Chapter 17: Love l

-- SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

"Ben ... I love you..."

I stiffened immediately. Sasha, on the other hand, continued basking in the afterglow of a spectacular orgasm as she slumped against my shoulder. Her half-naked body rose and fell with her deep breaths, and she hummed lightly before turning her nose deeper into the crook of neck.

THEN she stiffened.

Her hands, which were resting against my upper arms, suddenly had them in a death grip. She gasped, and then held her breath while keeping her face pressed tightly against my shoulder. She didn't move, as if she could simply remain still and somehow hidden until the problem itself moved away. But of course, I wasn't going anywhere. My cock was still half-hard and slowly deflating inside her sodden pussy, our mingled orgasmic juices leaking down my shaft and coating my balls.

Finally, Sasha pulled her head back and sat up straight. She looked down at me with a frightened expression, and I could tell she was about to start freaking out.

So I said in as calm a voice as I could manage, "Hey, don't freak out..."

Too late. "Ohmigawd. Ben, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that! It just sort of came out, but I know that was the orgasm messing with my head. You do that to me. I don't know how you do it but when we make love ... I mean when we're fucking ... you just DO something to me and all I can think of is butterflies and hearts and fireworks and ... I mean, it doesn't have to be so much about YOU. I'm not trying to say I AM in love with you. I just mean that I'm not having amazing sex with anyone else but I'm sure that if I did that maybe he could make me feel ... It's physical. I'm not thinking straight. Orgasm blows up inside me and whoop! I'm saying 'I love you'. But I don't. I mean, not really. I don't want you to think that I'm going to turn into some crazy, love-obsessed stalker here. You're my friend. We're just friends. And I value that friendship and I would NEVER jeopardize that friendship by going and falling in love with you or anything..."

Her smile was a little too wide to be real, and the crazed look in her eyes was a little worrisome. But from the way she was both hyperventilating and rambling despite my repeated efforts to tap on her shoulders and get her attention so that she'd relax, I knew she was simply nervous and embarrassed about her admission. Right around the time she started talking about NEVER jeopardizing our relationship, I simply rolled my eyes and shut her up by fastening my lips over hers in a kiss.

She shut up and devoured my mouth. At least, for thirty seconds she did. Then she pulled back and looked even more embarrassed, but before she could start rambling again, I held my fingers against her lips.

"Calm down, Sasha," I said seriously, my eyebrows raised while giving her a look that told her I meant it. "Calm down."

She pinched her lips shut. But those big brown eyes were as wide as I'd ever seen them, in terror more than anything else.

"I don't love you," I said evenly, and then watched her heart sink behind her irises. Still, her heart rate also seemed to sink, and the tension throughout the rest of her body seemed to fade as well.

"I'm flattered by what you said, no matter how you meant it," I began, taking my hand away from her mouth.

"I didn't mean it," she said immediately. "Orgasm talking." And then she giggled rather nervously.

"Sure. I get it. Not the first time it's happened to me." The reminder that I had this effect on other girls further dampened Sasha's ardor. "Like I said, I'm flattered however you meant it. If it was just the result of a great orgasm, then cool. I did my job. But if it's something more than that."

"It's not..." Sasha said with a wince, shaking her head. "I don't want you to think that I--"

"I don't," I interrupted. "But I just want you to know – for potentially future reference if you will – that if you DID develop further feelings for me, that it would be okay too."

"It would?"

I nodded. "Of course. What we do together is very passionate, very intimate. I've said it a bunch of times since I was a teenager: sex changes people. It's only human nature to bond more closely to people we've had sex with compared to people we haven't. The physical union is ... it's powerful. It's private and it's special, and we don't share that kind of thing with just anybody. You more than anyone can probably understand the difference between being naked in front of somebody and being truly intimate with them. And it's a whole 'nother level when two people are as intimate as you and I have been lately."

"But I'm not supposed to fall in love with you."

I shrugged. "I never said that. I only ever said that I needed you to understand that I'm not at that place, through no fault of your own. It's all fine and dandy to talk about sunk costs in class or when discussing corporate expenditures, but people and their emotions are much harder to let go. I've been through a lot lately..."

"I know."

" ... And it's not that I'm trying to NOT fall in love, but I just think my heart needs to recover a little bit before being back at full blast."

"I know."

"I know you do. That's why I'm hoping we can get through this together. The last thing I want to do is lead you on; we've talked about that a lot."

"We have."

"And I don't want you to form any expectations I can't meet."

"Of course."

"But at the same time, I don't want you to bottle up your emotions. Doing that is only going to stress you out and lead to resentment, and I don't want you resenting me."

"For not returning my feelings?"

"And for not acknowledging them. I DO acknowledge them. I'm trying to tell you that I understand if you're in love with me. It's okay. I HAVE to be okay with it, because the alternative is losing you, and I don't want that."

She practically swooned, new hope flaring into her eyes. "Losing me?" she asked carefully.

I took a deep breath, gathering myself before I added any more fruitless hope to the situation. "You and I both have to come to terms with how you feel about me. I still don't think I deserve your love, if indeed that's what you feel for me. Look at me: I'm fucking a dozen different girls every day of the week. I'm the LAST guy anyone should want for a committed boyfriend, and I'm the last one you should be in love with. But if you are, then we both need to acknowledge it and figure out how to keep going. I don't want you expecting me to drop the Tri-Delts and become your loyal boyfriend--"

"I don't. Really, I don't."

"But I also don't want you resenting me for NOT doing just that."

"I won't."

"Easier said than done, but talking about it is the first step, I think." I sighed and reached down to cup Sasha's bare ass. Gently lifting, I helped her finally pull off me and watched as a few more ounces of mingled cum leaked down her thigh. She produced a napkin from ... somewhere ... and started wiping herself down, and she handed me one as well.

I wiped up my balls and patted myself dry before giving her a bemused grin. "I like you, Sasha. I like you a lot. I'm not going to say that somewhere down the road, if you and I are still friends, that we may develop into something more. I don't want you pinning false hopes onto a future that doesn't exist."

