By the time Steve returned, the wine had been opened and poured. All four held up their gla.s.ses.
"To us," said Craig.
"To us!" the rest of them agreed enthusiastically.
They discussed the meal the men were preparing for a few moments, but it didn"t take long for the subject to turn to the sleeping arrangements.
"I put your bag in the spare bedroom," remarked Steve casually. "Later, I"ll show you how to get to the tunnel I dug from there to my room."
They all laughed.
"I"m glad you brought that up, actually," Ca.s.sie began, a bit nervously. She looked at Craig. "I know in your last e-mail you said there were no expectations and I appreciate that. But I think each of us has expectations anyway." Her glance swept over each of them. "I want all of you to be as happy as I am."
The three men looked at each other, clearly impressed by this little speech.
"Tell us what"s on your mind, then, Ca.s.sie," Craig said.
"Well, tonight, for one thing!" She laughed.
"What about tonight?" Craig encouraged.
Ca.s.sie took a large gulp of her wine. "I have been thinking a lot about how we should go about this. You"ve all agreed to leave the choice to me. That is, I suppose, the only way it can be. But before I decide, I would at least like to get your input. I was hoping we could work this out together."
The guys thought about this.
"The problem, of course," Steve chimed in, "is that each of us, given the opportunity, would say, "Pick me tonight." We"d get all compet.i.tive. Peter"d probably let it slip about Craig"s s.e.x-change operation. Or Craig would leave Peter"s rash ointment prescription out for you to find."
This got everybody laughing.
"I"m just saying it could get ugly," Steve remarked.
"What kind of input were you looking for, Ca.s.sie?" Peter asked. "Oh, and, I don"t have any rash ointment, by the way."
"Oh, sorry, Pete, I just thought, you know...because of the rash," said Steve.
"Okay, Steve," Craig interjected. "Continue, Ca.s.s."
She smiled, surprisingly calm, considering. "You"re each very special to me. I know it may seem hard to believe, but I want to be with each of you equally. In a strange way, I"ve come to think of you as each individual parts of one relationship. It"s the only way I can do this, to look at it that way." She paused. "The truth is, I can"t just pick one of you tonight. No, don"t interrupt until I get this out. I can"t bear to think of two of you lying in your beds alone all night while I spend the night with the chosen one. I know that"s how most nights will be, but for tonight, I..." She seemed to be searching for the right words. "For tonight, at least, I want to split the night into three equal parts and spend a third of it with each of you. If you"ll have me," she added at the end.
The men were speechless for a moment.
"And you"d like us to determine the order?" Craig asked finally.
"Yes," she said solemnly. "Let"s go into this with our eyes wide open. We said honesty first, right? I don"t want to choose between you tonight. I am committed to all of you, and I want to be with each of you."
Georgia"s mouth was wide open as she watched. She couldn"t believe how much Ca.s.sie had changed, how a.s.sertive she"d become. And she noticed that all three men regarded Ca.s.sie with admiration and respect.
In the end, they decided that Craig would get the first shift with Ca.s.sie. Georgia felt there was a certain correctness in that and apparently so did everyone else. They all seemed to be satisfied when they announced their decision to Ca.s.sie. After Craig would come Steve, and then Peter last. Ca.s.sie was radiant and seemed remarkably at ease all throughout dinner, but when the time came for her and Craig to retire, Georgia saw that a shudder vibrated through her. Craig saw it, too, and he reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it rea.s.suringly.
Alone in his bedroom, Craig took Ca.s.sie in his arms. She brought her arms up and around his neck, pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s hard against his chest. Both moaned as the kiss grew more pa.s.sionate. But Ca.s.sie pulled away.
"I would like to change," she said.
"Sure, Ca.s.s," said Craig. "The bath is over to your left. I"ve already put your bag in there for you. Take your time. I"ll be here waiting."
