Tying Up Loose Ends

Chapter 34

Christy and I lingered over a late breakfast on the patio. She’d already eaten two pieces of cheese toast, an orange, and a cup of yogurt. At the moment she was working on a bowl of strawberries.

“I wish I could do that,” I said.

“It’s a lot of work. And I’m always hungry. It’s annoying.”

“But you get to eat whatever you want.”

“Yeah, that is kinda fun. Even more fun to work up the appetite in the first place. Mmm, midnight sex…”

“It was more like four a.m.,” I chuckled. “Well, by the time you let me go back to sleep.”

“What! You kept me awake. You and Mr. Big. And again, this morning! He woke me up, you know. He was poking me. I had to do something.” She faux-glared. “You didn’t save any cream. For my strawberries.”

I looked down. My penis didn’t even twitch. It even managed to look smug.

“Oh, well,” Christy said lightly. “You’ll make more. It’s what you do. Thank goodness.”

I chuckled and shook my head in amazement. “Never thought I’d meet a girl who likes sex more than I do.”

“It’s your own fault. Besides, we’re still in our honeymoon phase.” She paused and pretended to think of something. She’d been working toward something specific with the conversation, and she’d arrived at it with the word “honeymoon.” She was logical, even if she wasn’t always direct about it.

I hid my amusement and waited for her to continue.

“Sabrina said she and Danny are talking about somewhere in the Caribbean. For their honeymoon, I mean. The real one. Have you thought about where we want to go for ours?”

I didn’t rise to the bait. “Not really. We have time.”

“I suppose.” She wasn’t going to give up that easily. “What do you think about Hawaii? Or maybe Japan? Only, their beaches aren’t as nice. Maybe we can go skiing instead. Do you think we’ll get married in the summer or winter?”

“Whichever we want.”

“Summer, I think. Or maybe the fall. I want nice weather.”

“Of course,” I agreed noncommittally.

“Well, it’s hot in Atlanta in the summer. Hmm, maybe we’ll get married in San Diego. It’s much nicer there. The weather, I mean. Or… do you think we’ll still be in Knoxville?”

“I don’t know.” I stole a strawberry and popped it in my mouth. “I haven’t even asked you yet.”

“But you’re going to,” she prompted.

“You know I am.” I decided to tease her. “We can get married tomorrow, if you want.”

“What?” she squawked. “Paul Dean Hughes, that is not a proper proposal. And if you think I’m going to get married in a courthouse with a Justice of the Pe—”

“Relax! I’m kidding!”

She eyed me warily.

“We’ll get married in a church, in front of a priest, with all our family there.”

“Better.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think I’d marry you in a courthouse with a Justice of the Peace?”

“No. Besides, you still haven’t asked me. Not officially. That one doesn’t count. You have to do it right.” She fell silent, in case I had something to add. I didn’t, and she managed almost ten seconds of silence before she said, “You really aren’t going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“When you’re going to ask me.”

“Ask you what?”

“Ugh! Sometimes I really don’t like you.”

“Especially when I won’t give you what you want.”

“Mr. Meanie.” She pretended to sulk. Then she thought of a better way to goad me. “Mr. Lonely Bachelor.”

It was a completely empty threat, but her uncertainty wasn’t. I leaned forward and tugged her hand. She resisted at first, but then she rose and moved to my lap. She swung her legs over the arm of the chair and crossed them demurely. I let her get settled before I bent and touched my forehead to hers.

“I love you very much,” I said quietly. “And I’m going to marry you.”

“I know. I love you too.”

“I haven’t decided when or even how I want to ask, though. Besides, I have to do some things first.”

“Like buy the ring?” she asked hopefully. “You could talk to Trip. Or your mother. She has nice taste. Oh, oh, I know! Talk to my nana! She wants to meet you, and she knows tons of places in Boston. She has, like, a million pieces of jewelry. Oh my gosh, she—”

“Stop!” I laughed. “I can buy the ring on my own. Trust me. All I need from you is to be patient.”

Christy’s expression fell, and she pouted for real. “I know. Only, I’m not very good at it.”

“Of course you are. You waited two years for me to get my head on straight and figure out how wonderful you are.”

“Thank you. But I didn’t think it’d take that long.”

“I’m a bit slow on the uptake,” I chuckled.

“Paul, that isn’t ‘slow.’ That’s, like, glacial.”

“Yeah, sorry. I had a lot of things to figure out.”

“You had a lot of wild oats to sow, you mean.”

“But I’m sowing them with you now.”

“I suppose.” She sighed. “No, you’re right. Only, I keep thinking about Wren and Trip.”

“Because they’re engaged?”

She nodded. “I don’t think you understand. That’s part of why I didn’t want to go to Atlanta with them. It isn’t really her fault, but she’s so happy. I just… feel like I’m missing out. I know I’m not—we’re not—but I can’t help the way I feel. I almost didn’t tell you. I don’t want to put any pressure on you. You’ll ask when you’re ready. Besides, you want it to be a surprise.”

I nodded.

“I do too. Only, I want it to be a surprise now.”

I grinned. “That isn’t how a surprise works.”

“I know. But I see how happy Wren and Trip are, and even Kim and Carter, and I want to be like that.”

“You will be.”

“Thank you.” She fell silent but then sighed. “I tell myself it’s just a ring, but… it’s more than that.”

“It’s a commitment,” I agreed.

She shook her head. “It’s a symbol of commitment, one I can show people. I can’t show them ‘love’ or ‘happiness.’”

“You’re right.”

“Thank you. But don’t think you’re getting off that easily,” she warned. “I still want a ring. And a proper proposal.”

“You’ll get them.”

She tilted her face up for a kiss but pulled back before our lips touched. She cocked her head and frowned instead. At that point I heard it too, the sound of an approaching car.

“Oh my gosh, seriously?”

“To be continued?” I chuckled.

“Dammit!” she swore. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.”

My eyebrows rose with amusement.

“Don’t they understand how hard—?” She glanced up nervously. “Never mind. Right when we were about to—! Ugh!” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to relax. “I suppose you think this is funny.”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Well, it isn’t.”

“I mean, no, absolutely not.”

She glared. “My father does that.”

“He’s a smart man.”

“You’re making fun of me,” she accused.

“Maybe a little.”

“It’s a good thing I love you.”

“Oh, very good,” I agreed. “And I love you.”

Car doors closed behind us.

“Smile and be polite,” I whispered, “and the world’s your oyster.”

“Fine, use my own words against me.” She inhaled sharply, lifted her chin, and pasted on a smile.

“Hey,” Carter said.

Christy was still sitting in my lap, and we couldn’t hide that we’d been having an intimate conversation. I turned and looked at him over my shoulder.

“Sorry,” he said. “Are we interrupting?”

“Not at all,” I lied.

“We can come back. C’mon, hon, let’s go.”

“No, don’t.”

“Please stay,” Christy added. “We were talking about my face cream. If I should change brands or not.”

“Face cream?” I said under my breath. “You really suck at this, don’t you?”

She kept her smile fixed, and her lips never moved as she said, “That’s not all I suck.”

“Good point,” I chuckled. In a louder voice, “We were talking about couple stuff, when we want to get married, that sort of thing.”

“Ah, right,” Carter said.

“Really,” I insisted. “It’s fine. Join us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” I lied again.

“We’re a little early,” he said as he and Kim approached the table.

“We would’ve called…,” she added automatically.

“But you don’t have a phone in your room,” I said.

“Oh, right.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “The only one we have is in the clubhouse. Besides, we were only talking. Five minutes from now…? Different story.”

“I understand,” Carter chuckled.

“We should go,” Kim told him.

“No. You heard ’em, hon.”

“He’s right,” I added. “Seriously, have a seat.”

They sat, and we chatted about the weather for a couple of minutes, until they relaxed for real.

“I was worried we’d worn out our welcome last night,” Carter said. “Especially after we drank all your wine.”

“We have more,” I said with an expansive gesture toward the clubhouse.

“Well, I feel guilty that we can’t replace it or bring some of our own.”

“Listen,” I said, “this is going to sound really cheesy, but your company is enough.”

Christy nodded emphatically.

“Thank you,” he said. “We did bring one thing, but… I don’t know if it’s something you want.”

“You won’t know till you ask,” I said.

“Well, I’m an avid photographer, and I brought my camera.” He waited for me to frown or object. “Susan said they’re okay as long as we’re discreet—”

“And tasteful,” Kim added.

“Right. And ask permission if anyone’s in the background.”

“Most people don’t mind,” I said, “but she’s right about permission. Nudists aren’t shy in general, but we don’t want the pictures used against us.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” he said.

“Besides, the main camp is for families and kids.” I cleared my throat and added, “There’s no delicate way to say this, but—”

“There are perverts who like that sort of thing,” Carter finished. “That’s what Susan said.” He gestured toward Kim and added, “We’re not like that. Not at all.”

“No, we didn’t think you were. Neither are we, obviously.”

“I might look like a little girl,” Christy added, “especially in some of my cuter outfits, but—”

“No one would ever mistake you for one,” Carter said. “You’re a woman. A small one,” he added with a grin, “but definitely a woman.” We all fell silent, until he blew out a breath and sat back. “Wow, that was easier than I thought.”

