Dinner for Three

"Last night has been on my mind all day and I'm about ready to attack someone." Laurie was unloading supplies into the refrigerator. "I mean that whole bit where he was behind me and you were on the bed. Mmmm, Christ. That was unbelievable."

Natalie came into the kitchen to help. "So it's all about you is what you're saying."

Laurie grinned. "Of course not, but that was the best part."

"Ah, I see." Natalie said. She handed the package of chicken thighs Laurie and started folding the paper sack. "What'd you ask Adam to get?"

"He's in charge of wine and dessert."

Natalie stuffed the bag into the little pantry closet and grabbed the Costco mega-bucket of cashew nuts. She took a handful and then slid the jug across the counter to Laurie. Natalie said, "Probably safer than having him shop for dinner."

Laurie had decided to be a bit more civil and had pulled down a small bowl for the cashews. She said, "No kidding. I don't think a sauté of bike chain and spandex would be quite our speed. That man has some very nice qualities, but I think he's a little short on domestication in the kitchen."

Natalie nodded in agreement. "But he did make coffee and toast this morning. That's got to count for something."

"Agreed. The coffee scored points." Laurie popped a few more nuggets in her mouth. "So are we going to talk about fluff all afternoon or are you going to let me know what happened today before he arrives?"

Natalie had been delaying. She was no less confused at the end of the day than at the start. Adam had occupied every spare moment of her thoughts during the previous few hours. She'd recursively examined the morning's conversation and was no better off for all of that effort.

Natalie said, "Things are complicated."

Laurie shook her head, "They don't have to be."

"And how do you figure that? I love you. I love him. But you and he don't have that same relationship. So if I spend more time with you, he loses. If I spend more time with him, you lose. In the end, the only thing I see coming like a freight train is me losing both of you." Natalie threw up her hands in exasperation. "I keep thinking, 'This will be great.' But then I'll think of some scenario like if one part of the triangle gets into an argument...or worse breaks up...and I say to myself, 'This is a really, really bad idea.'"

Laurie was pushing a cashew around on the counter top. The sharp points of her hair dangled in front of her, hiding her eyes from Natalie. She said, "Yes. That could happen. And you could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or an asteroid could land on our building, or someone from the British Royal Family could ask me to marry them. Seems like a pretty risky world out there."

Natalie grimaced, "Come on, L. This is serious. How is this going to work? This isn't like a little fling, I really have feelings for Adam. And the shit he told me about his family this morning – GOD! What a mess. He's done everything he can to stay out of a relationship, but this thing with me has him all twisted around the axle. And somewhere in all of this is the fact that you may not even like him all that much. What if he starts spending even more time here and..."

"Stop. Just stop, Natalie. Did you know you're a champion worrier? That adorable little line in between your eyebrows is all scrunched up and you're working toward a genuine fit." Laurie approached Natalie and put her arms around her. "I want this for you, I really do. Shit—I want it for me too. I don't know what life is going to bring, but I do know we should take advantage of something like this if we have the chance." She kissed Natalie on the forehead. "I think he's a great guy and I want him to be with us. He's thoughtful, funny, smart, dependable, and holy shit, sexy. He and I haven't spent as much time together so we don't have the relationship you do. But I don't think either of us will find it a burden to be in this thing together. Truth is, I spent all day giddy like kid in a candy shop just thinking about how great this is going to be with him."

Natalie couldn't relent so easily. "Jesus—I'm asking you to get into a relationship you didn't want to be in, with a guy you weren't interested in, so that I can..."

Laurie planted a kiss full on Natalie's mouth which cut off the stream of worry. Natalie tried to pull back to keep talking, but Laurie was having none of that. Slowly Natalie relented and began to return the kiss. When they finally parted lips, Laurie said, "I'm not shy, Nat. If I don't like what's going on, I'll tell you and I'll tell him. He's a good one and I'm sincere when I say that I want this; so now you need to trust me. But there is one thing that you need to figure out right now—before he gets here. And that is whether you're comfortable with me and him getting together when you're not around."

The thought hadn't even occurred to Natalie. Would she be jealous? Would it even be reasonable for her to consider that?

