Family Ties

Chapter 12

Christy woke me sometime in the middle of the night. I was lying on my side and she was facing me as she fondled my erection.

“You’re awake,” she said when she felt me stir.

“Uh-huh,” I said through a yawn. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know. Still dark.”

“S’okay.” I closed my eyes and yawned again. “Sorry. ’S a bit early, even for me.”

“I was tired of waiting.”

“Mmm?”

“I couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t stop working. Did you know you get hard at night?”

“Prolly dreaming of you,” I mumbled.

“He kept poking me, and it was all I could do not to play with him.”

“Feel free. Any time. Don’t mind.”

“Mmm, good.” She caressed my balls and sighed deep in her throat. “I can’t believe I never realized you shaved them. I mean, I’ve seen you up close and personal for a couple of days. And before, all those times I sketched you. But I never noticed. I just thought you were naturally smooth or something.”

“Nope.”

“I like it. They’re so smooth and soft. Makes me want to— Well, you know.”

“No… what?”

“You know…”

I still wasn’t completely awake, but I knew better than to fall into that trap. “Uh-uh. You hafta say it.”

“You could say it for me,” she said sweetly.

“Nope. Doesn’t work like that. Rules.”

She waited.

I used the time to force myself awake. My internal alarm usually went off before six, but it felt much earlier than that. I rubbed sleep from my eyes and waited a bit longer. Christy was a stubborn little thing. She didn’t stop playing with me, but she didn’t make a move either.

So it’s a battle of wills, I thought. Fine. “That feels good,” I said noncommittally.

“Do you want me to…?”

“You have to say it. Or just do it.”

“I can’t. Besides, it’s your job.”

“My job to tell you to suck my cock?”

“It sounds so naughty when you say it like that. But yes… it is your job.

You’re the man.”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t work like that.”

“You keep saying that,” she griped.

I decided to change the subject. “So,” I said mildly, “you like that I shave?”

“Mmm, I do. It makes him— um… err, them nice and smooth. Perfect for you-know-what.”

I mentally rolled my eyes. She was hinting loud and clear, but I wasn’t willing to play along. She waited for me to say something. She could keep waiting as far as I was concerned.

She finally gave up and said in exasperation, “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Why are you?”

“Because I’m a woman.”

“And I’m a man.”

“I can tell,” she said with a squeeze. “So… why won’t you do what we both want?”

“If we both want it, why don’t you do it?”

“I told you, ’cause you’re the man and I’m the woman.”

“And I told you,” I said, “it doesn’t work like that.”

“Says you.”

“Yep. Says me. We’re equals in this relationship, partners.”

“And one partner has to be in charge. That’s you.”

“So if I told you to spread your legs and get ready for sex, you’d do it?”

“No! I… can’t.”

“Ah, so you do have a say in this partnership.”

“No fair! You can’t use logic against me.”

“It’s the only thing that seems to work,” I said with a chuckle. “You’re as stubborn as I am.”

“Can we change the subject?”

“Sure,” I said, deliberately light. “Tell me why you couldn’t sleep. What were you thinking about?”

“You,” she said suggestively. “And him.” She gave him a little stroke-twist while she caressed my balls with her other hand. “And them. And Erin’s comment earlier.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“The one about the hairstyle you like. You know, down below.”

“Ah. That.”

“I think I know what you want.”

“Oh?”

“Mmm hmm,” she said. “I saw you checking out Olivia and Dawn.” She paused for me to deny it, but I disappointed her. “Susan too,” she said at last.

“You weren’t surprised by their… hairstyles.”

“Nope. Dawn’s was different than the last time I saw her,” I said matter-of-factly, “but hardly surprising.”

“Why?”

“Susan’s been shaved as long as I’ve known her,” I explained. “So Kirk and Doug think of that as normal. And it’s how they want their fiancées to look.”

“And how you want me to look too?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I replayed her words in my head.

She wasn’t upset. If anything, she sounded excited.

“That’s what Erin meant, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you have to ask,” she said with a note of triumph.

“Nothing easier,” I chuckled. “Will you please shave your pussy for me?”

“Ugh! I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Win an argument.”

“We were arguing? It sounds like you want to shave.”

“I do, but that’s beside the point.”

“Oh? Then what is the point?”

“That you can just ask for what you want.”

“You can too,” I said. “Nothing’s stopping you.”

“Except years of Catholic school and being told that only bad girls like sex.”

“Okay, fair enough. You win that one.”

“Thank you!”

“So, what’re you going to do about it?”

“What d’you mean?”

“You can change,” I said. “I mean, you were probably told not to sleep with a man outside of wedlock—”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“—but we’ve done it a couple of times. And we’re going to keep doing it… if I can convince you.”

“You’re doing fine so far.”

“Good,” I said with another chuckle. “’Cause you have a pretty firm grip on the family jewels.”

“But I like the family jewels.”

“You like sex too,” I said bluntly.

“Can we change the subject? Again?”

“Sure. We can change it as many times as you like, but it won’t cha—”

“You want me to shave for you?” she said abruptly.

I didn’t reply.

“I’m trying, Paul,” she said into the silence. “I really am. I just can’t do it overnight. I’m not like that.”

“You’re right. I know. I’m sorry.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, along with my frustration. “Come over here.”

She scooted closer and said, “I don’t want to fight.”

“Me either.”

“I want to make you happy.”

“You do.”

“I’ll eventually do the other things, too, the things you want.”

“I know you will.”

“But I have to work up to it, okay?”

“I know.”

“In the meantime,” she said, “can we talk about something I can do to make you happy? I want to shave for you.”

“I’d like that. But I’m curious… Why this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re doing something for my sexual pleasure. Hopefully yours too. It isn’t the same as oral or full sex,” I added, “but it’s a lot more than kissing.”

“You can say that again.”

“Right. So… why? Why is this easy and the other hard?”

“I… I don’t know. It just… is.”

I nodded and didn’t press.

“I’ve always wanted to do it, if you must know. Ever since we first heard about it.”

“‘We’? Girlfriend?” I could almost feel her blush.

“Yes,” she said after a moment. “Noelani.”

“Hawaii, right?”

“Mmm hmm. We heard about girls on the swim team who’d… you know… shave. Down there.”

I’d heard similar tales from Wren. I should’ve been dating swimmers from the beginning, I thought wryly.

“We tried it and thought it was fun.”

“Fun?” I teased gently.

“Leave me alone. This is really hard to talk about. I’ve only told girls this stuff. Okay? I’m not used to a guy who… you know… doesn’t think it’s dirty or disgusting or something.”

“It isn’t dirty. Or disgusting. It’s really cool.”

She nodded at my non-apology.

“So… what happened?” I asked. “With you and Noelani.”

“You know. We… tried it out.”

“You went down on each other?” I said softly.

She nodded.

“Did you like it?” I grinned when I felt her roll her eyes. “Okay, that was a dumb question. Of course you liked it.”

“Duh.”

“So… did you keep shaving? Or just that one time?”

“No. It really itched when it grew back, but we did it again. Only a couple of times, though. It was kinda fun. It made us feel naughty and… um…

sexy.”

“That’s exactly why I like it. I like the look too, but I also like that it’s something you do for sex.”

“I know. I’ve wanted to do it for longer ever since then. But…”

“But…?”

“I guess I never had the courage.”

“You? But you’re fearless.”

“Maybe about normal stuff, but not about sex stuff. I’m a big chicken when it comes to that.”

“Says the girl who wasn’t a nudist until yesterday. Who’s in bed with her boyfriend, talking about shaving her pussy for sex.”

“Okay, maybe I’m not a complete chicken,” she admitted with a laugh.

“You’re probably a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“You always make me feel good about myself,” she said warmly.

“Especially when we talk about sex.”

“You should feel good about it. It’s normal, especially between couples.

Sex is a natural part of a grown-up relationship.”

“I know that in my head, but the rest of me still thinks I’m being bad.”

“That’s okay. Baby steps.”

“Thank you.” She kissed my chest, and her hands found my erection again. “He’s still so hard.”

“Mmm hmm. He always will be, as long as you’re around.”

“There you go again, making me feel all tingly inside. And that’s a good thing, ’cause… I was really mad at you earlier. Lucky for you, I thought about it and calmed down.”

“What’d I do?”

“Believe it or not, nothing.”

I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice. “Really?”

“No,” she laughed, “it was something I realized.”

“What?”

“Well, I figured out why your dad isn’t jealous of your mom and Susan.”

“Ah, that.”

“Mmm hmm. He’s… sleeping with both of them.”

I forgave her the euphemism.

“Well…? He is, isn’t he?”

“It depends on what time it is,” I joked. “He might be talking instead. Or getting a handjob. Or trying to convince them to have sex.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. But this is serious. He’s… doing it with both of them, isn’t he?”

“Yep.”

“Not… together?”

“What do you think?”

“Oh.”

“But that isn’t what made you mad,” I said, “is it?”

“Um… no.”

“Then what was it?”

“That you aren’t jealous of me and Wren.”

And that was the other shoe. “Ah.”

“Mmm, right. You want to have sex with both of us, don’t you? And before you say it, yes I want the truth.”

I breathed a soft laugh. “You know me so well.”

“And I’m learning more all the time.”

“Well, you’re still here, so…”

“And you’re still avoiding the question.”

“Yep, you’re right.”

“So you aren’t going to tell me?”

“I just did.”

“Wha—? Oh, I get it. So you admit it?”

“To thine own girlfriend…,” I said.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Using my own logic against me?”

“Mmm hmm,” she said faux-sweetly.

Part of me wasn’t ready to say it out loud—I knew where it might lead, even if she didn’t—but the grown-up part knew that saying it wouldn’t change anything. Unless it did. I almost jumped when she laughed. “What?”

