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The Bridge Club Ch. 01

By: AspernEssling



This chapter is a prelude, introducing characters and explaining the situation. We will get to the action, eventually. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. 

********** 

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe 

Massimo was an asshole. 

In high school, we belonged to the same circle of friends, but he went out of his way to be a prick. He was considerably taller than me, a fact he chose to remind me of by constantly patting me on the head. He would also lean on me, with his elbow on my shoulder (a practice I put a stop to by the simple expedient of punching him in the nuts). 

He was the better athlete, by a wide margin, in basketball and volleyball. He could outrun me, and was physically stronger. Baseball, on the other hand, was my domain. I was a pitcher, while he was a star with the bat. But he couldn't hit me in practice. 

Massimo just couldn't seem to figure out that I wasn't going to try to blow a fastball by him every single time. Curves and changeups were 'faggot' pitches, he said. It drove him nuts. 

So he retaliated in juvenile ways, mostly centred around showing off the size of his dick. Even in high school, Massimo was well-endowed. To tell the truth, he was hung like a horse. As fate would have it, I was a bit of a late bloomer. Massimo made a point of comparing our relative sizes as often as he could. 

- "Mass," I told him, "this obsession you have with my dick - it's not healthy." 

- "C'mon, Normie. Not my fault you have a pencil dick." 

That I was another thing which annoyed me - being called 'Normie'. I resolved to simply avoid Massimo whenever I could. But for some reason, he just had to take the competition that one step further. 

Susie was my prom date. Massimo wanted to get into her pants, so he decided to break us up, by telling Susie that I had cheated on her. It wasn't true, but Susie couldn't believe that my teammate would lie. She dumped me. 

The only consolation was that she never went out with Massimo, either. 

After high school, I went away to college. Eventually, I got a good job in a small eastern city. The work was demanding, which didn't leave much time for a social life. It took a few years of the rat race for me to realize that I needed a change. So I joined the fitness club, and took up tennis and squash. 

Maybe six months later, I heard a sound I had hoped never to hear again. 

- "NOR-MEE!" 

Massimo had come to town. 

-"Normie, baby! How's it hangin'?" Did I mention that Massimo liked to call everyone 'baby'? Another thing about him to dislike. 

-"Hey Mass." I replied. "What are you doing here?" 

-"The job. Got transferred." he said. 

-"Oh? Sorry to hear that." 

-"Nah - it's all good. Got a raise, plus my new department is just chock full of hot little mamas, all thirsting for a piece of the Mass ... you know what I'm sayin'?" He laughed out loud. "Besides - now that I know you're here, Normie baby - you and me, we're gonna light this town up!" 

Now at this stage, you may be wondering: why didn't I just brush Massimo off? Or, considering how much he annoyed me, and how he had broken the 'Bro Code' and tried to steal Susie from me, why didn't I just tell him to fuck off? 

Two reasons: first, mutual friends and ex-teammates back home. I didn't want to lose any of my old buddies. Many of them still considered Massimo a friend. 

Second, and most important: Edgar Allan Poe. Every time I saw him, Massimo made me think of the Cask of Amontillado. One day, I would get revenge. I would find a way to cock-block him, or steal a girl he really cared about. It would have to be epic ... monumental. I wanted the kind of revenge they make movies about. I could wait for that. 

We exchanged numbers, and email addresses. Massimo immediately began calling and texting me, wanting to 'hang out'. I told him that work kept me really busy - which was true. 

But I couldn't stop Massimo from getting a membership at the Fitness club. He saw my name on the tennis and squash ladders, and immediately joined those, too. 

-"I'll catch you up in no time, Normie baby." he promised. 

Massimo was as good as his word. I was only 6th out of 15 in the tennis ladder. Massimo had a booming serve, and a powerful forehand. When I had to play him, I tried to keep the ball on his backhand. I also tried dropshots, to get him running. But his serve was too much for me. 

Over a beer after the game, Massimo pointed out the flaws in my game. 

He worked his way up the squash ladder equally quickly. I was 3rd. To my chagrin, Massimo beat me in our first match. He just overpowered me. But I identified a few weak spots in his play, and waited patiently for our rematch. 

The top two players in our squash ladder were simply untouchable. Massimo had his ass handed to him, and stayed at number three. I challenged, and dropped him back to number four. He was not happy about that. 

We went for a beer after the game. I had no intention of rubbing it in, or of trying to point out the weaknesses in his game. But Massimo wanted to talk about something else. 

-"You play cards, right, Normie?" he asked. "I seem to remember you playing cards back in high school." 

-"That's right." I agreed. "Euchre ... some poker." 

-"You play bridge?" said Massimo. 

Did I play bridge ... my parents taught my sister and me before we were out of elementary school. It was like a religion to them. I didn't play too much in high school or university, because Mom had warned us: "It can be addictive. Be careful that you don't spend all of your time playing bridge." 

But I continued to read about bridge, and played marathon sessions with my folks at Thanksgiving, and over Christmas. 

-"Yeah. But I haven't played in a while." I told him. 

-"Listen, there's this group at work - they're trying to form a bridge club. Mixed, four dudes and four chicks. We've got three guys - just need a fourth." said Massimo. "What do you say? You want in?" 

-"Sure, Massimo. That sounds good. I wouldn't have taken you for a bridge player, though." 

-"I know." he shrugged. "Poker is more my style, y'know? But wait 'till you see the chicks in this group ..." 

You may be wondering why I would agree to spend more time with Massimo. Well, my social life was still non-existent. Meeting some new people - four of them women - couldn't hurt. Also, I wasn't worried about bridge interfering with my studies anymore. And I loved the game. 

Last reason. Massimo, me, and bridge. It was going to be baseball all over again. 

********** 

We went together to the first 'bridge club' meeting. Massimo had some last minute instructions. 

-"Don't fuck this up, Normie. Don't make me look bad." he said. 

One of the guys he worked with, named Darren, was hosting the inaugural session. Darren's apartment was upscale, and well-maintained. He had a nice dining room table, but the second table was a portable affair, surrounded by folding chairs. 

Darren seemed to be a nice enough fellow - maybe a bit high-strung. Massimo handed him a six-pack, while I gave Darren a decent bottle of wine. 

He introduced us to Jake and Beth. Jake was a lean, athletic type of guy, with a firm handshake. He wasn't especially friendly, though. 

Beth was a looker. She had dark, shoulder-length hair, and brown eyes. Her nose was perfect. She wore a fair bit of make-up - too much for a bridge game - but it accentuated her eyes and definitely got your attention. Her shirt was open at the top, revealing some impressive cleavage. 

Jake must have noticed where my eyes were focused. He put a proprietary arm around her shoulders. Massimo had already told me that Jake and Beth were a couple, but I guess Jake was feeling the need to mark his territory. 

Beth didn't seem to appreciate that. She shook off his arm. Then she pointed to the wine in Darren's hand. 

-"Ooh ... Chilean. Who brought that?" she said. She had a delightful accent. 

-"Oh - Norm did." said Darren. 

Beth gave me a fantastic smile. "Looks like we are going to get along, Mister Norm. Are you a good card player, too?" 

-"You have a beautiful accent, Beth." I told her. "Puerto Rican?" I guessed. 

-"Cuban." she said, with another of those devastating smiles. "But that is not a bad guess." 

Next to arrive was Carmen. While Darren greeted her at the door, I was able to get a good look at her. 

Lord Have Mercy. 

Carmen had lovely eyes. Let me say that first. They were huge, and beautifully shaped. Honestly, that was the first thing I noticed about her. But a moment later, I was completely distracted. 

Because Carmen had tits like footballs. There is no other way to describe it. They were in a different time zone from the rest of her body. And she didn't try to hide or conceal them in any way. Instead, she wore a brightly patterned shirt to draw every eye in the room. It was open to the third button. Thank God we weren't playing poker tonight; she had two unfair advantages. 

It took a few moments for me to find any flaws with Carmen's appearance, but there were a couple: her nose was large, and a bit crooked, and she was built like a linebacker. I don't mean that she was fat - because she wasn't at all. But Carmen was a big girl, with wide shoulders and hips. Built like a truck, as my grandfather would have said. 

It was going to be difficult to concentrate on cards. My parents had taught me everything they knew about bridge. But none of their lessons had ever included what to do when you are confronted with tits like Carmen's, on open display. 

Darren introduced us. I managed to say hello without embarrassing myself. For her part, Carmen subjected me to a fairly thorough examination before holding out her hand. 

-"Pleased to meet you." she said, in a deep, sultry voice. What made her greeting even more interesting was that she was blatantly checking me out. She was frank and open about it. I had to smile. 

The last two girls were only a minute behind her. Abigail was a slender blonde, with the pretty face of a girl-next-door type, and the body of a runner, or an athlete. Her friend Christina had light brown skin, a cute upturned nose, and a little mole, or beauty mark, just above her lip near the corner of her mouth. Her hair was up in a bun. 

When the introductions were done, and everyone had a drink, we got down to business. Massimo had hinted that it would be guys against girls, but Beth had other ideas. 

-"We don't know each other very well, yet - especially Massimo and Norm, here." she said. "So to keep the playing field even, we'll draw for partners before each rubber. Is everyone ok with that for now?" 

They had evidently discussed it before; the others just nodded. I wasn't about to disagree - I was only too aware that as the new guy, I was on probation. 

I drew Christina as a partner. We were matched up against Carmen and Jake. 

Jake, it appeared, was just as distracted by Carmen's cleavage as I was. I tried to avoid staring, and concentrated on studying my partner and her bidding patterns. It was hard to learn much, at first, because the run of the cards was against us. 

I did come to a few conclusions about our opponents. Carmen was an aggressive bidder, but not very adept at counting cards. She misplayed a couple a couple of hands, and ended up one down on each occasion. 

Jake had evidently played with her before. He seemed to be even more aggressive, as if trying to make sure that he, and not Carmen, would be playing the hand. Or maybe he was just paying too much attention to her tits. Either way, we were able to double him. 

The cards were against us for a long time. Jake and Carmen eventually won the first game. 

Then our luck turned. I managed to finesse my way through with a weak hand, and then Christina wrapped up the game for us. The final game wasn't even close: Christina and I both got monster hands, and I watched her skillfully make a small slam. 

We shook hands across the table. 

-"Nice job, partner." she said. Christina had a dazzling smile. 

-"Your small slam was a thing of beauty. Well played." I replied. 

-"I think your little finesse on the 2 clubs bid was even prettier." she suggested. 

-"You guys had the cards." complained Jake. "Especially that last hand. Shit." 

Carmen wouldn't let him get away with that. "We could have won early," she said, "if you weren't overbidding." 

-"I need a beer." said Jake. Carmen rolled her eyes as he stood up. 

For the next match, I drew Beth as a partner. We were up against Abigail and Christina. 

We should have won. Abigail was a cautious bidder, and a hesitant player. Beth and I got greedy, and narrowly missed making a few hands. Christina, as I already knew, was a solid player. She also seemed to know exactly what Abigail meant with some of her more curious bids. 

Beth wasn't disappointed that we lost. 

-"We'll get them next time." she said. 

That sounded encouraging, to me. It seemed to suggest that there would be a next time. Best of all, I hadn't had to play with Massimo. First impressions can be misleading, but I thought that I would enjoy playing with these people. Four attractive women, and bridge. 

Beth took me aside. 

-"So? You think you want to play with us again?" she asked. "You seem like a nice guy, and you obviously know your way around a bridge table ... so, if you like, we can make you a regular." 

-"That sounds great." I replied. 

-"We play every two weeks." she explained. "Tonight, we quit early - everybody has to work. Next time, we play on a weekend, and go on a bit later. Everyone takes a turn hosting. Is that alright with you?" 

I assured her that it was. We exchanged contact information, phone numbers and email. 

-"What if somebody can't make it?" I asked. 

-"I'm working on it." answered Beth. "Trying to line up an alternate or two." 

Carmen saw us with our cellphones out. "Here," she said, "you'd better give me your number too. And you should take mine. Just in case." Then Carmen looked me in the eye. It was obvious that she wanted me to call - and that it had nothing to do with bridge. 

We stayed for one more drink, and then Massimo drove me home. He was on a high, being the only person there other than Christina who had won both matches. Fortunately, I didn't live very far away, and so I didn't have to listen to his bullshit for very long. 

************* 

Massimo wanted a rematch on the squash court. It was a pleasure to kick his ass again. After the game, he started griping. 

- "Stupid game." he muttered. "The court should be bigger. Like tennis - now there's a test of skill." 

- "Like bridge?" I asked. 

- "Nah. Bridge is mostly luck. It depends on the cards - and who you get as a partner. But hey: was I right, or was I right?" Massimo punched me in the shoulder. 

- "About what?" I asked. 

- "The girls, Normie. The girls! Are they hot, or what? I swear," said Massimo, "I would bang all four of 'em. In fact, I probably WILL bang all four of 'em." 

At that precise moment, I had an out of body experience. It was as if I was hovering in the air, looking down at myself and Massimo. Edgar Allan Poe materialised beside me, and he whispered in my ear: "The Cask of Amontillado." 

The vague outline of a plan was beginning to form. 

- "All four of them?" I repeated. Then I snorted. "In your dreams, Mass." 

As I had hoped, he was offended. "You don't think I can do it? You don't think I can nail all four?" 

I laughed. "I know you can't." 

- "Hey - fuck you, Normie." 

Then I baited the hook. 

- "Give it up, Massimo. It's not going to happen. Hell - I would have a better chance of sleeping with all four than you would." 

I said it slowly, and enunciated every word, as clearly as possible. I also made sure he was looking at me, and that he didn't miss a single syllable. 

He could have laughed it off. He could have mocked me for my arrogance. But he didn't. Massimo did exactly what I expected: he took it as a challenge. 

- "Are you fucking kidding me? You? Seriously? You think you can do better than me?" 

I just nodded, very slowly and very deliberately. 

- "Fuck, no. Never in a million years!" he shouted. Then Massimo uttered the fateful words. "No way, Normie boy - it's time to put up, or shut up. Time to put your money where your mouth is! I BET you that I can bang those four chicks before you do!" 

- "A bet?" I repeated. 

- "Yeah! A bet! That's what I said." The hook was set. It was time to reel Massimo in. 

- "What kind of bet?" I asked. 

- "What do you mean? A bet!" He was still angry, but the idea of a competition - especially against me - appealed to his nature. 

- "For money? How much? This is no $50 wager ... and what about proof? Do we just take each other's word for it? This could take some thinking ..." 

Massimo didn't say anything, but I could see the wheels turning. 

- "Let's think about this a bit. Look, how about a tennis rematch on Wednesday?" I suggested. 

Massimo smiled. "You're on, Normie baby. You're on." 

************ 

Thank you for reading. This is my first submission to Literotica. I would appreciate any and all feedback, especially if you see any areas where I can improve.

The Bridge Club Ch. 02



This chapter lets the anticipation build ... leading to some action in Chapter 3. Pleasure deferred is pleasure intensified. 

*********** 

I did something I had never done before. I let Massimo win. 

I hammered my first serves into the net, and let him feast on my second serves. I played to his forehand, and set him up with some juicy lobs. He wiped the floor with me, 6-1, 6-0. 

But that was all part of the plan. 

It was Wednesday evening, three nights before the next bridge club. We had agreed to get together for tennis, but both of us had something else on our mind: the bet. I let him slaughter me on the tennis court, on purpose, to put him in the proper frame of mind. I wanted Massimo feeling invincible, with nothing but contempt for me. 

- "So ..." he said. "You been thinking?" My plan was working. Massimo was passing up the opportunity to gloat, or to offer some patronizing tips. 

- "Yes, I have." I said. "We would need to establish some rules." 

- "Rules?" said Massimo. "There's no rules in love and war, Normie." 

- "This isn't love, Mass. It's fucking. It's a fucking competition." Even here, I was playing him. I wanted Massimo thinking about sex, not romance. Besides, I already knew that he had no respect for rules or codes, as he showed when he tried to steal my prom date, Susie. 

- "What kind of rules are you talking about?" he asked. 

- "Well, you talked about 'banging' these girls ... I assume that doesn't mean a blowjob. You meant intercourse, right?" 

- "Right." agreed Massimo. 

- "And you weren't planning on using a date-rape drug, or getting them so wasted that they couldn't remember what happened - were you?" 

- "No! Geez, Normie - what do you take me for?" Massimo managed to look offended. 

- "Sorry - I had to ask. What about Beth?" I asked. 

- "What about her?" 

- "She's in a relationship, with Jake." I pointed out. 

Massimo shrugged. He could care less about other people's relationships - including mine. 

- "Whatever." he said. "But Jake is a dork. And the minute they break up, she's fair game." 

I gave Massimo a long look. He would break them up if he could, and bang Beth before the dust had settled - if he could. I despised Massimo. But he could still surprise me, by sinking to new lows. 

- "Alright." he continued. "What do we do about proof? I ain't doin' it with you hidin' in the closet, that's for sure." 

- "I'm willing to take the girls' word for it. If necessary, I'll just ask them if they slept with you. If they admit it, that's good enough for me. But that brings up another point: no telling them about the bet. It stays a secret, until it's over." 

Massimo nodded. "Ok. But when is it over? How long do I - we - have to do this?" 

- "A year." I said. 

- "A YEAR?" Massimo erupted. Heads turned at other tables as people looked over. 

- "That's right." I said. "For one thing, you may be right about Jake and Beth. But we may need time for that relationship to end naturally, and for her to get over it. More important, you've had a head start, and a big advantage. I just met these girls, but you've known them for three months. And you work with them every day." 

- "So?" Massimo tried to look innocent. And utterly failed. 

- "So you've probably been working on the girls already. Hey!" I tried to act like a thought had just occurred to me. I pointed a finger at Massimo. "How do I know you haven't already slept with one of them?" 

From the look on his face, I knew immediately that he had. Carmen, most likely. 

- "New rule, then." I said. "Even if you've already slept with them, it doesn't count unless it's in the next year - starting tomorrow." 

I could see his mind working. Massimo didn't seem too worried, so he was confident that he could repeat with that girl. That made me 95% sure that it was Carmen. 

- "Alright." he finally agreed. "Is that it for the freakin' rules? What are you - some kind of lawyer?" 

- "That's it - except for the stakes." 

I gave Massimo time to consider that, while I produced a pen and wrote the rules down on a napkin. 

Full vaginal intercourse 

No breaking up the girl's relationship (if she is in one) 

No revealing the secret 

The girl must consent (no drugs / excessive alcohol) 

The girl must admit it afterwards 

Must take place in the next calendar year (I included the date) 

STAKES: (and I left this space blank) 

I handed Massimo the napkin. He had had several minutes to think about the bet. Now it was all about psychology. I was hunched over, leaning across the table, looking considerably smaller than him. I was wearing an old Celtics jersey, hoping that he might think of basketball, a sport where he had dominated me. As a final touch, the writing on the napkin was legible, but sloppy. 

Massimo was studying me, a calculating look in his eyes. Was he reminiscing about high school, when I had not had much success with the ladies? 

- "How much were you thinking?" he asked. 

- "A thousand." I said, without hesitation. 

Massimo didn't reply. Did I see a little disappointment there? 

I spoke again. "Per girl." 

- "A thousand each?" Massimo was attentive now. 

- "If you sleep with all four, and I don't, I would owe you four grand." I explained. "If we both sleep with all four before the year is out, then it's a tie." 

- "What if I get all four, but you only get three?" Massimo wanted to know. 

- "Then I owe you four thousand. If you sleep with three, and I don't match that, then I would owe you three grand. And so on." 

Massimo needed quite a bit more time to make up his mind. But in the end, he did what I expected - and hoped - he would do. 

He thrust his hand at me, across the table. 

- "You're on." he said, grinning. 

************* 

You might consider me crazy for coming up with this plan, especially given the fact that I had only met these girls once. Even old Edgar Allan Poe might have been questioning my sanity. But I knew Massimo, and I knew myself. He was expecting a slam dunk competition, but I was planning a contest of strategy. 

In a sense, it was not unlike a hand of bridge. You have to lead your cards in the right order. I would try to win the bet. But my main goal - my only goal, actually - was to make sure that Massimo did not win. 

I reviewed what I knew so far: 

Beth - involved with Jake. Confident, outgoing, and a good card player. She had complimented me on my play and called me a "nice guy". I would have to see how she treated other guys, especially Massimo, to compare. 

Carmen - aggressive, in cards, and with guys. There are no sure things, but she was pretty darn close. If it wasn't for the bet, I might have already called her. Who was I kidding? I would have called her. She might not be the kind of girl you bring home to meet your parents ... but you definitely bring her home when your parents aren't there. 

Abigail - fresh, sporty, blonde. The girl-next-door. Not a confident player. Cautious, even hesitant. This girl would need some old-fashioned wooing. 

Christina - the most intriguing of the bunch. A very good bridge player - smart and confident. Did that carry over to her personal life? I thought of that cute little up-turned nose, the beauty mark near the corner of her mouth, her smooth light-brown skin ... oops. I found myself hoping that Massimo would not succeed with Christina. These thoughts were not helping my strategy. 

************* 

It was Carmen's turn to host, on a Saturday night (we had drawn lots to decide the order). She lived in the same building as Beth, two floors up. I arrived ten minutes early, hoping for a moment alone with our hostess. 

Unfortunately, Beth and Jake were already there, having a glass of wine. But I had no complaints about the greeting I received from Carmen. She put a hand on my shoulder, and leaned in close, to present both cheeks to be kissed, European-style. Carmen also made sure to press her massive breasts into my chest. That was no accident. 

I greeted Beth and Jake, and then presented Carmen with a bottle of wine. 

- "Chilean?" called Beth, from her spot on the sofa. 

- "Sorry. French, this time." I replied. 

- "Let me put that in the kitchen." said Carmen. "Shall I give you the quick tour?" It wasn't exactly a question, as she took me by the hand and led me there. 

Her apartment wasn't very spacious, but she had good taste in furniture. The kitchen was somewhat spartan, and there were no signs that Carmen spent much time cooking. She put the bottle down on the counter. 

- "I thought for sure you were going to call me." she said, softly. "Why didn't you?" She kept her voice down, so that Beth and Jake wouldn't hear much. 

I followed her lead, keeping my voice low. "Carmen, I have two standard excuses: for the first week, I didn't want to appear too eager. And in the second week, we had a near-total meltdown at work. But if you will forgive me, I would really like to make it up to you." 

- "Hmmm ..." she said, pretending to be unconvinced. But she was curious. "How, exactly?" 

- "Dinner at the Chez Maurice?" 

Her eyes widened. The Chez Maurice was a classy, expensive restaurant. It had a star in the Michelin Guide. Carmen couldn't hide her excitement. 

- "When?" 

- "Are you free next Friday?" 

- "You can get a table for next week?" she asked. "I thought they were booked a month in advance." 

- "It can be done." I told her. I did not tell Carmen that I had booked a table for two less than an hour after Massimo had agreed to the bet. I also didn't mention that it had cost me a pretty penny. 

- "If you're trying to impress me," said Carmen, "it's working." 

Beth called out from the living room. "What are you two talking about?" 

- "Secret card signals." I answered. 

Carmen continued the "tour" by showing me her balcony (which didn't have much of a view), and then the far side of the apartment. 

- "Bathroom, if you need it later. And that's my room." she told me, indicating a door at the end of a short hall. She leaned in close again, pressing one of her huge tits against my arm. "Keep playing your cards right, mister, and you may get a closer look at it." 

Her door buzzer sounded at just that moment. I moved back to the living room a bit awkwardly, trying to conceal the tell-tale bulge in my pants. I stood behind a high-backed chair to hide the evidence. 

Darren had arrived. A few minutes later, Abigail and Massimo arrived together. She was blushing, and smiling nervously. The game was most definitely on. . I knew right away what Massimo had done. 

He must have arrived early, and then waited in the parking lot until Abigail showed up. It would have been a simple matter to get to the door at exactly the same time she did. It would look like pure coincidence. Then he could ride the elevator alone with her, and start working on her before I had a chance. 

I was not disappointed. It was exactly what I expected from Massimo. He would consider Carmen the "easiest"; he was saving her for later. Most probably, he had already slept with her, but without burning his bridges. He didn't expect a repeat to be too difficult. 

Abigail would take some romancing. Of the four girls, I suspected that she was the shyest, the most traditional, and thus the least experienced. It was highly unlikely that she would "put out" on the first, or even the second date. 

Massimo would woo her, score, and move on. I was no knight in shining armour, either; I meant to do exactly the same - with one key difference: I did not intend to dump her and immediately go after Carmen. That would probably break Abigail's heart. It may sound callous to be planning on doing the reverse, but ... I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I noticed that Massimo did not get a "tour" of the apartment. 

Christina was a bit late. "As usual" complained Carmen. When she did arrive, Christina was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, where everyone else was dressed more 'casual trendy'. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. 

- "Sorry I'm late, everybody. I had to help my sister move." 

We drew for partners, and got the game going. 

Darren and I faced Carmen and Beth. Carmen was her usual aggressive self, but Beth had obviously played with her before, and knew how to get the most from her partner. I'll admit that I was a little distracted, as Carmen repeatedly adjusted the neckline of her top. 

But Darren was a bit off as well. I wasn't the only one who noticed. Beth and I exchanged a glance after she noticed me looking at my partner. We lost to the girls quite handily. They were not above rubbing it in. 

At the other table, Massimo had Christina for a partner, but he was paying far more attention to Abigail. 

For the second match, I was back with Christina, this time against Carmen and ... Massimo. 

Christina seemed pleased to have me as a partner. We understood each other quite well, and got decent cards from the very beginning. Carmen and Massimo, on the other hand, were a fiasco - at least, on this occasion. 

Massimo couldn't help himself. He would check out Abigail, then wink at me. Then he would take a good look at his partner's admittedly awesome cleavage. Carmen certainly enjoyed male attention, but she liked winning at cards, too. Massimo was not helping much in that endeavour. Christina and I won easily. Too easily. 

During the break, Carmen raised the subject of partners. 

- "Are we going to do it randomly every time? Or should we set up a roster, so that everybody gets a chance to play with everyone else. For example, I've played against Norm three times out the past four - but never with him." 

- "It would be fairest." agreed Christina. 

- "Alright, alright." said Beth. "Jake and I will set it up for next time." 

On the pretext of needing help pouring drinks, Carmen got me next to her in the kitchen. She whispered in my ear: "I almost said I wanted to 'play a rubber' with you." Then she 'accidentally' brushed against my ass. 