Ca.s.sie walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She leaned back against it for a moment, as if she had grown weak, when all of a sudden she noticed something on the wall in front of her. She stood up straight then, taking a step forward. "Oh, my G.o.d," she whispered. Georgia followed her gaze and gasped.
There, hanging on the wall, was a stunning silk negligee with intricate lacework over the bodice. It was revealing, but tastefully so, and from the expression on Ca.s.sie"s face, Georgia felt that she approved. Attached to the negligee was a note that read, "Your choice."
Georgia knew that by "Your choice," Craig was telling Ca.s.sie that she could wear the gown or not, according to her own preference. It was just another way of letting her know that he was looking out for her.
"Not bad, Craig," she heard Ca.s.sie murmur under her breath.
"Not bad, Ca.s.s!" was Craig"s remark when she emerged from the bathroom a short while after, wearing the exquisite gown. His expression and tone of voice told her that her appearance was a lot better than just "not bad."
With the happy a.s.surance and glow of new l.u.s.t, Ca.s.sie approached Craig. She even succ.u.mbed to the whim of slowly twirling herself before him. Craig let out a low whistle of appreciation. He, meanwhile, had changed into soft, cotton pajama bottoms that accentuated his toned hips and thighs. Aside from these, they both were wearing enormous smiles. Craig"s eyes kept moving over Ca.s.sie, drinking in the sight of her in the negligee he had picked out for her.
Craig closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands, but he stopped just inches from her lips to gaze down into her face. Trembling with desire, Ca.s.sie brought her arms up around his neck and pulled him down the rest of the way. Suddenly Craig let loose and ravished her mouth in an all-consuming kiss, holding her so close that Ca.s.sie gasped.
The kiss was smooth and pa.s.sionate, as if it had been rehea.r.s.ed, and Georgia watched breathlessly as Craig"s hands moved down to the small of Ca.s.sie"s back, where they lingered with enough pressure to cause it to arch slightly. The two seemed to fit perfectly together. There was none of that awkwardness or discomfort that often accompanies first intimacies, yet their excitement was apparent. Ca.s.sie was the most confident and at ease that Georgia had ever seen her.
When the kiss finally ended, both were left breathless. Craig pulled back just slightly, peering down at Ca.s.sie with his kind smile as he brought his hands back up to either side of her face. But the smile gave way to a more serious, determined look. Suddenly he began moving his hands very leisurely over her, using his thumbs to kind of ma.s.sage his way down along her face and throat and b.r.e.a.s.t.s. It was easy to see the effect his touch was having on Ca.s.sie. Her entire body responded as a shiver of pleasure coursed through her. Even her toes curled upward as she seemed to fall back on the flats of her feet. Craig kept teasing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s over the thin, silky negligee, apparently pleased with the effect it was having on her. He caressed and squeezed them until her eyes closed and her head rolled back in ecstasy.
"Here," he said, pulling the sides of the negligee up. "As beautiful as this looks on you, I want to feel your skin."
Ca.s.sie lifted her arms to allow him to remove the nightgown. With her fully bared before him, Craig seemed stunned. "My G.o.d," he whispered.
He resumed his love play of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s again, this time on her bare skin, groaning low in his throat as he captured the feel of her for the very first time. Then he moved his hands over her abdomen and down around her hips in an effort, it seemed, to feel every inch of her. Ca.s.sie arched her back and went on tiptoe in response. She gasped when his fingers reached between her legs and mingled in the rich moistness that was clearly crying out for his attention. This evidence of her desire seemed to push Craig over the edge because he suddenly picked her up and, in a fluid movement that gave evidence of his lean strength, he settled her onto his bed in a sitting position with her legs apart. Then he slid between her legs and kneeled before her. Ca.s.sie rested back on her arms and allowed him full access to her body. He dipped his head and gently captured one taut nipple between his lips, running his tongue all around it and then pulling it into his mouth. Georgia watched his mouth working over Ca.s.sie"s breast, and she could almost feel the delicious sensations of having her own b.r.e.a.s.t.s handled in such a manner. He took turns suckling each nipple, back and forth, until he had Ca.s.sie crying out with pleasure. Encouraged by her reaction, he extended his kisses lower, covering her stomach and then even lower still, until suddenly his face was buried between her legs. Ca.s.sie squirmed and writhed beneath him as he worked his tongue in and out of her, and then up and around. He kept pleasing her with his tongue untiringly, never once letting up until Ca.s.sie"s body went suddenly rigid and afterward fell back limp.
