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I woke in Tim's arms, feeling a distinct echo of Ann's intimate touch the previous day. The girls were on the other side of the bed, auburn hair mingled with brown, and after a few moments I heard a distinct murmur of pleasure from Pippa as Ann caressed her. Then another soft gasp, and Tim opened his eyes, giving me a knowing grin. "Want to join in?"

He walked round to the other side of the bed, spooned behind Pippa, while I shifted across to press my breasts against Ann's back. Pippa's fingers moved to explore between Ann's thighs, and Ann bent one knee a little to give her access, pressing back into me.

I saw Pippa's eyes widen, then another gasp of pleasure. "Mm - Tim - shouldn't a gentleman wait to be asked?" she teased, flexing her hips against him as he pressed deeper into her.

"We thought we'd return the favour from last night," he chuckled.

I chose that moment to slide two fingers gently into Ann's wet opening from behind, while Pippa's fingertips continued their slow circling of her nub. "Mmm," breathed Ann, "it works for me."

She stretched out her hand to cup Pippa's mound, then splayed her fingers to either side of Tim's hardness as he moved, using her thumb to brush Pippa's most sensitive spot. "Ohh, this is heavenly," Pippa breathed.

The girls kissed, then Pippa pulled away, gasping softly, as Tim thrust more insistently in her. I heard gentle triumph in Ann's voice - "Mm, Pip, you know I like it when you get there first -" then Pippa gasped again, her hips pushing urgently against Ann's fingers. A split second later Tim groaned, Pippa's body rocking with his thrusts, and I thrilled as the two of them shuddered through their shared climax. "Mmm..."

Pippa blinked, took a breath, then seemed to remember what she'd been doing, a determined look in her eyes as her fingers moved on Ann. "Now, Beth?" she murmured, and I nodded, my fingers in Ann's depths doing their best to imitate what Pippa had felt from Tim's thrusts. "Oh - mm -" Ann gasped, and I watched a satisfied expression spread across Pippa's face as Ann tensed around me, clasped her thighs together.

Finally Ann relaxed, took a deep breath. "Wow..."

Pippa nodded. "Only one problem - I can see us getting seriously addicted to this."

Tim grinned, shrugged. "I don't see a problem - if we get bored of takeaway, I'm sure one or other of you knows how to cook, right?"

Unsurprisingly his teasing comment drew immediate retaliation, all three of us whacking him playfully with pillows until he surrendered, hands in the air. "OK, OK. Anyway, Beth'll tell you, I know my way around the kitchen too."

Ann glanced at me. "Going back to the most important topic - yes, Tim, I know you're hungry, but something tells me Beth hasn't had a proper 'good morning' yet."

She glanced at Pippa, and I felt a thrill of anticipation as they both knelt at the bottom of the bed, Ann using her tongue on my toes while Pippa planted soft kisses on my thighs, moving from one side to the other, gradually upwards until she reached my mound. A probing tonguetip, and I opened for her, expecting Ann to continue her gentle attentions to my feet. But Ann moved up to join Pippa, and I gasped as somehow their tongues competed to explore, circle, softly flick at my nub. "Oh - oh god - I've never -"

Tim couldn't keep away, bending to use his mouth, his fingers, on my breasts, and I felt the familiar delicious tension begin to bloom deep within my body. I stroked his cheek, then tangled my fingers in brown hair, auburn, pushing my hips upwards. "Oh - yes - I -" then for a few moments it felt as though I lost touch with reality, my whole world the ripples of pleasure from tongues, fingers...

Gradually I regained a sense of where I was, the girls' cheeks pillowed on my chest, Tim cradling my head. I took a deep breath - "What were you saying about getting addicted to this, Pip?"

I heard my stomach rumble, and Tim grinned. "Not just me, then."

He leaned down to kiss me. "I think as it's Sunday, a carvery would be just perfect. Now, who's going to come and wash my back for me?"

Another flurry of pillows, and he retreated towards the bathroom. "Come on," Ann chuckled. "We can all go in our shower, then we can decide what to wear - you can borrow something of Pippa's, right, Beth?"

"Mm, that'd be great."

By the time we got back upstairs, Tim was ready. "Thought you'd all gone down the plughole," he teased. "Shall I drive?"

I held out my hand, throwing an amused glance at the girls. "Nope - my turn."

