Message-ID: <44573asstr$1065208208@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Originating-Email: [revcottonmather@hotmail.com] From: "Rev. Cotton Mather" X-Original-Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Oct 2003 14:12:01.0905 (UTC) FILETIME=[50CC2610:01C389B8] X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 09:12:01 -0500 Subject: {ASSM} NEW Playing the Game III: The Competitive Edge, Ch. 5 Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 15:10:09 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: newsman, dennyw It's a slow buildup, I know, but have patience with me. Keep repeating: character and plot, character and plot, character and plot... RCM Rev. Cotton Mather Senior Pastor, Church of the Erotic Redemption http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ReverendCottonMather/www http://www.storiesonline.net Would you like to be notified when I post new chapters or stories? Sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RCMStories/join **If I had to do it all over, I'd do it all over you** _________________________________________________________________ Get McAfee virus scanning and cleaning of incoming attachments. Get Hotmail Extra Storage! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es <1st attachment, "CE5.txt" begin> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Church of The Reverend Cotton Mather. This story is the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded for the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to download or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as there is no intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of acquiring this material. (copyright 2003, Rev. Cotton Mather) E-Mail all comments to RevCottonMather@hotmail.com Don't be shy! I enjoy hearing from you. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COMPETITIVE EDGE: PLAYING THE GAME, BOOK III by Reverend Cotton Mather - 5 - THE CONVERSATION ON A SWING Greek Rush started the next Monday evening. I had promised Bryan I would go to the open house at the Phi Kappa Phi house, so after a long day in class, and a long day on the practice field, I put on some actual dress-up clothes. I was standing in front of the tiny mirror in my dorm room, trying to remember how to tie a Windsor knot, when Westy came in from taking a shower. "How come you're all duded up?" he asked as he toweled off his hair. "Rush," I answered. "I'm going over to the Phi Kap house to meet a friend." "Hey, no kidding. Wait up for me, would you?" He dropped his towel onto the arm of the couch. "I'm going to rush, too. I'll walk over there with you." I glanced at him through the mirror. "Are you rushing, too?" "Yeah," he replied as he began digging through one of his dresser drawers. "I thought it would be a hoot. Meet some guys to party with, maybe find some chicks who want to ball a frat guy." Oh, great," I muttered. "Just what you need is more opportunity to trash your couch." "That's the spirit, Porter," he said exuberantly. He began rummaging through his closet. "So, I take it this is kind of a formal party? I mean, I shouldn't wear cut-offs or anything, right?" "I would assume so," I replied. I finally got the knot of my tie, and I propped myself against my desk to wait for him. "Do me a favor," he said as he bent down to put on his socks. "Go across the hall and knock on Jason's door, would you? Him and me were going to go together. Make sure he's ready, okay?" I levered myself up and opened our door. I walked over to the room diagonal from ours, where Jason Emerson and Craig Nevers lived. Jason and Craig were part of the general freshman population of non- athletes who were scattered around our dorm. Jason, from New Jersey, was majoring in business, and Craig, a native Floridian, was in pre- med. I rarely saw Craig without his head buried in a textbook, and already, hardly started into his college career, he looked harried and fretful. I was glad I wasn't in such a tough area of study. With my schedule, I was having a hard enough time keeping up as it was. I knocked on their door, and Jason opened it up. He was dressed in torn and ratty jeans and a Black Sabbath t-shirt. "Dude, tell me you aren't going to go to Greek Rush dressed like that," I said. "Why? What's wrong?" He looked genuinely perplexed. "You look like a fugitive from a bad 70's flashback," I said. I pushed him back into his room. As I expected, Craig was at his desk studying. He looked up distractedly as I guided Jason over to his closet. "Look, the whole purpose for these parties is so you can make a good impression on the members of the fraternity," I said. I started going through his clothes hanging in his closet, looking for something appropriate for him. "Wear the ugly shirt after you get in, not when you're trying to get in." I pulled out a button-down oxford shirt and a pair of pressed slacks I found in the back of his closet and tossed them to him. "Change," I commanded. He complied, but he obviously wasn't happy about it. "Sean, these just aren't comfortable, man," he complained. "Are you sure I gotta wear this shit?" "Yes, he's sure," answered Craig for me. He didn't look like he was very happy with the interruption. "I've got even worse news for you, dude," I said. I tossed a pair of wing tips onto the floor beside him. "You've got to wear these, too." "Oh, man," he whined. He tossed his old clothes up onto his bed and reluctantly put on the shirt and the slacks I had found for him. He opened one of his dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of dark socks. Once he was dressed, we headed out to the hall. "You sure you don't want to come with us, Craig?" I asked one last time. "I'm sure," he answered distractedly. He waved in our direction without taking his eyes off the page he was studying. Westy was just coming out of our room. He cleaned up pretty good, I thought to myself as we walked toward the stairway. Now if only I could get him to clean up the rest of his act. It wasn't a long walk from our dorm over to Greek Row, where many of the fraternity houses were located. Both Westy and Jason were scheduled to go to Lambda Mu first. Westy was visiting the Phi Kaps second, and Jason was going to be there during the third session. They walked up to the Lambda house together, and I continued on to the Phi Kap house, further down the block. I got there just as the first party was getting going. They had some of their Little Sisters greeting everybody at the door. They had been supplied with the names of the freshmen who were scheduled to be at each of the parties beforehand, and they checked them off and directed them to various rooms to talk to the fraternity members. I walked up to the table set up on the porch, where two very attractive girls were stationed. "Hi, I'm Sean Porter," I said. A brunette with long hair and piercing blue eyes smiled at me. She raised one shapely eyebrow enticingly. "Hello, Sean Porter," she said with a slight southern drawl. I could really get to like living here, I thought. The other girl was a sleek redhead. She had starbursts of freckles on her high cheeks that were muted but not extinguished by her makeup. She checked her manifest, and looked up at me quizzically. "I'm sorry. Did you say Sean Porter? I don't have you on my list," she said. She actually looked and sounded sorry. Man, these girls are good, I thought. Another girl, a tiny little thing with short black hair, turned from the doorway when she heard the redhead's comment. "Did you say your name was Sean Porter?" she asked. "Yes," I replied, nearly dazzled by the hundred-kilowatt smile that lit up her face. "Bryan's been expecting you," she said. She leaned over to the girls at the table. "Special case," she said to them. "I'll take him in." The two girls at the table turned to the guy standing behind me and turned on the charm for him. I was quickly forgotten by them as they continued with their duties. I mentally shrugged. Easy come, easy go. "Hi, I'm Alexandra Wallace," she said, holding out her hand for me to shake. "My friends call me Alex, though." "It's nice to meet you, Alex," I said. I tried not to fumble with her hand too much, but she really was very small, and my hand seemed to envelop hers. I hoped I didn't squeeze it too hard. "Bryan's been expecting you," she said, turning toward the open front door. There was electronic music coming out of the big speakers in the front room, Kraftwerk or some offshoot. I thought it was kind of an odd choice of music for a big function like this, but it soon slipped into the background as the crowded rooms broke down into smaller groups of conversation. Alex threaded her way through, and I was happy to follow her. We made our way through the front parlor, a large television room, and into the dining room. Bryan was standing by the table, talking to a couple of other guys, when he saw Alex bringing me in. "Porter! Over here!" I thanked Alex and walked over to Bryan. "Sean, I'd like you to meet the president of our fraternity, John Huff." John was tall and stood nearly at attention. He had a strong chin, a steely gaze, and a firm handshake. He looked like he should be president of a bank or something. "I've heard a lot about you, Sean. Good to meet you." His voice matched the face, deep and resonant. "Thank you," I said. I was unsure just what he could have heard about me, but I was willing to go with the flow for Bryan's sake. "What do you know about Phi Kappa Phi fraternity?" asked John. "Well, uh..." Before I could embarrass myself, Bryan jumped in. "Sean's just doing some preliminary skirmishing, Captain. Will you excuse us? I see Melanie over there, and I think she's looking for us." He hustled me away. John looked indulgently pleased as Bryan steered me out of the room. "Captain?" I asked as we stepped back into the television room. Bryan had a sour look as we took up a spot against the wall. "Jack's an idiot, but he's a good face man." "Now I'm completely lost," I said. "Jack? And what's a face man?" Bryan chuckled. "He hates to be called Jack. He insists we call him Captain Huff. He's in ROTC, and thinks he's going to be an Army general someday. Truth is, he's captain of the ROTC drum and bugle corps. The only fighting he's likely to see are the battles at the front lines during the VFW Happy Hour." "Okay, that explains the 'Captain' part. Why does he hate to be called Jack?" I asked. Bryan looked at me kind of funny. "Would you want to be called Jack if your last name was Huff?" Suddenly I got it. No, I thought, I guess I wouldn't. Bryan was watching me, smiling the whole time. He could see when I finally got the joke. We both laughed. "Gotcha," I said. "So, what's a 'face man'?" "Jack gives a great first impression, doesn't he?" Bryan asked. I nodded. "But there's not much beyond that rugged face or that puffed- out chest. He looks great, acts like he knows what he's doing, but in reality he's a dipshit. He could fuck up a one-car funeral. So we make sure there are a few good people standing behind him, doing the real work, while