Craig rose up then and pulled off his pajama bottoms, finally releasing his turgid erection in all of its glory. It stood high and inflamed and proud. Ca.s.sie reached out for it as he approached her, stroking it lovingly in antic.i.p.ation.
In spite of how he had prepared Ca.s.sie"s body for him, Craig still had to work his way into her, purposefully doing so at a calculated and leisurely pace. He clutched the back of her head firmly and held his face within inches of hers, letting his lips hover just above hers, so that every now and then he could lightly brush them over hers for a soft kiss. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and both of them sighed in unison when he was fully inside her.
Like a well-oiled machine, the two moved together, grinding out their pleasure in a single, uniform motion. Every now and again, Craig would slow momentarily, apparently reining in his excitement so that he could better please Ca.s.sie. She clung to him, moaning lightly as he made love to her. Craig allowed his hands to roam all over her body and, when he saw that she loved being touched like that, he increased his efforts, using his lips, as well, and kissing and stroking her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and shoulders and face.
As they both grew more excited, Craig"s thrusts came harder and deeper, and it was clear from the tension in his powerfully muscled b.u.t.tocks that he was not holding anything back. Ca.s.sie accepted all of this eagerly, lifting her legs even higher to open herself to him. This sent Craig over the edge, and he suddenly lost all of his former tenderness and became almost violent as he drove himself into her. Ca.s.sie took the last little bit of his control when she cried out with her o.r.g.a.s.m. Then Craig threw himself into her one last time and bucked his hips several times in climax.
They remained joined, with Craig just off to one side for a long time after. Still watching, Georgia thought they had fallen asleep. But after a while Craig spoke.
"You"re everything I"ve ever wanted in a woman," he told her.
"I hope I can always be that," she said.
He let his fingers roam through her hair, playing with it absently. And then they did fall asleep.
Georgia hit Fast-Forward until she saw Craig stir.
"Ca.s.sie," Craig whispered, kissing her lips and her ears and everything in between. "Ca.s.sie."
"Mmm, Craig?" Ca.s.sie woke with a start. "What time is it?"
"Time for the second shift. If you still want to. It"s up to you. I hated to wake you but you said that was what you wanted."
"Oh." She looked sad for a minute, but then she sat up, waking. "I did say that I would," she said apologetically.
"No, don"t you feel bad," he scolded. "Your choice, remember? I was only asking because I wanted to make sure it was what you still wanted. We"ll understand, whatever you do." He kissed her lips several more times. "I"m going to miss you," he added.
Ca.s.sie got up and stretched. "Are you sure you"re all right with this?"
"This is what we agreed upon and this is what we"ll do. Are you all right?"
"Yes, I think I am. Or I will be. I just have to get used to it."
Ca.s.sie grabbed her overnight bag and slipped into the bathroom to clean up. When she came out, she was wearing a thick robe. She approached Craig. He reached out for her and held her close to him for a long moment. Then he kissed her.
"Good night, Ca.s.s," he said.
"Good night, Craig. Sweet dreams."
Georgia watched Ca.s.sie leave Craig"s bedroom with admiration. She was actually going to do it! The house was quiet, as everyone had retired. Ca.s.sie made her way quietly into Steve"s room and closed the door behind her.
He was sitting on his bed watching television. When he saw Ca.s.sie, he jumped up and turned it off. He approached her tentatively.
"Hey there." He smiled. "I didn"t know if you"d come."
"I told you I would," she reminded him.
"Yeah, but you could"ve wigged out at the last minute."
