This was her Friday. Rosalie was looking forward to two days off. There was a movie on Netflix she'd been planning to see. Her bathroom needed some painting. She had been thinking of getting a cat.
As she sat, sipping coffee in the break room, eating her jalapeno tuna fish sandwich, her phone rang. Irritated, she checked the number. Her friends all knew better than to call her during work hours.
But this was Celia, her next-door neighbor. They weren't especially close, but they did enjoy each other's company. They had started a garden on the apartment building's rooftop. And Celia had a key to Rosalie's apartment in case of emergencies.
"What's up?" Rosalie asked.
"I got invited on a camping picnic. Two guys from my hometown visiting for the weekend. But I don't feel comfortable being the only girl. Would you be interested in joining us?"
Rosalie thought about it. A picnic sounded fun. "Where? And what's a camping picnic?"
"Carmichael Beach. A camping picnic means no tents, no sleeping bags, no fishing, no living off the land. We take some blankets, some already prepared food. We eat. We get drunk. We fall asleep on the beach. You in?"
"I'm at work. If you can wait until I get off, then I'll go."
"Fabulous," Celia said. "And you don't have to hurry. We're still getting ready."
"Grab anything you need from my apartment. I've got some old blankets and some Spam and tuna and rum."
"Perfect. See you in few hours."
Rosalie went through the rest of her shift in a slight haze, already thinking about the trip to the lake. She hadn't been on a picnic in ages. One of the customers threw a little fit right before closing time because he wasn't allowed to enter the store without a mask. Instead of arguing, they just locked the door early and shut down.
Rosalie got home fifteen minutes earlier than usual. She changed out of her work clothes, packed a backpack with some necessities, and jumped in Celia's car. And they were on the road ten seconds later.
"So, who are these guys?" Rosalie asked. "Old boyfriends?"
"No. Friends of my brothers. When I was a teenager, I had giant crushes on both of them. But I was just the pesky little sister of Frank. But now I'm living in the big city and once or twice a year, these guys come out for some fun and girls and maybe a little business."
"So, this is a summer holiday trip?"
"Exactly," Celia said.
"And you're not hooking up with either one?"
"No... but..."
"Yes?" Rosalie asked. "Is there one you're interested in?"
"I'm still interested in both of them. Either one of those boys can have me with a snap of his finger. I've been too shy to encourage them. But if, by some miracle, you see me trying to get close to one of them, I would appreciate it if you would distract the other."
"Distract how?"
Celia laughed. "That's up to you. And it goes both ways. If one of them attracts you, go for it. I won't be jealous. They've had lots of girls. Lots and lots of girls. Even close friends of mine. And neither will be sticking around afterward. They'll go back home and I'll stay here. No point in being jealous. But if you're not interested like that, then just talk about music or movies or something."
"Maybe I should know their names first."
"Maybe so," she said. "Jason and Charles. Jason is the one with the military buzzcut. Charles shaves his head."
Celia told a few stories about the two men as they drove out of the city. And Rosalie talked about her own past boyfriends. And as they got to know each other finally, after being neighbors for over a year, Rosalie felt herself relax from the tension of the day, all her work anxieties draining away.
By the time they arrived at the lake, Rosalie was already feeling as rested and refreshed as though she'd already had her weekend. This had been a marvelous idea. The boys pulled up in a pickup right behind them and she made herself useful, helping unload.
As Jason and Celia built a fire, Rosalie stared out at the lake wistfully. She'd forgotten to bring a swimsuit, but she didn't want to soak her clothes by going in fully dressed. It was an isolated location, but she didn't know any of these people well enough to go skinny-dipping in front of them. If nothing else, she'd at least do some wading.
Then she turned around, noticed the blanket Celia was spreading out over the ground. Rosalie realized that Destiny had just decided what she'd be doing on this trip.
"Why did you bring that blanket?" she asked Celia.
"Did I make a mistake? You told me to get anything we might need from your apartment. This seemed like a nice, sturdy blanket, but old enough to not worry about if it got a little stained."
That was true enough, Rosalie thought. It had been stained plenty. "That is my family's Summer blanket. It has a tradition."
"I can put it back in the truck," Celia offered. "I didn't realize it was special."
"No. It's been laid out. It's too late. What will be will be."
"You're talking funny."
Rosalie nodded. "That blanket has a tradition."
"You said that."
"It was made as a gift for my grandmother when she got married. It was laid on her bed for the first time on her wedding night. My uncle was conceived that night. All my uncles and aunts, and my own mom, of course, were conceived on or under that blanket. Always in the summer. And like her mother, my mom lost her own virginity on that blanket. As did I. As did my brother. That blanket has claimed a lot of virginity and has caused a lot of babies to be born. I don't think we'll be able to resist its power."
