So Long, Summer Camp

Chapter 41

Leah and I went for a swim to cool off, and I realized she was a better swimmer than I remembered. She wasn’t in the same league as Brooke, Wren, or even Christy, but she could hold her own with me.

“We all had to take lessons growing up,” she said, “although Kara and Gina never did anything with it. They were always focused on school and grades so they could get into medical school.” She snorted, not quite derisively, but close enough.

“I was the black sheep,” she continued. “Maybe that’s why I spent more time in the pool. Who knows,” she added with a shrug. “I feel a little guilty, though. Not because I rebelled, but because I always took it for granted. We’ve had a pool for as long as I can remember. I mean, even back when my dad was just a local news producer.

“Mom won’t admit it,” she laughed, “but it’s a big status symbol for her. The rich girls had them when she was growing up. Funny you should mention it. Nani and I talked about it, too, when we stayed with them.”

“So, why didn’t they have a pool? They had money. I mean, your grandfather’s a doctor.”

“It’s an Indian thing with him, an immigrant thing. He doesn’t want to seem posh, like he has ‘ideas above his station’ or something.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. The English are super-conscious about social class, way more than we are. I think it’s crazy. I mean, he drives a Jaguar and has an office on Harley Street, but they still live in the same old house. You’ve seen it.”

“It’s pretty nice,” I recalled.

“Yeah, but their garden isn’t big enough for a kiddie pool.”

“True. A pool would take up the whole yard.”

“Garden,” she said.

“What?”

“They call it a garden, remember?”

“No,” I chuckled. “I’m not as good with languages as you are. I barely speak English.”

“That is English,” she teased.

“Then I barely speak American. Now, I’m thirsty. Are you ready to get out?”

“Sure.”

We grabbed our towels and joined the others around the table. Mark poured a fresh drink for Leah and pushed a sweat-beaded wine cooler toward me.

“Thanks.” I twisted off the top, took a long pull, and sagged into my chair.

“It’s hard work,” he said, “keeping the girls happy.”

“You can say that again.”

“Nah, it’s easy,” Trip said.

Wren raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And how’s that?”

“Ya just gotta treat ’em like a princess. Now, I dunno ’bout y’all, but I’m ready to eat some pussy.”

“Ha!” Mark raised his cup in a salute. “Nice.”

“How long did it take you to come up with that?” I chuckled.

“A while,” Trip admitted.

We all laughed.

“Well, then,” I said to Leah, “I guess you’d better tell us about the next game. What’s it called?”

“We still don’t have a name.”

“Who cares,” Trip said.

“I do,” Wren said. “We need a cool name.”

“We’re goin’ down on y’all, right? Why not call it somethin’ simple, like Eat at the Y or Muff Divin’?”

“Because most of us don’t have muffs,” Leah laughed.

“What’s the matter with Who’s Going Down?” Brooke said. “I liked that one.”

Wren shook her head. “It needs some pizzazz. Blindfold Blowjob Bingo has…” She snapped her fingers and tried to think of the right word. “Paul, you’ll know. What’s it called when words start with the same letter? Not rhyming, but…?”

Erin beat me to it. “Alliteration.”

I blinked in surprise, and she looked smug.

“Right! That’s it,” Wren continued with hardly a pause. “The name needs to rhyme or… whatever. It needs to sound good.”

“What about Guys and Girls Going Down?” Brooke said.

“Too long. It needs to be snappier.”

We suggested names, but no one came up with anything we all liked.

“I know!” Mark said at last. “Liquor Lottery.”

“Liquor?” Leah said with a frown. “What’s—?”

“No, not ‘liquor.’” Erin sat forward in excitement. “‘Licker’! As in, ‘he’s a hard licker.’”

Mark nodded.

“Ooh, I like it,” Christy said.

“Licker Lottery…,” Wren mused. “That’s good.”

Mark inclined his head. “Thank you.”

“Okay, we have a name. Brooke? You came up with the rules. You wanna tell ’em?”

“Sure, I guess. They aren’t like the guys’ game, though.”

Wren frowned. “I thought you said they were.”

“I tried, but I couldn’t make it work. I drew up matrices and everything.”

Christy’s forehead wrinkled almost comically. She leaned toward me and said in a stage whisper, “She drew what?”

“A matrix. It’s math.”

“Linear algebra,” Brooke agreed. “But in this case I wasn’t doing math. I was just using them for modeling. No, not that kind,” she said before Christy could ask. “Like, modeling a data set. So it was technically engineering.

“I thought we could use chips for the turn order,” she continued, “but the contestants and the players are random elements. Things got pretty complicated, especially when I tried to control for an equal number of turns.”

“I didn’t understand a word of that,” Christy said to me, still in a stage whisper, “but it sounded bad.”

“It was bad,” Brooke said. “Too many random elements to handle with only three colors of poker chips.”

“That’s all we have,” Leah said.

“Yeah, I know. So I had to come up with some other way to randomize. I could show you the matrices, but…” She saw our blank looks and laughed. “Never mind. Sorry, I’m a total nerd sometimes.”

“Give me a nerd any day,” Mark said. “Brains and beauty in the same package.”

“Hear, hear!” Trip agreed.

Wren huffed in exasperation. “Yeah, guys, we know. You both have a hard-on for Brooke. But will you let her finish explaining before you jump her bones?”

Brooke was already a little flustered by the guys’ attention, and Wren’s comment made it worse. Her cheeks went pink, but they looked the color of a ripe peach in the yellow light from the sodium lamp. (Sorry, I’m a color nerd. And I digress. So sue me.)

“Chill out, guys,” Erin said. “We’ll take care of you later. Trust me.”

Mark and Trip both nodded and fell silent.

“Thank you,” Erin said. “So, Brooke… you were saying…?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Take it as a compliment. The guys have good taste.”

“And it’s a big deal that you’re here,” Leah agreed.

Erin nodded. “We’re a smart and sexy bunch, if I do say so myself. I may be the ugliest—”

“Whoa, stop right there,” Leah said. “You’re beautiful and you know it, especially to me.”

“And me,” Mark said.

“Me too,” Trip agreed.

“All of us,” I finished, and the others nodded.

Leah smiled and touched Erin’s hand, and they shared an intimate smile.

“She’s right about the rest,” Mark said to Brooke. “And we’re glad you decided to join us.”

“Wow. Thanks. I… um… yeah.”

I waited for her to regain her composure before I asked, “How’d you solve the problem? With the game, I mean.”

She sat forward and focused, a true engineer. “It was simple… I removed a variable. We need to do things one at a time. First, we decide who’s the contestant. Then the players draw chips. Well, the potential players. If you draw a red chip, you’re a player. A white one, you’re a spectator.”

“Okay,” Mark laughed, “now you lost us.”

“Contestants… players… spectators?” Trip agreed. “I mean, it makes sense, but…”

“It might be easier to just show us,” I suggested.

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Leah, why don’t you go first?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect,” Brooke agreed. “Here, let me have the bag of chips.”

“Where do we want to do this?” Leah said.

“I like to eat at the table,” Trip said.

“He does,” Wren agreed. “It’s probably unsanitary, but—”

“Emily Post says it’s okay—”

“Emily Post?” Christy laughed. “Not Xaviera Hollander?”

“Naughty, naughty,” Mark joked. “Someone reads Penthouse.”

They’d all had enough to drink that they were likely to keep going, so I yanked their attention back to the game.

“So… Leah’s going first,” I said, “on the table.”

“With the candlestick,” Mark snickered. Then he caught my glare. “I mean, sorry. You were saying…?”

“Right. Leah’s first. On the table. With the blindfold.”

“All right,” he said, “let’s do this. C’mon, gorgeous.”

Chairs scraped as we pushed back from the table.

“Let’s use that one,” Mark suggested, “so we don’t have to move our drinks and the pitcher.”

“Good idea,” Wren added. “But scoot ’em apart, so we have standing room for the spectators.”

We did. Then Leah spread her towel on the adjacent table and Mark helped her climb up. He tied the blindfold in place, a white one with red letters from an “I’m a Pepper” logo.

I chuckled to myself and wondered how many soft drink T-shirts had given their lives for our enjoyment. At least three. The third blindfold had been a light blue Pepsi Light shirt before it had met a pair of scissors.

Christy and I had a proper blindfold in our nightstand, although I hadn’t even thought to mention it. Brooke had one too, along with a masquerade mask.

“What’s so funny?” Christy asked quietly.

“Different lifestyles. I’ll tell you later.”

Leah lay back. Her breasts flattened, although her dark nipples rose and fell with her rapid breathing.

“Relax, sweetheart.” Mark clasped her hand, and she calmed down immediately.

Brooke rattled the bag of poker chips to get our attention. “Red is a player,” she explained again. “White just watches this round.”

We all nodded, even Leah.

“At the end of two minutes, the contestant—”

“Just call her Leah,” I suggested. “And we’re the lickers.”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m thinking in terms of engineering again.”

“That’s okay. You fall back on habit. Anyway, keep going.”

“Thanks. So… Lickers go down for two minutes. Then Leah guesses man or woman. I had to do it that way to get enough points. Otherwise we’d have an issue with ceiling effect.” She automatically answered Christy’s frown, “It’s math. Statistics, but you know what I mean. Anyway, Leah gets a point if she’s right, but I added a twist.”

I scanned the group and made sure everyone was paying attention. They were buzzed but seemed to be following.

“She can get a bonus point if she guesses who,” Brooke continued. “Correctly, I mean. Well, duh, of course ‘correctly.’ Sorry, I explain things when I’m nervous.”

“We all do,” Mark said with a smile. “But you’re doing fine.”

“Thanks. So, Leah can score a maximum of six points if she guesses everyone correctly.”

“Sounds good,” Trip said. “Let’s get this Licker Lottery started.”

We all drew chips. I pulled a red one, along with Wren and Mark.

“Aw, dude,” Trip complained. “I wanted to go first.”

“No talking,” Wren warned.

“Will you give it a rest?” he said.

I expected her to flare angrily, but she looked hurt instead.

He softened his tone. “Babe, this isn’t the World Series. It’s just a pick-up game in the park.”

“I know. But—”

“Sometimes ya gotta play for the fun of it and forget about the score.”

“I know. I just want you to win this time.”

“Yeah, I know. And thanks. But let’s just relax and have fun.”

She nodded, suitably chastened.

“S’why I love you,” he said. He folded her in a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

He channeled Freddie DeFeo with a perfect, “Fuggedaboutit,” and Wren laughed. “Anyway,” he said to the rest of us without releasing her, “let’s play ball. Who’s up first?”

Mark and I held up our red chips, and Trip belatedly remembered that Wren had drawn one too.

“Babe,” he said in a low voice, “you’re up. Come on, have fun. Do your thing.”

I unsnapped my watch and handed it to Brooke.

“Okay, Leah,” she said, “get ready for your first licker.”

“Let’s pull up a chair,” Mark suggested, “so she’ll have somewhere to put her feet.”

“Good idea. I should’ve thought of that.”

“Nah, it’s cool. You thought of everything else.”

Mark moved the chair into position and guided Leah’s feet to its arms. Then he tapped her calf and lifted her leg so Wren could slide into the seat.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Leah said with a little tremor in her voice.

“You’re gonna love it,” Mark told her.

