It was getting late and the party was showing signs of winding down. One by one our guests said their good-byes and took their leave until, by 2 AM, only myself, my husband David, and our best friend Jesse were left sitting at the small bar tucked in the corner of the dining room. The three of us were contemplating the last shimmering red jello shot that remained sitting on the bar. I picked it up and slurped it out of its small plastic cup, savoring the combined flavors of sweet cherry jello and vodka.
"Well, I guess this party is officially over," I said, tossing the empty cup into the nearby waste basket.
"Yeah, I suppose," Jesse agreed, sounding disappointed.
Poor Jesse, I thought. He and his wife were in the process of a divorce, and things were not going well. I knew he wasn't looking forward to going back to his empty house.
"Hey, dude, you can always crash here if you want," David said, seeming to read my mind.
I knew he wouldn't stay, though. He never took up our offer of a place to crash. I got up from my bar stool, teetering precariously on unsteady feet for a moment, and headed for the bedroom. If I didn't lay down, I was going to fall down. I flopped down face first on the bed, and found myself dozing off to the drone of male voices coming from the other room. In my half-asleep, completely inebriated state of mind, I found myself fantasizing, or maybe dreaming, about the two men joining me in bed and having their way with me.
A few minutes (hours?) later, I was brought abruptly back to consciousness by a light burning through my eyelids. I opened my eyes, squinting into the light from the nearby table lamp. David was standing over me, talking to me I think, his lips moving but no recognizable sound coming out.
"Wha...?" I slurred, half sitting up on the bed.
"Jesse is taking off," David repeated.
I looked up as Jesse walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Hey, girlie, I gotta jet," Jesse said, leaning in to give me a hug, his voice sounding distant and surreal to my vodka soaked brain
I wrapped my arms around his neck, inhaling his scent, a combination of beer, cigarettes and after shave. He smelled good to me, familiar after so many years of close friendship. I had always had a secret crush on him, and tonight, with my inhibitions lowered by alcohol, I found his scent extremely arousing. I could feel my pulse quicken, and a hot flush come over me. I wonder if he could feel the sudden heat radiating from my body. My senses became suddenly much more aware then they had been moments before, more aware then they had a right to be after the two dozen or so jello shots I had knocked back over the course of the evening.
The hug seemed to linger on, long after what would have been appropriate, and I pulled away, feeling awkward and embarrassed. I looked up and noticed that Jesse's cheeks seemed a little flushed and he was breathing a little heavy. I shot a quick glance over at David, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching us intently. There was a sudden knock at the front door, breaking the tension and startling the hell out of all three of us. David hesitated a moment, then walked down the hall to answer the door. I heard the door open and the sound of David's voice along with another vaguely familiar man's voice.
I turned to look at Jesse and opened my mouth to say something, anything, to explain away the uncomfortable moment that had just passed. Before I could say a word, though, he grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me against him, pressing his mouth passionately against mine. His tongue slipped past my parted lips, and before I could even put two coherent thoughts together, I found myself responding. I wrapped my arms around him, digging my fingers into his back, wanting to pull him into me, harder, deeper, as we devoured each other.
"That was just Ed," I heard David announced as he came back into he room. "He forgot...his.....coat....."
Jesse and I forced ourselves apart, and turned to face my husband. David was standing in the doorway, a look of disbelief on his face. His eyes jumped back and forth, from my face to Jesse's, trying to decide who to direct his anger at, who was the bigger traitor, his wife, or his best friend.
"Dave, man, oh my God, I don't...I'm so sorry," Jesse stammered, rising from the bed. "I don't know what came over me."
David was livid, I could see his fists clenching by his sides, and I wondered if he would hit Jesse. He certainly looked like he wanted to. His high cheekbones burned a deep red, and the veins in his temples were visibly pulsing. I looked at the two men, ashamed to find myself turned on over this confrontation, over the fact that these two males, who both desired me, might come to blows over the matter.