Ca.s.sie laughed. "No, I couldn"t," she said more seriously.
"Come on in," he said, motioning her toward the bed. "Get comfortable." She sat on the bed.
"I know it"s probably hard to just switch gears all of a sudden, so why don"t you just sit back and let me help you relax?"
"How are you going to do that?" Ca.s.sie asked him with curiosity. But she sat back on the bed as he instructed and rested her head against the headboard.
"You"ll see," he told her, opening a drawer in his nightstand and fishing around inside. "Ah," he said. "Here it is!" He squirted something into his hand. "Now prepare to be impressed."
"I have a feeling I"m going to have to always be prepared for that around here," she said. "You boys are full of...oh...ahhh...uhn." She threw her head back in ecstasy. "G.o.d, that feels so good!"
Steve was rubbing her feet, vigorously and energetically. He enclosed one of them completely in his large hands, kneading and pummeling it with his strong fingers. Ca.s.sie was so overcome by the sensations, she couldn"t speak. Eventually he moved upward to ma.s.sage her ankle, and then her calf, and so forth, thoroughly and vigorously moving his way up her leg until he reached the very top of her thigh. Her robe had fallen open, exposing her nakedness to him. Ca.s.sie did not close it back up.
Ca.s.sie"s leg, by this time, was trembling from the effects of Steve"s hands, and her breathing had quickened. Georgia watched keenly to see what he would do next. His hands were still working over the flesh of her thigh, moving round and round in a circular motion. Very cautiously and inconspicuously, almost as if it were accidental, Steve let his pinky finger periodically brush up against Ca.s.sie"s c.l.i.toris. He did it lightly at first, and quite casually. Meanwhile he kept ma.s.saging her upper thigh, and just every now and then, his finger would reach out and caress her. Each time he did it, Ca.s.sie"s body would jolt the tiniest bit in response, and she would let out a little gasp. But just as she was beginning to really enjoy his little game, Steve suddenly started working his way back down her leg in the other direction. His lips twitched when she sighed in disappointment.
Once he made it all the way back down to her foot, Steve switched to the other foot, taking his time and ma.s.saging her thoroughly as he inched his way up her other leg in the same manner he had the first. When at last he reached the top of her thigh, he once again went through the pretence of accidentally brushing up against her, this time with his other pinky finger. Ca.s.sie giggled.
"What?" said Steve. "Oh, pardon me!"
They were both smiling now. But when he brushed against her again, she boldly caught hold of his hand, and pressed it between her open legs.
The smile left Steve"s face. They looked at each other a moment.
"I take it the ma.s.sage worked," he murmured in an undertone.
Ca.s.sie laughed in spite of herself, but she looked as if she would throttle him if he told another joke.
"All right!" Steve announced decisively. "The G.o.ddess has spoken." And with that, he took her head in his other hand (he kept his first hand right where it was) and crushed her lips in a hungry kiss. Ca.s.sie arched her body up toward his invitingly, as if she could never get enough.
Suddenly it was as if a dam had burst, making their pa.s.sion escalate out of control. Steve finally set aside his reserve of always trying to amuse, and for the moment let his own desires take over. He buried his fingers in Ca.s.sie"s hair as they kissed, one moment simply luxuriating in its lush softness and the next grasping it and using it to jerk her head back so that he would have better access to her lips and throat. With his other hand, he alternately squeezed and ma.s.saged the throbbing mound between her legs. They rolled about the bed heatedly, and in the tumult of their embrace Steve somehow ended up beneath her. When the kiss ended, Ca.s.sie was sitting on top of him. Her robe had fallen open but, suddenly shy, she began to close it. Steve stopped her.
"Please," he implored her, as if it were his last dying request. "Don"t deny me."
With a smile, Ca.s.sie pulled the robe back and let it fall off her shoulders.
