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The Warmest Winter, Day 01

By: TooCleverByHalf



They called it the "Blizzard of the Century," which most people ignored because it had been the third one that decade. But afterwards, they stopped using the phrase for a good twenty years. It wasn't that big a deal to Michael, except that now he had to clear off the solar panels on his roof. Nobody was around to help him, but that was the point of his winter retreats to this house. And maybe "had to" was too strong a sentiment. The generator would last, but he'd prefer to rely on the solar panels as much as possible. And now, if he didn't want to abandon that goal, he'd have to climb onto the roof and clear them.

Underlayer for warmth? Check. Pants, shirt, socks? Check. Coat, boots, hat, gloves, scarf? Check. Harness and rope? Check. Broom? Check. All set.

His bedroom, the master suite, had the balcony he used for rooftop climbs with the hook protruding from the overhang. The balcony was clear of most snow, thanks to the direction the storm was blowing. He rigged up the rope to the railing as well, and raised himself using the setup. People would ask Michael how he managed it, but halfway through the talk of why it was called a slipknot, or maybe about how pulleys reduce workloads, their eyes would glaze over. He'd then say the rest was magical elves and watch them nod. Twits.

Getting up was the hard part. Once on the roof, it was fairly easy. The accumulated feet of snow needed only a sufficient nudge to get the whole rooftop slab to slide down with a cotton crash on each side. The broom swept away the rest, and didn't scrape the panels like a snow shovel would. Michael wanted this over with quickly for a few reasons. Firstly and most obviously, it was really, really cold. Secondly, the weatherman had predicted the storm very well so far: eighteen hours of heavy snowfall dropping a few feet, about an hour or so of light snow, and then wintery Hell was going to break loose on the area for the next twenty-four solid hours. The first part of the storm produced white-out conditions, but the second half was going to take civilization to the cleaners. Until the storm passed, this was his last chance to clear the solar panels, and if he waited until the storm was over, there may have been too much to get rid of all at once. Besides, he'd invested the money in the snow boots and hadn't had a chance to use them yet.

He'd gotten the panels clear, and resisted the urge to stay and keep clearing them. He dropped back down onto the balcony, easier said than done, and dismantled his rope and pulleys. Once everything was stowed inside, he came back out to appreciate the scene before him. He'd paid a pretty premium to live here, so isolated from everyone else, in the house he'd helped design. The woodland surrounding his property was gorgeous, even bare-branched as it was in the dead of winter. The only tree in his actual front yard, though, was Old Greybeard, an oak tree he just didn't have the heart to cut down, it had so much character. Michael picked up his binoculars to see if the snow was doing any major damage to the crotchety old man.

He didn't bother looking at the branches- the only thing he could tell is if they were snapping off under the weight of the snow. So he scanned the snow around the tree for bits of grey bark.

"What the..." Michael refocused. It was a small, yellow smiley face, like the topper some people have on their car antennas... which might explain the large hill in the snow underneath.

"Oh, shit." Michael dropped the binoculars and raced inside, down the stairs to the foyer, where he had a snow shovel, rock salt, and the front door, the quickest way to the car outside. He was about to start, but then turned back and retrieved a hammer from his toolbox under the kitchen sink. Working furiously, he shoveled snow to the sides of the front door, where the porch had kept the snow from piling up against the walls. Every now and then, he salted behind himself. If his math was right, he could have as little as forty minutes before the second wave of the storm hit. Forty minutes to shovel three thick feet of snow in a path wide enough to move quickly and surely, get into the car, and help whoever was inside, after already being worn out by his exertions on the roof. If his math was correct again, the amount of snow on the car meant whoever was in it could have been there for hours, and if they weren't dead, they could be any second.

It seemed like a lot longer than it probably was before he reached the car. After clearing the window of the nearest door, the driver's, he looked inside. Three passengers, all unmoving, with their eyes closed. Michael frantically cleared the door. Was it locked? No. Good. The hammer wasn't needed. He opened it, first checking the woman in the driver's seat for a pulse and breathing. Slow, but steady on both counts. Hypothermic? Suffocated? Not that he could tell. He silently apologized as he reached over to check the woman in shotgun, then the woman in the back seat. The same.

What to do next. He thought for a second, then shut the door and ran back into the house, grabbing a coat from its closet. He unbuckled the driver, then wrapped her as best he could in the coat. Once she was clear, his hands were full, so he kicked the door of the car shut. Swiftly as he could without dropping her, and there were a couple close calls, he got her inside and laid her on the floor of his living room, just inside the front door on the right. Grabbing another coat, he repeated the ordeal for the shotgun passenger, and then the backseat passenger, checking their vitals as soon as he was done with each one. He grabbed the first-aid kit and the accompanying manual next to it. After running down the checks for hypothermia, he determined that the three women had escaped it by minutes if not miracles. He finally caught his breath. And then thought some more.

He looked at the clock, decided he had enough time, and then went back outside.

*****

Some time later, he woke up when a hand shook his shoulder.

"AHH!" he screamed, jerking back in surprise so hard he fell off his bed. He looked up at the person waking him. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"What?" said the woman, confused, "You don't... you aren't..." She started looking panicked.

"Wait, wait," Michael said, "I'm sorry. I just... didn't remember yet. It's been a long day. It's still today, isn't it?"

"You tell me."

Michael stood up and got his bearings. Right. He had finished up some details after saving the women, then came upstairs to sleep. Was he... no, he hadn't stripped nude, which was his usual for sleeping. His boots were still on, even. Himself sorted out, he looked at the woman.

She still had on her clothes from the car, ill-fitted to the weather, and her hair was a mess. She was shaking probably as much from lingering cold as from fear of her unknown surroundings. Michael saw it in her eyes. "Am I safe?" they asked. He took a breath.

"Let's try this again: Hello. My name is Michael. Your car stopped in my front yard. I noticed you after some time and got you out. You and your... friends?" She nodded. "You and your friends were close to hypothermic, but are fine. I used a little hot water on a few hands and ears, overall, but nothing major. After I got you in and made sure you weren't in medical danger, I put each of you into a guest bedroom, got as much of your stuff out of your car as I could, then came back inside. I then came up here, fell asleep, got woken up and made a perfect ass out of myself scaring someone who's already quite frightened. You know the rest."

"Look, I'd like to believe you. Really," she started, "But how do I know you're not some kind of psychotic sociopath?"

"For starters, if you thought I actually might be, would you really be stupid enough to ask me that question? Besides, how do I know you aren't? And psychotics are psychopaths, not sociopaths. Common mistake."

"Oh. Are you going to keep us here long?"

"No. The snow is. There's nothing but... hang on." Michael went over and looked out the glass balcony door. "There's nothing but four-foot-deep snow in every direction for at least twenty miles, and getting deeper. Even if you could handle the snow, the wind would sharpen an axe it's so strong. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

"You're not going to try anything funny with us?"

"I'm assuming you mean 'funny' ironically if you're referring to rape, and no, I'm not. If you're not going to believe me when I tell you, you'll just have to see for yourself. You'll probably be stuck here for at least a week and a half. And may I point out that once your friends wake up, you'll have me outnumbered three to one? And would a psychotic sociopath of a raping axe murderer remind you that I mentioned both the accessibility of hot running water and that I got your stuff, including a change of clothes, out of your car and the bags are sitting downstairs?"

He was starting to get worked up. He could have killed himself, saving them. If he'd slipped and not been able to get up, he'd have been dead, and them. Some gratitude. he was trying to be a good host, but this woman's paranoia was starting to get on his nerves.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry. It's not your fault, I... I appreciate everything. I, We... we'd be dead if not for you. Thank you." Her face had fallen, threatening tears, but now she looked him in the eye, and her voice strengthened. "My name's Jennifer. Nice to meet you, Michael." She appeared to consider this for a moment. "Only my friends can call me Jenny."

"Nice to meet you, Jennifer."

"And you can call me Jenny, too." She smiled inwardly at the surprise on Michael's face.

"Uh, wow. Thanks. Call me Mike."

"Mike." She smiled. Mike couldn't quite place how that smile made him feel. It was like all of those 'thank-yous' you hope for when you do a good deed, but never get, were rolled into one and came out in that smile. "I'm going to check on Cassie and Ronni, then get that shower you talked about."

"I never mentioned a shower."

"I never said axe murderer."

"Fair enough. Down the stairs, on the left."

"Hmm?"

"Your bags."

"Oh. Right."

Wondering just what the blazes he'd gotten himself into, he went into his walk-in closet to change.

*****

Boxers, t-shirt, jeans? Check. Much better. Mike had also washed up a bit. Sleeping in the warm house wearing his fluffy finest made him sweat a fair amount under all the layers, on top of the sweat of his exertions on the roof and in the yard. He felt better.

One more thing. Digital watch? Check. He checked the time. Three in the afternoon. He'd gotten the ladies and their luggage inside by noon, and the storm picked up again shortly thereafter. He had slept for about three hours before Jenny woke him.

He came down from his room just as another woman was coming out of a guest room. He recognized her as the shotgun-seat passenger. It was easy- she was the blonde, the other two were brunettes.

"Who the Hell are you?" she asked. Mike quickly raised his hands defensively.

"My name is Mike. You parked on my front lawn. I got you and your stuff inside. Jenny's fine and taking a shower now. Are you Cassie or Ronni?"

"Oh. Sorry. Veronica. Don't call me Ronni. Only my friends can call me that. And it's Jennifer, not Jenny."

"She said I could call her Jenny."

"Oh, I bet she did."

"Are all three of you this paranoid about men?"

"You try waking up in a strange house." Mike started getting agitated again.

"You would have frozen." His tone gave her a reminder of that all by itself. "You would have died."

"That doesn't mean you can call her Jenny."

From behind the bathroom door in the hall, they heard. "Leave Mike alone, Ronni, I told him he could."

"Why?" she demanded.

"He saved our lives, and our stuff. Your shampoo is safe." Veronica's eyes darted back to Mike.

"You saved my shampoo?"

"Was it in one of the luggage bags? Not loose in the car somewhere?"

"Yeah, of course it was."

"It's fine, Veronica. Downstairs, on the left." Veronica ran by with a quick "Thanks!"

She stopped abruptly halfway down the stairs.

"Call me V." Then she kept going. The bathroom door opened.

"She giving you a hard time?" Jenny asked.

"Nothing I hadn't seen before," Mike answered.

"Ouch," Jenny replied, still drying her hair with a towel. "I really am sorry about that. And as for Ronni, she's fidgety because of me. I... had a bad relationship recently so she's protective of me."

"Good friend."

"The best. Well, Cassie, too, the three of us."

"Speaking of, could you do me a favor?"

"Already? What is it?"

"I'd rather not do this a third time. Could one of you hold vigil with Cassie until she wakes up, to explain things?"

"Sure. Which room?" Mike pointed.

"I'm going to make some lunch. If Cassie's not up by the time it's ready, we'll all have it up in her room, if that's okay."

"Sounds great -- I'm starved! Hey, can you make an omelet?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"'Cause if the smell of an omelet won't wake her up, she's dead, pulse or not." She laughed- a bright, full laugh, that Mike couldn't help but join in. And then she walked off to Cassie's room. As she did, Mike noticed how well she cleaned up. She had a really positive energy about her. Well, if he was going to be cooped up in his house unexpectedly with someone, it could be worse.

Veronica seemed to chill out towards Mike as he made lunch. Nevertheless, she went through all of the girls' luggage to see "what got salvaged." She seemed almost disappointed that Mike had missed nothing. It turned out that the shampoo was a natural-ingredient recipe that Veronica had hunted for years to find, only to snag the last box before it was discontinued. She had made a personal vow that none of "the perfect shampoo" would be wasted, and that every time she washed her hair she would appreciate the stuff. She balked when she caught Mike's poorly-disguised grin at her enthusiasm.

"I can't help it," he said, "I'm a guy. I just can't seem to see shampoo as a priceless artifact."

"Someday someone's going to have to teach you about women."

"Fine," Mike countered, sliding the last omelet onto its plate, "I'll just have to settle for you."

Neither of them knew it at the time, but as they carried the plates upstairs, they both had the same thought: Now exactly why did I just say that?

*****

When they got upstairs, it turned out, Cassie was already awake and being updated. The moment she smelled egg, she smiled and held out her hands.

"I'm starved, gimme."

Proffering the plate, Mike said, "Bacon and cheddar was the best I could do. I don't have any Swiss, sorry." To Jenny, he explained, "Veronica told me." Jenny sat on the bed with Cassie, with Veronica taking the plush chair in the corner and Mike snagging the desk chair. Mike had to take another trip to get a round of orange juice, and came back up to see that conversation had resumed, between mouthfuls.

"So, let me get this straight- we happen to stop right in front of the only house in a twenty-mile radius?" Cassie was saying. "How'd we manage that?"

Mike swallowed quickly to respond. "There's only one way in or out for all that distance. Once you were in the park, the road took you straight here."

"The what?" exclaimed Veronica.

"I have special permission to use the exterior service road to the national park as, basically, my really long driveway. I let them know when I'm coming, and I only use it a couple times a year, a half-dozen at the most. My question is how you got past the gate."

"I knew it!" said Cassie excitedly, "I knew we weren't on a regular road!"

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Jenny asked, but not harshly.

"I don't know," Cassie said, "Oh, god, this is all my fault, I should've said something, so we'd turn around!" She started tearing up. Jenny immediately pulled her into a hug. Well, after making sure no omelet was to be a casualty.

"No, it's my fault," said Veronica, "I was navigator. I screwed up the directions."

"And I should have asked for them," said Jenny, "No one forced my foot to the pedal when we started getting lost. There's plenty of blame on all of us."

"Wow, is it really so bad here?" Mike asked, smiling, "Did I burn the omelet?" The ladies all started laughing, and Mike was thankful. He could handle a woman crying just fine. Despite what Veronica thought, he did have some experience and had learned a few things. But three at once? When so much else had happened that day? Too much.

The ladies turned and smiled at him warmly. Jenny and Veronica both did so with a glance, then the moment was over as they went back to their omelet. Cassie, however, looked right at Mike for the first time, with an intensity in her expression that mildly startled him. If he hadn't been in a position to see her lips move, he wouldn't have been sure she'd actually said it, it was so soft:

"Thank you."

He smiled back. Only a creep would have been able to resist it.

"Tell you what," Mike said, standing up, "I've got the lunch dishes to do, and when you ladies are ready, come on downstairs and I'll give you the tour." He grabbed what dishes were empty and left the room.

As soon as his footsteps faded down the stairs, Cassie let out a shaking sigh.

"I thought we were dead. I thought that was it, that we were going to freeze in the middle of nowhere." Jenny and Veronica swooped in, and the girls hugged out in minutes what would have taken hours to discuss.

"You had us so worried!" Jenny said, still giving her friend a half-hug. "You were the last to wake up."

"You were worried?" Cassie smiled. "Are you sure? 'Cause I'd have been distracted by the hero of the day."

"He's okay," said Jenny, "But come on, sisters before misters! You know that."

"You haven't thought about it, have you?"

"What?"

"What he had to do. Shoveling all the snow, carrying us in, one at a time, three trips, carrying all of our stuff in, who knows how many trips, and still checking our vitals and carrying us each up a flight of stairs, three trips. That, ladies, is a lot of strength, but more importantly, a lot of stamina, and most of all, more considerate than I could imagine. Our stuff? The man brought in our luggage, in a blizzard! Mike, whatever else he is, is a keeper."

They looked around at one another.

"Dibs!" They all said it at once.

"Okay, okay," said Jenny, "The usual rules?"

"Yeah," said Veronica, "We can all pursue him individually as we choose, but never in front of the others. Whoever he ends up with, he ends up with. Sisters before misters. Besides, this'll help us weed out the savior complex."

"Why would we need a savior complex?" Cassie said, "He's cute! And, like I said, sta-mi-na..." She sang the last word, letting it hang in the air.

"Come on," Jenny said after a moment, "He can't be perfect. Besides, he's waiting to give us the tour. We'll make sure we know where all the closets are and check them for skeletons later."

"Easy for you to be so chipper," Cassie said, getting up with increasing steadiness, "You got a shower. Wait, he has hot water?"

*****

The ladies all came down at once, just as he suspected would be the case.

"Okay," he said, "It looks like you'll be here for at least a week and a half. So, this is the kitchen. Help yourself. If you don't know where something is, just ask. Out in front" --from here on it became a walking tour -- "is the foyer and the stairs, both up and down. To the right of the door, the living room, which has the fireplace and your bags. Behind that, the dining room. On the other side of the foyer is my office, which you should probably ask before going into. It's not exactly private, it's just a mess. The front porch is a wraparound, turning into the back deck at some point. I wouldn't recommend either until most of the snow melts off. Off the kitchen the other way is what they call a 'family room," but think of it as the informal living room. It's where the TV is. The regular one, anyway."


The Warmest Winter, Day 01



Downstairs was a little simpler, as it was mostly open space. "The finished basement. Big screen TV, a couple gaming consoles with a few games, full bathroom, all of the extra storage, utility room, laundry, exercise room. Oh, and the Ping-Pong table. If one of you doesn't like their room, the couch down here converts to a bed."

The third floor had five rooms. The two at one end of the hallway were Veronica's and Cassie's. Then the bathroom and the linen closet. The ladies had to stop for a second to gush -- it was a walk-in closet. At the other end of the hallway were two more guest bedrooms. Each set of two bedrooms was connected by a mutual walk-in closet, but the room Jenny's connected to was not furnished as a bedroom like the other three were.

It was a library. The walls were lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves, all full of books. The middle of the room had rows of shelves, also lined with books. Near the door, off to one side, was a recliner with an ottoman, and a small nightstand with a lamp. The Lord of the Rings was on the nightstand, a single-volume edition with a bookmark in it, at what looked to Jenny like around halfway through The Two Towers.

The remaining door opened to the stairs leading up to Mike's bedroom, the master suite for the house.

"This place was designed for company," he said, "But the only Whirlpool tub is upstairs with me. Again, ask first. I'd rather not have embarrassing incidents. Questions about the house?"

There were none.

"Okay, cool. Now, we have a few logistics to get out of the way."

This seemed to be Mike's style. When there was business, it was business and he plowed through it until it was done. Only then would he relax.

"I usually spend about three months here, every winter," he explained as they sat down in the breakfast nook off of the kitchen. "I store enough food for six months. We won't starve, and our menu will not be boring. I have enough gas that the generator could run this house top to bottom for two weeks, as well as a backup generator. Central heating and AC, plus fireplace. We will not be cold. I have water from one of the ranger stations for the park. But they won't be there now, just the water. It's clean enough to bathe in, but don't drink too much of it unfiltered. Don't worry- all the taps have filters; it's just the showers and tubs that don't. Oh, and the water heater sucks up power something fierce. Try not to shower at the same time until the solar panels are back on. I'll let you know when that happens.

