Vivian Laaning Ch. 29

Despite their affectionate intimate love making, Angela and Vivian took their shower together without resorting to any further sexual antics in the process. They were sated enough with sex for the time being so were not inclined to dally at their mutual task at hand (pun unintended) i.e. to get refreshingly clean. They even donned white terrycloth robes as opposed to remaining naked as they trooped to the kitchen. Angela prepared their breakfast in accordance with her stipulated menu.

As they were enjoying Angela's breakfast, she was able to fill Vivian in with the details of her engagement. Basically after that wonderful Saturday night in January, when Ralph drove Angela home, she gave him her phone number accompanied with blatant hints that she expected him to call. Thereupon for the next six weeks they dated and saw each other, i.e. fucked as frequently as possible without jeopardizing or undermining the demands of their tertiary education. Angela explained her attraction to Ralph in this way:

"When I first met Ralph at the bar, as you engaged him in introductory conversation, I saw immediately something absolutely appealing in him that I appreciated. As the French would say, there was a 'je ne sais quoi' about him that made my blood boil and my pussy wet! When I gave him my panties, I was absolutely truthful in telling him that he was the cause of rendering my underwear in its unwearable state.

"You will recall that when we got into his luxurious SUV that night, I blurted out the supposition that he must be rich. Now naturally considering my own wealth this was not a similar sentiment that a gold digging female might consider in her mind. Instead in my mind was the acknowledgment that Ralph was as well off as the males I had been acquainted with, but he was not a pompous ass about it, like how invariably most of them were.

"As I told you already Vivian, my first two heterosexual encounters were nothing to write home about. My cherry popper was as inexperienced as me although he wouldn't admit to it; male pride I guess. The results were disastrous, although at least my hymen was broken finally.

"Now my second male lover, who I must admit was very seductive, claimed to be 'God's gift to women'. So I took a chance. After two strokes of his cock in my vagina, he climaxed while I was still dry. I had cause to believe that if he indeed was God's gift to women, the gift must have been bestowed inadvertently, when the Divinity was distracted by more pressing important concerns of the moment."

Vivian could only laugh and giggle at Angela's wit. The latter continued:

"So as you know, I explored the world of lesbianism. The sex was certainly much better than my experience with my first two male lovers. However, it wasn't until I met you Vivian, when I for the first time truly experienced awesome sex; par excellence. When I discovered that you were presumably bi-sexual, but leaning towards heterosexuality I was truly nonplused. My quandary was my inability to square happy sex with a woman to happy sex with a man.

"I of course was intrigued by your ability to enjoy sex with either sex. I thought I was destined to become exclusively lesbian, but I jumped at the chance to try a threesome with you. I confess in the back of my mind was the possibility that I would derive some pointers from you on how to enjoy a man. Well as soon as I spotted Ralph, I could sense that he was the man I could truly enjoy. That night confirmed my first intuition about him."

Vivian observed:

"Yes, I certainly at the time could discern that there was real chemistry between the two of you, even though I was present as a third wheel so to speak. I imagined that if the mythology of Cupid would be reality, then both of you were simultaneously pierced by his love arrows."

Angela continued:

"From what you hinted about him, and from his actions that night, I realized he was unsure of himself in dealing with women. As he explained to you last night, his stuttering affliction had the effect of making him believe that he was not appealing to women. Thus, I realized that I had to be the aggressor to get a relationship going. So, I pressed my phone number on to him unasked, with the unambiguous suggestion that I truly wanted to see him again sans you. It was as you say a sledge hammer blow to the head and he did not disappoint. We've been fucking like rabbits or minks for the past six weeks."

Vivian asked:

"Well you obviously did not let any grass grow under your feet. Still aren't you a little bit apprehensive considering the short duration of time you've known him to jump into an engagement?"

Angela replied:

"As an English Lit major, one of my favorite novels, is 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. In it one of the characters opines to the effect that happiness in marriage is essentially a crap shoot; of course Ms Austen's character doesn't quite state it in such vulgar terms. As the character opines, there are so many unseen factors that occur after marriage that studying the character of an intended fiancé for a year does not advance the chances of happiness in marriage one iota. Instead the character suggests it's best not to delve in the deficiencies of one's intended. You will have plenty of time after marriage to deal with any and all of deficiencies of your mate; either imagined or real.