“You’re really nervous, aren’t you?” She laughed again, but with affection. “Mr. Big isn’t so big anymore.”

“Ah. Got it. Right. Um… no. He tends to hide when I’m preoccupied.”

“Like when Rich caught us together.”

“Then I was pissed off,” I said. “Now I’m just scared. That I might lose you.”

“You’d’ve lost me already if I hadn’t figured out the rest. I still wanna

hear you say it, though.”

“All right.” I took a deep breath. “Here goes… Yes, I want to have sex with you and Wren.”

I might’ve imagined a dozen possible reactions, but none of them would’ve been what she actually did, which was breathe a sigh of relief.

I did too. Then I stated the obvious, “Not what you were expecting?”

“I… don’t know. You’re always preaching honesty, like the Church preaches chastity. I guess I didn’t expect…”

“Didn’t expect me to practice what I preach?”

“Honestly? No.”

“Well, I wish I could say I’m a hundred percent honest all the time, but I’m not. I try to be, but I’m only human. I get scared too, and I make the wrong decision or say the wrong thing.”

“But not about the really important things.”

“No. Well… not really. I’ve told you all along that there are lots of things you don’t know about me. Sometimes I lie by omission. I don’t want to tell you more than you can handle.”

“Like the nudist thing.”

“And the shaving.”

“And the fact that you want to sleep with my best friend.”

“Right,” I said heavily. “There’s more to it than that, but… that’s the gist of it.”

“Oh? More?”

“Yeah. But I don’t know if you’re ready.”

“How come you’re the only one who gets to make that decision?” she asked in a fit of pique.

“Because I’m the one who knows what you don’t know.”

“How’m I supposed to know if you won’t tell me?”

“Fair enough. But… lemme see if I can explain it another way.”

She nodded and fell silent as I thought about it.

“Okay, try this,” I said eventually. “You’re an amazing sculptor, but it’s taken you years of study and practice to get to this point. Imagine if Siobhan had expected you to create The Dying Replicant when you first started studying with her. You weren’t ready, so you couldn’t’ve done it. And you’d’ve probably given up.”

“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I don’t give up easily.”

“True, but if you don’t have the ability, you simply don’t have it. You can

learn, but that takes time.”

“Right.”

“Well, I’m a bit like Siobhan here. You trust her to teach you everything she knows, right?”

“Of course.”

“But she has to do it in manageable pieces and wait till you’re ready for the next step. I’m doing the same. I’ll tell you everything… but a little at a time, and only when you’re ready.”

“I’m not an idiot. Or a child.”

“No kidding. It scares me how fast you figure things out. But you aren’t me, either. A lot of this sex talk still makes you uncomfortable.”

“You can say that again.”

I deliberately kept my mouth shut.

She took a deep breath and physically relaxed. “I still don’t like that you won’t tell me things, but I understand. I can’t learn everything at once.”

“Exactly.”

“Still… you’d be proud of me,” she said after a moment.

“Probably. But what for?”

“Well, I figured out what you wanted with Wren, and why you weren’t jealous, and…”

“And…?”

“Duh! I was really mad at you. But… now I’m not.”

“What happened to change your mind?”

“Something you said.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. We were talking about those girls you dated before me, the ones with the religious hangups.”

I nodded that I remembered.

“You said I have problems with how I think I should be and how I really am.”

“Right…”

“Well, when I realized you want to sleep with Wren too, I got upset and jealous. I wanted to hit you. The only thing that saved you was how innocent you looked while you were sleeping.”

“Thank God for that.”

“Yeah, I know, right? He works in mysterious ways. So when I didn’t hit you, I started thinking… was I really jealous, or did I just think I should be

jealous?”

“What did you decide?”

“What do you think?” she said without heat. “I thought about it a lot. You know, like you said: I tried to be honest with myself.”

I nodded.

“I won’t say I’m not scared,” she admitted, “but I’m not jealous.” She fell silent and thought it through again. “Once I got over the initial shock, I started thinking about you and Wren together… with me.”

My eyebrows flew up.

“Mmm hmm. It was… pretty steamy.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

She shook her head. “Not yet. I’m not ready. But it was fun to think about. And then you—!” She laughed. “I was thinking about the three of us, getting more and more worked up, and your penis decided to say hello.”

“Ha! Really?”

“I told you, you get hard a lot. Well, you must’ve known what I was thinking, ’cause you sure reacted.”

“That’s my boy.”

“You’re so proud of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Of course. But I’m proud of you too.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” she cautioned. “I just said I wasn’t jealous, not that I want you to hop into bed with Wren. Besides, I don’t think Trip would like it.”

You have no idea, I thought with a silent chuckle, but kept it to myself.

“So… maybe you’re right,” she said after a moment. “Maybe it is best if you tell me stuff slowly and let me get used to it. I… don’t think I’d’ve handled it well if you’d told me everything right after the Halloween party.”

“Um… no.”

She laughed softly. “How long’s it been since then? You know I stink at math.”

“A month and a half,” I said with a grin. “A little more, actually. Seven weeks.”

“It doesn’t seem like a long time when you put it that way. But…”

“We’ve been through a lot since then.”

“I know. I… feel closer to you than I’ve ever felt to anyone.”

“I feel the same.”

“You mean it? Closer than even Gina?”

“Even Gina,” I assured her. I tried to put my thoughts into words. “Gina and I… started on the same page, I guess you could say. We already had a lot in common, so we didn’t have to explain things to each other. It’s different with you and me.”

“You can say that again.”

“You and I are growing into each other. That’s important.”

“My mom thinks so too. That’s one of the things she said she noticed about me.”

“Oh?”

“Mmm hmm. How much I’ve changed since I met you. Your mom said the same about you. We were talking about it in the car on the way to the grocery store. She said you’re ‘self-contained,’ whatever that means.” She laughed softly. “Oh, and she really wants me to feed you more. She thinks you’re too thin.”

“What do you think?”

“I… think she might be right.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Your face especially. You remember how I noticed as soon as I saw you, back when school first started?” She quickly added, “The rest of you looks fine. Better than fine. Sometimes I still can’t believe how hot your body is.”

I chuckled. “I know what you mean.”

“You can’t believe how hot you are either?” she teased.

“No, you,” I said. “I can’t believe what a perfect little package you are. I mean, I used to think you were too skinny and looked like a boy—”

“I do!”

“—but then I started paying attention and looking for real. Dawn looks like a boy. She’s pretty, but nothing like you. You actually have hips and breasts and a butt.”

“But they’re all small!”

“Small is fine. It’s the curves that count. Yours may be smaller and tighter, but you have ’em… in all the right places.”

“Thank you,” she said demurely. “But… I know one thing I need to change.”

“Oh? What?”

“My bush.” She shivered with eagerness. “I don’t know why I get so excited thinking about it, but I do. Like you said, it’s a sexual thing, one that I

want to do for us. It’s like all my fancy lingerie. I like how it feels when I wear it, but I also like thinking about you seeing me.” She laughed softly. “In and out of it.” She went from seductive to effusive in an instant. “Oh! And I can’t believe how much I like being a nudist.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! I had so much fun at dinner last night. No one stared at me or made me feel uncomfortable or anything. And…” She lowered her eyes, and I suspected she was blushing. “I like looking at everyone else.”

“Yeah, that is fun. One of the fringe benefits.”

“Your family and Susan’s are all so attractive.”

“Some more than others,” I said facetiously.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mr. Humble, you’re very attractive. But don’t let it go to your head.”

“Which head?”

“The big one.”

“Which big one?”

“You have a one-track mind, don’t you?”

“Where you’re concerned? Absolutely. Now… since we’re talking about my dick, let’s discuss where you want your first load of semen.”

“In my mouth?” she suggested helpfully.

“Good answer. How ’bout the second?”

“Hmm.” She pretended to think. “How about… oh, I dunno… in my mouth? And what about the third?”

I acted shocked. “Who said anything about a third?”

“You did. You promised!”

“Okay, you talked me into it. Where would you like it?”

“My favorite place,” she said.

“In your mouth?”

She feigned surprise. “How’d you know?”

“Oh, a little birdy told me.”

“Mmm, a hungry little birdy. Hungry for your semen.”

“My bird seed?”

“Oh… funny! Ha ha! I just got it. Yes, I wanna swallow your bird seed.

All of it.”

“Well, I’ll probably need to rest up after I feed you that much.”

“Oh, for sure. And what would you like to do while you’re resting?”

“You tell me,” I said.

“Maybe… lick me? Down there?”

“I’m sorry,” I teased, “you’re going to have to be more explicit.”

“Fine.” She paused and let the anticipation build. “After you feed me your creamy… warm… yummy… seed, I want you to lick my… um…

pussy. Till I can’t stand it.”

I was happy to do just that.

We went back to sleep once we’d exhausted ourselves. Christy was small enough to fit in the curve of my body as I spooned her from behind, and I was a little surprised at how well we slept together. All my previous girlfriends had taken some time to get used to—although Kendall and I had never really learned to sleep together—but Christy and I seemed made for each other. Fortunately or unfortunately, I fell asleep before I could ponder the implications of that little discovery.

Dad woke us a couple of hours later with a sharp knock on the door. The room was still dark, so I fumbled on the nightstand for my watch. He rapped again, louder and more insistent.

“Yeah,” I called. “We’re awake!”

Christy complained and burrowed deeper into the pillow.

“Sorry,” I told her softly. Then I kissed her hair and climbed over her.

Dad knocked a third time before I yanked open the door. “We’re awake! For fuck’s sake, quit knocking!”

His eyebrows rose.

“Well, you asked for it,” I said defensively. “Didn’t you hear me shout?”

“I heard.”

“But you kept knocking anyway.”