"As for communication with the outside world, I've got satellite everything, and not the cheap stuff that goes out if a mouse sneezes, either. My work depends on reliable equipment. I was actually a bit surprised when it went out for this blizzard. But it should come back by about the afternoon tomorrow. We'll let your peoples know where you are once it's up. Speaking of which," he handed them a notepad and a pen each, "write down everyone's contact information. No pressure to get them all- you can just add more as you think of them."

"Or," said Jenny, "We could go online and update our Facebook pages once Internet's up."

Mike paused. And it was about half a minute before he managed:

"Right."

"You're not on Facebook?"

"Not... often."

"So what you're saying," Veronica interjected, "is that we're going to be safe, fed, warm, and not bored while the snow clears. That's great, but there's one question you still need to answer."

"What's that?"

"What makes you think we're leaving?"

Everyone laughed and Mike shrugged, "If you really want to. But I'll see if I can suffer through spending more time with three such vibrant women. I'll manage."

"I bet you will!" More laughter.

"Monkey to Uncle! Monkey to Uncle! Come in, Uncle, over!"

"What the-" Jenny whipped her head around to the kitchen.

"That's for me." Mike said hurriedly, "Um, you guys can get your rooms situated if you want. This may take a while."

As they peered over, Mike grabbed a shortwave radio unit from the counter and picked up the receiver, tucking the radio under one arm and heading into the office.

Once inside, Mike put down the radio.

"This is Uncle, over."

"Hey, Mike, good to hear you!" The caller who called himself "Monkey" was shouting over some noise in the background. The office's acoustics were the best for Mike to hear him clearly.

"Likewise. What's up?"

"Checking on you, dummy! You okay?"

"Fine, Dave. You missing a car?"

"What?"

"A car, Dave. Did one go missing?... Dave?" There was static on the line.

"Okay," said Dave a.k.a. Monkey, "I give up. How did you know?"

"They parked on my lawn. The passengers are okay. Don't bother getting the word out- they'll do it once Internet's back."

"Good to know. Need anything?"

"How about a storm update?"

"Well," said Dave, "The last we checked, it got worse, but not by a whole lot. We're looking at tomorrow evening for it to be over. The good news is, there will be another lull."

"My solar panels!"

"You got it. I knew you'd be happy. Anyway, that will happen around two PM to three tomorrow."

"Thanks. What's it like out there?"

"Buried. Everything's stopped. Look, I gotta go. Do me a favor and don't kill yourself for those damn panels."

"You know I won't."

"Like Hell I don't."

"Over and out, Monkey."

"Yeah, yeah, over and out, Uncle."

Once out with the others, Mike filled them in on the conversation. "So we're probably looking at another foot of snow, the way it's pounding us, which means two weeks together, probably. I think your vacation days at work will be gone once you're home."

"We're not working right now," said Cassie.

"Yeah," said Veronica, "We decided to take summer courses through college to graduate a semester early, and save money to go travelling together for a while, before life had a chance to split us up once and for all."

"Friends since preschool," said Jenny, "More or less."

"Look, I'm sorry about Steve Harrison, will you let it go?" asked Veronica, one hand across her eyes.

"Middle school," explained Cassie to Mike.

"Ah. So what about family expecting you home?"

"Nah. As soon as we post on Facebook, they'll be fine," said Jenny, waving a hand dismissively. "So for the next two weeks, sir, we're all yours." She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, god, did I just say that?"

"Maybe escaping disaster's made everyone a little giddy," suggested Mike, "How about we take the rest of the afternoon to calm down and for you three, get settled in?"

They chorused their agreement. Mike left them to it, and went into his office and shut the door.

*****

Upstairs, carrying the first load of luggage (their SUV held quite bit), the ladies gathered in the hallway.

"You okay being on the other side?" asked Veronica, "I feel like you're all alone over there."

"Are you kidding me?" Jenny scoffed, "I get a closet all to myself!"

"So is he still a hero, now that he's making us carry all of this upstairs ourselves?"

"Oh, hush, Ronni," Cassie said, "He's done enough for one day."

"And we don't have to do it all at once," Jenny pointed out.

"Okay, sold," said Veronica, "When we're all tired enough of unpacking, we go snooping."

The house was quite for a while, with only the occasional thump as something heavy hit the floor somewhere. Cassie found her iPod and had decided to get all of her stuff situated at once, grooving to the tunes via earbuds, swaying her hips and nodding her head as her activities allowed. Veronica, seeing how committed Cassie was to overworking herself, decided to at least get her half of the closet set up, so Cassie couldn't claim more than her fair share. Not that she thought Cassie would, but a walk-in closet is no place to gamble with your clothing. After that, she grabbed her current shampoo bottle and took a shower. Jenny hardly did anything to settle in. She had plenty of energy, so she started snooping early, into the library.

Good God, what wasn't in there? Fiction, non-fiction, a few reference book sets, oversized books. The non-fiction was organized by the tens of the Dewey decimal system. The fiction was alphabetical by author. The only exception was the Isaac Asimov section, because otherwise he'd be everywhere in the library. How many of these did Mike actually read? Where did they all come from? And would he mind if she borrowed, say, four or five a day to pass the time?

Jenny started feeling a little mischievous, and double-checked the Dewey guide poster on the back of the library door. She then went to the appropriate section of shelves and found it: the porn section. Correction, the "adult literature" section. She bemusedly scanned the titles, and found herself even more interested in which books Mike would actually read, when it suddenly began to strike her as bit odd.

Once the thought hit, the books became a bit distracting, so she went out to the hallway above the foyer to think. Her gaze wandered until it fixed on the door of the office, where she knew Mike was. Something didn't fit. He certainly had the means to stay here year-round, but it was just an extended vacation. He'd mentioned he had this place built, and it was obviously meant for guests, but up until today, it had only ever been him. And if the place could run on solar panels, why come during the shortest days, when they'd be least effective? Maybe that's what her gut had been telling her this whole time -- that he of course wasn't perfect, that he had something to hide.

Jenny had apparently lost track of time, because it startled her when Cassie and Ronni came out for the official snooping. Other than Mike's bedroom and office (which they would have felt horribly guilty about snooping into), they re-covered the quick tour Mike had given them before. Most everything was disappointingly self-evident. Cassie explored the kitchen, being the chef of the trio. Either the man hardly used the house, or he cleaned up after himself very well.

Downstairs was the same story, with two exceptions: the DVD/Blu-Ray collection, and the storage room. The movies tended towards sci-fi and fantasy, with some comedies and the occasional drama, plus more than a few complete TV series. Every single Star Trek was present, according to Cassie. Jenny confirmed it, and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"I still don't understand why you won't just come out and admit you're a geek," she said to Jenny.

"We have cookies!" Cassie chimed in. Jenny shrugged it off but said nothing.

They checked out the exercise room, and determined it would fit their needs. They all exercised regularly, keeping one another in shape. Jogging would have to wait, but they wouldn't regress any.

The storage room took the shortest. The two huge deep freezers put a chill into the room that none of the three cared to feel, so they left those alone.

"Check this out," said Veronica, the tallest of the three. The other two came over. She pointed at the boxes marked "Christmas."

"So?" remarked Jenny, "That was last month."

"That much dust? That's years, not weeks."

"So he has all of that stuff stored here, but doesn't use it?"

"Looks it."

"Hmmm."

"Hmmm indeed."

*****

Mike left his office to the sound of the ladies chatting. He found them in the kitchen sharing a cup of coffee around the island.

"Everyone settled in okay?"

"Down to my pink fuzzy slippers," said Jenny. He looked down. They were actually pink and fuzzy. "What were you doing in your office?"

"Doing what I can of work, so that when the signal clears up I'm not too far behind on my commitments." He yawned. "And on that note, I know we're all tired, but we should probably eat again before turning in for the night."

"I'll make dinner," Cassie declared, then whisked off to the pantry.

"You really don't have to --" Mike started.

"Let her," Veronica said, watching Cassie begin to work her kitchen magic, "No point in trying to stop her. Besides, she's good. Relax."

Jennifer, however, was watching Mike. And now she saw it. He wasn't being the perfect man, he was being a perfect host. But whatever put him in this ill-fitting house still had a hold on him. Worse, he was letting it keep him from moving on. He needed shaking up. She felt up to mischief again, which brought her mind back to the library, which gave her an idea. If she was reading him right, she'd be able to execute her plan that night.

Dinner went from palate-pleasing club sandwiches to quick-and-easy grilled cheese once Cassie's stomach gurgled loud enough for Jenny and Veronica to nearly spew their coffee out of their noses. Even Mike had to cover his mouth.

After dinner, Jenny excused herself to go find a bedtime reading book in the library and turn in. Veronica took a couple more of her bags up to unpack. Cassie finally got around to her shower. Mike laid down on the couch, propped up and playing some time-wasting games on his laptop for an hour or so, letting his mind wander.

In retrospect, he thought later that night, he probably should have known better. But it had been an exhausting day, so he wasn't thinking clearly. He was so used to being alone in this house, so he temporarily forgot the others were even there. And having been in such habits for so long, he didn't think twice about that particular folder of downloaded videos on his computer.

His thoughts were basic. He was stressed as hell, and this would unwind him enough for him to go upstairs and sleep. Just like the times before. He never did have a physical collection, and he never bothered asking himself why. If he started questioning his most private of practices, it would sort of defeat the purpose.

Tonight's video of choice was one of those new-wave artsy-type pornos, where the girls were nearly all skinny teens, the music was acoustic, and it seemed every single set was dressed in nothing but white linen. Tonight's featured star was Tori Black -- not a skinny teen, to be sure, but sensual. Sensuality was tonight's turn-on.

Mike lay on the couch, with his jeans, boxers, and laptop halfway down to his knees, one hand on the mousepad and one hand stroking himself, absentmindedly in time with the music, and sometimes with Tori's soft moans. He was fully hard -- it was difficult for him not to be. His past girlfriends -- the ones he had slept with, anyway -- all remarked about it. When he got hard, it was in no way a metaphor. That was his gift. He wasn't especially large or wide or anything, but the ladies all seemed to love that aspect of his lovemaking.

One woman, at least, seemed to be no longer able to resist it. Mike felt an arm cross his chest from the right, the back of the couch, while the other arm reached down and replaced his in its stroking. He tried to get up in surprise but the arm across his chest held him down, and the other hand grasped him firmly. He was not going to move until she let him. Breathing heavily, as much from his prior arousal as his current adrenalin rush, he suddenly heard a voice softly in his ear.

Jenny's voice.

"I thought I should have a talk with you," she began, with long, slow strokes, starting from the very base up to just below the head and back down again.

"You have been a perfect gentleman today." She actually purred a little when she said "perfect."

"You had three hot, young, beautiful women, very appreciative of you, at your whims, should you so... desire." She increased her pressure slightly for emphasis. Mike had most definitely returned to being very, very aroused. He couldn't turn his head, the position he was in, so his eyes could only continue to fixate on Tori, who was now fingering herself and running her other hand through her hair. Her moans were more of a background noise now. Jenny's stroke changed, increasing the firmness of her grip, as well as the pace to a regular yet languid tempo.

"But you didn't look. Not once. Good for you. Because of that, I'm going to give you a reward. Should I tell you a few things about us?" Jenny teased, "Oh, I think you will love to hear these: We're all clean. We've been careful. And since we were planning on being away for months anyway, we all have an ample supply of the pill. I don't know about you, but I have a fondness for bareback." Mike groaned, and his abs clenched in an involuntary thrust.

"I guess you like it, too. That's good, because we are all coming for you, Michael. All three of us want you. You can play that however you want, but believe me, this will be the warmest winter you've ever had." Mike started breathing hard, his chest heaving. Jenny stepped up her pace.

"Let me tell you about Veronica. Tall, blonde, and wild in the sack. We've had complaints from other buildings. And she is flexible. I've yet to hear of a position she couldn't do. You want the wildest fuck of your life, you go to her." Mike was leaking pre-cum, which only seemed to encourage Jenny as she kept up, stroke by stroke, with Mike's approach to climax.

"Cassie, though. Cassie's special. A fella walks into her room, you don't hear a sound all night. But he will come out the next morning with a far-off look in his eyes. You see, her hips can make the smallest movements. Guys say sex with her is a spiritual experience. She's made two guys pass... out..." Her voice was strengthening, growing ragged as she tried to keep her breath. Her hand was pounding him now, and his breaths were quick and shallow. He was so close. Time to go in for the kill.

"And then, there's me. I could tell you what I'm good at, but what would be the fun of that? I'll tell you this: I'll do things you never dreamed. I will blow your mind. I will rock your fucking world, Michael." His eyes fluttered, rolling back into his head.

"You want it?" she asked huskily.

"Yessss..." he gasped.

"Then come and get it," Jenny said, pouring all of her energy into beating him faster, harder, gripping him tighter. She was starting to gasp for air now.

"Come on..." she said, "Come on..."

Mike let out a deep, long groan.

"Come on..." Jenny repeated. It became a mantra.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeon..."

One more bit of mischief. With the tip of her tongue, she gave the smallest lick to his ear.

That did it.

Mike's breath stopped for a second, and then Jenny felt his orgasm rush by as it poured out of him. He gasped and groaned as he came, covering her fingers and parts of his chest. His cum was white, hot, and thick, forming arcing ropes in the air. It was all she could do not to bend her mouth down and lap it all up as it came out. All her willpower was barely enough for her not to take her arm from across his chest and finger herself to her own climax right there. She could feel how soaked her panties were.

For Mike, it was shattering. Coherent thought had left his mind the moment she began stroking him, the rest of his thoughts soon followed. It was pure sexual feeling, except for those tantalizing words she poured into his ear. By the time she was urging him to come, it was already inevitable. Her breath on his ear, the words, the sultry voice she was using, her arm across his chest, and her expert manipulations down below, were too much. He was lost. He saw a flash of white, and then felt nothing but the explosion. The only thing he remembered distinctly about that orgasm, other than how amazing it felt, was the involuntary moan he heard. But Tori's video had long since stopped -- it had to have been Jenny.

After his orgasm subsided, she stopped stroking, but still held her hand there as he shuddered through a series of aftershocks. She'd only ever read about them in men -- causing them was a first for her.




The Warmest Winter, Day 01



Just as he began to catch his breath, she swiftly pulled back and stood up. She turned and said, "Good night," as though nothing had happened, then went up to the second-floor bathroom. Cassie had finished her shower long before.

Once she shut the door behind her, Jenny used her clean hand to hastily remover her jeans and panties. Jenny then took her cum-covered hand and masturbated furiously. She clamped her free hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress her moans. She could smell Mike's arousal, especially his cum, mingling with her own juices. Quickly, she switched hands, sucking on the wet, sticky fingers in her mouth, tasting his cum amid the other flavors, and groaned. Her other hand flew down and she inserted one finger into her well-lubricated pussy. She imagined his rock-hard cock as she thrust the finger in and out. Still sucking and moaning around the fingers in her mouth, she slammed her finger in again and again, holding her thumb out where she knew it would rub her clit each time. She remembered the pure lust in his voice, the naked abandon when he had told her, "Yessss..."

Her climax hit her hard. Her body jerked back, adding the shock of the cool bathroom tiles to her already-overstimulated state. As she remembered the sight of Mike's orgasm, her own went on and on. After she caught her breath, she washed up and went to bed, smiling. Mischief managed.

Mike lay on the couch, stunned. He slowly shut the computer and laid it on the coffee table. If not for the splatter that would almost certainly stain his shirt, he would have been able to convince himself it had been a dream.

In a daze, Mike went to the kitchen sink and washed his hands. He stripped off his shirt. He stood at the sink, unthinking, until the closing of Jenny's bedroom door snapped him out of it. It was late, and it had been a long day. He'd sort it out the next morning. But before closing the door up to his suite behind him, he glanced over at Jenny's door, and as an afterthought, Veronica's and Cassie's.

This was either going to be the best two weeks of his life, or the worst.

He had no idea which one it would be, and it seemed he had no control over it.

Scared, confused, tired, and hornier than he'd been in over four years, he went up to his room and went to bed. Outside the windows, the snow continued to fall. 



The Warmest Winter, Day 02



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on Day 1. A special thank-you to my real-life editor, without whom this would be typo-riddled drivel. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended.

*****

Mike woke up, but lay in his bed, loathe to arise and face the morning.

Out of nowhere, Jenny appeared and slid her hand down to his crotch. He was in the habit of sleeping in the buff, and she was wearing only a black thong and a seductive smile.

"What are you-" Mike began to ask. Jenny put a finger to his lips.

Her hand found what it was looking for, and her fingers wrapped around it. Mike stifled a groan. He was already responding to her touch, just as he had last night.

Jenny was in front of him this time, allowing him to see her in all her sensuality. Her long deep-brown hair flowed loosely down her back, lightly tousled as if she had just herself woken up. Her breasts stood proudly in front of him- size D cups, he thought briefly. She had dark nipples, showing that her tan skin was natural.

She moved her slender fingers up and down Mike's shaft, eliciting appreciation from his lips. He still found himself unable to move. After a short time, she repositioned herself over him, kneeling on the bed and straddling his hips. Her left hand continued its ministrations, while her right hand explored her own body, occasionally cupping a breast or lightly squeezing a nipple.

Mike felt how turned on she was, the heat radiating from under her thong. The stretched fabric allowed Jenny's most intimate contours to be felt as she rocked slowly back and forth across his crotch, in time with the rhythms of her hand.

Mike began to breathe heavily. It amazed him that she could get him so worked up again so soon after last night. On the other hand, she was sinfully enticing. His eyes roamed the nearly-naked flesh before him, from the swell of her breasts, to the inward curve of her waist, to the suggestion of the curves of the buttocks he now ached to see.

The smoothness of her skin, the subtle curves of her athletic muscles, and then her richly brown eyes, which were now descending to his as she bent lower, still giving him the simulated ride. Mike gasped as her hard nipples touched his skin, and shuddered in pleasure as her ample breasts first collided with, then crushed, his chest.

Mike opened his mouth to receive the kiss promised by her inviting lips, but at the last moment, she turned her head aside, and he felt her hot, heavy breathing in his ear for the second time in a day. She was still rocking over him, still stroking him with her hand, as Mike held himself in tension for what she would say.

She opened her lips and took a breath, and in his left ear, Mike's alarm blasted the static-filled music of his favorite satellite radio station.

Not so favorite, this time around.

Mike groaned with realization, and dragged himself out of bed. Eight o'clock was his habitual starting time for the day, and he figured he might make breakfast for his houseguests. The problem now was how to get rid of his prominent erection before they saw it.

He tried to remember the dream, but only bits and flashes came through at this point. As he dressed for the day, he muttered an impressive variety of swearwords under his breath. He was frustrated that he couldn't just forget last night's encounter with Jenny and the dream. He was also frustrated that he couldn't remember more. And he was especially frustrated that he couldn't tell which one frustrated him more.

At least his mixed feelings provided the mood-killer he needed. He was back to normal by the time his morning routine was finished. He would be able to make breakfast without embarrassment.