"I didn't realize you were superstitious," Celia said.
"I'm not. And it sounds ridiculous, I know. But my family has always been wary of that blanket. Spring, Fall, and Winter, it's just a bedcover. But in the Summer, if you bring out that blanket, things happen. When I was eighteen and still in high school, my mom asked me to stay home one day so I could let in the plumber when he arrived. She hadn't realized it was the first day of Summer. The blanket was draped over the back of the couch. When the plumber got there, I didn't even speak to him. I opened the door, led him to the couch, and took my clothes off. I gave my virginity to a total stranger who smelled like rusted pipes."
"You weren't drinking or anything?" Celia asked skeptically.
"I never drank at eighteen. It's the blanket. I told my mom what happened with the plumber, and she told me about the cable guy and reminded me of the time when she'd sent me to my room when the pizza arrived. That blanket seduces in the summers. It's summer now. Things are going to happen."
"Only if we want them to," Calia promised.
"Oh, we'll want it. We'll want it like we've never wanted anything in our lives. We'll want it more than we'll want our next breath."
Celia clearly didn't believe her, but Rosalie was resigned to this fate and didn't bother trying to convince her. She'd planted the seeds. Belief would come later. She picked up her backpack and headed for the fateful blanket, wondering which of these guys was going to have her this day.
The boys gave her a friendly greeting and offered her a beer. She almost declined, for the sake of the baby. She had to remind herself that she wasn't pregnant yet. Probably by midnight. But not yet. She took the bottle they gave her and swigged down a third of its contents.
Even knowing what the evening had in store for her, Rosalie was still feeling relaxed and optimistic. And the cool, clear water of the lake was even more inviting than it had been before. She might get some swim time in after all, considering what Destiny had in store for her, even if Destiny needed a little help.
They settled down to just talk and watch the fire and the water. Celia and her friends talked of people, places, and events that Rosalie didn't know. Rather than feeling bored or offended, a sense of anticipation was building inside her. The Summer Day was hot, but Rosalie's arms were covered with goose bumps as excitement flowed through her veins.
She lay back on the Summer blanket and wondered about the wisdom of telling Celia about the legend. The rational mind would reject such a concept. But she remembered the weight of that plumber, crushing her into the sofa, claiming her innocence without even knowing her name. It was a true story, even if she'd fudged some of the details.
The heat in her blood got to be too much. She had to act. She needed to bring that simmer up to a boil or find a way to cool it down. Looking to the lake again, she thought, or maybe do both at once.
"I'm going for a swim," Rosalie announced. It no longer mattered that she didn't have a swimsuit. She took off her t-shirt and threw it on the blanket, then wriggled out of her jean shorts. She was still wearing her underwear, but she didn't want to get it wet, and sooner or later, at least one of these guys was going to see everything she had. It was guaranteed.
They were both cute, Jason with a soldier's ruggedness and Charles looking like a shy physicist who still might win two out of three arm wrestling matches at the tavern. Rosalie didn't know enough about them to make a choice, so she'd let them choose. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, tossing it on her growing pile of clothes. Sliding her panties down her legs, she took a quick peek at the three shocked faces watching her strip.
Rosalie's face was red, but she had no regrets. She ran to the water and kept going until she was waist-deep in the lake. Only then did she turn around and look at her companions.
The boys had turned to grin at each other. Celia was looking out at her like she was crazy. But none of them seemed particularly offended or angry. That possibility had occurred to her as she was running, but it had been too late to undo the striptease and even if they had been upset, it would not have been enough of a reason to put her clothes back on.
"Come on in!" Rosalie yelled. "The water feels great!"
Jason and Charles jumped up and started shucking off their clothes. Celia hesitated, but as she saw her two naked friends moving toward another female, she knew she could not sit this out. Celia was willing to let Rosalie have one of the men, but not both. And Celia wanted first choice. It took her less than a minute to get out of her own clothes and by the time Jason and Charles reached Rosalie in the water, Celia had caught up.
It was only awkward for a moment, standing in the waist-deep water, all four of them pretending not to notice the girls' bare tits. But Rosalie felt a sense of duty. She had started this. It was her task to break the ice.
"If you want to touch my boobs, it's okay. You have my permission," she said to Celia. They all laughed, as Rosalie had intended.
"What about us?" Charlie asked.
"Of course. Celia has my permission to touch both of you as well. If she wants to."
Under the surface of the water, Rosalie reached out and grabbed both men's cocks. "Fine specimens, girlfriend. Would you like to handle the merchandise?"
"I've never seen you like this," Celia marveled.
