Tessa's Escape to Athena's Ground

by Brianna Salera

  ***

  Tessa wasn’t prepared for what she saw in Studio A. Russell wore normal workout clothes with one noticeable addition: strapped to his groin was a bright red protective cup.

  “Nice outfit,” he said, pointing to her faded full body leotard.

  “I could say the same about you,” she responded, pointing to the red leather covering his groin.

  He grinned. “I take no chances with the boys, especially around novices like you.” He motioned her to get close, and she did. “Before you can enjoy sex, you have to have confidence that you are safe, or that you can take care of yourself if you discover you aren’t. The very first promise I made when we met was…”

  It took a moment, and then Tessa got it. “You said you wanted to show me how to put assholes on their ass!” She grinned. “Is that what we’re doing here?”

  “This will be a short lesson; I just want to introduce you to the idea. You’ll need to pursue it back in New York if you want to get good.”

  Tessa poked his chest playfully with her finger. “You’re afraid I’m going to be a quick study and put you out of commission. That’s why you’ve got the boys wrapped in armor!” She threw her head back and laughed. “Okay. Bring it on.”

  Russell poked her back, also in the chest. But his poke was different; it was slower and sensual, and it ended with his finger resting on top of a nipple. “I’ll teach you the simplest move. After you’ve got the hang of it, we’ll have a little contest. Whoever wins the most points gets to pick the next activity.”

  The simple move looked and sounded incredibly easy. Just bring your knee to your chest and kick straight forward. Swinging your leg out from that position wasn’t difficult at all. The tricky part, Tessa discovered, was connecting to the bull’s eye—in this case, Russell’s red leather protective cup. Despite her best effort, Russell either caught her foot or dodged her blow eight out of ten times.

  “Don’t give up on it,” he told Tessa, after declaring himself the contest winner. “You have good balance and body awareness. Find a gym in New York that does kick boxing. With some more work, you’ll do well.”

  Tessa headed for the studio door.

  “Where are you going?” Russell said.

  “To change. We’re done, right?”

  He shook his head. “I won. That means I get to pick the next activity.” His dark eyes sparkled devilishly.

  -28-

  “I pick yoga.” He removed his red groin cup and crooked his finger. “Come close. This is going to be fun.”

  Tessa had taken a few yoga classes, but had never heard of the position Russell planned to teach her.

  “It’s called Yab Yum. Its proper use is to align energy between partners. I do it because it’s so damn sexy.”

  Russell sat cross-legged on a mat and motioned for Tessa to sit on his lap, facing him. “Cross your ankles behind my back,” he instructed. “Don’t schlump,” he said. “Use your lower back muscles and your abs to keep yourself aligned with me.” When Tessa straightened to mirror Russell’s posture, he leaned his forehead into hers and said, “Breathe in when I do, out when I do.”

  Their bodies were pressed together, from pelvis to forehead, and their very breath synchronous.

  “It feels like we’re one,” Tessa said, and Russell smiled.

  “Having an orgasm is undisputedly awesome. But connecting to someone you care about is every bit as awesome. When you feel their breath and match it, when your heart and head are pressed against theirs, when you see and smell and feel them: it’s as intimate as sex, and just as important.”

  Russell gently pulled out of the pose. “One more,” he said. And this time, Tessa looked forward to it. He sat on the mat, legs slightly bowed and his feet stretched out in front of him. He motioned for Tessa to sit on the floor between his legs with her back to him. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “Relax and let my hands direct you.”

  Russell slowly pulled Tessa’s arms away from her tummy and placed her hands at the top of each of his thighs. He pulled her knees up and placed his strong hands under them. “I’m going to roll back and pull you with me. I’ll end up in a bridge pose. You know that one?”

  She nodded; they did that in exercise classes to tone the buttocks.

  “When I create a bridge with my thighs and butt, you continue to roll. Just pretend my chest and belly are the floor and roll up until your legs are extended all the way back, over your shoulders if you can. Are you flexible enough for that?”