Damn the woman! I had been semi-erect for most of the evening, but now I was painfully hard. I came back to the living room carrying drinks at groin level. 

The third rubber was anti-climactic. I had Abigail for a partner, against Darren and Jake. She was all too aware of Massimo's attention, even from the next table. Abigail blushed prettily, but it didn't help her concentration any. It was probably a blessing that she didn't get many good cards, and only had to pass most of the time. Darren was still distracted, but he and Jake got by far the better cards, and they won handily. 

I said my goodbyes soon after that. It was no part of my plan to be last to leave - because in that case I might not have left at all. Carmen saw me to the door. 

- "You have to go so soon?" she asked. "It's Saturday night." 

- "I know. But you still haven't told me if you're free next Friday." I told her. "Should I make that reservation?" 

She smiled. Her eyes promised everything. 

- "Oh, yes. You definitely should."



The Bridge Club Ch. 03



Wherein the reader's patience is finally rewarded 

*********** 

If I had read Carmen correctly, the expensive dinner was unnecessary. But it wasn't entirely for her. In fact, it was for the other three girls. These four women were friends and co-workers. They would talk. 

At some point, they were going to compare notes - especially once one or more of them had slept with both of us. Massimo's style was the traditional 'Hello, I love you, bend over'. He could turn on the charm when he had to, but he wouldn't be able to sustain that for a year. 

The other three girls knew Carmen. And by that, I mean they knew that she would probably jump my bones if I invited her to the laundromat. She was a hot wench with a ravenous appetite. But I was going to treat her like a queen. Wining, dining, and pampering. 

When I arrived to pick Carmen up for our date, I almost changed my mind. She wore a black sheath dress, which clung tightly to all of her curves. It had two thin shoulder straps, which had their work cut out for them if they were going to support that magnificent bosom. And the dress had a zipper down the front! 

Carmen had already unzipped the first few inches, so that she was showing a good six inches of mouth-watering cleavage. No bra. She also wore a beaten gold necklace, and large hoop earrings. Her make-up was tastefully done, accentuating her beautiful green eyes. Her lipstick was perfect: a deep red, but not too bright. 

- "You look ... phenomenal." I breathed. 

- "That was the reaction I was aiming for." she admitted, with a grin. 

We almost didn't make it out of her apartment. I wanted to ravish her right there. But anticipation makes everything sweeter ... and the reservation had cost me a hundred bucks. 

We took a taxi, because I planned to have several drinks. The poor driver had his eyes glued to the rear-view mirror; it's a miracle that we got to the restaurant without an accident. 

The Chez Maurice lived up to its reputation. It was scandalously expensive, and the waiters acted as if they alone understood fine cuisine, so that it was painful for them to have to serve riff-raff and lowly peasants such as us. 

But the decor was sumptuous, luxurious and elegant. And the food was heavenly. Carmen, normally so aggressive, seemed unsure about what to order. Or perhaps she was concerned about the strain on my budget. I put her mind at rest by ordering oysters and a bottle of Pinot Grigio. 

- "Did somebody win the lottery?" she asked, with her eyebrows arched. 

- "I certainly did." I replied. "I'm here with you, aren't I?" 

- "Good answer." she said. 

- "You changed your hair." I stated. 

- "Yes, it's a bit darker." she admitted. "Very observant." 

I was quite proud of that achievement. With those bountiful breasts threatening to spill out of the top of that dress, it was a miracle that I could still form words. I had a mental image of pulling Carmen under the tablecloth and having my way with her. 

The meal was excellent. We had another bottle of wine to accompany it, and I was feeling pleasantly buzzed. It was not part of the plan to get Carmen drunk; but alcohol, in the correct amount, does wonders for me in the sexual stamina department. With this bombshell panting at me across the table, I was going to need all the help I could get. 

By mutual agreement, we skipped dessert. She was as eager to get home as I was. Once in the taxi, we were all over each other. She had her hand in my lap and her tongue halfway down my throat the moment I told the driver her address. I got that zipper down an extra few inches and finally had my hand on her magnificent tits. 

She groaned into my mouth. A few seconds later, I did the same as she undid my zipper and slid her hand into my underwear. 

- "Mmmm ..." she moaned as her fingers encircled my rock-hard dick. 

Somehow, I managed to keep my composure. It was no part of the plan to fuck her in the back of a taxi. I gently removed her hand from my pants. 

- "Awww..." she protested, half-heartedly. 

- "I want you." I whispered in her ear. "But not here. Not with an audience." Our cab driver was being remarkably discreet, and keeping his eyes on the road - most of the time. 

- "Ooh - an audience. That could be ... kinky." she said, softly. 

- "Not the first time. I want you all to myself." I whispered. Then I licked and nibbled on her ear lobe, to keep her motor running. 

I think we ran from the cab to the door of her apartment building. I can't remember that part. I do know that the driver got a healthy tip. Altogether, this evening had cost me almost $500. But it was worth every penny. 

Carmen didn't wait for the elevator door to close before she was on me. She had my zipper down and her hand in my pants within seconds. I grabbed twin handfuls of her ass and pulled her to me. She stumbled a bit, and nearly dragged me down with her. Instead I held onto her, but we both crashed into the wall of the elevator, our bodies pressed tightly together. 

She giggled into my mouth as she sucked at my tongue. 

Somehow, we got from the elevator to her door without tripping or losing any of our clothing. At the door, Carmen handed me her key, while she bent down and undid the straps on her high heels. As I got the door open, she stepped inside and threw her shoes into a corner. She turned and body-slammed me into the back of the door. Her lips were on mine, and her whole body glued to me. 

Then, suddenly, she stepped back. Carmen had a wild look in her eyes. She unzipped the front of her dress, and with both hands pulled it wide open. 

She was naked underneath it, except for a skimpy black thong. 

God in heaven, but her breasts were magnificent! They were D cups, at least, but firm. They pointed upwards, if anything. Her left breast was slightly larger, but I was not about to complain. Her nipples were not very pronounced, but the areolae were wide as tea saucers. 

- "My God." I whispered. 

She grinned, and then flung herself at me again. 

I picked her up - no easy feat, because she was a big girl - and carried her into the living room, our lips locked together the whole way. I put her down just beside the couch. Then I stooped, hooked my fingers into her thong, and pulled it down below her knees. 

Carmen moaned. She was, to my delight, completely shaven. Her outer lips were puffy, and her pussy was so wet, it was drooling. I stood up, but only long enough to kiss her again, and toy with her tongue. 

Then I kissed her neck. My hands went to her breasts, and I weighed them, before pressing them together. I grazed her areolae with my tongue, brushing by her nipples ever so lightly. 

Carmen had been trying to undo the buttons on my shirt. She finally succeeded. Her hands came around my head, and she pressed my mouth into her voluptuous tits. I stayed for a few moments, but then continued to work my way downwards. 

I trailed kisses down her stomach, and across her hip. I sat Carmen on the edge of her sofa. Now she wore only the necklace and earrings. 

I kissed her knees, but Carmen was having none of that. She grabbed my hair and pulled me higher. I obliged, and touched the tip of my tongue to the very edge of her puffy outer lips . 

Much too slow for Carmen: she thrust her pussy into my face, and seized my head with both hands to make sure it stayed there. I made the best of it, thrusting my tongue into her, and slurping noisily. 

- "Ohhh ... shit." she gasped. She was trembling all over. Suspecting that she was already close, I flicked her clit with my tongue. Then I sucked it into my mouth. 

That did it. Carmen howled, and ground her dripping pussy against my face. Her body shook with several powerful spasms. Then she pulled back a few inches, as her clit was suddenly too sensitive for direct contact. 

I stood up, and peeled off my clothes as quickly as I could, while she panted and grinned at me from the edge of the sofa. When I got my pants and shorts off, my engorged cock leapt forward and slapped my belly, it was so hard. 

Carmen started to move forward, as if she was going to drop to her knees and take me in her mouth. Instead, I grabbed her by the elbows and turned her around. I pushed Carmen forward, over the edge of her own sofa. Her upper body went over, but her ass was up in the air, right in front of me. 

It was a rather sizeable ass, but that was not a problem. It took only a moment to skin on a condom. Then I peeled her ass cheeks apart, and nestled the head of my straining cock between her juicy lips. With one smooth thrust, I drove all the way in. 

- "Oh, fuck!" she exclaimed. 

She was wet. So wet, I knew it was going to a long, glorious fuck. Thanks to the amount of wine I had consumed, and the condom, I was de-sensitized enough that I could go for ages. And I did. I cruised into her from behind at a steady, regular pace. 

I fondled her large bottom as I slid back and forth between her pussy lips. Then I ground my groin into her, and reached around to play with her tits. 

- "More - Harder!" she said. 

I grabbed her hips, and plunged into Carmen as far as I could go. I pounded her, my pelvis slapping her ass cheeks and making them jiggle. I alternated: half a dozen deep thrusts, then a rapid-fire assault. I'm not sure how long we kept that up, but it seemed like quite a few minutes. 

Carmen was thrusting her ass back at me, and also grinding her clit against the corner of the sofa. That might be why she came again, to her own surprise. 

- "Ohh! Shit ... I don't - aagh!" 

I fucked her right through her second climax, and kept going afterwards, just to show her that I could. Then I pulled out. 

Carmen was breathing heavily, and her face was flushed. I gently helped her to sit on her couch, and leaned her back, till she was half-sitting, half-lying. I sat beside her, and let her recover. While she did, I peeled the condom from my still fully erect dick. 

Carmen noticed. "What? You're still hard? Didn't you come yet? Holy shit - are you on Viagra, or something?" 

- "Wine, I think. It affects me that way, sometimes." I told her. 

- "Holy fuck - that's it! You, mister, are staying here tonight. I'm not done with you yet." 

I smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Carmen." 

She took my still engorged member in her mouth, and licked, kissed, and sucked it. She lavished attention on my cock, and even took my balls in her mouth. I enjoyed every minute, but I knew that I was no closer to coming. 

So I moved her into a 69 position, and went back to work on those delectable, puffy pussy lips. This time, she squealed when she came. 

But Carmen saw that I still hadn't come. She took that as a challenge. 

- "Bring that fucker here." she ordered, as she lay back on the couch. I pulled on another condom, and slid between her legs. She wasn't quite as wet this time, and a little bit tighter. She grunted as I entered her. 

- "Do it." she said. "Fuck me." 

So I did. I pulled Carmen's legs over my elbows, and held onto her thighs. In that position, I settled into a steady, driving rythmn. She was delectable. Her long hair was tossed on the edge of the sofa behind her head, and those magnificent breasts shimmied and jumped with every thrust. 

She had a big, solid body, built for sin. I started pushing into her harder, and then slamming into her. She didn't seem to be building to another orgasm. Instead, Carmen just wanted me to come. She encouraged me with grunts and groans, and by slipping her hips forward on every downthrust I made. 

Finally, I felt that tightening in my balls. I was almost there. I started piling into her like a man possessed. She could sense it, too. 

- "That's it. Ohh, fuck, yeah." she said. 

And I erupted. 

My long-delayed orgasm was intense, and enormously satisfying. I collapsed atop Carmen. She clutched me in her arms, stroking my back, and my hair. We were both drenched in sweat, but she was muttering endearments in my ear. 

- "Awesome." she said, a few minutes later. "I can't remember a better night. Thank you for the restaurant, and the taxi, and my first orgasm ..." 

I started to laugh. 

- "And my second orgasm ... did I already tell you that you're staying here? We're not done yet." 

I kissed her then, with genuine affection. Carmen was a nice person, in addition to being a great fuck. It wasn't until then that I realized that I was ahead of Massimo. 

1-0. 

************ 

I carried Carmen to her bathroom, where we showered together. I brought her to another orgasm, with fingers and tongue. She wanted to return the favor, but I made her understand that it was very unlikely. It would have taken another hour of fucking. We were both exhausted, so we went to bed, and cuddled. 

I wasn't finished with Carmen, by any stretch of the imagination. 

For one thing, I had to make this entire weekend memorable for her. It had to be spectacular enough that Carmen would tell her friends. Abigail, Christina, and Beth had to hear about this. 

For another, Carmen was an incredibly hot woman. Beautiful green eyes, amazing breasts, and a juicy pussy, together with a voracious sexual appetite. 

I woke before her in the morning. I nuzzled her neck, fondled her breasts, and squeezed her ass. When she was wet enough, I lifted her leg and entered her from behind. She was still half-asleep, but she moaned happily throughout. Unlike the previous night, it didn't take me long to come. I made sure to bring her off, too, with my fingers. 

She passed out again, so I showered, and then explored her kitchen. I found her coffee machine, and started preparing breakfast. She had eggs in her fridge, and some relatively fresh cheese. I found a tomato as well, and got to work. 

Carmen staggered in just as the coffee was ready. 

- "Look at this!" she said. "What are you doing?" 

- "Breakfast." I replied. 

- "Not yet." said Carmen. 

I wasn't dressed. I only had one of her towels around my waist. Carmen grabbed hold of it, and succeeded in pulling it off. I will admit that I only put up a token resistance. She dropped to her knees and started sucking me off in her kitchen. 

It felt wonderful, but I didn't want her to hurt her knees, so I lifted her up, and fucked her from behind, bent over the sink. 

************* 

We ate breakfast, fucked on the sofa again, and then discussed our plans for the weekend. When I agreed to put myself at her disposal, Carmen called up a friend and cancelled their Saturday evening plans. I was happy to note that the friend was Beth. 

Next, came a long, leisurely session of 69. It started on the sofa, before moving to the bedroom. Carmen came at least twice. I finally came in her mouth, to her satisfaction. 

We had an afternoon siesta, before showering together, which led to a quick fuck in the bathroom. Carmen was insatiable, but I was also developing an addiction. I ordered food for us (Carmen was NOT a cook), and then we settled down to watch a few movies. She was an avid fan of Asian martial arts movies - go figure. 

After the first film, I started playing with her wonderful breasts. I fondled them, squeezed gently, and even got her top halfway off before she noticed. 

- "Hello? Movie playing here." she said. 

- "Keep watching." I told her. "Who's stopping you?" 

- "You are." 

Carmen made it almost all the way to the end of the second film before she gave in. My tongue in her ear, while I rolled her saliva-slick nipples between my fingertips must have done the trick. She tried to deep-throat my cock, and then we fucked on the floor. Amazing. 

*********** 

Again, I woke before her on Sunday morning. I borrowed her keys, and let myself out. I ran a few errands, and returned to her apartment. Carmen was still asleep. 

I left her flowers in a vase, and a couple of cinnamon danish, with coffee ready to go. 

********** 

Thanks for being patient enough to read this far. Any comments or criticism would be appreciated.



The Bridge Club Ch. 04



Dilemma: a fun, voluptuous and lusty woman wanted to have sex with me again. I wanted the same thing. But Edgar Allan Poe was whispering in my ear, reminding me that time was a wasting. 

On the one hand, I did not want the other girls to see Carmen being affectionate with me at the next bridge club. Hearing that I was generous, attentive, and a reasonably good lover ... that was good. But seeing Carmen licking my ear, or with her hand in my pants ... not helpful. 

On the other hand, I didn't want Carmen angry at me, feeling like I had dumped her. Nor did I want her friends to think that I had mistreated her. Also, there was no particular rush to move on to the next girl. That was going to be Abigail. My plans for her would depend on the progress of her 'relationship' with Massimo. If I knew my rival - and I did - he would dump Abigail as soon as he was done with her. 

I came to a decision. Carmen deserved some more time. But I didn't want to attend the bridge club while we were still at the 'intense' stage. I needed an exit strategy. 

So I invited Carmen to my place on Tuesday, after work. She insisted on fucking before dinner, so we did. Then I whipped up a stir fry on a bed of rice, with a salad. 

Carmen laughed. "You're going to make a wonderful wife." she said. 

- "That's the plan." I replied. That earned me a funny look. Carmen had meant it as a joke. 

After dinner, I encouraged her to stretch out on her stomach, and treated her to a massage. I took my time, and gently kneaded her stiff muscles. I kept it therapeutic for at least 15 minutes, then sensual for another 15. At the end of that, she was naked. I lifted her up by the hips and entered her from behind. We fucked doggy-style for a while, as I reached around to play with her boobs and then her clit. 

Carmen had another gentle orgasm. I let her relax for another hour, then packed her off home. 

- Aww - can't I stay over?" she pleaded. "I'll take the day off." 

- "I'll see you at Bridge club Thursday." I told her. "I have tickets to a show on Saturday, if you're interested. I'm free all day Sunday, too, if you want. Take your pick." 

- "I choose ... all of them!" said Carmen. "What kind of show?" 

- "A play. I'll tell you all about it." I notice that Carmen wasn't 100% thrilled with the idea of a play - I had guessed correctly. But she wanted to be with me, so she agreed to go. 

The next day - Wednesday - I called Beth to tell her that I was coming down with something, and wouldn't be able to attend Bridge club. 

- "I'm really sorry, Beth, for the short notice. I didn't want to leave you short-handed." 

- "That's ok, Norm." she said. "As it turns out, I have a substitute who could be available to take your place. You just get better, and we'll see you at the next one." 

Then I called Carmen, to tell her the same news. 

- "Ooh, poor baby. Want me to come over and make you feel better?" I talked her out of that idea. Somehow, I knew that she wasn't offering to make me chicken soup. She wasn't too upset about me missing Bridge night, but said she hoped I'd be well by the weekend. I knew that I would, so I promised to do my best. 

I had recovered - miraculously - by Saturday, so I took Carmen to the theatre. Once again, I had guessed correctly: she wasn't particularly interested. It was a student group, playing a heavily adapted Othello. Carmen paid little attention to what was happening onstage. Instead, she spent most of the performance massaging my dick through my pants. 

It took quite an effort to get her to stop, but I managed to pretend that I was vitally interested in the play. Carmen sulked for most of the final act. 

To make it up to her, I fucked her up against the car in the parking lot. That part of the evening, she enjoyed. I pretended to be looking for my keys as I pinned her against the car door and thrust into her from behind. The possibility of getting caught, and the thrill as people got into other cars around us really turned her on. 

The night was still young, so I took her to an artsy cafe. I knew that it would not be to Carmen's liking: that was precisely why I took her there. She was horrified to discover that they served nothing alcoholic. 

I didn't have the heart to torture her for long. I took her back to my place, for some bedroom activities which were far more to her liking. 

In the morning, though, I put 'Operation Disengage' into its second stage. I woke up early, and left the bathroom door open while I showered. Then I banged some pots and pans in the kitchen. 

Eventually, Carmen appeared, wearing my housecoat. Even like this - sleepy, her hair dishevelled - she still looked eminently desirable. But I steeled myself to do what had to be done. 

- "Are you always so cheerful in the morning?" she complained. 

- "Start the day as you mean to continue." I said. "Coffee? Pancakes?" 

Carmen grunted something that sounded like 'coffee'. 

- "You know, I was thinking about next weekend." I said, with all the fake enthusiasm I could muster. "There's that place up near Summerside - where they do the rock climbing. We could take a picnic basket, and make a day of it." 

From her expression, I think that Carmen would have had a hard time choosing between rock-climbing and another performance of Othello. I just kept going. 

- "And the weekend after that - wait, is that bridge club? No? Well, we could take a drive up to my hometown. I know my folks would love you, and I think you'd get a kick out of them..." 

Carmen suddenly remembered something she had to do - something urgent. She promised to call, as soon as she could. It only took her half an hour to shower, dress, and leave. 

*********** 

She did call me, two days later. 

- "Norm, we have to talk." she said. "Can you meet me at the pub on 4th avenue? About 5:00?" 

- "I'm going to have trouble getting out of the office." I told her. "Would tomorrow be ok?" 

- "Sure." If anything, she sounded relieved. 

That gave me the day I needed to put the next phase of my plan into action. I recruited Scott, one of my co-workers. I told him all he needed to know about Carmen (hot, tits, available), and once he saw her picture on my cellphone - clothed - he started to salivate. We arranged to have him show up at the pub at 5:15 the next day. 

Just before we were scheduled to meet, I texted Carmen to let her know that I was running a little late. 

- "Outside pub now." she replied. "What do I do?" 

- "Go in & have a drink. Be there in 10." 

Then I texted Scott, to let him know that she was arriving. 

His reply: "I see her. Dayum!" 

I gave him 15 minutes. Scott was a tall, handsome guy, who dressed really well and made a great first impression. I thought he was shallow and vain, but the girls seemed to disagree. If Carmen wasn't interested in him, then my plan was in tatters anyway. 

I waited in my car, parked across the street, until Scott left the pub. He gave me a thumbs up, and a big grin. That meant that he had Carmen's number. 

I entered the pub, found Carmen, and joined her. She gave no indication that she had just finished flirting with a tall, handsome stranger. 

She let me down easy. 

- "Norm, you're a wonderful guy. You're considerate, and romantic ... and the sex we've had has been fantastic! Oh my God - that weekend with the restaurant? I swear I will remember that weekend for the rest of my life." 

- "But?" 

- "Yeah - there's a 'but'. I'm sorry, Norm. But I don't think that I'm the girl for you. Not long-term, anyway. You want somebody athletic, who likes rock jumping. Or someone who likes art and plays and sh... - stuff. You want a nice girl, Norm. Someone you take home and introduce to your parents. I'm not that nice a girl." 

- "I think you're a wonderful girl, Carmen." I told her. And I meant it. 

- "See - you're nice. You deserve a girlfriend who likes the same things you do. You and I only have bridge and sex in common. And on that subject - I don't want you doing anything stupid like quitting the bridge club. You're not going to be uncomfortable around me if we stop seeing each other regularly, are you?" 

I shook my head. 

- "Good. And ... this may not be the right time, but I'll say it anyway: you still have my number. If you ever get the urge to come over and rock my world again ... well, you just act on that urge, Norm." 

I took it well, and Carmen was very relieved. We parted as friends. And possibly future fuck-buddies. 

Honestly, I don't think it could have gone any better. 

********** 

Massimo called me several times, then started texting 'We have a problem'." I agreed to meet him at the fitness club. 

- "What's the problem?" I asked him. 

- "You weren't at the last bridge club." he said. 

- "I was a little under the weather." 

Massimo brushed that aside. "Whatever. Here's the problem: Beth brought in a substitute. To take your place." 

- "And?" For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where this was going. 

- "It was a woman." 

- "What?" I had simply assumed that Beth would find another guy to replace me. This came as a complete surprise. "Who?" 

- "Chick named Emily. Not bad looking. Bit older than us, though. Say, late 30s." Massimo grinned. "But doable." 

- "I see." This could be bad. I had built my plans around four girls - well, three, really, because Beth was with Jake. 

- "So is she in, or not? The bet was about the chicks in the bridge club, right?" 

- "Massimo, I haven't even seen this woman yet." 

- "What difference does that make? You want out of the bet?" 

He had me there. And that was how we upped the stakes to five thousand dollars. 

- "Oh, by the way," said Massimo. "I banged Abigail last weekend. One-up for me." 

I couldn't help rising to the bait. "One each. I slept with Carmen." The moment I said it, I regretted it. 

- "Picked the low hanging fruit first, eh Normie?" 

I wanted to punch him. Instead I got back to thinking about the Cask of Amontillado. 

************** 

Abigail hosted the next bridge game. She had a cute little apartment. It was well-maintained, but I was more interested in the personal touches: no art, but pictures of natural wonders. Not many books, but a few trophies for track and field. 

Beth and Christina both welcomed me back. 

- "We missed you." said Beth. 

- "I'm sorry about that." I replied. "How did the alternate work out? Was she good?" 

- "Emily?" said Christina. "She's ok. Not in your league, though." 

I had to walk a fine line. I desperately needed more information about this woman, but I didn't want to appear too interested. 

- "She works with you girls?" 

- "No. " said Beth. "Her husband does. He overheard me asking somebody else if they played bridge, and then started telling me that Emily was an avid player. 

- "Had you met her before?" I asked. 

Beth and Christina exchanged a curious look. 

- "Once or twice." admitted Christina. "At Staff socials - that sort of thing." 

There was something they weren't telling me, but I couldn't press them. 

Carmen greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. We were fine. Abigail, however, was clearly flustered. She kept glancing at Massimo, who was studiously ignoring her. I think everyone there noticed, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to put 2 and 2 together. 

Beth and Jake had put together a roster, so that everyone would get a chance to partner with everybody else. They had tried it out last time, when I wasn't there. This time around, however, the matchups could not have been worse. 

The first game had Carmen and Christina facing ... Abigail and Massimo. Beth might have changed the roster had she known ... but who could have predicted that Massimo would dump Abigail right before this week's game? In the end, they just decided to go ahead. After all, they would have to play together at some point, wouldn't they? 

It was a train wreck. 

Abigail, never very confident with her bidding in the first place, was almost paralyzed. Massimo tried to brazen it out. He pretended that nothing was wrong, and even made jokes with Carmen. In fact, he was beginning to 'put the moves' on her. Carmen, for her part, just rolled her eyes. It looked like the 'Scott Factor' was fully operational. I had no idea how long Scott and Carmen would work out, but every day that it cock-blocked Massimo was a bonus. 

Christina tried to pour some social oil on the troubled waters at Table #1, but it was difficult. Over at Table #2, my partner Darren wasn't paying attention. In fact, he still seemed depressed. Beth was 100% aware of what was going on. We exchanged a few meaningful glances. But Jake, her partner, just wanted to play cards, and got frustrated when he and Beth had a minor miscommunication. 

Everybody seemed relieved when that rubber was over. I ended up at the first table, as Abigail's partner, against Beth and Carmen. I tried to put Abigail as ease, complimenting her on her apartment, and asking about her track trophies. 

- "Oh, long distance running, cross-country - that sort of thing." She brightened a little bit when I asked about for more detail, but it was clear that she was still distracted by Massimo. 

The atmosphere in the room had brightened considerably by the time we took a break. Beth nudged me with her elbow. "Thanks." she said. 

- "For ...?" 

- "For trying to be nice, and help out. Unlike those other assholes." She glared across the room, where a cluster of people were refreshing their drinks. 

- "Plural?" I asked. 

- "Well, A-hole Number One you already know pretty well. But Jake is being an idiot, too. He doesn't seem to care about anyone else's issues." 

I decided to let that comment slide. I did not want to be caught in the middle of whatever drama Beth and Jake were experiencing. But I saw another opening. 

- "Speaking of other people's issues ... is Darren okay? He seems a bit down." 