“I told you,” Kim said, “Christy and I talked about it. Remember?”

“Right, I remember. But Paul might’ve objected. You don’t, do you?”

“Not on principle,” I said. “She mentioned glamour shots. But… what were you thinking?”

“Tasteful nudes,” he said immediately. Then he glanced at Kim. “Maybe a few risqué shots, but that’s up to the girls. Nothing pornographic.”

“Save that for later.” I grinned. “After we put away the camera.”

He drew breath to say something but then glanced at Kim and thought better of it.

“What do you think?” I asked Christy.

“I think it’d be fun.” She and Kim shared a grin.

“I don’t have model releases or contracts,” Carter said to me, “but we can draw one up.”

I frowned uncertainly. “Why?”

“Well, I know how I’d feel if another man asked to take pictures of Kim. Who’s he going to show them to? What about prints? Can he sell them? License them for publication? And the negatives? Who controls them? That sort of thing.”

“We thought about that too,” I said. “Well, some of it. But—”

“We trust you,” Christy said.

“Thanks,” Carter said, “but I’d still feel better if we put something in writing.”

“Can we have a gentleman’s agreement?” I asked.

“A verbal contract?” He thought about it. “Sure. If you’re okay with that.”

I glanced at Christy, who nodded.

“There’s one more thing,” Carter said to me. It was his turn to glance at Kim. She flushed with excitement. “I want Kim to shave,” he continued, “and… I was hoping Christy might give her a hand.”

I hadn’t been expecting that, and my expression showed it.

He misunderstood. “Sorry. We don’t have to.”

“No, it’s all right,” I said once I managed to corral my eyebrows.

“I can do it myself,” he said. “I don’t mind. But we thought, you know, since Christy has experience? Well, you too,” he added. “But… I thought Kim might be more comfortable if a woman helped.”

Besides, I added to myself, you want her to get used to having a woman between her legs. I get it.

“What do you think?” I said to Christy aloud. The question was entirely for the others’ benefit, but she pretended to consider it.

“I’d… like that,” she said after a moment, although her hesitation didn’t fool anyone. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Oh, thank God,” Kim said in relief. “I was afraid I’d have to do it alone. I don’t want to cut myself and ruin things for Carter.”

“Do you wanna do it now?” Christy asked her.

She was a true submissive, and she looked to Carter for the answer.

“If you don’t mind,” he said to me. To her, “Get your bag, hon.”

She flashed a grin, rose, and jogged toward the car. She thought better of it as soon as her breasts started flying without any support. It was an eye-catching sight while it lasted.

She returned at a more sedate pace with a small cosmetic bag, and Christy led her toward our bungalow. Carter watched them go and then gathered the nerve to say something.

“Thanks for being cool. Not just today, but last night too.” He paused and chose his next words carefully. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you? You’re too smart to’ve missed it.”

I nodded.

“Kim really likes you,” he said after another pause. “I do too. And I appreciate that you’ve been dropping hints, to let us know you’re interested. We are too. Obviously.” He paused and then said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m a cautious guy. I want you to fuck my wife—”

I registered shock that he’d said it so plainly, without any lead-up, but he was too preoccupied to notice.

“—but I’m not going to rush into anything.”

I recovered my composure. “Good idea.”

“As long as we both know where we stand,” he added civilly.

“Exactly. But… do you mind if I ask something?”

“No, go ahead.”

“What do you get out of it?”

“You mean, am I hoping to fuck Christy? Sorry to use that language, but—”

“It fits. Besides, you said you want me to fuck Kim.”

“Right. I knew you’d be cool.”

I started to repeat my original question, but he beat me to it with a different one.

“Are you sure you’re only twenty-one?”

“I can show you my driver’s license.”

He seriously considered it before he changed his mind. He laughed instead. “Sorry. Sometimes I’m too much of a lawyer. Kim gives me a hard time about it. She says I need to loosen up.”

“Do you?” I asked mildly.

“Yeah, maybe.” He grinned. Then a flicker of uncertainty crossed he face. “How can you be so nonchalant? I just said I want you to fuck my wife.”

I decided to come clean. “Well, there’s a reason Susan introduced us.”

“She hinted as much. And I probably know already. But… I’d like to hear it from you.”

“My parents are swingers. I grew up in the lifestyle. Started when I was fifteen.”

He’d been expecting the first part, but the last part surprised him.

“Wow. For real? Fifteen? I’d barely made it to third base at that age!” he laughed. “I should be asking you for advice.”

“You’re more than welcome to. I’ll tell you the truth, not what I think you want to hear. I mean, yeah, I’d love to have sex with Kim, but not at the expense of our friendship.”

He cocked his head and studied me. “You really mean that, don’t you? That we’re friends, but more importantly, that you won’t tell me something just to score a piece of ass.”

“Even one as nice as Kim’s,” I agreed. “Listen, I don’t wanna sound arrogant, but I can have sex with just about any woman I want. I mean, as long as she’s into me and wants it too.”

“Christy doesn’t mind?”

“Well, this is theoretical,” I corrected. “But my point is that I could be Don Juan and sleep with a different woman every night. I don’t make friends that easily. Not real ones. So, yeah, I won’t give you advice that might jeopardize our friendship.”

He took a moment to absorb what I’d just said. “I’m normally a pretty good judge of character,” he said. “I do criminal defense, too, so I deal with my share of scumbags and lowlifes.” He laughed cynically. “Some wear prison uniforms, some wear thousand-dollar suits. But they’re all the same, once you learn to spot them.”

I nodded at the wisdom of it.

“You aren’t one of them, are you? You’re like me. You’re trying to be one of the good guys.”

“Trying to be,” I agreed.

He nodded and thought about it some more. “I still want to take things slow.”

“That’s fine. But I still want to know what you get out of it.”

“Ah, right! Sorry, I didn’t answer, did I?”

“No, but let me ask a different way. What do you want to happen? You want me to fuck Kim. No problem, as long as she’s willing. You want Kim to have sex with Christy—”

He shot me a surprised look, although he recovered quickly. Then he laughed. “I should’ve known you’d figure it out.”

“It was kind of obvious,” I chuckled. “The ‘risqué photos’ were my first clue, but you also wanted Christy to help her shave. That’s pretty intimate. Even if they don’t spontaneously have sex— Don’t get your hopes up, sorry. That only happens in porn, not real life.”

He grinned guiltily.

“But it’s still a good way to get Kim comfortable with the idea,” I finished.

“Was it really that obvious?”

“How long have you been an attorney?”

He frowned but answered, “Three years.”

“And you can already pick out the scumbags from the good guys?”

He nodded.

“Well, I’ve been a swinger for a while…”

“Ha! So you can spot the clues as easily as I spot lowlifes? Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Let’s get back to what we want to happen,” I said. “This is where I tell you that Christy doesn’t have sex with other guys. It isn’t personal,” I added.

He frowned but then adjusted quickly, while I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“Interesting,” he said calmly. Then his expression sharpened. “Is it your rule or hers?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. “I’m just curious.”

“It’s her rule. And I respect it. I respect her.”

“Right. Another thing we have in common.”

“Yep. That’s one of the reasons Christy likes you—you respect women.”

“I try. I’m probably more of a male chauvinist than you think, but at least I’m aware of it.”

I nodded, and we fell silent.

“Do you mind if I ask…?” he said after a moment. “If Christy doesn’t have sex with other guys, what’s the quid pro quo here? Sorry, that’s a legal term. It—”

“I know what it means,” I said. “Something for something.”

“Ah, right. I should’ve known.”

“The ‘something’ is in the semantics.”

“How?”

“Christy’s definition of sex is ‘penis in vagina.’ She doesn’t do that with other guys. ‘Penis in mouth’ isn’t sex. Not as far as she’s concerned.”

He laughed and nodded. “Kim said they had a long talk about giving head. So I was wondering…”

“But you’re fine with it?” I prompted. “Only getting blowjobs?”

“Yeah, I can live with that.” He laughed at his answer. “No, I’ll enjoy it.”

“Good. ’Cause she really likes doing it. And… not just guys.”

“I figured,” he said. “Kim said she thought she might be into that. Girl-on-girl, I mean.”

“I just call ’em ‘bi,’” I teased.

“Yeah, you would.” He paused for a moment and organized his thoughts. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to review and make sure we agree on what we’re talking about.”

“You’re a lawyer, all right,” I chuckled.

“Yeah, I am. But I don’t want any misunderstandings. I like you and Christy, but I love Kim.”

“Exactly. Same here.”

“And just to be clear, I want some time to consider it and talk to Kim before we do anything.”

“You’d like to review the contract before you sign it.”

“Right. So, sex with Kim is definitely on the table. Sex with Christy isn’t, but blowjobs are.” He waited for me to nod. “Any other boundaries? Do you care if I come? Where?”

“Wherever Christy wants. That’s up to her. What about Kim?”

“The same. Although,” he reconsidered, “she’ll want you to decide. So, wherever you like most.” He stopped and thought about it. “I have a request, though. I’m not a fan of sloppy seconds.”

“Gotcha,” I agreed. “Don’t come inside her.”