"I know..." She looked down, biting her lower lip. Turning to sit beside me on the couch, Sasha pulled the strap of her leotard back over her crotch and also raised her sleeves up onto her shoulders while tucking her breasts into the cups. Her gaze was on the floor in front of us.

"But at the same time, I don't want you to hide anything from me, okay? Can you do that?"

She blinked and looked over at me, weighing things in her mind. She frowned for a moment, but then took a deep breath and said, "Ben, I AM in love with you."

I gave her a shrug and a smile. "I know. That aerials routine you performed tonight ... that was about me, wasn't it?"

Sasha blushed and averted her eyes. "Well ... Not specifically about you..."

"Spinning and spinning, reaching and flowing. Dizzy with euphoria and always feeling like you're just a few inches short of reaching me. And then at the end, nearly falling, hanging by a thread ... before finally picking yourself back up?"

"It's a routine..."

"Just a routine?" I cocked an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly.

After a few seconds, Sasha crumbled and sighed. "Okay, so it was about you."

"I'm flattered."

"I'm in love with you. You're okay with that?"

"Of course."

"So what do we do now?"

I sighed. "Now? Now we go back outside and I collect my Tri-Delt harem. Then, I think we'll stick around and wait for you to get off work. And then we'll all go home together. Jamie's Explorer DOES have eight seatbelts."

"And about me being in love with you?"

I shrugged. "You know it, and I know it. No secrets. Open communication. That's all we can do. Don't hide it, not even in front of the other girls. But ... try not to expect too much from me right now, okay? I want to do what's right by you, but I can't do that."

She shook her head. "Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I had to go and fall for you. You're right; you're the LAST guy I wanted to be in love with. Two-timing, fucks everything in a skirt lothario who couldn't be loyal to a single woman if he was trapped in an inescapable box with only her."

I raised my eyebrows, but rather than defend myself, replied, "Yeah, pretty much."

She mused on that for a moment, and then took a deep, calming breath. Her head hung for a few seconds, but then she sat up straight and looked over at me with hope ... and a touch of moisture ... in her big brown eyes. "Can I kiss you now?"

I smiled, turned, and stroked her cheek in my hand. "Of course."

-- TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

I awoke with my usual morning hard-on. My eyes were still closed, but I felt the presence of a warm female on either side of me, and a wave of pure bliss spread across my body.

This wasn't exactly heaven. Even if I were fully conscious, I don't think I could have described my current feelings in any single word. But if there was an appropriate word, it would be a word that collectively meant good, satisfied, energetic, hungry, and even a little smug.

Well, really smug. After all, how many guys on the planet would give their left nut to bed down with multiple hot young coeds every night? That was my reality, and the fact that I couldn't even really remember exactly which two girls were now cuddled up against my sides only added to the surreal, self-satisfied sensations I was currently feeling.

All three of us were naked beneath the bedsheets. Keeping my eyes closed, I let my hands slide down their bare spines as I cinched them closer against my sides, using my senses of touch and smell to guess at their identities rather than spoil the surprise by opening my eyes. The body on my left was petite and slender, with soft skin and a low percentage of body fat. The hair against the left side of my chin smelled faintly of apples, and I knew then that Andie Holland was humming as she nuzzled her cheek against my chest.

The body on my right was somewhat more curvaceous, and as my hand slid lower I felt the roundness of her well-padded ass. Turning my head to the right, I inhaled her somewhat more musky scent, and the final tell was the supple yet firm way the girl on my right had slipped her hand around my morning erection and begun to stroke me. The sexual creature inside me recognized the technique, and I hummed as I tilted my face down and pecked her forehead. "Mmm ... morning, lovely," I greeted quietly to Jamie Miano.

That got Andie on my left to pick her head up off my chest, and when I cracked open my eyes, I saw the typically-perky bottle-blonde giving me a rare frown. "I keep meaning to ask you: How come she gets the adorable nickname?" Andie pouted.

I shook my head and slipped my right arm out from under Jamie's head. Turning to take Andie's cheeks in my hands, I nuzzled her nose with my own before kissing it quickly. "She's my 'lovely'; you're my 'cutie', okay?"

Andie turned that over in her head for a moment. I had been calling her 'cutie' off and on over the past month, though not as consistently as the way I called Jamie 'lovely'. Blinking her soft brown eyes at me, Andie's frown melted away as she asked, "Really?"

"Absolutely, cutie," I replied with a grin before twisting further to move myself over Andie's body.

Jamie had to let go of my cock as I did so, and she simply lay on her side and watched with a little smile on her face. I threw the busty Italian babe a wink before turning my attention to Andie, who lay on her back beneath me with wide eyes and shallow breathing as I nudged her thighs apart with my knees.

Jamie actually reached in just then, taking hold of my erection and guiding me into place. Andie held her breath as she felt my cockhead nudging the folds of her pussy open. And as my thick shaft burrowed deep into my slender 'cutie', lubricated by the remnants of our mutual orgasms from the night before, she exhaled a long moan while raising her legs up to wrap them around my calves and pull me even deeper.

Just then, my bedroom door popped open. Sasha poked her head in and quickly looked over to the bed, finding that Jamie, Andie, and I had all turned to look at the source of our intrusion.

Sasha blushed. "Oops, sorry to interrupt. It's getting late and Ben's got to get to class."

I groaned, realizing that indeed today was a Tuesday, and muttered, "I really should just drop this class. I don't need the credits, and then I wouldn't have ANY morning classes ANY days of the week."

"Yeah, well you do," Sasha said, shaking her head. "And until you drop it, you've still gotta go. Things were so quiet up here I was worried you would still be asleep."

Jamie giggled. "We're up, and he's up. Andie and I will make him go down and then we'll all come down."

Sasha grinned. "Right. I'll have breakfast ready to go." With that, Sasha blew us all a kiss and then left, closing the door behind her.

I chuckled and shook my head. It had been an interesting week and a half since the visit to Nocturne. Nobody was surprised when I wanted to wait for Sasha to get off work before driving her home that night, but everyone was surprised a little to see the changes in how Sasha started acting around me.

