beautiful fire to the eight-foot-high tree we’d decorated a week earlier. I felt so warm and loved. This really was heaven.
We were lying on a thick rug in front of “our” condominium fireplace in Lake Washington from downtown Seattle. We both worked: Ben as director of a family philanthropic foundation and me as art director for a rapidly growing marketing and advertising agency.
I’d increasingly started to use the word “our” and “us.” They seemed strange even now seven months after we’d become engaged, but comfort came in small steps. Ben encouraged the use of togetherness words and plural possessives. Since it makes him happy, I now make sure I do it more.
Ben and I got to know each other seven months earlier because we frequented the same Starbucks on Perk Place Market in Seattle. After seeing each other in the coffee shop on an almost daily basis for a couple of months, we started talking one day after Ben came up to me. Ben was so good-looking and mild-mannered and looked great in a suit, I made an exception. At the time we met, I wondered what he saw in me. I thought I’d had an invisibility cloak around me; I’d been mourning a break-up from about nine months earlier. Further, I’d been twenty pounds overweight, a fact I rapidly remedied after we started living together. Funny, as I lost weight, I swear my breasts went up a size. Ben rapidly pulled me out of my shell, and soon after that, out of my clothes. I felt like Anna in Fifty Shades of Grey. I just don’t understand what he sees in me. Just like the book, I felt my life was like Anna’s, but I had sex before.
The day after we met and talked for the first time, Ben asked me to be his ‘temporary girlfriend’ and attend his sister’s wedding with him in Aspen, Colorado. I’d accepted, and six days later, after the wedding and an erotic weekend, he asked me to marry him, and I’d accepted. I started moving in with him that same day. Ben didn’t want me to stay in my apartment alone. Sounds like someone in Anna’s life too. Yep, and I understand now how Anna felt. I can’t see myself without him now.
Thus, seven months later, I felt comfortable talking about “our” condominium. In fact, the condo had belonged to Ben for a couple of years before I came along. A gorgeous, renovated, and modern top floor in an old brownstone that faced the lake and had astounding views. The idea was even better from the roof.
Christmas would arrive in Seattle, and the rest of the world, in a week. The City had been a marvel of lights and festivities since before Thanksgiving, even with the economy’s downturn.
Today had been a massive milestone for me; I’d taken and passed the flight examination for my private pilot’s license. I’d met the examiner at ten o’clock in the morning out at Fairchild Field, about fifteen miles northwest of Seattle. As I had done for most of my lessons, I rented a Cessna 172 for the test. Unlike Anna and the book, Ben wanted me to learn how to fly.
Anyway, the examiner had me layout a round-robin flight to two other nearby airports. I did the flight planning and checked all the weather, showing the examiner my Work. We then went out to the airplane, and he watched me pre-flight the Cessna, occasionally asking questions about the plane. We then took off on the flight to the first airport. Along the way, the examiner asked me to do a few flight maneuvers. I did each one with only a hint of the nervousness that raged within me.
We made a touch-and-go landing at the first airport in my flight plan. The examiner had me circle the airport again, do a short field landing, and then a soft-field landing, both to a full stop. Instead of flying to the second airport, he had me return us to Fairchild Field. As we neared the airport, he pulled the throttle and asked me where I’d land with a ‘failed’ engine. I’d expected the ploy and knew that directly below me was a more than an adequate farm. I swung the plane into a makeshift landing pattern, enough, so he knew that I knew what I was doing.
“Take me home, Avery,” he finally said. We flew back to Fairchild, and I landed with nary a bump even in the crosswind. We taxied back to the place I’d rented the plane, and I shut the plane down. The examiner hopped out with a stern look, “Meet me inside when you’re through.”
I collected my maps, headset, and some other flight gear, tied the plane down, and trudged into the office. The staff, including my regular flight instructor, all gave me a cheer as I came in. The FAA examiner was there too, with a big smile on his face.
He walked up to me and said, “Avery Hart, you passed with flying colors. Congratulations.” He shook my hand. We went through a ceremony of his signing off in my logbook and giving me a temporary license.
I’d called Ben right away with my good news, and he appreciated the accomplishment, promising me an evening out. We ate out a lot because we were always celebrating something. For example, my soloing in an airplane, our monthly anniversary, Starbucks adding a new coffee flavor, a win of a critical game by the Seattle Mariners. We had lots to celebrate. We always made love to one another as part of our celebration. We made love to each other a lot when we weren’t celebrating too. Today was an “I am a private pilot” celebration. We both got laid.
Thus, we found ourselves very much in love, sexually sated, and in each other’s arms beside our Christmas tree and gas fireplace. I cuddled into Ben, draping one of my legs over his to bring us even closer.
“I’m excited about going out to Aspen for Christmas,” I told Ben. “It’ll be so much fun with some of your family there.” “You won’t miss your family?” he asked.