“I wanted to make sure you were up and moving.”

“I’m not a kid, Dad.”

“I can see that.”

His calmness unnerved me, and my cheeks flushed when I realized how I’d talked to him. “Sorry I snapped at you.”

“I’ve heard worse.”

“Yeah, well… not from your son.”

“I’m glad you realize that.”

“I do. Sorry. Anyway, you probably didn’t bang on our door just for fun.

Especially this early. So, what’s up?”

“Ah, maybe you aren’t so slow on the uptake after all.” He grinned to take the sting out of it. “I just got off the phone with the weather service.

Front’s moving in faster. Pressure’s falling and the winds’re picking up.

Thunderstorms here by noon. And since we’re flying west…”

I glanced at the lightening sky and actually paid attention to the air. I could feel the change myself, once he’d mentioned it.

“I think we should leave before breakfast,” he added unnecessarily.

“Roger that. We’ll get moving.”

He nodded, satisfied, and went to knock on Erin’s door.

I closed ours and found Christy standing behind me.

“I heard.” She slipped into my arms and tilted her face up for a kiss. “I wish we could go back to bed.”

“What?” I laughed. “You didn’t get enough earlier?”

“I’ll never get enough of you.” She kissed me again, and the little head reacted oh-so-predictably. She laughed. “Someone agrees.”

“Someone doesn’t have to fly home through thunderstorms if we don’t leave soon enough.”

“Can we do that? Is it safe?”

“Can we? Yes. Is it safe? Not as safe as I’d like. That’s why Dad woke us up and told us to get moving. Trust the guy with twenty years’ experience. If he says ‘go,’ we go.”

“Roger that,” she mimicked. “Do we have time for a shower?”

“If we make it quick,” I said. “No fooling around. For real. Okay?”

“Yes, sir, captain, sir.”

We grabbed our towels and toiletries and headed across the road. My parents arrived right behind us, followed by a very groggy Erin. I thought she’d complain about getting up earlier than she wanted, but she simply joined Christy and me and waited her turn under the water.

“Why don’t you turn on another shower?” Mom suggested.

“’Cause I want hot water.”

“We have plenty. Susan replaced the hot water heaters last year.”

I resisted the urge to correct her. (They’re just “water heaters.” They heat water that isn’t hot. You learn that when your Environmental Control professor rants about it for half an hour. I digress, but he did it first.)

“You knew,” Erin accused me, “didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but you were so cute when you thought you were maneuvering Christy and me into showering with you.”

“Did you really know?” Christy asked.

“Of course. But you wanted to check out Erin as much as she did you.

So… I figured I might as well enjoy it.”

She rolled her eyes.

“My sentiments exactly,” Erin said, although she didn’t move to another shower.

We rushed through washing and rinsing and then everyone used a sink.

Christy and I shared like we did at home, with me standing behind her. My dick “accidentally” touched her bare butt several times, and she grinned at me in the mirror.

Back in the room, she dried her hair while I packed our dress clothes in the hanging bag and pulled the sheets off the bed. Then we put on traveling clothes and stuffed the rest of our things in our bags.

“Next time let’s just share a suitcase,” I said.

“You mean like a real couple?” Her smile was pure pleasure.

“Unless you have a problem with your delicates traveling with my boxers.”

“My delicates can travel with yours any time.”

“We aren’t talking about underwear anymore, are we?”

“You tell me.”

I laughed and kissed her and then surveyed the room for anything we’d left. “Ready?” I said at last.

“Yes, sir. Let’s go.”

I opened the door just as Dad was getting ready to knock.

“Aha!” I crowed.

“Well done.”

Susan was waiting for us in the station wagon. We loaded our things in the back and then climbed in. She handed us breakfast sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.

“Dawn wasn’t sure what kind of vegetarian you are,” she told Christy as she gave her two specially wrapped sandwiches. “So we made one with egg and cheese and one with just cheese.”

“I eat eggs,” Christy said. “But I’m starving, so I’ll definitely eat both.

Thank you very much.”

“My pleasure.” She put the car in gear and accelerated up the hill. “I also

packed the rest of your fruit and vegetables for the flight. Just in case.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Christy said. “Thank you again. I’ll probably eat them too.”

“She burned a lot of calories this morning,” I said.

“Be nice, Paul,” Susan chided.

“Worst boyfriend ever,” Erin said.

Susan eyeballed her in the rearview mirror. “The same goes for you.”

“Yes, Mom,” Erin said with affectionate sarcasm.

“I thought you said she was acting like a grown-up,” Susan said to Mom.

“Only with me. You’re on your own.”

“Gee, some friend you are.”

“The best.”

“You’re right about that,” Susan said fondly.

Christy reached over and squeezed my hand. Then Susan glanced at us in the rearview mirror.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Christy,” she said. “You’ll have to visit in the summer when you can enjoy the lake and everything else we have to offer.”

“I’d like that,” Christy said. “And it was a pleasure to meet you, too. I’m very sorry for your loss, though.”

“Thank you. We’ll feel Jeremiah’s absence for a long time, I think.”

“Do you have plans to find a replacement?” I asked. “Well, no one can replace Gunny, but you know what I mean.”

She nodded. “We were talking about it last night. Doug thinks I should…”

We spent several minutes on her plans for the camp and how to run it without Gunny to do the maintenance.

“I’ll decide on something,” she said eventually. “I need to weigh all the options.”

Christy cleared her throat and gave me a significant look.

“Trip and I might be able to help,” I said to Susan.

Christy nodded encouragement.

“How?” Susan asked.

“Well, we normally work on houses nonstop in the summer, but we can make some time to work here instead.” I looked down at Christy. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said, as though it hadn’t been hers in the

first place. “You’ll have to talk to Trip, but…” She grinned up at me. “I’m sure Wren can convince him.”

I snorted a laugh. “Wren could convince Jerry Falwell to come to camp.”

“Please don’t,” Susan said immediately. Then, “Let me think about it. I like the idea, but let’s talk more in a few months.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

“The next generation of campers,” Mom said as she and Susan shared a look.

“Seems only fitting,” Susan agreed.

Christy beamed up at me.

Susan and my parents chatted about the weather and mundane things for the rest of the drive, but my mind was already racing. Christy and I had just made our third major decision as a couple, and this one had serious implications, far beyond what she realized.

The flight to Knoxville was bumpy and tense, and the winds at Island Home were so unpredictable that I wasn’t happy with my first approach and decided to go around. Better safe than sorry. I worried that Christy would be nervous or panicky, but she was a trooper.

I ran through our options as we turned back into the pattern. We had more than enough fuel reserve to go around a second or third time, or to divert to another airport, but the weather was only going to get worse the longer we stayed airborne. A dark line of squalls already filled the sky to the west, and it was moving toward us at a steady clip. Even so, I didn’t want to force a landing.

I lined up my second approach and dipped the upwind wing. Then I corrected with the rudder and sideslipped toward the runway. A gust caught us over the threshold, but I rode it out with a Zen-like focus on the controls. I felt the plane more than flew it, and our touchdown was smoother than I had any right to expect under the conditions.

I taxied to the Comanche’s regular parking spot and shut down the engine. My skin prickled and I felt vaguely edgy without the engine’s vibration, but we were down safe. I sat there for a moment and let the adrenaline wear off before I removed my headset and hung it on the hook.

Christy did the same beside me. Then she unbuckled her seatbelt, climbed to her knees, and kissed me.

“Not that I’m complaining,” I said after, “but what was that for?”

“For being the most awesome boyfriend ever. That was amazing. It was kinda scary at the end, but you were incredible!”

“Thanks. I thought we might have to go around again when that gust caught us.”

“My stomach still hasn’t settled down.”

“No kidding,” I said. “I’m really glad we left South Carolina when we did.”

“I know. But it was still cool watching you fly. That was awesome. You were awesome.” She kissed me again to prove it.

“Hold that thought,” I said at last. The squall line was even closer, and I could see the rain slanting along its leading edge. “We’d better get a move on if we don’t wanna get soaked.”

She nodded and leaned out of the way so I could unlatch the door. She pulled the handle, and the door blew open in a strong gust. She climbed onto the wing, and her blonde hair immediately whipped around her face. The wind felt heavy with moisture when I followed her out. I closed and latched the door and jumped to the ground.

“Grab our stuff from the baggage compartment,” I told her. “I need to tie the plane down.”

We made it to the FBO just as the rain hit. Earl Walker and a couple of his cronies were there.

“Nice landing,” he said. “We were taking bets on how many times you’d bounce.”

“Who won?”

“Me, of course.” He turned to his buddies. “Taught him everything he knows.”

“And did a fine job, too,” I said. “Good to see you, Earl.”

“And you. Who’s your little friend?”

“Earl, this is my girlfriend, Christy, the cutest copilot ever. Christy, this is Earl Walker, Air Force vet and flight instructor extraordinaire.”

They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. We chatted for a few minutes about where we were coming from and why. Earl and friends offered their condolences and then he changed the subject.

“When’re you gonna start your multi-engine rating?”

“Funny you should mention that,” I said. “My dad’s talking about buying a Beech Baron, so I might need it after all.”

“Nice plane. We have one here if you’d like to get your rating in it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “Let me get through the holidays and then I’ll give you a call once my schedule settles down.”

“All right.” He glanced through the windows. “In the meantime, looks like you’re gonna get a break in the weather. Dunno how long it’ll last.”

“Then we’d better make a run for it,” I said.

He and the others said goodbye, and Christy and I headed out. We still got wet as we ran to the Land Cruiser, but not soaked to the skin like we would’ve been earlier. Unfortunately, the downpour had strengthened by the time we pulled into the driveway at home, so we sat and waited while the storm spent its fury.

“I had fun this weekend,” Christy said.