“Licker ready?” Brooke said, and Wren nodded. “On your mark… get set… go!”

Leah and Wren were both a little self-conscious at first, but they quickly forgot about the rest of us. Wren’s tongue and fingers worked their magic, and Leah’s breathing deepened with excitement instead of nerves.

“Time!” Brooke called. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Erin told her quietly. “You’re in charge.”

“Thanks. So… Leah? Was it a man or a woman?”

“God, this is hard.” She chewed her lip for a moment. “A man?”

“No, sorry,” Brooke said.

Mark spoke up, “She can still guess who, right?”

“Sure, of course!”

“I… don’t know,” Leah stalled. “Um… Christy, maybe?”

“No, it was me,” Wren said.

“She doesn’t know your voice,” Christy said, exactly the way Brooke had said it to her.

“Oh, sorry. It was me, Wren.” She held up her chip and looked at Brooke. “So, I get to keep this?”

“Damn! I forgot about that. No, sorry,” Brooke said, “we need to use it for the next round.”

“How do we tell who won?” Trip said. “Never mind. Fuck it. We’re just here to have fun, right?”

“Right!” we agreed.

“Okay, who’s next?” Brooke said, and I held up my own chip.

Mark grinned and gestured toward the chair.

“Um… get ready,” Brooke said.

Leah lifted her leg and waited until she felt me slide into position.

“Licker ready?” Brooke said. “On your mark… get set… go.”

I started by planting a couple of kisses on Leah’s soft inner thighs. Then I teased her damp opening with two fingers. After a moment I slid them inside and began licking in earnest. She tasted tangy and salty, with just a hint of chlorine from earlier. I tried to be gentle and lick her like a woman would have, and I was pretty sure I fooled her. I was just getting into it when Brooke called time.

“That was a guy,” Leah said immediately. “Paul. For sure.”

“What the—?” I blurted. “I did everything like a woman!”

“Oh, Paul,” Wren said, fond instead of biting. “No woman is ever going to think you’re one of us. You’re a hundred percent guy.”

“She’s right,” Christy said. “Sorry. Don’t get me wrong, I love when you try, but…” She shrugged apologetically.

I laughed it off. “Ah, well. Trip’s right, we’re just here to have fun.”

“Sorry, dude,” he said, “you can’t win ’em all.”

I lifted Leah’s leg, ducked under it, and held it for Mark to take my place.

“Ready?” Brooke said. “On your mark— Okay,” she laughed.

Mark had already buried his face between Leah’s thighs. She gasped and then sighed, and her chest heaved as her breathing grew erratic in a matter of seconds.

Everyone was paying attention to them, so I used the distraction to move close to Christy.

“Having fun?” I asked quietly.

She nodded. “Thank you for making Brooke feel comfortable. It’s what you do, I know, but I appreciate it. So does she.”

“She likes being a swinger?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! She’s wanted it all along, but she’s been too scared. Only, now she isn’t. I told her, but… She had to see for herself. You know how she is.”

I nodded, and we watched her for a moment as she divided her attention between the watch and Leah.

“Time!” she called. “Sorry.”

“Seriously,” Erin laughed, “you don’t need to apologize.”

“She’s right,” Wren agreed. “This is your game.”

Brooke blushed and thanked them with a shy smile. Then she remembered that she was, in fact, in charge.

“Okay, Leah… who do you think it was? Man or woman?”

“A woman, I think.”

“No, sorry.”

“Oh. Then it was Mark.”

He laughed easily and kissed her smooth, dark labia. “She knows my style.”

“That’s not all she knows,” Erin joked.

Leah sat up and pulled off the blindfold. “You’ve been spending too much time with my dad,” she said. “You’re starting to sound like him.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Now you sound like your mothers,” I told them.

Erin glowered defiantly. “We’re nothing like them.”

“Keep thinking that. Now, let’s get back to the game. Brooke, who’s next?”

“I guess… um… Chris?”

“What?” Leah craned her neck and looked around. “Is he here?”

Brooke frowned. “He? He who?”

“Her dad,” Erin said. Then she answered Leah, “And no, he isn’t. That’s what Brooke calls Christy, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, right! Sorry. I knew that.”

“Why?” Erin teased her. “You weren’t excited or anything, were you?”

Wren and Trip didn’t make the connection, but I put a stop to it anyway. Erin was tempting fate, after all.

“Christy, you’re up,” I said.

“Sorry, Leah,” Brooke added. “I’ll try to call her by her real name when you’re around.”

“No, it’s okay,” Leah said, although her eyes tightened with the barest hint of a glare at Erin, who silently apologized. Leah hopped off the table and patted her towel.

“It’s all yours,” she said to Christy. “I got it warm for you.” She helped her onto the table and tied the blindfold for her. Then she whispered something in her ear.

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Christy said. “Me too.”

Mark and I exchanged a grin.

“Let’s draw.” Brooke held out the bag of chips.

Erin, Leah, and Wren drew white ones. I did too, which left only red ones for Trip, Mark, and Brooke. She seemed a little flustered, so Leah stepped up.

“I’ll run this round.”

Brooke handed her the watch, and Trip slid into the seat between Christy’s legs. He licked his lips in anticipation.

“Oh, brother,” Wren said in a low voice.

“Ready?” Leah said. “On your mark… get set… lick.”

* * *

Erin drifted to the table with the drinks. She sank into a chair and sulked until she saw me watching. I offered a smile. She returned it with a stare, so I pantomimed choking myself. I twisted my face into a rictus of death, complete with crossed eyes and a protruding tongue. I held it until she cracked a smile. Then I straightened and pretended to dust myself off. She actually laughed at that.

I shot a glance at the others. I couldn’t compete when it came to pussy-eating, but I had other talents I could use. I crossed to Erin, pulled up a chair, and sank into it. Then I pitched my voice so only she could hear.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, earlier.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. About us.”

All of a sudden I could feel the heat of her arm next to mine. She glanced my way and then scanned the group. Her eyes fell on Wren, who had her back to us.

“What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.

I leaned toward her and said in a low voice, “Imagine a desert island and a shipwrecked sailor. He washes ashore, where he’s discovered by two sex-starved sisters, beautiful blondes.”

Erin closed her eyes and swallowed hard. When she opened them again, she started adding details, and her imagination was as vivid as mine.

People glanced at us a couple of times, including Wren, but she only saw our faces. She never noticed that Erin’s nipples were stiff and her skin pink with arousal. She didn’t realize that my wine cooler hid my erection. She saw what she expected, two people chatting and relaxing between rounds in a game.

Leah could see us from a different angle, and she already had a keen journalist’s eye for the real story, the one behind the action. She knew exactly what we were up to, but she didn’t give us away. In fact, she did her best to keep everyone’s attention on Christy instead.

Erin and I continued until our horny island trio had done everything. The sailor and nymphs traded enough bodily fluids that they couldn’t tell where one ended and another began.

Christy’s turn ended, so Erin and I composed ourselves. She shifted in her chair and crossed her legs demurely. I couldn’t do anything about my erection, but Trip and Mark had them too, albeit for different reasons. I didn’t think anyone would ask, so I didn’t bother to come up with an excuse.

“No fair,” Christy complained as she hopped to the ground. “I couldn’t tell who was who.”

“Hey,” Trip said, “two for six ain’t bad. You’re still batting over 300.”

“Oh, wow. I hadn’t thought of it like that.” Christy beamed and held out the blindfold. “Who’s next?”

“How about Wren?” Leah said quickly.

“Yeah, c’mon, babe,” Trip agreed.

Christy tied the blindfold around Wren’s eyes and then helped her onto the table.

Leah appeared with the bag of poker chips. She glanced at my erection and arched a dark, elegant eyebrow.

“Having fun?” she asked quietly.

“I’ll tell you later,” Erin promised.

“Oh, I know.” She shook the bag and held it out to Erin, who drew a white chip. I drew a red one and Leah cleared her throat. I wasn’t sure what she wanted until I realized that her body shielded me from everyone but Erin.

She cleared her throat again, and I reached into the bag a second time. I dropped the first chip and grabbed another, a white one this time.

“See?” Leah said to Erin. “He isn’t so slow after all.”

“He’s still a dork.”

“Oh, totally. But he’s ours. Speaking of which…” She glanced over her shoulder and then back at us. “I’ll send Christy over.”

She moved on and let the others draw. Trip pulled a red chip, Brooke drew a white one, and Mark came up with the second red. Leah shook the remaining pair of chips and then looked into the bag, as if she wanted to make sure they were still there.

Then she did something that I didn’t understand at first—she pinched the bottom of the bag and held the top toward Christy. I laughed and nearly gave it away when I figured it out.

Christy drew a white chip, her only option, since Leah was holding the red one through the bag. She released the bottom, stuck her hand in the top, and withdrew the final chip.

“Lucky us,” Trip said, and Leah nodded as if she hadn’t just rigged the entire draw.

Note to self, I thought, never play poker with Leah. Never, as in, “not ever.” Never, never, never.

Unless it’s strip poker, the little head added, and I had to agree.

“God, I love that woman,” Erin said under her breath.

“No kidding. You saw it too?”

She nodded.

“Okay,” Leah said brightly, “let’s get started.” She herded the others into position and focused their attention on Wren.

Brooke raised the watch and started the round.

Christy waited until no one would notice before she crossed to Erin and me. I set my wine cooler aside, and Christy feigned surprise at my erection. Then she grinned and slid onto my lap.

“So… whatcha talkin’ about?” she asked, the perfect airhead.

“A desert island,” I said.

“Are there any people on it?”

“A shipwrecked sailor.”

“And two blonde nymphs,” Erin added.

“Oh my gosh, are they sisters?”

“How’d you guess?” I chuckled.

“Mmm, I like this story.”

“We thought you might.”

“Should we tell her the rest?” Erin asked.

“Oh, please, please! Tell me, tell me. Please—?”

“Shh,” I laughed. “Keep your voice down.”

“Sorry.” She looked around, conspirator-style, and then leaned toward Erin. “Please? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“Well, once upon a time,” Erin began, “a handsome young sailor was shipwrecked on a desert isle. He met two beautiful nymphs, daughters of the titan Helios, with hair like spun gold. One of them had eyes the color of the summer sky, while the other’s were the pale blue of winter…”

Erin had a rare gift for storytelling, and she transformed our taboo fantasy into a myth instead. She wove her tale with the skill of Arachne. Even bright-eyed Athena would have admired it. Christy and I didn’t stand a chance. We listened, captivated and aroused.

“…hello? Hello? Earth to Paul.”

Leah had been talking to me. I blinked back to reality and realized that Wren’s turn was over. She and the others were staring at us.

“Sorry,” Christy said out of the blue. “Erin was telling us about her dorm.”

Brooke had to cover her face, either from shame or to keep from laughing. Mark and Leah held it together, but only because they couldn’t believe someone could lie that badly (and with a straight face).

“Uh-huh,” Wren said dryly. “That explains why you were giving Paul a handjob.”

“What? Oh, that,” Christy said. “No, I do that all the time. Most of the time I don’t even notice.”

“It’s true,” I said. “Sometimes she’ll be drawing with one hand and jerking me with the other.”

“He’s right! I can’t tell you how many pages in my sketchbook are stuck together now.”