Natalie said, "I can't possibly ask you not to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not willing to give up being alone with you when I want. Or you want. And if he has to deal with that, and you have to deal with the fact that I'll be with him, how could I possibly expect you guys to do anything different?" It felt good to Natalie to at least have one piece of the puzzle seem clear to her. Of course, the whole line of logic was built on a foundation of crazy.

Laurie gave a wicked leer and said, "Good. The man has skills." She gave a wicked, lopsided grin.

Natalie laughed. "I hope he has some stamina. Between the two of us, he might make a run for the hills before long."

"But not before we get to play some more. Jee-zus, I don't know how I'm going to make it through dinner."

Natalie let her hand drop to Laurie's ass. "That bad, huh? Maybe I should give you a helping hand before he gets here? Of course, I'm just thinking of his health here. The poor slob should be allowed to eat dinner before you take advantage of him."

Natalie used both hands to accordion Laurie's skirt up her thighs and over her ass. She pushed down on the elastic band of Laurie's panties until they dropped to the floor around her feet. Laurie spread her legs a few inches and Natalie's hand cupped Laurie's pussy.

Extreme warmth emanated from Laurie and a slight push from Natalie's middle finger gave away Laurie's state of arousal. Natalie said, "Oh, my. You certainly do seem to have yourself in a bit of a state here."

Natalie began a moderate rhythm with her hand. She reached under and pushed her two middle fingers into Lauire, and then pulled out before allowing them to slip up to the top of her slit. Each motion was long and steady rather than short or jerky. She knew that it was the consistency of the pressure that would start Laurie toward a peak.

Laurie's face was buried in Natalie's shoulder. She was nibbling at Natalie's neck, but the marvelous caresses were distracting her from her task. She'd been a mess all day and the pent up sexual energy was seeking an outlet. At the farmers market with her mother, she'd been distracted by the echoes of Adam's touch. Her subconscious insisted on recalling the final rounds of his forceful pounding from behind. She could clearly recall the vice-like grip of his hands on her hips and the slapping of his balls against her with each plunging attack. It had gotten to the point where her mother had finally realized that Laurie wasn't being as chatty as usual and got concerned that Laurie was coming down with something which had brought on a conversation she wished hadn't happened.

Laurie whispered just loud enough for Natalie to hear, "What was your favorite part of last night?"

Natalie didn't even hesitate. "Pretty much the same thing you were thinking about. When you had your mouth on me and he was behind you." She could tell that her talking about the previous night was going to turn-on Laurie even more. "He had his eyes closed and was completely in the moment. With each thrust from him, you were pushed forward and I could feel the strength of what he was doing to you through your mouth. I could see the base of his cock pulling out of you and he would pause before driving back in with a force that would get sent through straight to me."

The pace of Natalie's hand steadily increased until it became an intense blur of energy on Laurie's pussy. It got to the point where Natalie was simply driving her two middle fingers deep into Laurie's core which allowed the heel of her palm to bang against Laurie's clit with a wet, sloppy smack each time.

Natalie knew that her voice in Laurie's ear was accelerating Laurie closer to her orgasm. She said, "As much as I wanted him to fuck me, it was more intense to feel him through you. I came in your mouth and I watched him fight off his need to blow all over your ass...oh, my god it was hot. His cock was so fucking hard, and I could see how wet it was from you." Her voice was jumpy due to the rapid motions of her arm.

Laurie had heard, and had, enough. A hoarse, throaty stream of profanity ushered from her throat as she clamped down on Natalie's fingers and rocked her hips back and forth. If she could have, she would have drawn more of Natalie's hand inside of her to satisfy her need to feel full like she had with Adam. It took a few minutes, but her immediate need was sated and she reluctantly came back to earth.

When she had regained her composure, Laurie tenderly touched her lips to Natalie's. The act of kissing someone can transmit so many different emotions. Everything from lust to refusal, friendship to commitment—her thanks, love, and genuine acceptance of their relationship were all present.

Natalie accepted the kiss and then said, "Thank you for that."

Laurie smiled warmly and kissed Natalie a second time. "I love you kiddo." The two wrapped each up in an extended embrace. When they finally untangled, Laurie adjusted her skirt back into place and leaned on the counter to compensate for her shaky knees.