"So taking such advice to heart, I've ignored any perceived defects Ralph might possess. Instead I've concentrated on his virtues. And in the past six weeks I've discovered that he has plenty of them, such that my decision to agree to marry him is as well informed as if I had known him for two years."

Vivian asked:

"I have to admit that you present a very persuasible literary rationale. So I guess that does seem like sound reasoning on your part. Would you care to elaborate on his virtues that you've discovered?"

Angela replied:

"Well for one thing, for reasons already stated, he was very shy of his sex appeal. And even though I was not as experienced as you in such matters, I still was able to point out the things I truly love to do or have done to me when we're making love. Ralph, bless him, is a fast learner. Plus he has the knack of improvising as the situation demands, so that my heart sings every time we do it. He is the true God's gift to women, certainly for me."

Vivian replied:

"OK! It's all well and good that the two of you are sexually compatible and definitely that is very important in a robust marriage. Still you do need more than that to sustain a happy marriage. Can you list some more virtues?"

"Most assuredly my doubting lesbian lover."

"Hey! I'm not strictly speaking a lesbian!"

"Oh right! You're just a practicing lesbian!" "Well practice does make perfect!"

Both Vivian and Angela burst out laughing at their banal repartee. The latter then continued:

"Seriously though, the most attractive part about Ralph is his steadfastness. He knows his weaknesses, but he also is well aware of his strengths. Best of all he knows how to utilize his strengths to maximum advantage, and at the same time he is able to compensate for his weaknesses to achieve all his desired goals.

"I would say the best example of his character in this regard, has to be his relationship with his father, Jack Peterson, whom I've already had the pleasure to meet. Mr. Peterson's firm is the largest and most successful real estate firm in Eau Claire and the surrounding area. Naturally Jack, as I'm already been so allowed to call him, would love nothing better than to have Ralph join the firm full time after graduating here at UW, and eventually take over running the firm upon Jack's retirement.

"However Ralph even as a teenager at the age of sixteen, was astute enough to realize such a plan would not fly. As he pointed out to his Dad that his stuttering affliction was too much of a handicap to overcome to become a successful and/or effective real estate salesman. And if he was incapable of selling houses, it begs the question of how could he effectively and successfully lead a real estate firm. His father reluctantly had to concede with Ralph's realistic assessment.

"But then Ralph's shrewdness really came to play. He believed that although he would be a bust at selling houses, he still could be useful to the firm. He convinced his father to try him out as the office manager despite still being a minor with obviously no experience. Ralph's skills enabled him to tackle such task powerfully and efficiently. Jack was most pleased to be relieved of such duty which would have otherwise been his responsibility.

"Ralph specifically re-organized the firm's weekly agent tours which prompted the firm's agents to be more aware of each other's listings. Ralph's planned weekly tours turned out to be very effective which by itself resulted in the firm having more sales with double commissions. This achievement alone, according to the office accounting records was instrumental for the firm to increase annual profits by twenty per cent. Bear in mind that Ralph was working only during the summer recesses and occasional weekends while attending high school and UW. Therefore his influence on the firm's success was absolutely phenomenal."

Vivian was truly impressed by this recital and exclaimed:

"Wow that is very remarkable indeed, Angela!"

Angela continued:

"You're not just whistling Dixie girlfriend. Jack had no option but to compensate his son handsomely for his successes for the firm. This in turn allowed Ralph to procure this gorgeous engagement ring virtually as a result of his own labors. Although I might have appeared to you cavalier in my reaction, but believe me, I'm truly overwhelmed by his generosity. There's no denying the exquisite beauty of this ring that I love. Who wouldn't?

"There is though a more personal reason for my delight in this ring. You see my sisters' engagement rings are in the same ball park in value as mine. However their fiancés/husbands were able to rely on their families' largess to afford such luxury. And their families felt incumbent to indulge their sons because of the prominence of my father and our family.