Beth nodded. "He has been for a while. Boyfriend troubles." 

- "Boyfriend? Ah - I see." Well, it didn't come as a total surprise. 

- "Speaking of other people's issues ..." said Beth. "How are you doing?" 

- "You mean, after Carmen? I'm ok. It was probably for the best. Wonderful while it lasted, but ... you know." 

Beth laughed out loud, snorting through her nose. "Wonderful while it lasted? All two weeks of it?" She snorted again. "Mind you, it probably felt like a lot longer. According to Carmen, you two had more sex in two weeks than I've had in six months!" 

I blushed. Couldn't help it. But inside, I was also thanking Carmen: God Bless that woman. As for the unexpected insight into Beth's love life ... well, that was information to be filed away for later. 

Carmen was my partner in the final match. We faced Abigail and Beth. I just relaxed and tried to play well. My plans for Abigail weren't fully developed anyway. 

She was vulnerable, but I didn't want to take advantage of her. After Massimo ... well, it would be cruel to build up her confidence, and then dump her again. And that would also do irreparable damage to my reputation with Beth and Christina. 

And then there was the wildcard, the alternate - Emily. 

I was going to need a little help from Edgar Allan Poe to pull this off. 

************* 

Thank you very much for your encouraging comments and feedback. I will keep going.



The Bridge Club Ch. 05



I phoned Abigail a few days later, and asked her to go rock climbing with me. 

- "I was going to ask Carmen, but ..." 

- "You broke up." said Abigail. 

- "Well, that sounds better than 'She dumped me'. Let's go with that." I said. 

Nothing. Not even a chuckle. Abigail finally spoke: "Carmen wouldn't be very good at rock-climbing, anyway." 

- "No." I agreed. "That's why I thought of you. Someone athletic." 

- "I don't know." 

It was like pulling teeth. Finally, I think I wore her down, and Abigail agreed to go with me that Saturday. 

- "But you'll have to show me how." she said. 

The drive up there was nearly an hour. Plenty of time to talk, to get to know her. But it was much more difficult than I had expected. Abigail didn't have much of a sense of humor. She tended to take everything I said literally. Trying to bond over our shared experience of being dumped didn't work, either. 

Flattery got me nowhere. I swear, I don't think she believed me when I told her that she was pretty. But she was: long blonde hair, blue eyes, that shy smile, and a slender athlete's body. Not exactly my type, but quite attractive nonetheless. 

I tried to get her talking about her job, her running ... no luck. She wasn't clamming up. Abigail answered every question I asked her. But her replies were frustratingly short. It was almost as if she didn't think that I would be interested in her stories. 

She brightened up when we got to the climbing site. I was no expert, but an instructor gave me a refresher course, and Abigail got the more detailed introduction. She was a decent climber. I enjoyed watching her. She had a very fine ass. 

Then I noticed something odd. She was smiling at Mark, the instructor. Not flirting, exactly - she was too shy for that. But every time he made a suggestion, she immediately followed his advice. With a big smile. 

It was not a big success, as dates go. 

That following Thursday was bridge night. It was also Massimo's turn to host. 

I wasn't sure if Abigail would opt out until I arrived, and saw her there. It wasn't quite as awkward as the last time. Massimo had his duties as host to keep him busy: getting drinks, re-filling the snack bowls. He was a pretty traditional chips and pretzels type. 

The other girls - Beth and Christina, particularly - went out of their way to support Abigail. She seemed ok. 

I played with Christina against Beth and Massimo. 

- "Hello stranger." Christina said, with a bright smile. "Long time no see." 

We played a great rubber, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

The next game involved the same people, only this time it was the girls against the guys. I was trying to watch Abigail as we played, but that's no excuse. Beth and Christina won handily. I hated having Massimo as a partner. Even worse was having to watch him flirt with Beth and Christina. 

I talked to Abigail for a while afterwards, but it was like a repeat of the drive. I couldn't figure out what made this girl tick. 

If at first you don't succeed ... I invited Abigail to come to the fitness club, as my guest. 

- "We can play a game of squash, if you like." I told her. 

- "I've never played before." she admitted. 

- "No problem. I can show you how." 

- "Ok then." she said. 

Abigail looked adorable in ponytails, and gym shorts. Her ass was particularly delectable. She was attentive, and seemed happy as I gave her a tour of the facilities. Was she just subject to mood swings? 

She seemed excited to be on the squash court, too. I hit it straight to her every time, and she walloped it back at me with real enthusiasm. Was it just sports that got her motor running? We were quite close together, and collided while lunging for the ball more than once. Abigail didn't shy away from the contact. 

We showered and changed at the club, and then I took her for a drink. The enthusiasm was gone. She was still nice, but the distance - the remoteness, that I had sensed on our first date was back. Yet I could have sworn that she was warming up to me as we played squash. 

How had Massimo done it? I know, I know. I could hear Edgar Allan Poe chiding me: that way lies madness. But if Massimo could convince Abigail to sleep with him, then ... 

And it hit me. Abigail did not respond to compliments, or sentiment. She hesitated when making a bid in bridge. She was short on confidence ... something Massimo had never lacked. Yet she had also responded to the instructor at rock climbing ... and to me playing squash. 

She liked to be directed. A confident man telling her what to do. Was she a true submissive? 

I decided to find out. If I was wrong, I could always apologize later. 

We were sitting in a quiet cafe, just down the street from the fitness club. 

- "Abigail. It's time for you to be straight with me." 

- "Pardon?" she said. I didn't continue. I just stared at her. She blushed. "I don't understand what you mean." 

- "Yes, you do. I have taken you out twice, Abigail. But I'm not going to continue until I'm sure that you're over Massimo." 

Her lip quivered. "I'm over him." 

- "No, you're not." I insisted. "What happened with Massimo?" 

- "He broke up with me." she said. 

- "Why?" 

- "I don't ..." 

- "Why did he break up with you, Abigail?" I persisted. 

She burst into tears. I felt like a complete heel. Yes, I planned to sleep with her, and then dump her, too. But I felt bad that I was making her cry. 

I got her some napkins. But I repeated the question. "Why, Abigail?" 

"He said ... he said ..." She was sniffling, and dabbing at her eyes with the napkin. 

- "What did he say, Abigail? Tell me." 

- "He said ... that I was no good in bed. And ..." 

Did I mention that I despised Massimo? What kind of man says that to a sweet, vulnerable girl like Abigail? 

- "And what, Abigail?" I wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her, and tell her that everything would be alright. But she needed to get this story out. And I needed to know. "What else did he say?" 

But she wouldn't - or couldn't - come out with it. 

- "Alright." I said. "You can tell me, or not - your choice. But I'm not leaving you like this. You're coming to my place, where I will make you a meal. And you will eat it. Then we will figure out what to do about this." I didn't ask Abigail. I just told her. 

She followed me home, and watched silently as I prepared a pot of chicken soup and put it on the stove to simmer. She kept her head down, or avoided eye contact most of the time. I didn't ask her any more questions, for the moment. Instead, I asked her to hand me ingredients, or utensils, and told her where to find them. 

But just then she looked up - and I saw the look in her eyes. There was hurt, and confusion ... and - call me crazy, but Abigail needed affection. 

I went over and gave her a hug. Abigail sniffled, and her arms went around me. She held on tight. Then she turned her head and kissed me on the lips. She was tentative, and a bit awkward, but she was definitely pressing forward. 

I kissed her back, softly. The feeling of her tongue on my lips, gently probing, and then gingerly entering my mouth, was incredibly erotic. I started to get hard, and began to back away a little. I didn't want her to feel my erect cock poking her in the stomach. 

But she wouldn't let me back away. She pressed up against me, and moaned when she felt my erection. 

Decision time. I broke our kiss. Then I looked her in the eyes. 

- "Abigail, I am going to make love to you." 

She looked back and me, and then nodded her head. 

- "But you will have to decide if you really want me to. Go into my bedroom right now. Alone. Close the door behind you. There is a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. You will count to 300. If you come out wearing the same clothes you have on now, then we will eat the chicken soup. But if you come out wearing nothing but the bathrobe, then I am going to fuck you. I am probably going to fuck you more than once. Do you understand?" 

She came out almost exactly five minutes later. In the bathrobe. Barefoot, and bare-legged. I turned off the stove. 

- "Stand right over there. By the window. Look out." 

Very slowly, I came up behind her, and put my arms around her waist. She trembled, but she also leaned back and put her head on my shoulder. I rubbed her hips, through the robe, then brought one hand up to hold her head while I kissed her. She really wasn't a very good kisser. Abigail was too passive. But then, I suspected that passivity was her problem. 

She didn't object when I unfastened the bathrobe, and reached inside. I fondled her little breasts, and her flat stomach. I traced the outline of that magnificent little rump. And then I stroked her pussy lips. She was cleanly shaved, but had left a little landing strip. 

Abigail was trembling. I kissed her again. 

- "Don't worry." I told her. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do. We'll stop whenever you want. We can stop now, if that's what you want." 

She shook her head. And I understood why. 

- "It's not that, is it? You want to make love to me. But you're afraid that you won't please me." 

Abigail nodded. 

- "Sweet, sweet, girl. How wrong you are." I picked her up, and carried her into my bedroom. 

Abigail let me do anything I wanted. I kissed her, I rubbed and licked her nipples, took big handfuls of that delicious ass ... but she never took the initiative herself. Well, one can play that game. 

I lay her back on the bed, and kissed her pussy lips tenderly. I french-kissed her pussy, sucked on her lower lips, and just feasted on her. She started moaning, and rolling her hips. But I could feel the tightness in her muscles. She was resisting, refusing to let go and enjoy it. 

That wouldn't do. I turned around on the bed, and presented my cock to her face. I had to put the head an inch from her lips before she opened her mouth and started licking. I fed her another couple of inches, and she started sucking in earnest. 

Then I turned around again, into a 69 position. She was still tight, still resisting somehow. I put one hand behind her head, and started gently fucking her face. That kept her busy, as she wanted to please me. It also distracted her a little as I went back to work on her pussy. 

It worked. She whimpered around my cock, and even tried to turn her hips away, but I held her in place and gave her little clit a thorough workout. Abigail cried out as she came. A jet of liquid came shooting out of her pussy - right into my mouth! And then a second eruption splashed me in the face. 

Abigail was a squirter! I choked on the first volley, caught by surprise. Abigail scraped my cock with her teeth as she suddenly pulled way. She was mortified. 

- "Oh no! I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" 

I laughed, my face covered in pussy juice. "Abigail! Was this what you were worried about? Did Massimo complain about you squirting?" I know - wrong time to bring up his name. "Sweetheart - it's perfectly natural! Many women do it. And many women wish they could!" 

- "He ... he said it was ... that I was ... freaky." She appeared close to tears again. 

I tried to persuade Abigail that she had nothing to be ashamed of, but she refused to believe me. There was nothing for it but to fire up the computer and search up female ejaculation. The scientific sites were a bit of a downer, since some doctors don't believe it exists, and nobody seems to know exactly what the liquid is. But there were plenty of sites where women talked about their experiences, and I even got her to sit beside me and watch a couple of porn videos featuring squirters or "gushers". 

It took a while, but I finally convinced Abigail that 

a) she wasn't abnormal 

b) I wasn't grossed out 

c) it actually tasted ok 

That also explained the resistance. Abigail was afraid that she would squirt, so she was actively resisting having an orgasm. Now I finally understood her - or at least a part of her. She was completely passive, sexually. I prefer a more active partner, but who knows? Abigail might be exactly what some guys are looking for. 

But at that moment, Edgar Allan Poe and my dick were in complete agreement: we had some unfinished business. 

- "Abigail, you had an orgasm, but I didn't. That's not fair." 

I had her suck my cock, offering pointers and suggestions which she accepted gratefully. When her mouth wasn't full, she was frequently smiling. I came in torrents, and told her to swallow it all. She did. 

Then I went down on her again, to see what an orgasm felt like for her when she wasn't fighting it. This one seemed pretty intense, because she gushed again. There was so much liquid this time that I had to strip the bed and change the sheets. 

Then I had her suck me again until I was hard. I put her on her back, and knelt between her legs. With my encouragement, she spread them wide. I entered her slowly, savoring every sensation. I stroked into her slowly, all the way to the balls. Then I withdrew all the way, and re-entered her. I counted ten long, slow strokes, then held still while I sucked on her nipples. 

Ten more slow, deep strokes, and I kissed her, twirling my tongue in her mouth. I could only do four more slow strokes before my baser nature took over. I started fucking Abigail had, and fast, in a headlong rush to orgasm. 

Afterwards, she clung to me like a limpet, and wouldn't let go. I felt great. Mostly, I think, because I had helped Abigail. We had restored some of her confidence, and repaired some of the damage done by that asshole Massimo. 

And I was not unaware that the score was now 2-1.



The Bridge Club Ch. 06



Abigail's sexual education became a priority for both of us. Once she discovered that she wasn't "bad" at sex, Abigail became intensely curious about sexual positions and activities which she had yet to try. She still couldn't just come out with it, or say 'Let's do this'. But she started asking me 'Have you ever ...?' If the suggestion came from me, she was more than ready to try it. 

I had achieved my goal with Abigail. But I wasn't about to just dump her. Her fragile new confidence would be shattered. I also wanted Abigail to discover what worked for her, what turned her on. And, of course, how she could get a future lover to do those things to and with her. 

So ensued a period of experimentation. I became the sensei in a small, private, sex dojo, with only one student. As Abigail's teacher, I quickly learned what turned her on. She liked to be told what to do. No humiliation, no degrading acts, and certainly no pain. This was ideal, because I wasn't into any of those things, either. 

But she loved it when I ordered her to come over to my place, and stipulated what she should or should not wear. No panties became a clear favorite. When she arrived, I would order her to blow me just inside the door. Or I would sit on the couch and make her perform a striptease for me. I would praise her for those moves which were effective, but I would also tell her to start over if I wasn't particularly aroused. 

She became a proficient lap-dancer, but not very inventive. She would repeat the moves that had worked for her before, but wouldn't come up with new ones unless I described them. 

I tried tying her up with a couple of old neckties, but that didn't do much for either of us. Fucking her on the balcony of my apartment was also no big deal for Abigail. She wasn't excited by the possibility of being caught. I enjoyed it considerably more than she did. 

If it sounds like I had a sex slave ... well, keep in mind that the goal was to help Abigail overcome her fears. She thought that she was lousy in bed, and that her squirting was freakish. I worked hard to cure her of those delusions. 

We discovered that reverse cowgirl was not her best position. She didn't mind being on top, if I was directing her movements. But she adored doggy style, spooning, and even being bent over any available piece of furniture and taken from behind. 

In the middle of her education, we had a bridge night, this one hosted by Christina. I was very curious to see what her place looked like. Once I could move on from Abigail, I would be able to start wooing Christina, and I needed all the information all I could get. 

Christina shared a modest townhouse with her sister (who was conveniently away for the weekend). Beth let slip that the sister was a bit 'wild'. Christina was the responsible one, and paying the entire mortgage by herself. She had good taste in art, on a slender budget. I was particularly interested in the scope and contents of her bookshelves. Christina had quite a few books, from classic novels to philosophy, art and history. 

She saw me studying her books. I had my finger on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam when I heard her speak. 

- "Have you read it?" she asked. 

- "No. Always meant to, though." 

- "You can borrow it, if you like." she offered. 

- "Really? That's great. I will." 

Abigail was very discreet. She didn't hang on my arm, or throw lingering glances my way. I wasn't sure why, but I was glad of it. Not that our relationship was a secret: these girls talked. 

Beth was my partner for the first game, against Massimo and Christina. Beth and I worked well together, while they were like a houseboat and a kayak. Massimo was trying to flirt with both girls at the same time. It didn't seem to be working. 

For the second game, I was paired with Jake against Massimo and Carmen. Massimo just kept flirting, this time with his new partner. He was shameless. Carmen didn't seem particularly impressed, either. 

We took a break after that match. Beth came over to me. 

- "Well, someone seems to have regained her confidence. I wonder what happened? You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" 

- "I have no idea what you mean." I answered, trying to look innocent. 

Beth laughed out loud. 

- "Besides," I said, "a gentleman never tells." 

- "The hell they don't!" said Beth. "Or maybe I just don't know very many gentlemen. Seriously, though ..." Beth leaned closer, and lowered her voice. "Have you noticed her bidding? Her card play?" 

- "No, I haven't been at the same table." 

- "Watch her." suggested Beth. "She's bidding quicker. Less hesitation. And she's smiling. Whatever you're doing, it's working." 

In the final game, Darren and I played Carmen and Christina. With two beautiful women at my table, I wasn't about to stare across at the other players. But when Darren played a bid for us, I got up to refresh my drink. I listened to the bidding at the other table. Beth was right; Abigail was taking less time, and looking more confident. 

I rewarded my pupil's performance by taking her home after bridge. I pinned her to my bed and ate her out until she gushed all over my sheets. Then I put her legs up, with her ankles around my ears, and fucked her hard. I was merciless, slamming into her repeatedly, my balls bouncing off her ass cheeks. I pulled out at the last second, and came all over her tits and stomach. 

Abigail helped me clean up, then snuggled close and fell asleep in my arms. All on her own initiative. 

***** 

Massimo challenged me to a game of squash. He had news for me, too. 

- "I banged Carmen again." he said. "So we're all even. Two-two. I heard you fucked Abigail, even though you didn't say anything." 

The Scott factor hadn't lasted very long. Ah, well - no harm done. Unbeknownst to Massimo, I had invited Abigail to come to the fitness club. I also told her who I was playing squash with. 

As we were warming up, I glanced up at the glass-covered visitors' gallery. Sure enough, Abigail was there. And she had taken pains with her appearance. The girl looked awesome. To my surprise, though, she wasn't alone. She had brought Christina along for company. Or moral support? Even though Abigail was dressed to kill, I thought that Christina looked even better, with minimal make-up and casual clothing. 

Massimo noticed them, too. He waved. Nothing would please him more than to humiliate me in front of my 'girlfriend', a woman he had banged and dumped, while simultaneously impressing the girl he was planning to seduce. 

But I had other plans. I had been playing regularly, especially with the two guys ahead of me on the squash ladder. They kicked my ass, but I learned a few useful tricks and honed my game. I was ready for Massimo. 

I'll give him his due: Massimo played hard, fuelled by testosterone and machismo. He also bent the rules every chance he got. He ran me over twice, and crashed into me multiple times, yelling "Let!" just before impact. He hammered his shots extra hard, trying to impress the girls in the gallery. 

None of it mattered. I won the first game, and both of the subsequent 'rematches'. He got more and more frustrated, and even hit me with his racket - accidentally, of course. 

He showered and left after the game, claiming that he couldn't stay. That was fine with me. I took the girls for a coffee. 

- "You were good." said Abigail. "Did you do that for me?" 

- "You seemed to be enjoying yourself." added Christina. 

- "I was." 

We talked about squash, the fitness club, and Darren. Then Christina asked me about Omar Khayyam. 

- "What do you think of him?" 

I had been reading the book. "I was surprised. I knew that he was a poet, and an astronomer. But he wrote about mathematics, philosophy - even music. He was a Renaissance man." 

- "Three or four hundred years before the Renaissance." said Christina. 

- "He was Persian. Is that where your family is from?" I asked. "Iran?" 

- "No. My parents are from Algeria. I was born there." 

- "Ah, Algeria." I nodded. That explained her complexion, and her exotic looks, which I was finding more appealing by the minute. 

- "You've been to Algeria?" she asked, surprised. 

- "No - sorry. I didn't mean to give that impression. Closest I've ever been was Morocco." 

- "Pretty close. I've been there, too." said Christina. "Did you enjoy it?" 

- "Very much." I said. "Marrakech was interesting, but my favorite spot was Essaouira, on the coast." 

- "You and Jimi Hendrix." she laughed. "Cat Stevens liked it, too." 

- "Don't forget Orson Welles." I added. He filmed Othello there in the 1950s. That random thought - Othello - made me think of Carmen, and the theatre adaptation I had subjected her to. From Carmen my thoughts shifted to ... Abigail. She was sitting there patiently, listening to me discuss Persian philosophers and Moroccan seaside towns with one of her friends. 

Seeing Massimo go down to defeat should have been a pleasant moment , but I was neglecting her. I tried to make amends, and change the topic of conversation. 

Christina had brought her car, so she drove herself home. I took Abigail back to her place. It might have been that I was tired out from the squash game, but I didn't have a very strong urge to have sex with Abigail. So we talked for a while. 

- "That was very nice of you, Norm - to invite me to watch Massimo lose. But Christina was right: you enjoyed it, too." 

I had to agree with her on that one. Then Abigail caught me completely by surprise. 

- "You have a crush on her, don't you?" 

There was no answer to that. I was completely lost for words. 

- "H-how ...?" 

- "How long have I known? From the beginning, I guess. That was why I wasn't so keen to go out with you in the first place. Or did you mean 'How did I know?' It wasn't that difficult, Norm. The way you look at her is a dead giveaway." 

This was not the conversation I had been expecting. "Abigail, I ..." 

- "Don't worry, Norm. I've known all along what this was. You just wanted to help me get over Massimo. And then you realized that I had some ... sexual issues, and you wanted to help me with that. You became my teacher. My sex instructor. Sure, I was crushing on you, but it's not like I was expecting a long-term relationship." 

She reached out and put two fingers under my chin. Then she lifted up, to help me close my mouth, which had been hanging wide open. 

- "I may lack confidence, but I'm not stupid, Norm. I will always be grateful for the way you helped me out. Now I know what kind of guy I want: dominant, but gentle and kind. And I may even be able to tell him what I like, in bed." 

- "I don't know what to say, Abigail." 

- "No need to say anything, Norm. We can still go rock-climbing, or play squash, if you want. But I don't think any more sex is a good idea. We'll still be friends, if you want. And we can play bridge. I think I'm getting better at that, too." 

In that moment I had more respect and affection for Abigail than I had had when we were having sex. She had depths that I had never imagined. 

She kissed me on the cheek, and smiled at me. Then she turned to go. But she stopped at the door. 

- "Good luck with Christina. I'll be rooting for you two."



The Bridge Club Ch. 07



As you may have noticed, I have changed the category description to "Romance". For the patient, and those willing to continue, there are more erotic couplings to come. Thanks again for your encouraging comments!

******************************

Jake hosted the next bridge night. He had a typical bachelor pad. I would have expected some feminine touches, with Beth's influence, but there weren't many. They seemed to be getting along better as a couple, though.

I had Abigail for a partner, against Massimo and Darren. Abigail didn't seem at all flustered by Massimo's presence. And her bridge had improved: her bidding was crisper, her leads less hesitant. She also appeared to be comfortable with me. We won a nice rubber.

In the second match, Carmen and I took on Darren and Christina. I had to admit it to myself, at last: I was crushing on Christina. Badly. She was pretty, and exotic. Long dark hair, beautifully shaped brown eyes, that cute little upturned nose, that beauty mark at the corner of her mouth that I so wanted to touch, to kiss ...

- "2 hearts, Norm." said Carmen, with a touch of impatience. From the tone of her voice, I could tell that she was repeating herself.

- "Sorry." I said. "Must have been wool-gathering."

- "Looked like plain old daydreaming to me. Get your head in the game, man. We're getting killed here."

Carmen was right. We went down hard. 

On the way home, I was still thinking of Christina. She was slender, but more sylph-like, graceful, as opposed to Abigail's runner's body. At home, I did a search for sylph. Too skinny. And invisible. I got side-tracked, and ended up reading about naiads and undines.

Christina was a creature of air, and earth, I concluded. The books, the philosophy ... air. But her body was well-rounded, well-proportioned. She had a nice pair of B cup breasts, I guessed. It was hard to tell, because she rarely showed any cleavage, unlike Carmen or Beth.

She was kind, and giving, paying the upkeep on a house so that her sister would have a place to live. And her friends all seemed to like her. There were none of those catty, competitive remarks about her from the others.

Yes, I had it very bad indeed. And Edgar Allan Poe was not the least bit pleased with me. This could end up wrecking my revenge on Massimo.

What else could I do? I rationalized it like this:

- Beth was unavailable (relationship with Jake)

- I hadn't even met Emily, the alternate. What was I supposed to do? Hang out where the girls worked, in the hopes of meeting her? Follow her husband home? Stalking, next?

- we were only about 3 months into the bet, and I had already slept with 2 of the girls. I had plenty of time to romance Christina, until the other two became available

Bullshit, said Edgar Allan Poe. And he was right.

I wanted Christina. I wanted her to fall in love with me.

And if she did, and I then went out and slept with 2 other women, would she ever forgive me?

I wanted to be with Christina when the bet was over. But I didn't want Massimo to win.

You're doomed, said Poe.

******************************

It was my turn to host the next bridge game. I decided to put a little effort into it. I cleaned my apartment thoroughly. And I cooked. It was the Saturday night, stay up later bridge night, so I planned to serve food during the break after the second game.

Carmen and Abigail had already seen my apartment, but the others had not. When Jake and Beth arrived, she instantly went into detective mode. She didn't ask for a tour; she just snooped around everywhere.

- "What smells so good?" she asked. I showed her.

- "You cooked?" said Jake. "That's kind of gay."

Darren, who was standing nearby, was not impressed. Neither was I. When I called him on it, Jake apologized.

- "I didn't mean any offense. You know what I meant." he said.

Beth had to take him aside to explain it to him.

Christina was a little bit late, as she often was. But the moment she came through the door, she smelled the food. She did a double-take, and looked at me, astonished.

- "You didn't." she said. And she made a beeline for the kitchen.

- "Did what?" asked Beth. She followed me in. "Did what?" she repeated.

On the stove, I had two tajine pots. They're made of glazed pottery, and they're standard in North African cuisine. You can slow cook a savory stew, usually of lamb or poultry, along with sliced vegetables and fruit. The spices are crucial: cumin, turmeric, saffron, ginger, even cinnamon. It uses minimal water, which is helpful in desert countries.

I explained all this for Beth's benefit. "They do this in Morocco. I don't know about Algeria, though."

- "The Tunisian version is more like an Italian fritata." said Christina. "We use eggs, sometimes, too. But this is wonderful!"

- "You must have this all the time." I said.

- "No! Who has time? It takes forever. And I don't cook just for myself very often."

- "Why did you make two pots?" asked Beth. "It looks like a lot of food."

- "One is lamb." I told her. "The second is vegetarian. For Darren." Darren was a vegetarian.