Laurie said, "This is going to work out, you'll see. He's a great guy and as long as we're all up-front about things..."

"I think the hardest part about what you just said was the bit about 'as long as.' Sorry to jump back on the gloomy bus, but there's a shitload of room for ambiguity in that." Natalie had been washing her hands. She braced against the sink and just watched the water run.

The buzzer from the street-level door shrilled its best impression of a psychotic bee. Laurie pushed off of the counter and smacked Natalie on the butt as she headed to the hallway intercom panel. Her panties remained on the kitchen floor.

"Yes? Who is it?" Laurie asked via the intercom and then pressed the LISTEN button.

Sounding more like the teacher from the old Peanuts TV cartoons than himself, Adam said, "Hey guys. It's Adam."

Laurie's wiseass streak had both depth and breadth to it. Seldom would she pass up an opportunity to needle a friend. She pushed TALK again, "Sorry, I didn't hear you. Who's there?"

"A-D-A-M." he pronounced his name as if he was speaking to a deaf geriatric patient.

A wicked gleam had crept into Laurie's eyes. This time, she repeatedly pressed and released the talk button while speaking which absolutely guaranteed that Adam would get a garbled version down on the street. "We've had a bunch of break-ins here over the past few months, and we're not sure that we should be talking to unknown men who buzz us from the street. My mother always warned me about sexual predators and how they take advantage of single women. There are so many things for vulnerable girls like us. But...we might let you in if you have any good food with you."

This time, when she pressed the LISTEN button they heard Adam cursing. "Goddam intercom works like shit. We can put a fucking man on the moon, but can't figure out how..."

Laurie switched to the TALK button and held it firmly. "Sir. Sir. We'll let you in if you have an eight-inch cock and are willing to fuck us blue."

Natalie coughed in the kitchen. "Jesus, L. People can hear that on the street. That thing is loud down there."

"You bet. I'm counting on it." And she pressed the ENTER button long enough to make sure Adam pushed through both sets of doors in the foyer. Laurie released the deadbolt on the door and left it open for Adam.

When Adam shouldered aside the door, he found the ladies in the small kitchen getting started on dinner. "You have no idea how embarrassing that was." He was still blushing. "I swear...just as you said that, this lady and her daughter were walking buy. The look she gave me...man."

Laurie had a shit-eating grin on her face. "I guess you should behave yourself better in the future. Wouldn't want to get you in trouble with the local moral majority."

"Anyone ever mention that you're a pain in the ass."

"Oddly enough, the topic has come up a few times. Though I think most people consider it part of my charm."

Laughing with a forced sense of ease, Adam locked the door and put the bag he'd been carrying on the counter. "A few bottles of wine. Two kinds of cheese. Some focaccia." He was pulling the items out and placing them around the bag. "Strawberries and whipped cream." The food was a convenient way to avoid the awkwardness of his arrival. The physical experience of the night before should have removed any sense of confusion about his connection to both girls, but the conversation of the morning had left him feeling like the jury was still out on his presence.

Throughout the day, Adam had ruminated on the mess that he'd created. How could he have missed the relationship that Natalie had with Laurie? He'd been so focused on his own desires that he'd completely ignored what was going on for her. Any time she'd shown a glimmer of interest in him, he'd allowed selfish eagerness to blind him from the bigger picture. At least three times during the afternoon, he'd had his cell in his hands and was a step from punching the CALL button to cancel the evening's plans. He knew it'd be hard, but he believed he had the discipline to put his cardinal rule back in place. No love, no risk, no pain. After failing to summon the resolve for a phone call, he'd convinced himself that the honorable thing to do was to break it off in person. His plan had been to come to dinner and deal with the situation in a direct fashion. Face up to his own actions like an adult. Give Natalie her life back and honor the relationship that she clearly had with Laurie.

Yet here he stood in Natalie's apartment more perplexed than ever and facing the realization that his resolve was failing within three seconds of being in the room. When he'd opened the door, the particular smell of the place had overwhelmed his senses and exposed the chinks in the armor of his resolution. The place was a distinctly feminine, well-appointed apartment even though neither of them had much money. Second hand furniture had been carefully selected and combined to give the living room a spare, but welcoming feel. The air was permanently tinted with the mixture of soaps, perfumes, and a pervading cleanliness that no bachelor's place could ever achieve. His studio had his stuff in it; the girls' apartment was their home. He wanted to be a part of their world.

