(16 months later)

Elise

"What about this one?  Accommodates women, two bedrooms and a loft, two bathroom, high end appliances, kitchenette and separate dining room, good sized living room, en suite laundry, and storage.  $1800 a month." I said, turning from my computer to Alex.

"El, I don't have a job, remember?  How am I going to afford $900 a month?

“In fact, with things at school the way they are, I doubt if I'm even going to graduate."

"But we've been talking about moving in together for over a year!"

Looking out the window, I wistfully regarded the gorgeous orange and yellow color that fall was sprinkling into the maple tree in the back yard.  How wonderful would it be to wake up next to Alex every morning.  To be able to sit in front of a fire and watch romantic comedies with him when winter weather trapped us at home.  Mmm, soon.

He looked up at me with eyes filled with heartbreak.  I knew he wanted this as much as I did, so I felt bad pushing it, but I couldn’t help it.

Affecting a disappointed tone, I countered, "I love you Alex, but I can't wait forever you know..."  In my heart I knew I would wait for him until the end of time, but a little needling for commitment now and then was certainly nothing new for womankind.

He looked up in shock, and sputtered, "B-but, that's not fair!  You know the school terminated my enrollment this semester!  What are you trying to do, kick me when I'm down!?"

Pulling back from his rage, I realized I was out of line, and needed to fix this, fast.  I sat down next to him on my bed and pulled him close to me, hugging him.  It was so easy to move him around on a whim now that I had reached my full size.

"Honey, please, you know I was joking.  I would never leave you."

Summer had been difficult for him, and he didn't need the added stress of me pressuring him into an apartment he couldn't afford. His latest woes were thanks to the Board of Trustees at his college.  They had deemed the larger sex to be their educational priority going forward.  Claiming that tomorrow's leaders and captains of industry would likely be women, not men, they were simply making a more sound investment in the country's future.

This decision had - perhaps not coincidentally - been aligned with a recent shift in Board membership to exclusively female on the heels of the "voluntary" retirement of every male member.  Since it was decided that male teachers would be inadequate to prepare the new student body for their bright futures, most were dismissed.

"Alex, I know it looks bleak, but you've always been a problem solver, so apply that talent to your own problems.

“I'll be graduating in a year and a half, and the partners have already offered to bring me on full time at the firm when I do.  I'd love nothing more than to move in together and provide for you. 

“It's a little painful at times to think you wouldn't want me care for you, but I understand and respect the fact that you need more meaning in your life than I alone can provide.

“You're a strong, independent man in a world that's making financial independence difficult for men to attain.  But you’ll persevere, and you’ll find a way."

He turned around and grabbed me in a fierce hug, clinging tightly to my lower chest and nuzzling his head into my underboob. 

"You know, out of all of my girlfriends, you're definitely in the top...maybe...15%."

"You jerk!"

I gave him a little squeeze in admonition, making sure not to hurt him, but deep down my heart smiled at his happiness.

"Well, there's no time like the present.  Did you want to look for a job?  Maybe we can still get this apartment" I said hopefully.

He paused for a moment.  "...I've been looking for something for a couple months now"

Without me?  Hmmmm.

"Alexxxx." I said, adopting a stern tone, "You went off by yourself?"  Alex was able to drive, of course, but he'd had multiple infected partners at this point, so walking around in public could be dangerous.  Even I fought to stop myself from tearing his clothes off and having my way with him, and I had a lot of practice at it.  Even with me around, strangers were way too grabby for my comfort.

Lawmakers had attempted to deal with the harassment threat to men by passing strict laws against male abuse, but enforcement was a whole different issue.  Many policewomen turned a blind eye to almost anything short of extremely overt abuse.

He looked sheepish, "Well...no.  OK, so I asked Lena to take me.  I didn't think you'd mind.  You trust her, so I thought I could too. Besides, sometimes a guy needs a little independence from his girlfriend."

Getting angry then, he continued "...and why'd you have to say it like that?  'went off by yourself" instead of just 'went by yourself'? 

“What am I?  Some kind of puppy?"