Beth pinched my cheek, and then kissed me on the lips. "You're a sweetheart."

Christina was more restrained in her praise. "This is wonderful. Thank you." She knew who I had done it for.

As luck would have it, Christina and I faced off against Carmen and Darren in the first game. I found it hard not to stare at my partner. I couldn't tell if Christina was blushing, because of her dark skin, but she was certainly aware of my attention. Even Carmen's incredible cleavage couldn't distract me from Christina's shining eyes and shy smile.

We lost.

I had to play with Massimo in the second game, but even that couldn't spoil my mood. At the break, I served the tajine. Jake and Massimo were unimpressed. Fuck them. The girls all complimented me, and Darren thanked me for making one vegetarian.

In the final game, Beth was my partner, against Jake and Darren.

- "You couldn't have made a Cuban dish?" she teased. "If I'd known you could cook, I would have placed my order."

After the cards, I managed to speak to Beth alone.

- "Can you give me Christina's number?" I asked.

Beth gave me a long look. "Yes, I can. But you have to understand something, right from the start: Chris is not Abigail. And she's certainly not Carmen."

- "I know."

- "Don't fuck this up." said Beth.

******************************

I asked Christina out for coffee the following Saturday afternoon. She hesitated at first, but then agreed.

She looked great in jeans and a t-shirt. But she seemed a little ill at ease.

- "Is everything ok, Christina?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "No, Norm. I have something on my mind. I want to get it out in the open. I should probably just say it."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

- "I know all about you and Abigail." She looked me right in the eye. "And you and Carmen. Well, maybe not everything. But you've slept with two of my friends, just recently. Did you know that I knew?"

- "Yes." I admitted.

- "OK. Neither of them seem angry, or upset with you, so I assume that you parted on good terms. You have parted with them, right?"

- "Yes. All over. All done."

Christina took a deep breath. "Well, here it is. They - and you - may all be comfortable with that. But I'm not. I won't be the third notch on your belt, if that's what this is about. It hurts me to say this, Norm, because I like you. But I don't trust you. Yet. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I don't trust your motives. I refuse to be number 3 on your record sheet, or your scorecard."

- "What ... what can I do?" For a moment, I considered revealing the bet, and telling her everything.

- "I don't know, Norm. Give me time. Keep it at this level for a while. Let me get to know you better. We can just kill some time together until I can decide if you're trustworthy."

- "What is your friend, that you should seek them with hours to kill? Seek them always with hours to live." I'm not sure what possessed me to utter those lines. They were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. Edgar Allan Poe was horrified.

Christina looked at me in disbelief. "Kahlil Gibran? You're quoting 'The Prophet' at me?"

- "It just came out." I confessed, sheepishly.

- "Change of topic." said Christina. "Have you finished with Omar Khayyam?"

******************************

The next bridge game was at Beth's. There were two very significant changes. For one thing, Jake was not there.

- "I broke up with him." said Beth.

- "I'm so sorry." I said.

- "Don't be. It was overdue."

- "Are you OK?"

- "Fine. I had plenty of time to think about it."

The second big difference didn't occur to me until a strange woman walked in. With Jake gone, Emily was here to take his place. She was a brunette, in her late 30s if not just on the other side of 40. She wore a bit too much make-up for my taste, but she had a trim body and a saucy way of sizing people up.

I said Hello, and she studied me like some kind of lab specimen for at least 5 seconds before she held out her hand and said "Emily".

As luck would have it, Emily was my partner for the first game. We were up against Beth and Darren. Emily turned out to be a fair bridge player. Her analysis at the end of a hand was spot on. But there was something just a little odd about her. I couldn't put my finger on it.

We had a short break. Inspired by my tajine performance, Beth had whipped up Cuban sandwiches. It looked like ham and Swiss cheese to me, but there was more to it than that.

- "Some people call it a 'mixto'." said Beth. "You need Cuban bread, roast pork, Serrano ham, and Swiss cheese. Toss in a dill pickle, and some yellow mustard, and you're good to go."

- "Nice" I told her.

- "I hope this isn't becoming a tradition." said Abigail. "I can't cook."

- "You and me both, sister." said Carmen.

Massimo came over to talk to me. He jerked his head in Emily's direction. "Doable, right? Was I right? And how are things with you? Still stuck at two?"

- "Same as you, Mass." I said.

- "Yeah, but I'm workin' on it, Normie. I'm workin' on it."

In the second game, Darren and I switched partners: he was with Emily, while I had Beth. It was an excellent rubber, with exciting play. Of all people, though, it was Beth who was a bit distracted. She made a slight error, and it cost us a trick. It didn't matter, since we were down two in any case, but it was unlike her.

- "You OK?" I asked.

- "Yeah, yeah. Just tripped up. Sorry about that." she said.

When I got home, Edgar Allan Poe and I had a conversation.

POE: "You, Sir, are in the process of losing this fucking bet."

ME: "I know, I know. But what am I supposed to do?"

POE: "Any imbecile could determine the proper course of action. You knock boots with the delectable Beth, and then turn your attention to Mrs Emily. May I suggest that you use bridge as your conversational gambit. She seems to be somewhat of a student of the game."

ME: "She's married. And if I slept with Beth, I could say goodbye to Christina."

POE: "Your dark-skinned inamorata is young. She will get over it, in time. With a modicum of luck, she will have forgiven you before the expiry date of your wager with Signor Massimo."

ME: "She won't. You don't understand: I think I'm in love with her."

POE: "That is an unfortunate complication in what is otherwise a simple matter. You are familiar with the expression 'Horns of a dilemma'?"

ME: "Lose the bet, or lose Christina?"

POE: "If not both."

ME: "I am so fucked."

POE: "It certainly appears that way."

******************************

I chose Christina. I took her out to the park, and to a play (which she enjoyed at least as much as I did). We went out to dinner, and to see a blues band. She could do classy, or grungy, or casual, and look delicious on every occasion.

She seemed to be enjoying my company. And all that time - a month - I never even tried to hold her hand. No kisses on the cheek, no snuggles. I parked in the friend zone, and got comfortable there.

We had bridge night at Carmen's. I had Abigail for a partner, then Carmen, and in the final game, Christina. We played together brilliantly, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Beth and Massimo couldn't stop us. Best of all, Christina smiled throughout. We were just like a couple - except for the no sex on the horizon part.

Two weeks later we played at Darren's. I had to partner with Massimo, but against Beth and Christina. Strangely enough, Massimo wasn't flirting as outrageously as he normally did. Then, in the final game, Beth and I took on Darren and Emily. This time, the vibes from Beth were even more noticeable. She was uncomfortable, and it was affecting her play.

At the end of the evening, I asked her about it. "What was that all about? Was it Emily? That's the second time I've seen you act weird when she was at the same table."

Beth sighed. "Look, Norm, it's not a big deal."

- "But you seem uncomfortable. Can I help?"

- "Alright, alright! I'll tell you. But this goes no further - understand?" When I nodded, she continued. "It's Emily. She's coming on to me."

- "What? Are you sure?"

- "Every time. Tonight she was playing footsie with me under the table."

- "You're kidding." I said. "She's married."

Beth rolled her eyes. "What does that have to do with anything? She comes on to all of us. When she comes to see her husband at work, at staff socials, and over cards. She does it all the time."

- "Why did you invite her, then?" I was perplexed.

- "Her husband is Abigail's supervisor. And good friends with my supervisor. Plus, you've seen her play: she's a good bridge player. How could we say no?"

- "I sympathize." I said.

Beth laughed. "No you don't. You're a male. You're already picturing some lesbian action in your head."

******************************

Christina and I had been dating (sort of) for almost two months. She had still given no sign that we any closer to her mysterious 'trust' zone. And that meant that we were no closer to any meaningful physical contact. But I was handling it pretty well.

Until I got her text, about a week after the bridge game at Darren's. We had gone out for a movie and ice cream only three nights before. Her message was simple: "We have to talk. Can you meet me at Audrey's after work?" Audrey's was a small, quiet cafe that we both liked.

'We have to talk'. Was she ready? I tried to keep my hopes in check. I replied in the affirmative.

She was waiting for me when I arrived. And she wasn't smiling. In fact, the look on her face was as serious as I'd ever seen it.

- "What is it?" I asked immediately. "Is something wrong?"

Christina looked me in the eye, but she didn't answer. She put her hand on the table, and opened it. On her palm lay a crumpled napkin.

I recognized it. It was the very same napkin I had written on some five months ago, outlining the terms of my bet with Massimo. I didn't have to look to remember exactly what it said.

Full vaginal intercourse

No breaking up the girl's relationship (if she is in one)

No revealing the secret

The girl must consent (no drugs / excessive alcohol)

The girl must admit it afterwards 

Must take place within the next calendar year 

Christina's voice was very soft, and a little unsteady, but I heard her clearly.

- "Norm, tell me the truth: did you make a bet to sleep with all four of us? Did you make a bet with Massimo?"

There was no place to hide. And I couldn't lie to her.

- "Yes."

Christina must have been holding her breath, but she let it out now. She pushed her chair back from the table, and stood up. I stood up too. 

- "Christina, can I ... I want to explain."

She shook her head. "I don't want to hear your explanation, Norm. And I don't think that I want to see you again. Please don't call."

She dropped the crumpled napkin on the table, and walked out.

I let her go.



The Bridge Club Ch. 08



Massimo had told Christina about the bet. 

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he would do that. To fuck me over, sure. But he was forfeiting the bet by revealing our secret. Did he hate me that much? 

I had to know. So I called him, and set up a meeting at the fitness club. I didn't mention squash or tennis. He knew why I wanted to meet. 

Massimo swaggered into the club as he always did. Even now, he was checking out the hotties in their sports bras. I had to sit on my hands. The urge to strangle him was too powerful otherwise. 

- "She told you, did she?" was the first thing he said. 

- "Why would you do that, Massimo?" I asked. 

- "Do what?" 

- "Tell her about the bet. You realize that you forfeit." I tossed the napkin on the table. 

- "Hey, that's no forfeit. She already knew." he said. 

- "What do you mean 'She already knew'?" 

- "She already knew about the bet." 

- "How?" 

Massimo shrugged. "I dunno. She figured it out. She's smart. It doesn't count as telling the secret if she already knew." 

- "So you're going to claim that the bet is still on." I couldn't believe Massimo's nerve. 

- "Duh. And I'm winning, too. Or hadn't you heard?" 

- "Heard what? Who did you sleep with?" Oh dear Lord, I thought, let it not be Beth. Why did I think that? Because I knew it wasn't Christina? "You slept with Emily?" 

Massimo chuckled. "That was a night to remember." 

- "But ... she's ... a lesbian." I got out. 

- "Where did you get that idea, Normie? Bisexual, for sure, but Emily does go for the right guy. She is one hell of a firecracker." 

I was off balance, angry and confused. "Fine, so you claim to be ahead 3-2. But it doesn't matter if the bet is off." 

Massimo leaned forward, and pointed a finger at me. "Oh, no, Normie . The bet is NOT off. Christina guessed. You ask her. And for your information, the score is not 3-2. It's 4-2." 

He stood up. I couldn't speak. "That's right." he continued. "4-2. So start savin' your pennies, 'cause you'll be paying me at the end of the year." 

With that, he walked off, triumphant. 

Oh, God, I thought. Who was number 4? 

********************************************************************* 

I think that I went to work the next day. I mean, I know that I did; I just don't remember anything about it. The day after that, I called in sick. I stayed home and read Edgar Allan Poe stories. The Black Cat and the Tell-Tale Heart didn't make me feel much better. Edgar Allan himself didn't put in an appearance, either. The only person left to talk to was myself, and I was in no mood for conversation. 

The next evening, after a shitty day at work, my door buzzer sounded. It was Beth and Carmen. I considered pretending I wasn't home. But it wasn't their fault. I let them in. 

- "You look like shit, Norm." said Beth. 

- "Thanks." I said. 

- "Carmen here has something she wants to say to you." 

Carmen had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Beth prodded her again. 

- "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Norm." said Carmen. 

- "Why? What did you do?" But Carmen was crying. She couldn't answer. I got her a box of tissues, and then asked Beth: "What is she sorry about?" 

Beth shook her head. She can't say. She's too embarrassed. She just wants you to know how sorry she is. I'll explain the details. OK, Carmen. You said it. Now go home. It's alright. Go home. I'll call you later." 

Carmen wrapped her arms around me, said "I'm so sorry." a few more times, and then left. She took the box of tissues with her. 

Beth and I sat down on the couch. 

- "What is she sorry for?" I asked. 

- "Can I have something to drink, Norm? Something alcoholic? This isn't going to be easy." 

I got a bottle of wine, opened it, and put it on the coffee table in front of her, with one glass. 

- "You're not having any?" 

I shook my head. 

Beth poured herself a full glass, and then started to talk. 

- "Carmen is sorry because she slept with Massimo. Actually, she slept with him when he first came to work with us. Then, after ... you, and this other guy ..." 

- "Scott." 

- "Yeah. How did you know? Anyway, after you and Scott, Massimo started calling her up. She knew what he was, and what he had done to Abigail, but ... a moment of weakness, she called it. She slept with him again." 

- "She has nothing to apologize for." 

- "I'm not finished." said Beth. She took a healthy sip of the wine. "I told you about Emily. Well, Carmen was curious. She'd never been with a woman, and ... well, shit. She wanted to try it. But Emily had a condition. She's a bit of a control freak, apparently. Anyway, Emily's condition was that it had to be a threesome. Carmen thought that meant her husband, Max. But Emily said that Carmen had to provide the guy. You see where this is going?" 

- "Massimo." 

- "Yes. Carmen didn't know about your bet, Norm. But now that she does, she feels like crap. Because she knows that she helped Massimo win your bet." 

- "It's not her fault. She didn't do anything wrong." I said. 

- "You can tell her that another time, when she stops crying and she's ready to hear it. By the way, Abigail wanted to come, too, but we told her not to. She says hi." 

- "Abigail knows, too?" 

- "Norm, we're friends. We tell each other everything. Well, sometimes we leave out the gory details. But sometimes we're all about the gory details." 

- "Well, thanks for telling me." I said. 

- "I'm not finished." said Beth. "And don't you dare interrupt me." She took a big swallow of the wine, then put the glass down. "I have to say this. I'm sorry, too, Norm. I slept with Massimo, too. It wasn't a moment of weakness. I knew exactly what I was doing." 

"By the time I broke up with Jake, we hadn't been ... oh, fuck it. We hadn't been having sex for a long time. I was horny. And Carmen had talked about Massimo having a big dick. These aren't excuses. I'm just telling you how it was." 

- "Beth, you don't -" 

- "Shut up, Norm. I won't tell you again. Where was I? Oh - I want to apologize, too, because I'm making you lose the bet, too. But it's worse than that. I think I may have fucked up your chances with Christina. Not directly. I mean ... Aww, shit. I wanted you, Norm. I didn't dump Jake for you. We were going to break up anyway. But I was half hoping that you would be available. Carmen and Abigail made you sound pretty good. And I don't just mean the sex." 

"You're a nice guy. I've enjoyed playing bridge with you, and I would've enjoyed ... well, you know. The problem is, you were clearly more interested in Christina by the time I dumped Jake. I wasn't going to cut in on her. So I settled for Massimo because I couldn't have you." 

I didn't say anything, but my heart went out to Beth. It took courage to lay herself bare like this. 

"I knew it was a mistake right away. It was just the one time. That was all he wanted, obviously." Beth ran out of words. 

- "It's OK, Beth. It's not your fault." 

- "Don't you see! It IS my fault! If I hadn't slept with Massimo, he wouldn't have been close to winning the bet. If he hadn't been close, he wouldn't have gone to see Christina, that lying sack of shit!" 

- "What?" 

- "Don't you get it, Norm? He thought he was close. One more girl, and he would win the bet. So he went to Christina and he offered her $1,000 to sleep with him!" 

My mouth was suddenly dry. 

- "Christina was speechless. Massimo upped his offer: $2000. When she made it absolutely, crystal clear that she wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, he got snarky. He told her that you were no different. Then he told her about the bet." 

"That's why she broke off with you, Norm. Because I slept with Massimo." Beth wasn't going to cry, but she looked as miserable as Carmen had a few minutes earlier. "I'm so sorry." 

I stood up. Then I went to the kitchen, and returned with a second glass. I poured myself some wine. And then I gave Beth a hug. 

- "Thank you for telling me. That took guts." I said. 

- "Guts I have. It's my brain that doesn't always work right." 

We sat in silence for a while. Then we reached for our wine glasses at almost exactly the same moment. 

- "So what are you going to do now?" asked Beth. 

- "What do you mean?" 

- "Well, if you're still going to try to win the bet, I'll help. I mean, I'll fuck you right now, if that's what you want." 

I think that my mouth was hanging open again. 

- "No, you're still in love with Christina, aren't you? Forget I said that. And close your mouth." 

- "I have no idea what to do, Beth." 

- "Then tell me something, Norm. Please? Why on earth did you make this stupid bet with a dick like Massimo?" 

Fair is fair. Beth had told me the truth. So I came clean with her. I told her about high school, and Susie, and the prom. I explained that after meeting the bridge club for the first time, I was struck by how pretty all four girls were. 

- "Pretty?" said Beth, with a smirk. 

- "Sorry. Hot." And then I told her about the bet, from my perspective."Carmen had to be first. She was smokin' hot, and she was coming on to me. If I turned her down, I might never get another chance. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned', and all that." 

- "The Chez Maurice, though? Wasn't that a bit over the top? Carmen would have fucked you behind the convenience store. Or was that for our benefit? You sly dog! And then you convinced her to dump you? Sneaky ... but clever. Oh yeah: Carmen figured it out afterwards." 

- "She did?" I said. "Was she mad?" 

- "Not really. Look, Carmen doesn't do long-term relationships very well. She's always on the lookout for something better. Then she feels like a fool for letting a good one get away. But back to your story. Abigail." 

I told Beth everything. It was exhausting, and emotionally draining. I felt only slightly better when I was finished. 

- "And I have no idea what to do next. I want to call Christina, or knock on her door, but do you think she'd even answer? I don't even know what I'd say to her." 

- "You still want to win this bet?" asked Beth. 

- "No. I want Christina." Edgar Allan Poe was shrieking in the background, but I meant exactly what I'd said. 

- "OK." said Beth. "But does that mean you're going to let Massimo win?" 

- "It will bug the shit out of me for the rest of my life if Massimo wins. But if I never have to see him again, maybe it won't be so bad." 

- "What if we could do both?" she said. "Get Christina back, AND fuck Massimo over?" 

- "Huh? How?" 

- "I'm not sure, yet. Let me think about this for a bit." 

We finished the bottle. Beth went home, promising to call me as soon as she had an idea. 

******************************************************************* 

Beth called me three days later. She invited me over to her place for 7:00 in the evening. I took a bottle of wine. 

When she opened the door, I was shocked to see Christina sitting on her couch. 

- "Look at that!" exclaimed Beth. "He brought wine. Isn't that sweet?" 

Christina shot Beth a withering look. Beth took the wine, and then dragged me into the living room. She sat me down opposite Christina. 

She looked absolutely lovely. I knew then that I had made the right choice. Christina was far more important to me than the bet. It was no contest. 

- "Christina," I said, "I'm so sorry ..." 

- "Not that, Norm." said Beth, cutting me off. "She doesn't want to hear any bullshit. Just tell her the story you told me. Exactly what you said to me. Just tell her the truth." 

I looked at Beth, unsure where to begin. 

- "Start with high school, stupid." she said. 

So I did. I told Christina everything. Basketball, baseball. The high school locker room, Susie, the prom. I even explained about the Cask of Amontillado. Massimo's boast that he could bang all four of them. Then I came clean on my strategy, and told her why I had slept with Carmen first, and then Abigail. 

- "And he could have had me, Chris." said Beth. "I offered to f - sleep with him, just the other day. But he turned me down. He's been in love with you since Abigail. Shit, since before Abigail. She told you that herself." 

Christina gave Beth another withering look. "I agreed to come over here, and to listen to Norm. Not you, Beth. Be quiet." Then Christina looked back to me. "Do you have anything else to say?" 

I did. 

- "Christina, I thought that I could do both: win you, AND win the bet. Then Beth broke up with Jake, and Emily joined the bridge club. That changed everything for Massimo, but it didn't change anything for me. I was so in love you by then that I would have gladly lost the bet - well, not gladly ... but you know what I mean. In hindsight, I wish that I had never made the bet." 

- "But you did." said Christina, softly. 

She stood up. "Thanks for arranging this." she said, to Beth. "I'll call you." 

And then she left.



The Bridge Club Ch. 09



I went to work. I went to the fitness club. There was no bridge club. Beth invited me over to play cards with Carmen and Abigail. Carmen cried, Abigail sniffled, and Beth tried to tell me that everything would be alright. 

Three weeks after my last meeting with Christina, Beth called me. 

- "Saturday. My place. Noon. Be here." she said. 

- "What's up?" I asked. 

- "Christina wants us all there. All of us. It's an official bridge club meeting." 

- "Bridge Club? What does that even mean?" 

- "Just be here." said Beth, and she hung up. 

I showed up. I was surprised when Darren opened the door. He shook my hand, and said "Good luck." 

Carmen and Beth were in the living room. Then Abigail came out of Beth's bedroom. She saw me, and said "Your turn". 

I walked into the bedroom. Christina was standing by the window. 

- "Sit down." she said. I sat on the edge of the bed. There was nowhere else to sit. 

Christina studied me for a while. She had tremendous composure. I was sweating, whereas she looked as though the only thing on her mind was whether to order a latte or a cappucino. 

- "You're an idiot." she said. 

- "Quite often." I agreed. 

- "Don't be cute." she said. 

I shook my head. 

- "You hurt me very badly." said Christina. "Massimo made me feel dirty. Like I needed a shower. But you betrayed my trust. That hurt more." She held up her hand, to prevent me from saying 'I'm sorry'. 

"Don't say SHIT! Just sit there and SHUT THE FUCK UP!" 

Christina started pacing. 

- "I had no expectations of Massimo. I thought that he was a lizard, and I wasn't far off. He's a snake. But you - I thought you were ... " 

I couldn't help myself. Tears came to my eyes. 

"After everything that has happened," said Christina, "I have come to two conclusions. First, Massimo disgusts me. What he did to Abigail was unpardonable. And he offered me money to sleep with him. I feel debased. But you ..." 

I felt about two inches tall. 

- "I had higher hopes for you. There are times, Norm, when you show kindness, and empathy. In your own mind, you may even have felt that you were worthy of me. My three best friends don't bear you a grudge. In fact, they all speak highly of you. And Darren likes you. I value his opinion more than you know." 

"The four of them have convinced me to give you a second chance." 

I was stunned. I don't know what I had been expecting, but it wasn't that. 

- "Did you hear me, Norm? I will give you a second chance." 

- "Yes. I heard. Second chance." 

- "But I have conditions. Several conditions. You must meet them all. To the letter. Or I swear that I will write you off like a bad investment. There will be no negotiation. None. You accept all of my conditions, before I even tell you what they are - or we are done. Do you understand?" 

- "I do." 

- "Do you accept my conditions?" 

- "Yes." 

Christina walked to the bedroom door, and called Beth, Carmen, and Abigail. All three girls crowded into the bedroom with us. Beth carried a notepad. 

- "Norm," said Christina, "you stand by the window. Beth, you, Abigail and Carmen on the bed." 

We got ourselves arranged to her satisfaction. 

- "Condition number one." said Christina. "You will not have sex with anyone, for the rest of this year, unless I give you my express approval. In advance. Is that clear, and do you accept this condition, Norm?" 

I could have said no, of course. 

- "Yes." I said. 

Beth made a checkmark on the notepad. 

- "Second condition. You must find two new members for the bridge club. Preferably male. Massimo and Jake are not eligible. Nor is Emily. They must be decent bridge players, and reasonably cute. Not Scott. Do you understand, and do you accept?" 

- "Yes." I said. 

- "Third. You must win the bet with Massimo." Christina let that sink in. 

- "Ummm ..." 

- "I know." she said. "That means that you must have sex with Beth. I am going to grant you permission, in advance." 

I glanced at Beth. She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. 

- "That's ... ummm." 

- "Unusual?" said Christina. "Not a hardship, for you? Bizarre? Yes, all of those. I'm not very thrilled with the idea. But Beth is willing. And there's no other way to stop Massimo from winning." 

Christina took a deep breath. "Then, you will have to sleep with Emily. But she will only participate if it's a threesome, with another girl. Carmen has agreed to be that other girl. She will make contact with Emily, and set it up. And don't you dare crack a smile, Norm!" 

- "Absolutely not." I said. "Deadly serious." 

- "You had better be." said Christina, though clenched teeth. "Now, when all this ... fucking is done, you will be celibate for the next 6 months. One week before the deadline of your bet with Massimo, I will make up my mind." 

"If I choose to have no more contact with you, then you will not call me, you won't come to my house, and you will not try to persuade my friends to run messages for you. Do you understand, and do you accept this condition?" 

My mouth was suddenly very dry. "Yes." 

- "Fine. There is, of course, the possibility that I may decide to have sex with you myself, so that you win the bet, instead of just stopping Massimo from winning. If I do that, there is one more condition." 

- "And that is?" 

- "That you donate the $5000 to charity. All of it." said Christina. 

- "I understand. And I accept." I said. 

- "Good." said Christina. "Is that everything, Beth?" 

She didn't need to, but Beth consulted her notepad. 

- "All done." 

- "Alright then." said Christina. She spoke to Beth. "Then you two can have sex this Saturday night. From dusk until dawn. And I don't want to hear a word about it afterwards." With that, Christina left the room. We all heard the door slam as she left the apartment, too. 

- "That went well." said Abigail. 

************************************************************************ 

The phone rang on Friday night. It was Beth. 

- "So ... tomorrow night ..." she said. 

- "I know. It's a bit weird." 

- "A bit?" 

- "OK, it's a lot weird." I admitted. "Should we ... your place, or mine?" 

- "Yours." said Beth. "Christina's idea. She's over at my place fairly often, and she said she doesn't want to think about it every time she walks by my room." 

- "That's ... awkward." I said. 

- "Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow." 

It was decidedly odd. Part of me wanted to do nothing more that would upset Christina. But I knew that this had to happen if we were to prevent Massimo from winning the bet. And it was Beth. I liked her. And I was attracted to her. Had she not being seeing Jake, would I have chosen her over Christina? 