Brooke lost it at that point. She doubled over and shook with laughter, and everyone turned to look. Wren succumbed a moment later, and soon we were all laughing, including Christy.

“Oh, Chris,” Brooke gasped. “You’re the worst liar in the world.”

“Like, totally,” Erin said through tears.

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Christy muttered.

“It was pretty bad,” I said.

“But it was funny,” Trip said. “Ya gotta admit…”

“Yeah, it was,” Wren said.

“This calls for another drink,” Mark said. “And then let’s finish this game. I dunno ’bout you guys, but I’m ready to get my dick wet.”

“Hear, hear!” Trip agreed.

Mark emptied the pitcher into the girls’ cups. He didn’t have enough left for his own, so he accepted a healthy splash of whiskey from Trip, who waved the bottle at me.

“Sure, what the hell,” I said. “Why not?”

He poured and we drank. The alcohol burned my throat and filled me with warmth.

“Okay, who’s next?” Mark said. “Erin or Brooke?”

“Erin,” Leah said with an evil grin.

“Save the best for last,” Trip said.

Wren punched him in the arm.

“Ow! Yeah, all right,” he said as he rubbed it, “I kinda deserved that.” He grinned. “Let me rephrase. I meant to say, ‘The second best, after my sweetie.’”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on,” Leah said, “let’s do this. Erin…? Assume the position.”

We returned to the other table, where Leah helped Erin with the blindfold. Brooke drew a white chip and then passed the bag. I pulled a red one, and Wren immediately shook her head. I paused and considered it, mostly to needle her. Then I put it back and drew another.

“Well?” I held up another red chip. “What now?”

“It’s a sign,” Christy said hopefully.

“Just look in there and find a white one,” Wren said.

“Your wish—”

She glared and huffed, so I rolled my eyes in a passable imitation.

“Be nice,” Christy said out of the side of her mouth.

“Yes, dear.”

I found a white chip and passed the bag to Christy, who immediately drew my red one. Trip and Mark pulled the last two and shared a grin.

“Are we ready?” Brooke said.

Leah gestured for Christy to go first.

Brooke held up the watch. “On your mark… get set… go.”

Erin was so worked up by the island fantasy that she didn’t have a clue who was licking her. Trip took Christy’s place and made her come after less than a minute. Erin cried out and arched her back, and Trip kept licking until she finally gasped and pushed him away.

“Oh, yeah, that’s how I do it,” he bragged. Then he helped her sit up. He was still a gentleman, after all. He supported her with a hand on her shoulder and bent to look into her eyes. “Are you all right? That was a big one.”

“It’s still— going.”

“Wow! For real?”

She nodded jerkily.

“Okay… so… um?”

“I don’t think— I can walk.”

He chuckled. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.”

Wren rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.

“Bring her over here,” Leah said.

Trip lifted Erin off the table and carried her to a chair. “Is she gonna be all right?”

“She’ll be fine,” Leah said. “I’ll take care of her.” She found Erin’s towel and draped it around her shoulders. Then she pulled up her own chair. “Aw, honey… that was a big one, wasn’t it?”

“O-o-oh my God.”

“You were pretty worked up, weren’t you?”

“W-w-was it— that obvious?”

Erin’s teeth were chattering. Leah laughed easily and hugged her. Then she caught Mark’s eye and nodded toward the other table.

“Okay,” he said. “Brooke, you’re up.”

“Is she gonna be all right? Do we need to stop?”

“I’m f-f-fine,” Erin said. “Your turn. Y-y-you earned it.”

“She’s okay,” Leah said. “She gets like this sometimes.” She rubbed Erin’s shoulder and leaned into her.

“Sorry,” Trip joked. “I’ll dial it back next time.”

“Oh, brother,” Wren said.

“What? I’m just sayin’—”

“Oh, quit. Everyone knows you’re the best.”

“It’s true,” Mark said. “Now c’mon, let’s do this.”

He tied Brooke’s blindfold, and I picked up the bag of chips. I fished out two white ones and set them on the table next to Leah, who smiled gratefully. Then I made a snap decision and glanced at Christy. She nodded and scooted a chair next to the other two. I dumped all the chips into my palm, found a white one, and set it on the table for her.

I looked at Wren and held up the fourth and final white chip. She glanced at the red ones in my right hand before her eyes flicked to Trip and Mark.

“Yeah, give it here,” she said, and I handed her the white one. “All right, are we ready?” She gestured at Mark. “You wanna go first?”

He grinned, nodded, and slid into the chair between Brooke’s legs.

“Hold on to your knickers,” he said under his breath, and Brooke actually laughed. Then she moistened her lips and relaxed.

“On your mark—”

On your Mark. I snorted a laugh. Wren glared, so I did my best to compose my expression. Sadly, my best wasn’t very good.

“On your mark…,” she repeated ominously. Then she waited to see if I had anything to add (I didn’t) before she finished, “get set… go!”

Brooke figured out what we’d done. She guessed all three of us correctly and scored a perfect six points.

“Okay, that was impressive,” Wren said.

“Makes it easy to declare a winner,” Trip agreed. He helped Brooke sit up.

“Did we ever decide what she wins?” I asked Leah, who shook her head.

“Winner’s choice,” Mark declared.

Brooke blushed peach-pink when everyone looked at her.

“Do you know what you want?” Trip asked.

“Tell us your wishes,” I boomed, “O Winner of the Licker Lottery.”

Wren rolled her eyes but followed with a grudging grin. She was a showman too, after all.

“You’re such a dork,” Erin laughed.

“Yeah, but he’s our dork,” Christy and Leah said at the same time.

“Jinx!” Christy said. “You owe me a Coke.”

Leah smiled warmly. “Any time.”

“So… what’ll it be?” Mark asked Brooke. “Anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Anything,” Trip agreed.

“In that case, I want… um…” She swallowed nervously. The silence threatened to become awkward.

“Want me to tell them?” I asked.

“Hey, this isn’t what you want,” Wren snapped. “She won.”

Christy cleared her throat softly.

“Yeah, okay,” Wren admitted, “I guess he’d know.”

Brooke nodded.

“Gentlemen… the lady wants a foursome.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Mark said. “Let’s do this.”

“Oh, yeah,” Trip added. “Her wish is our command.”

Wren shot me a glare. I’ll get you for this…

At first I thought she was upset that Trip had such an obvious hard-on for Brooke. Then I realized she was annoyed that he’d adopted my usual reply. I couldn’t help but tease her about it.

“And your little dog too!” I cackled.

“God, you are such a dork,” Erin said.

“Yeah,” Leah said, “but he’s Brooke’s dork now. And speaking of which… Paul, you all should probably move to a bedroom.”

“Definitely.”

“Ladies,” she added to them, “do we want to join them?”

“Oh my gosh, yes, please.”

“At least for a little while,” Wren agreed.

“Oh, for sure,” Leah said. “We can have our own foursome… or whatever. But first I wanna watch the guys in action. Not to mention Brooke…”

I glanced over to see if she objected, and she looked like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t look scared, precisely, but overwhelmed by so much attention. Leah realized the same thing.

“Oh, hey, we’re probably rushing things,” she said. “This is all new, isn’t it, Brooke? Take your time.”

“Yeah,” Erin agreed. “Take all the time you need.”

Christy glanced at me and then darted a look at Brooke.

“Give us a second,” I said to the others. I moved closer to Brooke and leaned in. “Are you okay? We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do,” she said, a bit uncertainly. Then she moistened her lips. Her hand found mine, and I squeezed it to reassure her.

“Remember your safe word,” I said. “Say it and we’ll stop. Okay?”

She nodded with a bit more confidence.

“Ready to give it a try?” I asked.

She smiled shyly. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” I turned to the group and nodded.

“Our place?” Trip suggested. “It’s closest.”

He was thinking ahead, to his tube of K-Y. He normally wasn’t an ass-man, but he really wanted to get into Brooke’s.

That bothered me for some reason, and I thought about suggesting our place, if only to throw off his game. Brooke would be more comfortable there, and we had lube in our nightstand too. Unfortunately, we also had things I didn’t want anyone else to know about.

“Sure,” I said, “your place works.”

“Babe?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Wren agreed.

I squeezed Brooke’s hand again. She smiled at me sideways and then took a deep breath to steady herself. We started walking toward Trip and Wren’s bungalow, and the others followed in a loose gaggle.

“You’ll be fine once we get things going,” I told Brooke in a low voice.

“Yeah. Thanks for doing this.”

“My pleasure.”

“No, I mean… everything. Chris, the Retreat, the guys…”

“As long as you’re having fun.”

“I am.” She sounded surprised. Then she laughed, a release of tension more than anything. “I can’t believe we’re really gonna do it…”

I chuckled suggestively. “Oh, we’re gonna ‘do it,’ all right.”

“Make me airtight?”

My eyebrows ticked up.

“I’m like Chris, I guess. I normally just think these things, but they’re fun to say, too. And I’ve wanted this as long as I can remember. I just… never met the right guy.”

“Well, you found ’im,” I said. “Three of ’em, as a matter of fact.” I stopped at the door and waited for Trip.

“Go on in,” he said, “we’re right behind you.” He and Mark followed us into the living room.

“Bedroom?” I suggested.

Mark shook his head. “Not yet. Wait for the girls.”

They filed through the door, and the room seemed crowded with eight of us.

“Is this all right?” Leah asked. “I mean, we can leave you alone if you’d rather…” She gestured toward the bedroom.

“No, it’s fine,” Brooke said. She put on a brave face, although she didn’t let go of my hand. I squeezed it again.

“Cool,” Leah said. “And I swear, we aren’t just voyeurs. We’re on a fact-finding mission.” She puffed out her chest. Then she grinned and glanced at Wren, who actually blushed.

“Hold on…?” I said. “You wanna try this? With three guys?”

“Why not?” Wren said. “I like anal. Well, with the right guy.”

“Yeah, totally,” Leah agreed, and my eyebrows hit the ceiling. She laughed. “Oh, please.”

“But…,” I stammered, “I didn’t think… I mean…”

“You thought I didn’t like it? That Gina was the only one?” she teased. “No, I like it too. Well, I do now.” She smiled at Mark. “It’s kinda nice, especially with a guy who takes his time.”

“I’d’ve taken my time,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, for sure,” Mark said. “But… uh… I have a normal dick.”

“He means normal-sized,” Leah added quickly.

“Mine’s normal.”

“Yeah,” Christy said indignantly.

“She’s an expert,” Wren said. “She has a whole book of ’em. Dicks, dicks, and more dicks.”

Christy glared, but Wren only shrugged.

“No offense,” Mark said to me, “but you’re only ‘normal’ if you’re a horse.”

“What’s the matter with that?” Christy fired back. “I happen to like his horse-cock, thank you very much.”

Leah snorted, and Erin pursed her lips in silent amusement. Christy was normally demure, at least around other people. And she was so small that no one really believed her when she tried to act tough.

Trip surprised us with a laugh. “I wouldn’t mess with her if I were you,” he said to Mark. “She’s a bitty little thing, but she’s stronger’n she looks. And she grew up with five older brothers.”

“Exactly,” I added. “She could probably take you in a fair fight.”

Christy stuck out her chin and tried to look intimidating, a bunny rabbit with a vicious streak a mile wide.

