“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.”