“Me too. I didn’t think you’d take to being a nudist quite so quickly, though.”

“You make everything easy,” she said, “which kinda worries me.”

“Does it bother you? What we did?”

“Yes and no. It’s doesn’t bother me when we’re doing it. But… I still feel guilty sometimes, especially when I think about what I want to do.”

“Fantasies getting ahead of your morals?” I said.

“I’m wondering if I still have any morals.”

“You do,” I assured her. “Besides, morals are about more than sex. Be a good person. Help others. Tell the truth. Eat your vegetables.”

She grinned at the last.

“But… what about me? Do you think I have morals?”

“Of course you do,” she said. “You’re a very good person.”

“But I have sex out of wedlock. And I’m slowly trying to convince you to do the same.”

“I know. And that’s what worries me.”

“Well, the key is ‘slowly.’ I’m not trying to rush things.”

“What if I am?”

I shot her a sideways look.

She nodded. “Mmm hmm. What I want and what I think I should want are having a major fight in my head.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“No. Just be patient with me.”

“I will.”

“And…”

I waited.

“Maybe give me Sara’s number? She was raised Catholic, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I think I’ll ask Marianne. She’s always given me good advice.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “She might’ve let it slip that she wasn’t exactly a virgin on her wedding night.”

“Oh?”

“No. She and Harry had been… um… ‘making sure they were compatible.’ While they were still engaged.”

I pulled the key out of the ignition and glanced through the windshield at the rain, which was still coming down pretty hard.

“What’re you doing?”

“Need to get you inside. You have calls to make!”

She rolled her eyes but grinned. “Is that all you think about?”

“Yes, ma’am! Now, if we’re not going to go inside and make some calls, then get your ass over here and kiss me.”

“My pleasure, sir.”

Wren and Trip had left us a note saying they’d gone to his parents’ for the weekend, so Christy and I had the house to ourselves. I was in the mood to fool around after we unpacked, but she was hungry. We compromised—I felt her up and then she fixed a snack from the veggies and fruit Susan had packed for her.

While she ate, I called my parents to let them know we’d made it home safe. I also made sure it was okay for Christy to spend the night in Atlanta before she flew home to San Diego.

“Of course,” my mom said. “We’d love to see her again.”

“That’s what I thought,” I said, “but the new policy is more communication with the parental units.”

Christy rolled her eyes.

“We’ll be there Friday, probably early afternoon. She flies out on Saturday.”

“Sounds good,” Mom said.

We talked a bit longer and then said goodbye.

“Do you need to call your parents?” I asked Christy. “To tell them you’re home safe?”

“I… um… didn’t tell them I was going.”

I smirked.

“Leave me alone. I didn’t know how to tell them. I still don’t,” she muttered.

“You don’t have to tell them anything. You’re an adult. You’re allowed to have a private life. I mean, you weren’t going to tell them we slept together, were you?”

“Oh my gosh, no!”

“Exactly. So you don’t have to tell them we went to a nudist camp either.”

“I know, but I still feel guilty.”

“Well, get over it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Mmm. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda worn out. Someone

—no names mentioned, but she’s small, blonde, and very sexy—woke me at three o’clock this morning. Can I interest you in a little groping on the couch and then a nap?”

“What kind of groping?” she asked with a suspicious grin.

“Second base, no more. Maybe third, but only if you ask.”

She rolled her eyes.

I stood and extended a hand. “Come on.”

We were still dozing on the couch in the living room when the front door banged open. Trip and Wren blew in with a gust of rain and leaves. They were distracted by their suitcase and a couple of shopping bags, so they didn’t notice me pull my hand from under Christy’s sweater or her adjust her bra.

“Damn sky opened up as soon as I popped the trunk,” Trip said when he saw us.

Wren’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you two look nice and cozy.”

“We are,” I said unapologetically. “Or were, until you woke us up.”

“Long night?” she teased.

“No, long flight. And rough weather.”

“No kidding,” Trip said as he raked fingers through wet hair. “Took us almost five hours to get home. Bad accident near Crossville. I-40 was a parking lot.”

“You all wanna change into something dry and then come back down?” I suggested. “I have a sort of business proposal for next summer.”

“Can it wait?” Wren said. “Never mind. Christy and I can talk upstairs while you guys talk down here.”

“Is that okay?” Christy asked me.

“Sure. But if you’re going to tell her everything, don’t forget the thing with the handcuffs. Oh, and the orgy in the hot tub.”

Her eyes widened with shock.

“Handcuffs?” Wren said with relish. “Orgy?”

“He’s kidding,” Christy said hastily.

“I was afraid of that. Still, I wanna know all the details. Come on, let’s go upstairs so I can get out of these wet clothes.”

Christy sat up and shot me an exasperated look. I wasn’t the least bit repentant, and she conceded defeat with an indulgent smile.

“Thanks, man,” Trip complained as the girls headed upstairs. “Now I’m gonna be shut out of my own bedroom in wet clothes.”

“Sorry, dude. Grab a towel from the linen closet. You have anything dry in your suitcase?”

“Yeah, but… it’s the principle.”

“Relax. Pretty sure you’re gonna have a wild night after Christy and Wren finish talking.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“Yeah. Go dry off. Then we’ll talk.”

He returned ten minutes later wearing a sweatsuit with a towel draped around his neck. He tossed his wet clothes in the laundry room and then called to me from the kitchen.

“I’m gonna fix a drink. Jack and Coke. Want one?”

“Sure.” I joined him in the dining room and told him about the weekend in broad strokes, guy-fashion. He didn’t expect details and didn’t ask.

Besides, we both knew he’d hear them later from Wren.

“But I really wanna talk about this summer,” I said. “So… Gunny was the

camp maintenance man, right? He did okay with day-to-day repairs, but he wasn’t Mr. Fixit. On top of that, I don’t think the camp’s ever had a renovation. A professional one, at least. It’s had little updates here and there, but nothing major. I mean, you’ve seen the place. ‘Rustic’ is the polite way to put it.”

He nodded. “A realtor would say, ‘Great fixer-upper.’”

“Exactly. So, I was thinking… maybe instead of doing two or three houses this summer, we can do one house and the camp.”

“It’d be a big hit to our bottom line,” he said.

“Maybe, maybe not. Susan would pay for the work, I’m sure. Maybe not as much as we made last year, but…”

“Dude, we got lucky on the rancher. It put us so far in the black it isn’t funny. Don’t expect profits like that again unless you pull another bidding war out of your bag of tricks.”

“Yeah, true.”

“But lemme think about the camp thing. Is there another reason you wanna do it? Besides just helping Susan?”

“Guilty as charged. It’d be a great place to introduce—” I double-checked to make sure the girls hadn’t come downstairs. They hadn’t, but I still leaned forward and lowered my voice, “It’d be a great place to introduce Christy to the joys of swinging.”

“Thought you might say that.”

“I’m getting way ahead of myself,” I admitted. “We haven’t really done more than heavy petting.” I made a show of wincing. “And it pains me to say this, but… Wren may’ve been right. I think Christy’s a lot wilder than she lets on.”

He chuckled.

“I’ll deny it if you tell Wren I said that.”

“Never,” he swore. “But… you really think…? I mean, Christy… a swinger? For real?”

“It’s possible. No guarantees.”

“Of course.”

“But yeah. Maybe. Besides, the camp thing was her idea.”

“You’re kidding!”

“No. She doesn’t know a thing about the swinging, but she really enjoyed being a nudist. Surprised the hell outta me.”

“Wow, yeah.”

“So… that’s just another reason to do it.”

“Right,” he said thoughtfully. “To be honest, I have a pretty big reason too.” He quickly held up a hand. “And not just ’cause I wanna nail your girlfriend, although I do.”

We shared a grin.

“It’ll make Wren happy,” he continued, “and that’s worth a dozen ranchers by itself.”

“Christy had no idea what she was doing, what she was really suggesting.

But as soon as I started thinking about it…”

“It’s perfect,” he finished. He swirled the last of his drink and then finished it. “Well, I guess our plans for the summer just changed. Big time.”

“No kidding.”

He raised his empty glass. “Ready for another?”

“Sure.”

We had just returned from the kitchen when the girls appeared from upstairs. Wren was grinning from ear to ear, while Christy couldn’t decide between smug or embarrassed.

“Have you guys been drinking without us?” Wren asked.

Trip stood and grinned. “Yes, we have, my beautiful little matchmaker.

But allow me to fix you drinks so you can catch up.” He cleared his throat.

“Are we celebrating?”

Christy turned pink.

“Just a fun weekend,” Wren said. She smiled at Christy and then included me with the same warmth. “It’s a perfect night to stay in, listen to music, and relax with friends.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said.

“We brought home dinner from Puckett’s,” she added for our benefit.

“Barbecue for us and chicken and dumplings for you,” she told Christy.

“Let’s heat it up while the guys fix drinks and pick out music.”

“Your wish,” I told her with a glint of mischief, “is our command.”

“You know, I’m in such a good mood that I’m going to forget you said that.”

We ate and drank and talked and drank and listened to music and drank some

more, until well after midnight. We were finally winding down when Wren drained her glass.

“Trip Whitman,” she said with elaborate care, “I would like to request the presence of your pleasure upstairs.”

Christy snickered.

“Wha’?” Wren said.

“I think you meant—” I began.

“Don’t c’rect me,” she said drunk-imperiously. “Trip knows wha’ I meant, even if I did mix it up.”

“Probably,” I said with a grin. “Your wish is his command.”

“As it should be. An’ in the spirit of bein’ more p’lite—”

“Good for you!”

“Thank you,” she allowed. “Now, where was I? Oh yeah! I was tryin’ t’

ask my sweetie t’ come u’stairs an’ screw my brains out.”