“I don’t object,” he added. “She’s not going to get pregnant. But I’d prefer if you didn’t, especially if I’m not done with her.”

“Noted,” I said in a fair imitation of him, although he was so focused that he missed it completely.

“How about oral on them?” he asked. “I’ll be honest, I’m dying to go down on Christy. I’ve been thinking about it since I first saw she was shaved. Do you mind? Does she?”

“Not at all. Same with Kim?”

“The same,” he agreed.

I thought of something and laughed.

“What?”

“This feels a little weird. Not bad-weird,” I added quickly. “But I’ve been a swinger for years, and this is probably the first time I’ve ever gone into this level of detail before we’ve even done anything.”

“Welcome to my life,” Carter said. “I’ve been thinking about this for a year. Maybe longer. I’ll be honest, the fact that you have experience makes it easier. And we can speak frankly. It also helps that I trust you. I know we only just met, but you’ve been… very honest. And forthcoming. It’s a refreshing change from my line of work.”

We nodded and exchanged smiles, although he grew impatient and glanced toward the bungalow.

“I wonder what’s taking so long.”

“Relax,” I laughed. “The first time takes a while. Several passes, at least. It isn’t difficult, but it isn’t like shaving your face. Besides, it’s a very sensitive area, with lots of nooks and crannies.”

“Noted. Is it a swinger thing? Shaving?”

“Not really. It’s more common in our group, but not in general.”

“I think it’s sexy as hell. On women,” he added quickly. “You’re a nice-looking guy, but… I don’t swing that way.”

“Ha! That’s okay. Neither do I.”

“Cool. I didn’t think you did, but you never know.” He chuckled at a thought but didn’t share. “The shaving, though. It solves a problem for Kim.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Ever since we arrived, she’s been a little self-conscious that she isn’t a natural blonde. We didn’t even think about her bush.”

“Why would you?” I said. “Most people never see it.”

“Right.” He shot me a sly look. “And now we’re destroying the evidence.”

The girls chose that moment to emerge from the bungalow. Kim’s cheeks glowed with excitement, although it could’ve been embarrassment too. Christy’s expression was harder to read. She was excited, but also a little apprehensive. She’d done her hair and makeup, though, and she looked good.

I studied them as they walked toward us. Kim had the body to be a centerfold, but she was probably too slender for Hugh Hefner’s taste. He liked lush blondes, not athletic ones, and Kim clearly spent a lot of time doing aerobics. Christy was even further from the Playboy “ideal.” She was smaller in almost every way, but I would’ve chosen her over an entire harem of Playmates.

She must have seen it in my expression, because her nervousness disappeared. She smiled and then blushed when I still didn’t look away. I kept admiring her and made her shoot me an insistent look before I let my eyes drift to Kim instead. She carried her towel in front of her, so I only caught an occasional glimpse of her pussy. Then she stopped in front of the table and lowered her eyes submissively. Christy looked on from a few feet away.

“Well,” Carter said. “Let me see.”

Kim dutifully moved the towel and clasped her hands behind her. Her outer labia were slightly dark, and thin enough that her inner labia showed between them. They didn’t protrude much, but I could see the folds at her opening. By contrast, Christy’s pussy was a smooth line where her lips met. The skin of Kim’s newly shaved mons was lighter as well, tan lines from her missing bush.

“Beautiful,” Carter told her. “Thank you.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, and her cheeks glowed at his approval.

“Right,” he added after a moment. “I’ll get my camera.”

* * *

He started by taking pictures of Kim by herself. He told her what poses he wanted, and she held them until she heard the shutter click. She’d clearly done it before, and she knew how to look sultry or flirty or whatever Carter wanted. After a dozen pictures, he glanced at me.

“Ready for Christy to give it a try?”

I deferred to her.

“Sure,” she said, a little nervously. “Where do you want me?”

He told her to stand by one of the lounge chairs. She wasn’t as confident as Kim had been, so Carter told her what to do. Both of them were happier with that arrangement, and Christy started to relax and figure out what he wanted. She was enjoying herself by the time he shot the last picture on the roll.

I glanced at Kim. She’d been watching me, although she quickly lowered her eyes. I could almost feel the intensity of her gaze as she studied me from under her lashes. Her chest rose and fell with her quickened breathing, and her cheeks showed a blush through her tan. After a moment she moistened her lips, and I felt my own cheeks grow warm.

“Are you ready, hon?” Carter asked her.

“What? Oh, sorry,” she said. “Yes. Where do you want me?”

“You too, Christy,” he added.

I almost laughed when she had to stifle an automatic, “Yes, sir.”

“You can say it,” I told her. “Carter’s a Dom too.”

He jerked in surprise. “How’d—? Never mind. I should’ve known. So… you figured that out too?”

“Takes one to know one,” I said.

“Ah. Right.” He paused and then shook his head in wonder. “It’s uncanny, isn’t it? How much we have in common? It’s like we were destined to meet.”

“Maybe,” I chuckled. “But I blame her.”

“Who? Christy?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if I can explain it, but she has incredible luck. She mentioned last week that she wished we knew someone else like me.” I was glossing over a lot, but the gist was the same. “And then you and Kim appeared, almost like magic.”

“I don’t know about magic,” Carter said, “but something.”

“Yep.” I shifted my attention to Christy. “Obey him like you obey me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You too, hon,” Carter said to Kim. “His orders are the same as mine.”

“Yes, sir,” she echoed.

Carter raised his freshly loaded camera and took control again.

“Right,” he said. “Christy, come stand here. Kim, you too. There, that’s good. Put your arms around each other. At the waist. Stand closer. Closer. Good. Now, hold it…” He snapped a picture.

He had the girls stand in several variations of a few basic poses. Their bodies touched in all of them. Sometimes it was only their hips, but other times Kim’s breasts touched Christy, or vice versa.

A casual observer wouldn’t have noticed anything overtly sexual, but the level of heat and arousal climbed steadily. Carter was clearly orchestrating it, for his own enjoyment or so Kim would get used to touching another woman. Probably both, I decided.

As he neared the end of the roll, he had them stand facing each other. Christy was five or six inches shorter than Kim.

“Bend your knees, hon,” he told her. “Lower. A bit more. Good. Now, look into her eyes. You too, Christy. Look deep, like you’re gazing into her soul.”

I suppressed a grin. It was a corny line, but eye-level put their breasts at the same level, too, and their nipples touched as they held each other. That was what Carter had wanted in the first place.

He snapped a couple of medium shots and then moved in for close-ups of their breasts pressed together. He didn’t have Sara’s artistic flair, but he was good for an amateur (and a lot better than me).

He finished the roll, loaded another, and moved the girls to a lounge chair. He told Christy to lie on her stomach. Then he directed Kim to rub lotion on her. After a half-dozen pictures, he told Christy to roll over. Kim confidently spread the lotion over Christy’s arms and upper chest. Then Carter told her to rub it on her breasts.

“That okay with you?” he asked me, almost as an afterthought.

“Fine. I’m just enjoying the show.”

He nodded, returned his attention to the girls, and raised the camera to his eye. Kim seemed to enjoy spreading the lotion over Christy’s firm breasts. She moved to her stomach next, although she skipped Christy’s pussy and moved to her thighs. Carter’s body language was disappointed at first and then slightly annoyed, although he didn’t say anything aloud.

“Right,” he said instead. “Switch places. Kim, on your stomach. Christy, grab the lotion.”

“Yes, sir,” they said at the same time. They exchanged hesitant grins and moved into position.

Christy didn’t have any problems doing what Carter asked, and she thoroughly enjoyed rubbing lotion on Kim. She paid special attention to her breasts. Then she gently spread the creamy lotion over Kim’s shaved mons. Kim was clearly holding her breath, although she relaxed as Christy moved down her legs.

The contact was intimate but not quite sexual. None of the pictures would have raised more than an eyebrow if I’d seen them in Penthouse or Oui, but they couldn’t capture Christy’s relaxed enjoyment or Kim’s nervous desire to please Carter.

He was enjoying himself, although for an entirely different reason. Sure, he probably enjoyed watching the girls together—who wouldn’t?—but he liked telling them what to do more than anything. He didn’t have an actual hard-on, but his dick had grown a couple of inches and was thicker than before.

He finished loading a new roll of film.

“Do you mind if I shoot some more risqué poses?” he asked me. “Of Kim to start with, so you can see what I mean.”

“Go for it.”

Kim herself blushed, from excitement instead of fear. Carter told her to sit on the lounge chair and cross her legs at the ankle. He started taking pictures.

Christy didn’t know what to do, so I snapped my fingers and silently ordered her to my side. I put my arm around her and bent to whisper in her ear.

“Having fun?”

“Oh my gosh, yes!”

“Yes, what?”

“Oh, sorry. Yes, sir.”

“Is your pussy wet?”

She swallowed and then nodded.

“Say it.”

“My…” She swallowed and tried again. “My pussy’s wet. Sir.”

“Good.”

Carter told Kim to cup her breasts. He snapped a picture and told her to pinch her nipples. They were already stiff, but she rolled them between her fingers and thumbs.

“Beautiful,” he said.

