Honesty Is The Best Policy?

Later, she would be astounded at the events that followed, but for the moment Cathy was more surprised at her own attitude to the man’s words, rather than what he had said. After all, they had only just met. Well, at least it couldn’t be much more than half an hour or so ago since they had struck up a conversation from adjacent tables outside the café in the small French town not far inland from the sea, on the Cote D’Azur. He was a fellow Brit, but had lived in France for some time and even had a slight French accent at times, which she found quite intoxicating. He was tall and tanned and very handsome with kind blue eyes that nevertheless seemed able to stare right inside her and into her thoughts. He was older than her – just about the age and type of man she fantasized about in fact.

The man, Richard, had moved to her table shortly after they had struck up their conversation and now he had said that; came straight out with it! Okay, so she had just spent the last several minutes going on about men only wanting one thing from a woman and asking why they couldn’t just be honest about it and she had even been foolish enough to ask him, “For instance: why are we talking like this? What do you want from me?”

“I want you to have sex with me,” he had replied, quite simply and without the least embarrassment, or even much apparent emotion. Her mouth had opened to speak, but she couldn’t find a reply in time and he had gone on, “Well, that’s not entirely true, I suppose. Yes, I do want sex with you, but I think I’d probably prefer to make long, lazy, really sexy love to you.” He had grinned then. “But just sex will do.”

Finally, she found her voice. Defensively and not a little angrily, she began, “How dare… damn… I mean I haven’t…” she glared at him. “Do I have any say in this?”

“Not really,” he replied, with a charming smile. “You just said you wanted men to be honest and you asked what I wanted with you. It’s not all I want, but at this moment it’s the main thing I want, so I told you. What you want is probably entirely different, but you didn’t mention that. I simply answered your question – honestly.”

At first, Cathy stared at her would-be lover in disbelief. Then she realised that, inexplicably, she wasn’t really the slightest bit offended by what he had said. In fact, a thrill of anticipation had run down her spine when he first said it. The thrill had ended up somewhere between her legs. “Shit,” she murmured almost inaudibly under her breath.

“Sorry. I didn’t catch that,”

“Thank God,” Cathy thought. Aloud, she said, as nonchalantly as she could manage, “Nothing. No, I was just thinking about something else. Sorry.”

The charming smile returned to her companion’s mouth. “It always seems to me that women say they want men to be honest, but what they really want is for men to think and feel differently from the way they do, which is of course impossible. So, when we do our limited best to give them what they actually want, they complain we’re being dishonest.”

“Hmm,” Cathy pursed her lips, deep in thought before telling him, “There’s a flaw in that argument somewhere, but I’ve no idea where and I suppose you might be partly right, at least.”

“Well, thank you for that. That doesn’t mean you feel the same at all, by any chance, does it?”

“No, I… are you taking the mickey?”

Richard’s face showed deep hurt and amazement, which surprised her – until she saw the grin that he couldn’t quite hide at the corners of his mouth. “Just gently,” he admitted. “What I don’t understand is why any woman would be surprised or upset to discover that a man wants sex with her. Surely it’s a compliment of sorts if a man finds her desirable, whatever she may feel about him. It’s perfectly natural and I’m sure women want sex just as much as men do anyway.” Cathy was lost in thought again, so he went on. “I told you what I want, just as you asked. I wasn’t being rude or presumptuous. I don’t expect you to have sex with me, or do anything about it at all, although I do think there is some kind of chemistry between us, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she replied rather absently and with unguarded honesty.

“You see? I like that: when women are simply honest about sexual feelings too, but that seems even rarer to me than men being up front about what they want.”

“Hmm,” Cathy repeated, feeling it was time she regained the initiative. “Actually, I’ll be even more honest then. I wasn’t particularly shocked when you said you want sex, it was quite exciting in fact, and my body still hasn’t stopped telling me it needs attention.” Richard smiled a little and raised one eyebrow, but refused to show any more surprise than that at her statement. “Of course,” she went on, “whether I decide to satisfy that need with you, or by some other means not involving you, remains to be seen.” She stared directly into the sexy blue eyes of the man seated opposite her, smilingly challenging him to disagree.

A quite wicked smile replaced the gentle amusement on Richard’s face. “So, it’s possibly worth my while to make an effort here? I might, after all, actually get the sex I asked for, if I play my cards right?”

Cathy still held his gaze, but the smile accompanying the challenge in that weakened. “You might,” she agreed. “You never know – always assuming you were telling the truth in the first place and you really do want to.”

“Oh, I want to all right,” he said with an obvious lack of guile, “I just didn’t think there was much likelihood of it – at this stage of our relationship anyway.”

“We have a relationship?” Cathy asked.

“We’re discussing going to bed together. Wouldn’t you call that a relationship of a kind?”

Cathy grinned. “I suppose so,” she nodded.

“Talking of, which … could we go into a little more detail about your body’s needs, darling? Er… if I may call you that.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Yes, we can discuss your needs, or yes, I can call you darling?”

“Both – as long as we can also talk about you and your body.”

“No problem at all. I’d love to talk about my body in relation to yours.”

“Hmm,” said Cathy, yet again, and then noticed a young man at a nearby table leaning back in his chair and trying hard not to look as if he was listening to their fairly explicit conversation. “Shall we go somewhere a bit more private to discuss this further?” she suggested.

“Certainly, if you want. My place, which is nearby, or your place, wherever that is, or somewhere more neutral, like a hotel, or there’s a even park about half a mile down the road?”

“Your place is fine. But don’t think that means I’m agreeing to anything.”