“And they say romance is dead,” I quipped.

“Be nice,” Christy whispered.

“You’re jus’ jealous,” Wren said.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Trip extended a hand. “I have plans for you.

Upstairs.”

He and I were a lot less drunk than the girls, who’d insisted on opening a bottle of champagne after we finished the Jack Daniel’s. Wren had drunk most of the bubbly, but Christy had polished off two glasses herself.

“You okay?” Trip said to me.

“Fine.” I brandished my Coke.

“All right. Glad you made it home safe. See you in the morning.” Wren swayed a bit unsteadily and he revised his estimate, “Maybe the afternoon.”

“Right. Have fun. See you tomorrow.”

Christy and I watched them go through the living room and then up the stairs.

“You ready for bed too?” I asked her. “You wanna spend th— Oh, okay.”

She’d climbed into my lap. “That works too.”

“Mmm.” She pulled my head down for a kiss. “I’m really drunk.”

“I can tell.”

“And really horny.”

“You don’t say?”

“Mmm. I do say.” She kissed me again.

“So,” I said after she released her lip-lock, “what do you wanna do about

it?”

“Wren thinks you should just have your way with me.”

“Oh, she does, does she? What do you think?”

“You’re the man. You could do anything you want.”

My eyebrows shot up. The alcohol was talking, but the little head didn’t care.

Christy reached between us and squeezed the bulge in my pants. “Mmm, he knows what I want.”

And he wouldn’t feel a bit guilty about taking advantage of you, drunk or not.

“Or you could make me suck your cock. You like it when I say that.

Cock. I can tell.” She nuzzled my neck and said between kisses, “Mmm, your big, hard cock.”

A little booze—okay, a lot of booze—and she shed her inhibitions like a Baptist outside of church.

“He would love that,” I said cautiously.

“Mmm, so would I.”

“But the rest of me would feel guilty.”

She stopped kissing and pulled back. “What do you mean?”

“Just that maybe we should slow down a little.”

“Slow down?” Her eyes flashed with irritation. “But I thought—? You said— All I had to do was ask!”

“Yeah, but I meant when you’re sober.” Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Seven little words and the situation had gone from bad to worse. See what happens when you don’t think before you speak? “That’s not what I meant,” I said aloud, but it was too late.

“No, I know what you meant.” She shoved my hands away and stood. “I think I should sleep by myself,” she added frostily. “Goodnight!”

“G’night,” I said to her back, but it was halfhearted.

She stomped up the stairs, a hundred pounds of cold, rejected fury.

I hadn’t meant to reject her, but that hardly mattered. I’d only meant that I didn’t want to take advantage of her while she was drunk, but that didn’t matter either. I sat there and replayed the short, disastrous conversation in my head. I wondered what I could’ve done differently, although the answer was obvious: a lot.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’d have felt guilty if I’d gone along with her. Sure, the little head would’ve had fun, but what then? What

happened when she sobered up and realized what she’d done? She still hadn’t shed her inhibitions for real. She needed alcohol to do it, and that wasn’t the same.

I was still sitting there an hour later. My Coke was long gone, I was stiff from not moving, and I hadn’t thought of a way I could’ve handled things better. Differently? Yes. Better? Not much.

I turned off the lights and stereo and went up to bed, where I spent another miserable hour lying awake and brooding. I was on the verge of sulking when someone knocked on my door, just a soft tap-tap, but unmistakable in the quiet of the night.

I looked at the bedside clock and debated whether to answer. But then I thought about Christy standing outside my door, waiting, hoping, and eventually walking away dejected.

My stupid imagination will be the death of me, I thought irritably. Then I heard a soft scuffing as she turned to go. “I’m awake,” I called hastily.

The scuffing stopped.

I rolled out of bed and opened the door.

Christy stood in the hall in her plaid pajamas and bunny slippers. She looked as miserable as I felt.

My throat was suddenly dry, and I had to swallow to moisten it. “You wanna come in?” I said at last. “We could talk.”

“I’d… like that.”

I stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

She walked past me and offered a wan smile. “Don’t you ever wear clothes?”

“I’m a nudist, remember?” I closed the door behind us. It was a symbolic gesture more than a physical one.

“I suppose I am too… if you’ll still have me.”

“Sure. You wanna start over?”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” I paused and silently rewound. “So, would you like to spend the night with me?”

“Yes, please.”

“I should warn you, I sleep in the nude.”

She laughed and looked me up and down. “I never would’ve noticed. But I kinda like it.”

“Good. Then maybe you could join me.”

“Would you like me to undress for you?” She smiled shyly.

“I’d love it. Just a sec.” I threw back the covers and crawled to the far side of the bed, where I lay on my side. Then I propped my head on one hand and used the other to shamelessly stroke myself.

“Oh my gosh,” Christy said. “You have no idea how sexy that is.”

“That’s why I’m doing it. Well, also ’cause it feels good, but I could do it under the covers and it’d feel just as good.” I shrugged. “I guess I like putting on a show.”

She smiled hesitantly and put on a show for me. She wasn’t confident or experienced enough to make it a real striptease, but I wasn’t going to complain. Besides, she kept glancing at my dick as I slowly stroked it, so it was completely hard by the time she took off her panties and dropped them to the floor. She climbed in beside me, and I pulled the covers over us. My erection pressed into her hip as I rolled toward her.

“D’you wanna talk about earlier,” I asked neutrally, “or just forget it, like it didn’t happen?”

“I… think we should talk. I should, at least.”

“Okay,” I said slowly.

“I’m sorry. I— Don’t look so surprised! I know when I’m wrong, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Well, I am afraid, but you know what I mean.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and… you were right.” She huffed in exasperation. “You’re gonna make me self-conscious if you keep looking surprised.”

“Sorry. It’s just…” I couldn’t come up with anything, so I shrugged instead. “I guess I didn’t expect you to realize it. I’m sorry for what I said, though. I could’ve— no, should’ve been more diplomatic, but…” I shrugged again. “My choices were basically go along or say no.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she said. “Go along, I mean. I…” She paused to find the right words. “I know I get flirty sometimes, especially when I’ve been drinking.”

“You can say that again. No, really… say it again.”

“Fine. I know I get flirty sometimes, especially when I’ve been drinking.

And I say things I don’t mean, except I do mean them, just not… you know, like… all the way.”

“Alcohol lowers your inhibitions,” I said, and she nodded. “But they return when you’re sober, and you end up feeling guilty.”

“Like now. Only, I don’t feel guilty about anything we did, just how I acted. I was really mad at first, but then I couldn’t sleep, and the champagne started to wear off—my stupid metabolism—and I felt really bad. You were just trying to… um… protect me. From myself, I guess.”

I nodded.

“I want you to know, though… I really wanna do those things, the ones I said. You can have your way with me, and you can make me… you know.”

“Suck my dick?” I offered.

She nodded. “Just… when I’m ready.”

“I know,” I said softly. “And I’m willing to wait.”

“Thank you. If it makes you feel any better, I really, really wanna do the second one.”

“All you have to do is ask.”

“When I haven’t been drinking.”

“Right,” I said.

“Only… do you want me to stop altogether? Drinking, I mean. I will if you want. I swear. I’ll never—”

“No. Alcohol isn’t the problem. Right now, it just means you don’t worry about trying to be a good girl. You can say what you want, ask for what you want. The real ‘problem’ is when you haven’t been drinking.”

She heard the quotes and didn’t object.

“Then you have a fight between what you want here…” I touched her forehead for a moment before I gently traced my finger down her nose, between her breasts, and finally to the warmth between her legs. “And what you want… here.”

She gasped and squirmed as I teased her opening. Then she moaned when I gently pushed my finger into her.

“Oh, wow. You’re wet and ready, aren’t you?”

“Well, what’d you expect? You were playing with your penis. And we’ve been talking about sex while Mr. Big is pressing into my stomach. So, yes, I’m a little hot and slippery.”

I grinned down at her. “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?”

“Especially when I think you’re making fun of me. And don’t you forget it!”

“I wasn’t making fun of you. I was just surprised.”

“Well, why shouldn’t I be a little worked up? You are! We’re partners, you said. Equals. So why shouldn’t I be equally… um… aroused?”

“No argument from me.”

“Thank you!” She took a deep breath and relaxed. Then she closed her eyes and very firmly pulled my finger out of her pussy. “Thank you,” she said again. “I can’t concentrate when you do that. I can barely think straight when Mr. Big is— No! Don’t take him away.”

I chuckled and rolled toward her again. Mr. Big returned to his warm little spot on her hip.

“Better. He was fine where he was. As a matter of fact, I should probably hold on to him, just in case he tries to get away again. Now… where were we? Before you so rudely interrupted by sticking your finger where it didn’t belong?” She thought about what she’d just said. “Okay, it does belong there, but you know what I mean.”

“I do. And we were talking about you and guilt.”

“I thought we were talking about me and drinking.”

“We were, but that’s only a symptom of the problem. And I shouldn’t even call it a problem. It isn’t. It’s just part of who you are.”

“Only… you want me to change.”

“I think you do too. I mean, you must be really unhappy sometimes.

You’re torn between what you want and feeling guilty about it.”

“You can say that again,” she muttered.

“And that’s why I want you to ask for things, or to just do them.”

“But… why? Why is that so important to you? You know what I want.

Why can’t you just do it?”

“Because I don’t want you to feel guilty about it.”

“What makes you think I will?”

“My past. With Kendall.”

“Ugh! You keep throwing her in my face.”

“Sorry. I’m not trying to compare you to her, but I’ve been through some of this before. And I didn’t do anything about it the first time. I don’t want to make that mistake with you. So I’m telling you about something that bothers me.”

“I know. I get that part. But I don’t like being compared to someone in your past.”