Christy and I watched as he took a few more pictures and some close-ups of Kim playing with her breasts. Then he stepped back and told her to uncross her legs.

“Carter and I had a nice chat,” I told Christy in a low voice.

Her nostrils flared but she didn’t say anything.

“We worked out the details of what we’re going to do.”

“Are…?” She swallowed. “Are you going to tell me? Sir?”

I pretended to consider it, although I really wanted to give her imagination time to run wild.

“Not yet,” I said at last.

“Spread your legs,” Carter told Kim. “Good. Beautiful.” He snapped a picture. “Wider… uh-huh… wider. Perfect.” The shutter clicked. “Now, touch yourself.” He shot a couple of pictures and then moved in for a close-up. “Spread it open. Use your fingers. Wider… spread your cookie. Good.” He stood and checked a setting on his camera. His dick still wasn’t completely hard, but it was about as big as it was going to get. He was five or six inches long, and very thick.

Christy moistened her lips and swallowed hard.

“You want to suck his dick?” I asked quietly.

She nodded.

“Say it.”

“I want to suck it. His dick.”

“I might let you… if you ask nicely.”

“Please, please, can I?”

“You’ll have to ask him, too. In the meantime, I’ll think about it.”

She let out a quiet moan of frustration.

I chuckled, and Carter looked our way. He realized what I was up to. He smirked, gave me a nod of approval, and returned his attention to Kim.

“Turn over,” he told her. “On your hands and knees, ass in the air. Good. Beautiful. Now hold that.”

Carter shot another half-dozen pictures, the last one a close-up of Kim’s ass and damp pussy. She loved every minute of it, and the flush of arousal had spread to her chest by the time he finished the roll.

“What do you think?” he asked me. “Do you want me to shoot some of Christy?”

“Absolutely.”

“How far do you want me to go?”

I pretended to consider it. “About the same as Kim. Have her play with her nipples. Then her pussy. Finish with some spread shots. Make sure you get a couple of close-ups, too.” I belatedly realized that I was giving him orders. “Please,” I added, although it sounded lame.

“Right,” he agreed with a grin. “Hon, go keep Paul company. Do as he says.”

“Yes, sir.” She closed her legs and stood.

“Your turn,” I told Christy. “Do exactly what Carter tells you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

She went to join him, and he told her to sit on the chair.

I watched Kim as she moved to my side. She lowered her eyes but smiled. Her nipples were stiff with arousal, and her chest rose and fell with her excited breathing. I leaned back and studied her ass. It was firm and well-toned, like the rest of her.

“What do you think?” I asked her.

She furrowed her brow. “I… don’t understand.”

“Excuse me?”

She reacted like I’d seen before, as though she’d been slapped. “Sir,” she said quickly. “I don’t understand, sir.”

“Good. Now, answer my question. What do you think? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You liked spreading your pussy, didn’t you? Especially with people watching.”

She swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Your cookie.” I chuckled to myself at the word, but Kim sighed with barely suppressed desire, so I revised my opinion. “You like it shaved, don’t you?”

“Carter likes it. Sir.”

“But what about you?”

“I like it too. Anything he wants.”

I nodded and considered her. “He wants me to fuck you.”

“I— I know. Sir.”

“We’ll see,” I said with studied indifference. “He and I still need to discuss it. Maybe. If you’re a good girl.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

We lapsed into silence and watched as Carter directed Christy. She was equal parts nervous and excited, although she began to relax as Carter told her what to do and snapped pictures. She was more reserved than Kim had been, but she spread her legs and then used her fingers to spread her pussy. Her insides were pink and very wet.

Carter leaned in, shot a close-up, and then turned the camera on its side. He took one last picture before it began to whir and rewind the film.

He straightened slowly. He had a real hard-on now, and he didn’t care if I saw. Kim watched him like a hawk. She unconsciously moistened her lips, which made my own dick twitch with interest. I chuckled, soft and suggestive, and she looked at me.

“Oh, I’m going to fuck you all right,” I told her in a low, confident voice. “I’m going to fuck you while your husband watches. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

She swallowed hard and didn’t have a chance to answer before Carter looked at us. He asked her a silent question. She glanced at me before she ventured a nod.

“Yes, sir,” she said aloud, and I had to bite my tongue not to laugh.

Carter only understood half the answer, but it didn’t matter. He breathed a sigh of relief and beamed at me.

Sadly, he didn’t seem inclined to start an orgy right away, so I decided to cool things down.

“Let’s go for a swim.”

* * *

We had a package of bacon left in the refrigerator from the last time Wren had gone shopping, so Carter fried it, while I sliced tomatoes, washed lettuce, and toasted the bread. He assembled BLTs for us and Kim, and I made a couple of cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches for Christy. We filled two bowls with carrot and celery sticks, and he made some quick ranch dip from a packet.

“Oh, yum!” Christy said when we delivered the plates. She happily munched a carrot.

“I used to call her ‘Bunny,’ back when we first met,” I said.

“You still call me that. Little Bit, Sunshine, Birdy. He has lots of nicknames for me.”

“I used to tease Kim,” Carter said, “when we were first dating. She only ate salads.”

“I wanted to look nice for you,” she said. “I still do.”

“You look amazing, hon.” He leaned over and kissed her, so I did the same to Christy.

As we ate, Carter explained how he’d become interested in photography.

“My dad had a Brownie Hawkeye, the one with the flash,” he said. “He was always taking pictures. At the beach, on road trips, wherever. He gave me my first camera when I was eight, a little Kodak Instamatic. I upgraded to a Yashica Electro 35 when I was twelve, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

“Christy and I mostly stick to Polaroids.” I meant it as a joke about my own ability (or lack thereof), but he took me seriously.

“Right. And I know why. Same here. For our ‘action’ photography.”

Kim blushed and glanced at Christy.

“Most of the Fotomats are kids these days,” Carter added. “I don’t want some pizza-face loser to steam open the envelope and see Kim in all her glory.”

“No,” I agreed.

“I don’t mind showing her off in public, but that isn’t the same. For the things we do in private? No, definitely Polaroids.” He glanced at her and then said to me, “We might show you some of them, especially if things go like we discussed—”

Kim’s cheeks and neck flushed with sudden arousal, and I realized that she liked the threat of Carter exposing her.

“—but we don’t want negatives or anything else that might come back to haunt us. It probably wouldn’t hurt me—my face isn’t in many of them—but it could ruin Kim’s life.” He shot her another glance. “Especially since some of them are… extreme.”

My imagination kicked into overdrive as I tried to picture “extreme.” Facials? Anal? Toys? Fruits and vegetables? Bondage? Humiliation? The list was endless, and I probably would’ve gone off the deep end of fetishes if Carter hadn’t pulled me back from the brink.

“While we’re on the subject…” He reached into his camera bag and pulled out the canisters of exposed film from earlier. “Let’s discuss these.”

His idea of a gentleman’s agreement was a lot more detailed than mine would’ve been, but he was an attorney. The basics were fairly simple: he’d send us copies, he wouldn’t show anyone without our permission, and he wouldn’t let the negatives out of his control after he received them from the lab.

“Subject to a fine of… oh, five hundred dollars per negative?”

I lifted my jaw off the table. “What?”

“I want to make it painful, for real,” he explained. “So you’ll know I’m serious.” He nodded at the canisters. “That’s sixty grand in fines right there. If I ever lose control of the negatives. Does that convince you?”

“Yeah, sure, absolutely.” I forced a laugh. “I was thinking ‘bad karma for life.’”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m pretty serious about privacy. Ours first, obviously, but yours as well.”

“I can tell.”

He repeated the details, and we formally shook hands to seal our “meeting of the minds.” I didn’t understand the jargon, but it made him happy.

We chatted about everyday things for the rest of the meal, mostly about their life in Charlotte compared to ours in Knoxville. They had far more leisure time than we did, but we liked similar things.

“If you don’t mind,” Carter said afterward, “I’d like to discuss something else.” He glanced at Kim and received a slight nod. It was a formality, his way to include her in the decision-making, but he still went to the trouble to do it. I couldn’t imagine her disagreeing with him, though. She wasn’t a doormat, but she clearly liked Carter to make all the decisions.

“What would you think if we moved over here for our last couple of nights?” He nodded at one of the empty bungalows. “We don’t mind sleeping on an air mattress and living out of apple crates.”

“They also have air conditioning,” Kim added.

“Right,” he agreed. “We haven’t been sleeping well. Too hot at night, and we aren’t used to it. I didn’t think it’d be a problem when we first made the reservations, but…” He shrugged. “We also like the company better here, not to mention the pool and clubhouse.”

“Thanks,” I said. “And we like you.”

“So… what do you think?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all. What about you, Bunny?”

Christy rolled her eyes but finished chewing her celery stick. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Well, we wanted to ask you first,” Carter said, “before we talk to Susan.”

Something Trip had said nagged at me until I remembered what it was.

“Oh, I know! I’m not sure about the insurance.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Carter said. He thought I was making excuses. “No hard feelings.”

“No, I’m serious. Susan has liability insurance for the camp. In case someone gets injured or burns themselves on the stove.”

Christy cleared her throat softly, and I realized I was explaining liability to an attorney.