That was the plan, anyway. When he came downstairs, the smell of Breakfast filled the common areas. In the kitchen, Cassie danced around cheerfully as she cooked, spatula in one hand and a piece of toast in her mouth. Jenny and Veronica gave him a cheerful greeting, and Cassie waved. Veronica took one look at him and immediately poured him a cup of coffee.

"How do you take it?" she asked. Mike shrugged.

"Black," he said, taking the cup, "Thanks."

"Something wrong with your hand? You're rubbing it."

"Oh, uh, I sort of hit my alarm clock kinda hard this morning."

"What's for breakfast?" Jenny asked, with no vestige of last night's erotic wordplay in her voice.

"My usual. Oatmeal."

"Trick question," chimed in Cassie, "It's my turn. Sit down." In a flash, she appeared and deposited an omelet-laden plate in front of Mike on the breakfast table, followed quickly by utensils. He inhaled deeply, and his suspicion of bacon and cheddar was instantly confirmed. As he sat, he smiled appreciatively at Cassie, who gave a small curtsy.

Mike took his first bite, and his eyes rolled back. That one bite threatened to bring back his hard-on. But now his stomach was the most demanding organ, and he happily obliged. About halfway through, his appetite subsided and he was able to savor the dish more slowly. He also looked up from his dish for the first time. All three ladies were sitting down at the table with him, nursing their coffee mugs and grinning at him.

"I think he likes it, Cassie!" Veronica enthused.

Swallowing to speak, Mike affirmed, "Oh, God, yes, Cassie. This tastes amazing."

"I'm glad you like it," Cassie said, earnestly.

"She just wanted to lure you into her two-week meal plan," Jenny said.

"Jenny!" Cassie said, "That was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Hey, I'm surprised," Mike said, "I take it you volunteer to cook, or at least take the lead of other cooks?"

"Oh, totally," Cassie said, "We don't have a kitchen like this at home."

"What kind of place do you have?" Mike asked conversationally.

"We share a three-bedroom apartment," said Veronica, "Yes, we know, it would make a great sitcom. Everybody says that."

"I take it that you gals being roommates helped get you all through college?" Mike asked. They nodded. "Can't have been fun dealing with the neighbors."

"Do you even remember what those are?" Jenny giggled, "You live way out here."

"You forget," Mike countered, "I'm only here for a few months. The rest of the time I have a place in Denver." Veronica, who was taking a sip, had to cover her mouth to keep from spraying the table.

"Denver?!" she exclaimed, "How in the world did you end up in the middle of Nothing Near It, New England?"

"I went to college a few hours from here. I fell in love with the fall foliage."

Jenny had to bite back the question, Then why do you come here in the winter, when the leaves are gone? What she said was, "It is nice, isn't it?"

That caused Mike to look directly at her for the first time that morning. She could read him yesterday, but now he was inscrutable.

What was really going on was that Mike was quickly throwing a poker face up to keep the ladies from seeing how worked up he was starting to get. During the whole conversation, he couldn't just change eye contact from one to the next. He was eating, and that meant his eyes had to travel back and forth to his plate. Along the way, his gaze had to travel across their bodies.

Yesterday, when he first met them, he did notice them, but he didn't notice that he had noticed. Now, however, he couldn't help but see how attractive they were.

Veronica was tall for a girl, about five-seven, with the classic blonde hair, blue eyes, and bombshell figure. Her breasts had to be double D's, but were they real? Even among the most famous breasts on the internet, it was rare to find ones that large with that firmness that were completely real. Nevertheless, when she folded her arms under them, the line of her cleavage deepened enticingly.

Cassie had given Mike quite the display as he entered the kitchen earlier. Jenny had mentioned to him about Cassie's unparalleled hip control last night while she stroked him to orgasm. Every move Cassie made with her legs was accompanied by the slightest shift in her waist, suggesting incredible sexual agility. And no matter how swift her movements, she made not a single sound.

Cassie was the shortest of the three, breaking five feet barely if she did so at all. Her brown hair came down to just below her neckline, framing what Mike could not call anything but a cute, round face. And her brown eyes could form a gaze that would stop him in his tracks.

Her breasts were large enough, about a C cup; but proud, not a nanometer of sag on either one. Mike had noticed that even dancing around the kitchen in her pajamas, she wore no bra and did not necessarily need one. And they bounced just enough that he knew for sure they were real.

Jenny, on the other hand, was still something of a mystery to him. Her body language was closed and she had already donned her daytime clothing: a loose-fitting, untucked t-shirt paired with comfortable jeans. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. As much as his dream had teased him, he still was no closer to knowing what she actually looked like under her clothes. Mike found himself stamping down on the desire to find out.

These were his guests. And whatever Jenny may think they were going to try, or what she wanted him to do, or whatever else had gotten into her head, he was going to do what he thought was right.

Whatever last night was, it was over, and Mike decided, right there during breakfast, not to dwell on it until such time as Jenny decided to explain herself. Until then, he was their host, and they stayed guests.

Okay, so this wouldn't stop him from looking. He'd have to be gay, dead, or probably both not to look. But just because he had these thoughts meant jack squat as far as acting on them. And if Jenny still wanted to jerk him off, that was fine by him.

So, that was settled. Mike's head cleared a bit, and he rejoined the conversation, which by now had drifted elsewhere without him.

"It seems," he interjected, "that in all of the fuss yesterday, we never established any House rules."

"Oh, yeah," said Veronica, "We were going to fill you in on those."

"Wait, what?"

"Well, the three of us are already roommates," Jenny supplied, "We've got house rules already. It would be easier and more practical for you to adjust ours, than for us to adjust to yours."

Mike was irked that Jenny had derailed him like that. It irked him even more that she was completely right.

"All right," he conceded, waving his napkin as a white flag, "Let's hear them."

"Firstly," said Veronica, "Do you smoke?"

"God, no," Mike responded, "For a start, Dave and the other rangers would kill me. They made me install a fire suppression system in here as it is. Secondly, I don't want to. You?"

"No. We'd have made you smoke outside if you didn't already. We take great care of ourselves-"

No kidding, thought Mike's libido.

"-and it's good we won't have to put up with that. We exercise regularly, but we don't share gym time, for focus and self-consciousness. We've got a routine down so we don't interfere with each other; can you work around that?"

"Sure."

"Bedrooms are by invitation only."

"Goes without saying. The exception, I guess, would be my room. I can't really hear the second floor all that well from the third. That comes from the third floor being designed to not be heard well from the other floors. It is a Master bedroom suite, after all. You can come up to the third floor if you need me, but still knock once you're up there. The big bathroom can be by appointment. Happy?"

"Close enough," said Veronica. "How about you?"

"How about me what?"

"Any rules you want to add?"

"Oh, right. Well... I guess my office is off-limits as long as the door is closed. My schedule is a little flexible, but I do have commitments to keep, and right now I'm behind thanks to... God, is it still snowing?... Anyway, it's my job. I'll try to put in about eight hours a day until I meet a couple deadlines in a few days. Same for my bedroom door. If I close it, I'm either asleep or really needing some time to myself."

All three women nodded.

"Sounds fair," said Jenny.

"And as long as you treat the books and the act of reading them in the Library with respect, it's open to the public."

Jenny pumped a fist in the air. "Yes!"

From there, the conversation wandered again, mainly with the ladies trying to decide what to do for the day. At nine o'clock, Mike went into his office and shut the door, conducting what research he could and organizing as many notes as possible, so that once the satellite connections returned, he could catch up with relative ease. As he focused on the tasks set for him by his clients, his feelings about the three gorgeous women, both physical and emotional, were driven from his mind.

*****

At one o'clock, his lunchtime alarm went off, and he left his office to see what the ladies had gotten up to. He found them in the basement. Jenny and Veronica were engaged in a heated match of table tennis. Cassie was relaxed on the sofa, reading the liner notes of one of Mike's vinyl records.

"What is this?" Mike asked as the music swelled from the phonograph.

"Pink Floyd. Dark Side Of The Moon." Cassie said, holding up the cover for emphasis. "Don't you recognize it?"

"I never got around to actually listening to it," Mike said, "But I meant the song."

"Oh," she said, "This one's called 'The Great Gig In The Sky.' Great vocals, huh? Clare Torry."

"It sounds like the masturbation scene from a porno rock opera." It fascinated Mike for weeks afterwards that he actually spoke the words aloud.

Jenny, Veronica, and Cassie froze for a second to listen, just long enough to grant Jenny another point by default. Clare Torry wailed away, and then the three ladies burst out laughing. Mike had to join in. Every note poor Clare sang was apparently more hilarious than the last.

By the time the next song started, the Ping-Pong ball was lost, Veronica was bracing herself on the table while gasping for air, Jenny was in tears, and Cassie was hysterical on the floor, having fallen off the sofa. Mike recovered first, having been least familiar with the album.

"Hey, I know this song!" he said.

"It's 'Money.' Everyone and their cat knows this one," said Jenny, wiping her eyes clear with her shirt. This gave Mike a glimpse of her abs, which were the very cliché of sculpted. Her skin indeed had an ethnic tan to it, unlike the sun-caused yet tasteful tans of the other two. Mike had a flash of his dream, Jenny running her free hand across those abs, dripping with sweat.

He steeled himself against the thought.

"Uh, it's about lunchtime," he said, "At least for me. When it's done, I'll have to go out and clear the panels again."

"Lunch menu today: grilled deli sandwiches," announced Cassie. She immediately went upstairs to get cooking. Mike smiled.

"She just lights up when she's happy, doesn't she?"

"Yup, that's our Cassie," Veronica said.

"She wears her heart on her sleeve," Jenny offered from wherever she was on the floor, looking for the lost ping pong ball. "It's gotten her hurt more than once."

"Don't worry; we kicked their asses from here to Bangladesh," said Veronica.

"So now she keeps some of herself locked away deep," Jenny continued, standing up holding the ball. "But no power on this earth can get that girl to hide what she wants to show."

"You sound almost proud," Mike observed.

"Damn right." Jenny and Veronica said it simultaneously.

*****

"It's astonishing what can be done with supermarket lunchmeat and white bread," remarked Mike between mouthfuls, "How'd you pull it off?"

"Chef's secret," Cassie said, sitting down to dig into her own lunch.

"So was that your major? Culinary arts?"

"No, actually. This is just a hobby."

"Some hobby."

"It was real estate development."

"Come again?"

"My major. You know, building codes, a bit of architecture, a fair bit of legalese, that sort of thing. I can help someone go from a plot of undeveloped, or worse, rundown property, to the business or home site of their dreams."

"Sounds cool. You know, I think I had one consulting when I built this place. Well, not me, exactly. They consulted for my lawyer, who consulted for me. How about you two?"

"We've never consulted for you," cracked Veronica without missing a beat.

"Oh, ha ha ha. What were your majors?"

"Yeah, I know," said Veronica, "You're just too much fun not to mess with. I'm in business management, minoring in hospitality services. I figure I'll end up being an owner-slash-maitre'd for a fine dining restaurant."

"Too bad Cassie won't be your cook," Mike commented, "And you, Jenny?"

"Double major. Psych and kinesiology," she replied.

"Kinesi-"

"The new name for sports science. My goal is to be a holistic therapist; you know, body and mind, not just one? I'm developing a program. Anyway, I'll be going for a Master's or doctorate once I find the right college to support the idea."

"Also very cool. Strikes me as something useful for combat injuries and accident victims."

"Bingo," Jenny said, then got quiet. "I had a cousin get into an accident when I was fourteen. She was seventeen. She ran a red light and the other driver died. No charges were filed, but she was taken to a physical therapist and a regular therapist. The physical therapist kept pushing her to do more, sooner, so her body could recover better. Her other therapist told her to take her time healing.

"But the body follows the mind. The strain between the two philosophies was too much, and she quit the physical therapy. She never fully regained the ability to walk. This only complicated her emotional issues, and six months later my aunt and uncle heard her break something downstairs.

"She had busted into the cabinet that had her meds. They were so careful about keeping her safe. But she got in anyway, took the entire bottle, a fresh prescription, swallowing the lot as her parents rushed down. They called for an ambulance, but Nikki fought them all as long as she could. She lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, and never regained it.

"All because her two therapists didn't have a fucking clue what they were doing." It was at this time Mike realized that Jenny tended to wield profanity like a rapier, jabbing it in where needed.

Cassie had sidled over to give Jenny a sidelong hug. Veronica reached across the table to hold her hands. Mike felt for her, he really did, but also felt a little awkward. He still hadn't known these women for twenty-four hours yet.

Jenny was a champion, though. She pulled herself together and said, "I haven't talked about it in a while. But I really believe in what I'm doing."

"I have no doubt," said Mike softly, "And if you want a consult on your program, it's on the house."

"You know about therapeutic techniques?" Jenny's incredulity got the better of her.

"Not a lot. Yet." Mike explained, "I told you I do consulting work? Most of what I do is research. A lot of people have a lot of great ideas, at least that's how they sound. But few people have the time or desire to comb through all the previous academia to see if their ideas hold water. That's where I come in."

"Well, thanks," said Jenny, "I'll let you know."

"And I'll take care of the lunch dishes."

"No, it's my turn," said Veronica, getting up, "And Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"You owe me a rematch. Mike interrupted our game. 'Masturbation scene from a porno rock opera.' Ha, I'm so telling that one to my parents when we get Internet again. When will that be again, Mike?"

"Late tonight, early tomorrow," Mike said, "Depending on when I get the panels clear." He looked at his watch. "Oh, crap. I need to hurry."

"What for?" said Cassie.

"Dave mentioned another lull, like the one where I brought you ladies in yesterday. It's coming up, and I need time to get ready. Thanks for lunch, and I'll let you gals know when I'm done." He left the table and headed up to his bedroom.




The Warmest Winter, Day 02



*****

Cold weather clothing? Check. Rope setup secure? Check. Any more lumps under the snow? Not check. Good. Even the path he made to their SUV yesterday couldn't be distinguished unless you knew where to look.

Clearing off the solar panels had tired Mike out yesterday, but today the task was grueling. Firstly, he had to clear a space for himself on the apex before he could even get onto the roof. His shoulder might not forgive him for days. Once on the roof, he had to clear the entire apex, so he could go where he needed.

Starting the snow down to join yesterday's accumulation took nearly everything he had. When it finally gave way, he almost went with it a couple of times. But thanks to the ropes, he stayed up, and was even able to check the panels for cracks. Mercifully, they were all intact.

The whole thing had taken him a lot longer than he would have liked. Mike felt the wind start to pick up, a sure sign that the last of the blizzard was coming through. He hurried down and packed away his climbing setup.

After coming inside and latching the door behind him, the exhaustion hit him. He had lasted on the roof because of his exercise regimen, but they don't make dumbbells that prepare you for hundreds of cubic feet of snow.

His mind capable only of getting him to his pillow, he managed to strip out of his thick layers of clothing. Mike never remembered actually landing on the bed, but he must have, as he was soon fast asleep.

*****

Jenny was in his room.

She held a finger to her lips for silence, then slowly peeled off her shirt to reveal her glorious breasts, displayed and framed by a black lace bra.

Jenny turned and began sliding down her jeans, revealing her mouth-watering hips and ass to Mike, whose eyes widened. His erection came quickly, almost painfully. He was laying in bed, and began to stroke himself at the striptease he was witnessing.

She was now wearing only the bra and matching panties. Mike got a good, long look at her sport-toned legs as she bent over to remove her jeans. Jenny's hands caressed her skin all the way back up her body as she stood up again, around her hips, grazing her breasts, until she deftly caught her hair tie and pulled it off, shaking her head to let her silky hair fall all around.

She arched her back, jutting her breasts forward, keeping her head back as she reached around behind herself and unclasped her bra. Like most women, Jenny quickly brought her hands around to catch the bra before it fell away, causing Mike to groan in disappointment. His hand kept pumping, but it just wasn't satisfying compared to what his eyes were drinking in.

Jenny finally let the bra go, revealing her breasts, exactly as Mike had dreamed them the night before. She walked slowly, slowly, up to his king-sized bed. and he removed his hand to let her do whatever she wanted. He could already smell how turned on she was, the scent intoxicating him further.

At the foot of his bed, she took the waistband of her panties with her thumbs, and with agonizing patience dragged them down her legs past her knees, giving Mike an up-close view of her cleavage as she bent over.

With a sudden hop, Jenny was on her hands and knees on Mike's bed, and reached back with one hand to lift her panties the rest of the way free from her long legs. And without further delay, her head descended to his erection, engulfing it in her hot mouth.

Mike gasped, then opened his eyes.

Damn. Another dream.

But there were still lips on his cock, and God, were they skilled. That must have inspired the dream. The reason Mike could smell her arousal so well was that her naked, shaved pussy lips were inches from his face.

The skin color was wrong for Jenny, though. Blinking to clear his vision, which the incredible blowjob he was getting helped not in the least, he got a good look at the hips and ass of the woman currently blowing his cock and mind.

In his sleep-addled state, he still couldn't be sure, until he saw those hips make the slightest of satisfied movements.

It most certainly wasn't Jenny. It was Cassie.

Sweet, cute, Cassie had found him asleep, naked on his bed, and had decided to give him the wake-up call of his life. To Hell with Jenny and her mindfuck manipulations. This was how sex was supposed to be.

Mike bent his head upwards and brought his arms around. At the same time, he firmly grasped Cassie's talented hips and brought his tongue into contact with her folds.

Cassie froze and a slight shiver ran through her. For a second, she was surprised and scared. But Mike only explored further with his tongue, kissing her lips with his, and she shuddered as the realization of his enthusiasm hit her.

If she hadn't watched him go from soft to hard, Cassie would never have believed that Mike was all real. Other than his skin, he was solid. His enthusiasm was shared. Cassie felt his lips close around her, and his tongue began to wind its way around. Mike's hands had firm grips on her. It turned her on even more to know how much he liked her assets.

Cassie tried a few different techniques, to see what Mike responded to the most. As he woke up, she was in a pattern of quickly going down, then lifting up slowly, and repeating.

Her right hand was at the base, guiding him into her mouth better. Occasionally, when she needed a few moments to catch her breath, she would lick around the rim of the head, using her hand to continue stroking.

At one point, Cassie switched to a slow but steady rhythm, all the way down, all the way up. She had not deepthroated much before, but could not resist the opportunity with a cock like Mike's. She let her tongue travel as it would as he entered and left her mouth, eliciting the occasional muffled grunt from Mike as she happened to hit the right spot at the right time. It excited her immensely whenever his hips bucked, and she made sure to remember how she did it each time.

Mike couldn't remember the last time sex had been this much fun, if ever, and it wasn't even actual sex. It was all he could do not to thrust into Cassie's mouth, but she was talented enough he could refrain, just to feel what she would do next.

He contented himself with the amazing blowjob he was getting, as well as finding out what he could do to get Cassie's full hips to buck. His tongue made circles around her clitoris, getting more delicate as she responded more, and then he would suddenly change direction and start it all over again.

