“That’s exactly what she was doing. She thinks you’re cute. And she…
um… has a sex drive like mine.”
“I kind of thought so. Wren’s like that too.” She rolled her eyes and thought back. “I’ve been sketching her and making a maquette the past couple of weeks, while you’re at judo and Trip’s in class. She’s always in the mood, always talking about sex. She’s insatiable.” She thought of something and smiled but didn’t explain. Then her eyes sparkled with a question. “So, Erin’s like that too?”
“Erin’s basically a female version of me.”
“Mmm, that could be fun.”
I glanced at the whiskey bottle and realized we’d finished more than half of it.
“No, I’m not drunk,” Christy said. “I’m just… flirty. And horny. I like talking to you about sex.”
“I’m glad.”
“And speaking of which, how’d you get Wren and Trip involved? It was over the summer, wasn’t it? While you were at the camp?”
“And before. Trip tried it with me and Kendall. Then with a group of swingers at camp. It was different when he and Wren started dating, though.
He wasn’t emotionally involved with the others. It was just sex. But he had to make some mental adjustments with her.”
“I thought so. I’ve noticed. And Wren’s told me a lot that she doesn’t realize. Why does everyone underestimate me? I’m not an idiot.”
“Definitely not.” I chuckled. “But I think it’s ’cause you have this
‘innocent Catholic schoolgirl’ façade.” She heard the quotes and didn’t object. “It’s really good,” I added. “You’ve had to hide things so long that you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”
“Well… of course. I want people to think I’m cute and innocent.”
“I always thought you were cute. And I’ve always been attracted to you,
physically, but I never realized how much we had in common.”
She gave me a wry grin and said, “I’m not the only one with a good memory.”
“I remember everything where you’re concerned. And don’t you forget it, miss.”
She rolled her eyes and leaned forward for a kiss.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m one big wrinkle,” I said at last. “Are you ready to move to the bedroom?”
“I think so. I still wish…”
I looked a question at her.
“I really want to go all the way with you. Right here, right now. In my perfect fantasy, you’d pull me into your lap and stick your cock in me.”
My eyebrows shot skyward.
“But I know me. I’m… drunker than I thought. Not drunk-drunk, mind you, but enough that I’m not my usual self.”
I nodded.
“Also… I want to know what you have planned for me. So we need to keep talking. Do you want me to be a swinger too? Of course you do, but… I don’t know if I can. I mean, I want to, in my head, but…” She shrugged despondently. “I can’t even bring myself to go all the way with you. So how’m I s’posed to do it with some other guy?”
“Baby steps,” I said.
“I know. What is it you say, when part of you feels one way and part another? Well, part of me gets excited thinking about it, but most of me isn’t sure.”
“That’s okay. I’ve told you all along that you’re worth it, worth waiting for.”
She tilted her face up for another kiss. “Thank you. I really believe you when you say it.” She grinned and massaged my cock back to life. “I believe him too. He’s a lot easier to read than you are. You may not be as good as me at hiding things, but you’re pretty good. You’re… what’s the word?”
“Inscrutable.”
“I knew you’d know,” she said affectionately. Then her expression turned mischievous. “I may not be ready to be a swinger, but I’m ready for dessert, Mr. Porn Star Waiter.”
“My pleasure.” Then her words hit me. “Hold on, you’ve seen a lot more porn than you let on.”
“Mmm hmm. Brooke. We… had fun… over the summer, while you and Wren and Trip were doing the same. But I’ll save that story for later too.
Right now I want to place an order.”
“Oh? What would you like?”
“A penis parfait with a double helping of cream.”
“Ha! You don’t think small!”
“Not when I’m ordering from the Paul menu.”
The next morning Carolyn invited us to lunch with her family. Christy and I skied for a couple of hours and then returned to the inn to find Damon waiting for us.
“I loaded your luggage already,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind. And you can store your equipment here if you want, so you don’t have to keep bringing it back and forth.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That’d be nice.”
“We’ll have everything tuned up for you,” he added. Then he looked a little embarrassed. “My parents own the ski shop too.”
Christy perked up and said to me, “Maybe next time we can buy you some better skis and boots.” Her own equipment was top of the line, while mine was entry-level stuff that my parents had given me years before. It was better than rental equipment, but not by much.
“I can help you pick it out,” Damon added helpfully.
I suppressed my inner skinflint and said, “Sounds like a plan.” Then I had to hide my annoyance at Christy, who had no concept of how much things cost. Money just appeared in her checking account when she needed it.
Still, I forced a smile and followed Damon as he led us out the back of the inn. At first I thought we were headed toward a detached part of the inn itself, but then I realized that his family’s house had been built to match.
Carolyn greeted us at the door and invited us inside. In the kitchen she introduced us to Damon’s fourteen-year-old sister, Alexa. She was a younger version of her mother, girlishly slim but with budding curves and the same large eyes, full lips, and golden hair. She could’ve passed for twenty, but I shook her hand politely and reminded myself that she was still a girl.
“I’m sorry my husband couldn’t be here,” Carolyn said. “He’s in
Washington on business.”
She and Christy chatted amiably as we ate. Damon was naturally quiet, but he came out of his shell as he grew more comfortable with me. We talked about flying and how I’d learned.
“We’re thinking of letting him take lessons,” Carolyn said. “So this is a good chance to see if he likes it.”
I could tell by his expression that it was a foregone conclusion, but she wasn’t convinced.
Christy brightened immediately. “Could you teach him, Paul?”
“The basics, yes. But I’m not a CFI. Sorry, a Certified Flight Instructor.
The airport will have a flying club, though. Someone there will be an instructor for sure. Probably several people.”
“We’ll check into it,” Carolyn said.
We lingered and talked after we finished eating. Christy and Carolyn already seemed like old friends, even though more than twenty years separated them. Not for the first time, I marveled at how my little blonde flower blossomed in social settings.
“We should probably head to the airport,” I said at last. “It gets dark early this time of year, and especially in the mountains.”
“Do you mind if we come with you?” Carolyn asked.
“No problem. The plane only seats four, but we—”
“I think she means just to the airport,” Christy said smoothly.
“Oh. Right.”
We cleared the table and then followed Damon to the large garage, which held a couple of snowmobiles in addition to the big Bronco. I’d thought it was his, but his mother handed him the keys and asked him to drive. He and I sat up front and mostly listened as Christy and Carolyn chatted in the back, with an occasional comment from Alexa.