"Heaven help me," Steve murmured, drinking in the sight of her. She was sitting on top of him without anything on. "Oh, s.h.i.t," he suddenly groaned. "Heaven only helps those who help themselves, and here I"ve left all my clothes on. No! For G.o.d"s sake, don"t move! Not one inch! I can do this." Steve struggled to remove his clothing with Ca.s.sie sitting naked on top of him. "No, don"t help me!" he"d cry when she"d try to move a little out of his way to a.s.sist him. "I"ve got it." Even Georgia was laughing hysterically with how much trouble he was having, but he would not allow Ca.s.sie to budge an inch in any direction as he stripped off every single piece of his clothing, including his shoes.
"You are an extremely talented and agile man," Ca.s.sie remarked when he was finished.
"That"s why I did it," he said, grinning. "I wanted you to see how agile I was."
"Oh!" said Ca.s.sie, pretending to be disappointed. "And here I was thinking of staying right here where I"m sitting. But if you"d rather show me some more of those stunts you can do...maybe a few acrobatics..."
Steve laughed. But then he grew suddenly serious.
"I"m sorry, but I can"t just sit here looking at you any longer," he said. And he was, quite obviously, painfully aroused. He touched her then, tentatively at first, but then more aggressively as his hands moved up and down over her body, lingering on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Just look at you," he murmured.
In response, Ca.s.sie lifted her hips just enough to allow his erection to pop into position beneath her, then she lowered herself slowly over the top of it. They both moaned as she descended. His headboard was right in front of her, so she reached out and grasped hold of it, positioning her b.r.e.a.s.t.s so that they were stretched out right above his head. He continued caressing them gently. She began to move her hips up and down on him, slowly, leisurely, rocking her hips as she went. Steve watched her as if mesmerized, as if he still couldn"t believe she was really there. All the while his fingers kept moving over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, lightly and lovingly. Georgia watched them, mildly surprised. There was no discomfort or urgency. And they never once looked away from each other or changed positions. Ca.s.sie just kept moving up and down, up and down, in a nice, leisurely manner, rocking her hips as she went, moving forward as she went up and jutting backward when she went down. And Craig just kept caressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Their eyes remained locked.
But eventually, as was bound to happen, Georgia noticed that Ca.s.sie"s movements were growing faster and more urgent. She kept hold of the headboard, throwing her head back periodically in pleasure. But her gaze never left Steve"s; even when her head was tossed back, she would cut her eyes to the side so that they were still glued to his. Neither one would look away. It was as if they had made a silent pact. And even when Ca.s.sie"s face contorted with pleasure and she cried out, she still maintained eye contact with Steve.
Once her pleasure subsided, Ca.s.sie"s movements became less regular. Steve"s hands glided slowly down along the sides of her waist until he reached her hips, and then he suddenly grasped hold of them, almost fiercely. Ca.s.sie stopped moving altogether for a moment. She still looked into his eyes, and he into hers. They were silent and still.
Very slowly, Ca.s.sie suddenly began moving up and down again, but this time Steve used his hands on her hips to a.s.sist her. He guided her movements, allowing her to move exactly as she had been doing before but with more force this time, pulling her hips down and back when she moved downward and jerking her hips forward and up when she moved up. As they continued in this way, in perfect rhythm, he began using more and more force, especially when he pulled her hips downward, so as they progressed he was eventually slamming her hips down into his. Ca.s.sie grasped the headboard tighter, crying out with every downward thrust. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaved and bounced about wildly. Steve jerked her hips up and down so forcefully that it seemed his strength alone was driving her now. In those last manic thrusts, he lifted his own hips up to meet hers as he yanked Ca.s.sie"s hips down. Georgia could hear their flesh slapping together even over the noise of their cries. Finally Steve slammed their bodies together one last time. And still, their eyes remained fixed on each other.
"Christ!" Georgia murmured as she watched them.
Ca.s.sie collapsed over Steve and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight.
Neither one spoke for a while.
"Are you tired?" he asked at last.
"A little."
"Get some rest."
"You don"t have any more jokes?"