Tim surrendered the keys, and we went down to the car. "Brr," Pippa shivered, and Ann nodded, goosebumps rising on her bare arm.

"If you're good you can share the back seat to keep them warm," I flashed an eyebrow at Tim.

"Oh, he's been good," grinned Ann. "Come on, Tim - you can sit in the middle."

We headed back towards the motorway - "There was that place we saw on the way down, wasn't there, Tim -" and after a few minutes we pulled up outside an inviting-looking pub with an 'All-day Carvery' sign.

We found a table, and Tim went for drinks while Ann and Pippa whispered over the menu. "Mm, we have to save room for dessert," Pip pointed. "Sticky chocolate pudding and custard."

Our usual toast, but changed just a little - "Good friends, new adventures" - and I sipped at my rum and coke. "Any thoughts what to do this afternoon?"

Before anyone could make a suggestion, something like a light bulb came on in my head. "I have an idea."

"Go on," Ann nodded, leaning her elbows on the table.

"Well, between the four of us we're going to learn a lot of stuff." I ticked off points on my fingers. "Medicine, IT, psychology, music - and I bet all of us know other things too, like the marketing A-level I took."

I looked around the table. "If we come up with the right idea, we could really succeed."

Pippa was the first to chip in. "Would you believe my fifth A-level was business studies and accounting - I could take care of the figures, the books."

"But what sort of thing would we do? Make?" puzzled Tim.

"Maybe... coming at it from the medical angle, something to do with rehabilitation?" Ann suggested. "I know everything's digital, AI, these days - that should be right up your street, Tim."

"The right thing will turn up," I said confidently.

"We might need more space - desks, somewhere to make or test stuff," Pippa mused.

"There's the spare flat," I pointed out. "We still haven't heard that it's definitely been let."

Ann lifted her glass. "We need a new toast. 'Good friends, new successes'."

We chinked glasses, then Tim threw a longing glance at the carvery. "Can't start a business if we've starved to death..." he hinted.

We queued for heaped plates, then came back to the table. "Mm, fantastic," Tim managed round his first mouthful.

The chocolate sponge lived up to its promise, then we took our time over coffee. Finally Ann stretched, glanced at Pippa. "We should probably get back. I have an anatomy test tomorrow..."

Pippa smirked. "'Fraid it won't just be the parts we've been getting more familiar with."

"Although phalanges and metatarsals might come up," Ann winked at me, and I gave her a puzzled look. "Tell you later," she promised.

We drove back to the house, and the girls stopped at their landing. "We... we'll see you tomorrow?" ventured Pippa.

I stepped forward to hug her warmly. "Pip - don't worry. Best of both worlds - you two have got your own space, but you can be with us whenever you want."

Ann accepted a hug from me next, then turned to Tim. "I know I pulled your leg a few times -"

She chuckled. "Tibia, fibula, femur. But next time - if Beth doesn't mind -"

I grinned, shook my head, and Ann continued - "you'll definitely have me, Tim, all to yourself."

He pulled her close, kissed her hard on the lips, then reached for Pippa. "And the time after next - once Ann's had what she needs -"

She pressed her body against his, moaned softly. "Can't wait."

Then they were gone, the door closing, and I turned to Tim. "Just you and me now."

He took my hand. "For always, love."

We went up to the flat, and I glanced at the wardrobe. "Want to be a fly on the wall?"

To my surprise, Tim shook his head. "Let them have their secrets too."

His fingers worked at my blouse buttons, and despite my enjoyment of the last few hours, I felt a thrill as I realised that now it was just me and him...

***

I heard the front door go, and I leaned over the banister to call down. "Hi, you two. How did it go today?"

The girls came up the stairs to the landing. "Pretty good," nodded Pippa. "What about you?"

"Well, Tim's got his workstation in the lab, so he's happy," I chuckled. "It might just take a little persuasion to tear him away from it, though."

Ann smiled knowingly. "I think we can manage that."

"And I've chosen my research project," I continued. "I'll need you to help - as subjects, I mean."

Pippa gave me a curious look. "Sure. But what do we have to do?"

"Nothing weird," I promised. "Just talk, answer a load of questions."

Ann nodded. "So what's the topic?"

"Ah - 'The negotiation of sexual boundaries in contemporary society'. 'Fraid it's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it."

Ann chuckled. "Not as much a mouthful as one or two other things. Count us in, Beth."