“Not me,” Mark laughed. “I don’t wanna get my butt kicked by anyone, guy or girl. I’m just here to have fun.” He looked at Christy and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry. You’re right, Paul’s totally normal. I’m just jealous.”

“Don’t be,” Leah said. “I like yours better.” She added an apologetic shrug for my benefit.

“I dunno,” Erin said, “I kinda like a guy who’s packin’ something extra.”

“Yeah, but you’re a total size queen,” Leah laughed. “I can’t say I blame you, but still…”

“Who cares,” Wren said. “It isn’t the size of the boat—”

“—but the motion of the ocean,” Trip finished. “Oh, yeah, babe.”

“So true,” Mark said. Then he turned his charm on Brooke. “Well, what do you think? We’re a bunch of posers and perverts, but we’re yours if you want us.”

“When you put it like that,” Leah laughed, “she’d be crazy to refuse!”

“I know, right?” Christy said. Then she looked at Brooke. “You know you want to. How many times’ve you told me?”

“Like, a million-billion.”

“Exactly!”

We all fell silent and waited for Brooke. She wasn’t going to make the first move, so I released her hand and drew it toward my dick. It was still semi-hard, and I made it twitch. She laughed in genuine amusement, and her determination solidified. She gripped my shaft and began stroking.

Trip moved in. He lifted her chin and kissed her.

“Ladies,” Leah said in the background, “that’s our cue. Have a seat.”

The love seat was big enough for three of them, and Wren sank into the chair. The room seemed a lot less crowded all of a sudden.

Mark swept Brooke’s ponytail aside and planted a kiss on her shoulder. She moaned and kissed Trip harder. Then she groped with her free hand for Mark’s dick. She let out a little gasp of surprise when she realized how hard it was.

Sometimes I envied him, especially his ability to get an erection on command. I was no slouch in the hard-on department, but it took longer than when I was a teenager. I chuckled wryly and reminded myself that twenty-one was hardly an old man.

Hey! Focus! the little head snapped.

I laughed again. Your wish is my command.

Don’t start that crap with me, he said testily. I’m not Wren.

Thank God for that.

Why do I put up with you?

How many times do I have to tell you? I mocked. You’re me, dumbass.

Very funny. D’you want me to sulk? In front of all these people?

No. I’ll behave.

Yeah, that’s right, I thought so. I’m in charge now.

It was pure bravado, pure me, and I did my best not to laugh.

“What a dork,” Erin muttered from the love seat.

I shot her a grin.

Seriously? the little head griped. What’re you—?

Fortunately, Brooke chose that moment to sink to her knees. She reversed her grip on my cock, and Mark moved to her other side. Trip stepped into the middle, the captain of our little team. He braced his hands on his hips and watched as Brooke began sucking his dick.

Yeah, that’s more like it, the little head said. For a second there I thought—

Focus, remember?

Right! Where were we? Never mind. I know!

Brooke laughed when she felt him swell eagerly. She switched from Trip to me, and the little head lapsed into silence. He was so happy that he didn’t even complain when she eventually started sucking Mark instead.

The girls watched from the sidelines and made occasional comments. A distracted part of me wondered if porn stars had to put up with a peanut gallery too. Probably, but the people on a porn set weren’t nude, sexy, or swingers, much less all three.

I shot the girls a grin and returned my attention to Brooke. Mark and I were fine with blowjobs, but Trip was ready for more, and I really couldn’t blame him. Brooke had the body of a Playmate and the sex drive of a succubus—at least, once she overcame her natural shyness.

I looked across the small room and caught Christy’s eye. Will you be okay on your own?

Erin beat her to a reply, Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.

I cocked an eyebrow.

Erin turned to kiss Christy, who stiffened with surprise but then relaxed when Erin slid her hand up her thigh to the warmth of her pussy. Christy spread her legs to give her better access, and Erin teased her clit.

Trip chose that moment to move things along. “Y’all about ready?” To his credit, he glanced at Wren.

“Go on, have fun,” she said. “Leah and I have a date with a vibrator.”

“And a tongue,” Leah quipped, “don’t forget that.”

“Mmm, I’m looking forward to it.”

“You don’t wanna stay and watch?” I said.

“Not really,” Wren said. “You’ll tell us about it later.” She smiled at Trip. “Won’t you, sweetheart?”

“You know it, babe.”

Wren stood and extended her hand, and Leah took it.

“What about you all?” she asked the others. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“Maybe later,” Erin said. “Right now I think we’re gonna have a twosome instead. What do you think?” she asked Christy. “Your room?”

“If you’d like.” She glanced at me and shivered, a whole-body frisson of excitement.

“Have fun,” Wren told them. “You too,” she added to Trip. She gestured to Leah and they left.

“Only, we don’t have to go,” Christy said to Erin, who didn’t understand how she worked, that her suggestions were actually requests. “We can stay here if you’d like.”

“Nah, let’s get out of here. I have plans,” Erin chuckled, low and throaty. “Nefarious ones.”

“Oh my gosh, you— Never mind. Of course you do.”

Erin stood and pulled Christy with her. “Have fun, guys. You too, Brooke.”

Brooke hummed something like “Thank you” and moved from Trip to Mark, who groaned softly.

“Let’s blow this popsicle stand,” Erin said to Christy.

“Speaking of blow…,” Mark said. Then he closed his eyes, groaned, and held Brooke’s head in place.

She hummed in surprise but recovered quickly. Then she pumped his shaft and milked the remaining come onto her tongue.

Christy swallowed reflexively.

“Sir Comes-a-Lot,” Erin said.

“That’s me,” Mark agreed.

“Oh, wow,” Brooke said. “That was unexpected.”

“It always is with him,” Erin said. “But don’t worry, he’ll be ready again soon. C’mon,” she added to Christy.

“Yes, m— Sorry, I’m coming.”

I suppressed a grin.

Erin looked from me to Christy and back again. What was that about?

“Have fun,” I said blandly. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

* * *

“Ready to collect your prize?” Trip said once the door closed behind them.

Brooke’s eyes flashed with excitement. “God, yes!”

He helped her to her feet, gestured toward the bedroom, and followed her down the hall before Mark or I had a chance to move. He really wanted to be the first to her ass. I chuckled to myself, or so I thought, since Mark gave me a curious look.

“Long story,” I lied. “Tell you later.”

He accepted it at face value and followed them to the bedroom.

Trip had started kissing Brooke again. He used his body to maneuver her toward the bed. She bumped into the edge, sat down, and reached for his dick.

“Uh-uh. Your turn.”

She grinned, scooted backward, and surveyed us. Her gaze settled on Trip, and I felt an irrational surge of resentment.

Remind me again…, I thought sourly, why I hang around with guys who’re taller and better-looking.

Who cares, the little head said. I’m bigger and better-looking than he is. That’s all that matters.

No, not really. Besides, it’s totally subjective. Christy—

Whoa! Do you really wanna have this discussion now?

Yeah, you have a point.

I thought you’d see it my way. Now get in there! I’m not gonna suck myself!

I snorted a laugh at the way my mind worked.

“Dude, Erin’s right,” Trip teased. “You’re a real dork sometimes.”

Mark winced and shrugged in silent agreement.

“Yeah, probably,” I said. “But I make you look normal by comparison.”

“You got that right!” Trip laughed.

“You do,” Mark said. “But… shouldn’t we be paying attention to Brooke? I mean, she won the lottery, after all.”

“She did,” Trip said, “and it’s time to pay up.” He caught her eye, and she grinned as he climbed onto the bed. She lay back, and he settled between her legs. “Gentlemen,” he said, “you’d better put something in her mouth.”

“Why’s that?” Mark chuckled.

“So her screams don’t wake the rest of camp.”

“Oh, brother,” I said under my breath.

Mark shot me a grin and then nodded toward Brooke. “You first.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. What’re you gonna do?”

“Play with those amazing tits.” He crawled onto the bed. “I’m normally an ass-man,” he said to Brooke, “but yours might convert me.” He kissed one pinkish-tan nipple. “Have to do a thorough investigation first.”

I rolled my eyes but climbed onto the bed and knelt beside Brooke’s head. She didn’t really care about our macho banter, and I couldn’t blame her. She was living out a fantasy, one that didn’t include the guys trying to one-up each other. Sure enough, she didn’t waste time with conversation. She captured the head of my cock and began sucking instead.

She writhed as Trip licked her pussy and Mark sucked her nipples. She was already worked up, but she came a lot quicker than I thought she would. She stopped sucking me after what seemed like a minute. Then she stiffened, and her face turned pink as she held her breath.

She eventually relaxed and started breathing again. Her nostrils flared, and she swallowed to moisten her mouth. Trip sat up with a smug grin and took all the credit for making her come. I fumed—silently, of course—that it wasn’t a competition, and even if it was, it was a group effort.

Are you done? the little head said.

No.

He waited.

I sulked.

Relax, he said at last. Brooke’s here to have fun. Don’t spoil it for her. Besides, you aren’t going to change Trip, so why get worked up about it?

Words of wisdom? I mocked. From you?

He sighed. How many times—?

Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re me.

Dumbass.

I couldn’t help but laugh, if only to myself. I certainly couldn’t share it with anyone else. I mean, how could I explain that my penis was also my court jester?

You’re only human, he said.

“What’s so funny?” Trip wondered.

“What? Oh, nothing.”

He snorted and let it slide. “You ready to get your head back in the game?”

“Literally or figuratively?”

Mark grinned.

“Either,” Trip said. Then he gestured at Brooke, who’d recovered from her orgasm. “I’ll show you how it’s done.”

He scooted between her thighs and lubricated the head of his cock. Her smooth labia were pink and swollen and shiny with juices. He sank into her. She closed her eyes and moaned as he began thrusting.

Mark watched her breasts bounce freely. “Yeah,” he mused, “I could totally fall in love with those tits.”

Trip nodded agreement and kept right on fucking her. He settled into a rhythm, and Brooke opened her eyes. After a moment she reached for my dick. Then she grabbed Mark’s. She pulled us closer. I braced myself on the headboard and leaned in.

She kissed the underside of my shaft and did the same to Mark’s. She tugged me closer still. I scooted forward, and Brooke angled his dick toward mine. They touched, and I struggled to resist the automatic, overpowering urge to pull back. She rubbed our dicks together and coated the heads with saliva and pre-come.

I breathed hard through my nose and tried to control my racing pulse. Once I’d survived the initial shock, I had to admit that it actually felt good. Still, some part of me recoiled at the sight of my dick touching another guy’s with nothing in between. It was Brooke’s fantasy, though, and she was clearly enjoying herself.

“Dude,” Trip muttered. “What the hell?”

“Hazard of the job,” I said.

Mark had a sanguine and far more rational take on it. “Different strokes.”

“Not for me,” Trip said. “I can do my own stroking.”

What about you? Mark asked with a look.

I’m cool, I told him, although the big head was still picking its way through the minefield of pleasure and revulsion. I wanted to be fine with it, though, so I said aloud, “Different strokes.”

Trip grunted, impossible to decipher, while Mark’s piqued eyebrows were all too clear.

What’re ya gonna do? he seemed to say.

I stifled a laugh and agreed, What’re ya gonna do?

Trip started pounding Brooke with renewed enthusiasm. He kept his head down and focused on her breasts. Then he didn’t have to watch as she played with Mark’s dick and mine in close proximity. They touched several times, and Mark rolled his eyes at Trip’s reaction. I liked him more in that moment than I ever had.