“Sorry,” I said. “Forgot who I was talking to. Anyway, she has insurance. I don’t know if she has it for the Retreat, though, since it’s only us at the moment.”

“Ah, right. You’re contractors. And since you’re here for business purposes, you should carry your own insurance.”

“Sure,” I said, a bit uncertainly. “That’s Trip’s department.”

“I can write up a quick hold harmless agreement if she wants me to,” Carter said. “That should cover it.”

“If you say so.”

“That still brings us back to you. Are you okay if we move here for a couple of days?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” I said. “It’ll be nice to have the company.”

“It will,” Christy agreed.

“Cool, thanks,” he said.

“When do you want to move?” I asked. “We’ll give you a hand.”

“We’d appreciate it. I also want to shoot a few more rolls down at the main camp,” he added. “Two, maybe three. If that’s okay with you. We can’t do the risqué shots, but I’m sure we can find a few private locations for some cookie shots.” He glanced at Kim, and I realized that he wanted to show off her shaved pussy where others might see.

“Sounds good,” I said. I looked at Christy just to be sure, but I already knew how she felt about the threat of humiliation.

“Oh my gosh, yes.”

Carter grinned at her enthusiasm. “Right. Another thing we have in common.”

“I’m telling you,” I said, “she’s the luckiest girl in the world. She wanted to meet someone like you, and voilà, here you are!”

* * *

We spent a couple of hours with Carter and Kim in the main camp. We started by the lake, and people gave us space when they saw the camera. They were polite about it, for the most part, since Carter wasn’t taking pictures of people without their permission. One old guy didn’t like it, though. He didn’t say anything to us, but he glared and huffed and visibly grumbled.

“He’s one of those types,” Carter said. “Not in my back yard.”

“You kids get off my lawn!” I agreed with a chuckle.

“He’s the same one who didn’t like that we’re shaved,” Christy said.

My attitude changed abruptly. “Too damn bad. Now there are more of us. Carter, are you sure you don’t wanna shave too? Then he can be four times as annoyed.”

“Pretty sure,” Carter laughed easily. “Do we need to go somewhere else?”

“No.” I glared at the man and seriously thought about confronting him.

“Paul, calm down,” Christy said in a soothing voice. “He doesn’t matter. He’s just a mean old man.”

“He’s an asshole. And a prude.”

“Maybe. Only, you can’t change him. Not by hitting him.” She laughed. “No wonder Rich likes you.”

That grabbed my attention. “What’re you talking about? He doesn’t like me.”

“Of course he does. He’s just too stubborn to admit it.”

It was so absurd that I felt my anger drain away, only to be replaced by embarrassment. I relaxed and focused on my breathing.

“Better?” Christy said.

“Yeah, I’m cool.”

“Thank you for wanting to protect us,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome. Sorry I overreacted.”

“That’s okay. I’m used to it. I grew up with Rich.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. Then I very deliberately turned my back on the old man.

“Ready to get back to the fun stuff?” Carter asked. He gestured with the camera. “I see a good spot over there, out of sight. What do you say, hon? Ready to flash your cookie?” He leaned toward me and added under his breath, “Yeah, it sounds stupid, but it gets her hot, so…”

We trooped away from the lake, toward one of the empty houses. A magnolia tree gave us plenty of shade, and part of the house blocked the view from the lake.

I felt a lingering sense of hostility toward the old man, but I gradually relaxed as the girls posed for Carter. Something about a pair of nude and sexy models put me in a different frame of mind.

Gee, ya think? the little head said.

Oh, shut up! No one asked you.

Carter scooted a couple of old patio chairs into place on either side of the girls. Kim knew what to do without being told. She raised one foot to the seat of the chair, and Christy followed her lead after a moment.

“Let’s see it, hon,” Carter said. “Spread your cookie.”

For a moment I was afraid she’d do the “two-finger spread,” the thing I hated most about Hustler and magazines like it. Fortunately, she was too classy for that. She rested her hand on her thigh and used her fingers to discreetly spread herself open. Christy followed suit, and Carter took several pictures, including close-ups of their pussies.

We took pictures in several more spots around camp, and Carter always managed to find someplace with enough cover so the girls could pose for a beaver shot or two. In the last one, he asked Christy to kneel at Kim’s side and touch her pussy, which she was more than happy to do. Kim was nervous about it, but she managed to smile for the camera.

“Thank you, ladies,” Carter said. “You were beautiful.” He unloaded the exposed roll and sealed it in its canister. “Same agreement as before?” he asked me.

“Oh, Carter,” Kim said, “don’t be such a lawyer all the time.”

Sandy blond eyebrows rose in surprise. Then he looked at me with a bemused expression.

“I guess she told you,” I said.

“I don’t mind,” he said. “From time to time. Are you ready to talk to Susan? Then we’ll move our things.”

“Sounds good.”

* * *

Susan didn’t have a problem with them moving or the insurance, but Carter wrote out an agreement anyway.

“I need a real business manager for this place,” she grumbled to herself. “I have them for everything else. Why not here?”

“The camp is home,” I told her simply.

“You’re right, but things are changing. I need to keep up with the times.”

“I could put you in touch with a few people,” Carter suggested. “I don’t know anyone local, but I can ask around.”

“No, but thank you,” she said. “I know everyone in the area. I’ll find someone.”

“Speaking of people in the area…,” I said. “Trip found us an architect to work with. Christy and I met him on Monday. Granville Blair.”

“G.B.,” Susan said with a nod. “He’s quite a character, isn’t he?”

“That’s a polite way to put it.”

“Yes, well. He and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I’ve never had trouble with him. He’s still around, after all.”

My eyebrows shot up with amusement and no small amount of surprise. Susan didn’t make idle threats.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she laughed. “I haven’t run anyone out of the county in years.”

It was Carter’s turn to look surprised, especially at the matter-of-fact way she’d said it.

Susan glanced at her watch and sighed. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

“Today?” I said. “It’s a holiday.”

“But the camp doesn’t stop running. We have the barbecue tonight, the fireworks, and a thousand other details I need to see to.” She sighed. “I miss Jeremiah.”

“Anything we can help with?” Carter asked.

“No, but thank you.” She summoned a smile. “Relax and enjoy your vacation. I think you’ll be much happier with… shall we say, the ‘hospitality’ at the Retreat.”

“Right,” he chuckled. “I think we will.”

We said goodbye and walked back toward the clubhouse.

“I see why you like her,” Carter said. “She’s the heart of the whole operation, isn’t she?”

“She’s more than that,” I said. “She’s the brains of a small empire.”

He glanced my way, so I told him about her business savvy.

“I don’t know how much she’s worth,” I finished, “but it’s well into the millions. Probably tens of millions, if I had to guess.”

“Sounds like my father,” he agreed. Then he glanced at me sideways. “You probably figured it out already, but my family has money. Not Sam Walton money, but we aren’t hoi polloi.”

My eyebrows twitched at his choice of words, but I nodded.

“Kim’s father too, although his money’s tied to the country club. We don’t have trust funds or anything like that,” he added quickly. “We have to live on my salary.”

“Kim’s helps, I’m sure.”

“No, hers is for fun. Clothes and jewelry, hair and nails, things like that. She likes working, though, and I want her to keep doing it until she starts having kids. After I make partner.” He thought of something and laughed. “I don’t want to admit we’re yuppies, but I guess we are.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” I said.

He shrugged. “Money can’t buy happiness.”

“Very true.”

We walked the rest of the way in thoughtful silence. I’d grown to like Carter a lot, and in only two days. We were different in some ways but alike in the ones that mattered.

* * *

We helped Carter and Kim move into an empty bungalow, and they combined their food with ours in the fridge and cupboards. Then we spent a couple of hours by the pool.

Christy and Kim relaxed and soaked up the late afternoon sun. Then they painted their toenails, coral for Christy and another coat of red for Kim. After that, Kim offered to give Christy a manicure.

“My nails are a mess,” Christy demurred. “I used to chew them. And I can’t do anything with them now.”

“I’m sure we can make them look nice,” Kim said. “Come on, let me see.”

Carter watched with an indulgent smile and then returned his attention to the documents he was reviewing. He and I were working. He’d brought case files with him, and I had my designs.

Some part of me was disappointed that we’d naturally decided to do “girl things” and “guy things.” I didn’t like to think of myself as old-fashioned, especially when it came to men and women, but I’d been raised in that environment. Breaking the mold wasn’t so easy. Like Carter, I was probably more of a chauvinist than I wanted to admit, but at least I tried to be aware of it.

The girls decided to distract us when Christy’s nails had dried.

“Come swim with us,” Kim begged. “It’s almost dinnertime, and you’ve been working all afternoon.”

“I have to get this done,” Carter said. “I have to file a brief, and I’m in court on Monday.”

Christy simply arched an eyebrow and then glanced with disapproval at my drawing board.

“They’re right,” I told Carter. “All work and no play…”

“Right. But this ‘dull boy’ has clients who don’t care, plus a senior partner who only cares about billable hours.”

“But we’re on vacation,” Kim wheedled. “Come play with us. Please.”