Tim appeared in the door of the flat. "Can't wait for the practical."

I rolled my eyes. "Typical. Anyway, weren't you making dinner?"

I turned back to the girls. "We thought we'd do a big lasagna, if you want to join us."

Pippa's eyes lit up. "You bet. We'll just be a minute, we'll go and change."

"Rule two, remember," teased Tim, and she blew him a kiss. "You only make it to rule one if the lasagna's as good as advertised."

Tim and I went inside, and he watched appreciatively as I slipped out of my jeans and t-shirt. "Peach again," he nodded, "my favourite."

"Maybe I'll get you something tighter to wear at Christmas," I teased. "Boxers are a bit boring."

Steps in the hall, and the girls reappeared. I saw Tim's eyes widen, and I chuckled. "I think you broke him."

They'd chosen matching outfits - French knickers, camisole tops, in pale red silk, deliberately pointing up the contrast between Ann's breasts and Pippa's. "He'll recover," grinned Ann.

Tim shook his head slightly as if to try and concentrate. "Um, the dinner should be ready."

He headed down to the kitchen, appearing with an enamel dish held in oven-gloved hands. "Plates are in the living room."

We sat down, and Tim served generous helpings. "Mm," nodded Pippa, "this is great - you're definitely on a promise, Tim."

"So tell us about your project, Beth," requested Ann.

"Well," I began slowly. "I suppose there are three aspects, really."

I counted on my fingers. "Humans as 'moral beings' - that's where religion, tradition, mores and taboos all come in. As far as I know, every society in the world has rules - whether they follow them or not - about who should be in bed with who, and who definitely shouldn't."

"Then there's what we see in the natural world - all the other living things. Well, those that have any kind of differentiated gender, anyway."

I looked around the table. "And then there's the bit I'm really interested in - I suppose you'd call it 'social psychology of interpersonal relationships'. Who wants to be with who, how they each decide whether they will or not, and if they do, exactly what they'll do and maybe not do."

Pippa nodded. "That makes sense. How are you going to tackle it?"

"Couple of ways. Interviews, I'll ask questions about how people feel, what they think about when they're attracted to someone. And statistical - just yes/no questions, what people have actually done."

I grinned. "Or what they'll admit to, anyway."

"That sounds sort of familiar," Ann puzzled. "Oh, I know - wasn't there a thing called a 'purity test'? On the Internet - mostly for fun. What sort of questions is your survey going to ask?"

I glanced at Tim. "Do you have that list we talked about?"

He nodded, picking up his iPad, tapping the screen. "Here."

Ann took the tablet from him, and Pippa leaned closer to look. "Hmm - if it's about relationships, why is the first question about masturbation?"

"Because I'm nosey," I admitted with a grin. "I'm expecting ninety-nine percent from the guys, but I really want to know what it is for the girls in my sample."

Ann ran her finger down the list. "Sex with someone of the opposite gender, sex with someone of the same gender, fair enough. Sex with more than one person at the same time - mm, that just has so many possibilities."

Pippa nodded, continuing to read. "Watching while others have sex, with their knowledge. And without them knowing - hmm, I definitely think I have a touch of the voyeur in me."

"Being watched, or risk of discovery," Ann mused. "Yes to the first, maybe not so much to the second."

She carried on down the list. "Oh! OK - sex with a biological relative - definitely a taboo. Sex with someone related but not biologically - that's you two busted, then."

A sheepish grin from Tim. "Yep."

"What's next?" queried Pippa, scrolling down. Her eyes widened - "Sex with someone without their complete consent, and sex where you don't feel you fully consented. Are you really going to ask about rape?"

For once my face was serious. "Well, I know it's an issue."

"This is anonymous, right?" queried Ann. "So there's no possibility of any comeback."

I nodded. "Want to do yours now? I promise I won't look, and we can all do it."

Ann sat back, tapping at the screen, her cheeks going a little pink now and again. "There. Your go, Pip."

Pip did the same, then passed the tablet to me. "Sauce for the goose?" she teased.

I worked through the list, then nodded at Tim. "You don't get away."

"No problem."

He handed the tablet back after a couple of minutes, and I tapped at the menu. "Now it crunches it all up and gives a summary - anonymous, like I said, it just reports which questions anyone said yes to."