She'd always been my constant, at least as far as day-to-day interactions went. We shared classes and meals and walks to and from campus. She was the only permanent resident of the house; even Andie and Jamie went home most nights they didn't spend with me, although they crashed in one of the bedrooms downstairs at least once a week. Sasha wasn't a Tri-Delt, and it only made sense for her to gravitate to sit near me whenever we were in a group setting. But even so, everyone noticed the difference.

Sasha had never been terribly affectionate. Some of the girls were touchy-feely, and while Sasha didn't shy away from that kind of friendly contact, she didn't often initiate it, either; not with me or anyone else. Part of it was her reticent nature, but she was also fully cognizant of being an "outsider" of sorts within Tri-Delt West. She wasn't a sister. She hadn't pledged The Oath. She didn't share those bonds with the other girls, and she had always worried about alienating them by taking up too much of my attention.

Not anymore. She kissed me every chance she got. She sat in my lap more often than even Andie did. And she developed the habit of walking to and from classes holding my hand. She didn't try to outmaneuver a Tri-Delt for a slot in my bed, or otherwise preempt their seductions. Indeed, she hadn't even spent an overnight with me since last Thursday. But still, when the opportunities did arise, she was definitely bolder than she'd been before in escalating the situation from mild flirting to all out sex.

In short, Sasha acted like a (horny) girl in love with me, and everyone could tell.

At first, I'd worried that the changes in Sasha's behavior would cause problems, both between her and the Tri-Delts and between her and me. With Sasha stepping up her game, as it were, I heard some of the Tri-Delts whispering that maybe they would have to do so as well just to keep up, despite her verbal assurances that nothing would change.

Would Sasha pay lip service to equality but subtly (or not-so-subtly) seek out preferential treatment?

Would Sasha "show off" her familiarity with me, the result of the friendship we'd developed through time spent over the last two years that the other girls simply didn't have?

Would she reject the Tri-Delt hierarchy and not follow the rules they'd laid out for each other in terms of sharing and sisterhood?

And most importantly, would Sasha pretend to be okay with being casual fuck-buddies but secretly work to get the commitment and love from me that all believed she really wanted?

The answer to all of these, surprisingly, was "no". For nearly two weeks now, Sasha hadn't sought any preferential treatment and actually went out of her way to take a step back and let other girls have first crack at me. In some ways, she seemed more eager to have sex with the other harem girls than with gobbling up more of my time. Instead of becoming a "showoff", Sasha actively sought to teach the other girls what she knew about being around me as a friend and shared her insights into reading my fluctuating moods. And she fully accepted the hierarchy, acting as an honorary Tri-Delt in subjecting herself to their rules and regulations without demanding any special rights or privileges thereof.

She became the perfect harem girl, and the other Tri-Delts adored her for it.

And I had to admit, I rather adored Sasha too.

But in the meantime, I needed to pay attention to someone else I had started to become very fond of. Looking back down at Andie's smiling face, I flexed my cock deep within her pussy and grinned. "Okay, cutie. Where were we?"

The perky bottle-blonde raised her legs up, wrapping them around my waist and crossing her ankles behind my ass before digging her heels in to tug our loins closer together. "Right here."

I grinned and bent to kiss her, our open mouths coming together wetly while Andie's tongue extended upward like a hungry chick's to wriggle against mine. Bearing down into our liplock, I inhaled deeply through my nose and retracted my hips, dragging my cock out through the tight entrance of her pussy before reversing course and pushing back in. Andie moaned and turned her face away to pant for air. And I dropped my nose down to her exposed neck, nuzzling her as I began a steady fucking rhythm.

"Ooh, it IS getting late," Jamie commented beside us. She leaned over us, taking hold of my head and turning it so that she could plant a wet kiss on me as well. We battled tongues for thirty seconds or so while I continued pumping in and out of Andie. But Jamie finally pulled away with a sigh. "I'm gonna start putting my face together. Have fun you two."

"Bye, Jamie," Andie chirped between soft grunts, short exhalations that accompanied each impact of my pelvis against hers.

"Bye, lovely," I drawled with a wink while I ogled the busty Italian beauty's naked body as she rolled out of bed. Eyeing those heavy tits, I hammered Andie a little extra hard. But after Jamie gathered up her clothes and left the room with a pixie wink of her own, I returned my attention to the girl beneath me.

"I've got to get to class, too," Andie whimpered.

"We'll make it fast," I assured her. I ceased my thrusting, withdrawing slightly so that I could settle more comfortably onto my knees. Sitting back on my heels, only my cockhead was left still inside Andie's pretty pussy. And I grinned as I looked up her naked body from bare-shaven cunt lips to taut belly, perky tits, and sweet face beyond.

Reaching forward, I seized Andie's hips and physically hauled her up to me, yanking her down around my cock with her butt suspended several inches in the air while her head and shoulders rested on the mattress just in front of my pillows. After glancing at the clock, I then started up our new fucking motions. Gripping Andie's tight buttcheek with my left hand, I more or less held her body in place while thrusting off my knees to piston my dick in and out of her. Her weight was supported by my upper thighs, and with my knees planted I could use my leg muscles to really drive into her. My right hand was free, and with a confident grin I used all five fingers to diddle her clit, playing out a melody of rubbing caresses on her love button before walking my fingers up her torso and tweaking a cherry red nipple.

"Oooh ... unnghhh ... oooh..." Andie squealed as she thrust her loins up to the sky. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the feelings of my digital manipulations combined with the thick prod stretching her vaginal tunnel. Behind my ass, she planted her feet on the mattress and began to undulate her own crotch in my lap. And with her own weight supported, I was free to really use my legs to pound her pussy harder and harder and harder.

"Ungh! Fuck! Me!" Andie crooned happily, lost in the haze of sexual euphoria.

"So! Fucking! Tight!" I grunted with her, squeezing the tit beneath my right palm before squeezing the firm buttcheek held in my left.