He glanced at me. “We could open a bottle of wine,” he suggested. “I hate to drink more of yours, but I promise we’ll go to town tomorrow and restock your cellar.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Red or white?” he asked. “Never mind, I’ll decide.”

“Grab two,” I said.

“Good idea. Be right back. C’mon, hon,” he said to Kim. “You can help me carry everything.”

I set my drafting board aside, stood, and stretched the kinks from my back. Christy waited before she slid into my arms.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I know.”

“I like Kim. We have a lot in common. Clothes and makeup and hair. Girl things,” she added wryly. “I could see you thinking about it. I know you.”

“You do,” I chuckled.

“Only, I like girl things.”

“I’m glad.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like boy things too. So does Kim. Especially long, hard things.”

I chuckled. “Speaking of which… What do you think of Carter?”

“I really like him.”

“And his dick?” I prompted.

“Very suckable.” She grinned up at me. “Kim was telling me what you talked about. You and Carter had quite a discussion earlier. When were you going to tell me? Oh, don’t look so surprised. Of course she told me. She wanted to know what you like. Sex stuff.”

“Did you tell her?”

“Of course. I told you, we have a lot in common.” She laughed softly. “She’s the exact opposite of Lily. All she cares about is making Carter happy. Or you, if things work out.”

“I think they will,” I said.

“I think so too. Only, she said Carter doesn’t want to rush.”

“What does she want?” I asked.

“To make him happy.”

“And you? What do you want?”

“To make you happy,” she said in a breathy imitation of Kim. “I shouldn’t make fun of her,” she added quickly. “She’s really sweet. And she loves Carter. Not at all like Lily and Will. Oh, and for the record, I like it much better when you take charge. Today’s been perfect.” She pretended to frown. “Maybe a little more fellatio next time, but I don’t want to sound demanding. Not like Wren. Sometimes it’s nice to let it build up. I know that doesn’t make sense—”

“No, I understand.”

“I knew you would. You always do.”

“Mmm.”

She hugged me tight and pressed her cheek to my chest. “I love you so much right now.”

“I love you too.”

Carter and Kim emerged from the clubhouse.

“Ah, sorry,” he said. “Want us to give you a minute?”

“Nah, you’re fine. We were just talking about how much we’ve enjoyed today.” Christy and I slid apart and turned to face them.

Carter grinned. “Us too. Kim said she told Christy what you and I talked about.”

I nodded.

“You don’t mind that I still want to take things slow?”

“Not at all.”

“I want to sleep on it.” He chuckled and nodded at Kim. “She’s ready to go—”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and her cheeks flushed with a combination of embarrassment and arousal.

“—but I’m being cautious.”

“No problem,” I assured him.

“In the meantime, I picked out a wine. White, to go with dinner. I thought I’d do chicken cordon bleu with French-style green beans, sautéed in butter.”

“Oh, yum!” Christy said. “Très délicieux.”

“Regular for us,” he added, “sans jambon pour toi.”

“Merci beaucoup.”

“Showoff,” I muttered with a smile.

“You’re just jealous,” she said airily.

“Of course I am,” I laughed. “I can’t even speak Pig Latin!”

Carter chuckled and opened the first bottle of wine. He emptied it into four red Solo cups.

“You need to get some of those acrylic ones,” he said. “At least, something that looks like a wineglass. Never mind. What am I complaining about?” He raised his cup. “To good friends.”

We echoed the toast and drank.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Carter said. “You have really good taste in wine.”

“I still can’t take credit for it,” I said. “But thanks.”

We took our cups into the pool to cool off. Christy swam and frolicked like the water nymph she was. Then she begged until I finally joined her.

I handed my cup to Carter and said in my best Georgia redneck voice, “Here, hold my beer.”

He snorted a laugh.

I lunged toward Christy, who shrieked and kicked away. She put on a burst of speed and beat me to the deep end. She climbed out, scampered along the diving board, and launched herself over my head.

I flipped around and swam after her. She wasn’t quite as fast as Wren, but the difference was purely academic. I didn’t have a minnow’s chance of catching her. She finally took pity on me after a couple of laps. She swam into my arms and kissed me.

“Happy, my little selkie?”

She frowned in amusement.

“A mythical creature,” I said grandly. And with an air of mystery, “A shapeshifter. A beautiful maiden on land, a seal in the water.”

Her eyes flashed. “Ooh, I like it. What do these selkies do?”

“They steal men’s hearts.”

“Do they seduce them?”

“Of course!”

“Oh, goody.” She wrapped her legs around my waist.

“Don’t mind us,” I said to Carter and Kim. “Just go about your business. Pretend we aren’t having sex.”

“Go for it. You mind if we watch?”

“Not at all,” I laughed.

Christy knew I was kidding, but she kissed my neck anyway. Then she kissed her way up to the sensitive spot under my ear.

“I need your cock,” she whispered.

The cock in question filled with blood so quickly that I grew lightheaded.

“We should go,” Kim said automatically.

“No, don’t,” I said. “Sorry, we’ll behave.”

Christy buried her face in the hollow of my neck. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, Selkie, we do.”

“Don’t behave on our account,” Carter said.

“No, you said you wanna take things slow.”

“I’m having second thoughts.”

“It’s up to you.”

He considered it. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Christy whined in frustration. My dick swelled painfully. Even Kim looked disappointed.

“Let’s start dinner instead,” Carter said.

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. You wanna be my sous?”

“Oh, no,” I laughed. “I know what that means. ‘Kitchen slave.’”

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“I am getting a little hungry,” Christy said.

“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “You didn’t have a snack this afternoon.”

“I was having fun. So sue me.”

“On what grounds?” Carter joked.

“Oh, Carter,” Kim said, “seriously?”

He chuckled. “Sorry. Lawyer humor. Not funny. But I’m serious about dinner. I need to get started if we want to eat.”

“Yeah, I’m coming,” I said.

“Mmm, you said come,” Christy whispered.

“Later.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

The girls drank the second bottle of wine while we were cooking dinner. Christy walked into the clubhouse with the empty one. I glanced at my watch, but she waved away my question and met me for a kiss.

“You’ll thank me later,” she said quietly. Then she said in a normal voice, “We decided to get drunk. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Fine by me,” I chuckled. “Carter?”

“What? Right. Whatever.” He turned down the heat on the green beans. “Would you take the chicken out of the oven? It needs to cool.”

“Sure. Hold that thought,” I told Christy.

I removed the pan from the oven and set it on a couple of dishtowels.

“Smells yummy,” she said.

I opened the fridge for another bottle of wine, and she playfully held up the corkscrew. I sent her on her way with a kiss and a swat on the bottom. She shot me a kittenish grin over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Carter and I finished plating dinner. He wasn’t as artistic as Wren, but I wasn’t going to complain. And I had a good chuckle when I realized that I kept comparing him to professionals, Sara the photographer and Wren the chef. The fact that he was even in their league was a serious accomplishment. I certainly wasn’t.

The girls abruptly fell silent when we emerged from the clubhouse with dinner. They leaned together and giggled. Christy wasn’t the best conspirator in the world, and Kim wasn’t either, especially tipsy.

“I bet I know what you were talking about,” I said.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kim teased. “Mr. Big.”

Carter’s eyebrows flew up when he realized she was flirting with me. He recovered quickly and set her plate in front of her. I set Christy’s in front of her and slid into the chair next to her. Carter topped off everyone’s wine.

“Bon appétit,” he said when he finally sank into his own chair.

We ate in silence for several minutes. We weren’t exactly ravenous, although I couldn’t help but compare us to a pack of wolves. A very well-bred pack, that is.

“Oh my gosh, this is delicious,” Christy said when she stopped long enough to draw breath. Carter had made her two breasts and loaded her plate with extra beans. “You have to teach me how to make it.”

“I’d be glad to,” he said. “It’s easy.”

“See?” she added to me. “I can be more domestic.”

“I never doubted it.”

“Do you do most of the cooking?” Carter asked me.

“No, Wren does. She grew up in restaurants.”

“Oh, that’s right!” he said. “You told me. Her father owns several.”

“Yeah. She’s basically a professional.”

“Paul cooks the rest of the time,” Christy said. “I’m too unreliable, and Trip thinks it’s ‘women’s work.’” She rolled her eyes to show what she thought of that.

Carter laughed it off. “Most chefs throughout history were men.”

“Carter loves to cook,” Kim added.

“I don’t have as much time as I’d like,” he said.

“And you cook steak more than you should.”

“What’s the matter with steak?” he laughed. “It beats chicken.”

“It makes your come taste bitter.”

He choked on the bite he was chewing and succumbed to a fit of coughing.

I waited until he recovered, although I couldn’t quite suppress a grin. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, red-faced, and took a swig of wine to clear his throat.

“She’s right,” Christy said into the silence. “Paul’s tastes sour when he eats steak.”

Carter cleared his throat again. “Right. Good to know.”

“I heard pineapple makes it taste sweet,” Kim said, and Carter reeled.

“Oh my gosh, yes! I used to live in Hawaii,” Christy said, “and we ate pineapple all the time. My first boyfriend—”

“Vaughn?” Kim asked. “The one you were telling me about?”

“Mmm hmm. His tasted awesome.”