“I can’t help it. I really grew to resent Kendall, to resent the fact that she wouldn’t just do what she wanted. I see you doing the same thing. You want something, but instead of asking or doing it yourself, you hint real hard for me to do it, to make the decision for you.”

“But I asked! Okay, so I was a little drunk at the time, but I still asked.”

“Yes, but… even then, you were still putting the burden on me.”

“Burden! What burden? How?”

“Through your words.”

“What about them?”

“Okay, you know how words are important to me, right? I… paint with them, like you said. Well, when you paint with oils or acrylics, brushstrokes matter. You paint up and to the left, the light reflects one way. Side to side, another. You follow me?”

“Duh. I’m a better painter than you.”

I grinned in spite of her tart reply.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, really. Well, nothing that has to do with what we’re talking about. I’ll tell you later, but the short version is that I really like how feisty and competitive you are.”

“I can’t tell if you’re teasing me or—?”

“No, I really like it. But where were we? Yeah, words. So, they’re like brushstrokes. Say them one way and they mean one thing. Say them another and they mean something different.”

“No they don’t.”

“Yeah, they do. Listen: what’s the difference between ‘I want to…’ and ‘I want you to…’?”

“Nothing. Well, no. Duh, I hear the difference. It’s ‘you.’ But what’s the big deal?”

“Responsibility. Who’s responsible for the actions? You or me?”

“Well… you. And me.” She shook her head in irritation. “Who cares?”

“I care. Obviously. ‘I want to…’ means you’re taking responsibility for your own actions. ‘I want you to…’ is putting the burden on me.”

“Oh, and it’s such a burden,” she said sarcastically.

I stared at her until she backed down. “It is a burden,” I said. “Maybe not much, but it adds up. It was one of the reasons I broke up with Kendall.”

“Lucky for me,” she said. Then she thought it through. “Um… maybe not. The same thing might happen with us.”

“Right,” I said heavily. “Kendall never took responsibility. She did in lots of other ways, but never about sex. She put the burden on me instead. And it bugged the hell out of me toward the end. It was more complicated than that, but it made me furious, like I was in charge of her happiness.”

“So… all I have to do is say things differently?” Christy said. “No, it can’t be that simple.” She frowned in concentration. “I… think I understand. I say things the way I do because I feel guilty about what I want.”

“Bingo.”

“The problem is, I don’t even realize what I’m doing. I mean… it’s just the way I am.”

“I know. And you can’t change overnight. But I notice little things like how you ask. And just so you know, I don’t mind taking charge and ‘making’

you do things. I have a dominant personality—”

“You can say that again.”

“—but I don’t want you to feel guilty about anything I ‘make’ you do.”

“Neither do I. But…”

“It’s just the way you are.”

She nodded.

“For now,” I continued. “I get it. But a mindset is like anything else—you can learn it.”

“Like discipline and determination.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“So you want me to learn… what? How to be like you?”

“Oh, God no! I’m a huge mess of doubts and insecurities.”

“Coulda fooled me,” she said with a grin.

“Well, not about sex. I know what I want and I’m going to get it.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s that?”

“You… on your back… legs spread… crying out as I fuck you.”

“Oh my gosh!”

“Or, even better! On your knees… sucking my cock… begging for more.”

“My mother taught me not to speak with my mouth full.”

“Ha! Okay. Then we’ll have to find a way for you to beg with your mouth full.”

“Maybe with my eyes?” She showed me.

“Works for me.”

“Awesome! I’ll practice.”

“Perfect. How about now? Are you ready to ask?”

Her face fell.

“It’s okay,” I said. “One step at a time. You have to understand the problem before you can fix it.”

“Speaking of problems,” she said. “Would you stop calling it a

‘problem’? It’s the way I am, and I can’t help it. Where I come from, it’s called being a proper young lady.”

“Sorry. You’re right. How’s this… You have to understand your goal before you can work toward it.”

“Much better.”

“Good. Now…” I did my best to stifle a yawn. “Our current goal should probably be sleep. It’s after four.”

She nodded.

“I’m glad you came to my room,” I said. “I know better than to go to bed angry, but I didn’t know what to say to you.”

“I didn’t know either, and I felt so bad about how I behaved.”

“Me too. I should’ve handled it better.”

“No, you handled it just fine.” She caressed my face. “I had to come to my senses.”

“We both did.”

We fell silent and I decided to kiss her.

She smiled up at me after. “Mmm… this is the first time we’re sleeping together at home.”

“The first of many, I hope.”

“Me too.”

“So, are you ready for sleep?”

“I think so.”

“Sounds good. Roll on your side.” She did, and I scooted close. My semi-hard cock nestled her ass as I cradled her body with mine.

“Mmm, I like this. I like you. And I especially like him.” She wiggled her butt to prove it.

“This is perfect for late-night sex.”

“Mmm, I’d like that. But! Only when I’m ready.”

“It’s a deal.”

“In the meantime…”

“Sweet dreams,” I said.

“Of your penis. And the rest of you.” She pulled my hand to her bare breast.

“I’m glad you like being a nudist.”

“I like being with you. The rest is just a bonus.”

“Keep thinking that,” I said softly.

“I will.”

Wren was miserable the next day. Well, the next afternoon, as Trip had predicted.

“I should know better than to try to keep up with her when we drink,” she said with a friendly-baleful look at Christy. “Catholic and a crazy metabolism.”

“It’s not crazy,” Christy muttered. She glanced at me. “Why does everyone think I’m a freak or something?”

“We don’t. You’re just special. And we’re jealous.”

“Yeah, what he said,” Wren agreed. “Listen to him.”

I grinned and changed the subject. “Christy and I are gonna do some Christmas shopping today. Give us a list and we’ll hit the grocery store too.”

“Would you?” Wren said. “That’d be awesome!” She winced at her own enthusiasm.

“You mind stopping by the liquor store?” Trip asked.

“Gimme a list and we’ll take care of it.”

“I’ll call it in,” Trip said. “But lemme get you some cash for the groceries.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.”

Christy and I spent the rest of the afternoon out and about. I mostly bought presents for Trip, Wren, and my family. I had a couple of ideas about what I wanted to get Christy, but I didn’t want to shop for her while she was with me. She must have felt the same, because all of her purchases were for people besides me.

“Think I’ll go shopping with Trip tomorrow,” I ventured.

“Yeah, I was thinking that Wren and I really need to shop for you guys by ourselves.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We stopped at the liquor store after the mall and gave the clerk Trip’s name. That didn’t work, so we gave him Wren’s. He nodded, went to the back, and returned with a dolly. We loaded two cases of wine and two of liquor in the back of the Cruiser. He stopped me before I could close the tailgate.

“One more load.” He returned a few minutes later with another four cases of wine.

I was a bit worried about how I’d pay for it all, but he simply handed me an invoice to sign. It was made out to “Hilliard’s Steakhouse,” and I almost laughed when I realized that Wren had opened a wholesale account under the name of one of her father’s restaurants. No wonder she and Trip made our monthly budget go so far!

We hit the grocery store next, and it was more of a regular shopping trip.

On the way home we picked up Chinese takeout, since we weren’t in the mood to cook and were pretty sure Wren wouldn’t be either.

She was feeling better but not a hundred percent, so dinner was more subdued than the night before. She and Trip called it an early night and went up to bed shortly after. Christy and I opened a bottle of wine and spent a couple of hours on the couch, just reading and occasionally chatting. I finally closed my book and looked at my watch.

“Think I’m going to head up,” I said. “I don’t want to take you for granted, and I don’t want to assume, but…”

“Of course I’ll sleep with you.” She smiled and replayed it in her head. “I like saying that.”

“And I like hearing it.”

We turned out the lights and headed upstairs, where we semi-awkwardly moved around each other in my bedroom. We each had a different nighttime routine and were a bit afraid of disrupting the other’s. I had to stifle a comment when she simply tossed her clothes on the floor. I didn’t quite make a show of putting my own in the hamper, but it wouldn’t have mattered—she was too busy to notice.

She stood in front of the mirror on my dresser and spread out tubes and jars of creams and moisturizers. She spent fifteen minutes systematically covering almost every inch of skin with something. I hid my amusement at the sheer complexity of it all.

“It feels kinda weird standing here without clothes,” she said as she dabbed white cream under her eyes, “but it makes things a lot simpler. I don’t have to avoid my lingerie or wait for my skin to dry before I put on pajamas.”

“I know what you mean,” I teased. “I have the same problem.”

“Funny, ha ha.” She gestured at the array of cosmetics. “I’m doing all this for you, you know. I want to look nice and feel nice and smell nice for you.”

“I’m not complaining,” I said. “I’m just… amazed.”

“Well, you can blame Sabrina. I really didn’t understand proper skincare until I met her.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.”

“Laugh all you like,” she said, “but you’ll thank me in ten years.”

“So… you think we’ll still be together in ten years?”

She blushed but then looked uncertain. “Don’t you?”

I moved behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. They were soft, I had to admit. I looked at her in the mirror. Then I looked at the two of us.

“I still have a lot to tell you,” I said. “About myself.”

“Well, I haven’t run away so far.”

“That’s true. But some of the things might be… pretty hard to get used to.”

“You won’t know till you try me.”

“I have tried you,” I said with a smile. “And I want more.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You still aren’t going to tell me?”

“All in good time.”

She met my eyes in the mirror and nodded. Then she borrowed from her father’s playbook: she visibly adjusted her attitude and smiled.

“At least you haven’t run away either,” she said. “Especially after comments like that last one.”

“What? The ten years thing?”

She nodded.

“No. I… I’ve been thinking the same thing. Not tonight, but in the back of my mind. It’s natural. ‘Is she The One?’”

“I’ve been wondering the same.”