"There was no such motive for Ralph, as he was obviously unaware of my family's fortune. So instead he was motivated in obtaining this ring to declare his unconditional love for me. Now you certainly can not place a price tag on love. However, Ralph on his own had earned the monies he expended to purchase this ring. The fact that he was willing to spend so much on this ring, when he could have used most of it for his own pleasures, and still obtain a suitable ring, is a loud and clear signal to me that he loves me heart and soul."

Vivian agreed:

"He certainly sounds like a keeper. That's for sure."

Angela continued:

"In addition to his romantic love, he has for me, Ralph still has a head on his shoulders concerning his responsibilities. You see he was originally going to stay with us overnight and spend today with us for what promised to have been quite an event. Unfortunately, the funeral he had to attend put a kibosh to such a delightful plan as it deprived him of two days of studying for the Putnam Competition, which will be held this coming Saturday. He felt that he could not afford to miss another day's worth of studying for the competition.

"I suspect he slipped out during the night so as not to be tempted by our siren song for more time consuming sex. And despite my disappointment in not seeing him for the ensuing week, I understand the validity of his decision. Surely it augers well for the decisions he will make in the future. I might not agree with him on any or all occasions in the future, but I'm confident that his decisions will be based on what he perceives is best for the family as opposed to what benefits him solely."

"The Putnam Competition, you say? What's that?"

Angela explained:

"It's a mathematical contest open to undergraduate students in universities and colleges throughout both in the United States as well as in Canada. The competition is held at the schools where the competitors study. The contest consists of a morning and an afternoon session; each session lasting three hours in length. Twelve mathematical problems in all are presented which are very difficult to solve since it requires quite a lot of creative thinking in addition to pure mathematical knowledge.

"The competition is usually held the first Saturday in December, but this year there will be an extra competitive day, being this coming Saturday. This is most lucky for Ralph, since he missed last December's contest due to a bout of the flu. This way he would fulfill the maximum of four times a competitor is allowed to participate.

"There are usually more than three thousand competitors. Each problem is worth ten points so that 120 total points are available. The top five scorers are named Putnam Fellows and receive $2,500 cash award. Ralph has earned the Putnam Fellow award on all three of his previous contests, being the only student from the University of Wisconsin to achieve the Putnam Fellow award even once. Should he again win the Putnam Fellow award this time, and there have very very few that have achieved this distinction by the way, the University has promised him a fully paid graduate school scholarship."

"Oh my God Angela, that is unbelievably impressive!"

"Yes indeedy! I'm very proud of him. I'm looking forward to a wild night of truly awesome sex this coming Saturday to presumably celebrate his fourth Putnam Fellowship."

Vivian opined:

"I'm no longer skeptical of the rashness of your engagement. I think if you were to spend the next ten years searching for Mr Right you couldn't find any better than your Ralph."

"Thank you for your kind words of approbation Vivian; they truly mean a lot to me. In fact I'm so gratified that I'm absolutely certain that you have to be my Maid of Honor at my wedding. Do you accept?"

Vivian gasped in total surprise at such an unexpected request:

"Oh my God Angela! At the start of this calendar year, less then three months ago, neither of us were aware of each other's existence. Won't your sisters' noses be out of joint that you didn't chose one of them for this honor in favor of a virtual stranger?"

Angela replied:

"Technically speaking I've known you, even in the Biblical sense, longer than my fiancé. Both of my sisters had chosen their closest friends to be Maids of Honor for their weddings eschewing either one of us siblings, so I'm not breaking any family protocol for my wedding. My sisters are content to be my attendants, and with your permission they'll plan my bachelorette party; which in fact might be very wild, if I know my sisters. Ralph of course has no problem with you being my Maid of Honor, considering that without you, Ralph and I might never have met."

Vivian replied:

"I guess considering such premises, I'm obviously pleased to accept the honor. And given that your wedding won't occur until the third Saturday of August, I'll have plenty of time to whip up an appropriate dress for the occasion. By the way, will your sisters wear bridal dresses of a certain design that I should be aware of, so as not to conflict with their attire?"