Trip eventually convinced himself that he was a real man, whatever that meant. He slowed to a normal pace, and Mark sat back. I wasn’t sure if he wanted to give Trip a break or because he was ready for a change, but it didn’t really matter.

Brooke moaned and pulled my dick toward her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the head, and I closed my eyes to enjoy it.

“Ready to let me in there?” Mark asked a little while later.

I opened my eyes and blinked as they adjusted.

“Uh… yeah, sure,” Trip said. He pulled out reluctantly and moved aside.

Mark climbed between Brooke’s legs, angled his hips, and slid into her.

“Oh, God, that’s nice.”

“No kidding,” Trip said. “Wish she’d left some grass on the field, though.”

Mark shrugged and kept right on fucking her. “Different strokes.”

“Yeah, sure.” Trip eyed me and then glanced at Brooke’s face. He couldn’t avoid the reminder that I was shaved too. “I… um… No offense.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, dude.”

“Thanks.” He paused and then said, “You mind if I…?”

I sat back on my heels and rolled away. Brooke moaned softly. Trip moved into position, and she picked up right where she’d left off with me. She was sexy enough that I was content to watch and jerk off. I didn’t want to get too close to Trip’s dick, after all.

Behave, the court jester warned.

Yes, sir.

Better.

“Here,” Mark said a couple of minutes later, “take over. I wanna play with her tits some more.”

We changed positions, and I knelt between Brooke’s legs. I gripped my shaft and slapped her swollen pussy with it. She writhed eagerly. Then I teased the head through her slippery folds. She groaned around Trip’s dick, and he shot me a grin.

“Oh, yeah, she wants it. Give it to her, dude.”

“Your wish…,” I chuckled.

“…is my command. Heh.”

I slid into Brooke’s molten pussy and gave her a moment to adjust. My dick really was bigger than the other guys’. It was thicker and slightly longer, although the length didn’t matter as much.

It matters to me, the little head said, and it was my turn to lecture him.

So? Size doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how to use it. That’s where I come in.

Yeah? Then put your money where your mouth is.

I chuckled.

“Dude…,” Trip said under his breath. Then he snorted a laugh.

“What?”

“You. Talkin’ to yourself.”

“Yeah? So? What about it?”

He laughed again, genuinely amused. “Wren’s right… I dunno what we’d do without you.”

“Have boring sex with hot women?”

“Ha! For sure!”

Mark shot me a grin.

“Well…?” Trip said. “Are you gonna have sex with her or what?”

“Someone distracted me.”

“Oh, brother.” He grinned. “Come on, time is pussy.”

“You got that right!” I laughed and began thrusting.

“Oh, Jesus,” Trip groaned as Brooke sucked hard. “That’s good.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “Keep doing that.”

I wasn’t entirely sure who he was talking to, Brooke or me.

Mark grinned again and raised an eyebrow. You heard the man.

We took turns and fucked her steadily until she came again—while I was fucking her, thank you very much.

Um… I hate to remind you, the little head said, but it isn’t a competition.

Unless I win. Then it is.

Whatever, he laughed, the jester again.

Trip replaced me after Brooke recovered, and I shot a load down her throat. Mark did the same less than a minute later. Then she sucked me back to life while she stroked him. We were both hard again in no time.

“Why do I hang out with y’all?” Trip muttered. “Damn sex gods.”

“We don’t have your stamina,” Mark said.

“Yeah, well, I’m ready to come too. But not before I get a piece o’ that fine ass.” He pulled out and sat back. “Roll over,” he said to Brooke, “and we’ll give ya the jackpot.”

“You won it fair and square,” Mark agreed.

“Slide in there,” Trip said to me. “You can be the base, Mr. Horse-cock.” Then he chuckled. “She’s really cute with those nicknames of hers.”

“Who? Christy?” Mark said. “She’s cute with everything.”

“No kidding. We oughta do this with her next time. Whoa! Lemme rephrase. I meant we oughta do this with her in the batting order, like one of us.”

“I knew what you meant,” I chuckled.

“Good! Thought I might’ve stepped in it. Again. Long story,” he added to Mark.

“I hear that a lot,” he deadpanned.

“You all talk too much,” I said, and Brooke grinned. “Ready? Climb on.”

She swung her leg over my hips. Then she steadied herself with a hand on my chest as she reached between her legs to grasp my cock. She set the tip at her opening, closed her eyes, and sank onto it with a soft groan. All of a sudden she swayed, and I supported her with the obvious handholds, round and firm ones.

“I knew they’d come in handy one day,” she said.

I feigned surprise. “Hey. Where’d these things come from?”

“Where indeed.”

“To be honest, I never noticed them before.”

“Oh, brother,” Trip said as he uncapped the tube of K-Y jelly. “It’s getting deep in here.”

Brooke swallowed hard. Her face and neck were already hot with arousal, and the flush had begun to creep down her chest as well.

I began thrusting. My cock slid smoothly in her well-lubricated sheath. The temperature in her pussy went up, and her nostrils flared with her breathing.

“This is it,” I said quietly, “the big finale.”

“God, yes.”

I pulled her down for a kiss, and her breasts flattened against my chest.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“My pleasure.”

“Ready?” Trip said from behind her.

I stopped thrusting and cupped her ass. Her cheeks were firm and her skin hot. She groaned when I spread her open. Then Trip touched her exposed anus, and she gasped.

“Pink and tight,” he chuckled, “just like I like ’em.”

I rolled my eyes at the corny line, but Brooke wasn’t paying attention. She lowered her head and moaned softly as Trip lubed her sphincter. He took his time, and she slowly relaxed. Then he slid a finger into her ass and gently fucked her with it.

I began rocking my hips, and my cock moved in her pussy. My balls were only an inch from Trip’s hand, but he didn’t seem to care. Part of me wondered why. Another part told me not to dwell on it, lest I wax philosophical.

Brooke must have felt me laugh, and Christy had probably told her about that particular quirk of my personality. She raised her head, and her blue eyes glinted with amusement. Then her ponytail swung forward and stung my eye.

“Sorry,” she laughed. She swept it to the other side, where it tickled my shoulder instead. “Better?”

I blinked. “Much.”

She started to say something else but gasped instead. Trip had added a second finger. She moaned again, and I felt her pussy contract.

“I think she’s ready,” I told him.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He squirted K-Y on his cock and coated it before he tossed the tube onto the nightstand.

“How d’you wanna do this,” I asked, “in between or on the outside?”

“Between. Spread your legs.”

“Your wish…”

“…is my command. That never gets old,” he chuckled as he moved into position.

Brooke sighed, more out of frustration than pleasure.

“Lemme guess,” I asked quietly, “this was sexier in your head?”

“How’d you know?”

“It always is. The letters in Penthouse never talk about this part.”

“No,” she said, a little grumpily.

“Just wait.”

She nodded.

“Go ahead,” I said over her shoulder.

“You sure?” Trip asked.

“Yeah. Go for it.”

“Move ahead…,” he sang under his breath. “Try to detect it…” He set his erection at the pink rosette of her sphincter. “It’s not too late…”

Brooke moaned as the head slipped inside.

“To whip it…” He buried another inch and slapped her ass. “Whip it good!”

The temperature in Brooke’s pussy shot up, and her muscles contracted again.

“When a good time turns around… You must whip it!” He slapped Brooke’s ass, and she shuddered. She didn’t like pain as much as Christy did, but Trip was pushing all her buttons at the same time.

“You will never live it down… Unless you whip it!”

He slapped both cheeks and slid all the way into her. She held very still at first. Then I thrust gently, and that pushed her over the edge. Her insides gripped my shaft, and for a moment I thought she might squeeze all the blood out of it.

“Whoa,” Trip said when he felt it. “Is that—? I mean, is she…?”

“Yeah,” Mark said laconically. “She is.”

“And it’s a big one,” I rasped.

“No kidding. I can feel it from here,” Trip said.

She didn’t move for nearly a minute. She barely even breathed. Then she finally began to relax, and her breath gusted into the hollow of my shoulder.

“Oh, wow,” Trip said. “You want me to pull out? Brooke, honey—?”

She shook her head.

“Just give her a minute,” I said. “She usually recovers pretty quickly. Might take her a bit longer this time, though.”

She nodded and tried breathing through her nose instead of panting. After a minute she nodded again, and I passed it along to Trip.

“Jesus, she’s tight,” he said. He gripped her hips and began rocking his own.

I felt every movement through the thin wall between her pussy and ass. Brooke shivered, and the aftershock rippled through the muscles in her pussy. Trip stopped.

“Is she…?”

“Just an aftershock,” I told him. “Keep going.”

Her ponytail shook with a nod, and he started again. Her ass relaxed and she began to enjoy it. She moaned again, and I didn’t need to tell Trip that it was pleasure instead of pain.

“You’re up,” he said to Mark.

“Airtight,” Brooke agreed, so soft that only I heard.

“That’s the spirit!” I laughed.

“What? Never mind,” Mark added, “I’m sure it’s a long story.”

“Not really. She wants us to make her airtight.”

Trip whooped at the last word, “Oh, hell yeah!” He stopped thrusting and simply held her waist. Then he said out of the blue, “Oh, hey, Brooke, honey… I’m sorry I hit you.”

Her head came up, and her brows knitted. Mine did too, and I wondered what had made him think of that now. Then I realized he’d probably seen pink handprints on her ass cheeks.

“Before, when I spanked you,” he explained. “I guess I had my mind on the song. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said. “You… um… just surprised me.”

“Okay, good. Anyway… Mark, you’re up.”

“For real this time?” he teased.

“You heard the lady,” Trip said, the captain once again. “Let’s make her airtight.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“It isn’t as funny when you say it.”

I had to suppress a chuckle, which Mark saw. His lips quirked in a grin, and we cemented another bond of friendship.

“Sorry about that,” he said to Trip. “I was just trying to fit in.”

“It’s okay. But if you really want to, ahem, fit in…” Trip chuckled at his own wit.

Mark scooted toward us, and his erection loomed over me. Brooke captured the head and immediately starting sucking.

“Sorry about the balls in the face,” he said to me. “I’ll try not to let ’em touch you.”

Trip didn’t realize he was making fun of him. “I dunno,” he teased, “Paul might like it.”

“You’re fine,” I said to Mark. “But let’s get serious, guys. Brooke wants a real fucking, not three jokers.”

I suited actions to words and began moving my hips. Brooke groaned around Mark’s dick, and Trip started thrusting again.

She didn’t come again immediately, but I could feel her working up to it.

Mark stiffened a couple of minutes later, and Brooke moaned in surprise. He held her head and emptied his balls down her throat. I watched in fascination as his dick pulsed with every spurt. Then he sat back abruptly, and I had to dodge a little friendly fire.

“Sorry about that,” he panted. “Did I get you?”

“No, but the bedspread might be pregnant.”

He laughed.

“Less talking,” Trip said between thrusts. “More fucking.”

“You heard the man,” Mark said wryly.

“Yep.”

The competitive part of me wanted to make Brooke come again, but she and Trip had other ideas. He wanted to shoot in her ass, so he started fucking her in earnest. I decided to focus on her pleasure instead of macho one-upmanship.

