Gaming for Love

Turning, Ashley saw her friend from the basketball team approaching in a form-hugging navy blue party dress.

"Alli! How are ya, girl?"

"I'm great, and even better now that I know you decided to come," Allison grinned. "What changed?"

"I... got asked by someone," Ashley admitted, blushing a bit. "Alli, this is Michael. Michael, you of course know who Allison Smallwood is."

"Of course. Michael Goldman," he replied, shaking her hand. "I'm one of the photographers for The Plainsman."

"Fantastic! Glad you got our girl to loosen up and have some fun tonight!" Allison agreed.

"Yeah. I'm just glad she said yes," Michael remarked, glancing at Ashley, who was still blushing.

"Hey! No stealin' my date, dude!"

Seeing his roommate walking over, Michael shot back, "Not my fault if you can't keep her, Antonio!" After greeting him with a fist bump, Michael said, "Ashley, this is my roommate, Antonio."

"Good to meet you."

"Likewise," Antonio said with a grin. "Glad our boy finally asked you out. He's only been pining over you for a few months!"

"Dude, you're full of shit," Michael remarked.

"Oh, you shoulda heard some of the awful poetry he'd stay up late and write!" Antonio continued.

"Look at that, Ashley. You see all the smoke coming out of his ass?" Michael replied, eliciting a giggle from Ashley.

"Antonio, behave," Allison whispered into his ear. "That is, if you know what's best for you..."

Antonio cooled a bit at this, picking up on the obvious innuendo in Allison's sultry voice. He and Michael stepped aside for a few minutes to pick up some Cokes for their dates. Meanwhile, Allison was still excited at seeing Ashley there with an actual date.

"Girl, your date is super cute!" she said once the guys were out of earshot.

"Yeah, he is, isn't he?" Ashley agreed. "He's got the sexy nerd vibe going on, which is right up my alley. Of course, your guy's kinda gorgeous, too."

"Yeah, Antonio's a lot of fun," Allison said. "Dunno how long it'll last, but it's a hell of a ride while it does." Biting her lower lip, she asked, "So, what changed your mind? Last I heard, you were bitching about not being caught dead with all these 'sorostitutes and fratdaddies', right?"

Ashley shrugged. "Part of it was the reason Michael wanted to come. His high school prom was cancelled, and just wants to know what it's like. And the way he treated me when we first met, no prejudices or putdowns, I found myself wanting to get to know him better. So, against my better judgment, I said yes."

"Wow. That's quite a change in attitude," Allison observed.

"Yeah... I'm not sure why, but I'm having more fun than I ever thought I would."

"I know why: Michael."

"I mean... he's a fantastic guy, but can one person change an entire event? Especially one that I'd otherwise never be caught dead at?" Ashley wondered.

Allison rolled her eyes a bit. "Girl, this is something you've got to learn. When you're with the right person, it doesn't matter what the event or activity is. Being with someone that you connect with makes anything more fun and enjoyable."

"Hmm... I guess Michael is pretty special. It only makes sense he'd make an otherwise insufferable event more bearable," Ashley agreed.

Getting a twinkle in her eye, Allison asked, "So, just how special is he?"

"What are you getting at?" Ashley replied warily.

Allison leaned close and continued, "You gonna sleep with him?"

"Absolutely not!" Ashley laughed. "You know me. I don't just hop into bed with any guy I meet. It's brought me nothing but trouble in the past."

"I know, and I respect that about you," Allison smiled. "Still, Michael does seem different from most guys, in a good way."

"Can't argue with that."

"All I'm saying is... if there's a connection there, don't ignore it. He might turn out to be everything you've been looking for."

"Seriously? Bullshit happily-ever-after dreams? You know I don't fall for those," Ashley huffed.

"Yeah, and I also know you'd never want to come to a dance like this. All the same, here you are," Allison giggled. "I'm not telling you to sleep with him. All I'm saying is I don't want the right guy for you to slip away just because you were too focused on playing it safe. Keep your heart open; that's all I ask."

"Yes, Dr. Phil," Ashley retorted, sticking her tongue out at Allison.

By now, the guys had returned with the Cokes. After a few sips, Allison took Antonio's hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. Ashley was content to hang on the sidelines with Michael for a bit longer, until she heard the distinct opening chords of the next song.

"Wait... is that?"