"Hey. Anyone in there?" Natalie had come around the counter and placed her hand on his chest. "You're a million miles away. Don't I at least get a hello?"

Having Natalie so close and familiar with him was a further intoxicant blurring his commitment to breaking-off the nascent relationship. "Wha...oh, of course. Sorry. Hi." Her hand was warm through his shirt. He desperately wanted to embrace her and not let go – but he knew he mustn't give into that temptation.

He gave her a quick hug but she wouldn't let him get away with just that. She took his jaw in both hands and drew him to her for a kiss. She let her lips linger on his and looked straight into his eyes. She could see a slightly hunted look there and could tell that an afternoon of brooding hadn't done him any good. He'd done his best to limit the contact between them when she'd hugged him and a tendril of fear meandered through her gut.

Laurie rinsed her hands off in the sink and called over her shoulder. "I'd better get one of those too." She wiped her hands off on a towel which hung from the oven's door handle. "I never got a proper goodbye kiss this morning and I'm planning on holding a grudge."

Despite himself, Adam's mouth curled into a half-smile. Laurie's kiss was significantly less genteel than Natalie's had been. She looped her arms over his shoulders and leaned into the embrace. Yet even with the warmth of her welcome, it didn't take long for her to notice his reticence as well. She released her grip on him and said, "I think everyone needs a drink. What'd you bring us?"

The contours of Laurie's body further rattled Adam's determination to end things. Could he be so weak that sex could sway his thinking so completely? Was the Pope Catholic?

"To tell you the truth, I don't have a clue what the wine is. The guy at the shop swore we'd be happy with it."

"Holy crap!" Natalie had just noticed the little price tag on the side of one of the bottles. "Are you nuts?"

"You said to get some wine."

Natalie had picked the nearer bottle off the counter and was reading the label. "Indeed I did, but isn't this a little out of control? I mean, shit. I don't pay this much for a pair of shoes for Christ's sake."

Laurie had gone back around the counter to work on the chicken. "Are we going to talk about this wine or drink it? What's it called?"

"Something French. Does it matter?" Natalie pulled open a drawer and slid the cork screw across to Adam. "You might as well open this stuff up, not that any of us will know the difference. Laurie, how long until the chicken's ready?"

"Well the sauce is on and I just put the chicken in the oven with the potatoes. Mmm...let's see...yeah, the rice needs to be started and I picked up a bag of salad, so that'll be easy. It should all be done in thirty or forty minutes."

Laurie bent down to get a pot out of the lower cabinet for the rice. Adam, who had been pulling the cork, almost dropped the bottle when her skirt rode up over her ass. His gaze lingered on the crease of skin that marked the top of her thigh and the start of her rounded cheek. His palm tingled with the memory of its pliable warmth.

"Here, use these." Natalie had dug into a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. "My grandmother gave me these a while back and I've never had a good enough reason to put them to use. I suppose wine like that probably deserves some special treatment." The long-stemmed crystal glasses were absolutely the nicest things in the kitchen.

Adam poured three healthy servings and handed one to each of the girls. Out of habit, he raised his glass before drinking.

Natalie said, "What are we drinking to?"

Adam was unprepared and fumbled for words. Laurie spoke up for him, "To our complicated relationship. It's made everything more interesting."

Natalie smiled, said, "Hear, hear." and took a sip. "Oh, my. That's yummy stuff."

Adam barely tasted his sip. Laurie had spoken about "our relationship" as if all three of them were committed to it already.

The cheese had been put on a plate and brought to the coffee table along with the wine. Adam had retreated to the couch after having been summarily tossed from the kitchen when he'd offered assistance. He watched the two chatting as they set the table and he marveled at where his head currently was compared to a few hours before. It'd been the path of least resistance to think about cutting this off when he was at the office. But Natalie's pointed comment about his being unhappy now haunted him. He'd tried to insist that there was a difference between lonely and unhappy but he was beginning to think he'd managed to be both rather than just the one. Yet in this apartment with two great women who were interested in sharing time, and their bodies, with him was seductive on so many levels.