"Gah! I'm gonna! Cum!" she moaned, thrashing more and more erratically against my urgent thrust.

"Me too," I groaned and then asked, "Where do you want it?" Already, I began to mentally calculate what physical manipulation would be necessary to scramble out from under her bucking body and get my cock in line with her mouth. Andie was the kind of girl who loved getting facialized, but she equally adored sucking my load down or even getting her tits sprayed, although we probably didn't have time for a shower to clean up afterward this morning.

But Andie crooned, "In me ... I wanna feel your spunk squishing into my panties while I'm in class. Oh fuck that's hot. I'm cumming!!!"

The petite bottle-blonde squealed and threw her head back as she came, thrusting her pelvis toward the sky again and even elevating her shoulders off the bed so that her body formed an arch running from the top of her head and over to her feet planted behind me. Holding onto her hips with both hands, I piledrived my cock in and out of her spasming snatch with short, staccato thrusts. And just as her internal orgasmic compressions began to fade away, I thrust forward one last time and held myself there as my cock began spitting ribbons of spunk into the back of Andie's clenching cunt.

"CUMMING!" Andie howled again, loud enough for most of the house to hear. "I'M CUMMING!!!"

Her arch actually collapsed before I was finished squirting. Falling down with her, we ended up back in a missionary position with Andie's arms and legs spread wide to the corners of the bed and my cockhead nudging up against Andie's cervix as I continued hosing down her empty womb. Breathing heavily, her chest rose and fell beneath mine and she clutched her arms around my neck to hold us even closer together while I finished spunking her saturated pussy.

"Whew..." Andie sighed when we finally caught our respective breaths. "That's still a helluva way to wake up."

I grinned and chuckled. "That's why we do it every morning."

Something flashed in Andie's eyes. "Well, not every morning. Not for me at least."

I heard a pouting note in Andie's voice and picked my head up to look at her. Blinking slowly, I gave her a bashful smile and said, "You have to share, cutie."

Andie put on an exaggerated frown, but it lasted for only a second before she giggled and kissed my nose. "I know. I guess I just have to really enjoy every chance I get with you."

I arched an eyebrow. "Don't you? I sure as hell try my best to ensure you get plenty of 'enjoyment' whenever we do this."

"Of course, of course." She giggled in laughter. Shaking her head, Andie sighed, "You're still the best, and you've never let me down even once. You're incredible, in that. There's no one else I've ever met quite like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Andie grinned and squeezed her inner muscles around my half-hard cock still inside her. "It is. It is." Tightening her arms around my neck once again, Andie then drew me into a soulful kiss that was full of more than mere lust. Indeed, there was an urgent longing in Andie's kiss, an almost desperate pressure and a whimpered moan I'd been noticing more and more when we'd recently been together. Everyone had agreed that the harem was to remain strictly casual, with no romantic feelings complicating things for everyone involved. After all, what we shared was sex, not love. And if my sex had to spread out over up to a dozen different girls, what chance was there for anything truly meaningful, right?

But people can't always control the way they feel, and it was no secret that Andie was becoming quite fond of me. And if I was to be fully honest with myself, I was starting to get quite fond of her as well. I was getting fond of a lot of them.

But just as our kiss was about to intensify into the start of something more, a new voice cleared her throat beside the bed. Almost bashfully, Andie and I broke apart and looked over to see a fully-dressed Jamie standing next to us with an impish smile on her face. "Time's up lovebirds. We gotta get to class."

"Ohhh..." Andie moaned with that exaggerated frown once again.

I looked down at her, shrugged helplessly, and then quickly pecked her nose. "Time to get up, cutie. We'll do this again." I pushed my chest off of hers, and slowly began to withdraw.

"When?" Andie whimpered, cinching her legs around my waist and preventing me from pulling out. Her eyes were wide and liquid and full of worry.

I shrugged and head-nodded to Jamie. "Guess you'll have to check the schedule with the others."

Hastily dressed and with only a dab of product in my messy hair, I stumbled downstairs with my messenger bag slung across my shoulders. Sasha stood in the hallway, one hand on the handle of her roller backpack. "Ready to go?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, wondering just how much I smelled like sex at the moment. Andie was still upstairs, putting on her makeup with my spunk squishing into her panties. And Jamie was in the dining room wolfing down her own breakfast. None of the other Tri-Delts had stayed in the house overnight. Nodding to Sasha, I replied, "Ready."

I started walking, but Sasha caught my arm. "Not yet, buster. You gotta eat something." Without ceremony, she shoved half a waffle into my mouth.

Holding the freshly-made batter-based cake in my teeth, I reached up to hold the mass of waffle in my hand before biting off the piece already in my mouth. Even with my mouth full, I turned and puckered up for Sasha, who eagerly kissed me. "Thanks," I mumbled.

The beautiful brunette beamed and held up a silver travel mug, one I already knew to be filled with orange juice. After I took that as well, she leaned in for one more thank you kiss and a pat on my ass. "You're welcome. Let's roll."

-- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

"I do not know how you do it sometimes, Benjamin," Professor Isakova sighed heavily as she handed over my graded exam. At the top in red ink was the number 96. "I am certain you were sleeping through the lecture on capital budgeting."

I blushed as I took the exam and slid it toward myself across the table's surface. All around us, other students were getting up and exiting the classroom. My exam was the last one either the professor or her T.A. had handed back. "Guess studying at home pays off," I explained.

Viktoriya's eyebrows rose and she bent over, and I couldn't help but notice the way the front of her blouse fell away from her chest, giving me a prominent view of her cleavage. The other students in my immediate vicinity had already departed, and in a quiet voice only I could hear, she murmured, "I am amazed you have any time to study in that house of yours, what with your little harem and all."

My eyes popped open wide in surprise, and as Viktoriya stood back up, she had a teasing smile on her face. "You know about that?"

"Of course I do," she replied matter-of-factly. "I like to keep tabs on my favorite students, even after they have moved on. At the beginning of the semester, I was worried how you would be taking DJ's departure. And then the situation with Kim has thrown all of us. But I see now that you are coping just fine."

