Editor’s Note: The sex column contains material that may be offensive to some readers. Names… Editor’s Note: The sex column contains material that may be offensive to some readers. Names and places have been changed in order to protect the identities of the couple.

It all began one October morning Ciara’s freshman year. Ciara took one look at Shad as he was boarding a Pitt shuttle.

“It was on!” she smiled and said of the moment. Despite the fact that she was two-and-a-half weeks into a relationship with someone else, their connection overpowered her and they hooked up that same day in her dorm room in Towers.

She continued to sneak around with him all over campus until one morning when her then-boyfriend walked in on her lying on Shad’s chest with only her t-shirt and panties on. The next day she received a six-page letter breaking off their relationship. Although Ciara was at the close of one relationship, it was just the beginning of a beautiful one. Three years later they are still an item.

Ciara, 20, recalls with fondness one of the first times Shad seduced her. Ciara was really into pictures, so Shad, 21, invited her up to his room to take a peek into his photo album. While she paged through, Shad proceeded to play his “wet mix,” a mix CD full of baby-making, R’B hits.

Halfway through Shad’s high school experiences, Shad gave Ciara the massage of her life. Still, she warded off his advances. It wasn’t until he put her favorite candy in his mouth and asked if she wanted a taste that she finally surrendered. “I never even told him what my favorite candy was,” Ciara continued. “He was so irresistible, the next thing I knew I was straddling him.” She later found out that he had a condom in his shoe. “He’s always been a really funny person,” she laughed.

Ciara describes herself as one of those people who was “waiting for marriage.” Shad would change all that — eventually. Ciara admits that although they swiftly advanced to third base within the first two weeks of their relationship, it took them a year and a half to finally have intercourse and lose their virginity to each other.

“He was the first person that made me feel comfortable being naked,” Ciara said. Their sex life followed a surgery that left her a little overweight and with physical and emotional scars.

“Your scars give you character,” Shad said to her in encouragement.

Ciara also notes that the best part of their sex life was Shad’s bedroom talk. It really made her melt when he called her beautiful during sex. Shad selflessly stated that the best part of sex for him was satisfying her. Ciara also mentioned that Shad is amazing at performing oral sex and that she didn’t really learn how to give oral sex until she met him.

To every relationship, however, there is a downside. Shad described infrequency of sex as the worst part of their sex life, saying, “It’s not as consistent as I would like.” Ciara also had sexual qualms with Shad when he was under a lot of stress.

“At one point he was so stressed out it was difficult for him to maintain an erection,” Ciara said.

Also at one point Ciara studied abroad in France for a semester and to say it was hard on their relationship is an understatement.

“He told me he forgot what I looked like, what it was like to be with me,” Ciara explained.

Shad commented, “I just needed space.”

“I was in France,” Ciara rebutted, “how much more space did you need?”

Despite all these issues, they are still three years strong with different goals in mind to spice up their sex life. While Ciara has aspirations to make a videotape, Shad would like to have sex in more spontaneous situations.

“We’ve never had sex in a bathroom of an airplane,” he said. Shad is also working on lasting longer during sex.

In terms of sexual positions Shad is a fan of the doggy style position while Ciara has always been a missionary girl. Ciara’s deal breaker is anal sex. She says, “I’ll never try it.” Shad says that he is vehemently opposed to sadomasochism.

While oral sex is non-negotiable for Shad, Ciara stated, “If my man doesn’t talk to me [in the bedroom] it’s over.” Regarding fetishes, Shad has a thing for feet and Ciara can’t help but scratch his back in the heat of the moment.

They both advise Pitt couples to wait a while before having intercourse and to not base it on physical attributes. In the end it will mean much more.

When it comes to sex, be safe, be smart and be savvy. To be a couple featured in the couple close-up e-mail Rose at [email protected].