She arrived around 7:30. Sunset wasn't until 7:52, if we were going to strictly observe Christina's conditions. Beth was wearing a dark shirt and a skirt. We were both nervous. 

I poured us a drink. I suggested that we sit on the couch, but Beth asked if she could use my washroom. She was gone for quite a while. 

When she came back, was Beth was wearing only a matching red bra and panties, with frilly lace. The top looked like a catapult loaded with two bocce balls. Her hips were wide, but she had great legs. To top it all off, she wore red heels. 

I forgot to breathe. Beth stood still for a moment, to let me admire her. She put a hand on one hip, and raised the other hand, as if to say 'Ta-da!'. It was quite a spectacle. I was fully erect. 

- "Is it 7:48 yet?" she asked. 

- "7:48?" I said. "Sunset's not till 7:52. I checked." 

- "I checked, too. Shit. Which one do we go by? Yours, or mine?" 

- "The later one, to be safe, I think." 

Then we both laughed simultaneously. 

- "What a couple of nerds." said Beth. "Honestly! You know, one day, I will have to tell Chris about this. So what do we do for 4 minutes?" 

- "You could just stand there and let me admire you ..." I suggested. 

Beth grinned, and then did just that. Then she adjusted her panties, pulling them up a little tighter. She half-turned, showing me that the panties were nearly non-existent at the back, leaving her ass cheeks exposed. I moaned softly. 

Then she began fiddling with the bra, reaching into one cup and lifting her breast, as if to adjust it. 

- "Now that's hardly fair." I said. 

- "I've been horny as hell all week." she said. "You can suffer a bit, too. What time is it?" 

- "7:50." 

- "What do you want to do first?" she said, licking her lips for effect. 

I didn't answer her. Instead, I slowly undid the buttons on my shirt. I figured what's good for the goose is good for the gander. 

- "Oh yeah. That's nice." she said, encouraging me. 

I got my socks and shoes off, and my pants undone - and then I saw the time. 7:52. 

I closed the distance between us. We collided like rugby players, both of us wrapping our arms around the other. She crushed her lips to mine, and our tongues met halfway, twisting and swirling. She grabbed my head in both hands and tried to push her tongue down my throat. 

My pants had fallen down around my ankles. I managed to step out of them before Beth could knock me over. She reached behind her to undo the bra, and pulled it off. Her breasts were as spectacular as I had imagined, like engorged fruit, a little too big for my hands. But I didn't get my hands on her tits; Beth pressed up against me again, her mouth seeking mine. 

Her hands weren't idle, though. She pulled my underwear aside and grabbed a handful of hard cock. She was tugging on it. Sensing that we weren't going to last very long, I pulled back and dropped to one knee. I peeled her red panties down her legs, revealing a neatly trimmed bush. I rubbed a finger between her lips. As I thought, she was already wet. 

She pulled me back up, and then aimed my cock just below her pussy. She slipped my dick between her legs, straddling me. Then she began to slide back and forth, rubbing her pussy lips across the top of my cock. I groaned. 

- "No more." she moaned. "Just put it in me." 

I put my hands under her ass and lifted her. Beth wrapped her legs around me, nearly stabbing me in the butt with her heels as I carried her to the couch. 

- "You don't need a condom. Just put it in." 

I dropped Beth on her back, and steered my cock towards her opening. Just as I got the head between her nether lips and started to thrust, Beth lunged upwards with her hips. We met halfway, as her mound slammed into my pubic bone. 

We were both wild, like animals. I wanted to nail her to the couch, and skewer her there. But every time I partially withdrew, to prepare another stroke, Beth lunged upwards, gobbling my cock back inside her vagina. There was no sound but the slap of our pelvises, and the harsh panting of our breath as we wrestled on the couch. It was messy, uncoordinated, and wild. All too soon, I felt the sap come boiling up, and I exploded inside her. 

Beth groaned and held me tight, continuing to grind against me. A moment later, she grunted and shivered, reaching her own climax. I collapsed atop her, and we clung to each other, our bodies slick with sweat. 

When my breathing had returned to close to normal, I swung up off her, and sat beside her on the couch. I started to undo the straps of her heels. 

- "What are you doing?" she asked. 

- "Taking off your shoes. You can't shower in heels." 

- "Does that mean you want me to stay?" said Beth. 

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. "Beth: you're here, you're beautiful, and you're naked. Christina specifically gave us from dawn to dusk, and I plan to use as much of that time as we can." 

She just smiled and lifted her foot. 

- "Besides," I said, "memories of this night will have to last me for six months. I want them to be the best possible." 

- "Aren't you forgetting Emily and Carmen?" asked Beth. 

- "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't say no to Carmen. But I'm not that attracted to Emily. Really. Besides, that's not a sure thing ... like you are." 

- "So now I'm a sure thing, am I? Aren't you taking me for granted?" 

- "Let's take a shower, and I'll show you how many ways I would like to take you." 

Beth had an incredible body. She was solidly built, but her legs were shapely. And her breasts were spectacular, firm heavy gourds of tit-flesh. She delighted in pressing them against me, and running her nipples across my chest. When she arched her back, her left nipple pointed at my chin. And when she was aroused, as she most certainly was now, her aureolae swelled up amazingly. 

I gave her tits my full attention, soaping them, weighing them in my hands, and the soaping them up all over again. Then I made sure that her pussy was thoroughly clean, and inserted two fingers to inspect her depths. I also stuck a soapy finger in her ass, and Beth moaned. 

- "I don't mind a finger ... but nothing bigger in there, OK?" 

- "As you wish." 

Beth had paid an inordinate amount of attention to my cock. She used up most of a bar of soap on it. Then she wrapped her hand around the shaft and started stroking from root to tip. 

Finally, she sat on the edge of the bathtub, and pulled me closer. She licked the tip of my cock, then parted her lips and slid forward, taking me in her mouth. She worked the shaft with her hand, while sliding the first few inches into her hot, wet mouth. Her left hand came up to cradle my balls. 

She licked down the underside of my dick, and back up to the tip. She repeated this maneuver several times. Then she put me back in her mouth, and tried to deep-throat me. She didn't quite get there, but it was fascinating - and exciting - to watch her try. 

- "I'm getting close." I told her. Beth redoubled her efforts, and was rewarded. I put my hands on her shoulders, and emptied my balls in her mouth. She swallowed valiantly, but a little bit trickled out onto her chin. She wiped it off, and licked her finger clean. 

I got her out of the shower, dried her off, and took her to my room. 

- "Your turn." I said. 

- "I was hoping you'd say that." she replied. 

I started at Beth's toes, sucking and licking them. It didn't affect her the way it had Abigail, but she seemed to appreciate the effort. Then I ran my tongues up her shins, and spent some time on her calves. When I got to the backs of her knees, Beth groaned. She pulled one leg back herself, and lifted it up over her head. 

I licked up that leg, from ass cheek to ankle. Then I ran my tongue back down her shapely calf. Finally, I moved between her legs. She was clean as a whistle, and tasted divine. I sucked and licked and fingered her pussy. I teased her for a bit, then dove in and slurped noisily. I let her build slowly, until she was begging me to finish her off. 

She lay flat on her back, with her legs spread wide. When I glanced up at her face, she was squeezing and pinching her own nipples. She saw me looking, and grinned lewdly. Then she lifted one of her tits and began sucking her own nipple. I took the other nipple between my fingers and pinched it, as I went back to work with my tongue. 

Beth came hard, panting and humping my face. 

I crawled up between her legs and slid my hard cock into her pussy. 

- "Oh, shit. Oh fuck." she said. I planted my hands on either side of her magnificent body, and slid into her in long, slow strokes. She began to match my rythmn, but gently this time. She was very, very wet, and I had already come twice. It was going to be a long, slow fuck. 

I lifted her one leg again, up over her head, as she had done before. Then I straddled the other leg before sliding my cock back into her. It was an unusual angle, but she was wet enough to make it possible. 

After a few minutes, I flipped her onto her stomach and entered her from behind. I leaned my full weight on her back and her ass, and drove into her balls deep, Then I ground my pelvis against her. 

I picked her up by the hips and started fucking her doggy style. Beth really enjoyed that, slamming her ass back into me as I thrust forward. Remembering what she had said earlier, I snuck a finger into her back passage. Beth moaned and tried to impale herself on my dick. 

Eventually I put her on her side, and lay behind her in the spoon position. I was in no rush. I played with her full ass cheeks, and fondled her engorged breasts. I rolled on to my back, and let her ride me. 

She started slow, simply shifting her hips back and forth, leaning forward with her hands on my chest. In that position, her tits were swinging gently just above me. I wasn't going to miss that opportunity. Beth began to pick up speed, and she started lifting her hips up and down, masturbating me with her hot, wet tunnel. 

That was enough for me. I grabbed her ass and started assisting her movements. 

- "Ah! Beth!" I shouted, as I shot up into her. 

This time it was Beth who collapsed on top of me. We lay together like that, both of us breathing heavily. I think she fell asleep. 

Some time later, I was able to crawl out from under her. Beth's breathing remained regular. I threw on a t-shirt and some loose shorts, and went out to the living room. I stood on the balcony, picking out a few stars, and wondering what the hell I was doing. 

Edgar Allan Poe wasn't much help with romance. 

I was fucking the best friend of the girl I was in love with. Or was I in love with Beth, too? I had to sleep with her, as part of the bet with Massimo. But after the first frenzied fuck on the couch, we had done a lot more. Wouldn't it be awkward to be with Christina, knowing what Beth looked like naked, how her breasts puffed up when she was aroused, and what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a blowjob from her. 

I sensed movement. It was Beth, coming to join me. She was barefoot, wearing my robe. 

- "You OK?" she asked. 

- "Think so." I replied. "Just a bit ... confused." 

- "Want to tell me about it?" she invited. 

- "I do. But I don't. I don't know." 

Beth sighed. "Look, Norm: Christina isn't going to stay mad about this. It didn't bother her in the least that you slept with Carmen and Abigail. You treated them nice, and parted on good terms. There's no damage to her friendships with them because of you. And she'll be OK with us sleeping together. Hey - she's no blushing virgin. She has her own history. It's no secret: she slept with Jake before I did." 

- "With Jake?" I was surprised. 

- "Yeah. Come to think of it, I should've learned from her mistake. But the point is, it didn't ruin our friendship. It was just sex. She wasn't trying to steal my boyfriend, and I'm not trying to steal hers." 

Beth saw the look on my face. 

- "Oh, that too? You're afraid that this is unfair to me? That I might have feelings for you? Relax, Casanova. I was curious, sure. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you and I wouldn't have lasted more than six months." 

- "How can you know that?" I asked. 

- "Norm, please. I like you, and I enjoy your company. We're good as bridge partners, and I won't lie to you: the sex is amazing. But I'm not the girl you're looking for. You like books, and travel, and theatre, and sports, and all that stuff. I'm a shopper, and a party girl, and I like nightclubs. We have things in common, but after 6 months you would have been looking for someone to go to a play with, or to go skiing, or some shit like that." 

- "That's very perceptive." I said. 

- "I have my moments." she said, with a smile. 

- "You have quite a few of those moments." 

- "Did that help?" she asked. 

- "Very much. Thank you." I gave her a hug. Bad idea. I felt the heroic proportions of her breasts through the robe, and immediately started tenting my shorts. Beth noticed. 

- "Looks like somebody is ready for the next round." observed Beth. 




The Bridge Club Ch. 09



- "Ummm ... I don't know." 

"Norm, Christina could have told us to fuck once, then stop. But she specifically said 'dusk to dawn'. She wanted you to get this out of your system. And I'm hoping that the memories of this night will keep me warm when I'm old and cranky." 

- "It's just sex." I repeated. 

- "Amazing sex." said Beth. 

She was leaning against the railing of my balcony. My bathrobe fit her pretty well, but it was gaping open in a few strategic places, showing considerable cleavage and a bit of upper thigh. My cock began to stir again. 

- "You know," she said, grinning, "I could help you put together some nice memories of different parts of your apartment. Other than the couch and your bedroom, I mean. For instance ... have you ever done it on your balcony?" 

I had, in fact, had Abigail right here, leaning over the balcony as I slid into her from behind. My expression must have given it away. 

- "Already? Dammit!" said Beth. "Wait -" She led the way back into the apartment. "What about your kitchen table? You can think of me next time you're having breakfast. Or I can think pleasant thoughts next time we play bridge on it." 

She entered the kitchen, and sat up on my table. The robe was wide open now. 

I stood at the edge of the table, and kissed her. I caressed her breasts, one with each hand. Then I trailed my fingers down her stomach, and across the top of her thigh. I ran them through them through her neatly trimmed pubic hair, and then began gently tracing the outline of her outer lips. 

- "What do you do at this table?" asked Beth. "Other than play cards?" 

I just looked at her. The reference escaped me. 

- "Don't you eat here?" she asked, with a wicked smile. 

- "Ah!" I said. "Since you brought it up ..." I took one of the chairs and put it right in front of her. 

I lowered my head and licked from the bottom of her pussy to the top. There was no hurry. I explored her with lips and tongue. Beth sighed, and leaned back to give me better access. Eventually she lay back all the way, sprawled across the top of my kitchen table with her legs wide open. 

She still smelled of sex, but she must have douched, because she tasted fresh and clean. I licked, and sucked, and probed her with my tongue. She encouraged me all the while, murmuring and whispering, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish. She squeaked when I inserted a finger, and groaned when I added a second. 

My tongue was getting tired when Beth wrapped her legs around my neck. She lifted her ass off the table as she came, loudly. I kept on, eating her through her orgasm. 

When she finally subsided, I stood up and pulled the chair out of the way. Off came the t-shirt, down went the shorts, and I plunged my prick into her now juicy slit. 

- "Ahh! Yes!." said Beth. 

I stroked in and out a few times, slowly, before sliding in all the way to the balls. I reached out and took a handful of those wonderful breasts, and resumed stroking in and out of her. She was thoroughly wet now, and we made squelching noises to go with the slap of my hips against her. 

I took hold of her by the waist, and began driving my cock into her, in short, snappy thrusts that set her tits jiggling. 

- "Norm! Norm!" she called out. I stopped immediately. 

- "You OK?" I asked. 

- "Yeah. It's this damn ... robe. I can't get my arms out of it while you're fucking me. And the top of a table is not the most comfortable place to have sex." 

- "Sorry." I said, and helped release her trapped arms. 

- "Forget the table. Bad idea." she said. 

- "Great idea." I corrected her. "Guess what I'll be thinking while I have my morning coffee tomorrow?" 

- "Mm ... anywhere else you want to create memories while we're at it?" 

- "Now that you mention it." I picked her up, and Beth wrapped her arms and legs around me. I took her to my room. But the position she was in gave me an idea. 

I leaned her against the wall just outside my bedroom, and reached under her ass. I placed the tip of my cock against her well-lubricated pussy, and thrust upwards. 

- "Ooh! You're bad ..." said Beth. But she lowered herself a bit and angled her hips to help me. I was holding her up with just my hands, pounding into her as I pinned Beth against the wall. 

It was not the most comfortable position, but it was tremendously exciting. Luckily, my arms didn't give out before I felt my balls tighten, and then I spewed yet another load of semen into her hospitable pussy. 

We rested on my bed for a while. Beth was getting sore, and I was done for the evening. A little later we had orange juice on the balcony and watched the sun come up.



The Bridge Club Ch. 10



I tried really hard to find new players - male players - for the bridge club.

There was one guy who worked with me, named Pete, who admitted that he used to play. I invited him out for a beer after work, in order to check him out a bit. It wouldn't do to invite a psycho, or a social reject.

Pete was a little shy, and a bit of a nerd (not that there's anything wrong with that). He seemed like a decent guy, who could hold up his end of a conversation. He was also willing to sit in for a game with us.

I called Beth, to let her know that I had found a player, but was still trying to find a second.

- "We're good to go, then." said Beth. "Christina has given us the green light to invite Emily to fill in. Your new guy makes eight."

- "Emily?" I asked. "Christina is ok with that?" I remembered that Emily made Beth nervous. "And how about you? Are you ok with it?"

- "I'll survive." she said. "Look, stupid: you have to sleep with Emily to catch up with Massimo. Christina knows that. It's part of your deal. Just keep your shirt on, and let Carmen make the approach."

Darren hosted the first game. It was the first time we had played in quite a while. Pete was introduced to everybody. I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head; I had mentioned that most of the other players were female, but I hadn't told him how hot they were.

For my part, I was walking on eggshells. I was hyper-conscious of Christina, and didn't want to say or do anything to annoy her. And Emily was there. She was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, which did little to conceal her firm breasts and slim figure. She had long, flowing auburn hair. At first glance, Emily looked younger, because of her trim body and the way she dressed. Upon closer inspection, though, you could see that she was closer to forty than to thirty.

Emily had those little crow's feet at the corner of her eyes. They were even more apparent when she smiled. But she also had that look ... I'm not 100% sure how to describe it. Well-traveled? Her eyes suggested considerable experience. There was quite a bit of mileage on that slim, hot body.

I wondered if Christina had had a hand in setting up the new schedule. I found myself at the second table, partnered with Carmen, against Emily and Pete. Was this because Christina wanted me as far away from her as possible? Or was it to give Carmen and me a chance to get closer to Emily?

Pete didn't let me down. He knew all of the major conventions, and played well, considering that he had never met any of the others before. Emily talked a better game than she played, as far as I was concerned. Carmen was her usual self, and I played like shit. Trying to hook up with an older woman for a threesome, while the girl you are in love with is sitting across the room? Bizarre.

In the second game, Beth and Abigail came over to play against Pete and me. The girls were extra nice to Pete, putting him at ease. I was more relaxed, too.

After the cards, I followed Beth's advice and stayed away from Emily, leaving the field open for Carmen. Beth and Abigail were laughing with Pete. That left me with Darren and Christina.

- "Pete seems like a nice guy." she said.

- "Can he play?" asked Darren.

- "Better than Massimo. Or Emily." I said.

- "That's a pretty low standard." said Christina. 

Darren shot me a sympathetic look.

On the plus side, Carmen left with Emily. That looked promising. I drove Pete home. He was in high spirits.

- "That was awesome, Norm. Best bridge club I've ever heard of!"

- "So if the others want to make you a regular, you'd be up for it?" I asked.

Pete just laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

*****************************

Beth called me two days later.

- "Can you come over tomorrow night? At 8:00?" she asked. 

- "Jesus, Beth - you sound terrible. Is something wrong?"

- "We have a problem." she said.

- "A problem? What kind of problem? Is there something I can do?"

- "We'll talk about it tomorrow." said Beth. Then she hung up on me.

The day passed agonizingly slowly. I couldn't concentrate on my work. Pete, by contrast, was whistling when he came by to say hello, and to thank me again for inviting him to join the bridge club.

- "That's the fourth time, Pete." I told him. "I get the message."

I arrived at Beth's at 7:45. Ten minutes in the lobby of her building was all I could take. I knocked on her door. Beth opened it.

- "Are you OK? What's wrong?" I asked her immediately.

- "Calm down, Norm." she told me. "We have a problem. It's not an emergency."

- "It's not? Jesus, Beth, you scared me. You sounded terrible on the phone. Why all the mystery, then?"

- "Just come in." she said. "I'll let Carmen explain it."

Abigail and Carmen were both sitting at the kitchen table.

- "Here - sit down." said Beth. "Carmen, you tell him. From the beginning."

Carmen looked like she was going to cry. "I'm so sorry, Norm." she said. "I drove Emily home after bridge the other night. Everything was going so well. I flirted with her, and she was really responding. So I suggested the three-way: you, me and her."

- "But?"

- "But she said 'No'."

That was not the news I had been expecting. Maybe I had been counting my chickens prematurely. Now I was well and truly stuck. Massimo was ahead 4-3. There was no way to win the bet. Only if Christina would relent and sleep with me could I even tie it up. 

- "Carmen!" shouted Beth. "Don't leave him hanging - tell him the rest."

- "Sorry - there's more, Norm." said Carmen. "I asked Emily why. I thought she had enjoyed the threesome with ... with Massimo. She said she had. So I asked her why she didn't want to do it again with me, and she said 'Been there, done that'. And then -"

- "Holy shit, Carm!" interrupted Beth. "You're the worst story-teller I've ever heard. Just get to the point! Look, Norm. It boils down to this: Emily isn't interested in Carmen anymore. She wants a new experience. She would be willing to do you and another girl - but it would have to be somebody else."

- "Oh." That was all I could get out. "That's the problem?"

- "It's not the end of the world." said Abigail, brightly. "We just have to find another girl."

We sat in silence for a moment.

Beth made a face. "Norm, I ..."

- "Don't, Beth. I wouldn't ask you to do it. I know that Emily gives you the creeps."

She nodded. "I'm not sure why. I'm pretty open-minded about most things, you know? But I just couldn't. I know I couldn't. Besides, I'm not sure that Christina would want us to have sex again."

- "And Abigail can't do it, either." said Carmen. "She has a boyfriend."

- "She does? That's great!" I said - and I meant it. "Good for you, Abigail. How long has this been going on?"

Abigail blushed. "Since Saturday night."

- "Saturday? This past Saturday?" Sometimes I can be remarkably slow on the uptake. "You mean Pete? You and Pete?"

- "I really like him." said Abigail. "He took me out last night, and we're going out again tomorrow."

- "Young love." sighed Carmen.

- "I wish I could help you, Norm." said Abigail. "With Emily. But I really like Pete. I don't want to cheat on him."

- "So that's the problem." said Beth. "We have to find you a girl that Emily will be interested in. She has to be willing to have a threesome. And we have to convince Christina to accept it, too."

- "Easy peasy." said Abigail

- "Wait a minute." I said. "What's with all of this 'we' stuff?"

Beth had the answer for that. "It's 'we', Norm, because the three of us were stupid enough to sleep with Massimo. That gave him a chance to win the bet. If we hadn't done that, he would never have told Christina about it - screwing up your chances with her. It's up to us to help you fix this. She's our friend, and you're our friend. So we are going to help you find a hot bisexual girl."

- "What else are friends for?' said Abigail.

*****************************

All three girls tried hard. They called up old girlfriends, college acquaintances, and even younger sisters of old girlfriends. Carmen spent a few hours on internet searches, looking for people she might know. 

It was a serious matter, but I was frequently tempted to laugh out loud. How exactly does one steer the conversation around to asking: 'So ... are you now, or have you ever been bisexual?'

We had to cancel the next bridge night. Emily wasn't available. I offered to take my three headhunters out to dinner, as a reward for all their hard work. I sent them a text invitation.

Abigail answered first. "Can I bring Pete?" 

-"Forget dinner." was Beth's reply. "I have a better idea: let's go clubbing. Plenty of hot girls, out for a good time."

- "I know just the place." answered Carmen.

- "Umm ... should we invite Christina?" I asked.

Beth's answer was brief. "Not her style."

Carmen's reply made me smile. "to help u find a bi hottie who will f*** u & Emily? U stupid?"

I paid for the cab. Carmen had chosen Molly's, the latest uber-trendy place. With girls like those three on our arms, Pete and I had no trouble getting in. Inside, the decor was neo-industrial, with potted plants. The music was excruciatingly loud.

I had been considering how to give Pete some advice on how to handle Abigail, but decided not to. They looked pretty happy together. Besides, if the roles were reversed, I don't think I would have appreciated hearing from one of Christina's ex-boyfriends about her sexual preferences. I didn't even know if Pete was aware of my part in Abigail's sexual education.

The crowd was fairly young, and very energetic. It was definitely not my kind of place. Carmen blended right in, of course. She wore a tight dress that prominently displayed her most salient features. Beth looked incredible, as well. She found me a place by the bar, made sure I had a drink, and ordered me to stay.

Pete took Abigail out onto the dance floor. I was happy enough to stay put, watching those two beautiful women work the room on my behalf. 

Carmen had to fight the guys off. Virtually every single male in the building hit on her at least once, and several tried twice. Beth also had to fend off a lot of attention. Odd, that: Beth was easily just as attractive as Carmen, if not more. Why did Carmen get three times as much attention? 

I saw them make contact with women, and then chat for a while. More than once, they would turn and point me out, or wave in my direction. I felt like a complete dolt.

- "Needs must." said Edgar Allan Poe.

And he was right. Whether or not I still had a chance with Christina, there was nothing else for me to do but beat Massimo. If I had to lean against the bar like a slimy lounge lizard, sipping overpriced drinks while my friends hunted for me, then so be it.

Beth came back, eventually. I ordered her a drink. She tried to yell in my ear, but I couldn't hear a thing. She pointed at a group of women near the dance floor, and shouted in my ear again. I caught the words 'blue dress', but that was about it. She finally gave up, and dragged me upstairs.

There was a roof patio, where people could have a smoke, or simply hear themselves think.

- "Did you see the one in the blue dress?" asked Beth.

- "The brunette?"

- "Yeah." Beth passed me a business card. "Her phone number, if you want it. She's straight, but she said she'd go out with you."

I shook my head. "Thanks anyway. What's on the other piece of paper?"

- "Her friend. She wants to go out with me." said Beth.

- "Are you considering it? Or should we be looking for a guy for you?" I asked.

Beth gave me a smirk. "Trust me, Norm: I don't need help finding guys. If I was seriously looking, it wouldn't be here."

- "Christina wouldn't be here either, would she?"

- "She likes to dance, but she has no use for the type of guys who hang out in places like this."

- "How is she, Beth?" I asked.

- "Honestly? I don't really know. She's not talking to us like she used to. I hope it's just a temporary thing. She has a temper - well, you've seen it. But she cools off, eventually. I hope."

Pete and Abigail found us on the roof, and let us know that they were going to call it a night. We said our goodbyes, and headed back downstairs to find Carmen.

She found us instead. She yelled in Beth's ear, and then dragged us to a booth near the corner. Carmen introduced us to three girls - I say girls, because they seemed pretty young. I couldn't hear a word, so I just stood there grinning like an idiot. Apparently Beth already knew them. A few minutes later, she dragged me out onto the dance floor.

It took three tries for her to understand my shouted "Who were they?", and three more before I could hear her reply: "Tell you later!"

We worked up a bit of a sweat, then I steered her back towards the bar. It was quite a while before Carmen came back to join us. She and Beth pressed their heads together and tried to talk. Carmen grinned, a little sheepishly, then surprised me by leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek.

Beth dragged me outside. We hailed a taxi. 