Richard grinned. “Of course not.” He paid the bill and they stood up, but before they left, he took her face in his hands and put his face very close to hers before becoming extremely earnest for a moment. “Look,” he said, “I know we’re joking around – not that I’m not serious about wanting to have sex with you – but I really mean this: I have never even particularly wanted to do anything with a woman that she didn’t want too. So, ‘no’ means ‘no!’ OK?

Cathy nodded. “Thank you, but I kind of guessed that, or we wouldn’t be going back to your place.”

Since neither of them wanted to appear too eager, they strolled lazily along the sunlit street for the few hundred metres until they were in front of the entrance to some obviously very expensive apartments. “Top floor I’m afraid. I hope you don’t mind lifts,” Richard apologised.

Cathy shook her head and, a minute or two later, gasped as they entered what Richard had omitted to mention was actually the penthouse apartment. It was tastefully, if lavishly, furnished. “Make yourself at home. Bathroom’s there, or en-suite in the bedrooms -  main one – there,” he told her, pointing to the doors, as he went to a large drinks cabinet, opened a bottle of red wine, and poured them both a generous glassful. Cathy went to the main bathroom, feeling that the one in his bedroom might indicate too clearly how ready and willing she really was – as if he didn’t know already. When she returned, he handed her the glass. “Now, about your needs, darling …” he said, with a rather wicked grin.

“First, I’d like to talk about yours, if you don’t mind,” she countered. “In fact, I’d rather like to hear about the specific part that is of paramount interest to a woman in my situation.”

The grin broadened. “Okay. What do you want to know? It’s not enormous, but a little bigger than average, or so I’m told. I’m not circumcised, but it looks quite desirable – again, so I’m told. Oh, and, naturally, I’m very clean and shower several times a day.”

“I didn’t mean … Oh, balls.”

“They too are OK, should you want something else to play with – yet again, so I’m…”

“So you’re told! Yes, I get the picture. But that’s…”

This time Richard interrupted her, finally relenting. “OK,” he said, “I know: you don’t want to discuss my physical masculinity, you want to know what I’m going to do with it, or what I hope you’ll to do with it. Right?” Cathy nodded. “Well, I’m the same. Much as I like to talk about your body and imagine what it looks like (although I’m sure it’s as beautiful as the rest of you), what I really want to know is what gives you the most pleasure? What do you really enjoy? What absolutely does it for you?”

She shuddered. “I think the answer to that just at this moment is probably – you.”

Richard smiled. “Will you take a chance and come to bed and let me make love to you, then?”

Whether it was the wine, the man, or the situation – perhaps it was just her hormones, or maybe she was just carried along by the game they were playing – Cathy had no idea, but she hesitated for only a moment before nodding almost imperceptibly and  then standing up, to take his hand and lead him towards the bedroom.

But their lovemaking was not quite as he had expected it to be, for she took charge and did things to him that he had neither the will, nor in truth any desire to try to stop her from doing. Afterwards, as they cuddled naked together in each other’s arms, he cautiously said, “You’re unbelievable! Fantastic…”

“But…”

“But nothing… well, not really… except…”

“Except – what?”

With some difficulty, he returned to being totally honest with her, “Well… don’t misunderstand me – I wouldn’t give that experience up for anything, but I guess I most wanted to give you pleasure – instead of just to receiving it like that. I mean I…”

Gently, she interrupted him, squeezing and hushing him. “I enjoyed myself and, in any event, do you have to be somewhere else in the near future?” she whispered into his ear.

“Well … no, but…” he replied, briefly puzzled.

She grinned and slid off the bed to stand, hands on hips and legs slightly apart – an extremely erotic vision looking down at him. “Okay then, I’ve had the cream, are you going to offer me coffee – while you recover?” She bent over and briefly kissed the object of her so recent undivided attention. “Well, while this recovers at any rate.”

Richard laughed. “My pleasure.”

“Oh, I know, but mine too, like I said…” She paused to give a wicked little grin. “And much more to come for both of us perhaps, I think.”

Richard took her hand and they strolled from the bedroom, through the living room and into the kitchen. Easy with each other and their mutual nakedness, he made coffee and poured them each a cup. “Mmm,” Cathy murmured, “I do love proper coffee.”

“Oh me too. I know just what you mean. I hate the supermarket stuff back home.” Richard agreed. They sipped at their drinks and then he said, out of the blue, “Christ, you’re gorgeous.”

Cathy smiled. “You ain’t so bad yourself, fella. ” She smiled as she nodded at his groin. “And as for that… mmm to that too.”

He grinned. “I must admit I was nervous at first. I didn’t know enough about what you like – didn’t know how far it would go… you know…” He shrugged his broad shoulders.

She put a hand on his arm and stood on tiptoe to kiss him affectionately on the lips. “I know,” she said. “That’s sort of part of why I wanted to do that first – so you’d know I’m not exactly the inhibited type – honesty between us – right? I’ll tell you if something’s not okay for me, but there’s not much I don’t enjoy, except pain – giving, or receiving. I’m just not into that!”

“Nor me. I couldn’t hurt you anyway, no matter how much you wanted it.”

“I know!”

Cathy cuddled up even closer to her man, wriggling herself against him so her nipples rubbed against his chest and he could feel the swell of her breasts, amongst other parts, pressing into him. “You’re delicious,” He whispered.

“You’re a hunk,” she replied, softly and then giggled appreciatively as she murmured just a little triumphantly, “Uh, huh! Something’s happening.” She wriggled harder against him and whispered into his ear, “See? That’s being honest! Like I said at the start - honesty’s the best policy!