After some time, Cassie had moved up her pace to match her increasing arousal. Mike was kissing and tasting her juices as they flowed out, and loving every drop. He began to run his hands around on her body, what he could reach. At first he just explored her ass, feeling every inch and letting himself grab a handful whenever she performed an especially erotic oral maneuver. Then he reached back and felt her legs, those dancing legs with their firm muscles.

Cassie reached new heights as Mike explored her body. Maybe it said something about her previous choices in men, but nobody she'd ever been with was as considerate. In response, Cassie braced herself with both hands on the bed, and proceeded to suck on Mike with only her mouth. She couldn't believe it, but he grew just a bit harder than before.

Mike had to keep himself from orgasm when she started to deepthroat him regularly. He re-gifted it in the form of penetrating Cassie with his tongue. She was hot, tight, and delicious. He couldn't help but think for the second time that day, Oh, God, yes, Cassie. This tastes amazing.

Cassie suddenly increased her pace to frantic, her breathing hard and fast. Mike's tongue in her pussy felt too damn good, and she had to cum. Her whole body tensed, except that her mouth worked overtime on Mike's cock, which was producing its clear sticky liquid that Cassie felt must have been designed to drive her insane.

She closed her eyes as wave after wave hit her, and she had to release Mike from her mouth just to breath. Cassie gasped for air as her whole frame shook with the force of her orgasm.

When the peak of her climax struck, Cassie shoved every last millimeter of Mike down her throat, sure that he would come. It would have been the perfect end to an amazing orgasm, but he didn't.

What he did do was redouble his efforts. Mike barely made it through her climax without one of his own, but he was determined to get the most out of this he could. Once she resumed her activities on his cock, he went back to exploring her tight body.

If someone thought that her wide hips and succulent ass were due in any part to fat, they were mistaken. Cassie was just as toned as her two best friends. Mike ran his hands firmly across her waist, not wanting to tickle her and spoil the mood. He moved his hands up to her back.

Cassie knew what was coming, but still felt exhilarated when he finally, finally got to her breasts. In what back of her mind she could register, she worried a little because he hadn't touched her there yet. Of course, all Mike wanted was to save the best for last.

Mike knew how firm her breasts were, but touching them, feeling them, running his fingers across her hardened nipples, was sheer joy. He wanted to flip her over and spend an hour just showing Cassie how amazing those breasts really were, mainly with his tongue.

Oh, how he wanted to clamp his mouth over them, tease them, flick the nipples with his tongue. And everything he wanted to do to her breasts, he demonstrated on her clit.

Holding her breasts like that meant that his arms were bracing her hips. Mike had all of her in his arms, on way or another. She had him pinned down and was wrapped firmly around every part of him that mattered.

The sheer intimacy of such close, intense contact pushed Mike to the point of no return, whatever he wanted for Cassie. He knew as soon as he crossed that line, and brought his hands back to firmly hold Cassie, and flicked his tongue across her clit as fast as he could manage.

Cassie was going mad with the sensations. She didn't really come down all the way after her orgasm, and now she could tell how close Mike was. His tongue was overwhelming her, and his cock was gloriously rigid in her mouth.

Mike gave a single, hard suck to her clit, causing Cassie to climax again while he started his own orgasm. Cassie felt more and more of his cum hit the back of her throat, and the whole time, he tongued the entrance to her pussy, extending her orgasm with his own.

She swallowed, and more came. She swallowed, and more came. Eyes snapped open, she swallowed a third time as his orgasm subsided. There was one more shot in his aftershocks, but she lapped it up hungrily.

Mike finally fell back onto his bed, too tired to hold onto Cassie's still-beckoning ass. Whatever she was doing with her tongue now, it made his aftershocks way more intense than he could remember ever having. Finally sated, he began to soften, and she released him from her mouth. Mike and Cassie were both very short of breath.

As Cassie got up from the bed, Mike turned over to say something, but Cassie was quicker. She placed a single finger on his lips, and brought her face in close to his. Somehow, her gaze said everything. No words. That was fine. In his state Mike would be hard-pressed to be anything but content. She kissed his forehead and turned away.

Cassie crossed the room to where she had left her clothes, and Mike groaned softly as she shimmied her panties back up her legs. She hadn't worn a bra all day, so she was able to just slip her blouse back on and leave. Before she descended the steps, she looked back at him and smiled. Then she was gone.

Mike had a lot to think about as he showered and got dressed again. Was this a conspiracy? Did Jenny have something to do with this? Did he mind if she did? Would Veronica surprise him next? And then his next question made his mind do a U-turn: Why the Hell was he going to look the gift horse in the mouth?

There was probably going to be trouble for this, sure, but none of it was his fault. Maybe staying on the ride was the best way to find out where it was going.

Okay. Yeah. Keep thinking that. It might just be true.

Mike managed to remind himself that everything he was thinking during breakfast was still just as true. Until they explained themselves, he was just going to sit back and see what happened. But for now, it was four o'clock in the afternoon and he still had four hours of work to do. Without checking on his houseguests, he went down to the office.

*****

It's amazing how much work you can get done when you feel more stubborn than the clock. Mike didn't really have too much else to do, practically speaking, until the clouds thinned and he got satellite back. But the signal could be back at any time now, since the storm was down to just light flurries. He satisfied himself by rifling through his work library for texts on the ladies' majors.

Business management was half of his collection; that could wait. Psychology and kinesiology were sparse on his shelves; they would have to. He brushed up on real estate with his feet crumpling some papers on his desk and lost track of the time.

When his four-hour timer rang, he put down his book on Denver zoning laws and came out of his office, oddly refreshed.

Jenny, Cassie and Veronica had collected around the lit fireplace in the front living room. They had used the last of the firewood. As soon as they saw Mike, Veronica got up to get him a cup of hot cocoa to match theirs. Mike took one look at Jenny and said, "Scoot."

"Why?"

"A new house rule. That's my chair."

"All right." She relocated to the couch as Veronica returned with Mike's cocoa. Veronica sat down on the other end of the couch as Cassie sat cross-legged on the floor, a picture of innocence.

"So," Mike asked, "What have you ladies been up to? What did I miss?"

"I won the rematch!" Veronica exulted.

"Only because that song came on again."

"We both heard it, so fair's still fair."

"They were arguing like this the whole time you were on the roof," Cassie said, "When you didn't come down after a while, that's when I went to check on you."

Mike raised his mug to take a sip, which also partially concealed his face, making it harder to read his expression. How much had Cassie told them? He dared not look at Jenny right now.

"But aren't you glad," Cassie continued, "that I was there to get you untangled? That took forever!"

"Hey!" Mike said, playing along, "I told you that was a secret!"

"God, Mike, you're blushing!" laughed Veronica in disbelief, "Just how tangled were you?"

"It was pretty tense there for a while," Mike said with ironclad honesty. Brilliant Cassandra. It explained the time we were up there and why I'm embarrassed about it. And if you're smart, now you'll change the subject.

"So now you know so much about us," Cassie said, as if on cue, "Tell us something about you."

"Story time!" Jenny called, like a kid eager for their bedtime fairy tale. She and Veronica got into it, joining Cassie on the floor. Mike almost laughed at the cherubic expressions they presented.

"All right," he said, "How could I say no to you? What do you want to know?"

"You keep talking about this house and arrangements and stuff. How'd it happen?" Cassie suggested.

Mike hesitated.

"It's kind of a long story. You sure?"

Two against one the answer was yes. Veronica said she'd save her suggestion for tomorrow. Mike sat back.

"I'm a smart guy. Always have been. I graduated high school at seventeen. By the time the diploma was in my hand, I had a free ride to college, including room, board, and spending money. My parents are hard-working middle-class, so they were tickled at having my college fund to themselves.

"Through college, I majored in sociology, which has its uses in so many fields despite not being well recognized on its own. Aside from my schoolwork, I had already started consulting, first with a couple of professors, casually, academically, and then seriously.

"Consulting is seen as less than a regular job, because the work isn't steady. As compensation goes, it pays well. Well, I had regular consulting gigs, with demand rising. I seem to have a knack for finding key information. So with demand, my prices went up. I made a small fortune. Maybe not so small.

"During the summers, I started planning my dream house. I love the scenery here, and found the perfect plot of land. Unfortunately, it was this one. Adjacent to a national park? Twenty miles from anything? But it was perfect nonetheless."

Cassie nodded empathetically. "It usually is."

"Well, I took it as a personal challenge," said Mike, "I hired the right lawyer and got to know the rangers, and we hammered out an agreement. Not just an agreement. Between my business connections from consulting and my lawyer's connections, we had some laws tweaked that actually gave the park benefits for my being here.

"For example, because it now counts as a residential road, paving the road that got you here comes from the transit budget, not the park budget. Things like that. The savings allowed the park to remain open ten months a year. Before, it was only six. The rangers had to rely less on off-season jobs. Dave was my primary liaison and decided I was his best friend after that. He's not wrong.

"So now I could build on the land. That took the better part of two years, to get all of the arrangements and deals settled and enacted.

"Meanwhile, I designed the house. Big, for... company, as self-sustaining as it could get, the best of everything without being impractical. By the time we could build, the house was all but, heh, set in stone.

"And then it got built. It took some time to get the materials, work through a couple of bad contractors who will now never get paid to use a hammer again, and just get things done right. But by the time I was twenty-one, I had graduated suma cum laude and our dream home was done."

"'Our' dream home?" Jenny quoted carefully.

"Sorry. I guess I'm already thinking of this place as belonging to you three as much as me. They are your house rules, after all. So, anyway, that was four years ago, and I've spent the heart of my winters here ever since."

A few minutes later, Cassie yawned. Everyone took that to be a sign that it was time to turn in for the night. Mike picked up the spray bottle and started squirting the fire to douse it. This method kept as much of the wood dry as possible, to make it easier to re-light.

Veronica got up and stretched. "And tomorrow, I want to hear about Uncle and Monkey."

"Oh, that," Mike said, grinning, "That's nice and short.

"There was a private fundraising event for the park while I was working out my deals and stuff. Dave invited me to help explain the arrangement, because he didn't know half of it. We had a crowd gathered, either because the details fascinated them or Dave and I were lightly hammered with booze. Anyway, I finish up, and one onlooker says, 'Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!'

"I can't remember how, but Dave and I started arguing over which one of us was Monkey and which one was Uncle. The general consensus was that I was too pretty to be Monkey, so Dave got stuck with it. It was worth it, though, we made the local paper and the park got loads of private funds."

Smiling, Veronica and Cassie ascended the stairs, exchanging good-nights all around. Mike put the squirt bottle into the kitchen. The fire was out, but the bottle was empty. Jenny was still hanging around at the bottom of the stairs when he came to go to bed.

"That wasn't the whole story," Jenny prodded.

"I told you, I was pretty drunk. That's all I remember."

"That's not which story I meant, and you know it."




The Warmest Winter, Day 02



Mike started seething a little. Who did she think she was? Bugger that. He started up the stairs.

"Yes, I know which story," he said.

"So who was she?"

Jenny realized she has pushed too hard when Mike turned back to face her. The utter lack of emotion on his face was a little scary.

"See you tomorrow, Jennifer." He went upstairs and shut the door behind him.

"Good night, Michael," she whispered softly, "I'm sorry."



The Warmest Winter, Day 03



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters. A special thank-you to my real-life editor, without whom this would be quite typo-riddled. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All characters, situations, places, laws, weather patterns, and sexual positions in this story are fictional. Believe me, if this story were real, I'd be a dead man for writing it.

*****

Mike's eyes snapped open. The music from his alarm clock blasted Bruce Springsteen at him. After turning it off, he ran through a quick checklist while absentmindedly going through his morning routine.

No erotic dreams? Check. No wake-up surprises? Check. Had his life gotten very strange in the last forty-eight hours? Big, whopping check, in red permanent marker.

Here he was, stuck snowbound twenty miles from anyone else, in his house with three women, who only had each other and himself for company, since they had no contact with the outside world thanks to the cloud cover being so... wait, was the radio signal clear this morning?

Leaving his toothbrush dangling from his mouth, Mike went to the double-doors that led to the balcony from his master bedroom suite. The snow had stopped; the Blizzard Of The Century was finally over.

This not only meant that he had just one last run up to the roof to clear the solar panels, but the satellite connections he used for the house would be back up and running. Mike hurried through the rest of his ablutions, to tell his houseguests the good news.

He needn't have worried. Yesterday, when he came downstairs, it had been smiles, coffee, and an omelet. Today, it was smiles, coffee, and laptops. Actually, Jenny was the only one with what could still be called a laptop. Cassie and Veronica both had tablet computers.

"I see you already know," Mike said, after making himself some oatmeal and a cup of coffee.

"My parents want to kill you," said Veronica. Some people broke the ice with a chisel; some with fire. Veronica seemed to like nuking the glacier. "I told them about what you called that song. They love that album and now they say they'll never be able to listen to it again."

"My pleaure," said Mike.

Veronica laughed. "If you ever meet them, they'll never let you forget it."

"If I ever meet them, I'll remind them that you didn't have to tell them about it."

Veronica turned and narrowed her eyes at Mike playfully, "You fight mean."

"I win. It's what I do."

Hearing this, Jenny glanced up at Mike, but since his attention was on Veronica, he didn't notice.

"So what are your plans for today?" Veronica continued.

"Well, firstly, I'll nip off breakfast early and clear the solar panels one last time. Then I'll need to hole up in my office and start getting caught up on my consultation work. I have at least three deadlines in two days, and couple minor ones within a week or two after that. Cassie?" She looked up.

"Oh, hi, Mike. Good morning."

"Whatcha up to today?"

"Cooking. Today's recipes will take me all day. It'll be great!" Mike smiled. He had learned enough about Cassie to know she meant both the cooking process and the result.

"Jenny?" Mike prompted.

"Yeah?" she said, looking up.

"What are your plans today?" Mike used a slightly harsh inflection on plans. Jenny was looking straight at him as he did so, and the embers of resentment she saw in his expression made her break contact.

Jenny had been pushing him to open up and not hang onto his past, but she pushed too hard and Mike became aware of it. Whatever he was holding back, she struck a serious nerve. Time to relent, and give him space. Let him come to her.

"I was just going to read today," Jenny said, "Don't know how long I'll be here with all those books and free time." She actually managed to sound cheerful about it.

"Oh, and what am I going to do?" Veronica said, "You know Cassie goes into her own little world when she cooks!"

"Sorry, Ronni, I just feel like relaxing today." Veronica stuck her tongue out at Jenny, a sign of continued displeasure, but with no hard feelings.

Mike licked his spoon clean then put his dishes into the sink and said, "Gotta run, ladies. Cassie, have fun." He went upstairs.

Thirty seconds later, with her eyes still glued to the recipes on her screen, Cassie said, "I will, thanks."

Jenny and Veronica shared a glance, then cracked up laughing.

*****

Veronica decided to let her mind wander, but started getting bored fairly quickly. She never wanted to become one of those hunched-over laptop jockeys who could stare at the screen for hours on end. Okay, maybe watching a video, but what fun was that without friends?

She hung out in the living room, nursing the last sips of her coffee, trying to figure out what to do with herself for the day. Luckily, just as she was about to pull out her computer, Mike came back downstairs.

"Hey, Mike. All clear?"

"Yup. Jenny and Cassie already off on their solo adventures?"

"Yeah. Hey, listen," said Veronica, "You're here for months by yourself. You work the whole time?"

"Of course not. I pretty much stick to a eight-hour day, five-day work week. This blizzard's just thrown me out of whack."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, what do you do the rest of the time?"

"I read, I watch movies, I put a puzzle together... I have an original Nintendo hooked up in the basement. Super Mario Brothers Three takes me all day... But I think Duck Hunt would be more your speed."

"...Yeah. Do you do any real hunting?"

"You mean here? Adjacent to a national park?"

"No?"

"No."

"Could you show me how to work the Nintendo?"

"All right, but then I really have to get to work."

"Sure, and thanks."

As they went downstairs, Mike saw Veronica shiver. The basement was five to ten degrees colder than the first floor. From his elevated view behind her on the steps, he could see the goose bumps form across all of the exposed skin of her bust. She was wearing a form-fitting t-shirt and cutoff shorts.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mike asked, "You want me to up the temp down here?"

"You saw me shiver?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, you look cold." What Mike didn't add was, "And despite the fact that you're wearing a bra, your nipples are showing through your shirt like twin pencil erasers... Make that twin marbles."

"I'll be alright. I can do my exercising early if I want to."

Mike opened the entertainment center in the corner of the room and showed Veronica how to turn everything on and off, and coached her in the handling of the Nintendo.

"It can handle some rough stuff, because these were built to last. But don't be too harsh- I want these to last as long as possible."

"Sounds like a couple of my ex-boyfriends," joked Veronica. Mike gave her an appraising look.

"Some rough stuff, huh?"

"Oh, god, I didn't mean," Veronica said, putting one hand up to her mouth and waving the other urgently. "It was only a joke, I didn't, I don't, I never-" Why was it so hot down here all of the sudden?

Mike started laughing. "You are absolutely adorable, you know that?" That snapped her out of it.

"Whaddya mean, 'adorable'? That's all you've got? I've been called hot, sexy, gorgeous, pretty, beautiful, and a ton of other names, and adorable is the best you can do?" Mike just kept laughing. The occasional chuckle persisted through the rest of the Duck Hunt setup.

"I'll be down to keep you company whenever I need to take a break. Is Cassie making both lunch and dinner, or just dinner?"

"Beats me," Veronica shrugged.

"All right then. See you later."

****

Mike jumped in his office chair when his cell phone rang. The house had no landline. He checked the caller ID and picked up.

"Hey, Dave."

"Hey, Mike. You still okay?"

"Behind on work, but just fine."

"Your houseguests?"

"They're okay, too. Pictures of health. You never did say how you knew about them."

"You didn't ask, and it was a busy day. Anyhoo, we had a couple of tips on our hotline about a stranded vehicle. By the time somebody came by to check on it, it was gone. We figured the vehicle stopped to check a map or something, then continued on. But with the weather being what it was, it couldn't have left the county, so we were pretty relieved when you told me you found them."

Many of the rangers volunteered as emergency response personnel during the offseason.

"So were they, and I guess I am, too. God, could you imagine if I hadn't spotted them? Or spotted them too late?"

"Don't go there Mike. It worked out fine, just be glad."

"How's things out there?"

"Plows are slowgoing with so much snow, but we're making progress. That brings me to why I called."

"I'm not getting plowed out," Mike predicted.

"Yeah, bud, sorry. There's a few reasons. Care to hear them?"

"Usually, no, but I think my houseguests might. Lay it on me."

"Firstly, it's not just plowing. Blizzards not only drop a ton of snow, the wind's blowing the whole time. That means trees get blown over left, right, center, and backwards. Now we've got a pickle. We can't check for fallen trees 'til the snow's gone," Dave explained.

"While at the same time," Mike continued, "You can't plow until you know the trees are out of the way. They'd wreck the plow, the truck, or both."