Jack acts as our public face. Keeps the University regents happy, seeing such an upstanding citizen as our president, and they stay out of our back yard that way." "He's really that bad?" I asked. "To know him is to despise him," said Bryan. "Come on, let me take you around and introduce you to some of the Phi Kaps who really know what's going on." He led me around the room and introduced me to a dizzying number of his fraternity brothers. After the first couple, I couldn't keep names straight any longer. It was a good thing everybody was wearing nametags. One name I didn't forget was Alex's. She appeared next to me too often to be coincidence, usually carrying a tray of snacks or soft drinks. She made sure she offered me whatever she happened to be serving, smiling and chatting with ease. "Who does Alex belong to?" I asked Bryan at one point. "I'm assuming she's the girlfriend of one of your fraternity brothers." Bryan smiled. "She's cute, isn't she? And available, I hear. She used to go out with Marshall Elliott - see the tall guy over there in the tan sport coat? They broke up the end of last year. Anyway, Alex has been a member of the Little Sisters for the past two years, so she came over to help out, even though she's not dating anybody right now." He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Interested?" "Nope," I said. "If I weren't seeing somebody at home, I might not mind giving her a call, though. She's... perky." Bryan leaned in so he could almost whisper, "Perky and, from what I understand, she's very... bendable, if you know what I mean." Bendable? There was a concept I hadn't considered before. I watched Alex for a few minutes more, until I found myself thinking about what she might look like naked and... bendable. I shivered. Clean thoughts, I reminded myself. Got to keep clean thoughts. Bryan seemed to shake himself out of his own little reverie, too. "Come on," he said. "Let's go find Melanie." We found her in the kitchen, helping organize drinks and hors d'oeuvres that were being carried around the house by other girls. "Hey, sweetie, this is Sean," said Bryan, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her to him. Melanie held out her hand. She was so beautiful, I was completely tongue-tied. She reminded me a little of Molly or her sister Heather, only even prettier, something that, until that moment, I would have considered to be nearly impossible. She was tall, nearly six feet, slender and graceful. She had reddish highlights in her blonde hair, and her legs seemed to go from here to there and back again, enhanced by the short flared skirt she was wearing so well. "Hi, Sean. Bryan has told me so much about you," she said. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I felt like I was standing there like a small-town buffoon, my eyes bugged out and my throat too dry to function properly. It took me two tries to clear my throat and stumble through a reply. Melanie chose not to notice my discomfort. She turned the considerable weight of her gaze onto her boyfriend. "He seems a little shy," she said to him with a laugh. I wondered why he didn't melt into a puddle just from that smile. Maybe he used to, and now he's developed an immunity to its power, I thought. "Sean? Earth to Sean!" He poked at me, and I jumped and blinked. Had I been staring? "Sorry," I mumbled. "Hi, I'm Sean Porter. You must be Melanie." "I must be," she replied as she favored me with one of those smiles. Finally, I was able to remember my manners. "Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to have made a mess of this, and I apologize," I said. "Bryan told me about you, but the reality still took me by surprise. He said you were beautiful, but he was wrong by half. You are exquisite, and Bryan is the luckiest man I have ever known." "Oh, my," she said. Her cheeks flushed slightly, no doubt a little embarrassed by my effusiveness. "I must say, Sean, you really know how to compliment a girl. Thank you so much!" I was still holding her hand, and she put her left hand out and clasped my right hand with both of hers. "You are so sweet!" All the preparations in the kitchen had come to a stop, and all the sorority girls were watching our exchange. I glanced around, as if seeing them for the first time, and they returned to their chores, whispering to each other. I was afraid they were laughing at my clumsiness, but there was nothing to be done about it. With any luck, I wouldn't ever meet any of them again. Bryan and Melanie exchanged glances, and it seemed like an entire conversation took place silently between them. Bryan took a step back. "I've got to get back to the front lines," he said. "I'll catch up with you in a little bit, Sean." He gave me a thumbs-up and turned to go back out to the party. Melanie looked quickly around to make sure everything was operating smoothly. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, Sean, if I may," she said. She took my arm, and then turned her head to speak to the others in the kitchen. "I'll be on the front porch if you need me. Is that all right?" One of the girls answered quickly, "Of course, Melanie. We'll be fine here. You go on, now." Melanie steered me toward the front of the house. It may have been my imagination, but the noise levels seemed to hush as we passed through each room as conversations were halted in mid-sentence. I knew those eyes were not focused on me, and Melanie seemed to take it in stride. Maybe it really was my imagination. There was a wooden swing suspended from oaken timbers on the side of the house on the porch, and Melanie led me over to it. She sat gracefully, crossed her legs, and waited for me to get comfortable next to her. I sat and gently pushed the swing into motion with my feet. "Bryan tells me you've been a great addition to the team," she said. "I don't know how much I've been able to contribute as yet," I said. "It's still early in the season." "Well, you're starting as a freshman. Not many players can do that here." I shrugged. I didn't have any way of knowing how true that statement was. Jesse Wilhoit started as a freshman, and Spencer Goldman was also in the starting lineup with me this year. "Jesse couldn't stop talking about you last year, when you were still considering coming down here," she prompted. "Jesse's a great player," I said, "and he's a very loyal friend. I think that colored his perception quite a bit." It was her turn to shrug, which she did elegantly, with a tiny twitch of one eyebrow. "Bryan also tells me Coach Cropper thinks very highly of you." "Coach is a softy from way back." She laughed delightedly. "And he had better not ever hear you say such a thing," she said. "From what I understand, he's got a razor tongue that will leave you striped if he thinks you need it." "That may be, but I've never heard it," I said. Melanie leaned toward me, her eyes sharp, and gently placed her hand on my knee for emphasis. "Pickett Cropper may give people the impression that he is just a good ol' boy from down home, but make no mistake, Sean. He's one of the best coaches around, and he knows how to get the best out of his players." "That's one of the reasons why I came here," I replied. She settled back into the swing and adjusted her skirt. I took the opportunity to admire her legs again while she smoothed the material across her thighs. "Jesse told me about you and your girlfriend back home, Sean. Is her name Kayla?" I nodded. "It's a lovely name, and I hear she's a lovely girl." She paused and switched gears on me. "Sean, I have a proposition for you." "What does this have to do with Kayla?" I asked. "Oh, nothing, really, but Bryan suggested something to me, and I asked Jesse about you and Kayla, about your relationship with her. Bryan and Jesse both had a lot to say about you, and I was impressed, to say the least. I couldn't wait to meet you, so I could talk to you face to face, and see for myself the makeup of this guy who had made such an impression on my boyfriend and on somebody as accomplished as Jesse Wilhoit." She paused again, and seemed to draw herself together. "Understand, Sean, that what I am going to propose may sound odd, but you would be doing me a great favor by considering it." I was puzzled now. "Go ahead," I said. "I belong to the Omega Sigma Theta sorority," she explained. "We have a girl, a freshman, who will be pledging us. She's a legacy, her mother was an Omega here at Florida, and she's the younger sister of one of my best friends." "Okay," I said, wondering where this was going. "I've agreed to be her pledge sister, which means I will kind of be her guide and mentor while she's a pledge. She's also a friend, and I want to watch out for her. She's a sweet girl, very attractive, Sean." "I'm not sure where this is going, but I've got a girl..." "Yes, Kayla, I know. You see, Reggie - her name is Regina Coverdale, but everybody calls her Reggie - Reggie has a boyfriend at home, somebody she's been with since tenth grade. I just want to find her a good companion while she's here, somebody safe, somebody who isn't on the make. There are a lot of activities the sorority pledges have to attend, and a lot of them require dates. She doesn't want to go out with anybody who thinks they might have a chance with her." "Okay," I said slowly. "I'm just saying, you're in love with your girl back home, Reggie's in love with her guy back home. Bryan thinks you'd be a good companion for Reggie, and Jesse thinks the world of you." She paused a moment. "I wanted to meet you, have a chance to talk to you, before I said anything. You're a charmer, Sean, but you also strike me as very sincere." I was a charmer? Since when? Melanie continued. "I think it would work to both your advantages. You both get nice people to hang out with, and there's no pressure." She nodded as if I had already agreed. "I'd like you to meet her, Sean, if that's all right with you. You'd be doing Reggie - and me - a tremendous favor." She gave me one of her smiles, a real selling point. If I went out with Reggie, I would be able to spend a lot of time around Melanie, too. It was tempting. "Sure, I guess," I said. Way to go, Porter, I thought. Be decisive. "I mean, sure, of course. I'd be glad to meet her." "Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together, and then leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You won't regret it for a single moment," she said. She stopped the swing and stood. She reached back for my hand. "Let's go find Bryan," she said, and she led me back in to the fraternity house, holding my hand the whole way. I was finding it hard to breathe. A female companion and no pressure. Before that moment, the concept would have been completely foreign to me. I wondered if it was truly possible. It didn't occur to me until much, much later that I didn't quite know how to tell Kayla about this arrangement, or what she would think of it. But that was a problem for another day. (Continued in Chapter 6) <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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