"Welcome to the Black Parade," Michael replied with a grin. "I requested it."

Ashley's jaw dropped. "How the hell did you know to request this song?!"

"How else? I asked Liz!"

"You sneaky bastard!" Ashley laughed, punching his shoulder. "Come on, get out here, mister."

Grabbing Michael's arm, Ashley had brought him onto the dance floor just as the frantic second half of the song was about to start. Still, Ashley wasn't exactly a dancer and only planned on doing some head banging to her favorite song... maybe even find an excuse to get close to Michael along the way. Michael, on the other hand, had other plans.

Unknown to anyone else, Michael had learned the art of swing dancing from his cousin, Esther. Before prom was cancelled, Michael had no luck at all finding a date to go with him. His plan had been to learn to dance in secret, then find someone willing to dance with him at prom, whereupon he would let loose. He figured that at least some of the girls there would be lining up to dance with him after that, and it might have worked had prom gone on as planned. He had kept this a secret for three years, but now, it was time to finally let loose.

Taking Ashley's hand, he winked and said, "I'll lead."

Before Ashley could even think to ask what he meant, she felt his firm yet comforting grasp pulling her closer to him. She had no chance at all of containing her surprise at this change, going with Michael as much as possible. Despite the innate flashiness of swing dancing, he kept his moves relatively simple, making sure his steps would either be easy for Ashley to follow or require almost no reaction on her part. As Michael spun her around, Ashley's eyes lit up with sheer delight. A lesser woman might be frightened off or intimidated by this display, but not Ashley. She recognized that he was showing her a part of himself that very few would ever get to see. That sort of confidence was such a turn-on for her, and she could definitely feel her panties getting a little damp. All too soon, the song ended, and Michael slowed to let Ashley catch her breath. Unsurprisingly, a circle had formed around them, and the onlookers gave a round of applause for Michael's impromptu show.

"Holy shit... where did you learn to do that?!" Ashley laughed, still panting from the experience.

"My cousin, Esther," Michael replied, explaining his plan for his high school prom.

"Huh... that's a hell of a plan. It probably would've worked, too," Ashley remarked. "Seems to be working now."

Michael looked around and saw a surprising number of attractive young women inching closer, their eyes begging him to dance with them. With a wry grin, he took Ashley's hand and spun her close to him once more.

"Too bad for them. Tonight, I'm only dancing with you."

Ashley snorted a bit at this. "Oh my god, you're so cheesy."

"Hey, if it works!"

As the next song was more moderately paced, Michael helped Ashley pick up on the basic steps of swing dancing. She was a fast learner, and found that she enjoyed it quite a lot. By the end of the song, she was able to follow and anticipate his actions with little difficulty. It was then, of course, that the moment Michael had dreaded arrived: the slow number. As the sounds of Berlin's Take My Breath Away filled the room, Ashley instinctively moved in close and slipped her arms around Michael's neck.

"You're not getting away from me, mister. Not after those last two songs," she whispered with a smile.

"I... sorry, I'm just... really bad at slow dancing," Michael stuttered.

Ashley cocked her eyebrow at this. Michael seemed like a completely different person than the man of confidence he had been mere moments ago.

"Your cousin didn't teach you?" she asked.

"No... must have slipped our minds," he replied, silently cursing himself.

"Well, I don't think there's much to it," Ashley said patiently. "Here, put your hands on my waist. See? Easy."

Ashley took the lead from there, not dancing so much as rocking back and forth with Michael as they slowly spun in a circle. To the outside observer, it may have looked like they were at a middle school dance, but she didn't care. She was having the time of her life, and it was all because of Michael; the last thing she wanted was for a slow number to take away his confidence. Soon, they developed a steady rhythm, and Michael began to relax.

"Not so bad, is it?" Ashley giggled.

"Guess not," Michael sighed.

"So, can I ask how you're so good at swing dancing if slow dancing terrifies you?"

"Swing dancing is basically a science. Kinda like Pokémon, it's all about following your cues and keeping to your plan. But slow dancing is... intimidating. It naturally brings about more emotional intimacy, which makes me terrified I'm gonna screw something up. Plus, I'm more likely to crush a girl's toes while slow dancing than anything else."

With a sweet smile, Ashley replied, "You aren't screwing it up with me."