“Have you decided?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It depends on what you have to tell me, I guess.”

“No kidding.”

“And… if I can work up the nerve to do what you want.”

“True. But we don’t have to rush. I mean, we’ve only been a couple for…

what? A month?”

“Yeah, but like you said, we’ve been dancing around it since we first met.”

“True.” I tried to remember when it was, exactly, and she read me

perfectly.

“September 3rd,” she said, “1981.”

My eyebrows tried to do a backflip. “Holy crap! You remember the date?”

“Of course. I’m bad with math, but I remember dates.” She beamed.

“Wren and I were late to Art History and you couldn’t stop staring at us. We thought you were cute. I drew you in my sketchbook that night. I even wrote the date so I’d remember.”

“For real?”

“Mmm hmm. I’ll show you sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

“I drew you a lot between then and now. Well, except for… you know.”

“When I was a jerk?”

“Right.”

“How about now?”

“What do you think? My sketchbook is full of you. And not just for the Replicant.”

“I wish I could draw people like you do.”

“You don’t have to. You drew me as a building.”

“I did, didn’t I?” I had a sudden, whimsical thought. “You should sculpt Mr. Big sometime.”

“Maybe I already have,” she said coyly.

My eyebrows did their acrobat thing.

“I’m kidding. But I’ve thought about it.”

“You have?”

“Of course.” She turned from the dresser and faced me. “I always draw or sculpt the things I like.”

“Good to know.”

“But you’re more than just a penis.” She caressed my chest. “I really like Mr. Big,” she said distractedly, “but he isn’t you. That’s why I wanted to do the Replicant first.”

I brushed her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ten years might not be enough.”

“I know.” She stretched upward for a kiss.

“Are you ready for bed?”

“Bed or sleep?” she asked with a grin.

“Uh-oh. What have I gotten myself into?”

“Come to bed and find out.”

Wren and Christy went shopping the next day. Trip and I had to move our cars to let Wren back hers out. She used it so rarely that I sometimes forgot she had it.

He and I left a little later. He’d already done most of his Christmas shopping, but he wanted to buy some lingerie for Wren. I knew of a specialized boutique—I’d found it during the hunt for Christy’s Halloween dress—so we went there first. We probably shouldn’t have been surprised to run into the girls, or that they were carrying bags filled with purchases.

“See, I told you,” Christy said to Wren.

“Told her what?” I asked.

“That you’d come here. You have excellent taste, if I do say so myself.”

“I do indeed.” I bent and kissed her.

We chatted for a few minutes and tried to peek at their purchases, but they fended us off easily.

“The saleslady knows what we like,” Christy said. “Just ask her what we were looking at.”

Trip gestured at all their bags. “Looks like you already bought half the store.”

“For your information, Mr. Penny-pincher, we left you plenty to choose from.”

“Hey, someone has to watch the budget around here,” he said. “It sure isn’t going to be you all.”

“And to think,” Christy said sweetly to Wren, “we bought these pretty things for their enjoyment.”

“Yeah, we should probably take ’em back.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, ever the peacemaker. “Let’s not do anything crazy. Everyone’s right in this case. Trip does a great job with the budget. I think we all agree.”

“We do,” Wren said as she slipped her arm around his waist and smiled up at him.

“And Trip, dude, the girls have their own money. Besides, Christy’s right… they’re buying all this stuff for us. Yeah, they like it too, but really…

comfortable bras and plain cotton underwear aren’t the least bit sexy. Well, they are,” I added, “but only on the bedroom floor.”

Christy rolled her eyes but grinned at me from under her lashes.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Trip said. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he added to Wren. “I go a little nuts around Christmas.”

“I know,” she said. “You’re forgiven.”

“So,” I said once the mood had lightened, “where’re you off to next?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Nosy Parker,” Christy said with an impudent grin.

“Ah well, it was worth a try.” I kissed her. “Have fun. Don’t spend too much. You don’t want your dad to have a heart attack when he sees your bank account.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. He already gave me a lecture about the plane ticket.” She looked chagrined. “I didn’t have enough money in my account or something.”

“Uh-oh. Birdy’s in the doghouse?”

“No,” she muttered. “But I’m on a short leash, he says.”

“Extra reason to watch what you spend,” I said. “Just pay attention.”

“I will.”

I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Wren couldn’t help grinning at us.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I told her. “You were right.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Uh-uh. Not falling for it. Don’t you have more shopping to do?”

We kissed them goodbye and sent them on their way.

“I love Wren,” Trip said as we watched them go, “but her spending habits are gonna change once we’re married. Big time.”

“Um… careful with that,” I said. “Compromise, remember?”

“You’re gonna have problems of your own,” he said. “Christy’s even worse. At least Wren actually listens when we talk about money. Christy doesn’t seem to have a clue.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to realize that.”

“Aw, hell,” he said, “I don’t know what we’re complaining about. It’s just money. We can make more. Women like Wren and Christy don’t come along every day.”

“You got that right!”

Trip and Wren went on a date that evening, “to a real steakhouse, for meat from a cow,” as he put it. The door had barely closed behind them when Christy bounced and grinned at me.

“I have a surprise for you,” she said, “an early Christmas present.”

“Oh? Something you bought today?”

“Sort of, but not really.”

“Okay.”

“You have to promise to wait here, though. You’ll spoil it if you come upstairs.”

I arched an eyebrow, but she didn’t give in.

“Promise me. Okay? You have to stay down here until I call you.”

“I promise.”

She grinned and kissed me before she scampered upstairs. I thought I knew what she was up to, and the water hammer confirmed it about five minutes later. It rattled every time someone turned on the water upstairs, which meant that Christy probably wanted a hot bath. Still, I cooled my heels with my book for nearly an hour before she called down from the top of the stairs.

“Give me two minutes and then come up, okay?”

“Will do,” I called back. I knew her sense of time, so I gave her ten.

“Ready or not,” I yelled up, “here I come!”

I peeked in the bathroom (a small mess) and then her bedroom (a larger one) before I reached my own bedroom door. I wasn’t entirely prepared for what I saw.

The lights were off, but Christy had lit a dozen candles around the room.

She half-reclined on my bed, like Canova’s Pauline on her divan. She’d done her hair and makeup, although I couldn’t be sure in the candlelight.

My eyes traveled lower, to where her dark nipples showed through the openings in a peekaboo bra. Her panties were crotchless, although I couldn’t really see anything more because of her position. She was wearing a dark garter belt, light-colored stockings, and high heels the same shade as the garters. I smiled and wondered how long she’d had the shoes before she’d found the outfit to match.

“Don’t laugh,” she said nervously.

“D’you hear that?” I said to my jeans-covered penis. “Laugh and you’ll

be in solitary confinement. Got it?” I nodded and imagined his reply. “He says ‘got it.’”

Christy rolled her eyes.

“He also says he likes your outfit.”

“This was so much sexier in my head,” she said.

“Sorry,” I said quickly. I sat on the bed and rested my hand on her thigh.

“You look amazing! Very sexy. I was speechless. Then I realized you were nervous, so I thought I’d make you laugh. I probably should’ve—”

“No, it’s okay. I am nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“You’re doing fine. To be honest, I’m a little nervous too. That’s why I tried to make a joke.”

“I thought—? I mean—? Didn’t you—?” She took a deep breath and composed herself. “I should stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Worrying about your ex-girlfriends. You chose me over them.”

“I did. I do.”

She caught the emphasis and smiled. “You’re going to make me all tingly inside.”

“I was hoping to make you hot and slippery.”

“That too.” All of a sudden she screwed up her face in annoyance. “Why do you talk so much? You’re supposed to be ravishing me, not chatting!”

I stood.

She sat forward anxiously. “I’m sorry! I didn’t—”

“It’s okay. I’m not upset. But you want me to ravish you, right?”

“Yes, please.”

“And you like it when I tell you what to do.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So… lie back and spread your legs.”

She did, although she hesitated and had to work up her courage before she uncrossed her ankles and very deliberately planted her heels about two feet apart.

“Wider.”

Three feet.

I felt a flare of arousal as I realized she’d shaved her pussy. Her crotchless panties made it obvious. “All the way,” I said, my voice slightly hoarse with emotion.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly pulled up her knees

until her thighs were wide open.

“Much better. Now touch your pussy.” I started taking off my own clothes. “Spread it open. Use your fingers. Show me.”

My hard-on sprang up as I pushed my jeans and boxers down. The movement immediately drew her eyes.

“You like my cock, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“Say it.”

“I like it… your cock.”

“You aren’t ready for it, though.”

Her eyes hinted.

“Uh-uh. Not tonight. Not unless you ask. Out loud,” I added. “But don’t worry. You’re going to swallow plenty of semen.”

She moistened her lips and her expression brightened.

“Tell me about your surprise.”

“The lingerie. And…”

“And…?”

“I shaved.”

“Did you like it?”

“Mmm, I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

“Doing what?”

“A-anything you want.”

“Show me what you want,” I said. “Play with yourself.”

She hesitated.

“Do it,” I said sternly.

She jumped as if I’d pinched her, although her expression showed excitement. She lubricated a finger along her channel, and I caught a glimmer of moisture as she began rubbing her hidden clit.

“That’s it,” I told her. “That’s a good girl.”

She glanced up.

“Mmm hmm, good girls like sex too.”

She compressed her lips and nodded.

I sat next to her on the bed so I could see better. “You like me watching, don’t you?”

She nodded again, a little jerkily, as if she didn’t want to admit it.

Her smooth pussy showed through the opening in her panties. Her labia were small, like the rest of her, and pink with arousal. I reached between her

legs and touched her. She was hot and slippery all right.

