“I’ve been thinking on the ride home that I need to find ways to work with you. If I’m thinking that, when word gets out, others will too. You’re the kind of guy who’s just unpredictable enough that magic can happen. The key for someone like you is to not let them change you,” she said.
“Any advice for tomorrow?” I asked.
“Watch what all the other models are doing, and then don’t do that.”
I raised my eyebrow and she smirked.
“You’re a smart boy. You’ll figure it out. Oh! No drinking or picking up the other models. They’ll send them at you in waves to see if you’ll be a problem. I hear Ford is always vigilant for possible trouble. They’ll test you.”
“Tell me about it. Anyways, I need to run. I’ll call you when I get back; are you going to be here?”
“Nope, I’ll be in New York doing some runway work. I should be busy, so don’t be upset if I don’t answer your calls. If you need to talk, leave a message and I’ll make time for you.”
She kissed me and I jogged to the car. When I got in, Mary gave me a hard time.
“Which one are you dating?”
“That would be the one I’m going home with. At the end of the day, that’s what’s important.”
“Dut-dut-dut-da,” Tracy made a singsong noise.
Mary made a gagging motion. I just rolled my eyes at her.
We got back to Tracy’s house and she led me up the stairs to her room. Tom chose that moment to be a dad.
“Not under my roof, you’re not.”
She glared at him and stood her ground.
“Daddy, David and I aren’t having sex. We’re taking it slow.”
I looked at Tom.
“Oh, wow. Sorry about that. I think that was too much information for the parental unit,” I said.
Tom saw Mary coming and made a hasty retreat. He was a smart man and he didn’t need both of them to chew on him.
“Just keep the door open for appearances. Tracy, please don’t break the house rules. Your dad needs to believe his little girl is still that.”
“Okay, Mom. Come on, Stud, we need to talk.”
We went to her room and I kicked my shoes off, got on her bed and leaned against the headboard. She got on and lay down lengthwise at my feet.
“Okay, lay it on me,” Tracy told me.
“This is something I’ve actually thought a lot about. My brother and his girlfriend almost destroyed their relationship because they didn’t have this talk. It has to do with what kind of couple do we want to be.”
She thought about it for a while.
“I guess I don’t know what you mean.”
“Fair enough, let me work through a few scenarios with you. Most couples just assume they’ll be 100% exclusive, but what happens if you haven’t seen me in several weeks, and one of your girlfriends comes over for a sleepover. Being horny, your inhibitions are down, and you end up doing some things. Should I break up with you?”
“No.”
“Okay, hold that thought. What if you went out with the intent to seduce the girl?”
“Maybe.”
“What if you met a cute guy at a party and he got you drunk and raped you?”
“God, no.”
“What if it just happened, and you never intended to see him again?”
“No.”
“What if you liked him and what the two of you did was just to help each other out?”
“Probably not.”
“What if you developed feelings for him?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What if I got drunk and slept with a guy?”
“Hell yes, we’d be done.”
I laughed.
“Don’t worry, I’d be done too,” I said, and continued. “What if I brought a sexy girl home that turned you on? Someone we both liked?”
“No, I’d be fine with that.”
I smiled.
“From what you’re telling me, we’re not like most couples. We don’t expect 100% fidelity. Here’s where it gets tricky: when you bring other people into a relationship, it can get messy. This is where communication is essential. This’ll only work if we’re honest with each other, and we believe the other person is being honest with us.”
She nodded.
“Let me lay out what I’m thinking, and we can see if it’ll work for us.”
She nodded at me again.
“I think we need rules. There are a few people that we already have something going on with; you know that Beth, Cindy, Suzanne, and I have friends-with-benefits relationships. Are you okay with that?”
She didn’t run screaming from the room, so I figured we could work it out.
“Two rules; no, make that three. You cannot take time away from us to be with one of them,” Tracy said as she held up one finger.
“I agree with that.”
“You must always wear a condom with them,” she said as she held up a second finger.
“Done.”
“When they head off to college, you have to ask for permission first if you get back together.”
“Okay, and I have one more,” I added. “I can never put one of them above you, or embarrass you with being with them.”
“That’s a good one,” she agreed.
“I’d like to make a rule that we must call and get permission with random people.”
She thought about that for a moment.
“David, I trust your judgment. You’re not going to end up with some crack whore. I also know that on some of these photo shoots, things might get out of hand. I’d appreciate a call first, but if it doesn’t happen, I expect a full report afterward.”
I realized I hadn’t talked to her about her friends with benefits.
“Do you have anyone that you have sex with on a regular basis?”
“Actually, I do: a couple of the girls on the JV team.”
“That’s so hot. I have no problem with that,” I said.
I was afraid to ask but I need to know.
“Any guys?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“No, and I won’t unless we have another long talk. I’ll make you a deaclass="underline" if you keep me satisfied and commit at least one night a week when it’s just us, I promise I’ll never go looking. I also want to talk to my therapist before we do anything too physical.”
I had a big grin on my face.
“This is a good start. Tracy, being together means a lot to me. Please talk to me. I don’t want to lose you over something we could have worked out. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a little bit of a slut. My mom always said my inability to keep it in my pants would ruin anything serious I ever got into. I want us to be the exception. I also want you to invite me to one of your cheerleader rendezvous.”
“Only if you invite me to one of your friends-with-benefits outings.”
I had a good feeling that we were going to have some fun. I had to laugh when her dad snuck up to catch us and we weren’t even touching. At ten o’clock, Tracy took me home, and I spent time with Kyle, who was becoming a night owl. I had a long two days ahead of me, so I went to bed.
Chapter 17 – Go Big or Stay Home
Sunday December 1
KENDAL PICKED ME UP early because we had a long drive to Chicago. I loaded my bags into her trunk, and I had coffee and cinnamon rolls for the trip.
“Did Tom give you your portfolio?” she asked.
“Nope, I guess we have to go to your office first.”
I thought for a moment of what else we might need.
“Should we make a CD with all the photos watermarked?”
“That’s a good idea. Do you have the CDs from yesterday?”
I shook my head no. I got my phone out and called Tom. He met us at his door and gave us the CDs and the release forms. We got to the office, and thirty minutes later we were on the road.
The car ride was good for Kendal and me. We talked nonstop while learning about each other. She also explained what her new job was going to be, and how happy her firm was with how everything was going. Tom was going to adjust his business plan because the early success wasn’t anticipated. The partners wanted to hire someone with experience. Of course, that set off Kendal’s insecurities. I think if she hadn’t been driving, she might have slugged me when I started laughing.