“Sure you are,” she said, still dubious.
“Here, I’ll prove it. Trip, let’s do the dishes so the girls can relax in the tub for a while.”
She goggled, while he glared.
“Dude! How come you always do that to me? I hate doing dishes.”
“You think I like it?” I shot back. “You think the girls do?”
They shook their heads.
“See?”
“But that’s—”
“Whoa!” I cut him off. The words “women’s work” had been on the tip of his tongue, which would’ve started a fight for sure. “Don’t even think that.
You won’t get laid for a week. Trust me.”
Christy gave my leg a squeeze of encouragement. Wren chose to let the comment go, even though she probably knew exactly what he’d been about to say.
“Come on,” I told him. “The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll be finished.”
“And the sooner we can thank you properly,” Wren added.
He gave me a sour look but eventually conceded, “Yeah, you’re right.
Might as well.”
“We’ll help you carry the plates in,” Christy said.
I held Wren back as the other two headed to the kitchen.
“Be cool in the hot tub,” I told her in a low voice. “She isn’t ready to fool around in front of Trip. Kissing you is one thing, but don’t expect anything else.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Wren said tartly.
I gave her the skeptical eyebrow.
“Fine! You’re probably right anyway.”
“Trip said you might visit us tonight if the hot tub doesn’t play out?”
“Trip needs to learn to keep his big mouth shut.”
“He’s walking a fine line,” I told her, “trying to keep both of us happy.
Don’t make him choose sides. You’ll win, but it’ll be a Pyrrhic victory. He already feels like he’s selling me out.”
“Yeah, okay,” she said after a moment. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem. And remember, I want the same thing you do.”
“I know. I just get so frustrated sometimes. I want things to happen faster.”
“So do I. But a relationship is like a building: if you lay the foundation right, it’ll last forever. If you rush things in the beginning, it won’t survive the test of time. So, which do you want, a quick building now or one you can enjoy for years to come?”
“Why do you have to be so damned reasonable?”
“It’s part of my charm.”
Christy appeared from the kitchen before Wren could respond. She took my plate, looked up at me for a kiss, and smiled when I gave it to her. Then she turned to Wren.
“Plate,” she said with her hand out. “Kiss.”
Wren gave her both automatically, and I hid a smile as she frowned in confusion.
“Trip and I’ll take care of the dishes,” Christy said. “You two go out.
We’ll join you in a few minutes.” She gave us a bright smile and turned for the kitchen, plates in hand.
“What just happened?” Wren said when she’d gone.
“You’ll understand when you meet her mother.”
“I’ve met her mother.”
“Right. Then you know she’s a force of nature.”
“Should I be worried?”
I laughed. “Only if you don’t do what Christy wants.”
She stared after her.
“Mmm hmm,” I said. “It’s called ‘soft power,’ and she’s very good at getting what she wants. Like when you first lived together and you thought you were seducing her?”
“But she was really seducing me the whole time?”
“You got it.”
She thought about it and then laughed softly. “You know, sometimes I think I know what I’m doing. And then other times, like now, I think maybe I’m in way over my head. But still… I totally love her!”
“That makes two of us.”
She gave me an appraising look and then directed it toward the kitchen.
“Do you think this is what she wanted all along?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. But I think it’s unconscious if it is.”
“Yeah, that’s what worries me.”
“Why?”
“It makes me feel like I’m not in control. You know how much I hate that.”
“Same here. But I think Christy is fine with us directing things… as long as we do them her way.”
“I think I love her even more.”
“Yep. Me too. Now, let’s do like she said. You grab the wine and I’ll get the towels.”
Trip and Christy were chatting at the sink as I passed the kitchen. He seemed to be in a much better mood, and I chuckled to myself at how she worked her magic.
Wren was already taking off her clothes by the stove when I returned with the stack of towels. I shed my own clothes and followed her out to the patio.
She set the wine on a chair next to the tub and opened a bottle. The air and ground were both freezing, so I leapt up the stairs and slid into the welcoming warmth of the water.
Wren climbed into the tub a moment later, and my eyes immediately went to her pussy. She still had a neatly groomed triangle of hair in front, but she was completely bare between her legs.
“Yeah, I thought you’d notice that,” she said. “Trip calls it ‘business up top, party down below.’ And I know you and Christy think I’m totally selfish sometimes, but I enjoy doing things that make him happy.”
“I don’t think you’re selfish,” I said. “I think you’re just… very determined. You know what you want and you don’t let anything stand in your way.”
“What’s wrong with that? If I was a man, you’d say I’m ambitious.”
“I’d say you’re ambitious anyway. Nothing wrong with that. But I know what you mean. A woman who’s ambitious is a ‘bitch.’ A man is a ‘go-getter.’ Complete double standard, I agree.”
“I knew you would. It’s one of the things I like about you. I really mean that. You aren’t some macho jerk who can’t handle a woman like me.”
“Um, no. I grew up with strong women. I’m dating one. My best friend is dating another.”
“Just so you know…”
“Oh, I do. And just so you know… what we were talking about inside?
Christy has a plan too. Maybe it isn’t a conscious one like yours, but don’t ever make the mistake of thinking she isn’t as ambitious and determined as you are.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to see that. She hides it well, though.”
“She doesn’t really ‘hide’ it, per se. She’s just… subtle. Like tonight, with the dishes. She made all of us happy at once.”
“Which was what she wanted. She likes to please people. Whereas you and I…”
“Well, we like to please people too, but we take charge and do it.”
The door to the house opened and Christy appeared. She was laughing
and looking over her shoulder at Trip. I took a moment to admire her body, and I could almost feel Wren’s desire as she did the same. Trip pulled the door closed behind them, and Christy turned her smile our way.
“Hello, my two favoritest people in the world.” She smiled back at Trip.
“You’re pretty awesome too.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
They joined us in the tub, and Christy settled beside me as I put my arm around her.
“Mmm, you’re warm.”
“Yep,” I said flippantly, “250 to 400 BTUs per hour.”
Her brow furrowed.
“Sorry, environmental control joke.”
“Oh.”
“Not even very funny. Here, have some wine.”
She accepted my glass and pretended to look askance. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“No, but Wren is.”
“She doesn’t have to get me drunk, Mr. Man.”
My eyebrows shot up, and Wren laughed.
“Okay, you don’t either,” Christy said with a smile.
“So, can I have my wine back?”
She playfully slapped my hand away. “Mine. Get your own.”
Wren knelt on the seat and reached for the wine bottle, so I took the opportunity to admire her body as well. She was Christy’s opposite in so many ways. She was curvy and tended toward lush, where Christy was lean and slim, almost boyish. She was much less reserved, although Christy had come a long way since Halloween. Still, I suspected that Christy had only been reserved because she thought she should be.