“No. We spent Thanksgiving with them, plus we’ve been pretty good about popping up to New Hampshire once a month for a drop-in visit. We’ll see them tomorrow, and that’ll be fine with them and me. Since my sister moved to Europe for a while, they haven’t celebrated the holidays too much. I’ve always wanted to pump some energy into their Christmas. Someday, perhaps, but not this season.”
Ben said, “Well, we know that Noah and Jennifer will be in Aspen. I don’t know if they’ll have their kids with them or whether they’re bringing their friends, Doug and Beth.”
I kissed him. “Well, have fun either way or any way. Do you want me to call Jennifer and see what her plans are?”
Ben smiled and said, “Yes. Speed dial number four.” He stretched out to the sofa side table, pulled a cordless phone off its cradle, and handed it to me.
I held the “4” button down until I heard the phone make the right tones to indicate it was dialing. The phone rang, and a female voice picked up the phone.
“Jennifer?” I asked. “Avery and Ben calling.”
A squeal of delight came through the phone. “Avery, how grand you’ve called. We miss you guys and are so looking forward to sometime in Aspen with you two.”
“We feel the same way. We were just talking about you and wondered what your plans were. Christmas is Thursday, and we’re arriving the Sunday before. We want to get some skiing in.”
Jennifer said, “I wish we could get up there early. However, we’re family bound in the Maine area through Christmas. We’ll get up there Friday afternoon, Boxing Day the British call it, but the good news is that we’ll be without the kids, so it’ll be a real ‘adult weekend.’”
“Oh, goody,” I cheered into the receiver.
“More than that,” Jennifer said, “Doug and Beth are coming with us. I know you’ve only met them a couple of times, but I know you’ll really love them.”
Ben had been listening with his ear close to the handset as we talked. He turned and gave me a big smile.
“Jennifer, that’s great,” I told her. “We’ll have such fun.” Ben spoke into the handset as I held it, “Hi, Jenny Bear.” “Ben, Hi!” Jennifer said.
“Any change in Tiffany’s plans?” he asked.
“No. Tiffany’s headed to Minneapolis to spend some key time with Marc’s parents. It’s really the first time they’ll spend any time with them since they started going together. Oh, do you know what’s important about this trip that’s never happened before?”
“No, what?” Ben and I both said simultaneously.
“Melissa’s going with them,” Jennifer blurted out. “Marc’s parents don’t know about their ménage trois, but they will next Tuesday when they all arrive.”
“You mean even since the wedding; Marc has never told his parents he’s actually married to two women rather than just one?”
“Nope. Marc told me he just never figured out a way to say anything while they were all around during the wedding, and then he couldn’t bring himself to do it over the telephone.”
I said with a laugh, “Well, that’ll be an interesting encounter at the airport. Are they counting on a muted response by telling Marc parents in front of a thousand other people in the arrivals hall?”
Jennifer responded, “Well, we kept telling him he had to break the news sooner rather than later. Now, he figures he can’t wait any longer because there’s another surprise.” “How’s that?” Ben asked.
Jennifer balked then said, “I know Melissa wanted to tell you herself, so act surprised when you hear it from her, but she’s pregnant. She’s due in early May.”
I squealed with delight. Ben whooped with joy. “That’s great!” we both exclaimed.
“Oh,” I suddenly said, “so part of this trip is to introduce Marc’s parents to the mother of their first grandchild! How sweet. I hope they take all this well. They haven’t left a lot of time for adjustment, have they?”
“No,” Jennifer said. “Further, she’s already started to ‘show.’ Tiffany told me yesterday that they’d just bought their first round of loose clothing for the new mother.” “Are they all excited?” Ben asked.
“Over the moon,” Jennifer said. “Especially Tiffany. She’s strutting around like she’s the new father. She also confided that this takes the heat off her getting pregnant for a year or so. She’s at a good point in her career and didn’t want to suddenly have to take a long leave of absence, so this works out well for her.”
“Is Melissa sick, you know, in the mornings?” Ben asked further.
“She was at first, but that seems to be passing as she moves into her second trimester.”
“How’s their sex life?” I asked with a smirk at Ben.
“Not too bad apparently,” Jennifer said with a laugh. “Noah and I were with the three of them about three weeks ago. It was that weekend that they finally told us what was up. Melissa did have a rosier appearance. If I’d had another hour with her, I’d have figured it out before they told us.”
Ben intervened, “Well, we are going to miss them in Aspen. We both love them dearly and had hoped they’d get back in time to join us.”
“No, they won’t be back until after New Years’. Marc said they had to stay out there and have a bonding experience with his parents. They’re going to blow their minds.” Jennifer chuckled.
We passed a few more tidbits of conversation back and forth and ended the call.
“Wow,” I said to Ben. “You’re going to be an uncle again, sort of.”
“Yea,” he said on the edge of laughter, “my sister’s wife is going to have a baby. I guess that qualifies as another notch on the uncle scale.” We both laughed at the complicated situation and unusual sound of the words ‘sister’s wife’.
I added, “So since I’m a temporary girlfriend, I guess that’ll make me a temporary aunt once removed, sort of.”