As she walked in, everyone was gone. It didn’t surprise her. Most of them would come staggering in late in the evening after hours of errands and assorted debaucheries. Tara smiled. Her friends were weird, but she loved them for it. She heard some noise in the bedroom and went to investigate. Keira and Paul were sitting on the bed, talking much as they had been for several hours. Keira was the first to see the newcomer. That was when things got confusing. Her eyes lit up, she sprung to her feet, hugged Tara and ran out of the room, closing both doors behind her.
“What the fuck . . .” Tara started. Then she turned to Paul, who was looking very nervous about something. “What’s going on?”
“She and I were just having a little chat,” Paul explained unnecessarily. He looked at the paperwork she was carrying. “So, when did this burning desire to go back to school come about?”
“Heard about that hunh? I don’t know. I just figured that I’d had my fun and taken my break. Time to figure out what I want to do with my life.”
Paul looked her over. “Why?”
“Uhm.” Tara wasn’t sure what the question meant. “Because . . . because that’s what I’m supposed to do now. Isn’t it?” She wanted to scream out that it was so he might be attracted to her again, but she couldn’t. She just kept her happy-smile pasted on and continued.
“I thought you loved your job.”
“I . . . Well, I love being on the ship, but I could probably live without being a maid. Don’t tell Keira. I just don’t see a future in that. Nick has offered to transfer me into human resources, but everyone else there has some kind of education. I don’t. And I can’t get one unless I stay on shore. And . . . and I need to expand my horizons.” She wanted to add, ‘And because I want you and everyone else to see me as something besides the little slut I’ve become.’
“I think that’s pretty fucking cool. But . . but I want you to answer this completely honesty. Does what happened between you and me enter into this?” Paul waited patiently for her to answer.
She sat down dejectedly on the bed. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him now. “Yes. I . . . Fuck, I know you’re with Julia now and that I shouldn’t be . . . reacting like this. But . . . I want to be a woman now. I want to be responsible so that you . . . guys like you might be interested in me. I want to feel I can do something more than clean toilets and give head. I want to be . . . dignified or sophisticated or some shit like that.” Tara’s eyes were watering up and she was starting to sniffle. ‘Great,’ she thought. ‘I must look REAL fucking attractive right now.’
“As I said, I think that’s a great idea,” Paul returned. “But we already think you’re more than that. Everyone does. Especially me. Nick is right about one thing. You’d be great in human resources. You make everyone feel good, and it’s not just because you’re dynamite in the sack. You really care about absolutely everybody that’s even a halfway decent person. That’s the reason people obsess about you. It’s the reason people fall in love with you. It’s certainly the reason that I fell in love with you.”
Tara couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh, cry, or pull her hair out by the roots. “But you’re with Julia now. I don’t want to interfere. She’s so sweet really, and . . .”
“Yes, she’s sweet. She and I are still going to be friends even though we’ve broken up.”
“What?!? But why? She’s educated, she’s got a plan for her life, and you two look cute together.”
“But the chemistry isn’t there the way it’s supposed to be. We both knew it, but neither of us wanted to bring it up. We got along all right, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted someone a little more . . . focused, and I didn’t want to try and turn her into something she wasn’t meant to be . . . you. Tara, it’s not that I’m not READY to grow up. I just don’t want to. I know my brother and sister are happy being married. But my brother used to sniff paint and my sister chain smokes. I’m not either of them, and I’m not going to be any happier if I tried to be like them.” He took Tara’s trembling hand. “I don’t know if I love you enough to make this a fairy-tale romance, but I know that I don’t want to stop seeing you.” Then he kissed her.
Tara’s brain had ceased functioning properly. She had spent all morning trying to get her life organized so that she might be able to win him back, and he had been sitting here waiting for her. And as he kissed her for the first time in months, she realized how badly she had missed him. And she kissed him back.
After a few minutes of that, Paul proved that he wasn’t done. “I actually think going back to school is a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll all miss you when you’re not with us. Especially me. And Keira too, but mostly me. But you could still work for the company over the summer, and I’m sure Sam and Karen would LOVE to keep you company while we’re away.” Paul was grinning ear to ear at that comment.
“But . . . but don’t you . . .”