  “Like a plow pose?”

  “Yes, except I’m your floor.”

  “I can do that. Then what happens?”

  “When you’ve got a good stretch, slowly roll back. Same as you would if you were on the floor, except my hands will guide you down.”

  Russell and Tessa rolled backwards, Tessa on top of his chest and belly. When he formed a bridge with his thighs and butt, Tessa rolled further, until her buttocks were elevated off his chest and her straight legs extended over her shoulders. Russell guided her hands off the top of his thighs, and sensually slid them down, telling Tessa to slowly roll back into his lap. She gently landed in the starting position, on the mat between Russell’s legs.

  “It’s not done,” he whispered in her ear. He crossed his ankles over Tessa’s legs so his legs were now folded inside hers, and he nudged her until she bent at the waist, all the way forward in a long sensual stretch. He followed her stretch, lying on top of her back, stretching his arms forward to mirror hers.

  “Oh, that feels good,” she said. It was a wonderful stretch, but it was a caress as well.

  “There’s more,” Russell said. His hands started at her wrists and slowly slid up the length of her arms. When his hands reached her shoulders, he massaged her trapezius muscles with strong, nimble fingers. He moved his massage from her shoulders to her neck and then up to her scalp.

  If Tessa had been a cat, she would have purred.

  “You can reciprocate by massaging your partner’s feet and calf muscles. It’s about stretching and relaxing and sharing sensual touch therapeutically, lovingly, if it’s the right partner.” Russell said. He slid both hands around Tessa’s body and dropped his hands in her lap. “You can also do this exercise naked. When you end up in this position,” he pressed his fingers against her mound, “it can be the start of very nice foreplay.”

  Tessa reflexively relaxed her legs, giving Russell better access to her sweet spot.

  “Well, look who’s gone from white-knuckle sex to bring it on.”

  When Tessa realized how right he was, she blushed. But she also relaxed against Russell’s chest, looked up into his eyes and said, “You promised me, and I quote, ‘Sex. And lots of it.’ I just assumed you were about to make good on that promise.”

  Russell rested his chin on top of Tessa’s head. “I’ve been making good on that promise all morning.”

  Tessa scrunched her face. “We’ve done nothing sexual since the middle of the night.”

  “Wrong. Meaningful sex is more than inserting Part A into Part B. It’s connection and foreplay and building anticipation.” He nuzzled Tessa’s ear. “How did you feel when we kick boxed?”

  “At first I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to take it seriously.”

  “It being my promise to teach you how to put an asshole on his ass?”

  “Yes.”

  “And when you realized I took my promise seriously and made special arrangements to teach you a skill I hoped would keep you safe, how did you feel?”

  “Really good. I felt like you were seeing the whole me, not just the student in need of, ah, driver’s training.”

  “So we deepened our connection. And these yoga exercises, they brought our bodies together in a pleasing way, but also built trust.”

  Tessa thought about Russell’s strong thighs creating a bridge for her overhead stretch. His guiding hands as she rolled back into position. He was right, she had trusted in him physically, and he in her,
as she rolled across his chest and landed against his groin.

  “All of those elements heighten our appreciation for one another,” Russell continued. “Foreplay isn’t just teasing Part A with Part B. Having you wrapped in my arms, rolling across my chest, and settling here, nestled between my hips increased my desire. I think it did for you as well.”

  It had, and it had felt natural, so much so the old Aretha Franklin song popped into her mind. She would have begun to hum it, were it not for the realization that swallowed her up a nanosecond later: how could she have established a stronger physical connection with a man she’d barely met than the man she’d married and lived with? Mark saw sex with her as inserting part A into part B, to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible, because that’s the way they both secretly wanted it. She got to avoid responsibility for her own sexuality and even though it was predictable and boring, Mark got an orgasm without expending much time or effort.

  “Hey, what’s this?” Russell said, wiping away the parade of tears streaming down Tessa’s cheek.