I coughed nervously and blushed. "I've managed to get by."

Viktoriya's musical laughter filled the room, and then she leaned down and whispered once again in my ear. "Maybe someday you'll find a little time in your busy schedule to do an old woman a favor."

I arched an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She gave me a wicked smile as she stood back up, and without further explanation, turned and walked to the front of the room. Not sure what to make of that, I took a deep breath and then packed up my gear.

By the time I got up, Bert and Sasha were standing at the open doorway to the classroom. I smiled at my friends and as I walked up, I crooked my elbow. Sasha slid her hand through it casually and waved back toward Viktoriya. Bert nodded, and the three of us departed.

As we exited the building, I reached out my arm and Sasha slipped her fingers through mine. Hand-in-hand, we cruised down the sidewalk. And Sasha flashed me a beaming smile before squeezing my hand twice in rapid succession.

"You're in a good mood," I commented.

"I like Wednesdays," she replied, then held up our joined hands. "I like walking back and forth to class with you like this."

"Aack! Aack!" Bert mimed gagging on his finger. Sasha reached out and backhanded his upper arm.

I chuckled. The hand-holding had first started as a way to deflect away some unwanted advances from would-be groupies, once it had become known that DJ and I broke up. Alone, I would have been a target for many a horny coed looking for her own "Big Ben Experience", and the days that I walked alone around campus I still got the occasional proposition. But now whenever Sasha and I walked anywhere together, she held my hand. Predatory girls kept their distance (mostly). And the rather innocent public display of affection had contributed to the rumor that she and I were a dating couple, something that neither of us really minded and something that served as an additional deterrent against unwanted advances even when Sasha wasn't by my side.

I didn't mind the idea that people thought we were a couple. Sasha was a beautiful young woman, intelligent, and well-regarded by her classmates. She'd continued to update her new wardrobe, and now walked beside me wearing a cute baby blue polo that hugged her torso and a white skirt that showed off her nice legs. Her makeup accented her natural beauty and I caught more than a few guys checking out my "girlfriend" in passing.

As for Sasha, she wasn't interested in getting hit on by other guys and the perception that she belonged to me likewise kept the wolves at bay. Absolutely no male on campus wanted to be the next boyfriend after legendary sex god Big Ben. Even her old friends thought she and I were involved, but they surprisingly were pleased with this development. I think Rod and company would much rather believe Sasha and I were seriously dating than think she was simply one fuck toy amongst many other fuck toys, even though the latter was actually more accurate. Ultimately, Sasha was free to go about her life getting good grades, socializing and making NEW friends on campus, and generally not worrying about the whole dating scene.

Plus, the Tri-Delts didn't mind people thinking Sasha was my girlfriend. In fact, the harem girls preferred that people believed I was in a relationship – and more importantly, that they didn't know about Tri-Delt West at all. The girls knew I didn't think any less of them for their sexual proclivities – and that their fellow sorority sisters didn't judge them – but the outside world would not be so forgiving. Their closest friends were other Tri-Delts, limiting the number of people that knew. And as I mentioned before, the knowledge that a particular Tri-Delt had been involved with me would hamper that girl's efforts in flirting with other guys, and indeed, some of them had gone and picked up other boyfriends who never knew they'd been part of my harem. So it was better for all parties involved that our encounters went under the radar. Sure, there were lots of rumors going around about my current harem. But then, there had always been rumors about me and the Tri-Delts, so those were nothing new.

But Sasha's current good mood wasn't about our pretend relationship. She seemed genuinely happy and I gave her another look. "No really, you're in a good mood. What is it? If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you met some new guy."

Sasha barked a short laugh and immediately shook her head. "No way. Never happen." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "It's my turn to make dinner. I've got something special planned."

"Aack! Aack! Sasha's cooking" Bert mimed gagging on his finger again.

Sasha slapped him again. "Jerk. It'll be good. I promise."

Bert shrugged. "There's always a first time for everything."

Sasha slapped him again.

-- THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

Bert wasn't with us since he hadn't come to school today. He was sick, and there weren't any shortage of suggestions that it was because of Sasha's cooking last night, even though what he had were flu symptoms.

Sasha and I made the final turn for the house and I whistled, idly wondering who would be home. Except for that one night when I walked in to find the house empty except for a note to drink lots of fluids and prepare for an orgy, there had always been at least two Tri-Delts in my house at the end of the day. And indeed, when I turned the corner into the living room I immediately saw Leticia Canas, Nora Cavaday, and Misa Ng sitting on a couch while doing their homework. Jocelyn Canilao, Lupe Gutierrez, and Tonya Brackett were at the dining table studying as well. And I heard the exhaust fan in the kitchen running while the rich odors of curry powder and turmeric wafting out through the doorway.

Sidling up to the dining table, I rubbed Tonya's arm while bending down to peck her cheek. "Hello, ladies..." I greeted warmly and then moved over to Lupe. The saucy Latina babe turned her head so that my kiss landed on her lips instead of her cheek, and she giggled sweetly while I stood up and not-so-accidentally brushed my hand across her tits.

Although there were six Tri-Delts in my living room, not all of them were "harem girls" anymore. There had been quite a bit of status shuffling amongst the girls in the past several weeks, with Tri-Delts leaving and re-joining the harem, dating others, or declaring themselves simply available as opportunity arose. Misa, for one, had started dating some Junior in EECS. Likewise, Jocelyn was in a relationship and therefore both girls were "taken" and off-limits. Lupe had left the official harem, but was not currently dating and therefore was considered "available" should I choose to invoke the seize and inseminate charter – or even if she just wanted to get laid. And then there was Tonya, someone who had left the harem to pursue a hot and heavy relationship but then officially rejoined just last week when that relationship burned out as fast as it had started.

