It all started as Matt sat next to Lucy under the lifeguard sun shelter as they did their turn at volunteer lifesaving on Mona Vale Beach in Sydney. Well, that's where it started from Matt's point of view anyway.
Both in their early 30's they'd shared duty on many occasions and as they'd started duty that morning, Matt had no reason to believe this would be any different.
Matt was recently single; having broken off from a girlfriend of many years when it became evident she wasn't willing to commit to a long term relationship and settle down and have a family.
Lucy was a more complex creature and getting to know and at least partly understand her had taken Matt quite a while; many years in fact. He regarded her as a friend, even quite a good friend, but still dealt with her in a somewhat tentative manner.
Even though, professionally, he knew she was a successful accountant, Matt had deduced she was probably on the spectrum. Very high functioning admittedly, and clearly very smart, but inhibited in her interpersonal relationships.
Partly that was because of snippets of her history she'd revealed in their frequent, and sometimes surprisingly frank, conversations as they sat on the beach, partly observation of her and her manner and partly as a result of the surprisingly hurtful manner in which she sometimes responded to innocent enquiries he'd made of her; no more provocative than asking whether she was interested in volunteering for extra duty to meet a projected shortage of lifesavers on a particular day.
But it caught him completely by surprise when, mid conversation, after a moment's pause where she was clearly building up the courage to ask, she turned to him and said...
"Matt, I need someone to teach me how to have sex, but at a pace and in a way I can cope with. I need to be able to trust them to go one step at a time and stop when I need them too. Would you be willing?"
That's not a question you get asked every day.
But Matt also recognised the challenge involved in it.
It didn't surprise him if the question inferred she was still a virgin. Lucy was not one who liked being touched in any way. She avoided the greeting and goodbye hugs virtually all the other women lifeguards engaged in and studiously avoided sitting anywhere that involved a risk of her generous concept of personal space being invaded. And he knew from the talk of the other girls, she was obsessive about her modesty in the shower rooms. None had seen her in anything less than her lifeguard swimmers in a room that was not designed for such privacy and an environment where the rest of them were uninhibited about their nakedness.
And while she seemed to like to put herself where boys were, in the years he'd know her there'd never been evidence or mention of a boyfriend, or even a date, then or in the past.
It had always surprised him that Lucy didn't get hit on by guys more often, given she was actually quite an attractive woman. And yet Matt also knew from previous discussions this didn't happen. Whether it was never or rarely, again he hadn't in the past found it prudent to explore.
But it was also true she hid her attractiveness. Certainly the sun protecting long sleeve polos and baggy shorts which was the lifeguard uniform did nothing to flatter figures. And while the one piece women's swimmers that was the underlayer was anything but sexy in its cut, she rarely stripped down to even those.
Beyond that, an unconfident stance meant her rather cute face was often disguised by a tucked in chin. But more importantly her manner of dress hid the features of what, on one or two occasions when she was wearing the right clothes or the wind was blowing the right way, Matt had noticed was a seriously attractive figure; slim with disproportionately large breasts. But mostly wearing unflatteringly loose clothing, her normal clothing instead created the impression of a dumpier figure.
Taking a moment to recover and to formulate a reply that drew out her plan, Matt answered...
"The answers yes, but what are you looking for from me?"
Lucy had anticipated a question such as that. Whatever might be her limitations -- and the thought she might be on the spectrum wasn't one that had occurred to her -- she wasn't completely oblivious to the strangeness of the question she'd just asked.
"You know I'm not into hugs or being touched. I don't know how well it will go. I need someone who'll take it a bit at a time over what might be many sessions and let me stop when I need them too without forcing themselves on me."
That was pretty well what Matt figured she was wanting.
In researching and coming to understand Lucy's sometimes brutally rude responses to innocent questions -- a common feature of those on the spectrum -- Matt had come across the concept of a hetro-romantic asexual and wondered whether Lucy didn't more likely fall into that category; in which case sex was never going to be her thing. Still, that was for her to decide.
He was single, and while he figured there'd be no shortage of frustration and cock teasing involved in it for him, he liked Lucy enough it wouldn't be a burden.
"When did you want to start?"
Lucy was ready for that question too. She hadn't wanted to inflict a long anticipation period on herself and was pretty familiar with Matt's post duty routine by now...
"What about when we finish duty today? You can come back to my place."
Matt knew she lived with her slightly younger sister only a couple of blocks away. It was an interesting relationship she seemed to have with her sister; almost one of mutual dependence. He'd met her a couple of times and she'd seemed nice enough. He knew from a relieved Lucy she'd also recently broken up with her live in boyfriend; one who annoyed Lucy no end to the point of causing a lot of friction between the otherwise very close girls.
Matt figured the sister thing was something Lucy could work out and her place would certainly be much better than his temporary, post breakup, digs.
During the rest of their duty time and as he walked back to Lucy's place still dressed in their lifesaver gear, Matt resigned himself to simply doing what Lucy asked him too. Nothing more, nothing less. Clearly he'd been chosen because she needed to be in control and she'd trusted him to allow her that control.
He was a bit surprised as they walked in the house to find Lucy's sister lying on a sunbed out by the pool; more surprised when Lucy tapped on the window to attract her attention and they gave each other a wave before Lucy led him purposely into her bedroom.
For some reason, the bedroom was as Matt imagined it would be. Fastidiously tidy and very girlie, in an old fashioned, frilly sort of way.
In a businesslike manner, Lucy stripped down to her one piece swimsuit, folding the shorts and top and putting them on a chair before turning to Matt...
"Would you take your shirt off, but leave your pants on?"
He hadn't had to do any rescues that day, so it was lucky they were still clean and dry. As he pulled his shirt off and folded it to add to Lucy's pile of clothing, he watched as Lucy neatly peeled the covers of the bed back to reduce it to the under-sheet.
He was aware she had an incredibly cute butt at the top of her relatively long, slender and shapely legs but for the first time he viewed it with a sexual intent. The lifeguard women's one piece might not be what you'd call sexy, but the legs were cut high enough to highlight her butt and the outfit vertically challenged by her height enough to draw it into her butt crack. It was sufficient to induce the start of an erection growing uncomfortably in the speedos he was wearing under the lifesaver shorts he was wearing.
Lucy turned to him and in the excessively businesslike manner she seemed to be using to get her through the awkwardness of the situation, asked...
"Would you be able to finger me through my swimmers, without lying too close to me please?"
As, basically assuming his compliance, she lay down on her back on the bed with her arms rigid by her side, Matt found himself readily forgiving her almost robotic approach to this. He could imagine how uncomfortable it was for her; physically at least. He sensed she was dealing with him like one might a masseur at a spa as a defence against using a more personal approach; something quite understandable if, as he suspected, she was on the spectrum.
Matt carefully laid down on his side alongside her, ensuring there was a gap for the full length of their bodies, so that he was not touching her. With his head supported slightly elevated by his lower arm.
