It was in the elevator that Jess really started to feel anxious. She took a deep breath as she started fidgeting with buttons on her mauve blouse and the hem of her tight black miniskirt. James noticed it right away. He looked down at her and gave her a warm, sympathetic smile. "Nervous, babe?"
Jess awkwardly returned his smile. "Yeah, just a little maybe."
James reached over and gave her hand a light squeeze. "It'll be okay. We've hung out with them already, they're cool people. And besides, they've already seen you naked in the pictures. It's just the contact that's new now, right?"
Jess gave a quick laugh. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
When the doors finally opened onto Bill and Kasey's floor, the nervousness had not dissipated. By the time the two of them reached their door it was still there, laying in her stomach like a stone, weighing her down. James gave her one last smile, and "don't worry, baby" before he knocked under the door, saying "okay, here we go," under his breath. It helped Jess to know he was nervous too.
They quickly heard a "coming!" from inside the apartment and a moment later were greeted by Kasey's smiling visage. She was wearing a tight black cocktail dress, which contrasted nicely with her blonde hair. She wasted no time ushering them in, and gave Jess a hug as soon she was inside. "Oh, it's so good to see you two again," she said as she squeezed Jess. "Oh and Jess, you look gorgeous!"
Jess tried her best to smile naturally as she replied. "Ah, thanks Kasey, you look lovely too." She was a little relieved when Kasey turned her attention to James, hugging and complimenting him in turn.
Soon Bill came out too, explaining he'd been busy preparing. Kasey laughed saying he always waited till the last minute to get ready. Bill put his arm behind her back and pulled her towards him. "Beauty takes time darling," he said, "you'd know all about that," and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips as she laughed. "Wouldn't you two agree?"
James laughed and nodded, "Oh yeah, you're a lucky man Bill." Jess just smiled.
"Hey, let's stop wasting time and get those refreshments out huh?" Kasey suddenly announced. In a few moments the two couples had moved over to the living room, where there were two small black couches facing each other in front of a glass coffee table. Jess and James took their seat on one, while Bill sat in the one opposite them. Kasey quickly excused herself to get the aforementioned refreshments, as James struck up a conversation by complementing the apartment. This didn't last too long before Kasey called Jess from the kitchen, asking if she could come help her.
Jess, didn't really want to leave Bill, but she decided she needed to get over her nervousness soon enough, so she got up and headed toward the kitchen. She found Kasey there with a few bottles of wine. "I just wanted to check what wine you preferred," she asked. After looking over her options Jess picked a nice rosΓ©. Kasey then asked if she'd help her take some of the plates of snacks into the other room, and Jess obliged. As Kasey handed her the bottle she looked her in the eyes. "Hey," she said, "you're a little nervous aren't you?"
Jess smiled awkwardly. "Yeah. Maybe a little." She tried to play it off with a little laugh.
Kasey patted her on the back reassuringly. "It's okay. Nothing needs to happen tonight that you don't want to have happen."
This made Jess feel a little better. With a wine bottle in one hand and a plate of crackers and cheese in the other she returned to the living room, only to start a little upon finding that Bill had switched over to the other couch and was now sitting next to James. "Oh sorry Jess," Bill said coyly, "hope you don't mind me snuggling up with your boyfriend."
James laughed at that and Jess smiled, putting down the tray and the bottle. "Oh, no of course not. I mean we're here to... get to know each other better, yeah?" She laughed awkwardly and sat down alone on the opposite couch.
Bill gave a sly smile of his own and turned toward James. "That we are, that we are."
Soon Kasey returned with another plate, this one with potstickers, and put it on the table. She left one more time to retrieve glasses and upon returning poured a glass for everyone. She then sat down next to Jess, but not particularly close to her, to Jess's small relief. She wanted to take all this slow.
Soon both couples were drinking, eating and chatting freely, and Jess started to feel more comfortable. Bill was very suave and clever, telling funny jokes, and he regularly found a way to make sly compliments to both the ladies in the room. Jess couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed whenever she was the target of these comments but she was nonetheless flattered. But a lot of Bill's attention seemed focused on James. He would listen intently to everything James said, laugh at all his jokes, and give him little compliments about how he looked and how he was dressed. James seemed to enjoy the attention. He was acting in a way Jess had never really seen before. He was a bit flirty, but in a reserved way. Like he was playing hard to get. Jess found this interesting. James wasn't a particularly manly person, but he usually stuck to a more masculine mode of behavior. But now he seemed to be enjoying himself playing the more submissive role.
For her part, Kasey was very friendly and talkative and Jess found it easy to chat with her, which really wasn't often the case with her. She would be a bit flirty with Jess now and then but always seemed to keep it low key, like she was waiting for a signal of approval from Jess. Jess very much appreciated this. The wine helped quite a bit of course, but her nervousness still lingered. In fact she was probably drinking a little too fast and it wasn't very long before she'd finished the whole glass, even though everyone else still had a good amount in left in their own. She was listening to Bill describe his job at a publishing house when she felt Kasey tap her on the shoulder. Turning, she found her holding the wine bottle. "Need a refill?" she asked.
Jess accepted and as she poured Kasey told her that she had really gone through that quickly.
"You don't need to feel pressured tonight," she whispered, reassuringly, "we can go at whatever pace you want." Jess returned the smile and whispered "thank you" back. She noticed that in doing this Kasey had slid closer to her on the couch and stayed there. But she didn't really mind now. She was able to drink this second glass more slowly.
She was about halfway through it when it started. James was telling some funny story that had happened to him recently, and laughing uproariously about it. Bill was laughing too, more gently, but earnestly. He was sitting right next to James at this point. When James started to calm down from his laughing fit he slowly turned his head toward Bill and made eye contact with him and smiled. That was when Bill moved in. He swiftly brought his head right to James's and kissed him, light at first and then deeper as he was reciprocated. Jess had been about to drink when it happened and almost spilled some of the wine when she started at it. She had known James was bi since they'd first started dating, but she'd never seen him kiss a man or anyone other than herself before. It was interesting seeing it. He wasn't taking the lead like he did with her. He was the one being kissed rather than the kisser. It was more than a little arousing. "Wow," she said to herself, almost automatically.
"Pretty hot, huh?" came a breathy voice in her ear, and she turned to see that Kasey had sidled up right next to her, and was giving her a devious look.
Jess blushed and looked down into her wine glass. "Yeah, it is." As she looked up to watch the guys some more she felt Kasey drape an arm over her shoulder.
"I love watching Bill with other men," Kasey whispered huskily into Jess's ear. "And I know he enjoys it so much too. Which just makes it better." Jess's heart started to quicken as she felt Kasey's lips brush against her neck. Jess closed her eyes and leaned her head back, giving Kasey better access. Kasey promptly began planting little kisses all over Jess's neck, and clavicle. "I'm gonna unbutton your shirt, okay?"