Carter stared at her in disbelief. Then he burst out laughing.
I didn’t understand the joke, but I waited until he recovered and said, “I’m not dating her for her looks.”
“Obviously not.”
“Well, not only for her looks.”
“No, no.” He composed himself. “I do have a lovely Pinot Noir, if it suits you, my dear.”
“Yes, please.”
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and chatting and drinking Carter’s wine, a California Pinot to start, then an Australian Shiraz, followed by an Italian Moscato. He was a wine snob, all right, but a fun one. He played host and explained why each wine was special.
We eventually wound down, and he offered to pour the last of the Moscato. I waved a hand over my glass, but Christy slid hers forward.
“Thank you.”
“I envy your metabolism,” he said. He was a little drunk, but mostly tired from the long day. “I think it’s time for us to go to bed.”
Kim covered a yawn and nodded. She’d been quiet for the past hour and hadn’t touched her wine after the Shiraz.
“We had fun today,” he said.
“Us too,” I said. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“Indeed.” He stood and then helped Kim to her feet.
“We’ll turn off things here,” I said. “Thanks again for the wine.”
“And the excellent conversation. Our pleasure.”
We exchanged goodnights, and they left. Then I let out a deep sigh and slid down in my chair. I’d drunk as much as Carter, and I was definitely feeling the effects. Christy, on the other hand, had found her usual reserve of energy.
“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what?” She knew exactly what I was talking about, so she raised her glass and sipped to cover a smile. “I like the wine. It’s sweet. We’ll have to tell Wren about it.”
“I’m sure she knows.” Then I raised an eyebrow. “Is that the only thing we’ll tell her about?”
Christy sighed. “You know me so well.”
“Mmm.”
“She’s going to ask. You know she will.”
I nodded.
“But… I can’t tell her about most of it.”
“No,” I agreed. “And Trip’s probably gonna want details about Kim.”
“Only, I don’t want to share.”
“Details? Or Carter and Kim?”
“Both. But I suppose we’ll have to.” She sighed heavily. “Remember I said I felt like we were moving apart?”
“Yep. I understand. Completely.” I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want to share Carter and Kim either, and it wasn’t just because we wanted to keep the bondage and discipline separate.
Christy must have read my mind. “How do we do it?”
“I don’t know. I love Trip like a brother, but—”
“—he doesn’t have to be part of everything you do.”
“Exactly.”
“Now you know how I feel about Wren,” Christy said. “I love her, but… It’s different with you and me.”
I nodded solemnly. “It’s the intimacy.”
She didn’t quite follow.
“You’re intimate with Wren, but you and I are on a deeper level. Same with me and Trip. Well, except for the sex.” We shared a grin. “And you’re right, I don’t have to share everything with him.” I thought back, though, to all the things we had shared, including girlfriends and other women.
“I know,” Christy said softly. “Same with us. Me and Wren, I mean. But… now I have things I only want to share with you. I feel guilty, though, like I’m betraying our friendship.”
“Same here.”
“My mom said that’s what couples do. We become closer than friends. Lynne said the same.” Christy smiled, thoughtful and a little sad. “She’s a lot deeper than Marianne. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both, but I’ve gotten to know Lynne a lot better since you and I’ve been dating. She thinks about things. Marianne isn’t shallow, but… she and Harry have such perfect lives. They both want the same things. Sometimes I think he’s the lucky one, not me. Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, right, betraying our friendships.”
I nodded and sat up. I couldn’t change how we felt, and we definitely weren’t going to choose our friends over one another, so I decided to change the subject. I glanced over my shoulder, to the couch. “Let’s get comfortable. Take your wine,” I told her. “I’ll meet you in… thirty seconds.”
I turned off the lights, filled a glass with water from the tap, and joined her on the couch. She started to lean against my side, but I patted my thigh instead. She swung a leg over and sat facing me.
“Much better,” I said. “Everything’s within reach.”
“I like sitting like this. I feel exposed and vulnerable.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So you like being exposed and vulnerable?”
“Mmm. But only for you.”
I rubbed her thigh, and she set her wineglass aside. Then she leaned forward to kiss me. I’d been kissing Kim all day, and Christy felt different. We had a spark that Kim and I didn’t. Christy must have felt it too, because she sighed and leaned into me. I cupped her ass—so much smaller and firmer than Kim’s—and pulled her closer. We kissed again.
“Mmm.” She sat back and grinned. “I missed you. I had fun with Carter, and Kim’s a really good kisser, but… it wasn’t the same.”
“No. It was just sex with them. Lust, not love.” We shared a smile and enjoyed a quiet, comfortable moment. “So, you had fun today?” I said at last, and she nodded.
“I’m still a little sore,” she added, “but it’s a good sore, like after a workout.”
“Carter offered to teach me more about the scene.”
“And…?”
“And what?” I laughed. “Do you want me to learn?”
“Oh my gosh, yes! Are you kidding? Carter… did things today. I came, like, a million times. I have fun when you spank me, but it wasn’t the same.” She sat up and looked into my eyes. “Paul Dean Hughes, I love you more than anything, but you need to learn how to do that to me. I don’t think you understand…”
“Oh, I understand,” I chuckled. “You’ll leave me for a guy like Carter if I don’t.”
“What?” she squawked indignantly. “No! That isn’t what I meant at all! I can’t believe you think I’d leave you over something like that. Paul, dear, I worked too hard to get you in the first place. I’m not going to throw it all away just because some other guy made me come. Ugh! You’re so infuriating sometimes!”
“So you’re not going to leave me?”
“Not now, not ever. Besides,” she added, “I won’t have to. You’re going to learn from Carter. Then you’ll be able to do what he did.”
“Is that an order?” I teased.
“You know I don’t give orders. Not to you.”
I chuckled and didn’t argue.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Ugh! Never mind.” She pretended to glare. “Sometimes I don’t like you very much.”
“Like now?”
“Yes,” she lied.
“Uh-huh.” I gave her a moment and then reached between her legs. I began playing with her pussy, and she whimpered. Then she closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared as I spread her growing moisture. My dick didn’t react instantly, but it began to swell.
You can do it, I encouraged him.
Hey, I’ve had a long day too.
I chuckled and took the opportunity to play with Christy’s breasts and pinch her nipples.
Okay, boss, the little head said at last, ready when you are.
I teased her clit.
“Oh, no fair,” she gasped. “Use my own body against me.”
“I can use my body,” I suggested, “if you’d prefer.”
“Yes, please.”
“Sit up.” I steadied my cock at her opening.