by Charles Pangbourne
My name is Henry Talbot and here I am, standing in the corner, hands behind my head and my bottom on fire. I'm supposed to be reflecting on why I was punished, but I find myself thinking about what transpired in my life the last five years to bring me here. It would be best described as before and after Barbara.
Five years ago, I was not the man I am today. Not even close. I graduated from high school three months after my sixteenth birthday with a grade point average of 4.0. My best claim to fame was that I would write term papers for anyone willing to pay my price. This was probably the only thing that kept me from being bullied because at five foot seven and 140 pounds, even some of the girls had more physical prowess. So off to college I went, two years younger than the rest of the freshmen. I found the academic requirements as easy as they were in high school, and after two years I was only one year away from earning a degree in chemical engineering. That's when I met Barbara.
She was well known on campus as the starting center of a women's basketball team that routinely qualified for the NCAA tournament. At six feet four inches tall she was the only one on the team that could dunk the ball. She also competed on the track team as a cross-country runner, usually finishing ahead of some of the men. Beside her athletic skills, she was often on the dean's list for her scholastic achievements as a computer sciences major. She was also one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Her body was well toned without being too muscular and her movements were so graceful, I thought she could have been a ballet dancer. Her blonde hair came almost to her shoulders and blue eyes gave her a Nordic look. She is one of those women pretty enough that she didn't need make-up.
I came from an upper middle class family and had no siblings. My parents were both professionals, my mother an accountant and my father a lawyer. Neither believed in corporal punishment and I gave them no reason to change their minds as I was a very level-headed child, more interested in my school work than getting into any mischief. I can't remember even one time that I was struck by either one of my parents for any reason.
I had won an academic scholarship and, as a reward, they had rented an apartment for me that I shared with another engineering student, Josh Harrington. Josh and I could be described as lab geeks or even nerds, though he did like to party a little too much for my tastes, but that's how I met Barbara.
"Wait till you see this," he exclaimed as he rushed into our apartment one Friday after classes. "The track team is holding a mixer tonight at the Delta Sig. house and it's open to all students. Can you imagine how many chicks will be there? I'll bet we could score."
"You can't be serious," I said. "With all the athletes there, what chance do a couple of guys like us have of finding a woman when they could have a football player or a track star? We would just be wasting our time. I bought the extended versions of all three Lord of the Rings movies and we could have a marathon."
"Aww come on," he whined. "It's all you can drink and the cover is only ten dollars. I'll even pay yours if you come with me. You know how those jocks are when they find a geek like me alone at one of their parties. I don't want to end up face down in some garbage can. Besides, you can be my wing man."
I was very shy around women and didn't think I would be any good as a wing man, whatever that was. All through high school I had never been on a date, and unfortunately that situation continued. Also drinking alcohol never appealed to me. It didn't make any sense to binge until you vomited and then be hung over the next day; I also didn't enjoy being inebriated. So it was with great reluctance and full of misgivings that I agreed to go. Little did I know that attending this event would change my life forever.
The doorman at the frat house didn't believe that I was old enough to be a student so I had to show him my ID.
"You're not old enough to drink, so no stamp for access to the kegs, but that means you don't have to pay the cover." I wasn't disappointed and Josh was glad he only had to pay for one of us. When we got inside, the place was full of people trying to get drunk as fast as they could, and Josh made his way to the room that held the kegs. I found a spot along one of the walls and leaned against it, wondering why I was there and how long I would have to stay.
After about an hour of just standing there, I had just decided to leave when I saw Barbara walking towards me.
"I noticed you standing here and you looked a little out of place so I thought I would say hello and welcome you to our mixer. I'm Barbara Hopkins," she said as she extended her hand. I had seen her playing on the basketball team but that hadn't prepared me for the presence that stood in front of me. She was so tall; the top of my head barely came up to her chin, and that meant that looking straight ahead left me staring right at her well-developed bosom.
I struggled to keep my gaze on her face and managed to nervously say, "I'm Henry Talbot," as I shook her hand, hoping she didn't notice how sweaty my palms were.