"Bingo. Secondly, it's twenty miles under foliage. We can't salt it, even from a chopper. We could air evac you in an emergency, but if it ain't life and death, you're on your own. That's what you wanted when you built the place, and that's what you've got."

"Don't I know it. We'll be careful. What else?"

"Lastly, like I said, there's a lot to plow and it's pretty much at a snail's lollygag. Frankly, it'll melt before we could get to you."

"All right, Monkey. Thanks for telling me. Which reminds me: I was wrong and you were right. The backup shortwave unit was a good idea."

"Told you."

"It only took four years and the worst recorded blizzard to make you get something right, but hey, I'm man enough to admit it when I'm wrong."

"Shut up, you smarmy brat."

"Make me, you tree-hugging hippie."

Dave chuckled. "Talk to you later, Uncle."

"All right, thanks for checking in, Monkey."

Once Mike was ready for his first break, he went out and checked on everybody. The kitchen was a culinary war zone, with the part of battlefield commander being played by Cassie, earbuds in, head bopping amid the steam. Somewhere, a restaurant should have been crying for the chef it would never have known. There was no sign of Jenny.

When Mike turned the corner downstairs, he heard a familiar pattern of sounds: the Duck Hunt dog giggling, followed by the repeated plastic snap of the trigger being fired.

"What's so funny?" Veronica demanded.

"You can't kill the dog," Mike said, laughing, "Believe me, everyone tries. I even heard a rumor once that a guy in Singapore recoded the game, giving you an extra bullet and the ability to shoot the dog with it. I haven't found it, but it's supposedly really good."

Veronica broke into a more relaxed smile, but then frowned. "Who made this gun? Why doesn't it ever hit the duck?"

Mike observed what for lack of a better word could be called her technique. Veronica was sitting back in one of the chairs, and holding the gun out at arm's length. Her other hand cupped the bottom of her firing hand; she kept both eyes open, and pulled the trigger. He took a deep breath.

"How honest would you like my answer to be?"

"If I wanted sugarcoating?"

"I'd tell you to keep trying; you're sure to improve."

"Brutal honesty?"

"Your skills would be improved by blindness."

"Ow!" Veronica said, but laughed. Her laughter was high and bright, and her eyes sparkled whenever she did. "Okay, maybe only the necessary truth."

"Of course. You really want to learn?"

"I want that dog to cry to its momma."

"Okay. Step one: get directly in front of the television, about ten to fifteen feet back." Veronica got up and stood in that part of the room.

"Now, get down into a firing position, on one knee." Veronica did so, but apparently Mike thought it was wrong. He got down on the floor next to her, and demonstrated.

"Are you a lefty or a righty?" he asked.

"Righty."

"Okay, left foot up, right knee down. Left elbow just behind the left kneecap, right elbow out. Hold the barrel with your left hand, the trigger with your right. Put the gun just under your right eye, so that the center of your vision passes directly through the double-sight at the back of the gun. When you aim, swing only the front of the gun. When the tip of the front sight is centered on the duck, squeeze the trigger, don't pull it."

Mike watched as she carefully contorted her body into what she thought he was talking about. They both started sputtering when she fell over.

"Here, let me help," Mike said, helping her. As he guided her waist while she stood, her shirt slipped and his fingers brushed her smooth, taut skin.

Mike suddenly figured out why so many authors described a sexually-sensitized touch as being "electric." The last time his fingers felt this overloaded he was trying to correct bad wiring.

Veronica felt the slight spasm travel through Mike after his hand touched her skin. She heard his brief but sharp intake of breath. She had to admit, she was feeling something similar. His hands felt strong, but not forceful, and she let him hold her steady until he broke contact of his own accord.

"So," Mike said, no trace of the sudden tension in his voice, "Let's do this step by step. You're pretty flexible, right?"

"How'd you know that?" Veronica quickly asked. Mike suppressed a wince. He'd heard Jennifer say it, two nights before, when she caught him by surprise and talked dirty into his ear while jacking him off. The three women didn't actually know that they were all pursuing him. Or did they?

"Lucky guess. And you fell over quite gracefully."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Yes, I am pretty flexible."

"Good," Mike said, relieved that his cover worked, "Just do what I do." He demonstrated again the posture he had described. She copied it.

"Not bad," Mike said, looking her over. To be honest with himself, he'd been dying to try ever since he noticed her lax attire. Her legs were toned and tanned, a phrase which always got his attention. Since she obviously liked showing them off – and why wouldn't she? – she kept her legs porcelain-smooth. She'd tied off the front of her t-shirt, exposing her abs and the small of her back. Also smooth and taut. He couldn't imagine what her ass must have looked like.

Feeling daring, as well as having a perfectly innocent justification, Mike placed his hands on her again, helping Veronica adjust her positioning for maximum benefit.

Veronica was having trouble. She hoped that her increased breathing could be passed off as the difficulty of maintaining the pose. She had been trying to think of how to make a move on Mike, without coming across like... well, like a slut. And now, here he was running his hands across her. Was he flirting? Was he just helping? At the very least, it felt good.

Mike first adjusted her foot placement. This told him quite a bit. In his experience, a man could tell a lot about his partner by looking at her feet, predominantly how well she took care of herself. He wasn't into feet, but if he was, Veronica's would have been a fantasy. He couldn't find a flaw.

Rather than take his hands away and then make the next adjustment, Mike was bold enough to run his hands up Veronica's calves to her knees, which he then nudged into position. She shivered again.

"You cold?" Mike asked.

"A little," Veronica lied. Mike allowed himself a slight smile. He had done it to see whether she shaved, leaving small hairs he could feel, or if she waxed, which left the skin perfectly untextured. Mike felt a jolt go strain to his groin when he realized she waxed.

"And let's check your balance..." he said, providing the excuse for his hands on her hips. Mike was talking softer now, as his voice was close to her ears. "Good."

He crouched behind her as she started up the game again, reaching around with both arms to guide Veronica's movements.

"You getting the hang of it now?" Mike whispered.

"Yeah, I think so," said Veronica. Mike started to pull away. "Stay, please? I'd feel better about it."

"Sure," Mike said, resuming his position. He tried to maneuver so that she wouldn't feel his increasing hard-on.

The game progressed better for Veronica, now that she had Mike's coaching. Before long, Mike's hands were not necessary, but she'd be damned if she'd tell him that.

"I've been meaning to say," she commented at one point, "I'm sorry for attacking you that first day."

"Don't mention it."

"You're a sweet guy, and... and I like you a lot." Veronica felt his posture change as he pulled back to look at her. "As a friend," she clarified. He came back in.

Shit, she thought. Had she said too much too soon? Damage control. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can call me Ronni." Mike was quiet for a few ducks.

"You're not Ronni. Or V. You're Veronica," Mike said, with a conviction that made her fight back a couple of tears. She dropped the game controller, leaned back, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks," she said, "I was never happy with the nicknames. I put up with them from Cassie and Jenny, but they're my friends. Other people hear Ronni and see me, and make dumb jokes about it being a stripper's name. Or worse, a prostitute's."

"You are who you are, not what you look like," said Mike, "I learned that the hard way." He wished he hadn't said hard. It brought to mind the current distraction.

"Mind if I ask?"

"No. Mind if I don't answer?"

"Nah."

"Your ducks just all escaped."

"That's all right; I'm Duck Hunted out for today. I got the method, I'll just get more practice in later."

They both got up and flexed their stiff limbs. Effective Duck Hunt can take its toll. As Mike stretched, he noticed once again Veronica's tight figure and ample bustline, and as Veronica stretched, she noticed the bulge in his jeans. Her suspicion was confirmed.

"Well, nose back to the grindstone for me," said Mike.

"I think I'll close my eyes for a bit. That screen hurts after a while."

Mike went upstairs and supplied himself with an emergency erection remedy. That is, he drank four cups of water in the bathroom. Urinating provided what for him was a sufficient mood-killer that it would almost always end a hard-on. Ten minutes later, he hurried back to the office, not only to get back to work, but also to avoid seeing Cassie, which would have delayed him by another ten minutes.

*****

"Lunchtime!" Cassie called. Mike saved his work, put down his book, shut the open filing cabinet drawer, and went to the kitchen. A few seconds later, Veronica and Jenny came in from their corners of the house.

They had lunch in the dining room, as Cassie had spilled over from the kitchen counters to occupy the breakfast nook as well. The lunch she had made was a sort of spicy steak sandwich.

"What do you call it?" Mike asked. Cassie shrugged.

"I dunno. I just made it up."

Mike's jaw dropped. After the initial near-orgasms of eating food made by Cassie, the friends began chatting.

"So what are you reading, Jenny?" Veronica asked.

"George R. R. Martin. I've never gotten through one of his books in one sitting before. I'm about ten pages into the second part of the Game of Thrones series."

"So you're abandoning me for the afternoon, too?"

"Oh, come on, Ronni, Do you have any idea how long it'll be until I get another chance like this?"

"Tomorrow?"

"We're not going to be here that much longer." Mike cleared his throat.




The Warmest Winter, Day 03



"Depends on what you mean by longer..." he began, then explained the plowing situation. Cassie looked pleased, Veronica looked unsurprised, and Jenny was unreadable. Maybe he had pushed her away a little too hard yesterday; now she wasn't close enough for him to observe what she was going to do next. What was that adage? Keep your friends close... Besides, he was starting to like her as much as Veronica and Cassie.

"So, who here is most likely to get cabin fever?" he concluded. Cassie and Jenny zeroed in on Veronica, who sheepishly raised a hand.

"She's the only non-geek," Cassie supplied.

"I am not a geek," Jenny objected.

"I dunno," Mike said, "Veronica was getting pretty good at Duck Hunt. I think you may all be geeks."

"I am not a geek!" Jenny repeated emphatically.

"Something wrong with being a geek?" Mike countered.

"Yeah, Jenny," Cassie joined in, playfully. Even Veronica folded her arms in mock indignation, giving Mike a fantastic view of her cleavage, again.

"Well, no... but, I... it's..." After a reluctant sigh, Jenny muttered something.

"What was that?" Veronica prodded.

"I said, 'As soon as the snow started, my first thought was "Winter is coming".' Happy now? I am a geek. I'm a geeked-out geeky geek. My favorite show is the Big Bang Theory and I can follow most of what they say, even the physics. If I met a Star Trek captain, I'd kidnap them." Whatever she was going to say next was squeezed out of her lungs by the hug Cassie gave her.

"So proud of you," Cassie said, "You can have cookies now!"

"That one I don't get," said Jenny to Mike.

"It's meta-geekdom. 'Join the Dark Side. We have cookies.' Geeks had memes long before the Internet was invented."

"Ah. I've got a long way to go."

"But very well, you are learning, young padawan."

The rest of lunch consisted of Cassie coaching Jenny on the tenets of geekdom, with Veronica and Mike just sitting back and listening.

"You gonna join, too?" Mike asked.

"Eh," Veronica shrugged, "I'll take it in small doses. A little geek goes a long way for me."

Lunch wrapped up when Cassie went back to cooking and Mike had to admit he still had more work to do. Jenny wanted to keep going with A Clash of Kings. Veronica sighed, then decided to try her hand at Pac-Man.

*****

A couple of hours later, Mike headed downstairs to keep Veronica company again. Before he even reached the bottom of the steps, he noticed an increase in the humidity, with the unmistakable whiff of sweat on the air.

Sure enough, Veronica had changed into her exercise clothes and was in the middle of her cool-down stretches. Mike leaned against a wall and watched, as she had not noticed him yet. Her neck-length blonde hair was held back by a sweat band, and she wore ankle-high socks with tennis shoes. Her body was about as open as before, but her gym shorts showed the specific curvature of her rear end so much better than a pair of cutoffs, and to Mike's delighted surprise, her workout t-shirt was even tighter than the one she was using for daywear.

They really weren't kidding about taking care of themselves, Mike observed. Veronica's workout shirt was covered in sweat. For that matter, so was she. Her stretches were nearly as strenuous as her exercises. Mike didn't think that some of the positions she got herself into were even possible, let alone achievable with the ease Veronica displayed. He was so wrapped up in appreciative reverie that he forgot to watch her eyes.

"Like what you see?"

"Hmm, what?" Mike said, and Veronica laughed, "Oh, I, uh, didn't want to disturb you."

"You mean you didn't want to stop the show."

"It's not like that, really."

"That's a shame."

My god, Mike thought, She's flirting with me! He smiled.

"Well, maybe a little," Mike conceded, "You are, after all, 'hot, sexy, gorgeous, pretty, beautiful,' and of course, adorable."

Veronica smirked. "I'll get you for that."

"Looking forward to it."

"Good. You're keeping me company in the shower."

Mike's brain spun for a second. "Come again?"

"Oh, not like that," Veronica said, "You're not that lucky. I mean, I get in the shower and shut the curtain, and you talk to me while I'm in there. Once I'm done, you leave so I can get dressed again."

"Sure, I guess."

Once Veronica's shower got going, they started talking about, of all things, Pac-Man, until:

"Is that a sunlamp?" Veronica finally looked up.

"Yes it is," said Mike, "shall I turn it on?"

"Oh, yes please, I love those!"

"All right; let me know when it's at the right setting." He turned the dial on the wall slowly.

"Ooh, there, perfect!"

The sunlamp was positioned inside the bathroom curtain line. Mike explained why he was so proud of its placement. Full bathrooms he had been in his entire life had lighting flaws. The shower was dark. The light was on the other side. So not only was the inside of the shower curtain wet, the darkness and moisture encouraged mildew and such. He cleaned as needed, but would rather it be prevented or at least slowed down.

Placing a sunlamp on the inside of the shower curtain helped dry off the curtain when the shower was done, helped keep the parts of a person warm that weren't in the shower water directly, and lit up the showering area a bit better.

And now that Veronica was backlit by it, Mike saw another incredible advantage. He could see Veronica's naked silhouette against the shower curtain, which had a translucent but not transparent texture pattern. He could see her form and her every movement, but she couldn't see him.

"I've been meaning to ask," he said, trying to conceal the rising lust in his voice, "I'd have asked sooner, but you asked about the sunlamp. Why do you only turn the water on for short bursts?"

"Oh, that?" Veronica asked, "It's something the Germans do, to conserve water. And I figured, since we don't have connection with public waterworks, and I've got the sunlamp to warm me while the water's off, it's a good idea."

A very good idea, Mike thought, as Veronica began to lather up her breasts. The pressure in his pants was getting uncomfortable. But she wasn't going to open the curtain until he left, right? His thoughts got daring.

He had been seated on the toilet lid the whole time, so now, with the slightest of movements, Mike unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, slowly, talking about this and that to cover the sounds. He was immensely thankful that he had forgotten to wear a belt today. At last, he was free, and he wrapped his hand firmly around his rigid member, and began to stroke himself, eyes locked onto the erotic shadowplay in front of him. He had to take it slow, though, because large and quick movements were probably still visible behind the curtain.

"No hurry, just curious," Mike said carefully, "But how much longer will you be?"

"Hey," Veronica said, "I will take as long with my perfect shampoo as I want. And you will wait, because you said you would."

"No problem; like I said, no hurry," Mike said, with absolute sincerity. She was bending over to soap up her legs.

In his hormone-swayed state, Mike had forgotten a couple of key details. Firstly, he did not actually know how much the curtain concealed from inside the shower. He had only ever seen the bathroom empty from that side. And secondly, the fluorescent bathroom light was far brighter than the sunlamp, which means his body was an even starker contrast with the bathroom than the shadow of Veronica which had turned him on so much.

Veronica could not believe her eyes. Mike was stroking himself, right in front of her, looking right at her through the curtain. She started to play with the idea of simply ripping the curtain back and exposing them both, so to speak, but decided to do something different than usual. One thing she could not help, though, was to glide one hand down to her pussy and slip a fingertip inside. From outside, it would look like ordinary lathering, but inside, it felt so- damn- good.

Okay, so he liked getting a show, huh? That, she could do.

Veronica re-soaped nearly her entire body. She turned and faced away. She didn't need to see him anymore; it was too much of a tease for her. Besides, with the water off, and knowing what to listen for, she could tell what was going on.

Mike was enthralled. Veronica was driving him crazy, and the slow rhythm he had to maintain was excruciatingly divine. His pulse was racing now – she had been caressing herself in front of him for almost ten minutes now. Between the sunlamp, what steam her shower produced, and his struggle to not be seen or heard, he was starting to sweat.

Veronica strained to hear, and then it happened: a sudden, sharp intake of breath. That would only happen if he had started to exert himself, as they weren't talking at the moment. And suddenly, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to see it, to see him lusting for her. She wanted to watch him cum. She wanted to smell all of his sexuality, to taste him.

She turned the water on again, letting her hair rinse out. This put her profile in view of Mike, and his mouth watered further at the renewed view of her bust. Veronica knew for a fact he could see what she was doing, and it turned her on. As her hair was being rinsed out, she slid a hand back down again, and this time, slipped an entire finger into her soaking folds. She threw her head back, and began to finger-fuck herself.

Seeing her masturbate, to his shock, Mike was nonetheless relieved by the shower water noise. He increased his pace. He wanted to groan at the swell of sensations he had ached for.

Veronica had been turned on for most of the day, now. After their touching earlier, his obvious attraction to her, and the incredible extra energy she always got from a workout, she had been ready to climax since she got into the shower. Now, she finally let herself go.

Mike saw Veronica's legs straighten with tension, her arm increase its motions frantically, and her head whip back again. She was coming. Right in front of him, this gorgeous woman was getting herself off. He didn't care about making noise anymore. If she asked what he was doing, he wouldn't be able to answer. If she snapped open the curtain, he wouldn't be able to stop.

"Mike?" He froze. Apparently he had been wrong about what it would take to stop him.

"Yeah..." Mike was swiftly trying to shift mental gears without a clutch.

"I'm done now."

"Yeah..."

"Can I have some privacy to get dressed?" Veronica felt a little bad about teasing him like this, especially since she had already gotten off, but it was just too much fun.

"Right. Okay. I'll see you in a few." He shut the bathroom door behind him.

Mike had a burning desire to expend some spare energy before he went back upstairs for his final work segment of the day, so he got out the paddles and a Ping-Pong ball. When Veronica came out of the bathroom, his erection, which had been subsiding, began to slowly regain its composure. Lucky for him, the Ping-Pong table obscured him enough to keep his sexual interest a secret, or so he hoped.

Veronica got excited at the prospect of playing against Mike. Then again, she was excited anyway.

"How much experience do you have?" Mike asked.

"Counting yesterday? Yesterday."

"Got it. Okay, we'll use my house rules. I don't know if anyone else plays it this way, but it's how we'll play it here:

"First person serves. A serve is the ball either hitting the paddle, your side of the table, then the other person's side; or you can bounce the ball once on your side, and hit it like a regular shot. A regular shot is how all other Ping-Pong shots go: the ball hits your paddle, then your opponent's side, then they do the same.

"If you hit your side, they get a point. If you hit the net, they get a point. If it hits your side once, and then anything else, before you hit it back, they get a point. If you return the ball and it fails to hit their side of the table-"

"They get a point," Veronica said.