Michael didn't know what to say to this, so he played it safe and said nothing at all. Still, even he couldn't miss the signs. Ashley was leaning in very close to him, maintaining eye contact the entire time. Everything he did seemed to make her smile, and he could even feel her running her fingers through the back of his short curly hair. It seemed like Antonio was right: she was into him. But what if he was wrong? If he tried to kiss her and she reacted negatively, the results could be nothing short of disastrous. Still, Antonio's words replayed over and over in Michael's head.

The first kiss is always built on taking a chance.

Knowing it was now or never, the ever-conservative Michael decided he had to take the chance. He made sure to remind himself of the 90/10 rule, then began to make his move. First, he maintained eye contact with Ashley, giving a little smile the whole time. Ashley responded positively to this, so he continued by moving one of his hands to caress the small of her back through her dress. She gave no hint of disapproval, and even began to run her fingers through his hair a bit more obviously. Drawing her closer as they swayed, Michael soon felt her perky breasts pressing against him. He did have the presence of mind to shift his pelvis a bit so as not to scare her with his obvious erection. Their faces drew closer by the second; he could feel her hot breath on his chin. Still, she didn't pull away or balk in the slightest. Closing his eyes, Michael leaned is face closer, making sure to stop just short of her lips.

Antonio's advice worked to perfection. Ashley was completely mesmerized by Michael. She knew the entire time what he was up to, and had secretly been hoping he might try to kiss her. Thankfully, her subtle hint of running her fingers through his hair seemed to have gotten the message across. Then, when he stopped millimeters short of kissing her, she knew he was giving her every chance to back out of it. That tiny action made her melt in his arms. She knew Michael was different, but now she saw just how different he was from all the guys she had dated in the past. He was into her, but still afforded her every opportunity to gracefully exit the situation if she so desired. To her, it was a no-brainer.

Ashley leaned forward and closed the remaining distance between her and Michael, at last pressing her lips against his. The feeling was electric. To them, it was as if the entire world around them had ceased to exist. There were no other dancers around them, no distractions to ruin the moment, and they barely even noticed the music playing. All they cared about was savoring their first kiss, one that both would later describe as the best first kiss imaginable. It was quite simple, without any tongue to speak of, but the tension and atmosphere made it incredibly sensual all the same. At last, they separated after around thirty seconds.

"Wow," Ashley breathed.

"Uh huh," Michael mumbled, still in a daze himself.

They continued to dance for a couple more slow numbers, thankful that the DJ was maintaining a rhythm with his song selections. All the while, Ashley giggled nervously, enjoying every second of her time with Michael. Eventually, she had worked her way even closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder as they danced. She couldn't explain how Michael had managed to penetrate her usual defenses so quickly, but Ashley couldn't deny that she was falling for him. Feeling his arms around her made her feel safer than she had ever felt before in her life. In that moment, she made her decision.

"Hey... you wanna get out of here?" she whispered, kissing Michael on the cheek.

"If that's what you'd like," he replied nervously, unsure if this was a good or bad sign.

"Yeah, I've just had about enough of people for one day," Ashley giggled. "You, by the way, aren't people. I haven't had near enough of you."

*****

The entire walk home, Ashley was smiling like a little girl on Christmas morning, holding Michael's arm and walking as close to him as she could. Michael, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Antonio's advice for him to be his normal dorky self had worked, but had it worked too well? Questions began to race through his mind. What if she invited him in? What if she invited him to bed with her? How would she react when he told her of his lack of experience? If she did want to sleep with him, he didn't dare try to hide the fact that he was a virgin; no way would that end well. Sighing mentally, he decided he'd just have to play it by ear and hope for the best.

"I... had such a great time with you," Michael said as they approached her door.

"Me too," Ashley agreed. "And... well, it's still kinda early."

"Uh... y-yeah?"

Throwing caution to the wind, Ashley leaned forward and planted a long and sensuous kiss on Michael's lips. By the end of it, her tongue had found his for the first time, to both of their delights.

"Why don't you come in and stay a while?" she asked as they parted.

"But... wouldn't Liz mind?"

"Liz already told me she'll be gone 'til tomorrow. We have the place to ourselves." Sensing his hesitation, she continued, "Michael, believe me when I say that I swore at the start of the night this wouldn't happen. No matter how well tonight went... I had no intention of inviting you in after one date. Yet, here we are, and I don't want the night to end. No pressure, no expectations, I just... I want to spend more time with you. I mean, it is Valentine's Day, after all, and I do consider you my Valentine."