” . . . want to become exclusive? I think it would be a tragedy if I were to keep you all to myself right now. I figured I couldn’t separate you and Keira with a crowbar, and I know how much Sam and Karen mean to you. And quite honestly, there was some stuff I tried . . . you know, with Sam . . . that I’m not sure I don’t want to try again. So, as I was sleeping on Julia’s couch last night, I formulated a brilliant plan that will make me incredibly happy, hopefully make you happy, make my parents happy and, of course, make Keira happy.”
Paul got down on one knee and pulled a little velvet-covered box out of his pocket. Tara could see his hands trembling and his face was a bit pale. But his skin was probably a rainbow of color compared to hers. She couldn’t move, she could barely think, and the act of breathing seemed to be incredibly labored.
“Tara, will you marry me?”
At that moment, Tara passed out.
————— ———-
A few days later . . .
————— ———-
Tara had pretty much lost track of the last couple days. When she had come around after Paul’s proposal, she had found herself staring up at Paul and Keira who had been hovering over her anxiously. Keira actually looked giddy when she saw that her young friend was alright, and was waiting to see what Tara’s answer was going to be. Tara had found herself staring at Keira, afraid of what this would all mean between the two women. But Paul had another surprise. He had been thinking about Sam and Karen’s marriage and that had been encouraging for him. That was a couple who used sexual exploration to make their relationship better rather than let it tear them apart, and that was what Paul wanted. They would be swingers. As long as they were both honest with each other and showed some common sense, they were open to pursue “extra-curricular” activities. And that meant that Keira was still fair game as long as she and Tara wanted. Tara was shocked. Paul was offering her everything, just for an opportunity to keep her in his life. Somewhere during the subsequent blowjob, she said “yes” to his proposal.
Sam and Karen had insisted on holding the impromptu wedding at their house, and Captain Cooper would be performing the ceremony. Tara was being completely in the dark as to the plans. All she knew is that everyone was wandering around with mischievous grins on their faces and she was being told that it would be a marriage of “Tara proportions.” Tara wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but she guessed it was naughty. When she showed up that morning, she had been put in a wedding “dress” that probably had never appeared in Modern Bride Magazine. The dress barely made it past her ass, and the only thing she had on underneath it was a white g-string. All her friends from the Lounge Gang were in attendance, as well as Sam and Karen and a number of their swinger friends. And the whole thing was being catered by a number of very handsome looking young men who were dressed (or undressed) like male strippers. Tara had been licking her lips in anticipation of the post-ceremony activities. Paul was dressed in black slacks and a white silk poet’s shirt, and was looking absolutely delicious. He had asked Sam to be his best man, Sam being Paul’s only sexual partner up to that point. Keira, of course, was the maid of honor.
The ceremony was short and sweet. Tara felt as bashful and girly as someone could while dressed like a stripper-bride. She was blushing furiously as she and Paul exchanged rings and vows, and she thought her heart was going to explode in her chest when Paul finally kissed his bride. Sam turned up his stereo so they could all have some music to dance to, and Paul took Tara for a twirl. Tara would later dance with Nick, the Captain and a number of her friends before Keira got her turn.
“So, has it sunk in yet?” Tara’s busty friend whispered into the young woman’s ear.
“I’m married!” Tara whispered back excitedly. She was still somewhat dumfounded by the whole thing, but she knew she was happy. “To Paul! And . . . and I still get to have you!”
Keira smiled, then nibbled on Tara’s ear. “Paul is such a lucky man! I’m SO glad he pulled his heat out of that cute butt of his. Speaking of cute butts . . .” she said, running her hands up under Tara’s skirt in the middle of the dance area and grabbing Tara’s posterior, “I’ve got a feeling Paul might be due for a piece of this, don’t you?”
Tara looked around. A number of people had noticed Keira’s wandering hands, and all of them were smiling. No one there was living under the pretense that these two youngsters were going to have a traditional wedding. Tara saw Paul nearby, grinning from ear to ear. He wandered up and wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. She could feel his hardness and his heat emanating from his pants, and she couldn’t help but grind her crotch against his. She felt herself flushing again, but for entirely different reasons than before.
“Oh would you two just fuck?!?” Keira said, loudly and exasperatedly. “Everyone else is waiting on you!”