  “What you just said…the way you said it…I feel it, like I’ve never felt it before.” Tessa looked up at Russell, encouraged by his complete focus on her. “I knew this, here.” She tapped her head. “Carmen and I talked all around this, poked at it, picked it up and bounced it around. But right now every minute I wasted, every excuse I made, every time Mark checked out on me—mentally and physically, every bit of every second that we spent with each other, but not part of each other, I feel it all, right here,” Tessa touched her heart. “And it feels like death.”

  “What you and Mark could have been was the dream that brought you to marry. When Mark died, the way he did, you had to face the harsh reality that the dream died long before Mark did. That must hurt a lot.”

  Tessa sniffled in response. Her nose was running and her sniffles were desperate.

  Russell didn’t have a tissue, so he offered her the tail of his tee shirt.

  Tessa cried even harder.

  “It’s not that sweaty, is it?” Russell asked, sounding bewildered.

  Tessa shook her head. “Mark would never have let me soil his shirt, and I would never have considered blowing my nose on something drenched in his sweat.” She took the tail of Russell’s shirt and blew her nose. Hard. “I can’t believe I could be more intimate with a man I barely know than with my own husband.”

  “You can’t change what was, but you can change what is yet to be. That’s why you came to Athena’s Ground.” Russell stood and offered Tessa his hand. When she rose, he pulled her into a gentle hug. “Let’s get going. We’ve got some work to do.”

  -29-

  Their next stop was for a light lunch. While they waited for sandwiches, Russell slid a piece of paper and pen across the table to Tessa.

  “When we were at the club last night, I asked you to tell me what things you saw that you’d like to try, or at least explore. You mentioned several things, and we did the first one on your list in the wee hours of the morning.”

  “Along with a little something extra you convinced me to try.”

  Russell grinned. “Admit it, it rocked your world.”

  “Admission made. And don’t even think about trying to take away my little friend with training wheels. I’ve recently been taught to put an asshole on his ass and I’m not afraid to do it.”

  “Wow. We’ve got you using naughty words and sex toys. Our work here is done. Almost.” Russell smiled. “The paper,” he said, pointing to paper he’d slid to Tessa, “write down the things you saw at the club, the things you mentioned to me last night. But Tessa, only put down the things you seriously want to know more about.”

  “If I write it, you’ll do it?” Tessa said, arching her brow.

  “Something like that.”

  Tessa grabbed the pen, but hesitated. “Um, you asked me to include things I saw at the club. Can I only include those things?”

  Russell’s eyes sparkled and he seemed to be amused. “You’ve thought of something else?”

  Tessa nodded.

  “Well, sure, put it on the list. We’ll see what we can do.”

  They ate in silence while Tessa wrote. Twice she scribbled things out and started over. When she finished, she looked her list over and said, “I don’t know that I want to do all of this, but I want to know about it, understand it.” She slid the paper across to Russell. “Am I a sick-o?”

  “The only sick things are things that cause injury to the body or spirit.” He glanced at her list. “I think we can do all of these things without ending up in hospital. Though I’m not sure about this last one…”

  Tessa looked horror stricken. Before she could become hysterical, Russell reached across the table and patted her hand.

  “Just a little joke, to lighten you up. There’s nothing horrible about what you want to experience, or investigate. You’re not being judged. You’re not being graded. You’re the boss of you! Opening horizons is like opening presents: some of them will be cherished and used, time and again. Others may never come out of the box again. All of them give you better insight into what you like, and what you don’t.” He grinned and slipped the list into his pocket. “Finish up. We’ve got some present shopping to do.”

  The first stop was a store called Laces & Ties. Tessa stood on the sidewalk, imagining lace-laden dresses and fine men’s ties, until Russell opened the door and nudged her inside.

  “Russell, how good to see you!”

  The voice came from a very short woman wearing a very short dress and very long earrings.