- "You're not that bad a dancer." she said. "I was expecting much worse."

- "Thank you."

- "Don't quit your day job, though." she added.

- "What was that all about, back there? You knew those girls?"

- "Yeah. They work with us. Carmen wanted to stay a little longer and party with them."

- "Oh." I said. "If you want to, you could stay, too. I can get home by myself."

- "Not my type, Norm. They're ... airheads, you know? They giggle, and they're shallow ... fifteen minutes with them and I'd want to kill something."

- "They work with you? So Massimo has probably banged all three?" I said.

Beth laughed aloud. "Not those three. They're gay. Very gay."

- "You're kidding me."

She laughed again. "No - seriously. They turned him down flat. It was pretty funny."

- "Wait a minute. Did you say Carmen was going to 'party' with them?"

- "Yes. I teased her about it. Did you see her blush?" 

- "Wait - wait." Now I was really curious. "Is Carmen bi? I mean ... she did swing with Emily."

- "Carmen likes men, Norm. She likes men a lot. But she has a healthy appetite for sex, and sometimes she likes to experiment. She doesn't cruise around, looking for lesbians. They find her. That girl attracts men AND women like nobody's business."

- "Wow."

Beth laughed again. "Trying to conjure up a mental image?"

- "Trying and succeeding." I admitted. "Wow."

*****************************

I kept trying to find another guy who played cards, but without success.

Beth called to let me know that the bridge club would meet that Saturday.

- "Emily will be there again." she told me. "But Christina won't; she has to drive her sister somewhere. It's OK, though. We found a new substitute."

Carmen hosted. I was overly self-conscious from the very beginning: far too aware that Christina wasn't there, and far too aware of Emily, who was appraising me like some item at an auction. Carmen had found a new player, a tiny Eurasian girl she introduced as Marina. There was something vaguely familiar about her.

- "Have we met before?" I asked.

Marina giggled, holding one hand over her mouth. Carmen glowered at me.

- "The club." she hissed. "Molly's."

Then it struck me. Marina was one of the three young girls from their office. Without the heavy makeup, she looked even younger. This was one of the girls that Carmen had stayed to 'party' with. I took a closer look.

Marina was tiny - barely five feet tall, if that. I would have put her weight at 90 pounds. Despite her diminutive frame, she did have curves: apple-sized tits, a wasp waist and gently swelling hips. She had blue-black hair, with long bangs that covered her entire forehead, including her eyebrows. The contrast between this little pixie and Carmen's busty linebacker build was intriguing - and more than a little arousing.

I managed to corner Beth, and whispered in her ear. "Are they ...?"

- "Maybe." she said. "It depends. Now pay attention to Emily. You're supposed to be flirting."

It depends? What the hell did that mean? But I followed orders. It wasn't that hard to do, to be honest. Emily looked good. And if the smoky looks she was casting in my direction were any indication, we only needed a female partner to seal the deal.

For the first game, I drew Beth as a partner, against Carmen and Marina.

- "How long have you played bridge?" I asked my new opponent.

She giggled. "Oh - not very long. But I really like it." She had an accent; it wasn't very heavy, but definitely noticeable.

- "Where were you born?" I asked.

- "Singapore." she said.

- "Marina's mother is Chinese, and her father was Dutch." added Carmen.

- "What a lovely mixture." I said, raising my glass.

Marina was cute, and seemed fairly bright, despite the giggles. But a bridge player she was not. She took an ungodly amount of time to pass, and counted points with her fingertips. 

I glanced at Beth, with a look of horror on my face. Beth slowly raised her index finger to her lips.

It was excruciating. A good card game goes smoothly, at a crisp pace. This was more like a three-legged race with a pair of drunken sailors, who have to stop frequently to pee. Nonetheless, I tried to be encouraging, patient, and non-judgmental. The last thing I wanted was to screw up Carmen's new relationship, if that's what it was.

So I suffered in silence, stealing a look at Emily now and then. Finally, mercifully, Beth and I got the cards to win the rubber and put us out of our misery.

During the interlude, Carmen took her new friend to get a drink. I looked at Beth accusingly.

- "What?" she said.

- "Tell me that this isn't her first time ever playing bridge." I demanded.

- "She read a couple of books on bridge, and Carmen coached her." said Beth. "Now shut up, and be nice." As she stood up, Beth pinched my ear - hard. "Be nice." she repeated.

Abigail and Pete moved over to join me. And then Marina returned.

- "Oh! It looks like you and I are partners." she said. Then she giggled.

There was nothing to do but grin and bear it. I dared not risk the wrath of Beth. Abigail must have known in advance: when Pete realized just how bad a player Marina was, he looked at me with a duplicate of my earlier horrified expression. Abigail kicked him under the table. Twice. We played nice.

I survived until the second break. We snacked on some pretty decent sushi. Emily flirted with me a bit, but she was definitely interested in Marina, too.

- "You owe me for this one." I told Beth, privately.

- "No, we don't." she answered. "Just shut up and be nice."

Yes, I was at the same table with Marina again. This time Darren got to share the fun. He evidently was in on it, too, because he showed very little reaction to Marina's play (except to grit his teeth a few times). Surprisingly, Carmen was our fourth. Somehow, the tables had been set so that Emily was the only person who didn't get to experience our newest player.

It was agonizing. I endured it only by vowing to resume my search for another player. To make my suffering complete, Carmen and Darren colluded to let Marina and me win.

After the cards, Abigail and Pete stuck around for one quick drink, and then left. Marina was enthusiastic about her first bridge game. I will admit, now that the ordeal was over, that it was entertaining to watch her high spirits. There was a certain freshness there, an innocence, I guess, that was very appealing. I will also admit that I briefly wondered what she would be like between the sheets, if she weren't playing for the other team.

Emily stuck around for a while, apparently also interested in our newest player. That gave me a chance to catch up with Darren. I was preparing to call it an early evening, but Beth grabbed my arm.




The Bridge Club Ch. 10



- "Nuh-uh." she said. "Stick around. We need to talk."

Darren finally convinced Emily to leave with him, despite her evident reluctance. That left four of us: Carmen, Beth, me ... and Marina.

- "Would you excuse us, Sweetie?" said Carmen, to Marina.

Marina giggled. "Sure. I need to use the ladies' room."

The moment she was out of sight, Beth and Carmen started laughing. They were trying to stifle it, to keep it quiet, but that only made them laugh harder.

- "Did you ... see her?" Carmen got out.

- "Priceless." Beth was snorting.

- "I don't get it." I said.

- "I know." said Beth, holding her stomach.

- "Did you see Emily?" asked Carmen, between deep breaths.

- "You mean how she was sniffing after Marina?"

- "Yes. Exactly." said Carmen.

- "Yeah, I saw it. You don't seem very upset." I said.

Beth stopped laughing. "Really? You don't get it?"

- "Get what?" I had no idea what she meant.

Beth looked to Carmen. "You want to explain?"

- "You do it." said Carmen. "You'll just bitch about it if I do."

Beth looked me in the eyes, totally serious now. "Norm, do you remember why we went clubbing last week? The purpose behind it?"

- "Yeah. To find a girl who -". And then it finally hit me. "Marina?"

- "Finally." said Carmen.

- "Yes, Marina." said Beth. "Carmen stayed at the club to get to know those three girls from work. We barely know them. They're younger, and they're shy around us. They're also queer as a three dollar bill."

- "Not that there's anything wrong with that." I said.

- "No. Anyway .... The other two are a couple, sort of, so Carmen concentrated on Marina. She ... uhh, she got to know her better -"

- "I brought her home." said Carmen. "And I fucked her brains out. She was so sweet."

Mental images were racing through my brain. Fascinating mental images.

Beth carried on with the story. "Anyway - Carmen found out that Marina is ... open to new experiences, shall we say? And then, Emily came to the office to visit her husband. Marina saw her chatting with Abigail and Carmen, and came over to investigate. Carm introduced Marina to Emily, and -"

- "The sparks were flying." said Carmen.

- "Fuck, Carmen! Who's telling this story? So that gave Carmen an idea. She told Marina about the bridge club, and found out that our little Eurasian doll was very interested. Carmen told me and Abigail all about it, and together we came up with phase 2 of the plan."

- "Phase 2?" I asked. "What was Phase 1?" I was just teasing them. I was beginning to understand where Beth was going with this.

- "Geez, Norm." said Carmen. "Didn't you see Emily's reaction?"

- "I did. But if you wanted Emily to drool over Marina, why didn't you put them at the same table? I was the only one to play all three games with Marina. Everybody got the Marina experience, except Emily."

- "Oh, Norm." said Carmen, shaking her head. "Haven't you ever gone fishing?"

- "Just listen." said Beth. " Phase 2. Carmen started telling Marina about you. About the Chez Maurice, and the fantastic sex you had afterwards - which Carmen won't stop talking about."

- "You got dusk to dawn, bitch. " said Carmen. "You've got nothing to be jealous about."

Beth ignored her. "Carmen did such a great job of describing you, that Marina became very interested in you."

- "She got wet." said Carmen.

I got hard.

- "So that's what we've been doing, Norm. That's why you had to suffer through those games. You passed with flying colors, sweetheart. Marina was impressed. She thinks you're a nice guy. And now she's willing to fuck you. And Emily. Together."

- "Can I get her now?" asked Carmen.

- "Just a minute." said Beth. "Norm, are you cool with this? Can you do this?"

I took a deep breath. Could I have sex with Marina? And Emily? At the same time? 

"I think so."

Then I had a thought. Several thoughts.

- "What will Christina say?"

- "I'll ask her." said Beth. "Leave that part to me."

- "And what about Marina? Isn't she gay? Does she have any experience with men?"

Carmen answered that one. "She's not a virgin. She fucked a few guys in high school. That was enough to turn her off men. But she's not allergic. Seriously, can I get her?"

- "Get her." said Beth.

Carmen brought Marina into the living room. I don't know how much she had heard, but she was blushing.

Beth took control.

- "Marina - Norm is worried about you. He wonders if you are sure about this."

Marina looked me in the eye. She wasn't so shy. "Thank you, Norm, for being concerned about me. But I am not afraid. It all sounds very wonderful. Carmen told me about ... about her time with you. I would like something like that."

- "And what about Emily?" asked Beth.

- "Oh, yes." said Marina. "I would like to be with Norm and Emily. That would be ... yes, I would like that."

I don't know what possessed me. But I said it.

- "Marina, before we do anything ... I have to tell you. I'm in love with Christina. You know her - you work with her. So ... whatever happens, it's just one time. A one-time experience."

Marina smiled at me. "That's so romantic, Norm. I already knew - Carmen told me. But it's so sweet that you told me. Thank you." Then she looked at Carmen, and the two of them exchanged one of those looks that only lovers know.

- "I do have one condition." said Marina. Even Carmen looked surprised, so that I knew she wasn't in on this. "I would like ... a date with you like Carmen had." Then she blushed.

- "I'll try." I said.

Marina stood up, and went across to Carmen. The tiny Eurasian girl sat on Carmen's lap. Slowly, delicately, Marina leaned forward and pressed her lips to Carmen's. They started kissing. From the way Carmen's cheek moved, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there was some serious tongue action going on there.

When Marina put her hand on Carmen's breast, I nearly lost it.

Marina turned to Beth and me.

- "So - do we fuck now?" she asked.

- "I have to go." said Beth.

- "Me too." I said.

*****************************

In the elevator, I turned to Beth.

- "Thank you. I appreciate everything you and Carmen have done for me. And Abigail. All three of you. But I have to ask: will Christina be cool with this? Because if she isn't, I don't think I can do it."

- "I'll ask her tomorrow." said Beth. "She'd better say yes, after all we've been through."

- "Maybe I should be the one to do that." I said.

*****************************



The Bridge Club Ch. 11



Carmen insisted on making the arrangements with Emily, because she still felt responsible for helping Massimo get ahead. Beth wanted to help me by acting as an intermediary with Christina, but that was something I had to do myself. 

- "I'll come with you." said Beth. 

I had called first. Christina didn't seem surprised when I told her that there was something we had to discuss. She agreed to meet me at a coffee shop downtown. 

She was already there when we arrived, sitting at a table. Christina was wearing 'sensible' work clothes, loose enough to conceal her figure. She had on very little makeup, and her hair was pulled back into a large, tight bun. To me, though, she looked wonderful. Christina, for her part, did not seem pleased to see Beth. 

- "What are you doing here?" she asked, abruptly. 

- "Umm ... moral support?" said Beth. 

- "Moral support for who?" 

Beth had no answer for that. Christina was clearly in a temper. 

- "Could you give us some privacy, Beth?" she asked. "Norm has something to tell me." 

Beth nodded and gave us some space. 

- "She just wants to help." I suggested. 

- "She wants to help you." said Christina. 

- "Is that so bad?" I asked. "She feels partly responsible for the mess we're in." 

- "You mean the mess you're in?" she retorted. 

I sighed. "Christina, why are you so upset?" 

Her eyes were blazing now. "Maybe because my friend is clearly on your side." 

- "Wait a second - there are no sides here, Christina. The only other side is Massimo's." 

That seemed to work. She was still angry, but she began to calm down. Slowly. 

- "All right. So that's why you wanted to see me? It's about the bet?" 

I nodded. "Yes. We - I found a girl who's willing -" 

- "Marina." said Christina. 

- "You knew?" 

- "Marina came to see me at work today. She asked my permission to have a threesome with you. Somehow she got the idea that you and I were in some kind of 'open' relationship, as long as we didn't keep secrets from each other." 

- "Christina, I'm sorry. I didn't tell her anything like that." 

- "I know." she said. "Most of it came from Carmen. The rest she probably made up herself. She's a cute kid. You know she's gay?" 

- "Yes." 

- "Is there anything else you need to tell me?" she asked. 

- "Just that Marina wants to go out on a date, to a fancy restaurant, like Carmen did. I agreed to take her out to dinner. But that's it." 

- "That's it? Except for having sex with her and Emily." 

- "Uh - yes." I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. 

- "And what have you told Massimo?" she asked. 

- "Nothing. Yet." Truth be told, I was looking forward to that. 

- "Tell him that Marina is part of the bridge club." said Christina. "Then, when you've slept with her and with Emily, you'll win. You won't need to sleep with me anymore." 

My face dropped. I had not considered that angle. 

Christina looked me right in the eye. "Our deal still holds, Norm. It just means that I no longer have to participate for you to win. I am fully aware that by the terms of your agreement, if I did sleep with you before the year is up, it would mean another thousand dollars from Massimo." She took a sip of her coffee. "Was there anything else?" 

- "Not at the moment." I said. 

- "One more thing." said Christina. 

- "Yes?" 

- "Be nice to Marina. And let her know that Massimo will be after her again. He will be persistent. Unpleasantly so. Forewarned is forearmed." 

- "I will." 

- "Can I talk to Beth now?" she asked. 

- "Sure." I got up to leave. "See you, then." 

Again, she looked me right in the eye. 

"We'll see." she said. 

***** 

I had changed my schedule at the fitness club, to minimize the chances of running into Massimo. He preferred Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the occasional Saturday morning; I switched to Mondays and Wednesdays, Sunday mornings, and the occasional Friday evening. 

It wasn't hard to find him there. 

- "Normie!" he exclaimed. 

- "Massimo." I replied. "Buy you a beer? I have something to tell you." 

- "Beth finally gave it up, did she? But you didn't manage to score with Emily, did you? You know, for an older chick, she's got a pretty hot bod. And she knows how to use it, too." 

I wanted to hit him. Massimo still had the ability to set my teeth on edge. 

- "Yeah, it's about the bridge club. And the bet." I told him. 

- "OK. Guess I have time for a brew." he said. 

I had to play this right. 

- "You're right about the score. It's 4-3 now." I told him. 

- "And that's as close as you'll get, Normie." said Massimo. 

- "There's something else you should know, though. Another girl joined the bridge club." 

- "What?" 

- "When the girls decided to ... go on without you and Jake, they asked me to try to find a couple of guys to replace you. I only found one. A guy named Pete - he works with me." 

- "Whatever." said Massimo. "What's your point?" 

- "Carmen found another person to play with us. A girl." 

His eye narrowed. Massimo was thinking fast. 

- "Doesn't matter. The bet is over." he said. 

- "No it isn't." I replied. "Four and a half months to go." 

- "It's over. I'm not in the club anymore." he argued. "No new girls." 

- "Massimo," I told him, "I'm going to say this slowly, so that you can understand. The bet is still on. Whoever sleeps with the most girls in the bridge club wins. I still have the napkin with the stakes and our signatures. It doesn't say shit about us being in the bridge club - just that the girls have to be." 

"When Emily played that one night, when I wasn't there, you convinced me that she was part of the bet. She wasn't even a member of the group - just an alternate. If Emily counts, then this new girl certainly does. Unless you want to remove Emily from the list of eligible women?" 

He was glaring at me. Massimo wasn't enjoying what I had to say. Nor was he pleased with the way I was talking to him. 

- "It's not fair." he insisted. "I don't have a fair shot at this chick. Who is she?" 

- "Actually, you have a much better 'shot' at this new girl than I do. She works in your building." 

- "Who? What's her fucking name?" 

I told him. 

- "Little Eurasian chick?" he asked. "In Personnel?" 

- "That's her." 

Massimo laughed aloud. 

- "What's so funny?" I played dumb. 

- "You picked a winner, Normie! She's a lez. She's gay. You aren't going to score there - not in a million years!" 

- "Really? Are you sure?" I tried to look disappointed. 

- "I'm telling ya. Queer as a three-dollar bill." He was still laughing. 

- "What if I do score with her?" 

- "Good luck!" Then Massimo frowned. "Wait a minute! Is this a trick? You setting me up?" 

- "What do you mean?" I asked. 

- "Did she go straight? Have you already banged her, and now you're trying to get her into the bet?" 

Massimo suspected this kind of treachery, because it's exactly what he would have done - if he had thought of it earlier. 

- "She only joined the club this past weekend. I came to tell you right away." 

He frowned again. But Massimo had known me for years. He knew that cheating on a bet wasn't my style at all. 

- "You haven't banged her?" he asked, just to make sure. 

- "No. I just met her." 

He hemmed and hawed a bit more, but eventually Massimo decided not to try to weasel out of the bet. He was probably thinking about the best way to get into Marina's pants. 

- "Alright, Normie. I'll check her out. Anything else? I got things to do." 

Mission accomplished. 

***** 

Carmen came through. 

- "You're on." she said. "Friday night." 

I had already called Marina, to warn her that Massimo might come around to hit on her. Now I got in touch with her again to invite her out for dinner on Wednesday. This time around, I chose an upscale place on the edge of town. It was a bit trendy - they favored fancy presentation over decent portions, but it seemed appropriate for Marina. 

She answered her door wearing a simple little black dress. She had minimal jewelry, and her makeup was understated; she bore little resemblance to the girl I had first seen at the nightclub. 

- "You look marvelous." I told her. 

It was a novel experience for me. I had never been on a date with a woman who had already agreed to have sex with me. It wasn't exactly a first date, either; I had no intention of taking her on a second. 

But it was surprisingly pleasant. She looked great, with her tight little body, elfin features, and almond-shaped eyes. I told her so several times. 

- "Are you flirting with me, Norm? You are making me feel very sexy." 

She was also smarter than Carmen and Beth gave her credit for. Marina was young; there were gaps in her knowledge wide enough to drive a truck through, and some of my conversational attempts fell straight off a cliff. But she was good-natured, and had an excellent sense of humour. 

Marina was also remarkably frank and curious about all things sexual. She wanted a blow by blow description of my first date with Carmen, from my perspective. She also asked about my experiences with Abigail and Beth, but I declined to share those, on the grounds that I wasn't sure they would want me to - whereas I knew that Carmen had already told Marina a great deal. 

She was a true romantic. She wanted to know more about Christina. I was loath to give away too many details, but Marina seemed content to know why I was in love with her. 

- "She is very angry at you? Because of the bet?" 

Carmen, it turned out, couldn't keep a secret to save her life. She had told Marina virtually everything - including Massimo's attempt to pay Christina for sex. That immediately got me thinking. 

- "You know, Marina - Massimo will be coming after you again, now that he knows you played bridge with us. And it's very likely that he will try the same thing: he could offer you money to have sex with him." 

- "I have dealt with Massimo before - and with men like him. I don't need money. And I choose who I want to sleep with." she said. 

We ate a fine meal, and enjoyed a decent bottle of wine. 

- "You are a wonderful dinner companion, Marina." I told her. 

She giggled. "I have already said that I would sleep with you. You don't have to compliment me so much." 

- "I am overwhelmed by my good fortune. But that also means that I have no need to flatter you. It's the simple truth." 

- "You are a nice man. I am nervous, but I am also looking forward to Friday evening." she said. 

- You and me both." 

***** 

I was a bit disappointed when I picked up Marina. She was dressed fairly conservatively. As we drove over to Emily's, Marina told me what had happened that afternoon. 

- "You were right." she said. "Massimo asked me out again. Then he asked me for sex. Just like that. I said no, but he was very persistent. Very rude." 

- "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Marina." I told her. 

- "Oh, you warned me. I knew it was coming. Like I said - he did it before. So I recorded every word." 

- "What?" 

- "I recorded what he said." Marina smiled. "If he does it again, I will have to decide: do I play it to my brothers, or do I file a sexual harassment suit?" 

I had to pull the car over. Only then could I turn and stare at her open-mouthed, in awe. 

- "Marina." I said. "You're wonderful!" I kissed her on the cheek. 

- "Sometimes." she said, with a giggle. 

As we drew nearer, I had another attack of the qualms. I had only met Emily a couple of times, and barely knew Marina, though I was beginning to like her. Yet I was planning to fuck them both tonight. What red-blooded male could possibly have a problem with that? 

I could. There was no question in my mind. I would rather have been playing backgammon with Christina, with no hope of sex whatsoever. I was feeling guilty, too. Not only did it feel like cheating on Christina, but it seemed pretty unfair to Marina, too. 

Emily and her husband had a massive old house, with ivy-covered stone walls, and a roof measured in acres - at least it seemed that way to me. They must have had a groundskeeper to maintain the lawn, the hedges, and the extensive gardens. If they had a staff on the inside as well, Emily must have given them the night off. 

As we came up the walk, I realized that Carmen had come up here with Massimo. And that did it for me: there was no way I was going to let that prick win our bet. Win or lose with Christina, this had to be done. There was a job to do this evening. I might as well do it right. 

She greeted us at the door, wearing a silk robe which covered her from throat to knee. Beneath that, she had on fishnet stockings and 3-inch heels. 

Emily seemed a little disappointed at Marina's rather unexciting clothing; I could see it in her eyes. Still, she invited us into a luxuriously-carpeted room, dominated by a large stone fireplace with a fire blazing away. There were a dozen colorful cushions and pillows strewn about, and a thick futon which doubled as a couch. It looked like an awesome place for a shag. 

She offered us our choice of champagne, or a variety of liquors. Marina declined, but I chose to accept. A few drinks would do wonders for my endurance. 

I'm sure that Emily had some sort of script, or plan in her head. She may have known in advance exactly what she wanted. After all, she was the only one here with experience of threesomes, and it was her house. But whatever Emily expected, it didn't work out that way. 

- "Ooh, you have such a beautiful house!" gushed Marina. "Outside and inside. And this room - it's wonderful!" 

Then she stood up. "Is there somewhere I can change?" 

Emily looked a bit confused, but showed her to a powder room. I was a bit perplexed, too: Marina had only a purse with her. What the hell was she going to change into? 

Emily and I found out a few moments later. 

Marina came back to us barefoot, wearing a short see-through nightie - a peignoir, really. It was orange, and came with a pair of sheer matching panties. She had let her hair down, and put on an unusual tangerine shade of lipstick. The peignoir concealed very little of that delicious little body. Her tits were small, but round, and her nipples were dark. I had to remember to breathe. 

Emily was also struck silent. Marina posed for us, the little coquette. She stood on her tiptoes, and clasped her hands behind her back. Then she did a slow pirouette, before sinking her bare feet into the thick carpet. 

Marina took charge. She glided over to Emily, and kissed her on the cheek. 

- "Thank you so much for inviting us to your house." she whispered. Then Marina kissed her gently on the lips. Emily didn't move. She just stood there, frozen, as the tiny Eurasian girl did as she pleased. 

They kissed for quite a long time. Marina broke it off, but only for a moment. She turned to me and smiled. 

- "Why don't you sit down, Norm? You can watch us for a while." she suggested. Then she returned to necking with Emily. 

Marina's hands began to wander, as she stroked Emily's flanks, or gently cupped her ass cheeks. I watched, entranced, as she fondled Emily's breasts through the silk robe. 

- "May I?" she whispered. 

Emily seemed powerless to resist as Marina opened the robe, and slid it from Emily's shoulders. Underneath, the older woman wore a black bustier, most of which seemed to consist of fine mesh. She also wore a black g-string, with tiny red ribbons at the corners of the triangle of fabric which covered her pussy. 

Somebody moaned. It might have been me. 

Why had I expected Marina to be shy and inexperienced? With men, perhaps. But with another woman, she was a temptress, a succubus. 

Emily crossed her arms and pulled the bustier over her head, revealing a fine pair of tits. Though not as firm as a younger woman's, they were full and well-shaped. There was a gentle swell to her belly, but in every respect, Emily was in spectacularly good shape. 

Marina lowered her head to worship Emily's nipples. I couldn't see perfectly, but Marina seemed to have insinuated her fingers under the g-string, to judge from Emily's reactions. She began to moan. 

The little Eurasian seductress finally lowered her victim to the futon, and removed her g-string, leaving Emily with only her fishnet stockings and heels. Marina kissed her way down our hostess' body until she took up position between her thighs. 

It was most instructive to watch Emily's reactions as Marina worked on her. 

The room was getting warmer. I peeled off my shirt and pants, and re-filled my drink before resuming my front-row seat. Emily shuddered and gripped Marina's head as she reached orgasm. 

- "Oh my God. You're incredible!" 

I took advantage of the brief interlude to rise, and then pull the strings of Marina's peignoir. She turned to grin at me. I peeled the translucent garment from her, leaving her with only sheer panties. Her nipples were hard, sticking out like enormous pencil erasers. 

- "Would you like to take over?" she offered, reaching out to run a finger down Emily's slit. 

I knelt and took her place. There was no way I could match Marina's technique, but it wasn't a competition, anyway. While I began to gently explore Emily's pussy with lips and tongue, Marina stood and removed her panties. I noticed a landing strip, but she was otherwise clean-shaven. 