Nora had gotten herself a lesbian relationship but let her girlfriend know I was her cock on the side. Still, she'd pledged fidelity when it came to other girls, so I could seize Nora for a one-on-one but not into a threesome or more, much to Whitney's chagrin. Whitney then went and got herself another boyfriend but wanted to keep hooking up with me on the side, but I put the kibosh on that idea, declaring her "taken". The other girls were laying odds on how long it would be before Whitney dumped the guy and came back to me. Leticia was still "harem" and ready to be seized. And then Madison, like Lupe, wasn't part of the official harem anymore but she would show up maybe once a week and throw "come hither" eyes at me, and as long as she remained single she was still "available".

It was all a lot for me to keep straight, and I found myself seriously considering to create a whiteboard chart on the wall with all the girls and their "harem", "available", or "taken" status marked with magnets. As it was, Jocelyn told me that my right of seizure and insemination applied to ALL Tri-Delts within these walls, regardless of available versus taken status. But out of respect for my wishes not to boink another man's girlfriend, each Tri-Delt had been charged with giving me due warning before things got out of hand.

Lupe (available, but not harem) now leaned her chest into my arm and batted her eyelashes in a way that invited me to distract her from her studies. Tonya reached out and patted my ass as she stood up to hug herself against my side. And at the invitation of her eyes and the way she tilted her head, I leaned in to give the beautiful black babe a much fiercer kiss hello.

But things didn't go beyond that. After the kiss, Tonya backed off and exhaled, looking down at her books. Turning toward the kitchen and the curry smells, I gestured with my chin and asked, "Lakhi making lunch today?"

"Sí," Lupe replied with a smile. "She says she's making your favorite."

I laughed. I told all the girls that every dish they made for me was my favorite. Still, as favorites among favorites go, Lakhi's cooking tended to rise toward the top, so I was looking forward to it. "If she's making what I think she's making, I'll have to reward her for it later."

"I'm helping!" Jeannie Patitta chirped as she poked her head out of the kitchen.

Nora Cavaday looked up from her seat on the couch and laughed. "Everyone helps. But that doesn't mean you get a slot tonight."

I chuckled at that. While not a firm and fast rule, I'd developed the habit of seizing and inseminating whoever cooked dinner that night. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and a good meal certainly put me in a thankful mood. Last night, Sasha had done the cooking and I'd pulled her, Andie, and Jamie into my bedroom at the end of the evening.

As for tonight, even though she'd been with me last night, it would probably end up being a "Sasha Thursday" before she headed off to work for the next three evenings. As head chef, everyone figured Lakhi would end up getting a royal pounding before bedtime. And since I tended to bring the girls into my room in threes, everyone knew there was one more spot left. Of the girls here, Nora couldn't do a foursome, and Jocelyn and Misa were both taken, so that left my final choice to be between Jeannie, Leticia, Lupe, or Tonya.

Scratch that. Going into the kitchen, I found Lakhi Sharma with her back to me as she looked over the big pot simmering on the stove. A few feet away from her, Jeannie had taken up her station at the counter dicing up vegetables. I cruised past her and goosed her butt along the way, causing the young Thai girl to squeak. Lakhi turned at the unexpected sound just as I moved in behind her. And wrapping my arms around the Indian girl's waist, I bent down and sniffed her neck. "Mmm ... smells good..." I hummed.

"The food's not even finished yet," Lakhi giggled as my nose tickled her.

"I wasn't talking about the food."

Lakhi laughed again and spun within my grasp. She let me tilt her head back and seal my lips over hers for a sweet kiss, and she moaned into my mouth when my tongue came out to play.

But just as quickly as we'd kissed, she pushed me away and shook her head. "Later. Tonight. For now I've got to finish your dinner."

"How long until it's ready?"

"Mmm, about thirty minutes," she replied, glancing back at me before returning to her range.

"Can you manage without your sous chef?" I asked, reaching over and hooking an arm around Jeannie's waist, lifting the petite Thai girl up into the air and swinging her over my shoulder while she squealed in surprise.

Lakhi turned back again and grinned. "Sure. I'll be fine."

Sasha stepped into the kitchen. "I'll help out."

"Great, thanks Sasha." Jeannie was giggling and wriggling a little too much, so I slapped her butt as I turned around and strutted back through the living room. I glanced over to the pretty redheaded Latina sophomore still with a book in her lap but her eyes on us. "C'mon, Leticia. I'm in the mood to tie Jeannie down to the bed and I need you to sit on her face while I tie the knots."

"Ooh, goody!" Leticia slammed her book closed.

I smiled. Now I would only have to pick between Lupe and Tonya for that third slot tonight...

Screw it, I'll take 'em both...

-- FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2006, SENIOR YEAR --

With Bert still home sick, we invited Paige to come by the house to have lunch with us. Jocelyn, Tonya, and Lupe were the only ones home, and they made a spread big enough for all six of us. The Tri-Delts and Little Red had already made acquaintance with each other, but they weren't about to invite Paige up into a bedroom or anything.

After lunch, Paige took off for her class and Tonya and Lupe took me upstairs for a study break. An hour later, the three of us descended the stairs together and found Sasha and Jocelyn studying in the living room. We were running a little late, having gone a bit overboard with the fucking and then compounding our tardiness when we struggled to get Tonya back into her blouse with the buttons aligned correctly.

Jocelyn started giggling immediately upon our arrival. Even though everyone in the room was fully aware we'd just had sex, Tonya realized her friend was getting more bemused than normal and she asked, "What?"

Sasha mimed wiping her chin and spoke up helpfully, "Tonya, you've got a bit of ... right ... uh-huh..." She continued gesturing until the caramel-skinned beauty finally wiped away the glob of creamy white semen still clinging to the right side of her chin. "Got it."

"Thanks," Tonya said with a blush.

"Happens to all of us," Sasha replied.

"Really, it does," Lupe sighed. "Happened to me last week. Only nobody told me until I was halfway down the sidewalk. Still, it was worth it. Ben's cum is really yummy."

"Great," Jocelyn sighed from her seat at the table. "Now I'm hungry, and not for food."

"So dump the boyfriend and re-join the harem!" Tonya laughed.

