“That’s a lot of rooms,” I said.
“You can say that again. They did it twelve times.” Her grin turned coy.
“I didn’t tell her that you could do that in one night.”
“Ha! But no, not twelve in one night.”
“You’ve done it before. The night we spent at your parents’ house.
Before we flew to San Diego.”
I thought back. “That wasn’t twelve,” I said with more confidence than I
actually felt. “More like seven or eight, I think.”
“Still, a lot.”
“True. But there’s a huge difference between having sex and getting a blowjob. You do most of the work for a blowjob. It’s mutual or the guy’s doing more in sex.”
“But… that’s your job.”
My eyebrow twitched.
“Mmm, I can’t wait.” She closed her eyes to imagine it. “Maybe I’ll sketch you sometime, after we go all the way. Only, I’ll probably be too distracted.” She fell silent and let the fantasy continue until she moaned softly.
“You’re watching a porno in your head,” I teased, “aren’t you?”
“I can’t help it.” She pretended to pout. “I told you, I have a wild imagination.”
“You can say that again. And I’m just starting to figure out how wild.” I grinned a suggestion at her. “Do you need a little attention before dinner?”
She thought about it. “No, I’m probably okay for the moment. But I definitely want to make a date with you later tonight. Your penis especially.”
“It’s a date. Or a not-date. Whichever works.”
“Is it still a date if we go straight to bed instead of going out first? I mean, you’re the word expert. What do you think?”
“I think anything that involves you and my penis is a date. But if you don’t want to fool around now, we’d better change the subject… or you won’t have much choice in the matter.”
Her eyes flashed. “Will you hold me down and force me? Ooh, that sounds like fun!”
“Oh, boy. Someone really needs some attention.”
“I always need attention from you. But you’re right, we should probably change the subject.”
“Good. Thanks. Let’s talk about Snowshoe. I want to go again—”
“Me too,” she agreed.
“—but I don’t think we can do it this weekend.”
“We kind of have classes and homework and projects.”
“Exactly. So I was thinking… the weekend after next?”
“I’d like that. Do you want me to call Marianne?”
“No. I’ll call and make the reservation. The less she knows…”
“Um… she knows exactly what we’re doing. I mean, it was her idea.”
“I know it was her idea, but—”
“No, you don’t understand,” Christy insisted. “Everything was her idea, not just the trip.”
My eyebrows rose.
“I… kinda tell her everything. She’s like the big sister I never had. She’s an only child, so I’m the little sister she never had.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Right. So we talk about… um… everything.” She blushed. “I know more about Harry’s sex life than I ever imagined.”
My eyebrows did their thing again, even higher.
“It was weird at first,” Christy said, “but now I think it’s normal. Yeah, he’s my brother, but he’s so much older that I never really thought of him like that. He’s always sort of been like an uncle. So it isn’t gross or anything when we talk about it. It also helps that she’s a lot like me. She likes… you know… giving head.” All of a sudden she laughed. “She says she’d probably have ten kids if she didn’t! You can’t get pregnant if you swallow,” she added cheerfully.
“Lucky for you.”
“Mmm, lucky for all of us. Women, I mean.” She laughed again. “Brooke and I used to joke about it. She doesn’t like fellatio as much as I do—I don’t think anyone likes it as much as I do—but it’s all we did back in high school.
So…”
“I think I’d like to meet this girl.”
“Is that so?” Christy teased, her eyes bright with silent laughter.
“Would you mind?”
“Hold on… you aren’t talking about just ‘meeting’ her, are you?”
“No.”
“I probably shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, you’re a guy.”
“I’m glad you noticed.”
“Kinda hard not to. But you’re out of luck. With Brooke, I mean. She has a serious boyfriend.”
“Hypothetically, then. Would you mind sharing?”
“Her or you?”
“Either. Both.”
She thought about it. “I don’t think so. I mean, I already know I’m going to share you with Wren. It’s not a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when?’”
I nodded cautiously.
“And I’ll probably share you with Leah. I really like her, and Wren says that she and Mark have an open relationship. And before you ask, yes, I know exactly what that means. I’m not ready to do it, but at least I’ve thought about it. It still kinda scares me, the thought of you doing it with another woman, but… like you said, it’s just sex, especially with Wren.”
“It is.”
“Besides, I’ve been thinking about your parents. Hers too. They’re basically divorced, even though they still live together. She has her life and he has his. I don’t want that for you and me. I want something more like your parents have, especially with Susan.”
“I want that too.”
“I thought you would. Only, I don’t know how it’s going to work with Trip. He’s cute and all, but not like you. He just doesn’t… um… ‘do it’ for me. Please don’t tell him I said that. He’s a really attractive guy, and funny and talented, but… he isn’t you.” She paused and thought about it. “I guess that’s one of the things that helped convince me you’re right, that sex and love are different.”
I nodded.
“I love you, and I love Wren, but it’ll be just sex with Trip. I don’t know if I can really go through with it, but I’m willing to try.”
“You might be surprised.”
“You’re probably right. Wren says he’s really good in bed.” She looked down and blushed. “We… um… sort of compare notes. What he does that she likes, what you do that I like, et cetera.”
“Is that what you and Marianne do?”
“Sort of, but not so explicit. We talk about general stuff, like try this or do that. We also talk about what it’s like to be married. Lately she’s been giving me suggestions for what kind of things you might like. She doesn’t know what I’m really like, though. She thinks she’s giving me wild ideas, but most of them are pretty normal. I mean, stuff like taking a bath together or wearing sexy lingerie. They’re good ideas, and they get me excited and all, but nothing like what I really want to do with you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “That’s going to take a lot longer than we have tonight, and a lot more alcohol. I know you don’t like it when I drink and get flirty, but—”
“I don’t have a problem when you drink and get flirty,” I said. “I just
don’t want you to feel guilty afterward about anything you did while you were drunk.”
“You don’t want what happened after the Halloween party,” she said. “I get it. And I haven’t done that since, have I? Exactly. I still feel guilty, but I’ve started to do what you do—I think about it before I run away.” She shrugged. “It also helps to talk about things before we do them. Then I can decide if I really want to do it or if I just think I want to. Like going all the way. I know I’m not ready, but I’m working up to it with all these other things.”