“Pull her hair,” I told him.

“What?”

“Pull her hair,” I repeated, a little louder. “She likes it.”

“What?” he said again, this time in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes, and Mark replied with a “what’re ya gonna do?” shrug.

“Pull. Her. Hair.” I couldn’t keep the frustration out of my voice, although Trip was too preoccupied to hear it for what it was.

“Whatever. You’d know. Sorry, Brooke…” He grabbed her ponytail and yanked.

She gasped and arched away from me, and my skin felt suddenly cool. Hers was pink with the heat of arousal, from her forehead to her chest. Her collarbones stood out, and her freckles almost disappeared as her flush deepened.

Trip slammed into her and stopped moving. He let out a low groan, and Brooke stiffened with her own climax. Her pussy clamped down on my cock, so I didn’t feel him unload inside her, although they both collapsed a moment later.

Trip’s weight pushed Brooke into my chest, and I resisted the urge to say something cute, mostly because her orgasm was still going. Instead, I thrust gently and buried my dick inside her. The temperature in her pussy spiked, and a rush of moisture coated the base of my shaft. She clung to me and held very still.

After a moment I realized that my balls were touching something soft and warm. I chuckled to myself when I realized what it was, but Trip was too out of it to complain. He eventually pushed himself upright.

Brooke moaned as his dick slid out of her ass, and my balls had to find another source of warmth. At least I didn’t have time to laugh about how my mind worked, since Brooke raised her head to look at me.

“Did you come?”

“Not yet. You and Trip beat me to it.”

Her eyelids drooped. They were very dark, a pink like old rose.

I gave her a moment to recover. “I can finish on my own if—”

“Uh-uh. Do it inside me.”

I held still instead of doubting her aloud.

“Sorry,” she said after a moment. “I’m still…”

“Take your time,” I chuckled.

She inhaled sharply and blinked to clear her head. “Sorry,” she repeated. “Come inside me. Please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely…”

She kissed me, lingering and full of heat. Then she began rocking her hips.

“Oh, God, that’s nice,” I gasped.

She pushed herself upright and braced her palms on my chest. “Give it to me.”

“She wants it,” Trip chuckled from the end of the bed. “Better give it to her, dude.”

“Planning on it,” I grunted. The pressure built in my balls, but I wasn’t there yet. I ran my hands up Brooke’s sides and cupped her breasts. She sighed and closed her eyes, and I rolled her nipples between fingers and thumbs.

She continued rocking her hips, and we finished in silence. I held her waist, arched my back, and buried my cock. Then I released a geyser of semen deep inside her. Neither of us moved or even breathed until I finished shooting. Then I slowly lowered my hips to the bed. She lay atop me, and our breathing synced.

“Happy?” I said when I could think again.

“God, yes.”

“Good… ’cause I don’t think I can move.”

She hesitated. “Do you want me to get off you?”

“I want you to stay right where you are.”

“What about us?” Trip said. “Never mind, I’m just kidding. You wanna see what the girls’re up to?”

“Sure,” Mark said.

I’d almost forgotten they were there, so I didn’t try to talk them out of it.

“She’s all yours,” Trip said on the way out.

I waved, but they’d already gone. The front door closed behind them a moment later.

“Well, I guess it’s just you and me,” I said to Brooke. “I hope you’re okay with that.”

She rested her head on my shoulder and answered with a deep sigh.

* * *

Brooke took a hot shower and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Christy and I waited for the hot water to recycle before we took our own shower. I expected her to fade pretty quickly after we finished, but her metabolism had other priorities.

“Can you fix me a snack, please?”

“Of course. The usual?”

“I don’t care. I’m starving. I’ll eat anything, even bacon.” She shuddered involuntarily. “Okay, maybe not bacon, but you know what I mean.” She glanced toward the bedroom and hesitated.

“What’s the matter?”

“I think I’ll come with you,” she said. “I can eat there.”

“Ah. So you wanna talk.”

She replied with a tired smile. “You know me so well.”

“I do. C’mon, I think we have more of those little rolls Wren used for the hors d’oeuvres.”

“The chicken ones? Those were yummy.”

I opened the door and followed her out. The sound of crickets filled the night, and the pool pump hummed in the background. Silvery moonlight bathed the clearing, but the sodium lamp banished it from the patio with harsh and thoroughly modern efficiency. Blue shadows lurked under the tables and chairs, softened by the moonlight where it touched them.

The breeze had died, and a mist had risen in its place. It floated over the cool grass in the clearing, but the patio was clear. The summery scent of gardenia lingered in the air, mixed with fresh pine and a hint of fall.

Christy stopped at the edge of the patio, and I nearly ran into her. I stepped back and watched in curiosity as she lifted her face, closed her eyes, and slowly turned full circle.

“Do you ever wish you could paint this?” she asked. “Not the way it looks, but everything else.”

I chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing. Not about painting, but the sounds and smells.”

“Gardenia.” She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. “Clematis. Honeysuckle. And… um…” Her brows knitted in concentration. “Moonflowers, I think.”

“Your nose is better than mine. I just smell the pine.”

She shrugged. “Your ears are better. I get mixed up sometimes. Everything’s sort of brown right now. The sound, I mean.”

“I don’t think you get ‘mixed up’ at all,” I said. “Not about sounds.”

“Maybe,” she admitted, “but everything’s still brown. Dull and dark and boring. I don’t remember it as well.” All of a sudden she smiled, a soft glow of affection. “I like talking about senses with you. Most people don’t pay attention. Siobhan says you should use more than just your eyes.”

I nodded.

Christy slipped her hand into mine, and we walked through the wide aisle between the tables and chairs. We’d shoved them aside for the games and never put them back. Little Miss Chaos didn’t give them a second glance, and I chuckled to myself at our differences. The jumble offended my sense of order, although not enough to make me stop and fix it.

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked when the clubhouse door closed behind us. It cut off the sounds of the night, and the air lost its southern charm. Christy glanced through the window and had the same thought.

“For the record,” she said, “that’s one of the reasons I know you’re Mr. Right.”

“Mmm,” I agreed. “We think alike.”

“We do. And before you get all worked up, this isn’t going to be one of those conversations. You’ll ask when you’re ready.” She sighed in annoyance. “Wren knows, but she won’t tell me. And Brooke threatened to rat on me if I went looking for the ring. I’ll see it soon enough. Tomorrow night at the party, I suppose.” She couldn’t resist fishing, and I had to turn away to hide my amusement.

“See what?” I said casually.

“Ugh.”

I hadn’t bothered with the overhead lights, but I could see well enough to find the refrigerator. I opened the door, and light spilled across the darkened kitchen.

Wren had left a plate of hors d’oeuvres, a good variety and enough for two. She’d wrapped it in Saran Wrap and included a note on top.

Love you both. - W

I smiled to myself and imagined her smug look. We were lucky to have her. I showed Christy the plate and told her about the note. Her mood changed completely.

“Oh my gosh, she’s amazing!”

“You can say that again. Will you fix us drinks while I unwrap this?”

“That’s the man’s job,” she said. “Fixing the drinks, I mean. It says so in the Handbook.”

“What page? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. From now on, we don’t have men’s jobs and women’s jobs.”

“You said that already. Well, close enough.”

“Then I’m saying it again.”

“You’re the man,” she replied dryly.

“Funny, ha ha. Now go.”

“Yes, sir.” She filled two whiskey tumblers with bourbon while I unwrapped the plate of food. I was hungrier than I’d realized, and we ate in silence.

“So… did you have fun tonight?” I said at last.

“Oh my gosh, yes!”

“What was your favorite part?”

“The part with you.”

“No,” I chuckled, “which game? Or which person? Or which… whatever?”

“The one with you.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, “anything that didn’t involve me?”

Her face went through a range of expressions as she pretended to think. The seconds ticked by, until I cleared my throat.

“Sorry, I’ll behave,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“I suppose my favorite part was Erin. No, Leah! She’s so sexy and exotic. Super-smart, too. And she really knows how to handle Erin, doesn’t she? The same as Brooke and me. Or Wren. Only, she doesn’t know me like Brooke does. Not really. Well, she does, sort of, but you know what I mean.”

I nodded and had to suppress a grin. The food and alcohol had revived her metabolism, which had responded with a surge of energy.

“I wish I could’ve watched you and Brooke. I tried, but…” She shrugged. “I had fun with Erin, though. Oh my gosh, Paul, she’s exactly like you! Well, almost. She doesn’t have a penis, but she made me come, like, a million times. Okay, maybe not a million, but lots. A bunch of little ones and a really big one. Not big-kahuna big, but still pretty big.

“She doesn’t talk as much as you do, though. Not during, I mean. She waited till after. Then we made plans.” She grinned, sly and eager at the same time. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Nosy Parker. Okay, I’ll tell you. She really wants to sleep with you. Oh my gosh, listen to me! I’m talking like I used to. She wants to fuck you, Paul. Like, all the way, penis in vagina and everything. But you knew that already.”

I nodded.

“Leah teases her about it, though. It drives her crazy. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. She wanted to do something tonight. Only, Wren and Trip are so… square. That’s what Erin called them. It’s an old-fashioned word, don’t you think? It sounds like something my dad would say. Or your dad! Yeah, that’s probably where she learned it.

“She’s more like him, isn’t she? And you’re like your mom. I used to think I was like that. Like Erin, I mean, and my father. But I’m really more like my mother. We totally look alike. You should see pictures of her from when she was little. And she chatters when she’s nervous. Or excited. Although… I suppose I’m like my father too. And I don’t mean just our eyes.

“Don’t you think it’s weird how that works?” she continued with hardly a breath. “You and Erin have your mom’s eyes. Your dad’s are sort of hazel-green, like Wren’s. Only hers are more blue. Speaking of blue, my brothers’ are all like our mom’s. Well, except Rich. Oh my gosh! You have to ask him to be a groomsman.”

I felt a wave of vertigo as she changed direction again, seemingly mid-sentence.

“He made me promise not to say anything to you. He really likes you, you know. Only, I know he gives you a hard time about not being in the military. He’d never admit it—he’s so stubborn!—but I think he’s glad you aren’t. He knows I don’t want to be a Navy wife. And speaking of wives… Is this what it’s going to be like when I’m yours?”

I wasn’t sure she was through talking, so I waited.

“Well?” she said. “Is it going to be like tonight? Although… technically, I suppose it was last night. Oh my gosh, now I sound like Brooke. Have you noticed she says that? ‘Technically.’ Like you say ‘exactly’ or Carter says ‘right.’ Uh-oh, I’m chattering again. Sorry, I’ll stop. But I still wanna know… Is this what it’s going to be like?”

I waited.

“Ha ha, Mr. Taciturn. Very funny. Oh! Do you like my new word? I learned it from Erin. She called you it.” Her brows drew down as she listened to what she’d just said. “That sounds funny. I wonder— Never mind. Just answer the question.”

I grinned. “Which one?”

“Ugh! Why do you have to be so infuriating and cute at the same time?”

“It’s part of my charm.”

“That’s what you said last time,” she accused. “And you still haven’t answered the question.”

I paused to see if she’d continue, but she narrowed her eyes instead.

“Probably,” I said.

Much to my surprise, she thought about it and seemed satisfied. “That’s why you asked about my favorite part, isn’t it?”

