Not sexually. Just as friends.

"Not sexually. Just as friends. I'm still in touch with some of the gals I knew when I was a lez, those that would still talk to me," she said. "But heck, you think I should?" Bernie teased. "Maybe I should only date married women."

Gary laughed. He felt a twinge of guilt. He was actually seeing a married woman once in a while. Her husband was a doctor and often worked long hours, and he knew that Gary was giving his wife a little poke now and then to keep her happy. "I guess it would have its advantages." He steered Bernie back toward the original subject. "So do you do stuff, sex or whatever, with Ben that you and me don't do?"

"Yeah, some stuff," Bernie said. "I always felt safe to experiment with him. I never thought he'd think I was perverted if I wanted to talk about some sex thing or other, or try something out with him. So I know there's stuff that doesn't do anything for me or I don't like, even if I was really really interested at first. But we've tried stuff that I like that you and I haven't done."

"Uh-huh?" Gary said. "Like?"

"Stuff I might be embarrassed about, I don't want to put you off if you don't like it. I mean, I don't want you to think bad things about me if I'm interested in something you don't like. I wanted to really know and trust you, before I made a mistake and told you, um, Too Much Information," Bernie said, stressing the capitals.

Gary laughed. "Well, you didn't want to tell me you liked anal. Or at least that you like a finger in your butt when you come. Sounds good to me, I'd be happy to help you out there," Gary said. "I want to try anal again."

"Pervert!" Bernie joked. She and Gary laughed together. "Okay, yeah, Ben and I tried out a lot of anal stuff the last time I went to visit him." She smiled. "He'd done all his homework and was, you know, slow and gentle and all that, gobs of lube, fingers first, the whole thing. It didn't hurt, it was good. A lot of fun. I even came with his penis up my butt. He had me do him as well. I wouldn't mind trying that sort of stuff with you too."

Gary smiled. "Great," he said.

"But we should be extra careful to do it right if you want to be in me, your penis is bigger than his," Bernie said.

"Bigger?" Gary asked, flattered. He knew from checking out other guys that he was pretty well endowed. but it meant more to hear it from a girl.

"Yeah, you're probably an inch longer, and you have a big head that he doesn't really have. Even though Ben's circumcised and you'd expect the head to be more prominent," Bernie said. "Yeah. Other than that, I mean... we make up sex fantasy stories and tell them to each other when we masturbate together. Or sometimes I tell him one and let him concentrate on touching himself."

"What does he like to hear about?" Gary asked.

"Oh, usually scenes with lots of people doing each other. Like if a wedding reception went crazy, or a parade or a halftime show with bands and cheerleaders." She laughed. "Sometimes even a family reunion picnic. Sometimes girls doing each other...he asked me a lot about that. Sometimes guys doing each other."

"Wow, really," Gary said. "Does he want to do that?"

"Yeah. He said he was fascinated with the idea of playing with another man's penis," Bernie said. "He'd never got the chance and wasn't sure he'd like it, but he really wanted to try it out, especially with a guy that had a little experience and was OK with it. Have you had another guy play with your penis, Gary, and you with his?"

Gary took a breath. "Uh, yeah," he said. "I've done that with a few guys." Every so often, he ran through them in his mind and remembered and counted. His friend Bobby, one. His friend Peter Walker, tall and blond like himself, two. Trent, one of Stuart's surf crowd, three. And Stuart himself, as hard for guys as for girls. Four. He had a clear recollection of each one's erect penis, the warmth, the size, the shaft and head, the firmness or pliability, the feel in his hand or his mouth. The feel. Last month, the feel of Peter's penis bucking in Gary's hand as he shuddered and came with Gary's penis up his ass. And last week, the feel of Stuart's penis penetrating his own ass and fucking him quick and shallow until Gary came, his penis cannoning again and again, climaxing in strange echoes through a haze of cannabis. "Uh-huh."

"Great, I'd love to see you and Ben play with each others' dicks," Bernie said, her eyes shining.

Gary decided to be a little more forthcoming, since he'd been all 'let's quit hiding from each other.' "Yeah, I've done a bunch of things with guys," he said. "Sex, I mean. It just didn't seem to be the thing to talk about with your new girlfriend."

Bernie laughed. "Well, you know that I used to be a pretty serious woman seeking woman," she said. "So at least I could hardly criticize you."

"I always liked girls better," Gary said. "But you know, Ben's right. Dicks are pretty fascinating. So if he's in doubt he better stop now, he might not be able to give them up." Gary laughed. "Unless he could get you to himself."

Bernie laughed. "We're good for about a week together, then we start getting on each others' nerves. I don't think we ever thought of each other 'that way'."

Gary snorted with laughter. "Meaning romantically," he said.

"Yeah, rather than sexually." Bernie said, starting to giggle herself at turning the euphemism on its head. "What else have you done with guys?"

"Sucked them," Gary said, speaking slowly and carefully. He relaxed when he saw Bernie's calm reaction. "Their dicks. And them me. And I've had anal intercourse. With two guys...um, no, actually three. The two guys, I was, um, in them, and last week I was, um, the receiver," he stumbled out. "For the first time. I came," he confessed.

Bernie smiled. "Wow, I had no idea. I'm glad you told me. Condoms?" she asked, looking at him more seriously.

"Every time, same as you and me," Gary said. "It's not like there's an excuse these days," he said.

"Unless you're going steady with him," Bernie teased. "I guess you don't think about guys 'that way'."

"As if!" Gary said. They both laughed.

"You still seeing guys pretty regularly?" Bernie asked. "Not romantically, the other way."

"Not so much now," Gary said. "You pretty much know what my week is like. Actually when I was with Sharon, I saw guys a lot more, the beach party crowd. I'm glad it's not like that now. But my friend Peter, you know, I wouldn't mind seeing him now and then. Sexually, I mean. He's busier now, though, he's got a steady girlfriend and they go to parties a lot or something. The last time I saw him was a week before the cruise. He was gonna be going with his mom and dad and girlfriend and he...um, he wanted me to come over and do him 'cause it might be a while, he just graduated and he might be traveling. I'm pretty sure it's the same cruise my mom and dad are on."

"I'm glad you could see your friend before he took off," Bernie said. "And do him."

Gary laughed nervously. "Yeah. Me too." He took a slow, deliberate breath.

"His mom and dad know that you two 'do it'?" Bernie asked.

"Geeze, I hope not," Gary said. "My mom and dad would know in a minute, they're good friends. I have no idea what they'd do. Now, what do YOU think we should do together?"