“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?”