Emily's crotch was entirely devoid of hair. She was well-lubricated now, so I licked and slurped noisily, hoping that she would enjoy the audio effects as a bonus. Meanwhile, Marina climbed on to the futon, and straddled Emily's head. The older woman reached around to grab Marina by the ass, and pull her in closer. 

We ate in tandem, and I believe that Emily was on the verge of a second orgasm. But she lifted Marina off her mouth, and looked at me from between Marina's legs. 

- "Now! Fuck me now!" she said. 

I had my underwear off in a moment, and skinned on a condom. Emily was sopping wet, so I entered her quickly, in one long thrust. She groaned as I began to thrust in and out. Emily pulled Marina back down, her fingernails digging into Marina perfect little ass cheeks. 

I was quite excited, but Emily was extremely wet, and with the de-sensitizing effect of the condom, I was able to give her a thorough fucking. She continued to eat Marina's pussy. Then our hostess shivered and began to come. I grabbed her hips and slammed my cock into her, fucking her through her orgasm and reaching my own as I shot my load inside the condom. 

Marina and I let Emily recover for a moment. I got her a drink. Marina was staring quite openly at my flaccid cock. She pointed at it. 

- "May I?" she asked. "It has a been a long time for me - since I have had one up close." 

- "Please." I told her. She took my member in hand. Marina weighed my balls, rolling them gently between her fingers. She ran the tip of her finger around the head of my cock, then traced the large vein on the underside. By then it was quite hard, pointing right at her. 

Marina looked up at me, as if for permission. Then she stuck her tongue out and began to tease me, barely brushing the head of my penis. It was tantalizing, delicious torture. That lovely face, those delicious almond-shaped eyes, and that cute little tongue, so close to the tip of my cock ... finally, she slipped her lips over the head and took me into her mouth. 

- "That is so sexy." said Emily, who had assumed the role of spectator. 

I let Marina experiment for a few minutes. Truth be told, she was not very good at it. But it was a very sensual experience, and I enjoyed it immensely. 

I moved her on to the futon, and reversed the roles, going down on her instead. She tasted sweet. Even though Emily had been eating her out, there were still traces of some kind of flavour in Marina's pussy. She had prominent outer lips, and a sizeable clit. It was a delight to lick and suck. 




The Bridge Club Ch. 11



Then I gently inserted a finger. I needn't have worried. She was tight, but Marina was evidently no stranger to sex toys or dildos. She moaned when I added a second finger. I circled her clit with my tongue, teasing her as she done to me, while I plunged my fingers into her. 

- "I want to see you fuck her." said Emily, breathlessly. 

I looked up at Marina. She smiled back at me, and nodded once. 

On went the condom, and I placed the reservoir tip between her nether lips. I rubbed the head of my cock between her lips, then slowly slid forward. Her pussy was tight, but silky smooth as I pushed inside her a few inches. I stopped halfway, and then reversed direction, pulling almost all of the way out. Back in, slowly but surely, and then out. 

On the third stroke, I pushed all the way, until I was balls-deep inside her. 

Marina reached for me with her arms, and pulled me down atop her. She kissed my cheek, and for some unknown reason, tweaked my earlobes. 

- "Very nice." she whispered. 

I put my weight on my elbows, so as not to crush her, and began to move just a little. Marina, too, began to move, sliding her hips under me, rocking back and forth. With that encouragement, I propped myself up on my palms, and began to fuck her, gently. She was hardly delicate, but that diminutive body and those elfin features made me want to treat her with care. I let Marina set the pace. 

She began to lunge harder, and then she wrapped her legs around my waist and clung to me like a limpet. I glanced over at Emily, who was biting her own lip, one hand between her legs as she played with herself. 

Marina whispered in my ear. "You - can - give me - more." she got out, between thrusts. 

- "I don't - want - to hurt - you." I replied. 

- "You won't." 

I started thrusting deeper, more forcefully, while still grinding my pelvis into her. She started breathing hard. But it was me who came first, as an orgasm snuck up on me and tipped me over the edge. 

She wasn't done yet, so I slid down and went after her with my tongue again. It took only a minute to bring her off. She came with a cute little squeak. 

Emily applauded. "That was hot." she said. 

Our hostess allowed us a short break. She took Marina with her to the powder room, to 'freshen up'. 

When they came back, Emily took charge, like the director in a porno film. First, she insisted on a prolonged 69 session with Marina. I was perfectly happy to watch as I recovered. 

Next, Emily had me play with her tits and kiss her while Marina continued to eat her pussy. Then our hostess took my cock into her mouth and began to suck me off. She was a much more experienced cocksucker, but only a part of her attention was on the job, because Marina was driving her wild with her mouth. 

I ended up on my back, with Emily impaled on my cock. She bounced up and down energetically while Marina straddled me, facing our hostess. The younger girl played with Emily's tits, pinching her nipples. 

Later on, Emily wanted to eat Marina's pussy again, while I knelt behind the older woman and fucked her doggy-style. I filled another condom (my fourth, I think). We lost count of Emily's orgasms. It was harder to keep track with Marina, since she was less demonstrative. 

The girls ended up entwined in a final 69, while I lay back on the thick carpet, a cushion under my head, idly watching them eat each other. Then I stared into the fire for a while, watching the flames dance. My body was sated, and I felt completely calm, at peace. But my mind was still working. 

Fuck you, Massimo, I thought. 5-4. 

***** 

Thank you for the positive comments and the constructive criticism!



The Bridge Club Ch. 12



The threesome was done. It felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I realized then that I had been dreading the entire affair, rather than looking forward to it. I didn't feel the slightest urge for a repeat with Emily. Marina was more intriguing, but she was gay, and with Carmen. I liked her, and would keep fond memories of the threesome because of her.

But more than anything, now, I wanted to win Christina back. She DID like me - at least, before Massimo revealed the bet. Somehow, some way, I would have to remind her of the things about me that she liked, and rekindle the attraction. In other words, I had to convince Christina that I wasn't a complete asshole.

I was at the fitness centre, to play a game of squash against a newcomer who had climbed the ladder rather quickly. He beat Massimo, in the 4th spot, on his first attempt, and had now challenged me.

Markus was a big guy, tall and well-built. He was good-looking, blonde, and tanned. His racquet, clothing and footwear were expensive, top of the line stuff. I was prepared to dislike him right away. Then he cleaned my clock.

This guy wiped the floor with me. I was a little out of practice, but even on my best day, he would have beat me handily. He smiled the whole time, and complimented me when I made a good shot, or dove for a return. Now I was ready to cordially hate him.

We met for the traditional beverage afterwards - winner buys. I had a beer, while Markus ordered a fruit juice. He was a vegetarian, but not a fanatic. To my surprise, he turned out to be a nice guy. He came from a Swedish family, still had a strong accent, skied in the winter, and had just moved here to take up a new job. I found myself liking Markus.

Then I remembered: "You don't play bridge, by any chance, do you?"

He gave me a huge, toothy smile. "I love britch."

********************************

I called the others, and told them that I had found a new player. Both Carmen and Beth wanted to know more, but all I would tell them was that Markus was male, and reasonably good-looking. I offered to host the next game.

When I spoke to Christina, I was tempted to ask her out. A safe date, like to see a band, or an afternoon coffee. But I held back. Better to give her a little time, to forget the threesome. I could use the bridge game to test the waters and see how she responded to me.

Markus was, as you might have guessed, a huge hit. Carmen was awestruck. Beth had a whispered conversation with her, reminding Carmen that she was still with Marina. Darren was impressed, too; I had to remind him to close his mouth, and wipe the drool from his chin.

The big Swede could play bridge, too. Was there anything he couldn't do? Markus was a hit with everyone there.

- "Where did you find him?" asked Beth.

- "Are there more like him?" Darren wanted to know.

- "How much are plane tickets to Sweden?" was Carmen's question. "I love his accent."

Abigail and Christina went out of their way to help him fit in. But it wasn't very hard. He was immeasurably more pleasant than Emily, and we finally had eight good bridge players again. The fact that he was easy on the eyes for the girls (and Darren) was an added bonus. Even Christina had something positive to say.

- "Good work, Norm." she said, with a half-smile.

I waited four more days before calling Christina. When I did, I had a foolproof idea. There was a new cafe in town, where the walls were lined with old bookcases, their shelves loaded with new and used books. The tables were set in little nooks, which offered considerable privacy for those who wanted to read, or share a quiet conversation. The books were for sale, or you could sample them and read a few chapters for free. It would be the kind of place Christina would enjoy.

"Oh, I heard about it - it sounds wonderful." she said. "But ..."

- "But?"

- "But I have plans that afternoon. I'm sorry, Norm. I won't be able to go."

- "What about Sunday?" I asked.

- "No good either. I'm helping my sister on Sunday. Sorry, Norm. I'll have to take a raincheque."

- "Anytime." I told her. But I was surprised. Disappointed, obviously, but also surprised. Yet I shouldn't have been. What did I expect: that Christina had been sitting around waiting for me to finish fucking Emily and Marina so that she could go out with me? Patience, I told myself.

I waited until the following week, and then invited her to meet me for a drink after work.

"I can't, Norm." she said.

- "How about dinner? My treat. You have to eat." I heard my own tone of voice and realized that I sounded a little bit desperate.

- "Norm - I can't. I'm sorry. Listen - I'll see you at Bridge Club, and I'll explain, OK? I have to go, though. I have to finish this before I can leave."

- "Alright. See you Saturday." I said, and then hung up.

Shit! What the hell did that mean? What did she have to explain?

**********************************

My questions were answered at the Bridge Club.

Christina arrived late, as she often did. With Markus. And they were holding hands.

I was very proud of myself, for how I acted that evening. I smiled, and greeted them warmly. I shook Markus' hand (once he had let go of Christina's), and I kissed her on the cheek. I acted like nothing was wrong.

Abigail was hosting the game, with an assist from Pete. His own apartment was a one-bedroom bachelor pad, so he wouldn't be able to have us all over. But they were a couple, and appeared quite happy to co-host at her place.

I concentrated on playing cards, and tried to be as pleasant as possible to everyone. I don't think I fooled anybody.

After the first rubber, Carmen asked me if I was alright. Beth gave me a hug, for moral support. Abigail just looked sad. Even Darren patted me on the shoulder.

"Tough luck, man." he said. "You OK?"

- "Fine. I'm fine."

Markus smiled a lot, and did his tall, good-looking, blonde and tanned thing. I really couldn't hold it against him. He was a nice guy. He wasn't deliberately trying to cut in on me. How could he have known? Even Edgar Allan Poe couldn't find fault with him.

As for Christina ... I wasn't angry at her, either. How could I be, if I was truly in love with her? Sure, I wanted her. But didn't I want her to be happy? If he was the right guy for her, then good luck to both of them.

And if he wasn't, then I could wait. There was nothing else to do in the meantime, but grin and bear it. She looked so good, though, wearing a lilac-colored outfit that suited her dark skin perfectly. Her hair had been done in corn rows, which somehow complimented her exotic features. She had on a little more makeup than usual, and she was showing a bit of cleavage. Christina looked good enough to eat.

As I say, I behaved myself. I played reasonably well, aided by a series of remarkably good hands. My cards were so good that everyone noticed.

"You're getting the cards tonight, Norm." said Darren, my partner. "That's some run of luck."

And then Carmen put her foot in it. "Lucky at cards, unlucky at - " Then she realized what she was saying, and froze. Her partner was Christina.

We sat there for four very uncomfortable seconds of absolute silence.

My partner bailed us all out.

"Well, he deserves a little luck." said Darren. "If I recall correctly, you had terrible cards the last two times we played. You couldn't buy a decent hand."

Carmen shot Darren a grateful look, but Christina didn't raise her eyes. I just smiled.

-"All good things come to those that wait." I said. Let her make of that what she would.

Later that evening, Christina found me in the kitchen. She smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, Norm." she said.

- "It's cool." I told her. "Happy for you. He's great."

Somehow I managed not to embarrass myself. I waited until I got home to howl at the moon.

**************************************

Carmen texted me the next day to apologize for the 'Lucky' comment, and to ask me how I was. Beth phoned me to ask the same thing. Neither of them had known that Christina and Markus were an item. Both were as surprised as I was.

Christmas was upon us. I managed to swing a few days off work, and went home to spend some time with my folks. Some old friends got together, and treated me to a night out. One or two asked me how Massimo was doing. I admitted that I hadn't seen him in a while. I did my best not to think about Christina. And failed.

The next Bridge Club was held the second week of January. At Christina's house.

It was excruciating. She and Markus spent the whole evening close together. She frequently reached out to touch him on the arm, or the hand, and smiled at him non-stop. I could handle that. Mostly.

Christina had never once given me a dirty look, or uttered an unkind word when I was sleeping with Carmen or Abigail. She had given me permission to have sex with Beth, and then never said anything about it to either of us. I was determined to be as classy as she was. She would have no reason to reproach me.

The hardest thing to bear were the pitying looks I got from Beth, Abigail and Carmen.

Pete invited me out to a sports bar, to watch a playoff game.

"It sucks, Norm." he said. "I mean, you go and find me, and I start going out with Abigail - for which I will be eternally in your debt. Then you bring in Marina, and she hooks up with Carmen. And now Markus ..."

- "I know." I said.

- "It's like you're cursed, you know? I mean, you should stop inviting new players, if you have any interest in Beth. I mean -"

- "I get it, Pete. Thanks."

The girls took me out, too - well, Beth, Carmen, and Marina did. They chose a ritzy supper club with a small dance floor. All three took a turn at consoling me, despite my protestations that I was fine.

- "You don't look fine to me, Norm." said Carmen.

Marina had her own suggestion for cheering me up. "You know, you could come home with us later. If you want to, that is. It might ... make you feel better."

Beth helped me talk it out. "I don't know what's going on with her, Norm. She never even dropped a hint that she was interested in Markus. That's not like her. What if I was interested in him, too? She should have told me, so that we weren't competing."

- "Were you interested in Markus?" I asked her.

- "No. Not really. But that's not the point. And then ever since they started dating, she hasn't said a word to me. To any of us." said Beth.

- "Maybe it's private." I suggested. "You said yourself that you girls don't always share all of the details."

Beth shook her head. "That's not it. She doesn't have to tell us ... what they do in private. But Christina doesn't keep secrets. And we always introduce new boyfriends to each other. We should have gone out as a group, to welcome him - you know what I mean? That's how we met Massimo. Carmen brought him out to meet us. That's how he ended up in the bridge club. And Abigail brought Pete out with us one night, even though we had already met him."

- "Maybe ... I don't know. Maybe her relationship with Markus is different." I offered.

- "I don't care! She's treating us differently. That's the part I don't like!"

Beth cooled down a bit later.

"Sorry, Norm. This was supposed to be about you - not about my little complaints." she said. "So tell me the truth: how are you doing?"

I told her the truth. "Not good. But I don't know what to do about it. Just endure, I guess. Wait and hope."

- "You're still in love with her?" she asked.

- "Yeah."

She reached out to ruffle my hair. "Poor Norm."

************************************

I was feeling pretty low, but I didn't seriously consider skipping the next Bridge Club. Everyone would have known why, if I wasn't there. Beth was hosting, too, and I didn't want to let her down. Most of all, I was just sick of feeling sorry for myself.

Beth couldn't help herself. She set me up with Christina as my partner, against Abigail and Pete. Markus was at the other table.

Christina was wearing her hair long, so that it cascaded over her shoulders. She had on a dark dress, and a light cardigan over that. She was smiling at me, too, with a slightly amused look on her face. I knew exactly what she was thinking.

- "I didn't." I told her.

- "Sure you didn't." she answered.

- "Beth drew up the schedule. I had nothing to do with it."

Christina just smiled again. "If you say so."

I could only shrug.

Playing with her was so easy, so natural. We understood each other perfectly, and got decent cards to work with. It wasn't long before I was smiling, too. We won the first game easily.

Pete tried to over-compensate, making some very aggressive bids. He went down hard twice. Abigail chided him gently for it.

- "What can I do, Babe? They're too good if we just sit back and let them call it."

Abigail smiled at Christina, and then at me. "They do make a good team, don't they?"

Bless her heart.

Christina gave me a suspicious look, with narrowed eyes, but she appeared to be laughing, too. I gave her best my best impression of a completely innocent man. At that, she did laugh.

We won the next game, too. The other table had finished before us, though Beth and Carmen were still sitting there, arguing about the last hand. I got up from our table first, needing to use the washroom.

As I passed Beth's kitchen, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.

Darren had the refrigerator door open. He was holding it with one hand. But his other arm was around Markus' waist. The big Swede was leaning over Darren ... and was kissing him. On the lips.

I was rooted to the spot. I'm not sure that I completely understood what I was seeing. They were kissing. Markus was kissing Darren. I knew that Darren was gay.

Darren saw me first. He went completely red in the face. Markus finally caught on that I was there. He just grinned.

-"Aww ... isn't that cute?" said Abigail, behind me.

- "You knew?" I asked her.

- "No. But aren't they a cute couple?" she said.

Pete didn't know what to say.

-"Who's a cute couple?" roared Carmen, as she pushed past Pete to get a good look. "Holy shit!"

Beth was there, too. She looked absolutely stunned. Her mouth was open, and her lips were moving, but there was no sound coming out.

I managed to extricate myself from the kitchen. Christina was still sitting at our table. She was still half-smiling, and then she executed a near-perfect replica of my innocent shrug. It was so good, I had to laugh.

Beth was in no mood for laughter. She stormed out of the kitchen, and came over to confront Christina.

- "How could you?" she yelled. "How could you do that to Norm? How ... how could you do that to us? I thought I knew you."

I took hold of Beth's arm, and steered her to a chair at the table. "It's OK, Beth. Have a seat."

She sat, but she didn't agree with me. "It's NOT OK! She lied to us!"

- "I didn't lie." said Christina.

- "Did she ever tell you that she was dating Markus, Beth? Did she ever tell anyone? Or did she just show up with him, and let us all jump to conclusions?" I asked.

- "But - what a horrible thing to do! She knew what you would think. She knew what we all would think!" Beth was still upset.

- "It's OK, Beth." I told her. "I had it coming. She owed me one."

- "It wasn't all about payback." Christina said, to me. "A little lesson, sure. But there are still two months to run in your stupid bet. And I haven't decided yet if I'm going to sleep with you or not."

- "The bet is over." I said. "It's been over since before Christmas, before Markus."

Christina shook her head. "It's not over. What if Massimo persuades Marina to sleep with him?"

- "She wouldn't." said Beth.

- "Maybe not." said Christina. "But what if he offers $2000? Or more? And then there's me - and Norm." She looked at me. "If I sleep with you, doesn't Massimo owe another $1000?"

We never did play a second hand of bridge that night. Carmen wanted all of the details. Then Darren asked me for a private word, in the kitchen.

- "I'm so sorry, Norm." he said. "Christina got to me first, and she made promise to keep it a secret. I was really, really tempted to tell you. Now I feel terrible. You've always been straight with me."

- "No harm done." I told him. "You and Markus, though? When?"

Darren blushed again. "I suspected the second time we got together. Christina was flirting with him, you know - and Markus was smiling, but he wasn't flirting back, if you know what I mean. In fact, I got the feeling that he was interested in me. That we were both interested."

"So I confronted Christina over the Christmas holidays. She told me what she was doing, and swore me to secrecy. I should have said no, but I was so happy to know that Markus really was available. I agreed to keep my relationship with him a secret, and to let Chris continue pretending. I knew that it would make you jealous - that it would hurt - but I did it anyway. I'm really sorry, Norm."

- "It's OK, Darren." I gave him a hug, to let him know I really meant it.

Markus wanted to apologize, too. In his case, his parents still didn't know that he was gay, so the experience of having a "pretend" girlfriend was nothing new to him.

- "It was not until Darren explained your 'history' with Christina that I understood." said Markus. "So I ask her: how much longer? She said today was the last day."

I shook hands with him.

Abigail gave me a big hug. Carmen waited until I was sitting down, and practically smothered me with her tits. Beth was still ticked off at Christina. But she did a remarkable job of convincing everyone else that they wanted to leave early, and then pushing them out the door. Carmen didn't want to go, but Beth was adamant.

Then she loudly announced that she felt a bad case of diarrhea coming on, and that she would be in the bathroom.

"Help yourselves to anything in the fridge." she said, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Christina and I sat across from one another at the card table. I just looked at her. She was so beautiful. How had I survived, thinking that she was lost to me forever?

- "I got you good." she said.

- "You certainly did." I agreed.

- "And you deserved it."

- "I had it coming." I said. "You were very devious."

- "Just so you know: I can be devious when I want to. But I never lied to you. Not once."

I nodded. "I see that. I never lied to you either. But I didn't tell you the whole truth, either. And that's when people can get hurt. But tell me now, Christina: weren't you worried about Darren? And Markus?"

She had the grace to look a little bit embarrassed. "I know. That's the one part of my scheme that I felt bad about. I didn't think about that enough when I started my 'tangled web'."

- "How much longer were you planning to continue?" I asked.

- "I was going to tell you today."

We sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Then she asked me: "I meant to teach you a lesson, Norm. What did you learn?"

- "Other than 'Don't mess with Christina'?"

- "Besides that."

I looked her in the eye. "I learned that I am more susceptible to jealousy than I ever thought I was. That Markus is a really nice guy, because I couldn't hate him, even if I did wish him deported or transferred to a remote city. Can I keep going?"

She nodded.

- "I learned that your friends are my friends, too. Abigail, Carmen, and especially Beth were kind and supportive. I didn't break your rules, and neither did they, but they were there for me, and I really appreciate that. Most of all, I realized how thoroughly miserable I am without you."

She smiled. "You don't have me, Norm."

I could have sworn that I almost heard a 'yet' at the end of that sentence. "I know that, Christina. But as long as you aren't romantically involved with someone else, I can live in hope. I can dream that one day, you'll forgive me for what I did. I know that there was a strong mutual attraction between us, and I can hope that it survived."




The Bridge Club Ch. 12



Christina reached across the table, and took me by the hand.

- "That was very sweet, Norm. You have always had a way with words. But now you have to listen. I haven't lied to you. I still haven't decided if I'm going to sleep with you. All I've decided is that I won't torture you anymore. And that I won't keep you at arm's length while I try to make up my mind. Do you understand?"

- "Does that mean you'll go out with me?" I asked.

She treated me to that enchanting half-smile. "Could be." she said.

- "Would you like to go to the Library Cafe with me?"

- "That's a good start." she said.

*********************************** 



The Bridge Club Ch. 13



Our date at the Library Cafe went well. She dressed casually, and wore very little makeup, but to me she looked phenomenal. I was afraid that we would be awkward together, but Christina was completely natural. We talked about books, our college days, and the best and worst professors we had had. I steered clear of a few topics: sex, old boyfriends or old girlfriends, and bridge. 

I found myself repeatedly looking deeply into her dark brown eyes. Christina caught me. She just smiled. "Looking for something?" 

- "I'm sorry." I said. "I can't help it. You have beautiful eyes." 

Christina shook her head. "You use that line on all the girls?" But she was still smiling. 

After that, I carefully avoided anything that sounded even remotely like a pickup line, or a come-on. I wanted Christina to know that I was there to enjoy her company - and nothing more. 

A week later, she let me take her to a movie. It was not your average Hollywood fare. Instead, it was an experimental European film, shot in a museum, with actors, but no dialogue. It was being shown in an exclusive art house, where the patrons sat in reclining chairs, with a small table beside them for drinks and a plate of food. We ordered a bottle of wine and a cheese tray, ensconced ourselves in those comfortable recliners, and watched one of the weirdest films I have ever seen. 

Afterwards, we went for coffee. "What did you think?" I asked. 

- "You first." she insisted. 

- "It was pretty bizarre. I'm not sure that I understood any of it." I admitted. 

- "That's a relief! I was afraid you were going to explain it to me - at length!" she laughed. 

- "It was pretty bad, wasn't it? I'm sorry I picked such a lemon." 

- "Don't be." she said. "That was an awesome way to watch a film. Big screen, bottle of wine, cheese - and those seats were wonderful." 

We laughed together, and set to work compiling our list of the worst films we had ever seen. It was a bit late when I finally took her home. 

Over the next few weeks, I took her kayaking, which she enjoyed, and bowling, which she did not. I also took her to a nice restaurant. For that occasion, she dressed up a bit, in a turquoise dress, with high heels and a bit more makeup. She looked spectacular. We got extra attention from our waiter, the busboy, the sommelier, and some random guy who wanted her autograph because he said she had to be a model or a movie star. 

Christina fended them all off with good grace. I was tempted to go after the last idiot - who (other than Massimo) tries to pick up a girl when she's on a date with someone else? But she put her hand on my arm to dissuade me. She changed the subject very quickly. 

"Ask me something." she said. "Something you've wanted to know about me." 

- "Hmmm." I thought about it for a moment. "Anything?" 

She nodded. 

"Your sister. You've dropped out of Bridge Club a few times because she needed something. Beth said you take good care of her. But you've never mentioned her otherwise. What's the story?" 

For a moment there I thought I had made a major mistake. Christina looked ... sad. 

"I'm sorry, Christina. Forget I asked. We can talk about something else." 

- "No." she said. "It's not a secret. The girls all know. And ... I know it may sound funny, but I do trust you, Norm. It's just that I wasn't expecting to be telling you this particular story so soon." 

"Reem is three years older. And better looking - " Christina shushed me when I tried to dispute that point. "Maybe not now. But when I was a skinny thirteen year-old, Reem had tits and ass. The boys were always buzzing around her. Nobody paid me the least attention. 

That was probably a good thing. I got to watch, and listen, as they flirted with her, and tried out their phony flattery and their outrageous pick-up lines. Reem fell for most of them. She would let them kiss her, or feel her up. I tried telling her that these guys were losers, but she just accused me of being jealous. 

She gave her virginity to some asshole who bragged about it to his friends, and then dumped her shortly afterwards. Now the boys were swarming around her. They all expected her to put out. I think she would have, too, but my parents expected me to be her chaperone, so I had to pull her out of some potentially sticky situations." 

- "That must have been difficult." I said. "Did she hate you for getting in the way?" 

- "Sure she did. Reem accused me of interfering in her life, of spoiling her chance for happiness. As if she really believed that one of these guys was going to ask her to marry him. She started actively trying to 'lose' me. One guy brought a friend along, and this friend spent the whole time distracting me, trying to get into my pants while his buddy worked on my sister. 