"Exactly. You must win by at least two points with a final score of at least twenty-one."

"Basically, there's a rhythm and you get penalized if you screw it up."

"Exactly, and the object of the game is to get the other to screw up the rhythm as much as possible. There's other rules, but I'll cover them as we go."

"Fair enough. So what's my handicap?"

"None."

"Oh, come on!"

"All right, fine," Mike said, and thought for a moment, "Okay, how's this: Truth Or Dare Ping-Pong. If you want to negate your opponent's points, ask them Truth or Dare. A True answer is one point, refusal to answer is two. An accomplished Dare is seven points, and a failed or refused Dare concedes the game. One request each is allowed whenever any point is scored."

"Ooh, I like these stakes! But for a start, you take an automatic minus two points, for messing with Pink Floyd."

Mike laughed. "Okay, fine. Your serve."

At first, the game was played without the extra rules, just straight Ping-Pong. Veronica had natural talent, but as they say, old age and treachery will beat youth and skill every time. Mike had a technique of alternating the ball from one edge of Veronica's table to the other, making her run back and forth to return the ball. Mike, on the other hand, stayed mostly in the middle. Veronica shot Mike especially venomous glares when he would bounce the ball off of the table edge, or worse, the corner, which made it careen away at an odd and virtually unhittable angle.

The score quickly became ten to three in Mike's favor. While Veronica caught her breath, which made her bosom heave tantalizingly to Mike's eyes, she said, "Dare."

Mike decided to see if she was really flirting with him, and whether they had the chemistry he felt earlier or not.

"I dare you," he said, "to take off your shirt and play the rest of the game like that."

"You're a cheeky one, aren't you?"

"Think of it this way: I'll be distracted by seeing you in your sports bra, which still covers more than a bathing suit, so your modesty's intact. You'll be cooler as you play, and the tightness of your shirt will no longer constrict your movements. I'm doing you a favor here."

Veronica gave Mike a long, appraising look. "You're either very clever or very bold."

"They are not mutually exclusive." Veronica smiled when he said this, and he smiled back.

Without further ado, Veronica gripped the hem of her shirt with her hands, and pulled it above her head. Of course she had noticed Mike's hard-on while they played, and took it as a compliment. She still felt bad about teasing him so mercilessly, but not enough to get this overwith quickly. Besides, the sweat really did make the shirt a bit sticky.

Mike had to brace against the table as Veronica slowly peeled – yes, "peeled" was the right word, he thought – her shirt up, revealing her full, round breasts, confined but straining against her bright blue sports bra. Once again, he saw her hardened nipples, even through the thick material. So, she was getting a kick out of this, too. This could be fun. He managed to compose himself as she tossed the shirt aside.

"The score is now three to three," said Veronica, "We are even."

"Truth," Mike declared instantly.

"Okay, what's your question?" Veronica asked, placing her hands on the table, leaning in and emphasizing her cleavage to Mike. It could have been innocent, but they both knew it wasn't. Neither of them noticed the question was directed the wrong way.

"Not that it matters," said Mike, "But as a guy, I have to know..."

"Implants," said Veronica, "What? Every guy gets the same look when he asks, and they all preface the question the same way. I'm a natural D, and these are just double Ds. It was a stupid college dare, and I got a top-rate surgeon to do it. Sometimes I can't even find the scars."

"I'd hara-kiri before I touched such beautiful breasts with a blade," Mike affirmed. Veronica actually blushed.

"Thanks," she said, "But I still like them. My two to your three. My serve?"

It was, and play resumed. The score reached fourteen to seven in Mike's favor.

"Dare," said Mike.

"But that'll put me back to zero!"

"I said Dare."

"All right, fine!" Veronica huffed.She was getting quite worked up now, for various reasons. She barely thought before she declared, "I dare you play the rest of the game in your boxers."

Mike froze. He was all for the direction things were going. After his mysterious encounters the past two days with Jenny and Cassie, some straightforward sexual flirting and antics was pretty damn welcome. But if he stripped to his last layer, his protruding boner was going to be, to put it lightly, noticeable.

"If you don't do it, you concede. I thought winning is what you do." Mike glared at her for that.

"Now who fights mean?" he asked rhetorically, but grinned. It was the smile of the hungry cat to the oblivious mouse.

When Mike reached behind his back and pulled his shirt off over his head, Veronica practically heard cheering inside her head. His chest wasn't as hairless as she liked in a man, but his cut was clear and distinct. This man was no office jockey. It had seemed suspiciously farfetched to her, him doing all the heroics he did to get them to safety during the blizzard, until that very moment. She never doubted it again.

Mike tossed his shirt over to land on top of Veronica's, a perfect shot. Then he stepped back from the table, and turned around. Veronica licked her lips unashamedly as she got a glimpse of Mike's butt. She appreciated a good, tight butt on a man; that's where the fine thrusting muscles are, the ones that really make a man maneuverable in the sack.

When Mike turned back around and threw his jeans over with the other clothes, Veronica barely managed to suppress a groan. God, she wanted him so badly. But what would he think of her? They'd only known each other three days. Did she really want Mike to be like all the other men, or would she wait this time? As tempted as she was, there was something she needed more.

"I want to ask you a Truth question."

"I've done mine for the round."

"The rules only say we get a question each, not to whom." They weren't actually following the rules at this point, but neither noticed or would have cared.

"...All right."

"If we were dating, what date would this be? I'm asking the sociologist here."

"Ah. There's a lot of norms to consider. I'll use mine. Lemme think... a date can easily have three meaningful hours of contact, but can still be called that with far less. This level of nudity is equivalent to, say, first or second base, depending on a few things. Off the top of my head, I'd say roughly the third or fourth date. Why do you ask?"

"I decline to answer," Veronica countered coyly.

"So that's how we're playing it, huh? Okay, you're at minus three and I'm at fourteen."

The game progressed, and Veronica used only Truth to quell Mike's score. He declined to adjust hers, mainly because of two things. Firstly, he rather liked the way the Dares were going. Secondly, she was starting to play better. Her learning curve was steeper than her physical ones. The score became eight to seven in Mike's favor.

The rounds were lasting longer now. Both Mike and Veronica were getting aggressive in their gameplay. Watching her move and her breasts bounce, seeing the steel in her eyes and hearing her grunt with effort, Mike's hard-on continued to be a presence.

She overshot once, giving him another point. Nine to seven. It hit Mike's erection, dead center.

"Sorry!" she said, "You need anything for it?"

"It didn't hurt," Mike said, "Wanna kiss it better?"

"You wish," she playfully shot back, folding her arms. That gave Mike an idea.

There was a shot he knew, which could embarrass an opponent so badly, the rest of their game would suffer. You hit the ball slightly faster and at a steeper angle, dead center. The change of speed causes the opponent to miss; the angle makes it fly into or right by their face. It's the Ping-Pong equivalent of the ball running through a first baseman's legs. If he adjusted it right, it might hit the underside of her chin, not too hard, and then...




The Warmest Winter, Day 03



"Hey!" Veronica cried in surprise. Mike burst out laughing. The ball was perfectly wedged, a perfect bullseye, into Veronica's cleavage. She was moving upwards when the ball landed, and so her ample flesh actually wrapped around the ball slightly as she and it settled down. She reached in to retrieve the ball.

"Freeze!" Mike ordered. "Dare."

"I can't think of one."

"No, I dare you."

"I know I'll regret this, but what is the dare?"

"I dare you to not move the position of the ball, or your breasts around the ball, for the remainder of the game. We'll use another ball."

Veronica had her own ideas at this point. She was looking for an opportunity, and now Mike handed her one on a silver Ping-Pong paddle.

"I dare you," she declared, standing back from the Ping-Pong table and removing her jeans. Mike shuddered as he refrained from grabbing himself right there. The inside of his boxers was getting damp, he could feel. She willingly removed her jeans, not even on a dare. And now he was treated to the sight of her long legs, and bright blue lacey panties, matching her sports bra perfectly.

Only a woman, he thought, But damn if it doesn't look hot as Hell!

"What is the dare?" Mike managed to say.

"I dare you" –she pointed at Mike- "to remove this" –she pointed at the Ping-Pong ball- "using nothing but that." –and she pointed one last time, directly at Mike's erect cock.

Mike was speechless. Is this really what she wanted? He couldn't believe it.

Sensing his hesitation, Veronica turned and started sashaying towards the couch to take a seat. She heard a muffled grunt from Mike behind her as he evidently caught sight of and appreciated her ass.

"You know," she said casually, "You could just not try. But that would mean you lose, wouldn't it?" She heard him growl behind her, and smiled. After she sat down, she crossed her legs and spread her arms out on the back of the couch, giving Mike unrestricted access to her chest. She even laid her head back, exposing her slender neck as well.

Mike appeared in front of her, now fully naked. She started breathing heavily as she saw his very prominent member. The very tip glistened with a drop of his secretion. Her grip tightened on the couch to restrain herself, but she was determined to see this through.

"By your leave, sailor," she said.

Mike was nearly animalistic with lust, but held himself in check. Losing was not an option.

"The bra needs to come off," he said in a low growl, leaning in and placing his hands on either side of Veronica's head.

"You said-"

"I said you can't change the ball's or your breasts' position. I suppose you'll have to hold them together with your hands. Or you admit you gave an impossible challenge and forfeit the game."

"Hell with that," Veronica said. Sports bras don't clasp, most of them, but she was flexible enough for this. She reached inside her bra and held her breasts together. This required using her nipples as gripping points, stimulating them. If she had a third hand, she would have been masturbating under her panties. As it was, her second hand pulled up the bra.

Mike didn't exactly see how she used her flexibility to escape the bra, and besides that, he couldn't bring himself to look anywhere but at Veronica's now-revealed bosom. They were full, they were firm, and together they formed a mammary spelunker's dream. She was right, the scar was virtually invisible, but did he ever relish the chance to check.

"Okay, sport, now's your chance," Veronica said once the bra was off. She now used both hands to hold her breasts together and the Ping-Pong ball in its place.

"Hmmm," Mike rumbled, placing a knee on either side of Veronica's hips, on the couch cushions' edges. "It's wedged in too tightly. I can't go in from above. I'll have to go in from below."

With that, Mike took one hand to his erection to guide it. He first smeared his secretion on the underside of her cleavage, right next to her skin. She openly moaned at the touch. This allowed Mike to push in a little, enough to ratchet up his arousal. Every time he got another rush, he secreted a little more, which allowed him to push further. Veronica closed her eyes and kept her head back.

With agonizingly slow progress, Mike was able to thrust further into Veronica's breasts. They felt amazing, warm and soft, against his cock. When the head finally came through, he and Veronica both gasped in the sudden pleasure. She opened her eyes and gave him that coy smile again.

"You missed," she said. The ball was farther forward than Mike's aim.

"I'll just have to try again," he responded. He drew back and thrust in again, causing Veronica to moan. "And again."

"Oh!"

"And again..."

"Mmmm!"

Mike started titfucking her. If anything he was deliberately missing the ball, so she didn't have any more excuse to keep teasing him. He was getting urgent now, but what little lubrication they had was now wearing thin. Friction was increasing, and Veronica felt it, too.

"You need something to help you," she said breathlessly, releasing her hands from her breasts. The ball fell away.

"You lose," Mike grinned.

"Fuck the game," she said, "and you know it." Without further hesitation, she brought a hand up and guided him into her mouth.

"Oh, God!" Mike whispered hoarsely. She was energized; she was enthusiastic; god, oh god, did she know what she was doing. After a half a minute of Veronica's skill, Mike felt he had passed an old record, of how turned on he could be without climax. This was truly something else. Sex had never been this reckless for him before, ever. And Jenny or Cassie could come downstairs and see them at any time. Or maybe they had been heard, and were already busted. But Veronica's attentions brought him back to the glorious moment.

She couldn't stand it any longer. With one hand, she kept guiding Mike into her mouth. With the other, she started pulling down her panties as she lifted her hips. Once they had been maneuvered to the floor, she touched herself, feeling how wet she had gotten. The closer she felt Mike get to his release, the faster she moved her hand, reaching her own climax.

Without warning, she released him from her mouth, making him gasp at the sudden change. She quickly brought one of her hands back up to her chest, held them together with it, and said, "Titfuck me, Michael."

Mike dropped his hands back to either side of her head, and thrust into her bosom again. As incredible as it felt before, he was delirious with lust now. His instincts kept him going as his mind was lost overboard with the wash of hormones and sensations.

"That's it, fuck my tits!" Veronica gasped in a stage whisper. "Yeah... yeah!" Now she was fingerfucking herself for the second time that day. "Cum for me. I want to watch you cum for me."

Mike locked eyes with Veronica. What they both saw was pure lust. He shuddered, then pulled back.

Veronica felt the first shot of Mike's orgasm sear the skin at the base of her neck. It was so hot, in so many ways. Mike then pulled out and grabbed himself, pumping and aiming all over her breasts. She felt shot after shot of hot, sticky cum land on the breasts that got him so horny; she watched as it landed on her, and she had never been so aroused. In a fleeting thought, she cursed herself for cumming earlier. Otherwise, she could have come with him now.

Mike stood there, panting, still stroking himself, but softly now. Veronica continued to fingerfuck herself roughly, writhing with the mounting pleasure. A single whimper escaped her lips, which seemed to snap Mike back to attention.

With that same catlike grin, he moved in, and now Veronica was facing him, up close. His hand moved down and nudged hers aside. All breath was driven from her as he slipped his middle finger into her. She brought both hands up to her breasts and started rubbing his cum all over them. The smell was driving her insane. As soon as he started fucking her as she had been doing to herself, she stopped thinking.

Mike was still delirious, but he was still unprepared for when Veronica leaned up from the couch and kissed him. There was no romance in this kiss, just pure sexual gratitude from her lips to his. Veronica's tongue darted, played, and danced with his as a shiver began in her limbs, and moved inwards. It worked its way down to where Mike's fingers pounded away, and then Veronica went rigid, her entire body suddenly molten in the white-hot intensity of her orgasm.

She could feel her breasts crush into Mike's hard chest, her nipples grazing his hot skin, the shudder through his whole body as he kept pleasuring her. She felt Mike respond to her kiss, his tongue artfully touching and caressing hers.

She came down from her orgasm, but Mike was far from finished. He slowed down and used different strokes, sometimes playing with her clit, sometimes only circling the opening to her pussy, sometimes teasing just the edges of the lips. It wasn't long before Veronica came again. For her, a second orgasm from a man was a first.

After her second one, she was truly exhausted, and Mike had to admit he was, too. 

"I think you need another shower," he joked as they went to collect their clothing.

"I'll scrub up. It's what you men do in these circumstances, right? Just what's needed?"

"Yup. Plus it saves water," said Mike, but then got serious, "This... doesn't change anything... right?"

"Well, it does open up sexual activity for us, but other than that, don't worry. Not even Jenny or Cassie will know. We have a rule about that."

AHA! thought Mike. He almost felt like Veronica should have heard it reverberate through his skull.

"Sisters before misters, we say. If two or more of us are interested in a guy, we each pursue in our own way, out of view of the others, and let the guy decide. Don't worry- nothing we did today means I think you chose me; no pressure. I'm open-minded like that."

"I should hope so," Mike said, "Otherwise I'd be confused."

"This, then, is a secret between us. So: rematch, no Truth or Dare?"

"I'd like to, but I really do need to get at least an hour or so more work done today."

"Aw, drat. I'll have to go back to playing with myself."

Mike broke into a smile.

"On the Nintendo!" Veronica burst out, "I meant Pac-Man!"

Still laughing, Mike went into the bathroom to clean up and get dressed. When he came back out, he smiled at the still-red Veronica, who returned the smile as she went in after him. He went upstairs.

*****

Dinnertime began when Cassie found everyone and, without accepting any delay, dragged them into the dining room one at a time. She had spent all day with the spice rack, the dry goods, some cheese, and a couple pounds of Angus ground beef, and came out with lasagna. Mike had planned on making lasagna for himself at some point, a single pan with what for him amounted to six meals.

Cassie's lasagna was accompanied by garlic Wonder bread, and a plain salad, which took care of Mike's remaining fresh vegetable, the head of lettuce. Everyone tucked in.

"Mmm," Mike said, "This is so much better than my recipe. Dare I ask if you used one?"

"Nah," said Cassie, holding his gaze, "But I'm glad you enjoyed the flavor."

Mike smiled when he realized she wasn't referring to the lasagna.

"You can cook for me any time," he said, then got an idea. He excused himself hurriedly. The girls were quiet, listening for what he was doing. They heard him in the kitchen, and then he came into the room with a bottle and four wine glasses.

Mike named the wine and explained that it was perfect for with Italian food. After popping the cork and pouring, he raised his glass.

"To Jennifer, Cassandra, and Veronica," Mike said, "I wish I had known you long ago. I hope to know you for a long time to come. And no matter what, I am thankful and honored to know you now. May your friendship last your lifetimes."

"Hear, hear!" Jenny supplied, and they clinked their glasses.

After dinner was over, they retired to the living room to re-light last night's fire and finish off the bottle. The night had not yet run its course when Veronica suggested that they tell stories again.

"All right," said Mike, "But this time, I get one. What kind of trip were you on that you ended up here? What kind of arrangements did you have to make?"

"Firstly, we paid our rent through June, when our lease is up," said Jenny.

"Then, since she needed a new car anyway, we got her an SUV, a big one. Great for road trips," Veronica continued. They carried on this way, all three supplying only a couple of sentences before pausing and the next person jumping in. Mike got the gist of it, though.

The money for the trip came from remaining student aid, graduation gifts, and various other sources. They planned ahead. They made sure to travel to places with stores that could re-supply them. They had a GPS that not only told them where the gas stations were, but how much each was charging, up to the day. They had enough clothing for two solid weeks, but they planned on doing laundry once a week, and their "unmentionables" were in a four-week supply. They used a national chain for their medications (which Mike new was a euphemism for their birth control), so they could get a refill in most states.

In short, they thought of everything. The three women were perfectly prepared to wander about in their SUV, having all kinds of new experiences together, because who knew where life would take them next?

"So how did life take you here?" Mike directed.

"Oh. That," said Veronica.

Jenny sighed. "None of us checked the weather report. And once the real storm started hitting, we panicked and made even more mistakes. I thought we were driving through an actual forest. I expected a tree to block us at any time. When I saw the opening, I thought it was a clearing, so I parked in the middle so we'd be visible and hopefully found by a helicopter or something."

"Or something," Mike grinned.

"So how did you know we were there?" asked Veronica, "I got a good look out the window that first day, and we were pretty buried."

"Well, I saw this little yellow smiley face sticking out of a great big lump of snow by Old Greybeard."

"I told you!" Cassie said, pointing at Jenny.

"You said it would be cool, not that it would save our lives!" Jenny countered.

"Saving our lives is cool!"

Laughing, Mike got up and put his glass into the kitchen. He only had the one.