"Now who's the cheesy one?" Michael laughed. "I'd love to spend more time with you tonight, but only if you're sure."

Another peck on the lips, and Ashley said, "Positive."

Taking Michael's hand, Ashley practically dragged him into the apartment and locked the deadbolt behind her. She then took Michael's suit jacket from him, hanging it on the back of a chair at the breakfast nook. Before long, she had kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the sofa.

"Come on," Ashley beckoned, patting the seat next to her. "I don't bite."

Michael smirked at this, discarding his own shoes and loosening his tie a bit. As soon as his ass touched the sofa cushion, Ashley was already hanging on him, running her fingers through his hair and moving her hand to his thigh. Still, he tried to play it cool and have no assumptions about her intentions.

"Did... you wanna watch a movie or something?" Michael asked.

Smiling, Ashley gave a few playful kisses to Michael's cheek before replying, "Is that really what you want us to do tonight?"

"I... I-I um..."

Michael was slowly losing control of his mental capabilities, and Ashley damn well knew it. After he had driven her crazy on the dance floor, seducing her without even realizing it, she was determined to do the same. Turning up the heat, she leaned closer to Michael and kissed his lips longingly. He was powerless to stop her as she pushed him to lie back long ways on the sofa. The feeling of her lithe body on top of his was almost too much to bear.

"Ashley..." he moaned.

Looking deep into his eyes, she said, "Michael, I can't tell you how into you I am. I know this sounds insane, and I don't want you to think I'm slutty or anything, but... I want you to stay the night. Unless you absolutely don't want to, I have no intention of letting you leave until tomorrow."

Michael's face twisted a bit at this. "Of course I want to be here with you! But why would you think I'd think you're slutty?"

Snorting a bit, Ashley replied, "Come on, Michael. Here I am, throwing myself at you after one date. How is that not slutty?"

Maintaining eye contact, he asked, "Do you respect yourself and your standards?"

"Of course! I would never even consider inviting a guy in or certainly sleeping with him under normal circumstances."

"And what makes you consider doing that?"

"Basically... he has to be boyfriend material. I mean... look, I'm gonna be honest with you, Michael. I've been pretty stupid around men in the past, sleeping with them while knowing they aren't even close to being boyfriend material. I guess I thought I could change them. Like I said, I was stupid back then. But now, I know I have to fall for a guy because of who and what he is before I'd even think of sleeping with him. I don't just hop into bed with any guy I meet, not anymore."

Michael grinned. "Sounds like the opposite of slutty to me."

Kissing him once more, Ashley replied, "You sure know how to pay a girl a compliment. You sure you're not the one seducing me?"

"Hey, you're the one who called me 'boyfriend material' a moment ago."

"I certainly did not call you boyfriend material!" Ashley said, feigning offense. "I merely stated that any man I'd consider sleeping with had to fall into that category. Nothing more."

"Gotcha. So I'm not boyfriend material," Michael replied with a smartass grin.

"You know damn well you are," Ashley sighed, running her fingers along his cheek. "Most genuine guy I've ever met."

"After one date?" Michael asked, still a bit in awe of the situation.

"Michael, you weren't afraid to be yourself out there, even with the real you being a big dork. To me, there's nothing more attractive than that sort of confidence. It makes me want to make you my big dork, and nobody else's." Kissing him again, Ashley began to grind her hips along his obvious erection. "Hmm, something's got you going down there, eh?"

Panicking a moment at how quickly things were progressing, Michael managed to pull back. "Ashley, wait. There's... there's something you deserve to know before we go any further."

"Aw, is this your first time?" she asked playfully. Though she had been teasing, the look of terror spread across his face told her the truth. "Oh my god... this really is your first time, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he sighed, bracing for the worst.

"That's... fantastic!"

"Wait, what?"

"Michael, you have no idea how nerve-wracking it is for us gals, trying to figure out if a guy is for real or not. So many guys are out to use any trick in the book to get into our panties. But the one trick those guys don't use is the virgin trick; no guy I've ever met would lie about being a virgin. There's plenty that would lie about not being a virgin, but never the other way around. Hearing you say that... it's comforting, in a way. I know you'd never try to trick me or anything like that, if that makes any sense."