“I’ve only ever tasted Carter’s. It’s okay most of the time. Just, not when you eat steak,” she added.

“Noted,” he croaked. He cleared his throat with another swallow of wine. “I’m gonna need more of this.”

“Paul, dear…?”

“I’m on it.” I grinned at Carter as I stood. “Welcome to my world.”

“It’s different,” he admitted.

“Yeah, but the conversation’s never dull.”

“You’re right about that. Ahem. Sorry. Wine…?”

* * *

“That was yummy,” Christy said when she finished eating. She hadn’t actually licked her plate, but it looked clean enough to put back in the cupboard. “Thank you very much.”

“You’re very welcome,” Carter said.

“What’s for dessert?”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Kim told her. “You ate twice as much as the guys…”

“My metabolism. It’s really high.”

“Her libido too,” I said to Carter.

“Are you complaining?” she asked sweetly.

“No, dear.”

The other couple exchanged a smile.

“So,” Christy repeated, “what’s for dessert?”

“Well,” Carter said, “I thought I’d—”

“Ooh, you know what I really want? Strawberries. Yum!”

“Okay,” he adjusted quickly. “The lady wants strawberries.”

“And cream.” She grinned at Kim.

“Special cream?”

“Mmm, yes, please!”

Carter looked stricken. “Are they talking about…? Again?”

“Yeah. Christy doesn’t exactly have a fetish, but—”

“I love the taste,” she finished.

“The taste…,” I chuckled, “the way it feels in your mouth… on your face… in your tummy… inside you. Did I miss anywhere?” I was buzzed enough that my inhibitions were on vacation. The little head wasn’t in control, yet, but he thought semen was a perfectly acceptable topic for after-dinner conversation.

“Do you like when he comes on your face?” Kim asked Christy.

“I do, but it dries out my skin if I leave it too long.”

“Carter says it’s good for my complexion.”

“Yeah, but only if you swallow.”

“Right! I tried to tell him, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t mind, and it makes him happy.”

Carter sat back and took a bit longer to adjust. “Right,” he said at last.

“Um… strawberries?” Christy prompted, and he laughed.

“Don’t forget the special cream,” Kim added with a giggle. She was drunk, and I realized what Christy had meant when she’d said I’d thank her.

“Shall we?” I said to Carter.

“We shall.” He laughed again, but it was a little uncertain.

We carried the dinner plates inside with us.

“I’ll wash up later,” he said, and I realized he wanted the safety of routine.

“Sorry about Christy.”

“No, no. It’s all right.”

“She isn’t quite as submissive as Kim. She is, sort of, but she also has a habit of manipulating things from the background.”

“I can tell.” He thought about it and admitted, “I’m probably being too cautious. The girls are ready. Obviously.”

“What was your first clue?” I chuckled, and he shot me a rueful grin. “But, seriously… I can slow things down if you want.”

“What? No, no. This is what I want, isn’t it?”

“You tell me.”

He gave me a look I couldn’t interpret. “I’d like to watch you in a courtroom sometime, in front of a judge.”

“Okay. But why?”

“Someplace you wouldn’t be so ridiculously cool.”

“What? The flirting and innuendo? I’ve done this before.”

“I know,” he said. “And I’m not used to situations where I’m not in control.”

I shrugged and thought about it. “Then take control. Kim wants special cream? No problem. Give her a bowl of strawberries, stick your dick in her face, and tell her to suck it. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. Well, to Christy.”

He grinned. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

“Same here.”

“And don’t take this the wrong way,” he added, “but I’m dying to see her in action. You too, if I’m being honest.”

“Then let’s cut up these strawberries and get back out there.”

We only had enough for two bowls, and Carter was a little disappointed.

“Priorities,” I laughed. “The strawberries are just the excuse.”

“I know, but I wanted some too.” He ate one. “These’re good. They’re small and full of flavor. The big ones are all water.”

I leaned against the counter, casually crossed my arms, and gave him a “do tell” expression.

“You have to get them from the farmer directly. Or the farmer’s market. The ones in the grocery stores aren’t ripe.” He bit into another one and showed me. “See how this one’s red all the way through? None of—” He caught my expression and sighed. “I’m stalling, aren’t I?”

I slow-nodded.

“Right.” He picked up the bowls.

“Ah-ah.” I gently took the second one from him. “Unless you have enough, ahem, cream.”

“For both?” he chuckled. “Hell, no. I wish!”

“Then I’d better take Christy’s.”

We headed out.

“We thought you’d gotten lost,” Kim said.

“No,” I said mildly. “Carter was telling me about strawberries.”

“I thought it was interesting,” he said under his breath.

“So did I,” I said, again mildly. “But the girls were waiting.”

“And beginning to wonder,” Christy agreed. Then she grinned up at me. “Did you bring our special cream?”

“Yes, but you have to serve yourself.” I set the bowl in front of her, moved close, and offered her my cock. “You know what to do.”

“Yes, sir.” She skipped most of her usual blowjob foreplay and went straight to sucking. She moaned softly as my dick expanded in her mouth. I’d been half-hard already, and it didn’t take much.

“You too, hon,” Carter said to Kim. “Suck it.”

“Mmm, yes, sir.”

I actually did a double-take.

“What’s the matter?” Carter said.

“Nothing,” I replied quickly. “Just that she sounded exactly like Christy.”

He chuckled. “’Cause you trained her well.”

“I dunno ’bout that. Let’s just say that I brought out her natural tendencies.”

“Most subs are that way,” he said. “They’re pleasers.”

Christy stopped sucking long enough to say, “He’s right.”

“Who told you to stop?” I snapped at her. “Keep sucking.”

She moaned and swallowed half my length. Then she forced my dick into the back of her throat.

Carter watched for a moment. “That’s a pretty impressive trick. And don’t take this the wrong way,” he added, “but you lied.”

I frowned. “When?”

“When you said you don’t have a horse-cock.”

“What? It’s a little bigger than normal.”

He wasn’t convinced.

“Trust me,” I said, “I’ve met guys with real horse-cocks, and mine isn’t in the same league.”

“Let’s ask Christy.”

She released me and caught her breath. “It’s pretty big.”

“Can she deep throat?” he asked, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. She can.”

“Let’s see, my dear,” he told her. “Put his cock in the back of your throat.”

“Yes, sir.” She took a deep breath, steadied my shaft, and took me halfway. Then she grabbed my ass for leverage and swallowed another couple of inches.

“Hey, hon, you gotta see this,” he said to Kim, who whined in frustration. “Never mind,” he chuckled. He grinned at me instead. “Priorities. She’s enjoying herself,” he added. “She doesn’t like distractions when she’s pleasuring me.” He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled down at her. “That’s a good girl, keep going. Keep Daddy happy.”

My eyebrows rose at that, but I didn’t say anything. Carter fell silent as well, and I took the opportunity to watch Kim. His dick was thick enough that she couldn’t swallow more than an inch past the head. She compensated by using her tongue and hands. She cupped his balls and massaged them, while she stroked him at the same time.

Christy moaned and drew my attention. She released me and swallowed.

“Sorry, leakage.”

She took me deep without waiting for me to tell her. She paused halfway to catch her breath before she swallowed me the rest of the way. I groaned as her lips closed around the base of my cock. She bobbed slowly, and some stupid, analytical part of my brain marveled that she could hold her breath so long.

Fortunately, the sensations from my cock overrode the urge to count the seconds, and I simply enjoyed the feeling of her hot, wet, tight mouth. She withdrew slowly and caressed my shaft with her lips and tongue.

She paused for a moment before she took me deep again. I rested a hand on her head, closed my eyes, and concentrated on the heat of her mouth. I wouldn’t last long if she kept it up, but that was the whole point.

“Oh, that’s it, hon,” Carter groaned from the other side of the table. “Get the bowl.”

Kim pulled back, reached for the strawberries, and stroked his thick shaft. He groaned again and shot two massive spurts into the bowl. His come was thick and very white, especially against the red of the berries. Kim continued stroking and milked two more gushes onto them. Then she captured the tip of his cock and sucked gently.

The sight was enough to push me over the edge. Christy pulled back in surprise and fumbled for her own bowl. She found it just in time and thrust it under my cock. The first spurt was so strong that it hit her face instead. She laughed in surprise and adjusted her aim.

The rest of the spurts covered the strawberries in pearly, translucent liquid. It didn’t look as impressive as the white of Carter’s load, but I shot a lot more than he had. Christy pumped my shaft and moved the bowl under it. She spread semen on the rest of the berries, even around the edge.

When she was happy with the coverage, she made eye contact and wrapped her lips around the head of my cock. A shiny trail of semen led from her forehead to her cheek. It crossed her eyelid, and pearly droplets clung to her eyelashes. She sucked my cock as it slowly grew soft. Then she sat back and caught her breath.

“That was impressive,” Carter said.

“Thanks.” I swallowed hard. “You too.”

Christy paused to carefully wipe semen from her eye. She winced and blinked several times to clear it before she used her middle finger to wipe it again. Then she licked them clean one after the other.

She wiped semen from the rest of her face and licked her fingers. Then she licked the tip of my cock and sighed as she tasted the last of my load.