“I can’t remember that far back,” I chuckled. “I was probably just making conversation.”

“I don’t believe you, Mr. Deliberate. You’re always very precise, especially with your words.”

“Maybe, but it was subconscious this time.” I gave it some conscious thought. “I guess it was. I want you to be happy.”

“Oh my gosh, I am!”

“Yeah, but you know what I mean. You like swinging? For real? Not just different women, but different men, too.”

“As long as they’re like Mark and Trip. And Carter. Oh my gosh, we need to see them again! Uh-oh, sorry I interrupted. You were saying…?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “So, you like being a swinger. I mean, now that you’ve tried it with a bigger group.”

“Oh my gosh, I love it! And it’s much better when you plan things. Then I don’t have to worry. I just have to do what you tell me.”

“Do you think you’ll ever—?”

“No, sorry.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask!” I laughed.

“Paul, dear… I can read your mind, remember? But if it’ll make you feel better, go ahead and ask. The answer’ll be the same, though.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right. I love you, and I’ll do anything for you, but not that. Not with Gina, either, now that you mention it. Okay, you didn’t exactly mention it,” she admitted. “We were talking about it last time.”

“Last time when?”

“When I said, ‘I know I’m right.’ The exact words, I mean. We were talking about a threesome with Gina.”

All of a sudden I smiled.

“What?”

“You. I love how your mind works. There’s a pattern to it. I don’t always see it at first, but it makes sense once I do.”

“I’m glad one of us thinks so,” she muttered. “Nana says I’m a flibbertigibbet. My nana, I mean, not yours. Of course not yours! I haven’t met her yet. I suppose we should— What’s so funny now?”

“That word. Flibbertigibbet. I don’t know it.”

“Seriously? I found a word you don’t know?”

“There’s lots of ’em. What’s this one mean?”

“Someone like me.” She continued in a Brahmin accent, “Don’t be a flibbertigibbet, Christine. No one takes a young lady seriously, especially if she’s flighty and frivolous.” She punctuated it with a hoity-toity expression that turned into a glower. “She doesn’t understand what it’s like. To be me, I mean. Sometimes my brain runs too fast and my mouth can’t keep up.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re a flibbertigibbet,” I said gently. “I think you’re perfect.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish you kept more regular hours,” I added with a chuckle, “but I suppose I can’t have everything.”

“No, sorry. Are you ready for bed?”

“Yes, but you aren’t. You have too much energy.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I know how to tire you out. You need a special potion.”

“A love potion?”

“No, more like a sleeping potion. You swallow the first draft.”

Her eyes flashed with interest. “First draft? Is there a second?”

“An injection.”

“Ooh, my favorite kind.”

“And if you can’t sleep tomorrow night…”

She grinned. “More potions? And injections?”

“Exactly.”

“For the rest of our lives?”

“For the rest of our lives.”

* * *

I rose early and went for a run the next morning. I needed to get back in the habit, but I also wanted to plan my day. I’d decided how to ask Christy to marry me, but I needed a few things from town. I also needed a good segue from the quarry measurements to the proposal itself. I didn’t want her to suspect anything until I surprised her with the ring.

I eventually worked it out and made my turn. Then I moved on to more immediate plans. I didn’t think anyone else would be awake yet, but Trip and Leah were chatting over coffee in the clubhouse. They waved for me to join them.

I hesitated and gave our bungalow a long look. Christy and Brooke were still in bed, warm and probably just waking up. The little head was already excited, but the big head overruled him. I turned and went into the clubhouse instead.

“Oh, wow,” Leah said, “look at you.”

I did. I hadn’t turned into a giant chocolate cake or anything.

“What about me?”

“Shirtless and sexy. And those running shorts make your bulge look even bigger.”

“Oh, brother,” Trip muttered, “his head won’t fit through the door already.”

“I like yours too,” she said, soft and affectionate, “but Paul was my first love. He’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

“Are you sure it’s your heart he wants?”

“Of course,” she laughed. “What else could it be?”

Trip and I both scoffed at the same time, and she did her best Scarlett O’Hara.

“Oh, stop!”

It was a fitting reminder that Leah was a southern girl, born and bred. She looked like an exotic foreign beauty, but she was a belle at heart.

“Oh, please,” I said, “you know you’re gorgeous.” I used my watch as an excuse. “Trip, you can explain better than I can.”

“Oh?” Leah said. “Where’re you off to?”

“I need to get ready for my meeting.”

She checked her own watch and frowned. “I thought you didn’t have to leave till nine thirty?”

“I don’t,” I said vaguely. I hadn’t counted on her knowing my schedule. “I… um… need to…”

“Take care of his harem,” Trip finished.

“Oh, that’s right!” Leah said, completely unfazed. “Rise and shine! Or should that be ‘rise and shoot’? Whatever it is, don’t let us stop you.”

“Thanks.”

“Tell Christy to save some for me!” she called as the door swung closed behind me.

I waved without turning and continued across the patio. I couldn’t help but wonder what my life might’ve been like if things had worked out differently, if Leah and I had had better timing. But then my thoughts turned to Christy and I knew for certain. Leah was amazing, but Christy was the love of my life, my soulmate, my little princess.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the little head carped, save the romance for the wedding night. Right now she’s the love of my life… my suck-mate… my deep throat princess. And she’s in bed with a hot redhead who wants some attention too. So, chop-chop.

Ha! Using logic against me? Will wonders never cease…

* * *

Granville and I had the most productive meeting ever, two full hours of actual work. We reviewed my notes for the convenience store and sketched out a floor plan. Then we discussed vending machines in the RV bathhouse, which had turned into a mini-clubhouse. The current design wouldn’t work, so we completely revised it. We were still going when the clock in the hall struck noon.

Part of me wanted to keep working, but I had errands to run. And Granville was such a creature of habit that his stomach actually growled, audibly, before the sound of the chimes had even faded. Beatrice appeared in the doorway and started to say something.

I preempted her, “I’m sorry, Bea, but I can’t stay for lunch today.”

“Why not?” Granville said. “It’s Tuesday. Bea’s made spareribs, haven’t you, Bea?”

“M’yessir.”

“And they smell delicious, but I have a bunch of errands while I’m in town.” I started to gather my things.

“They can’t be that important,” Granville protested.

“They are,” I said. Then I decided to explain why. “I’m going to ask Christy to marry me.”

Beatrice clapped her hand to her mouth, and Granville’s bushy eyebrows twitched.

“Tomorrow,” I added. “But I need to pick up things in town first.”

“Ah say,” Granville drawled, “congratulations are in order, my boy. Bea, fetch us a bottle—”

“Thank you, but I really can’t,” I said. “We’ll celebrate when she’s said yes.”

“We’ll have a party in your honor,” Granville agreed. “Won’t we, Bea?”

“M’yessir. Of course, sir.”

“That’d be nice.” I slung my carrying tube, snapped my sketchbook closed, and tucked it under my arm. “Thank you again. I wish I could stay, but—”

“No, no, my boy, go on,” Granville said. “We’ll talk on Thursday. You can give us the good news.”

I nodded briskly and headed for the hall. Bea stepped back, but on a whim I leaned in and kissed her cheek. I nearly gave her a heart attack.

“Ah say!” Granville blurted.

I wasn’t sure if it was an objection or approval, and I didn’t really care. Bea stood very still and met my eyes. Hers were dark and unreadable, although her lips compressed with what I hoped was a smile.

“Run along now, my boy,” Granville said. “Bea, show him out?”

She nodded immediately and gestured toward the door. I stopped when I reached it. Granville couldn’t see us, and I pitched my voice so it wouldn’t carry.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I hope I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t thinking. I just…”

“You surprised me is all,” Beatrice said in her slow contralto. “Ain’t nothin’ t’ apologize for.”

“Thanks. I—”

“Bea…?” Granville called.

“Better do as Mister Granville says. Run along now.”

I didn’t know what else to say, so I opened the door and left. Bea followed me onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind her. She watched in silence as I climbed into the Cruiser. She was still watching as I drove away. Then she raised her hand in a tentative wave.

“Thanks, Bea,” I said to her in the mirror. “Say a prayer for me.”

Somehow, I knew she would.

* * *

I parked on Main Street and visited the furniture store first. We had to look in the back, but we eventually found a broken headboard from a child’s bed. The wood was unfinished ash, and one post had split. The other was solid and perfect, and the owner let me have it for free.

I went to the antique store next, where they had an old surveyor’s tripod in the window. Someone had replaced the transit with a brass telescope, but that suited my purpose just fine. I bought it and put it in the back of the Cruiser with the bedpost.

Across the street I bought a set of basic woodcarving tools from young Mr. McMasters. At the Hallmark store two doors down, I bought a pack of colored construction paper. Finally, I walked down a side street to the dressmaker’s shop. Surprisingly, the town still had one. Not surprisingly, it was a time machine of sorts, a portal to a world fifty years gone.

A bell rang over the door, and a sprightly septuagenarian named Arletta hopped from a stool. She was stooped with age and white-haired, but her smile made me think of laughter and summer days with a pretty girl. And heaven help the fool who thought her a dried-up spinster.

“May I help you?” she asked in a honeysuckle drawl.

I told her what I was looking for, and she helped me find the perfect ribbon, a baby blue silk that matched Christy’s eyes.

“It’s a lovely color. What’s it for?” She drew out her R’s and softened them, like she didn’t want to offend me with something hard and round.

“I’m going to ask my girlfriend to marry me.”

“Oh, how precious! Wait right there, I know just what you need.”

She searched through a basket of off-cuts and found a piece of matching blue silk, which she cut into heart shapes about three inches across. She sewed a clever little knot-and-loop closure to one and embroidered the other with Christy’s and my initials. Then she mated the pieces face to face and began sewing them together.

Her stitches were tight and neat, and her needle flashed with a lifetime of skill. She finished in no time. Then she turned the little case right side out. She filled it with stuffing and sewed it shut. Her expression lit up with her girlish smile.

“Here you are.” She handed me the small pillow. “For the ring.”

“That’s amazing! Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

“No charge, a gift for your sweetheart.”

I argued but she politely refused, so I gave her an impulsive kiss on the cheek, which was becoming a habit. Also, I might’ve slipped a twenty-dollar bill into her sewing basket while she was distracted.

I returned to the Cruiser and used the back as a workshop, right there on Main Street. I started by sketching my initials on the bedpost. Then I added a few more, plus a couple of lines. I set to work with my new carving tools. They took a little getting used to, but it wasn’t a complex message.

When I was finished, I sanded the rough edges, blew out the sawdust, and cleaned up the mess. Then I taped yellow construction paper over the inscription. I drew a surveyor’s target with a black magic marker to complete the illusion. Christy would never know the difference between it and the real thing.

I felt a growing sense of excitement as I drove back to camp, although I did my best to hide it. I didn’t want to give away my plans simply because I couldn’t stop grinning. I finally managed to control my emotions, but part of me still worried that anyone who looked at me would know what I was up to. Fortunately, I only had to play to an audience of one.

I parked in my usual spot and grabbed my sketchbook and carrying tube from the back seat. Then I took a deep breath and composed my thoughts.

“I can do this,” I said aloud.

Part of me wasn’t so sure.