  “Sunny, nice to see you too. How are the twins?”

  While Russell and Sunny chatted, Tessa’s eyes took in the contents of the store. Sure enough, there were many things made of lace, though none were what came to mind when one thought of ‘lace dresses.’ There were lace panties and bras, garter belts and bustiers, eye masks and handcuffs. And the ties. Oh my.

  “Forgive my manners,” Russell said, interrupting Tessa’s silent inventory of the most elegant sex gear imaginable. “Tessa, this is Sunny. Sunny, Tessa.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tessa,” Sunny said, smiling pleasantly. “Welcome to Laces & Ties. I take it this is your first time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well enjoy your look about. We have a lot of wonderful things here.”

  “I’m afraid we’re on a bit of a schedule,” Russell said, looking at Sunny, “or we’d love to linger. I have some specific things in mind. Sunny, if you could get Tessa’s size I’ll show you what we need.”

  Tessa gave Sunny her dress, bra and panty sizes and started to tag along as Russell led Sunny to the other side of the store.

  “Tessa, see that display over there?” He pointed to long, wide shelves in the corner. “Some of the things on your list are on that top shelf. I’ll join you in a minute.”

  She’d been dismissed, excluded, and Tessa wasn’t sure of the reason. Did Russell have a thing for Sunny?

  Tessa found the top shelf while Russell and Sunny huddled on the other side of the store. She was trying to figure out exactly what she was holding when Russell appeared behind her.

  “It’s a cock ring,” he said, matter-of-factly.

  Tessa dropped it.

  Russell laughed.

  “I suppose it wasn’t something you checked out when you did Carmen’s homework assignment.”

  “It was not.”

  “It’s not something we need for the activities on your list. But a good tight cock ring on a nice hard dick…” He shrugged his shoulders as if there was nothing more that needed to be said. “Would you like to play with it tonight?”

  “Your cock or the ring?” He was trying to embarrass her and she wasn’t going to let him.

  “Touché.” He gave Tessa a look she interpreted as respect and his expression became serious. “Cock rings were originally used as treatment for male impotence; once a man got reasonably hard, he’d slip the ring on and be able to sustain his erection long e
nough to have intercourse. It didn’t take long for all those smart men, and women, out there to realize the humble cock ring had other advantages.”

  “Like?”

  “It helps a man with a good erection have a great one. It makes the penis extra sensitive to touch, so orgasms are more spectacular. And…” he picked up a different ring, one that had a cylinder on each side of the ‘O’ ring, “…the enhancements to the basic purpose provide interesting options.” He dangled the orange plastic contraption by his index finger and thumb.

  Tessa poked it like it was a cockroach instead of a cock ring. “I get the ring part, but what are those cylinders?”

  “This ring has batteries. The batteries vibrate each of these cylinders.” He put three fingers through the ‘O’ ring and held the device against his pelvis. “The cylinder closest to the receiver, the lady in my case, vibrates the clitoris during intercourse. The cylinder closest to the device wearer, that would be me, in my case, vibrates the testicles. That’s why they call this one a couple’s ring.”

  Tessa smiled. “I notice that when you get serious you lose the slang words and become quite the teacher.”

  “And I notice when you are in full orgasmic throttle you find the slang words and enjoy your sexuality.”

  It was Tessa’s turn to say touché, and she did.

  Russell snatched several items from the shelf. Tessa recognized the small vibrator, but the other items were a blur of unfamiliar shapes and names and colors, though she thought she saw something orange, and that made her smile all the way to the cash register.

  -30-

  “What’s next?” Tessa asked as they pulled away from Laces & Ties.

  “A two-fer,” Russell said.

  Tessa frowned. “I told you I wasn’t into two men at the same time.”

  “Yes. You did. And fortunately for you, or maybe not so fortunately, the two-fer I’m talking about has nothing to do with the number of concurrent sexual partners.”

  Tessa laughed. “I’ve really got you going with that teacher talk. I love it!”