"You're going to sew your own dress for my wedding?"

"Of course! I know how to sew. I can produce a better dress that fits me perfectly, than any store bought off the shelf offering. And it will be less expensive to boot."

"Oh my! I've obviously overlooked your Midwestern practicality, never mind your frugality of which I'm so enamored. Rest assured Vivian, that my sisters will not clothe themselves in similar dresses. They are vain enough that they would want to look there best and not be restricted by a uniform look of a traditional bridal attendants. So you have free reign to adorn yourself with anything formal looking.

"I intend to get married in my hometown church in Connecticut. So as to limit your financial expenses, I'll arrange for you to receive a one way air line ticket from Madison to Hartford two days before my wedding. That way you'll be able to attend the bachelorette party on Thursday and the rehearsal dinner on Friday."

"One way ticket? So it's up to me to arrange my own return to Wisconsin after your wedding?"

Angela somewhat miffed replied:

"You know Vivian, I'm sort of offended by your jump to conclusion. Do you really think I'm so mean as to not provide for your need to return home after my wedding ceremony?"

Vivian could only splutter:

"But! But! But..."

Angela elaborated:

"The truth Vivian is that Ralph and I mean that you should accompany us during our honeymoon road trip. We intend to get to Niagara Falls after our wedding night. Then after a few days there, travel through southern Ontario in Canada, through Michigan on our way to Chicago. After a few days in the Windy City we'll repair northwards. We'll drop you off in Lydiaville, while we proceed on to Eau Claire. There Ralph can parade his awesome bride, me, to his friends and acquaintances. I'm kind of intrigued by such ensuing reception."

Vivian replied:

"Well I can't deny that your planning makes for a superlative honeymoon. Still I don't understand why I'm involved. Am I supposed to just twiddle my thumbs while and during the time you get it on with your wonderful new husband?"

Angela responded:

"You know Vivian considering that you have the sharpest female mind that I've ever encountered, you sure can be unbelievably dense on occasion. Of course Ralph and I don't expect you to be twiddling your thumbs while we're fucking. We expect that you'll be a willing partner to our sexual play after our marriage."

Vivian was truly shocked by Angela's stated intention. She asked:

"But Angela, this would be your honeymoon, a time honored tradition to consummate your marriage. It just seems so wrong to me."

Angela realized that a thoughtful response was necessary. So she answered:

"The point is this Vivian; Ralph and I love each other body and soul. And we love each other so much that I can confidently state that jealousy will not be an issue during our marriage. No doubt some of the men I may meet in the future may flirt or even try to hit upon me. However I know I would resist such overtures unless Ralph would approve. You know sex is just sex, a wonderful exercise to be sure, but it is nothing compared to a healthy loving relationship where great sex is only one to the advantages."

Vivian could not help asking:

"What do you mean having extramarital sex with Ralph's approval?"

"I'll get to that in due course. First I must say that I've no apprehension that the green-eyed monster will inhabit my soul or warp my mind so as to be constantly fearful that Ralph would cheat on me. Apart from his lack of confidence in seducing women, his sex appeal is virtually unnoticeable to every empty headed women. Not only that, but I'm comforted in knowing that bimbos no matter how pretty are not at all attractive to him. Even women of substance are hard pressed to discern his virtues. It's very telling that before he met me there were only two females that he could point out were kind to him. One of them was you, Vivian, but as it so happened you were not a threat to me in my love conquest of Ralph."

Now it was Vivian's turn to speculate:

"Now that you mention it, Angela, you know that I first met Ralph at my Messalina weekend. He told me then the Jennifer Turner story, and in response I suggested that had I been in his high school at the time, I would have been like the other snooty girls and refused to have danced with him.

"On second thought though, considering my own issues at high school, I'm not so sure. I probably would have danced with him if only to spite my bullying tormentors. But then if Ralph would have sent me a thank you letter like he did to this Turner girl, I would have surely gone on to a date with him. Goodness knows what would have then transpired in such case."