The Invite
Sinclair or swim
"Honey, I'm home," Cate bellowed, entering the house and casually tossing her keys in the bowl. "How was your day? Get any writing done?"
"It was pretty good thanks. I've been fairly productive and I got quite a bit done. How about you? Okay day?" Tom asked, closing his laptop, intercepting his wife in the hall and welcoming her home with their usual loving kiss.
"Oh, it was great. Hit the gym early and then met up with Ruby afterwards to hammer out a few things for some upcoming shows. After that we met up with Selena for lunch at Loretta's," she answered.
"Sounds like a great day, baby. I trust Ruby and Selena are well?" asked Tom.
"Yup. All good. They both said to say hello and give slurpy kisses. Hey, you'll never guess who texted me on my way home."
"You're right, I'll never guess, so I give up. Who?"
"None other than the beautiful Sasha Sinclair," answered Cate, looking at him wide-eyed. "How about that?"
"No shit. Wow. You haven't heard from either of the Sinclairs in some time, have you? You mentioned Sasha hasn't been able to attend any of your burlesque classes for a while. What's the deal there?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, the charity she runs has a big event coming up and that has been taking up a lot of her time. And well, full disclosure... I actually did hear from Jason about a week after the dinner at their place. It was a quick call that he said was just to check in with us. He wanted to make sure we were both okay with what happened that evening and he actually apologized for being so, as he put it, 'single-minded', and hoped that neither of us was offended by his behaviour.
"I told him there was no need to apologize and that we were all complicit in the events of the evening. I added that maybe he even deserved an apology from me for teasing him so mercilessly. I said that we were both fine with what transpired and that the evening's proceedings actually fuelled further... um... amorous adventures... for us, both in the car and when we got home. Much to my surprise, he did not ask for any details or make one crude reference. Not a single double entendre, off-colour comment or inappropriate remark. He actually sounded sincere, respectful and even a little contrite. Surprised the shit outta me. I had to look at the call display to be sure it was the same guy. I didn't tell you about the call because...well... to be honest... I completely forgot about it until just now. Sorry," Cate informed him.
"That's okay. It's no big deal. Intresting. So, what was his response to your apology?"
"He said there was no need to apologize for the teasing, was glad we were okay with the evening's events and was happy we enjoyed dinner. That was it. He said goodbye and hung up. Can you believe it? Shocking."
"Well, that's s certainly out of character. Maybe you just wore him down instead of the other way around. Way to go. He's a broken man," Tom joked. "So what was the gist of the Sasha text?"
"No details. She just asked if I could give her a call when I had a moment. She said it was nothing pressing but wanted to run something by me and catch up at the same time. Gonna go give her a shout now. I'll be back when we're done yakking. Keep you posted. Mmmwa, love you."
Cate retired to her office to make the call to Sasha while Tom went back to his laptop.
"This oughta be interesting," he mused.
***
Forty-five minutes later Cate returned to the living room to fill Tom in on her conversation with her friend and student. She seemed very excited about something and took a seat beside him on the couch.
"So, this is kinda cool. Sasha and Jason have recently purchased and renovated a lake house and are wondering if we'd like to be their guests for a couple of days if we can manage the time. It's about an hour and a half away, and apparently it has everything one could want in a getaway... gym, pool, hot tub, steam room, sauna, games room, screening room, hiking trails, tons of bedrooms, the whole nine yards. Sounds like it's the perfect place to kick back, relax and leave the stress of the grind behind. She said that they would love to have our company for a couple of days and that we would need to bring next to nothing. Swimsuits and casual clothes. Maybe something nice to wear for dinner. Bring your guitar if you want. Their cook will be there to do all the meals for us and they have oceans of booze and tons of gummies. What are your thoughts? Would we be interested?"
"Wow. That's quite the tempting offer. Well, as we know, time spent with the Sinclairs has always proven to be entertaining, that's for sure. What's your schedule these days? Can you afford the time? Do you want to afford the time?" Tom replied, sending it back to her.
"I'm pretty good for the next while. There are a few things brewing but nothing imminent. I don't think I'd mind staying in a ritzy lake house for a couple of days but maybe let's just plan to go up for the day Saturday, stay overnight, and play it by ear. The place sounds like a high-end spa and might be just what the doctor ordered. Let's head up mid-morning on Saturday so we get there in time for lunch, which we know will be fabulous, and then just unwind and catch up with our hosts. We'll stay overnight and head home sometime on Sunday unless we decide otherwise. What say?
"Sounds like a plan. I'm down if you are. It sure would be nice to get out of town for a bit. Do you have any reservations about going? I'm sure Jason is still totally infatuated with you and might redouble his efforts to seduce you. Think that's his plan? A clever ruse to get you alone in the woods?" Tom asked chuckling.
"No, I have no reservations. This sounds like it was Sasha's idea and like I said, the last time I spoke to Jason he sounded positively, well... I don'kmow... normal. Of course, who really knows? Maybe he still is infatuated with me, as you put it, but I'm sure we can handle whatever comes up, so to speak." Cate replied laughingly.
"Okay then. I guess it's settled. Call her back tomorrow and let her know we're good to go for those dates and see if it works for them. If we can't come up with a reason to change our minds by the time you phone, we'll lock it in and do some packing. Make sure to get good directions. I don't want to get stranded in the wilderness." Tom said. "Oh, and of course I'm going to pick out your clothes for the trip. Cool?"
Cate sighed and gave him a sly look. She knew just how her husband's mind worked and was pretty sure that her wardrobe would likely consist of not too much.
"Of course my love. I will leave it entirely up to you."
***
The drive to the Sinclair's lake house took less time than expected and it was smooth sailing all the way. The scenery was simply gorgeous and the place was a breeze to find thanks to the GPS coordinates supplied by Sasha. Cate and Tom were primed for a weekend of luxury and relaxation. They knew that their filthy rich hosts would make sure that their stay would be first-class and that any needs they had would be attended to. It was just the way those two were wired.
Pulling into the property's parking area they could see both Jason and Sasha standing on the front steps of the imposing, wooden structure that their hosts now considered their getaway home. The place was simply massive. It had the look of a huge upmarket spa facility, and for all they knew, perhaps that's what it once was.
As they walked from the parking area towards the house it was evident that today's attire was all about being casual and comfortable. Sasha and Jason waited to greet them in what must be their vacation togs. Jason's T-shirt and shorts mirrored those of Tom's to the degree that it looked like they bought them from the same store, except Tom's shirt was a Lucinda Williams Tour tee while Jason's featured his company's logo, but they were exactly the same colour. Sasha looked alluring in a very short, yellow print, summer dress that could easily have been mistaken for an apron. It looped around her neck and the front strained against her mountainous boobs, which appeared to be unencumbered by any foundation garment. This was confirmed by the fact that there was considerable sideboob on display through the dress's oversized armholes and her nipples were making noticeable dents in the front. There was also a significant amount of tanned leg on display as the dress failed to reach halfway down her thigh.