Rob and Lily were busily preparing for their party. It was Lily's birthday and they were expecting guests within the hour.
Lily shouted over to Rob, "Hurry. We need those decorations up."
"I'm going as fast as I can. Why didn't we do this earlier?" He replied.
No answer. Rob expected this from his wife. She was a very last-minute type of person.
Rob and Lily rushed around and just managed to have finish setting out food and putting up decorations as the first guest arrived. Rob sat in his chair, catching his breath and watching as Lily answered. Even after five years of marriage, he still found himself oblivious to the rest of the world as he lustfully looked at Lily.
Lily was a fairly average-looking woman. She considered herself not overly attractive despite being the subject of many men's wandering eyes. She was tall, only a few inches shorter than Rob with auburn hair and wide green eyes whose color popped across a crowded room. Her breasts were Rob's favorite feature; they were like two ripe melons which matched her body perfectly. Her figure was curvy, but not too thin or thick. Rob considered himself a lucky man for marrying such an attractive woman.
As more guests arrived Rob had duties to attend to. He was in charge of food and had ready fired up the grill. Rob stood out on the porch: beer in one hand, spatula in the other.
Rob was also what might be considered an average looking fellow. He was taller than Lily, average height for a man. He had brown hair, but Lily liked to think of it as dirty blonde. He had blue eyes that were like two marbles set into a scruffy chiseled face.
As Rob stood outside he was startled by a sudden door being flung open. It was their friend, Katie, who had just arrived and wanted to say hello.
"Already avoiding the crowd, I see," Katie said wryly toward Rob.
"Just trying to make sure the guests don't resort to eating the legs off tables," Rob quipped.
"Come here and hug me, you..."
And with that Rob spun around and greeted his friend with a hug that nearly squeezed the air out of her like an elephant sitting on a balloon.
Katie was petite, especially compared to Lily. She was about half a foot shorter than Rob and had a very small frame. She wore her dark hair at shoulder length and had dark brown eyes. As Rob hugged her he had fleeting thoughts of lust. He had met Katie while still dating Lily at an old job and the three had become fast friends. But before Rob had set his heart on Lily he had considered asking Katie out and was very attracted to her, fact which he found impossible to forget when he saw her and which caused some guilt when he let his eyes wander to her in the presence of his wife. Rob had always mused, silently in his thoughts, about how funny it was that he was attracted so much to someone who was so physically different from Lily.
Katie sat on the porch as she caught up with Rob. Rob briefly went inside to bring food to everyone but immediately returned to sit on the porch with Katie. By the time they came in, they were both more than a couple drinks in and it showed on Katie much more than Rob. Lily had meanwhile been socializing with everyone else at the party and hadn't even noticed the two missing people.
"There you are," exclaimed Lily, "I thought I was going to have to cut the cake without you."
Lily blew out the candles to the applause of the guests, everyone ate cake, and then after a little more socializing all but one guest left to go home.
"Sorry we didn't get much of a chance to talk earlier," Lily said to Katie.
"Oh that's okay Rob kept me entertained," said Katie, "We sat on the porch shooting the breeze while he cooked dinner."
Katie, Rob, and Lily spent the next several hours in the living room talking and drinking. By now everyone was tipsy but Katie was in no shape to go anywhere.
"I should probably get going," Katie finally blurted out, "Let you two get to the real birthday present." As she said it she gave an exaggerated wink.
"Ohhh no you don't," Lily protested, "You're not driving anywhere. You can crash on our couch."
Katie offered no resistance. Lily fetched a pillow and a couple blankets and with that the matter was settled.
Eventually Katie had had her fill both of booze and conversation. Rob helped her to bed where she immediately passed out. Rob returned to the living room.
"So much for birthday sex. I don't think Mike Tyson could knock her out colder than she is right now," Rob said with a hint of disappointment.
"Well unfortunately I can't fill in for her on that but you can keep me company," Katie responded.
Katie couldn't believe she had just said that. She realized that in her drunken state she had just uttered what sounded like she wanted Rob. To Rob. This wouldn't be a problem except the truth was she did. Rob and Katie were mutually attracted to each other. In another time or place, they would have almost certainly ended up together.
Rob sat, unfazed by Katie's comment and did just as she suggested. Knowing she was hitting or had perhaps exceeded her limit, Katie had stopped drinking a little over an hour before. Rob did not and drink after drink went down what seemed to be a bottomless pit.