"Let's look," Ann requested, and I handed the tablet over. "Oh!" Pippa blinked. "I - I wasn't expecting anyone to have -"

Different emotions chased across her face, finally settling on acceptance mixed with unmistakeable curiosity. "Don't worry," I reassured her. "We can all let one another into the rest of our secrets, just give it time."

Pippa nodded thoughtfully, then her lips curved upwards into a smile. "What?" I queried with a grin of my own.

"I know it's not part of your survey, but what about things we've not done but fantasise about?"

"Even better," chipped in Ann, "things we can pretend - role-play - all the excitement but still completely safe."

"OK," chuckled Tim. "I'm not sure about my acting ability, but which would you pick?"

There was a distinct pause, Ann looking from me to Pippa then back again. "Tim - we trust you."

His face showed puzzlement. "I don't understand?"

"What Ann means," I said slowly, "is that women fantasise about - well, not rape, not really, not the violence. But reluctance, a degree of coercion, the idea of being dominated."

Ann nodded. "So if we role-played that, it'd only be with someone we really trusted."

Tim looked genuinely touched. "Thank you."

I suddenly remembered something. "Ah, Tim, we - um - we imagined something a bit like that, when we were with -"

I stopped in my tracks, but Ann only pretended to roll her eyes. "That'd be one of those secrets, then."

"So," said Pippa slowly. "Shall we see about rule one, then? Unless anyone wants seconds of lasagna."

"Come on," grinned Ann, getting to her feet. "What was it you said the other day? Last one in bed's a lemon."

They headed for the bedroom, and I held back for a moment, wrapping my arms around him. "You're OK, aren't you?"

"Never better," he smiled. "Now, let's see if we can get nominated for that Oscar."

We passed an untidy pile of pale silk on our way to the bedroom, finding Pippa lounging in one of the armchairs. But Ann was sprawled back on the bed, arms stretched upwards, hands grasping the metal supports of the headboard. I guessed she was pretending to be restrained somehow, and her shifting body confirmed it. "Let me go, dammit," she ground out through gritted teeth.

Tim's expression was one of calculated contempt. "You broke the rules."

I suddenly realised that Ann was still wearing her French knickers, and Tim leaned closer to her, deliberately pressing his face into her mound through the silk. Ann tried to squirm aside, but he pinned her down with his arms on her thighs - "Where do you think you're going."

His mouth worked his way up her stomach, then the curve of her breasts, kissing hard enough to leave red marks. She twisted again, but his lips found her nipple, and she gasped at the sting. "Ow!"

Tim shifted upwards again, his mouth seeking hers as she turned her head from side to side. His hands restrained her, thumbs either side of her jaw, and he forced a kiss, Ann drawing a gasping breath as he released her. "I hate you," she spat.

He ignored her, moving to grasp the top of her knickers. "Oh - no -" she half-sobbed, but he pulled them roughly down, off. Again he pressed his mouth to her, deliberately inhaling through her tangled red fur. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were turned on," he taunted, "that you want me."

Another sob as Tim forced a hand between her thighs, curled his fingers to touch her. "See - wet," he sneered, "you just can't help yourself."

He replaced one hand with two, forcing her legs apart, then straddling her with a knee between her thighs to stop her clenching them closed again. Then his body was holding hers down, his hand over her mouth - "Don't want to wake the neighbours, even if all they hear is you enjoying yourself, you just can't keep quiet, can you."

She made as if to bite him, but he was too strong, and her eyes filled with shock and pain as he finally entered her. He flexed his hips, and I could pinpoint the split second when Ann abandoned their fantasy, giving herself over to the desire he'd kindled in her. She pushed her hips upwards in response, and Tim gasped as she wrapped her long, slender legs around him, releasing her hold on the bars and digging her fingernails into his back. "Mm - oh - Tim - yes - fuck me like I still don't want you to."

He thrust more insistently. "I'm going to come inside you, and there's nothing you can do about it, all that stuff, maybe it'll start leaking back out when I let you sit up again."

"Don't I get to -" Ann started, but Tim cut across her. "You'll come when I say you can, when I make you, with my mouth where you always beg me to put it -"

Ann threw us a deliberate knowing glance, the instant before her face contorted with pleasure, her mouth a silent O. Tim looked as though he was about to speak, but his body betrayed him, tumbling into climax, his hips thrusting. "Ohhh..."