"Ladies, I'd love to stay, but I'm putting in another full day tomorrow." They chorused their disappointment. "Sorry. Good night." Mike went upstairs and shut the door.

"So," said Jenny, emboldened by the wine, "Anyone want to share?"

"Share what?"

"You know, about Mike."

"I got to know him a bit better once I got him untangled yesterday," Cassie said, "Thanks for suggesting I be the one to go up and check on him."

"No big. Ronni and I were engaged in Ping-Pong anyway. How about you, Ronni?"

"You know, I never liked being called Ronni. I prefer Veronica," she said, "And you know, Mike wanted company today as much as I did. You should have been with us."

"Okay, okay, Ro- Veronica. I'm all yours tomorrow. I promise. So, anybody make a move yet?"

"No telling!" Cassie said, "That's the rule! No telling and no asking!"

"Sorry. Man, this stuff's good," Jenny said, looking down at her glass. "Hey, you know George Martin kills everybody?"

Upstairs, Mike pulled his ear away from the door. Did Jenny put them up to it? Did they know? Was it intentional? Mike was more confused than ever, but was slowly being eclipsed with anger. Whatever was going on, Jenny was bang in the middle.

Mike didn't quite know what yet, but he would definitely be finding out more, and then doing something about it.



The Warmest Winter, Day 04



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders, obviously.

*****

Cassie's cell phone woke her up from its charger on the nightstand. There was no reception out here, but the rest of her phone's functions worked just fine. Reaching over, she pressed the "Dismiss" button and turned on the lamp.

Then she stretched, relishing in the comfort of the bed. Mike had not scrimped on his guest accommodations – this was more restful than her own bed at home. But as warm as the blanket was, she did agree to make breakfast. Not that she minded.

Before flinging off her blanket and exposing her naked body to the cool bedroom air, she reached down and began to touch herself. Cassie had never been so turned on for so long before, and it was days now. Usually life would get in the way, but isolated by snow far from home, her thoughts had plenty of time to wander.

So then there was Mike. He was friendly, and had charm in his own way. He was obviously quite intelligent but didn't rub it in. And he genuinely cared about things- that was something she very much liked about him.

He wasn't hard on the eyes, either. A little over six feet, she guessed, from her five-foot-even vantage point. And he was strong, top to bottom. The man worked out, and it showed. She rubbed herself gently at the memory.

Cassie had seen him naked, two days before, when she went to check on him after he worked on the roof. What she found was that Mike had stripped completely and fallen asleep on his bed, over the covers. He must have been exhausted.

So she decided to be bold and make a move. She'd caught him looking at her and her friends all day, although she was sure he didn't know he had been caught. But he didn't make a single move, or indicate directly he was attracted to any of them in that way.

Cassie always reasoned that those who do something not for the reward are exactly the people that deserve one. By this logic, she felt Mike had earned a little naughtiness, precisely because he wanted it and didn't pursue it.

Now, two days later, Cassie groaned in bed as she recalled what had come next. Specifically, she had. And then, she remembered his mouth on her pussy, the delicate motions of his tongue inflaming her, and then his climax, tasting his load as he fired it down her throat.

With one of her fingers in her pussy and sucking on another in her mouth, Cassie bucked in her bed, climaxing at both the memory of her mutual orgasm with Mike, and at the fantasy of doing it again.

Not for the first time, her orgasm only made her hornier. But this time, it also made her hungrier. She finally got out of bed for the day, her vigorous reminiscence taking a little longer than she would have liked.

Still feeling an afterglow, she imagined that Mike was watching her from behind her closet door. They had slats in them presumably for air flow and safety, that were perfect for doing just that. She went over to the smallish dresser that was part of the guest room furnishings, where she had put most of her daywear.

Cassie bent over, and selected her panties for the day: a white string thong that left barely enough to the imagination. And to make sure Mike would see it, she went to a lower drawer, bending lower, and pulled out a white pleated skirt, like a cheerleader's. She'd have liked to hang it up, but the closet lacked the right kind of hanger.

Then came the pièce de résistance: a simple white undershirt. With this outfit, all of her curves would be visible for the looking, without being too forward. This included her nipples, but Cassie wasn't worried. If Jenny or Ronni made any comments, she could say she was just trying to feel comfortable.

She shimmied her thong and skirt up her legs and over her round, smooth buttocks, and smiled as she thought of how mindless she could render a man with her hips. Cassie unthinkingly cupped a breast, pinching a nipple, but resisted the urge to masturbate again. Looking at her bedside clock, she reminded herself to get moving. Once the rest of her morning routine was done, she'd only have time for something simple. She hurried to the bathroom, eager to be done before the other two woke up.

*****

The kitchen was filling with the smell of bacon and hash browns as Jenny and Veronica came downstairs. Without missing a beat, Cassie turned on the coffeemaker, which started filling up the pot.

"Mmm, smells good, Cass," said Veronica.

"Are those homefries?" Jenny asked, walking over. Cassie gently swatted her hand with a spatula when she tried to pinch a bit of it.

"They will be," Cassie said, "if you let me cook. Shoo."

She finally got them out of her hair, so to speak, when the coffee came up. Jenny and Veronica nursed their mugs at the breakfast nook while Cassie worked her kitchen magic.

The three women were early risers; seven or seven-thirty was about the latest they got up. This worked out well for Mike, as breakfast tended to be ready when he finally dragged his butt downstairs. Not that any of them had seen anything wrong with his butt...

"Good morning," he said as he came into the kitchen. The ladies all gave him a cheerful greeting. For Veronica, this included a cup of black coffee, and for Cassie, this included the first plate of bacon and homefries. Jenny, seeing this, got him his flatware. Mike looked a little uncomfortable at this display.

"You guys really don't have to do that," he assured them, "For the next week and a half, you basically live here."

"Right," said Jenny, "We're roommates. And we like to do little things for our roommates."

Seeing the pointlessness of arguing with all three of them at once, if they'd set their mind to something, he relaxed and enjoyed his unhealthy but scrumptious breakfast.

"You ladies are models of healthy living habits," Mike said, "Explain the bacon."

"If you cook it right," said Cassie, "Most of the grease stays behind. It helps if you get the good stuff, with little fat to begin with. Like the stuff you have. Plus, it's not just diet. It's exercise. Jenny and I are today; Veronica was yesterday and tomorrow."

Mike nodded. He knew very well about Veronica's workout yesterday. In three days, he had been in a sexual encounter with each of the three women now calmly sitting around his table, as if nothing had happened. Yesterday was actually quite nice; Veronica and he flirted openly and their romp was mutually satisfying and acknowledged as an isolated incident. Cassie was a bit different. Without a word, she had sent him spiraling into a pool of sensations he still felt echoes from.

But what Jenny did was in a class by itself. A handjob combined with a mindfuck like that? Hell fucking no. Okay, the orgasm was incredible, but under the circumstances, he'd have still passed. Mike had yet to fully work out what she had been trying to do, but he already had the beginnings of a plan to get back on even ground.

"You okay, Mike?" Jenny asked. She looked genuinely concerned. To her credit, she did seem to be sincerely contrite about her actions. Mike would have to wait and see.

"Yeah," he said, taking a swig of coffee to wash down the last of his breakfast. "This was great, Cassie, thank you. Anyway... I'm still a fair bit behind on my consultations, and my major deadlines are within forty-eight hours. What I am going to do is hole up in my office until it's time for me to go to sleep again. Cassie, do you still insist on making lunch and dinner?"

"Of course!" Cassie said, "Got a request?"

"I won't be on a schedule today. At all. I'll come out for food, so I'd appreciate that if you make anything for me, just label it with my name so I know it's for me, whether it's for lunch or dinner, and how long it gets in the microwave."

"Do you like your food hot or just warmed up?"

"Hot's fine. I'll take a while eating it anyway."

"Can do."

"Last thing," Mike said, "We've been over this before, but I'll repeat it: unless it's an emergency, do not interrupt me. I really do have to get as much work done as I can today. Don't worry about noise; the office was designed to be a quiet spot despite large numbers of houseguests. Questions?"

"Where do you keep your snow shovels and stuff?" Veronica asked.

"The garage."

"You have a garage? Since when?"

"It had to be built separate from the house to minimize the impact on the land, a condition of being here. From the front door, it's to the right of the house. The only accessible snow supplies are the ones by the front door. Good luck, and may the Force be with you." With that, Mike drained the last of his coffee, and went into the office for the day.

"Why did you ask about the snow stuff?" Jenny asked Veronica once the door was closed.

"I figured, since the snow has started to melt and we need something to do today, we could shovel out the car, maybe even get a start on Mike's driveway. Even when the road is clear, the driveway needs to be. Besides, it'll be a nice surprise for Mike."

Jenny sat thoughtfully, then said, "That sounds like a great idea. Cassie?"

"I have kitchen duty and exercise to schedule around, but I'll pitch in, no problem," Cassie said. "In fact, let me get my exercise out of the way early, and then I'll shower and make lunch. I'll shovel right after that so I can get in with enough time to make dinner."

Veronica and Jenny agreed to the plan. Veronica took the first shift of shoveling, and Jenny went out with her to keep her company.

*****

Cassie's exercise routine typically consisted of dancing as long as she could, and then switching to a stationary bike for the rest of her lower-body workout. She would do upper-body training during the summers, and with her dancing, her abs took care of themselves.

She was a little disappointed as she changed into her workout clothes, yogapants and a t-shirt, in the downstairs bathroom. Cassie was hoping Mike would notice her attire for the day, and now the chances of that were slim. Still, she had plenty of other ways of enjoying herself. She pulled the armband for her iPod up her arm and started the playlist.

This playlist had been the product of years of careful song selection and replacement. Some songs Cassie had every move planned, and others were just to cut loose and go wild with. She owed her talents with her hips to this mix. It worked ever muscle south of her breasts, and before too long, Cassie was sweating but overjoyed. Usually she'd have to use the bike on a day like today, but she had enough energy to dance the whole playlist away, with some to spare.

Once her workout was done, Cassie took a short shower to get the sweat off her body. She also touched up the shaving on her legs, and elsewhere. She liked being smooth all over. It made her feel sexy. Besides, with as much physical activity as she typically had, it really cut down on discomfort in an area where she greatly preferred comfort.

Now that she was assured that she was well-shaven again, she stepped out of the shower and dried off.

As Cassie put her outfit for the day back on, she became aware that she was wet again, from still being so turned on. All Mike had to do was give her one sign, she realized, and she would make her move.

Full of energy and confidence from the workout, Cassie went back upstairs.

*****

Mike happened to come out for lunch around the time the ladies were finishing theirs, so he had the still-warm leftovers. He spoke very little, and his brow was in a semi-permanent furrow at the thoughts of the work back in the office. Noticing this, they too kept conversation soft and to a minimum.

After lunch, Mike went back to work, and it was Cassie's turn to shovel. She changed into warmer clothing, then kept on clearing the path to the garage. Veronica and Jenny walked behind her with the salt bag and the three chatted to pass the time.

"So, Veronica," said Jenny, still getting used to using her full name, "How drunk did I get last night?"

"Pretty drunk. You asked us to break the talking rule."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's cool. We didn't answer, so no harm done. But what's eating you, Jen? You don't usually get that drunk."

"Don't remind me. I woke up in the middle of the night with one hell of a hangover. Thankfully I found the bathroom and guzzled enough water to rehydrate. It still took me an hour to get back to sleep."

"...And?"

"And what?"

"And you never said what's got you in a funk."

"Right. Do I have to answer?"

"No."

"Good."

"Because I know the answer anyway."

"Veronica..."

"It's Mike, isn't it?" Veronica challenged. Cassie stopped shoveling and turned around to face them. Jenny sighed.

"Yeah, okay, it is. It's Mike. It's just... he doesn't add up. Big house, just him? Obviously rich, lives like working class. Could consult one day a week and still rake in the bucks, and he puts in a full work week. I don't get him!"

"So?" This came from Cassie. Her tone was not confrontational, but the effect on Jenny was the same.

Jenny looked a little harried. "Well... I... look, I guess it's no secret we all like him?" The other two nodded. "Well, that's my problem. I like him, but I don't really know who it is I'm liking. I've done that before, and you know it. I'm not eager to do it again."

Veronica nodded and Cassie went back to shoveling.

"I get it," said Veronica, "But why let it get to you?"

"I'm not sure yet," Jenny lied. She hated doing it, but otherwise she'd have to tell them everything, and that would break their talking rule. And it wasn't really all a lie; she really wasn't fully sure why she did it in the first place. Maybe that's why she somehow did it wrong.

"Tell you what," said Veronica, "The rest of the day is girl bonding time. No Mike, no Facebook, no nothing. Just us. Sisters before misters." Jenny perked up.

"Sounds great. Cassie?"

"Love to! But wait, won't we be cutting in on your exercise time?"

"Today, I don't mind you guys there," Jenny said, "And we'll help you cook tonight."

"Awesome sauce," said Cassie.

*****

Once they reached the garage door, they pulled it open and looked around. Mike had a full complement of lawn care items stored behind the door they opened, closest to the house. In the other bay was, apparently, his car.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Jenny squealed. Calling it a "car" was stretching it a bit. It was a Humvee. A Gulf War Hummer, the original thing, the closest thing to a tank a consumer could buy. She ran over and started caressing the hood. "Okay, angst over Mike is officially gone. I want to marry him and have his kids. In this Hummer." Veronica and Cassie shared a laugh at this. Jenny was obviously joking.

"No wonder he's not worried about gas for his generators over the winter," said Veronica, "He could power his house for a year, or drive three miles in this junk heap."

"Junk heap?! Junk heap?!"

"Hey, Jenny?" called Cassie.

"You know how you're reacting to the car right now?"

"Yeah..."

"There's a word for it."

"What?"

"It's called, 'Geeking out'."

"Okay, yeah, fine, I'm a geek, whatever, but it's... a ... Hummer!"

"Cass, come on, let's go before she decides to sleep with it tonight. I mean in it, of course," smirked Veronica.

"I heard that!" said Jenny, "And don't leave me in here; I'm coming"

"You know, I always suspected you had a thing for cars."

Jenny paused for a second, and then realized what Veronica was implying. "Hey, no! When I said I was coming, I didn't mean that-" Cassie and Veronica were laughing so hard by this point they didn't hear the rest of Jenny's protestations.

They composed themselves by the time they got to the front door again, so that they wouldn't disturb Mike, and then went to their rooms to change again. When they met downstairs, they were dressed even more lax than before. Cassie was barefoot on the lush carpeting, and Jenny had her pink fuzzy slippers on again, having felt her body complain and decided that her shoveling shifts earlier counted for exercise for the day.

They pulled the sofa bed out for Jenny and Cassie to lay on, and popped in The Princess Bride.

"Oh, come on!" said Veronica from her chair, shortly after the movie started. "Nobody falls in love with a girl just because she's beautiful, despite the fact that all she does is boss him around! Oh, wait, guys do that all the time." They shared a giggle. Then, a short time later:

"I'm gonna use 'As you wish' on all my boyfriends from now on," Cassie declared. "If they don't know what it means, I'm breaking up with them."

"Seems kinda harsh," Jenny said, "At least show them the movie first."

By the time the credits started rolling, they were arguing over which one they would more like to have sex with, Wesley or Inigo, and which one would be better boyfriend material. Veronica went for Inigo on both counts, no contest. Cassie decided on Wesley for both. Jenny wanted to date Wesley after sleeping with Inigo, earning herself being outnumbered in the subsequent pillow fight.

Still laughing, Jenny commented, "Oh, we needed this."

"Darn right," chorused her friends.

"Hey, Cassie, what's for dinner?" Veronica asked. The evening was starting to wear on. Cassie smiled.

The ladies talked and laughed all through the meal, having all but forgotten Mike in his office. The whole point of their trip that led them to this house was their friendship, and it was nice to get back to that.

After dinner, they got a deck of cards out and played betless poker, just for fun. At last, Veronica and Jenny both decided to turn in for the night, and Cassie stayed back, reminding them that the few dinner dishes still needed doing. It was the truth, of course, but not the whole truth.

*****

Mike jerked his head up in surprise when his office door opened. His brow furrowed when he saw that it was Cassie, holding a plate of food and a cup.

Mike sighed. "I said only for emergencies."

"I'm preventing one," Cassie asserted. "You need to eat."

"I'm fine."

"Bull. Here." Cassie handed him the plate, which he took. "It was cold cuts, so you wouldn't have to heat it up. We also made fruit punch Kool-Aid, and here's a glass of it for you to wash down dinner with."

Mike cleared a space on his desk to put the plate on and reluctantly started to eat. "I'll say this, Cassie, you'll make a great mom someday."

Cassie looked slightly shocked when he said that, as the realization hit her.

"Oh," she said, sinking into the other office chair, "That's right. You're totally not used to this, are you? No, wait, of course you're not. You live by yourself back in Denver, too, am I right?"

"Yup."

"For the last four years."

"Two for two."

"And we came in with all our house rules, and while you're okay with it overall, the drawbacks accumulate over time, and they've started sinking in."

"I didn't exactly think of it like that, but you're not wrong."

"I'm so sorry, Mike," Cassie said, leaning in. "We're being selfish. You opened up your home to us, and we took it from you."

"Now, hold on, I didn't say-"

"You didn't even think it, I know," said Cassie, "And that's one of the wonderful things about you. But come on, it's true."

"...I... can see... where that perspective would have merit."

"Spoken with expert diplomacy," Cassie said proudly, "Don't go into business; you'll ruin everyone else's chances."

"But on the other hand, Cassie," said Mike, "You, Veronica, and Jenny are stuck here for at least another week. It's not fair to you to feel cooped up or confined or-"

"Or snowed in?"




The Warmest Winter, Day 04



"All right, point taken. Look, I'll admit, it's a hell of an adjustment having you three here. It's not easy adapting how I live. But it's just as unfair to ask you to do the same."

"I see what you mean, but we're asking you to do a lot more than you could ask of us. We're used to roommates, you're not. I mean, this whole thing has got to just be one surprise after another for you... oh my god, Mike, the other day..."

Cassie brought her hands up to her mouth, but pulled them away enough to continue. "With all the other surprises you're dealing with, I shock you out of sleep and then just disappear, leaving you flapping in the wind. I am so sorry."

"Okay, that doesn't need an apology," Mike said with a smile. Cassie looked relieved. "That was one of the nicest surprises I've ever had. Which reminds me: this dinner is a nice surprise, too. Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Cassie, "Was the basil too much?"

"Actually, it could stand a little more. I only really got it in the aftertaste."

"That's what I was going for."

Mike brushed the crumbs from his fingers onto his now-empty plate, and reached for the fruit punch. Only Cassie would know to pair a red Kool-Aid with a roast beef sandwich. And he didn't even need to ask to know that it was completely intentional. That was just... Cassie. They shared a smile.

"Thanks again for dinner, Cass," Mike said, "I did actually need that. In fact, I think I can do another hour of work before turning in."

"Oh, no, you don't, buddy," Cassie said, rising, "Look at the clock."

Mike turned to the digital display. "I've gone to bed later than this."