They didn't succeed, but the next one did. Reem ditched me at the movies, and went home with this guy. My parents were incensed when she came home at 2 a.m.. They were furious with me, too. I didn't rat her out, but Reem was pretty upset with me because I didn't lie to protect her. 

My parents started watching her much more closely after that. It didn't take long for them to find out what she was. So they married her off, to the son of a family they barely knew. It was all done very quickly, before Reem could have another chance to shame the family." 

- "What about you?" I asked. 

- "They watched me like a hawk. Picked me up right after school, no more going out unsupervised ... that sort of thing." 

- "It must have been tough." 

- "It was." she admitted. "But not so bad as what Reem got. Her new husband was abusive. He beat her. She got pregnant, and delivered a girl. That was 'unsatisfactory'. He beat her more often." 

- "Did your parents know?" I asked. 

- "It wasn't their place to interfere, even if they'd wanted to. And they didn't. I moved out on my own as soon as I got a job. It took me two years to get Reem away from that prick. She had a miscarriage after one bad beating ..." Christina shook her head, as if to clear it. 

"But you don't need to know all of that. To make a long story short, Reem came to stay with me. Her husband got to keep their daughter, because she left him. I found her a job." 

- "When did all this happen?" 

- "Three years ago." said Christina. 

- "It must have changed your whole relationship." I said. 

Christina smiled sadly. "No, Norm. It didn't. Reem blames me. If I had let her do what she wanted, our parents wouldn't have caught her. She would never have been forced to marry that asshole, and ... and so on. All my fault. 

To make matters worse, Reem still has no common sense where men are concerned. She'll fuck anyone who pays her a compliment. Not at my house - because I won't let her bring men home. But she goes out, and stays out late, disappears for weekends ... 

In her mind, she's still the attractive one, and I'm her jealous little sister. That's what she's told all of my friends. And when I was dating Jake, that's what she told him. In fact, that's why I dumped him. Reem was coming on to him, and Jake didn't tell me about it. I knew she was doing it, because she tried it with every single guy I dated. 

Maybe he thought he could 'do' both sisters. I don't know. Reem lost interest immediately, once he was no longer my boyfriend." 

- "Damn." I said. "Does Beth know any of this?" 

- "All of it. I don't keep secrets, Norm. You should know that by now. Beth was interested in Jake, even though she knew about Reem. She asked how I would feel if she dated Jake, and I gave her the green light. After all, there would be no Reem to get in the way. Besides, what guy in his right mind would ever cheat on Beth?" 

- "Christina, I'm ... I'm so sorry." I got out. I didn't know what else to say. I wanted to get up, and put my arms around her. But from the look on her face, I don't think she would have appreciated that. 

- "Don't be." she answered. "It worked out for the best. Jake wasn't right for me - Reem just saved me a lot of time. Turns out he wasn't right for Beth, either. I got Reem an apartment of her own, so now I don't have to meet the guys she fucks." 

- "Is she safe?" I asked. "Isn't that a bit dangerous? For her?" 

- "She has two roommates. They're fairly slutty, too. It's a party palace over there. I know - I worry about her. But my place was no safer for. She would wait until I was out to bring men over. This way - well, at least there's usually somebody else around." 

I was silent for a while, digesting all of this. 

"Sorry you asked?" said Christina. 

- "No. I wanted to know. Thank you for telling me." Truth be told, I was more in love with her than ever. 

********* 

Abigail hosted the next bridge game, on Pete's behalf. It was nice to watch them together. He was definitely the one in charge, but he was attentive and protective. 

It was also quite pleasant to play cards without any of the weirdness I had caused over the past several months. No Massimo, no Emily, no heavy vibes with Christina. Just good card play with good friends. Darren and Markus made no secret of their relationship, and everybody was happy for them, too. 

Christina let me take her to a play the next weekend, and to an auction on Sunday. I neglected to tell her in advance that the items being auctioned were comic books and superhero collectibles. She thought the whole thing was tremendously funny, and enjoyed it very much. 

She also wanted to learn how to play squash, and then decided she didn't like it. 

"I'm not crazy about competitive sports." she said. "Or maybe it's team sports. I like soccer, though." 

- "The game? Or the players' legs?" I asked her. 

- "What? I can't like both?" 

In retaliation for the squash game, she made me take a yoga class with her. It was worth it just to see her in yellow yoga pants. The t-shirt she wore was short, and left her midriff bare. The contrast between the bright colours of her yoga outfit and her light caramel skin was delicious. 

She had slim, shapely legs and a fine ass. Her abs were amazing, and you could have bounced a dime off her stomach. She was perhaps a 34B, if I had to guess. She had incredible muscle tone everywhere, including her shoulders and arms. Normally, I was attracted to the more full-bodied girls, like Carmen and Beth. But I couldn't find a physical feature of Christina that didn't turn me on. 

We tried a trendy restaurant, which turned out to be a mistake. The food was fine, if overpriced, but the place was far too noisy. We both wanted to talk, so I took her to a little piano bar she had never been to. 

We settled into a corner booth and ordered drinks. 

"I'm curious." she said. 

- "About?" 

- "About you." Christina said. "What made you think that you could sleep with all four of us?" She wasn't smiling. 

My mouth was suddenly very dry. 

"Don't think, Casanova." she instructed. "Just talk: tell me what you were thinking when you made the bet with Massimo. You had met us once, and figured you could do us all?" 

I looked around for the waiter, hoping that our drinks were on the way. I needed the liquid, and the interruption, too. 

"Quit stalling." she said. 

- "It's complicated." I started. "I'm not sure what to tell you -" 

- "The truth, Norm. Get used to telling the truth." 

- "I do tell you the truth, Christina. I always have. I'm just trying to ... frame it properly for you." 

- "Never mind the frame. Just the facts." 

Our waiter arrived with drinks. But my respite was short-lived. She let me have one sip, and then crossed her arms. "Alright, you've had lots of time. Get on with it." 

- "It starts with baseball." I told her. 

- "Another one of your sports analogies?" 

- "Only partly. I learned a lot about Massimo when we were in high school. I saw him play baseball." 

- "Didn't he see you play as well?" she asked. 

- "Exactly." I said. "Massimo saw me, too, but he didn't learn anything from it. Whereas I did. Massimo is a first-pitch fastball hitter. And a power hitter. He's the same way with women. He goes straight at them. He's big, good-looking, in a way, and outgoing. Confident, and very direct. Some women like that. So Massimo succeeds regularly with a certain type of woman. Still with me?" 

Christina nodded. 

"Ok." I continued. "Since Massimo hits home runs, and virtually all pitchers rely on their fastball, he never worried much about other pitches. I used to frustrate the shit out of him with curves and off-speed pitches. He knew my fastball wasn't particularly good, so he kept waiting for it, waiting to smash it out of the park." 

"He never succeeded with certain types of women. Some saw through his bullshit. Some like a little wooing, some romance. But he never worried about his shortcomings in those areas, because he always scored with others. Massimo is the type of guy who can laugh about getting rejected four times, if he goes home with the fifth girl he hits on." 

- "How does this connect to the bet?" she asked. 

- "Directly." I said. "I saw Massimo play baseball, and I saw him chase women - including my prom date. I know my own strengths and weaknesses, but I know his, too. If you put us in a room with 100 women, or in a nightclub, say - Massimo would score with more of them than I would." 

- "Selling yourself short?" Christina asked. She had uncrossed her arms, and was sitting back. 

- "No. Just recognizing that in certain environments, Massimo has the advantage. But not everywhere. When he boasted that he could score with all four of you ... well, first, it ticked me off. But I also made an instinctive leap - a gut call. I knew he was wrong. So I goaded him into a bet. I planned to beat him, and make him pay." 

- "Finally." said Christina. "This is what I want to hear: what made you think that you could beat him? You've already admitted that he's better with women than you are." 

I shook my head. "Not all the time. Not anywhere. Four women - a limited number. Three, actually, since Beth was off limits." 

- "Because she was with Jake?" scoffed Christina. "You think that would have stopped Massimo?" 

- "Oh, he would have tried. But if their relationship was solid -" 

- "Which it wasn't." 

- "I didn't know that at the time. I was hoping that Massimo would make an ass of himself trying to hit on Beth. But if they did break up, for whatever reason, it would still only be four. A limited number. Then, there's the bridge factor." 

- "The bridge factor?" 

- "Yep. Massimo isn't a very good player. He knows the conventions, but he doesn't love the game the way I do. He saw the bridge club as a place to pick up hot girls." 

- "And you didn't?" she asked. 

- "Not at first." 

- "But you thought that we would fall for you because of your brilliant card play?" 

- "Admit it, Christina: it was one thing that originally attracted you to me. We are excellent bridge partners. We play well together." 

I had her there. She couldn't deny it, so she settled for rolling her eyes. 

"And then there was the time factor. I made him agree to a year, which also favored me. Massimo strikes quickly. I'm more of an acquired taste." 

- "Are you, now?" That line won a grudging smile from her. 

- "So I've been told." 

- "Do go on." she invited. 

- "Right. So time and space and bridge were all in my favor. Then there was the fact that you all knew each other. You were clearly friends. And friends talk. The odds said that Massimo would succeed with one or more of you, but he's an asshole. I thought he would treat one or more of you badly. Remember - I saw him dump girls back in high school." 

- "Abigail?" said Christina. 

- "Unfortunately. I saw that coming, but that doesn't make it any better. Poor Abigail. I think he would have done that to her anyway, bet or no bet." 

- "Maybe. What about Carmen?" she asked. 

- "Carmen's a big girl. I mean - she can look after herself." I added. 

- "I know what you meant. Did you know that Carmen had already slept with Massimo?" 

- "Yes. I suspected, and he confirmed it." 

- "So you spotted him a lead? He was ahead before you even started the bet?" She seemed incredulous. "How could you do that? How could you be so cocky? OK, mister: enough about Massimo. Let's hear about you. How did you plan on seducing more of us than Massimo could?" 

- "Umm ..." 

- "You've been very forthcoming so far, Norm. But don't stop now. This is the part I want to hear." 

- "Can I get another drink, first?" 

She waved at our waiter, and got us served in record time. 

- "Why is it that they never come that fast when I call them?" I wondered aloud. 

- "No more stalling." she said. "Why did you think that you could 'score' with us?" 

- "Carmen was already undressing me with her eyes that first night. I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but ... Carmen seemed like the easiest." 

- "She wouldn't deny it." agreed Christina. "Go on." 

- "Carmen had to be first, for me. For one thing, if I tried to put her off, she might have been angry enough to reject me later. The only difficulty would be finding a nice way to break off with her." 

- "Why couldn't you just dump her?" 

- "That's Massimo." I reminded her. "One of my advantages is that I'm not like him. I took Carmen to the Chez Maurice so that she would tell the rest of you about it. I couldn't drop her and hurt her feelings, and not expect her friends to hear about it." 

- "We heard about the Chez Maurice. She was very impressed. She was also very pleased with your performance in bed afterwards." 

I blushed. I had avoided the topic of sex for a month. I had not tried to kiss Christina, or even to hold her hand. It felt more than a little awkward to be talking about it so frankly. 

"That was part of your plan, too?" she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. 

- "Yes." I admitted. 

- "And Abigail?" 

- "Massimo moved on her first. I wasn't going to compete with him. If Abigail chose him, she might never consider me good enough later. And ... well, we already said it: by the time Carmen 'dumped' me, I knew that Massimo would hurt Abigail's feelings. I would pick her up on the rebound. I know that sounds cold. I didn't want to hurt her again, but I did want to sleep with her." 

- "Why Abigail next? Why not me?" asked Christina. 

I lowered my eyes. I wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer to that question. 

"Why not me, Norm?" she repeated. 

- "Because ... because I was falling in love with you by that point." 

- "With me?" 

- "Yes." 

- "You were falling in love with me, so you decided to seduce Abigail first?" 

- "It sounds really bad when you say it that way." I said. 

- "Really? How would you say it?" 

I tried my best. "Christina, I'm telling you the unvarnished truth. I needed a way to move on after Carmen, so I got her to dump me. I didn't want to hurt to Abigail again, and I was very lucky. She realized early on that I was more interested in you, even while I was seeing her. She wasn't angry; she was wonderful about it." 

- "She was grateful. You rebuilt her confidence. You undid the damage Massimo had done." Christina said. "I know that. But why me last?" 

- "Because I had no exit strategy for you, Christina." 

She just looked at me. I couldn't read her expression. 

- "I had no plan for breaking off with you nicely, or getting you to dump me. Because I didn't want to break off with you. I didn't want you to dump me after a short time. I wanted a long time together, if that was possible." 

"I was prepared to wait a while, after Abigail. A long, slow courtship. By that time it wasn't about the bet. It was about you." 




The Bridge Club Ch. 13



- "The bet was more important to you, Norm. Admit that, at least." she said. 

- "No, it wasn't. Things changed. I was ... I was ready to court you, Christina. But then Emily joined the club. That wasn't my idea. But by the rules I had set with Massimo - well, you saw the rules. And then Beth broke up with Jake. I wanted you, Christina. That didn't change. But I also didn't want to lose the bet to him." 

"And when it came to choosing between the two, I made a mistake. I thought that I could somehow have both. That I could win the bet, and still end up with you. The happy ending. The ending I wanted since the second game with the Bridge Club." 

She didn't answer me. We sat in silence for a while, but she wouldn't make eye contact with me. Then she stood up. 

"I need to use the ladies' room. Could you settle our bill? I'd like to go home." 

When she came back, she continued to avoid eye contact. She also declined to let me drive her home. 

'No, I'll take a cab." she said. 

And she left me standing there. 

****** 

I didn't dare call her until the next bridge game. It wasn't just cowardice; I also suspected that she needed a little space, or time. Leaving her alone for a bit might be the nicest thing I could do for her. 

Carmen hosted the next bridge game. It had the potential to be very awkward, but Christina put me at ease as soon as she arrived. She smiled, and kissed me on the cheek. I took it as a sign that were OK. Or, at least, no worse than we had been. 

I was able to relax and enjoy the cards, and the company of our friends. I played against Christina once, but not as her partner. She seemed a little distracted, but not angry or upset. 

During the break between rubbers, I approached her. We exchanged inconsequential pleasantries. She got serious before I did. 

"Thank you - for giving me time to think. I need a little more, though." 

- "I understand." I told her. 

Christina left shortly after Abigail and Pete. The moment she was out the door, Carmen and Beth pounced. 

- "How is it going? How is she? How are you two?" 

I could only tell them the truth. "I don't know." 

- "Are you taking her out on Tuesday?" asked Carmen. Tuesday was Valentine's Day. 

- "She asked me to give her more time." 

- "That's good." said Carmen. "That's good, isn't it, Beth?" 

Beth shook her head. "I don't know." she said. 

I had already decided what to do. She wanted time, or space. But I wasn't going to let Valentine's Day go by without at least a gesture. 

I chose a bouquet of orchids, for exotic beauty, because that was how I saw her. Then I picked a simple blank card, and I went to the well one more time, writing a quotation from Kahlil Gibran: 

And what is it to work with love? 

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart 

even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. 

I drove to her house on Tuesday evening. I rang the bell, and held the bouquet in front of me. Give them to her, and leave. That was the plan. 

A woman I had never seen before opened the door. I was startled, at first. Then I realized that this was probably Christina's sister, Reem. She had the same skin tone, but she was a little taller, and considerably heavier. 

"These are for Christina." I said, holding up the bouquet. 

Her sister gave me a good looking over, then turned her head and screamed: "CHRIS-TINA! SOMEONE'S HERE FOR YOU! IT'S A MA-AN!" 

- "That's OK." I said. "Could you just give these to her? Thanks." 

I left the flowers in her sister's arms, and beat a hasty retreat. 

********* 

The next few days were agonizing. She had asked for time, but how much? I didn't know whether to call her, or leave her alone. In the end, I decided that it was better to ask her out. She could always says no, right? 

She said yes. 

And she thanked me for the flowers. 

I took her to a little blues bar, where young guys paid homage to Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. She liked it. I loved the music, but I also enjoyed watching her move to the beat. She wore a light yellow top over tight jeans; I was beginning to believe that Christina would look great in a burlap sack and wooden clogs. 

After two sets, she asked if we go somewhere quieter. "Coffee, Maybe?" 

The Library Cafe was only two blocks away, so we walked over. I waited for her to open the conversation this time. She waited until we were ensconced in a cozy corner. 

"Thank you again for the orchids. And the card." she said. "They were both beautiful." 

- "You're very welcome." I told her. 

- "But - why did leave before I got to the door?" 

I blushed. "Panic, I guess. You had asked me to give you time, and I didn't know if I should be there at all. When your sister opened the door - I don't know why, but I just panicked." 

Christina smiled. "You made quite the impression on her. She insisted that I tell her everything. She wanted all of the details." 

- "You didn't ..." 

- "No way! My sister? Anything I told her would all over the city within minutes. But she knew I was hiding something, so she kept pressing me to tell her about you. Finally she said 'I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me what he's like.'" 

So I started to describe you: good card player, smart, cute - yes, I said that. Then I added kind, and thoughtful ..." Christina blushed. "And I just kept thinking and saying nice things. 

I sort of realized what I was doing, and I got self-conscious, so I stopped. Reem asked me 'How long have you two been together?' 

And I said 'We're not together - yet.'" 

I heard that last word loud and clear. I couldn't help myself. A huge, goofy smile spread across my face. 

Christina laughed at me. "I know! I heard myself say it to Reem. And she just shook her head at me, and said 'Oh, Christina'." 

I slid from my seat, and went down on one knee beside her chair. I reached out and took her hand between mine. 

"Oh, Christina." I said. 

She smiled at me, and in those lovely eyes I saw my future. 

Our first kiss was soft, and gentle, and achingly sweet. I pulled Christina to her feet, and enfolded her in my arms. Her lips met mine this time, and we clung to each other, until a smattering of applause from the nearest tables distracted us. 

Christina whispered in my ear: "We should go. I think you should take me home." 

I leaned back to look at her. She nodded twice to confirm it. 

"But we can finish our coffees first." she said, with a tinkling laugh. She sat down, and reached for the menu card. "And I've been wanting to try that blueberry cheesecake. I hear it's wonderful." 

I'm sure the look on my face must have been priceless, because Christina laughed so hard, I thought she was going to cry. 

"Your face! Oh my god - your face!" And she laughed some more. When she finally stopped, she smiled at me. "You've waited months, Norm - you can manage a few more minutes." 

- "You got me." I admitted. 

- "I'm still jealous." she told me. 

- "You don't need to be." I told her. 

- "I don't need to be, but I am." she said. "I'm jealous of Carmen. I want to be taken to the Chez Maurice, and then taken back to you place. I'm jealous of Abigail, too: I want to go rock climbing, and everything else you did with her." 

- "We can. We will." 

- "I'm serious, Norm. I want to be able to look at my girlfriends, and to know that they didn't get to experience anything with you that I didn't. I want the same as they had, and more. But I'm most jealous of Beth. I want dusk to dawn. In fact, I want a whole weekend. I want the best of everything from you. In every way." 

- "Are you really going to order cheesecake?" I asked. 

- "No. I was just making you suffer a bit. I want you to take me home now." she said. 

I would have left without paying our bill if she hadn't pulled me back. 

We walked to my car, hand in hand. I will never forget that short walk as long as I live, because I can't imagine being happier than I was at that moment, more vital, more filled with delicious anticipation. We stopped several times, for long, lingering kisses. 

I tried to stick to the speed limit. It wasn't easy, with her hand on my thigh, and the promise in her eyes. Somehow, as we pulled up in front of her house, I came to my senses. 

"Chris - I ... I don't have a condom." I told her. 

-"I do." she said. 

We managed to get inside the door before trying to pull each other's clothes off. The yellow top came off easily, to reveal a yellow bra. By that point, we were in her kitchen, lips pressed together, tongues entwined, hands travelling everywhere. 

We nearly tripped over the couch. I briefly considered pinning her to it, but she fought me off. "No. No. Bedroom." she said. 

I let her steer, and concentrated on getting her bra off, and unzipping her jeans. Somehow, she had undone my belt, and unzipped my pants. They were slipping down my legs, and beginning to seriously interfere with my mobility. 

We got to her room. She reached for the light switch, but missed it as I pushed her past the doorway. She collided with the bed, and fell backwards, pulling me with her. 

"Oof!" she grunted, as I landed atop her. 

I slid down her body, kissing her neck and shoulders, before trailing my tongue across her chest. My fingers traced the outline of her breasts, while my lips sought out her nipple. 

"Wait!" she gasped, stretching backwards, squirming away from me. She was reaching for the bedside night table. While she was thus occupied, I slid lower and tried to peel her blue jeans off her hips. It was a bit of a struggle, as she tried to reach into a drawer while I pulled down her lacy yellow panties. 

I would call it a win. I got her jeans and panties completely off one leg and most of the way off the other, while she was only able to open a new box of condoms and pull one out. She dropped it. 

While she tried to tear off another one, I managed to get my face between her legs and kiss her clean-shaven pussy. I began licking and kissing. But Christina was pulling me by the arms, dragging me onto the bed with her. 

"No." she said. "No - in me. Inside me - now." 

There was no resisting. I didn't want to resist. After all this time, I was just as eager to be finally joined with her. She pulled my pants over my ass as I got the condom on, and I plunged inside her. 

It wasn't subtle, or smooth - but it was effective. 

Our eyes were locked together. Christina wrapped her arms and legs around me, and pulled me down on top of her. I don't even remember the sexual sensations. I was almost entirely overwhelmed by the physical and emotional closeness. Finally, after so long, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Inches away from that beautiful face, and those smiling lips, which she eagerly pressed to mine. 

And when she lay back, temporarily, I could look into her eyes. She reached up with both hands to caress the sides of my face. We both smiled, then, at what we could read in the other. Skin to skin, as close as I could get, I gently rocked between her hips. There would be time, later, for desire and lust, for frenzied fucking and slow, drawn-out lovemaking. I was already committed to trying every position I could think of with Christina, and then discovering new ones. 

But for those moments, I simply gloried in being who I was, and where I was, with her. 

******** 

EPILOGUE 

Weeks later, I walked into Massimo's little office. 

"What do you want?" he snarled. He was well aware of what day it was, and why I was there. "I have a 2:00 appointment." He consulted his calendar. "A Mr. Poe is waiting to see me." 

- "I'm your 2:00." I told him. "Mr. Poe is with me." 

-"The bet is off." said Massimo. He waved a hand in dismissal. "It was over months ago, when you kicked me out and brought the little lez in." 

- "It ended yesterday." I reminded him. "On the anniversary of our agreement. One year. I've had sex with Carmen, Abigail, and Beth. And then Emily, Marina, and Christina." I saw Massimo's lip curl when I mentioned those last names. "By the terms of our agreement, you owe me $6,000." 

Massimo stood up behind his desk. "Fuck you, Normie. You can whistle for your six thousand. You ain't gonna see a dime of it." 

Right on time, Darren, Pete and Markus arrived. 

"What the fuck is this?" roared Massimo. "You think I'm gonna be intimidated by this ... fucking queer club! I'll still kick your ass!" 

Maybe numbers meant nothing to Massimo. But when Markus stood between him and Darren, he had to think again. The Swede was taller, wider, and more muscular. And, judging from the expression on his face, Markus was in no mood for bullshit. 

- "My friends are just here because they asked to come along. But Pete, here, is also my advisor in certain technical matters." I said. 

- "What the fuck are you talkin' about?" Massimo had backed up a step, but he was still in a feisty mood. 

- "Pete works with me." I explained. "His specialty, though, is website design. I'm going to give you one week, Massimo, to make the first down-payment. I don't expect that you have six grand in cash lying around. We can start with two thousand. I will give you a month to come up with the other four thousand. 

Because if you don't pay up, Pete will set up a new website called 'Massimo'. Or, maybe, 'Massimo is a welsher'. Anybody who does a search for your name - and you have to admit, it's not the most common name - will find this site. Your bosses, future employers, girls you hit on ... anybody who wants to - they'll be directed to a site devoted to our bet. Pictures of you, the napkin with our agreement on it, testimonials from the girls ..." 

They were right on time. Carmen, Abigail, Beth and Christina walked in. Darren and Peter moved out, to make room for them, though big Markus stayed right where he was. 

The girls all had all worked on their looks of disdain and derision, and they now treated Massimo to a four-barrelled sneer of absolute contempt. Beth took over. 

"If the website isn't enough, the four of us will also tell every girl in the building about the bet, and how you cheated, and then refused to pay up. After that, we'll go to the neighboring buildings, and tell them, too." she said. 

Abigail chipped in. "And I'll tell everyone at the fitness club." 

Massimo looked as if his predicament was beginning to sink in. His eyes were darting from face to face, as if seeking an ally, or a way out. There was none. 

- "If you should decide to quit your job," I went on, "I will e-mail every member of the old high school football team, and tell them the whole story, with links to Pete's website. Then I will go back to our home town, and call on your parents in person. Your cousins, too. You get the idea, Mass?" 

- "You wouldn't do that." he said. But he was licking dry lips as he said it. 

- "I most certainly would." I said. "I've been ready for this day since we made the bet. I knew from day one that you were a liar, and a cheat. You broke the bro code when we were still in high school, when you went after my girlfriend. You told Christina about the bet, and then lied about it. I knew that you would try to wiggle out of paying up. That's why I'm very glad that we had one more bit of help." 

Marina was right on time, bless her heart. She stomped into Massimo's crowded office, squeezed through the other girls, and held up her phone. 

"Now?" she asked me. 

- "Whenever you like." I said. 

Marina pressed play. We all heard her recorded voice clearly. 

- "Eeww, no way." she said. Massimo's face went white. 

Then we all heard his voice: "C'mon, sweetie: two thousand dollars. For one quick fuck. Hey, you'll probably like it." 

Marina held her phone up. "You pay, Massimo. Or this message goes on the website, too. And then I will play it for my boss. Your boss, too. Sexual harassment, right?" 

****** 

Three weeks later, Massimo paid up. 

As Christina wanted, we donated the money to charity. 

THE END 

******* 

Thank you for reading this far. The positive comments and messages were very encouraging. 

For those who were annoyed by certain technical aspects of my writing, such as the dashes (not hyphens) before dialogue, I use them to indicate a new speaker. It's to help me keep the conversation straight for myself as much as for my readers. It's something I learned in grade school.