“Wow,” Carter said, “she really likes it. I thought you might be exaggerating. What do you think, hon?” he asked Kim.

She hugged him around the hips and gazed up at him. “I’m happy if you’re happy.”

He chuckled and stroked her hair. “Good girl.”

Christy started to reach for her bowl.

“Whoa, not so fast,” I said. “What do you say first?”

“Please, sir, may I eat my strawberries and cream?”

“Very well-trained,” Carter said.

“Go ahead,” I told her.

“You too, hon,” he added to Kim.

The girls made a show of enjoying their dessert. They were play-acting for our benefit, but I couldn’t fault their enthusiasm.

“Save some to share,” Carter told Kim, and for a moment I thought he meant with him. That would’ve been a twist I hadn’t seen coming. He turned to me and added, “Do you mind if the girls trade?” He read my expression and laughed. “What? You thought I wanted some?”

“For a moment, yeah. Stranger things’ve happened.”

“No, that isn’t my thing,” he said calmly. “So, you don’t mind? If the girls share?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Christy’s eyes flashed with excitement as she handed her bowl to Kim and accepted hers in return. Kim ate a semen-covered berry.

“What do you think, hon?” Carter asked. “Your first taste of another man’s come.”

“I like it.” She blushed and glanced at me. “Although… it’s probably better from the source.”

Carter barked a laugh. “What about you, my dear?” he asked Christy. “Do you like the taste?”

“More, please.”

“Clean your bowl first.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kim used her finger to lick semen and strawberry juice from hers. Christy did the same, although Carter’s come was thick enough that none of it had reached the bowl itself. She pretended to find some.

“Mmm,” she added for his benefit, “yummy semen.”

A muffled boom from the main camp caught our attention. Carter frowned and looked at his watch.

“Kids’ fireworks,” I said.

“Ah, right.”

“The main show won’t start for an hour.”

“We should probably get there early,” he said, “so we can get a good spot.”

I started to say that we had time, but he was using it as an excuse to slow things down.

“Sounds good,” I said instead.

“Okay if we take a bottle of wine?”

“Maybe two?” Christy ventured. “Please? Sir?”

Carter grinned. “Right.”

* * *

We passed my parents as they were walking down the hill from our (their?) cabin. I parked across from the clubhouse, and we waited for them. I made introductions when they joined us. Dad caught my eye when he could do it where the others wouldn’t see. He ogled Kim and gave me a discreet thumbs-up.

Seriously? I thought. First the flight attendants and now her?

I nodded for his benefit but heaved a mental sigh. I didn’t recall him being such a horndog when I was younger. He probably was and I just didn’t know it, but the realization came as a bit of a downer. Then again, maybe he was just congratulating me, although I doubted it. Besides, how was I responsible for what Kim looked like? And what if she’d been a complete airhead? Or a self-centered pretty girl?

I sighed. My father was from a different generation, one where the man got credit for an attractive wife. And he’d grown up with the double standard that men were studs and women were sluts if they had multiple partners. At least he didn’t think of Mom like that. His attitude toward Kim, however, spoke volumes. She was just a score, a notch on the bedpost.

He was a good man in many ways, but his version of the sexual revolution meant more women for him rather than equality for them. At least he and my mom still had a healthy and apparently happy relationship, even though it wasn’t as perfect as I’d always thought. He’d already said as much, that day in the driveway.

“What’s the matter?” Christy asked quietly.

“Nothing. I’ll tell you later.”

She nodded and squeezed my hand for reassurance.

I glanced at her and thought about our relationship. We were still in our honeymoon phase, yet things between us weren’t always simple or painless. Maybe that was part of growing up. The world was complicated, and things on the inside of a relationship weren’t the same as what people saw from the outside. That was the case with my parents.

They were talking with Carter and Kim, so I leaned down to Christy.

“What’s that line?” I asked in a low voice. “I think it’s from the Bible. Something about putting away childish things?”

She concentrated for a moment and then spoke in my ear, “First Corinthians. ‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’ That one?”

I nodded.

She glanced at my parents and seemed to understand. I’d just put away the childish notion of a comfortable, carefree marriage. Christy gave me a sad, hopeful smile. She squeezed my hand again and stretched toward my ear.

“Do you know who wrote it? That verse?”

I shook my head.

“Paul, the Apostle.”

I straightened and blinked in surprise, and she nodded.

My mom started to invite us to watch the fireworks with them, but my dad stopped her with an expression I never saw. He didn’t gesture, either, so I was a bit surprised when she smoothly changed her question into a polite remark. She’d done it because of him, though. I almost laughed at the irony. My parents had a complicated relationship with flexible notions of fidelity, but they could communicate on a level that even I couldn’t follow.

Then again, Christy and I did the same thing. The thought lifted my spirits enough that I shook off the melancholy before it had a chance to get its hooks in me. My parents made the excuse that they were headed to Susan’s house, so we said goodbye and continued down the hill toward the lake.

The entire population must have come to watch the fireworks. One cheerful couple, full-time residents from Susan’s parents’ day, had to be in their eighties—their late eighties. He was in a wheelchair, and she sat beside him. They held hands on top of a blanket spread across their laps.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the universe was trying to tell me something.

The grass around the lake was crowded but not packed. I saw people I vaguely remembered and many who were new. Mr. Nelson of the wire jewelry was there. He was sitting with a couple of other residents, including the grumpy old man from earlier in the day. We skirted them without saying hello.

Then I spotted Dennis and Elaine Raeford. I called and waved, and we exchanged polite hellos. I saw others I knew but didn’t feel the need to speak to, like Manfred Eriksson’s parents and Dwight and Karen Delozier. Dwight was “Donkey Dick,” of the under-the-counter blowjob fame. They were sitting with Stan and Terri Dunbar, who’d been the other half of the blowjob. Both couples were swingers, part of my parents’ extended group.

I thought of Terri Cortez, even though she looked nothing like her namesake. Terri Dunbar was a regular-sized woman with short blonde hair and smallish breasts. I gazed at her for a moment and then blinked in surprise. She looked exactly like an actress in a couple of the porn movies Brooke had sent us. I nudged Christy and gestured for her to look.

She did a double-take. “Oh my gosh. She looks just like—” She leaned close and finished in a whisper, “The woman in Taboo, the mother’s friend. They’re at her house in the beginning. Of the second one, I mean. And she’s the one who has the orgy in the first one.”

“That’s why I pointed her out.” I chuckled and added, “Remind me to tell you about her and Dwight and the barbecue sauce.”

“Barbecue sauce?”

“Trust me, you’ll understand when you hear the story.”

“If you say so.”

I thought about mentioning Dwight to Carter, but I didn’t know how serious he was. Besides, Kim might not be so enthusiastic about a horse-cock for real. So I kept the thought to myself until I knew them better. Besides, I hadn’t even had sex with her myself.

Priorities, I thought, and the little head agreed.

Carter and Kim had found a spot for our blanket and spread it on the grass.

“Sorry,” I said when we joined them. “I had to say hi to people.”

“No problem. Let’s get comfortable. Do you want me to do the honors?” He gestured to the basket, and I handed it over. He withdrew one of the bottles of wine. Beads of condensation covered it, and he frowned at the bottle still in the basket.

“Oh, Carter,” Kim said, “it doesn’t matter if it gets warm. We’re going to drink it anyway.”

“Right you are, hon.”

He opened the bottle and filled four cups as we settled on the blanket. We made small talk until the fireworks started. They were totally minor-league, just as I remembered. And they were everything I loved about the Pines—small and quaint, a throwback to a simpler time. The crowd oohed and aahed and applauded the grand finale. I glanced at Carter and Kim as the booms and smoke faded into the night.

“Well? What did you think?”

“It was amazing,” she said with wine-fueled enthusiasm.

He wasn’t impressed, but he kept it to himself. Then he studied Kim for a moment. He didn’t want to be a wet blanket on her enjoyment, so he adjusted his attitude.

“Yeah,” he said after a moment. “Yeah, it was. Well, maybe not ‘amazing,’ but it was fun.”

“Oh, Carter,” she said fondly, “don’t be such a snob.”

“I’m not! I said it was fun.”

“Mmm hmm.” She lay back and rested her head on his leg. Then she trailed her fingertips over her incredibly flat stomach. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I really enjoyed it.”

She let it drop and gazed up at the stars. “So romantic.”

“It is.”

The people around us were gathering their things and folding their blankets, but they respected our little bubble of privacy.

“I like it here,” Kim added. Her fingers moved higher, to the valley between her flattened breasts. She idly circled one nipple with her middle finger. “The people too.”

“Especially the people,” Carter agreed.

“You don’t have to be so cautious, you know.”

His eyebrows rose in mild surprise, but he didn’t say anything.

“I want to do it, to make you happy, like we talked about.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” she said immediately.

“Okay,” I said into the silence, “that’s our cue. Head back to the Retreat?”

“Yes, please,” the girls said at the same time. Then they looked at each other and giggled.

“Right,” Carter said after a moment. “I can’t argue with that.”

“Why would you try?” Christy wondered aloud.

“Why indeed.” He relaxed and actually laughed. “Come on, let’s do it.”