Whoops.  Inside, I groaned. He was determined to see offense in everything! 

"Alex, Honey, you're tilting at windmills.  Of course you're not a puppy. I didn't mean anything by it, I swear."

"Sorry El, you’re right.  It's just that stuff like that is all I seem to get nowadays from women.

“Besides, things aren't nearly as bad as you claim. You get the same mandatory weekly treatments all women do now, so you should know.  It certainly made a huge difference, from what I can tell."

"Right, they do reduce our urges, but keep in mind the infection hadn't saturated the populous then either, so overall, the danger to men is still high.  Remember your safety courses - some women skip those treatments."

Switching gears, I asked, "About Lena.  She didn't...do anything...did she?"

"She, well...we, slipped a couple times, but no harm done."  He said with a goofy grin.  Looking doubtful, I lowered my eyebrows at him.

"Sorry El.  We've all been together a few times since you introduced us last May, so I thought that was cool."

"You know I don't mind sharing you as long as it's consensual.  She's a good person, I just want to make sure she didn't hurt you."

"To be honest, I think being my big protector was just as much of a turn on for her as I was.  Seems she was kind of a tiny thing until she became infected."

"So, then, no luck with the job?" I prompted.

"Nothing worthwhile. I got plenty of 'interviews', but it was obvious right away what they were really for.  Other than that it was all typical men's positions."

I nodded.  "Hmm... Tell you what, I think my firm is hiring, I can put in a good word for you."

"What's the job?  Anything I can sink my teeth into?"

"It's a receptionist position" I admitted. Rushing on to forestall his rejection, I said, "But let me see if I can talk to the partners.  Make them understand how smart you are. What a tremendous asset you could be.  Maybe you could pick up some more meaningful responsibilities."

He shrugged.  "I guess it can't hurt"

"Great!  I have to head in to work soon here... wanna fool around a little?" Kneeling in front of him, I shot him a sultry look and kissed his inner thigh with the backs of my fingers.  This kind of gentle touching had taken a lot of practice for me, but that had also given me an intimate knowledge of what went where inside his jeans, so I knew right where to touch to make him respond.

He smiled, humoring me, but beyond his body's involuntary reaction to my touch, he clearly wasn't interested.

Sighing, I got up.  "Alex, it's been a week.  Don't you love me?  Doesn't my body please you?" My hands ran down my sides to highlight the sexy contours of my body.

At least that got his attention, but still there was no fire in his eyes.  I glanced toward the spot under the bed where I knew relief would have to come from – yet again.  Poor substitute that it was, at least it took the edge off so I could get through a day without forcing Alex.  My frustration was plain on my face.

“You heading back to school?  I know you're not taking classes anymore, but I thought you were still helping your Professor with his virus research.”

He shook his head.  “Right.  I do have to get back by tomorrow afternoon.  We'll be reviewing some of our recent findings.  I'm free until then.”

Giving a little clap, I said, “Yay!  I get you for another day!”

As I dressed for work, I told him to make himself at home and that I’d be back before dinner.  I hoped to come back with good news to improve his mood.  I wasn't sure I could take “no” for an answer much longer.  Finally dressed, I walked over to him and knelt down to kiss him goodbye.

Leaning in, I softly touched my top lip to his, careful not to envelop his nose in the process.  I let him do most of the work, cushioning one of my lips with both of his.  Inhale.  His scent wafted to me and my desire spiked.  I mashed my mouth to his, using as much tongue as I dared to avoid choking him.  Realizing that I was rapidly passing the point of no return, I tore myself away and got up, exhaling shakily.

On my way to work I thought about how to approach the job opportunity for Alex.  Diane was one of the hiring officials, and I know she has a husband who works.  Maybe she'd be receptive.

My mind whirled with the ins and outs of his situation.  What would he do if he continued to face rejection?  Would he turn to me?  What if the prominent position he had envisioned for himself just isn't meant to be?  Was I giving him false hope by encouraging him?  Do I give him the loving encouragement he craves, or the hard dose of truth that will allow him to move on?  As I drove off, I wrestled with it all.