“Don’t stop playing with yourself.” I slowly pushed a finger inside. She gasped and closed her eyes as I began moving it within her. She whimpered when I pulled it out, but started sucking as soon as I touched it to her lips.

“You like the taste of yourself, don’t you?”

She nodded and pulled my finger deeper into her mouth.

“And you like sucking. Anything.”

Another nod.

“Nipples…? Clits…?”

“Mmm.”

“And best of all…?”

She released my finger and panted.

“Tell me. Say it.”

“Penis.”

“Uh-uh. Use the naughty word.”

“Cock.”

“What about it?

“I like sucking them— it… sucking cock. Oh my gosh!”

Her nostrils flared as she arched her back. She was getting close, so I returned my finger to her pussy.

“You want to suck mine, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“All you have to do is say it.”

“I— unh!”

She arched her back again, and her pussy gripped my finger. Her face and chest were flushed with arousal and exertion. She let out a long squeak of pleasure when I crooked my finger and pressed her G-spot. Her own fingers bore down on her clit and vibrated frantically.

Fifteen seconds later she tensed and froze as the climax crashed over her.

She silently rode the wave of pleasure until it receded. Then she collapsed against the pillows, and her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath. I watched her for a moment before I withdrew my finger.

“You’re beautiful,” I said softly, “especially when you come. And you’re a very good girl.”

“Thank you.”

“I like your surprise, too. Both of them.”

“One more,” she said through an aftershock.

My eyebrows shot up. “Again? My pleasure. Let’s take these off first.”

She’d worn her panties over her garters this time, and I chuckled to myself at her foresight.

“No,” she panted. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean,” I said softly. I spread her legs and moved between them. She lay back and relaxed, so I took my time and admired her smooth pussy. Her outer labia were dusky rose and not very prominent, especially with her legs spread wide. Her inner lips tapered to a point over her clit, which had gone into hiding after her orgasm. They were fleshier around her opening and spread like little wings.

I pressed my face into the soft, smooth flesh. Then I flicked my tongue into her opening and tasted the tang of her arousal. She was still sensitive from her first orgasm, so I took my time and teased her until she began rocking her hips and moaning softly. When her clit poked its little pink head out, I teased it with my tongue and then sucked gently.

She sighed and ran her fingers through my hair. She didn’t quite pull me toward her, but I took the hint and focused my attention. I licked, sucked, and teased her pussy until I felt her getting close to orgasm. Then I pulled my face away and slid two fingers into her. I balanced her right on the brink of release and kissed the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. She began to quiver with pent-up desire.

“Please!” she said at last. “I can’t stand it.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“To come. Please!”

I circled her clit with my tongue and then sucked it, and she tried to pull me even closer to her pussy.

“Yes,” she gasped, “that’s it. Do that again.”

I did that again, and added pressure from inside against her G-spot. She clutched the sheets and went rigid with a silent scream of ecstasy. Her orgasm swelled for a dozen heartbeats before it finally released her. She went limp and panted from the force of it.

I gave the hood of her clit an experimental kiss. Her thighs clamped my head and her hips jerked away, so I carefully avoided the sensitive little bundle of nerves as I planted kisses on the smooth skin around it.

After a moment I rose to my hands and knees and kissed my way up her body till I reached her bra. It closed in the back, so I licked and sucked her nipples through the peekaboo openings instead. Unfortunately, the little bows

at the top tickled my nose.

I moved to her lips, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me down. My hard-on bumped her pussy when I moved closer. She didn’t try to pull away, and I had to fight the urge to slide into her.

“Mmm, that was nice,” she said at last.

“The kiss?” I said whimsically. “The orgasm? The one before it?”

“All of it.” She kissed me again before she looked at me seriously. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. “I have another surprise for you. That’s what I meant before. Not ‘do it again.’ I’m not complaining,” she added hastily,

“but you have to let a girl recover before you do that to her twice in a row.”

“I’ll try to remember that. No promises, though. Besides, I wanted to spend some quality time with your pussy. I love it shaved. It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. I like it too.” She kissed me again and sighed. “Mmm, you taste like me.”

“Better than cake?”

“I wouldn’t go that far!” She laughed. “It’s a different kind of dessert.”

“It is,” I agreed. “So, what’s this third surprise? Do I need to unwrap it?”

She grinned and shook her head. “It’s a word.”

“A word?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Just… a word?”

“Not just any word,” she said mysteriously. “It’s a special word.”

“All right, what is it?”

“Not yet. Let me up. I need to be sitting when I tell you.” She laughed when I practically leapt from between her legs. She closed them and rolled to her knees. Then she tucked her feet under her and sat back, Japanese-style.

“Let me take this off first.” She reached behind herself and unfastened her bra.

“Sorry about the bows.” She tossed the flimsy garment to the floor. Then she followed my glance and rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m a neat freak.”

“Well, get over it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And lie down. I need you here.” She patted the bed beside her. “On your back.”

I did as requested, and she immediately reached for my erection. She stroked it gently and moistened her lips. I watched her in silence and then

rubbed her stocking-clad thigh in encouragement. The touch seemed to snap her out of her trance.

“You have a beautiful penis,” she said.

“Thanks. He likes you too.”

“Mmm.”

“Is that the third surprise?”

“Sort of,” she said distractedly.

“Is the word ‘handjob’?”

She rolled her eyes. “No.”

“Another kind of ‘-job’?”

“I know what you’re trying to get me to say, and it won’t work.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“Proper young ladies do not use the word ‘blowjob,’” she said. Then she laughed. “Except when we do.”

We shared a grin.

“No, I have a better word,” she said after a moment.

“Oh?”

“Mmm hmm. It feels very good in my mouth. I think about it all the time, especially with you. I used your big dictionary to look it up, so I’d know exactly what it means.”

“Which is…?”

“Fellatio,” she said with a sly grin, “oral stimulation of a man’s penis.

From the Latin fellare, to suck. As in: I would like to fellate your penis.” She leaned forward to kiss me and sighed as I pulled her close. Then she sat back, and her eyes danced with eagerness. “That’s how a proper young lady would say it, at least.”

“And how would you say it?”

“The way you want me to, the naughty way.” She looked into my eyes. “I want to suck your cock. Very much. Right away. Chop-chop, please and thank you.”

I laughed. “I thought you’d never ask.”

She moaned softly in anticipation as I guided her head toward my lap. I thought she’d start sucking immediately, but she kissed my glans instead.

Then she teased it with her open lips. She kissed the shaft next, and I felt her hot breath on my sensitive skin. She stroked gently and aimed my cock at her mouth.

I held my breath in anticipation, but she flicked her tongue and circled the

crown. She gave it another open-mouthed kiss before she switched hands and planted a line of kisses down the sensitive underside. Then she licked my balls and moaned softly as she sucked one into her mouth.

I felt the pressure building and thought I might explode if she didn’t start sucking soon. Still, she took her time and teased my balls before she moved back up the shaft. She circled the tip again and stroked me. She was having fun, but I felt a tingling sense of urgency. She must have sensed it, because she finally wrapped her lips around the head of my cock.

That was all it took. She’d primed me to the point where I had a hair trigger, and I groaned as a geyser of semen erupted from my shaft. She moaned in surprise but stroked me and swallowed as I filled her mouth with salty liquid.

“Oh my gosh,” she panted when the spurts finally stopped. “That was a lot.”

I started to tell her to keep sucking, but she was one step ahead of me.

She took a breath and plunged her lips over my shaft. Her mouth was warm and soft, and I groaned at the sensation as her tongue caressed me. She pulled back and rubbed her lips over the head before she opened them and took me into her mouth again.

I rested a hand on her head as she bobbed a couple of times. Then she pulled off and swirled her tongue around my crown. She sucked it gently before she took me deep again. Her lips hugged my shaft as she pulled back.

She spent the next fifteen minutes sucking, kissing, licking, teasing, and stroking every inch of my manhood. She moaned with pleasure whenever she took me deep, or she sighed as she kissed and licked my saliva-coated shaft.

She didn’t give me a blowjob as much as she worshiped my cock, and she clearly enjoyed every minute of it.

I didn’t want it to end, and neither did she, but I finally reached the point where I couldn’t hold back any longer. Christy sensed it too, and she began bobbing and stroking me at the same time. My cock looked enormous in her small hand and with her mouth stretched around it.

I looked away and tried to hold back, but her lips and tongue and hands caressed me and drove me higher. I finally tensed as a volcano of pleasure erupted from deep in my balls. A molten wave of ecstasy flowed outward from my cock, and I had to close my eyes as the sensations overwhelmed me.

I don’t know how long I lay there afterward, but my breathing had almost returned to normal by the time I mustered the energy to open my eyes and

look down. Christy lay on her side with her head in my lap. She was playing with my flaccid penis, kissing and stroking it gently. She felt my gaze and looked up.

“Three, please,” she said.

“Oh my God, I’ve created a monster.”

“I’m too little to be a monster,” she pouted.

“Too cute, too. But I can’t get it up again. Not until I rest a while.”

“I know,” she said. “I was just hoping…”

“Aren’t you ready for a break?” I laughed.

She grinned and shook her head. “More fellatio. Now, please!”

“How ’bout some food instead. I just realized we skipped dinner.”

“We had better things to do,” she said. “Besides, I don’t need food when I have you.”

My eyebrows rose.

“Mmm hmm. My tummy is full of semen. Two loads. Very yummy, too.”

I laughed.

“Mmm. You can feed me like that all day. All night, too!”

“I have created a monster.”

“A penis monster,” she teased. “Rawr!”

“Well, penis monster needs food. So does penis owner. Now come on.”

“Okay,” she said grudgingly. “But then more fellatio, right?”

“Then more fellatio,” I promised.

“Oh, goody!”

To be continued…

Read the next book in the series,

Three Little Words.