Jocelyn rolled her eyes, but she flicked a glance to me that told me she was thinking about it. It was the same decision that weighed on a lot of girls, including the ones who'd already gotten a Big Ben Experience and then never come back. Fantastic sex is really, really nice. But at the same time, they understood they wouldn't be getting all of the rest of the things that go into a great relationship: intimacy, companionship, trust, and support. Big Ben was good for spectacular orgasms, but not much beyond that. I couldn't blame Jocelyn for choosing as she did, and as wonderful as Tri-Delt West had been so far, I'd seen the girls come and go enough to know the situation wouldn't last forever.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I walked onto campus with Sasha, heading for Isakova's class. She could tell I was in a contemplative mood and didn't try to initiate a conversation, merely holding my hand and being there for me should I want someone to talk to. But before that time ever came, someone else showed up and grabbed my attention.

"BEN!"

Out of nowhere, Andie Holland came racing around the corner and vaulted herself at me. I had to think fast to reach my arms out and brace myself to catch her. And Andie's legs quickly wrapped around my waist as she began raining kisses down all over my face.

"Andie ... Andie! Andie!" I struggled just to open my eyes from her woodpecker attack.

Andie finally pulled herself away, absolutely beaming. "I can't believe I ran into you here!"

I looked around. We were in Sproul Plaza, a fairly busy intersection of cross-traffic for students going across the campus. Smiling, I set Andie down and asked, "Where are you headed?"

"Stephens," she replied.

"Really? I'm heading to Cheit. You're on my way."

"Really?" Andie bubbled. "Can I walk with you?"

"Of course."

Andie slipped her feet to the ground and interlaced her fingers through my left hand. I reached out with my right, but Sasha had stepped to the side. She shrugged, smiled, and nodded for me to go ahead and walk with Andie. Just another way Sasha was trying to show me she wouldn't be jealous.

"Ooh. Maybe I should meet you here every week so we can walk together," Andie said eagerly as she squeezed my hand.

I chuckled and patted her forearm before leading us eastward. "Then you might end up waiting for me here if I'm running late. And Stephens is just over there."

Andie shrugged. "It would be worth it to see you, even if only for a couple of minutes. I really wish I didn't have a class in the mornings, otherwise I could visit the house before you leave for lunch."

I tugged the cute bottle-blonde toward me and pecked her forehead. "That's okay. We still see plenty of each other the other days of the week."

"But I've missed you," Andie pouted, exaggerating her frown as she turned her face up to me. She looked so pitiful that I couldn't help but smile and bend down to kiss her lips instead. And that seemed to improve Andie's mood as she smiled and then wrapped herself around my arm.

Hand-in-hand, Andie and I walked the few hundred remaining yards to Stephens Hall. I found myself remembering that while Sasha and I often walked around campus holding hands, I didn't do so with the Tri-Delts, and it was a surprise for us to do so now. But rather than dwell on it, I just went with the flow and enjoyed Andie's company, for once outside of the house.

Sasha spoke up politely, asking, "So what class do you have in Stephens?"

"International Studies. It's okay, I guess. I'd rather be learning about French kissing, Australian titfucks, and Going Around the World." Andie giggled as she leered at me.

I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief that she'd just said that. Andie sure didn't have much of a censor on her libido, and I knew from experience that she could be quite kinky from time to time.

"Hey, what do you say we blow off class and find a quiet corner together?" she suddenly asked.

"Andie..." I said in a warning tone.

She giggled again. "No? Maybe a very public corner?"

"Andie!" I hissed.

She extra-pouted again. "I told you, I've MISSED you. Just seeing you again has me all gooey inside and I'm soaking my panties just thinking about it."

"We'll hook up after class then."

"But I want now..." she whined.

"Andie!" I barked disapprovingly.

"Fine." Frowning, she sighed and waggled her head dejectedly. Coming to a stop, she then turned and pushed me off the main sidewalk and over behind a tree. While not completely out of sight, we were ten feet from the path and relatively shielded. Sasha remained on the path looking at us curiously. And then in an achingly heartbroken tone, Andie looked up at me and asked quietly, "Is it because I don't have big tits like the others?"

I blinked twice and dropped my jaw. "Wait, what?"

"I can get a boob job, you know. I've been thinking a lot about it anyway, and I know you like the chesty girls. Dawn has a fantastic pair, and so does DJ. They've been your only two actual girlfriends since I've known you, well except for Cadence, but even she's a D-cup. And don't even get me started with Adrienne's rack. I know I'm not very big, just a B-cup. I'm sorry; it's all I've got. But I've been saving up some money and I was thinking that--"

"Andie!" I barked a little too loudly, my eyebrows furrowed in shock and disbelief. "No, no, no."

She blinked rapidly. "I know ... they wouldn't be real. But there's no other way I could ever have tits like--"

"Andie!" I hissed again to cut her off. Rolling my eyes, I explained, "First of all, that's not the point. Fake, natural, whatever is not the point. I like you just the way you are, cutie. You don't need bigger boobs."

She bit her lip and whimpered at me. "But the others ... Everyone can tell. Jamie, Lakhi, Lupe, Tonya, Whitney ... They've all got bigger racks than me and you seem to really love their tits. Leticia's really new, but you even get all excited for hers as well. And let's face it: you spend a lot of extra time with me and Jamie, but even when it's just the three of us you've got your face shoved into Jamie's chest ten times more often than mine."

"Okay fine, I'm a tit man; but that doesn't mean you need to get a boob job. Seriously, Andie, I adore you just the way you are. I love your smile. I love your laugh. I love your tight little tushie. You're my cutie, remember?"

She frowned. "Always the cute one, never the 'gorgeous' one. I'm not that tall. I'm not very curvy. I'll never be like one of those goddesses you used to date. Not even her."

Andie's eyes went back to the path, staring sullenly at Sasha and her D-cup rack.

"I'd never want you to be," I said gently, touching her cheek and returning her eyes to me. "Andie, I love being with you for who you are, period. It has nothing to do with anyone else or what anyone else looks like or is built like."