"So what's your major and are you a freshman?" I surprised her with my answer and that started a conversation that lasted much longer than I thought it would for someone trying to welcome a guest. The longer we talked, the more I relaxed. The questions she asked made me feel as though she was truly interested in me, and I couldn't help wonder why.
We chatted for about an hour when she surprised me by saying, "This place is really noisy and I find drunken people disgusting. What do you think about going someplace quieter where we can get a cup of coffee?" You could have knocked me over with a feather, but I offered her my arm. We turned more than a few heads as we left together. Just as we reached the door, I noticed Josh staring at us with his mouth hanging open, and I smiled thinking about the questions I would have to answer later.
We walked to a coffee house just off campus and talked for hours. The longer we talked, the more at ease I became. Finally, I worked up enough courage to ask the question that nagged at me since she walked up to me and introduced herself. Why me?
"Barbara, I have to confess that I knew who you were before you said hello. You're well known around campus and I have seen you play basketball. You're one of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen and after talking to you, it's obvious your beauty lies inside as well. Please don't take offence to what I'm about to say, but when you could have any man you want, why did you pick me?"
She smiled at me and inside I melted. "You're right, I guess I could have anyone I wanted, but I've found most of the men I've met are very immature and have this macho attitude that they're entitled to whatever they want. I want someone with a head on their shoulders and feet on the ground. Someone with goals and ambitions who is respectful and considerate. I think I see those qualities in you and I would like to get to know you better. It's getting late and I have a track meet tomorrow, here's my phone number and I hope you call me. I should be back by late afternoon and I look forward to hearing from you. But now we should go."
As we left, I held the door for her and again she smiled at me and again, I melted. We walked the short distance to her apartment arm in arm. Before we parted, she embraced me and kissed me softly.
"See you tomorrow," she said and disappeared into the building.
I barely remember the ten minutes it took me to walk home. The lingering scent of her perfume was intoxicating, and I could still taste her lips on mine. Feeling her body pressed against mine had given me an erection that wouldn't go away. When I finally walked in the door, Josh peppered me with questions.
"Where have you been? Was that Barbara Hopkins you left with? Did you make out? Did she let you cop a feel? Did you get laid? I want all the details, so spill."
"We went to the coffee house on Regent St. Yes, that was Barbara and no to all the rest." He looked disappointed.
"You were gone all that time and nothing happened, how could that be? She's the hottest girl on campus. After you two left, you were the main topic of conversation for the rest of the evening. Several of the jocks were openly jealous and didn't want to believe you scored when they couldn't. What did you guys do? Something must have happened. You were gone for three hours."
"We had coffee and got to know each other. She gave me her number and told me she wants to date." Josh just stood there with his jaw bouncing off the floor. I couldn't help laughing.
The next two weeks were pure bliss for me. We spent every moment we could together. We studied together, and I went to her track meets. I doted on her. I opened every door, held every chair and helped her with her jacket or coat. She was my queen and I wanted her to know it. Eventually, we started to make out and it wasn't long before she allowed me to fondle her breasts, but she would go no farther. Once, when I tried to reach between her legs, she stopped me.
"Not yet. I'll let you know when. Soon," she whispered.
Because she was so much taller than me, kissing meant she had to lean over. During one particularly heavy session she suddenly pulled me onto her lap so that our faces were even and I felt her rubbing my penis through the fabric of my jeans. I thought I was going to explode right then. It was the first time any girl had touched me there and it was very difficult to maintain control. She stopped long enough to remove her blouse and bra and her hand returned to my crotch.
"It looks like you have a real problem here. Stand up and let's get these off." I stood long enough for her to push my jeans and boxers to my knees. I returned to her lap and began to kiss her neck and nibble her ear while my hand explored her breast. I moaned with pleasure as she began to stroke me and in a very short time, a violent orgasm left a mess all over me and her hand.
"Well, that's taken care of." She reached for some Kleenex and cleaned us both up.
"I'm really sorry," I muttered. "I couldn't help it."
"Don't be. I expected that, so don't feel bad."
I was content to lie cradled in her arms, and after a few minutes of cuddling she said, "Henry, do you think you could arrange a special date for us? Some place really nice. I have something important we need to discuss and I want the atmosphere to be something to remember."
Not to be reposted, reproduced or distributed, in part or whole.