He headed back upstairs.
“Plates and napkins in the kitchen,” I said to Nikki and Dex. “Fridge too. Duh. For the beer. Make yourselves at home,” I added. “I’m going to wake Christy.”
She was already awake when I bounded up the stairs to the third floor. She yawned and stretched with one of her little squeaks.
“How long was I asleep?” she asked.
“About an hour.”
She tilted her face up for a kiss and then sighed happily. “Who was at the door?”
I told her.
“Pizza? Yum! I’m starving. Someone kept me from my afternoon snack.”
“I fed you,” I protested. “Semen.”
“Not enough.”
“Once this morning and twice this afternoon isn’t enough?” I teased.
“I’m insatiable, remember? Mmm, and Terri’s coming tonight. She likes giving head. Maybe you can seduce her and we’ll double-team you. She’ll decide she likes women after all, and we can double-team her.”
“Oh, boy. Your libido’s in overdrive again, isn’t it?”
“My imagination too.”
“Never thought I’d meet a girl like me.”
She beamed.
“But you’re worse. Do you need to change clothes before the party?”
“I need to put on a bra,” she said, “but this is fine. It’s just friends tonight. I need to fix my hair and makeup, though. Someone mussed me earlier.”
“This ‘someone’ sure did a number on you.”
“Mmm, I know. And he can do it again and again, as often as he likes.”
“He likes,” I said. “But later. Right now, we have guests.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Dex was a bit of a mystery at first. He looked and acted like a punk, complete with tattoos and a couple of piercings. He didn’t speak like one, though, and he definitely wasn’t just a pizza guy. Everything clicked into place when he said he was a student too, working on his master’s degree.
“I study wildlife and fisheries science,” he explained, “with an emphasis on conservation.”
Trip snorted derisively. He caught himself and tried to backpedal. “I mean, can you actually get a job doing that?”
“Sure. With Fish and Wildlife or the National Park Service. They’re who I’m working with now, studying the impact of invasive species.”
“How’s that a problem?” Trip wondered. “Survival of the fittest, right?”
“Not exactly. Evolution is a natural process over hundreds of generations. I’m talking about the sudden introduction of another species. Take trout, for instance. I’m studying the brook trout population. They’re competing against non-native rainbow and brown trout.”
“Why not add Board of Education trout?” I joked. “To make it a fair fight.”
Everyone frowned blankly.
“You know… rainbow versus brook trout? Brown versus Board of Education trout?”
They groaned.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I protested.
“It was the worst!” Wren said.
“Not the worst,” Christy added, “but you’re on probation.”
“No, it was pretty good,” Dex conceded. “And it illustrates a problem we face. People don’t take the environment seriously, so—”
The doorbell rang.
“That’s my cue.” I rose and went to answer it.
“Anyway, it’s a problem,” Dex said from behind me. “So, what do you do, Trip?”
“These days I’m a construction manager.”
“Sounds interesting.”
I opened the front door and stopped. I probably stared. I might’ve said something random. I wasn’t thinking clearly, whatever it was. The blood was going to the wrong head for that.
“So,” Terri said, “sexy enough for you?”
She wore a neon pink minidress that clung to her like a second skin. The cross-neck top revealed her shoulders and made it clear she wasn’t wearing a bra. She didn’t need one, but that wasn’t the point. The dress was a statement more than an outfit, an invitation and a tease.
“That’s a yes?” she ventured.
“Two of them.”
“Two?”
“Think about it.”
She rolled her eyes but then smiled. “Are either of you going to invite me in?”
“Both of us. Sorry about that,” I added. “I’m not really a slave to my… um…”
She raised an eyebrow.
“My… you know,” I finished lamely. “I get carried away sometimes.”
“It’s very flattering.”
“Come on in,” I said, more like a normal person. “Everyone’s in the dining room. We have pizza if you want.”
“I ate earlier, thanks. I brought wine, though. I know you like rosé. It even has a cork.”
I grinned. “I’ll put it in the fridge.”
She handed me a small gift bag as well. Then she leaned close and said in a low voice, “The dress is your real present, but I had to give you something to unwrap in front of everyone else.”
I nodded and ushered her toward the dining room. She stiffened slightly when she saw the others, and I realized that she felt a bit overdressed. Christy must have sensed it too.
“Oh my gosh, I love your dress,” she said.
“Thank you,” Terri said awkwardly. “I thought it was going to be more like a cocktail party. I should go home and change.”
“Nonsense.” “No, stay!” “You look awesome.”
“We want you to stay,” I added in a normal tone.
She blinked and recovered. “Clearly.”
“I know!” Christy said. “Let’s all dress up!”
“Us too?” Trip objected.
Annoyance flashed in her eyes, but she mastered it before the others saw. She forced a smile instead. “No, just the women. Come on,” she said to the others, “let’s do it.”
“You don’t have to,” Terri demurred.
“Trust me,” I told her, “she doesn’t need an excuse to play dress-up.”
Wren glanced at Nikki and sized her up. “I probably have something to fit you.”
Nikki grinned. Then she glanced at Christy. “Sure. Why not?”
Christy’s eyes were already bright with enthusiasm. “You can help me pick something out,” she said to Terri, who looked a little nervous at the prospect.
“This should be fun,” I told the guys.
Christy grabbed Terri’s hand and practically dragged her toward the stairs. Terri shot me a helpless look over her shoulder, but she didn’t resist. Wren and Nikki followed at a more sedate pace.
The doorbell rang, so I went to answer it.
“Ay, birthday boy!” Freddie said. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Freddie,” Rosemary chided.
“Hangin’ fine. Thanks for coming.” I ushered them inside and closed the door.
Freddie held up a purple and gold Crown Royal bag, and Rosemary handed me a small wrapped present.
“Happy birthday,” she said warmly. Then she looked toward the dining room.
“The girls are playing dress-up,” I explained. “Upstairs.”
“Christy said it was casual, just a few friends.”
“It is. Well, it was.” I explained about Terri and her dress.
Rosemary herself was wearing a light summer dress with blue polka dots. She had a far nicer body than any of us had imagined before Halloween, although she didn’t draw attention to it like Lily would have. She wasn’t shy, but somewhere in between.
“Christy or Wren probably have something to fit you,” I added.
“I’m fine,” she protested.
“No, do it,” Freddie urged. “You know I love it when you get all dressed up.”
“Are you sure?” she asked me.
“I’m sure.”
“Do it, babe,” Freddie said.
She impulsively kissed his cheek. Then she grinned and ran up the stairs.
“Oh, ay!” Freddie said. “I could get used to that.”
* * *
The girls came downstairs about twenty minutes later. Trip and Dex were discussing music over a couple of beers, while Freddie and I had opened my birthday present and were comparing answers from Joska’s final exam. We were so absorbed in conversation that we didn’t notice the girls until Wren cleared her throat. Talk stopped abruptly and we stared. Then Freddie spoke for all of us, with his usual eloquence.