"But if I were taller and curvier and more beautiful, you'd want to spend more time with me, wouldn't you?"

I shook my head. "We've talked about this. I'm not looking for any serious relationships right now. With anyone."

"I'm not talking about 'serious relationships'. I just mean among the others. Some of the girls have left the harem, but there are still a lot of us and we all have to share. Jocelyn and Lakhi and Tonya are really good about trying to keep the girls in a fair rotation, and some of them even deliberately hold back in order to give the others more time with you. But there are also a few windows to be spontaneous where any one of us can seduce you or at least give you an opportunity to just grab us and have some fun. And I've been paying attention. I would have thought you'd like me, Jocelyn, and Tonya the most, since we were the first ones, you know? From the pledge class? And with Jocelyn and Tonya moving on and having boyfriends, I kinda thought that I ... well ... It's just ... It kinda seems like you like Jamie and Whitney and Sasha more, even though they all came later, and I can't help but feel like it's because they've got better bodies than me."

I exhaled slowly and paused for a moment to look at my watch. I had a scant few minutes to get to class, and couldn't afford to spend much more time trying to talk sense into Andie. "Look, I can't say anything for keeping score or whatever it is you're talking about in comparing how much time I spend with one girl versus the others. I honestly try to do my best to spend a little time with everyone evenly, so that we all know that it's fun and casual and that I'm not playing favorites."

"You have favorites. It's impossible for anyone not to. It's like parents with multiple kids: They tell themselves they don't play favorites, but they still do."

I arched an eyebrow, momentarily wondering how many siblings Andie had. I'd had conversations with each of the girls about their families, being a pretty non-threatening topic for each of them. But with so many girls sometimes it was hard to remember who was an only child and who was the middle sister of three, etc. I seemed to remember that Andie at least had a younger sister.

I sighed and shook my head. "Fine. Honestly? You're one of my favorites."

Andie's eyebrows popped. "Really?"

I nodded. "But you can't tell the others, okay? I get what you're saying. Even when trying to play fair, everyone has favorites. It's impossible to completely control your feelings. You ARE one of them, alright? I thought you already knew that. I thought you could tell that I spend more time with you than almost any of the others. And it has nothing to do with your boobs."

"So you don't like my boobs."

"Not what I meant." I grimaced and rubbed my forehead.

Although if you were to explain to Jamie why she was one of your favorites, one of the reasons would be her boobs.

Shut up, you.

Taking a deep breath, I explained, "I like you for who you are. You're cute, you're perky, you're a freak in bed, and when you give me a blowjob, it feels like you're sucking my soul out through my pee hole."

Andie giggled and managed to preen at my compliments.

"If we had an hour to kill I would love to find a quiet corner, flip you upside-down over a desk chair and then spank your ass a dozen times before spitting into your anus and cornholing the hell out of you right there."

Closing her eyes to mere slits, Andie shivered and gaped her mouth open slightly. I think she may have had an orgasm right then and there.

"But I've got class in two minutes and so do you. I'm turning you down right now because I actually want to attend my classes and get good grades, alright? And I'm turning you down because I don't want you skipping classes either. Got it?"

Cringing, Andie looked like she didn't want to believe me for a moment, but she eventually sighed and nodded.

I stepped forward, pulled her into a hug, and then turned Andie's head so that I could give her my best approximation of a plutonium bomb kiss. I devoured her mouth and shoved my tongue down her throat, willing her to understand through brute force how much I liked and lusted for her. And almost as quickly as I'd started, I pulled away and then took her hand in my own, to pull her upright and away from the tree. "Now enough of this nonsense. We've got to get to class, okay?"

Still in a daze from the kiss, Andie wobbled slightly. "Umm ... okay..."

"I'll see you at the house later. We'll find a way for me to prove to you just how much I like having you in my life, alright?"

Andie managed a weak smile, but one that grew stronger with each passing second. "Okay," she replied brightly.

I nodded and then got us back onto the path. I was going to have to really hurry now if Sasha and I were going to make it to class on time.

But before we got five feet, Andie tugged back on my hand and pulled me around to face her. She launched herself into my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck as she got up onto her tiptoes and returned the kiss to me with equal fervor. And when she finally pulled away and settled back down onto her heels, she said softly, "You're my favorite too, you know."

I chuckled, thinking on how I was the only man currently in her life. "I kinda figured."

She shook her head with an expression that said I didn't quite get it. "You're my favorite ever," she intoned strongly. "And I mean EVER."

Once again, I saw the urgent longing in Andie's eyes that I'd come to recognize more and more with each passing week. Everyone had agreed that the harem was to remain strictly casual. For one of the girls to fall in love with me could potentially break apart the harem, or at the very least cause a lot of uncertainty in the relationships we each shared. Romantic feelings would complicate things for everyone involved, and we all knew that we shouldn't have them.

But people can't always control the way they feel.

Sasha and I finished class and then began the trek for home. Since we hadn't had time to talk before class, I filled her in about Andie as we walked from Cheit down the hill. She told me she sympathized with what Andie was going through, and told me that I'd probably have to give Andie the same speech I'd given her about acknowledging her love without returning it. I asked if Sasha was jealous, knowing that there was another girl falling in love with me.

Sasha's response: "Jealous? Yeah, right. If I had to get jealous of every girl who was falling in love with you, I'd have to be jealous of a lot more girls than just Andie."

We got to our usual intersection and exchanged a hug and a kiss goodbye as she headed for the BART station to get to work. I crossed Bancroft and made my way down the sidewalk. And then all alone, I made the final turn for home, whistling as I approached the house. Andie wouldn't be arriving until closer to dinnertime, but I was already starting to think up ways to show my bottle-blonde "cutie" that she really was one of my favorites. A little extra nipple-suckling figured heavily into those plans.

But just as I got nearer to the house, my cell phone rang with the special tone I'd reserved just for Brooke. It got my attention immediately and I quickly picked up, halting my progress toward the house. "Hey, Brooke. Good to hear from you. What's up?"

"Hey, bro," my sister replied. "It's DJ. She wants to talk."