She forced herself to leave the room with dignity, but it was rather hard when you were stark naked and your brother-in-laws semen running down your thigh.
Out of his sight, she rushed to the bedroom and shut the door. Picking up the phone, she called her husband’s office. “Mary, is Lenny free?” she asked when his receptionist answered.
“He’s in the middle of a root canal, but it’s his last appointment today. I can give him a message.”
“Tell him Randy is home.”
“Will do, hon.”
Jackie showered, trying not to think about the renewal of the fantasy of having both brothers she seemed consumed with whenever Randy came home for a visit.
She returned to the kitchen, nervous about what she’d done. Moreso how he was going play on it. The kitchen was empty-good. Dinner, dinner, what was she going to fix? She looked in the refrigerator. Oh, yeah, pork chops. Would there be enough? She counted five in the package. Strange. I never buy packages with more than three in it.
We hate leftovers.
Footsteps came into the room, drawing her eyes over the door. Randy stood with a towel around his waist, rubbing his brown hair with another. He like his brother-his pecs, the way the damp hair swirled around his nipples, trailing down his washboard to his belly button. He was identical to his twin brother in so many ways, which always posed a problem for her. She’d once made the mistake of thinking she could tell them apart based on appearance. She knew Randy’s body every bit as well as she knew Lenny’s-there was no difference, only in certain intimate aspects.
“All of my clothes are in the washer. Do you mind if I grab a pair of Lenny’s shorts?”
“Fine. The dresser near the window, bottom drawer. Shirts are in the second drawer.”
“Thanks.”
She watched him walk away. Damn! She was in trouble. Pulling out salad fixins she’d picked from the garden earlier in the day, she prepped three of the potatoes she’d also dug up for baking.
“Anything I can help with?” Randy asked, coming up alongside her.
“No, I got it,” she said, refusing to look at him, but he brought her face around with fingers to her chin.
“Hey, it was kind of like old times.”
“Except it was Len getting lucky while I dated you.” Jackie sighed and laid the knife down. “We weren’t married. I am now.”
“For eight years now, I know. I was there, best man. Still doesn’t mean I don’t remember how you don’t take no for an answer.”
“How long will you be home?”
“Permanently, I hope. I have a couple of interviews this week.”
“No more traveling around the world reporting breaking news? How come?”
“Bombs were starting to get too close for comfort. It’s time to take the soft route.
Getting up there, you know.”
“Oh, right. Wait until I tell your brother it’s almost walker time. He’ll kick your ass.”
“You called him?”
She nodded. “I let him know you were home.”
“Going to tell him?”
“Yes. I don’t keep secrets of any kind from him.”
“Good. Is the pool table still in the basement?”
“Nothing’s moved, Randy. You’ll have time for a couple games before dinner.”
She listened to him whistle as he went down the steps. Wow! He was going to get a job here. Would he live here with them? Of course he would. It was his home, too-their parents left the place to both of them.
Her heart beat with a thud against her chest. Play it by ear, Jackie. Don’t get your panties in a bunch because you didn’t know it wasn’t your husband. The front door slammed. Now he’s home. She turned the oven on.
“Hey, hon.” Lenny kissed her on the cheek. “Where is he?”
“Rec room. What’d you do, run out on your patient?”
He laughed, moving a strand of hair from her face. “We were all but done when you called. I’m going to change before going down. How long ’til dinner?”
“You have time for a couple of games.” She followed him to their bedroom.
“Len…I kind of had sex with him.”
“Huh?”
“I came in from the garden, and well, I thought you’d come home early. He was bent over the laundry…well, you know me. I demanded and took. His mouth was stuck shut from half the jar of peanut he ate. I didn’t smell it until he breathed on me, then I panicked, thinking you’d lost your mind.” She knew it sounded lame, but it all came tumbling out.
He ran his hands over her arms, staring into her chocolate eyes, “It’s all right, hon.” The corners of his mouth turned up, confusing her.
“What?”
“Seems to me, I recall being the one mistaken for him one night way back when.”
“Yeah, he recalled the time, too. Still, I’m sorry.” She took his shirt to put in the laundry while he pulled a t-shirt over his head and then replaced his slacks with shorts.
“No problem, unless you didn’t enjoy yourself.”
Well, she didn’t have a chance to enjoy herself like she wanted, but her husband’s attitude wasn’t what she expected. He could have acted jealous, upset, something, considering her past with his brother.
“He’s giving up his job. He’s staying home, if he can get a job here.”
“Fantastic. It’ll be great having him around. Won’t it?” He gave her a peck on the nose. “Call us when dinner’s on the table.”
Jackie stood there for a few minutes, her mind attempting to work out his attitude.
She had a gut feeling her life was taking a turn in the growth department-one which would send her on a roller coaster ride, without the car and the safety bar.
Starting down the basement steps, Jackie wondered at the silence. She continued on down. The men stood leaning against the pool table, their backs to her.
“All right you two. What are you up to?”
Both heads turned giving her devilish but sexy smiles. “Nothing,” they said in unison.
She groaned. A living nightmare enveloped her. “Come on up, dinner’s ready.”
She didn’t wait for them but she heard them.
“Hey, me first.”
“I was here first.”
Jackie rolled her eyes, hoping this childish behavior didn’t go on for long. After washing up, they walked around the table twice, switching directions a couple of times before they sat down. She ignored them. Every time Randy came home for a visit, the same silliness went on. It was cute the first couple of times, but now, she knew they did it to get a rise out of her. Not this time. If he was going to be a permanent fixture, she had to set the tone, be the adult.
They fixed their plates, ate in silence, until Lenny spoke up. “Randy, the shark-head, won all four games. Lenny has to pay up.”
She arched a brow, picking up on the name use. They were in game mode. What would it be this time? Live in the woods without provisions for a week? Maybe have to walk the ten miles into town every day for a month, because he lost the keys to the truck? It was always something dumb. “All right, what was the bet this time?”
Randy grinned at her as he removed her silverware from her reach before he told her. “If Randy won, we’d play a game.” He gave her body a slow perusal then winked at Lenny.
“I’m not playing strip poker with you guys. You cheat.”
“Different game,” Lenny told her.
“Today’s Wednesday-you have until Friday night to figure out which one of is the man you’re married to.”
In disbelief, Jackie looked from one to the other. “You’re joking?”
“No,” they said at the same time.
All of sudden it clicked. They were dressed identically. They both held up their left hands-no rings or markings on either of their ring fingers. Not really surprising-
Lenny didn’t wear his doing yard work and such for fear of getting it caught, so it tanned like the rest of him. Oh, god, she assumed the man on her left was her husband. Lenny always sat there while they ate. Jackie stared at them, trying to think fast. She could ignore them. Or she could make them pay for involving her in one of their games. Yeah, she could do the latter.