My grandfather’s words came back to me, “Faint heart never won fair lady,” although I had to smile. He’d also told me to marry a girl with small hands because “it makes your johnson look bigger.” At least he was right about that!

“He’s right about both,” I said. “And… now I’m talking to myself.”

I laughed at the way my mind worked, from elated to afraid and back again. But if I couldn’t decide how I felt, Christy didn’t stand a chance. Besides, she had other things on her mind.

“Speaking of which…”

I walked around the corner and felt a wave of relief. Everything was normal. Mark and the girls were sitting at our usual table on the other side of the pool. Christy saw me first. Her face lit with a smile and she waved.

“Hey, you’re just in time!” Mark called. “Join us!”

“One sec!” I ducked into the clubhouse and left my work things. Then I joined the group outside. I felt mildly out of place, fully dressed among nudists, but I also had something to hide. They didn’t.

Mark handed me a wine cooler from a bucket beside his chair. It held three more, with a dozen empties on the patio beside it. Christy, Brooke, and Leah were all drinking too.

“Starting a bit early?” I wondered idly.

“The sun’s over the yardarm,” Christy said.

“Fair enough.” I glanced at my watch and realized it was almost three o’clock.

“Besides, we’re on vacation,” Mark added. “What else’re we gonna do?”

“We could have an orgy,” Christy suggested, and I decided that at least three of the empties were hers. Her current one was almost empty as well.

“We could,” Mark agreed. “Now that Paul’s here.”

All of a sudden I realized who was missing. “Hold on… Where are Trip and the others?”

“In their cottage,” Leah said. “Having their own little party.”

Mark winked and added, “Something about ‘sky rockets in flight.’”

“Ah, right,” I chuckled. “‘Afternoon Delight.’ It’s on his make-out tape.”

“He wanted to go muff diving,” Mark said. “Evidently, he didn’t get enough last night.”

“Muff’s on the endangered species list,” Leah said.

“Around here, at least.”

“Thank goodness,” Christy said.

“I keep trying to convince Erin,” Leah told her, “but she’s old-fashioned. At least she isn’t hippie-hairy.”

“Oh my gosh, no!”

“I kinda like being shaved,” Brooke said.

“And I like it on Paul,” Leah agreed. “I wasn’t convinced at first, but it’s kinda sexy.” She glanced at Mark. “What do you think?”

“Very sexy.” He gave me a flamboyant wink, and we all laughed.

“You should give it a try,” Brooke told him.

“Shaving or Paul’s dick?” Mark wondered.

Brooke turned pink.

“Either,” Christy said.

“Both!” Leah laughed.

“Maybe I will,” Mark said with an easy shrug. “The shaving, at least. Does it make your dick look bigger?” he asked me.

“Oh, please,” Leah said. “You don’t need any help in that department.”

“You don’t,” Christy agreed.

“I dunno,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with what I have, but another inch’d be nice.”

“Why?” Brooke asked. “None of us care about that.”

“I know, but—”

“Besides, I kinda like it. Yours, I mean. I’ve been thinking about it since—” She swallowed hard and blushed. Again.

“It’s okay,” Leah laughed. “We all do it.”

“Now I’m gonna blush,” Mark joked.

“Have another drink,” I told him. “It’ll help you cool off.”

“Good idea! Who else wants one?”

“Me,” Christy said. “And I’ll drink Brooke’s if she doesn’t want it.”

“Hey! Hands off my alcohol,” Brooke said. Then she frowned and realized we’d distracted her from her embarrassment.

“Crap,” Mark said without heat. “And I thought we’d gotten away with it.” He pulled a Bartles & Jaymes from the bucket, twisted off the cap, and leaned across the table to set it in front of her. “You’re too smart for me, that’s for sure.”

“Too smart for all of us,” I agreed.

“Be nice,” Christy said. “Talk about her tits or something. She knows how to react when guys do that.”

“No argument from me,” Mark laughed. Then he went about the business of opening wine coolers. He passed a bottle to Christy and offered the last one to Leah, who shook her head. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” she said. “I can’t drink like you all.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m a lightweight too.”

“He is,” Christy said.

“You can say that again,” Brooke agreed. She and Christy shared a grin.

I shrugged without a trace of embarrassment. “I’m not Catholic.”

“So?” Brooke said. “Neither am I.”

“Not technically. But you went to Catholic school, partied with Catholics, and have a Catholic girlfriend.”

“Sounds pretty Catholic,” Mark told her.

“She is not!” Christy protested. “I’m the only Catholic here.”

“Half-Catholic,” Brooke corrected.

“What? Nuh-uh! My parents’re both Catholic.”

“But you’re half-Buddhist,” Brooke insisted. “That’s what you’re always telling me, anyway.”

“Fine,” Christy muttered darkly, “use my own words against me.”

Brooke, Mark, and I shared a grin.

“Okay,” I said into the silence, “what’re we gonna do? I mean, if the others’re fooling around, we probably should too.”

“The girls wanted to have a party,” Mark said, “but I said we should wait.”

“You did not!” Leah laughed. “You were all for it! Don’t listen to him, Paul. Brooke and I were the ones who said we should wait.”

I arched an eyebrow at Christy, who glared guiltily.

“What? I can’t help it! You know my libido.”

“It’s very high,” Brooke mocked.

“It is!”

“You need lots of protein.”

“I do!”

“If you must know,” I said, “semen is mostly fructose. The protein comes from… somewhere,” I laughed.

“Amino acids and albumin.”

“Hold on,” Leah said. “Semen is mostly fructose? The stuff in fruit, right? The sugar?”

Christy and I nodded together.

“Huh. Then why doesn’t it taste sweet?”

“No clue,” I said.

“I think it tastes sweet,” Brooke said.

“Not salty?” Leah said, and Brooke shrugged.

“We could do a taste test,” I offered.

Leah laughed. “I’m so sure.”

“Why not?” I casually unzipped my khakis, reached into my boxers, and pulled out my penis. It was already thick with arousal.

Leah’s dark eyebrows shot up, and Mark chuckled.

“You know you wanna,” he told her.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think he’d just… whip it out!”

“Why not? He knows how you are.”

I reached into my boxers and extracted my balls while they were talking. Christy moistened her lips, and Brooke shot me a grin.

“Go on,” Mark told Leah. “Don’t let us stop you.”

I moved closer and waved my dick at her.

“I can’t…,” she protested.

“Sure you can,” I said. “Here, I’ll show you. Open your mouth…”

“Yeah, tell us if it tastes sweet or salty,” Brooke said.

“Oh, why not,” Leah said. Her mouth was warm and wet, although she stopped sucking long enough to add, “I dunno why I let you talk me into this.”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Mark chuckled. Then he aimed his charm at Brooke. “We should probably do a comparison or something.”

“For science!” Christy said.

“Can’t I just do it for myself?” Brooke asked. “Suck your dick, I mean.”

“Sure!” Mark laughed. “I’m not gonna argue.” He scooted his chair back, and she stood.

“Remember your towel,” Christy told her. “It’s just about the most massively useful thing any nudist can carry.”

“Oh, God, save me from the nerds!” Brooke said, although she grabbed her towel and folded it into a pad for her knees.

“Speaking of towels…,” I said to Christy. “Bring yours. Over here. Leah’s pussy needs some attention.”

“Mmm, yes, sir.”

* * *

We moved to our bedroom for round two—or three, four, and five, depending on who was counting. Mark and Brooke were almost the same height, and they fell into a natural sixty-nine on one side of the bed. I went for a pyramid on the other, with Leah as the base. I fucked her and made out with Christy while she straddled her face.

Christy came fairly quickly, one of her mini-orgasms. Mark spurted in Brooke’s mouth and was hard again almost immediately. He had an endless supply of erections, it seemed. Brooke took advantage and rode him cowgirl-style, while I used mine on Leah.

I fucked her even harder, and she didn’t last long when I started playing with her clit at the same time. She arched her back, and her nipples strained toward the ceiling. I buried my cock, and a flood of heat and moisture washed over it. She held Christy’s hips in place until she sagged to the mattress and panted to catch her breath.

After a short break we all changed positions. Mark fucked Brooke doggy-style and teased her ass with his thumb. I spread Christy’s legs and fucked her missionary, while Leah knelt at the side of the bed and sucked her nipples.

We kept it up and switched positions and partners several times. Mark came at least twice more, which was impressive by itself. He needed a couple of minutes to recover after the first one, and nearly five after the second, but he never really stopped. The guy was a fucking machine.

Part of me felt intimidated. My dick was bigger, and I shot more when I came, but neither was something special that I did—they were accidents of birth. Mark had real skill to go with his stamina. He made Brooke come so hard that she took nearly fifteen minutes to recover. Then he licked Christy to a couple of little orgasms and a big one. I would have hated him if he wasn’t such a nice guy.

I did the only thing I could—I went for quality over quantity. I took turns fucking the girls while they sucked Mark. Then I shot a huge load in Leah’s mouth, although she didn’t swallow right away. She showed it to Mark instead. Then she shared it with Christy in a kiss. They started making out, so I went down on Leah and licked her to a climax that left her panting and weak.

“Man, I’m so jealous,” Mark said.

I sat up and frowned. Had I heard him right?

“Yes, jealous,” he chuckled. “Of you.”

“Why?”

“Not that you made her come, but before, when you were fucking her. She totally loves your dick, man.”

“I love yours too,” Leah said from her back.

“Yeah, but it isn’t the same. You get mine whenever you want. Paul’s is a treat.” She didn’t deny it, so he said to me, “She doesn’t moan like that when I fuck her.”

“I do too,” she protested.

He denied it with a silent headshake. “Besides,” he said aloud, “you come a lot, and you know how she loves the taste.”

“I told you…” Leah sat up and gave him a pointed look. “It isn’t about size or amount or anything else.”

“Oh, I know,” he said confidently. “You love me for lots of reasons.”

Christy and I shared a smile.

“I don’t know what all of ’em are,” Mark continued, “but I’m glad you do. I was just saying… I’m kinda jealous of Paul sometimes.”

“Well, don’t be,” Leah said.

“Only sometimes. Most of the time I’m pretty happy.”

“Only ‘most of the time’?” Brooke teased.

“Well, sometimes we’re apart, so…”

Brooke rolled her eyes at the saccharine reply. Then she realized he was serious, and her eyebrows rose with surprise.

“He’s good,” Leah said.

“Thank you,” Mark said, and meant it. “And speaking of being apart…” They shared a look, and she gave him the go-ahead. “Hey, Brooke…,” he said, “what do you think about spending the night with me?”

Her eyes widened, part in surprise, but with a hint of guilt and uncertainty. She glanced at Christy, who nodded reassurance. Then she looked to Leah.

“It was sort of my idea.”

“We thought we’d mix it up,” Mark said. “You and Leah. Just for tonight,” he added quickly, “if everyone’s okay with it.”

“Please.” Leah chewed her lip, nervous instead of thoughtful.

Brooke hesitated. Then she glanced at Mark, who waggled his eyebrows at her. She blushed and lowered her eyes demurely.

“Go on,” Christy told her, “you know you want to.”

Brooke nodded.

“What d’you think?” Mark asked me.

I looked at Christy, and she nearly flattened me with a wave of enthusiastic mind control.

“Wow!” Mark laughed. “Even I heard that!”

“Yep,” I said. “She’s small, not subtle.”