"Mike, you're overworked for the day, I'll bet you anything. Here, let me try something."

Without waiting for his assent, Cassie got up and reached past him to the lamp, a three-bulb contraption which was the norm for a home office. First, she turned off the topmost light, plunging the office into darkness. When Mike could see again, she had turned on only the bottom light, which gave the office a soft yellow glow.

That's when he realized that it had taken him this long to see that her nipples were nearly poking his eyes out as she reached past him.

"You're right," Mike said, and she went back to the chair she had been sitting in. She sat quietly as he put away his files and books, and saved his documents and turned off his computer. When his work was put away for the night, he swiveled the chair to face her. He would have rested his arms, but the chair didn't have any, so he clasped them in his lap.

As he saw Cassie again, it was as if he hadn't looked at her all day. He probably hadn't, he reflected. Oh, he'd noticed she was around, but didn't actually register what his eyes were telling him. Her legs were crossed, allowing him to see that the underside of her leg was bare as far up as his eyes could glean. The soft light set off her skin, giving her whole body a warmth that seemed to match her smile. But her eyes caught him again, this time dark with a fierce desire. Mike felt himself stir inside his pants.

"Mike," Cassie said gently, "You're staring at me."

"Sorry," said Mike sincerely, "It's just... in this light, you're quite... attractive."

Cassie got up again, and slowly approached him. "In what way?"

Mike couldn't say the words, even if her knew what they were. Before he had time to gather his wits, Cassie had placed one nearly-naked leg on either side of Mike's chair. It was all he could do to get his hands out of the way. Cassie was now sitting in his lap. She held her hands together behind his head, and looked directly into his eyes.

"There," she said softly, "You're awake, and you saw me coming. No surprise?"

"Umm," Mike swallowed. "No bad surprise..."

Cassie's heart was pounding, but she couldn't stand to wait any longer. She parted her lips slightly and leaned in. The moment their lips connected, a ripple of pleasure coursed through her. Before long, Mike's mouth opened as well, and their tongues explored as they could.

Mike could feel himself get fully erect underneath Cassie. His cock started throbbing when he could feel her heat through his jeans. She was making these little motions with her hips. Unconsciously, he thought. Every so often, she would let out the smallest of moans, whispers of passion only he could hear, even if they weren't alone.

Mike placed his hands on Cassie's waist, and now felt that her heat was across her whole body. He ran his hands firmly down her bare legs, and then back up to underneath her skirt. As he grabbed her ass with both hands, she gasped briefly, then attacked his tongue with hers.

Cassie was conflicted. She was as hot as she'd ever been for someone, and this was a dream coming true. So she couldn't decide whether to savor each bite, or to satisfy her hunger for more. Mike was responding to her as much as she could want; she could wait a little longer. Just a little.

They made out passionately, their arms now wrapped around each other. Mike could feel her breasts against his chest, and he longed to finally taste them, to tease them, to watch Cassie writhe as he played his tongue over them. He dropped one hand down her back to reach beneath the skirt to one of her sensuous hips, when he found a surprise he wasn't yet sure about.

Cassie wasn't wearing any panties. That, along with everything else, pointed only one way: she wanted to go all the way with him. He broke the kiss and looked directly into Cassie's eyes.

"Why?" he asked, sure that she would know what he meant, the way she did. He took in her features up close as she looked back at him for a moment. Her brown hair was unkempt, but in that bedroom way most men love. Her brown eyes sparkled with the ignited fires of their tryst. Her small nose was perfect, enhancing her impression of youth. And the lips on her small mouth were not the full, pouty ones some men liked, but had pleasing lines and looked very inviting. Mike wanted to kiss her still, almost as much as he wanted an answer. Cassie spoke softly, but her voice carried the weight of her feelings.

"I want it," she breathed huskily, "And so do you. That's all that matters. The only ones here are us. Do you want me?"

Mike felt a surge through his body starting from his crotch, but said, "Yes, Cassie. I want you." He placed a hand on the back of her head as his need began to overpower him. "Here. Now."

His last words came out as a growl, and Cassie moaned quietly. As they rediscovered one another's oral skills, she shamelessly ground her naked pussy into Mike's bulging jeans. He groaned with pleasure, but was obviously more patient than she was. Never breaking their kiss, Mike resumed his grip on her ass, and began to guide her back and forth. Being handled like that by him, Cassie was hit by a sudden orgasm.

Mike felt Cassie tense up with her climax, all but her mouth, which only kissed him harder. When Cassie leaned back a little, long enough to catch her breath, Mike took the opportunity to take off his shirt.

Cassie had her eyes open while he did it, and licked her lips at the sight of his bare, chiseled chest. Knowing how he'd react, she grasped the hem of her own shirt and yanked it off, tossing it across the room. Cassie was immediately gratified as Mike pulled her in and had his way with her breasts.

Mike was salivating heavily. This woman was gorgeous, a better dish than any she could cook, and that was saying a lot. He could close his lips over a large portion of the breast, and then playfully tease the nipple, which he could feel Cassie appreciate with every twitch of her hips. Sneaking a glance at their reflection on the inside of the shuttered window, Mike saw her head back, her smile wide with joy. Her hands on the back of his head, he expanded his service to include her neck and shoulders.

As much as she loved everything Mike was doing, it was only getting Cassie even more fired up for more of him. She grasped the sides of his head, pulled him away from her chest, and then kissed him again. They ran their hands over one another's now-bare skin, relishing the sensation. Cassie broke away, putting a single finger to Mike's lips. She got up off of him, and unfastened his jeans.

Mike caught on quickly, as this was a moment he, too, had been eager for, and stood up, taking off his pants and boxers in one motion. Cassie gently pushed him back into the chair, then tossed the jeans aside. She then knelt and took Mike into her mouth.

He nearly came when she did that. Her mouth worked wonders on his cock, and Mike just held on for dear life. He gasped and groaned, but she managed to drive him nuts without actually getting him closer to orgasm. That had to be a learned technique. Whatever book she got that out of, it was worth the money.

When she stood up again, Cassie placed her hands on her hips, and smiled again at Mike. She turned around, giving him a view of her ass again, which she knew turned him on, and feeling that sexy turned her on, too. She started to slowly lower her skirt, sliding the soft fabric across her firm butt.

"Leave it on." Cassie's head whipped around at the sudden command. Her smile widened. Mike had a wild look in his eyes. She came over again and settled back down on his lap, this time with his cock pressed firmly along her slit, rubbing between her lips, his head brushing against her clit. It would drive both of them absolutely feral with lust, and so much the better.

Her lips would taste like him, she thought, and most men hate their own taste. Smiling, she reached back and got the cup of fruit punch. She swallowed most of it, and impishly poured the remaining drops across her chest. The cool contrast to the warmed office air sent a chill across her skin.

Mike leaned in and traced each line up her body, not missing a single drop. He may have been as impatient as she was by now, but he was thorough. When Cassie went to kiss him again, Mike attacked her lips with an erotic vengeance. With one hand, he reached up behind her and supported her head, and the other explored. First down her leg and up again, then all around her firm ass, into her tight waistline, up to a breast, around to the sensual curves of her lower back. Cassie was discovering that Mike was being turned on by every part of her, and that the feeling was mutual.

She couldn't help now but grind against him; if she stopped for even a moment, he would shift to keep the motion going. Cassie couldn't believe her responsiveness- they were still in foreplay, but her breathing was already ragged.

Cassie slowed her pace, and then with a deep, sensual kiss, angled slightly forward. This caused her to slip off of Mike's still-straining cock, which was now covered in her pussy juice and aimed perfectly. She looked at Mike for one last confirmation, and felt him flex his hips slightly, pushing his erection up to her lips. With a soft groan, she slid back onto it, then gasped as she felt him fill her up.

Mike reveled in the feeling. Cassie's pussy was the hottest and tightest he'd ever been in, and when he felt her slide over him, his breath caught in his throat. At once, he grabbed Cassie and kissed her breasts again, not only to give her time to adjust to him, but also because he needed to come back from the brink. He wanted this to last, but Cassie seemed designed to prevent that.

But now her urgency got the better of her. Cassie started rocking against Mike, rolling her hips to maximize both pleasures. Other than her control of the rhythm, she just held on and let him have his way with her.

Mike reacted with renewed vigor, assailing Cassie at every part of her that presented itself to him. He ran his hands all over her skin, rekindling her entire body second to second. He gently kissed the sensitive skin of her neck, and let his tongue linger down between her breasts.

Neither of them could keep track of time anymore, or cared to. Cassie continued to rock back and forth, every thrust a release for them both. Every so often, they would bring their mouths together again. They could both catch sweat in the scent of the air as they panted with exertion, and in the taste of one another's lips.

Cassie always viewed silence as the most sensual, but she could not help moaning in whispers in Mike's ear. For Mike, his breathing had blended with his groans, creating a savage growl that spurred Cassie further.

She'd fully expected to have climaxed by now, but what Cassie felt building within her was taking its sweet time, and gaining momentum. She quickened her pace, using smaller movements. Mike fervently invaded her mouth with his tongue as he felt the effects.

He was approaching nirvana, and his climax was going to be somewhere beyond even that. As hard as he usually got, which was rock-solid, Mike felt himself strain to be harder. Cassie's sexual melange assaulted his senses. Her gorgeous body, her hot pussy wrapped around his cock and still thrusting against him, the smell of her arousal and sweat in the air, mixed with her natural scent, her hands clutching his back, her soft lips and nimble tongue, the feel of her nipples grazing his chest, the whimpers of pleasure...

Something in Mike snapped. All of the sensations rolled into one, and he reached a level of arousal he never knew before. His eyes snapped open, and this time it was Cassie who was taken aback by the intensity of the gaze.

Cassie upped the tempo again, mashing her mouth onto Mike's once more. The incredible hunger they shared was only magnified the more they stimulated one another. Mike brought his hands down and grabbed Cassie's hips roughly, then followed her movements back and forth. He was telling her what he wanted, and taking control. Cassie loved it; she let him, and gave over to the feelings more.

Mike felt the change, when he had reached his boiling point, and Cassie felt it, too. They poured themselves further into the pleasure, kissing madly. Cassie wrapped her hands around Mike's head, holding him into the kiss. Mike wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, making sure she knew his intentions.

They had to break the kiss, they were breathing too hard. Cassie and Mike locked eyes, pure fire in the gaze. She had foregone the subtle moves and was now slamming herself down onto Mike's rigid cock. She felt her own orgasm approach, and his.

Suddenly Mike lunged forward, burying his face in her chest again. He shook with the force of it as he came, unbelievably hard, pumping his cum as far into Cassie as he could.

Cassie came the moment she felt him start to blast her inner walls. Her entire body seemed to be a part of her orgasm. She could feel every shot, every twitch of his cock, which only made her cum harder. She held his head to her chest and gasped, her whole body trembling. She forced her hips to keep pumping him, which sent them both off further.

Mike was still cumming. He had no idea how full he was filling her, but never wanted to stop. Her climax only turned him on more, so that even when he was done, he didn't go soft right away.

They wrapped their arms around one another, Cassie's head resting comfortably on Mike's shoulder. They tried to catch their breath, but Mike would twitch or Cassie would shudder with the afterglow, and they would both relapse for a minute or so.

Mike knew from experience that the afterplay was as important as the foreplay. This was primarily to lay groundwork for the next time, and damn how he wanted a next time. He slowly, slowly rocked Cassie back and forth on his cock, still hard in her pussy. She purred with continued satisfaction.

Once Cassie and Mike caught their breath again, they continued to kiss, blissfully ignorant of the clock, until Mike finally went soft. Cassie pulled back and looked at him.

"I should go now," she said gently.

"Why?"

"Well, it's late," she said, "And, you're starting to leak out of me." She smiled as she said it, and Mike laughed softly.

"If you must," he said. Regretfully, Cassie got up and quickly retrieved her t-shirt. She took one look at it and decided that it was a worthwhile sacrifice, and used it to clean herself up. Mike just watched appreciatively. Whenever she touched her clit, her knees would shake a little and her eyes would half-close. When she was done, Mike used the same shirt to clean himself off. Cassie would be taking a brief shower upstairs, and he could take his when she was done. Then again, showering together had its perks... No, for now, he was sated.

"Mmmm," said Cassie. "You like the skirt, hmm?"

"God. Yes. Never, ever, ever get rid of it. It'd be like throwing out the frame of the Mona Lisa."

"So my ass is the Mona Lisa?" she turning it to him and wiggling it. Mike had to refrain from touching himself again. He was going to be a little sore in the morning as it was.

"Yeah, the thought of it follows me around all day," he said. Cassie came over and gave him a kiss for that. She handed him his clothes. She had none to put on, as her panties were still upstairs and her shirt was a mess. Mike dressed, which helped him calm down some. The low lighting finally got to him, and he suddenly felt very tired. He glanced at the clock. It was now approaching one in the morning.

They left the office together, and Mike took his dinner dishes to the kitchen. When he returned, Cassie was still at the bottom step, leaning over the railing, happily disheveled and still erotically bare-chested.

"You know we can't tell Jenny or Ronni," she whispered.

"I know," Mike whispered back.

"And I'm not expecting anything from this," she said.

"Neither am I. Like you said: I wanted it, you wanted it."

"Still do," she smirked, "but I think I can wait a while for more, if I must." She leaned over and kissed him again. Then she licked her lips and said, "Good night, Michael."

"Good night, Cassandra." Mike watched her head upstairs, her hips swaying. She was showing off for him. He could see her smooth, round ass under the skirt from this angle. Before entering the bathroom, she looked back over her shoulder and winked at him. He smiled.

While she was in the shower, she heard Mike go upstairs to his room. Once she had dried off afterwards, she walked back to her room and crawled under the warm covers. She then fell into such a deep sleep that she didn't even dream.

*****

Mike went to bed more satisfied than he had been in four years. He'd had sex in that time, sure, and the previous three days had not been sexually boring to say the least, but now a lot of his conflicted feelings were settled. Veronica and Cassie had both now agreed that their interest in him was casual. He could pursue whoever he wanted, even both of them, until he decided.

Jenny, on the other hand, was still an enigma that required dealing with.

Mike felt a little bad about lying to Cassie now, he thought as he got under his covers. He had met his deadlines around the early afternoon. For the foreseeable future, he only had a couple of hours of mandatory work to do each day. The rest of the time, Mike had spent exploring Jenny's majors, following a hunch.

He found the basic approaches to psychological and physical therapies, and compared them. What he found was that in a number of places, the attitudes of the therapists could overlap. These would have to be the bases for Jenny's programs. From these, Mike was able to figure which one she was most likely using on him.

She had surprised him, and had basically distracted him. Magicianship was part of psychotherapy. If the patient knew what the therapist was doing, the subconscious might throw up further defenses. Misdirection was part of it. Jenny had told him that she and her friends were, in short, ideal sexual partners. He hadn't looked at them that way before she did that, but couldn't stop afterwards. They were still becoming great friends, but the sexual tension between Mike and each of the three women in his house was mounting rapidly. What the hell was she trying to do?




The Warmest Winter, Day 04



Because of his research that day, Mike finally had a plan. The best part was, even if it failed in one aspect, the other would still work. His last thought before going to sleep, other than a brief recall of his intense session with Cassie, was that Jenny had no idea what was about to happen to her.



The Warmest Winter, Day 05



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Jenny's eyes snapped open. She hadn't needed an alarm clock for years. Sure, on occasion she would have to get up earlier, or she would decide to go back to sleep, but every single day at seven twenty-seven in the morning, she would be awake. It started in grade school and she never saw a reason to try and change it.

She sat up in bed and stretched, listening to the sounds of the house. Cassie was in the shower down the hall, and the snow outside still damped down the wildlife's wild lives. Jenny pulled off the quilt she slept under, and felt a slight buzz of excitement as the morning air hit her skin. Her nipples immediately stiffened as goose bumps rippled across her arms and chest.

Not for the first time, Jenny reflected on her nighttime attire. She used to wear pajamas, when she was younger, and then switched to nothing. Shortly after the switch, she started getting her period. This meant that a few days a month, she'd had to wear underwear to bed anyway, to hold the pad in place. She started wearing panties to bed the rest of the month as well, because the inconsistency got on her nerves.

Once she got to high school and went for sports, switching to tampons became a no-brainer, but wearing a thong or such to bed was still a habit. And so, this morning, she rose from the bed wearing a solid black number that would have made almost any man looking at her drop to his knees. And while Jenny liked feeling so sexy first thing in the morning – it was a great way to start the day – she did wish that it did not so often include a wedgie.

By the time Cassie was heading downstairs to cook another breakfast, Jenny was ready for her shower. As she headed into the bathroom, she heard Veronica start to stir. Upstairs, Mike's room, was still quiet. He had worked the entire previous day, and so she hoped he finally got to relax today. He might even do something fun for a change.

After her shower, Jenny considered what she would do for the day. She was supposed to have exercised yesterday, but shoveling snow took its toll and she considered it her workout. Unfortunately, that was strength training, and she really liked to include a fair amount of cardio. Today, then, she'd see what activity she could do around Mike's house. Running the stairs, playing Ping-Pong, cleaning the floors as an excuse to zip around the house, and as a last resort, there was always the exercise bike in the basement.

All of that told her what to wear for the day. Boy shorts, for a start – one wedgie per day is plenty, thank you very much. By design, she had a matching sports bra. All black. Jenny rarely if ever bought undergarments of any kind in any other color. It's not like she wore fabrics thin enough for the color to show through.

Because she'd be running around all day, Jenny opted for yoga pants. And because these left not quite enough to the imagination, a nice, big, loose t-shirt with Marvin the Martian on it. That left the hair tie once her hair was dry enough, and the day was ready to be faced.

Coming downstairs, Jenny became a bit worried. There was nothing to smell. No bacon, pancakes, eggs, or even toast wafted from the kitchen. Veronica was already downstairs, having showered the previous evening, and Cassie was cooking... cereal?

Catching her confused look, Cassie said, "The milk's about to go bad, so I figured we may as well. Don't worry – I still cooked."

Jenny sat down and looked at the contents of her bowl. Cassie had apparently concocted a cereal salad, mixing proportions of several boxes or more of the stuff. Jenny shrugged. Cassie had yet to make a bad meal, in her opinion. It was worth a try. After the milk was poured, Jenny took a bite and nodded. Who knew that Fruity Pebbles went with Lucky Charms? Jenny never thought about it, but apparently Cassie had.

Mike finally trotted down around eight-thirty, and Jenny tried not to think of him as "late." After looking at the morning's selection, he smiled at Cassie.

"Does this mean I can have oatmeal again?" Cassie blushed slightly, but smiled back.

"Only today," she said, "The milk's almost had it."

"The fresh milk, anyway," said Mike, "I made a trip to town not long before the blizzard. There's a case of evaporated downstairs. Even if we don't drink it straight, it'll be more than fine for cooking. Speaking of which, how's the fresh fruit and veggie supply?"

"Doing fine," said Cassie, "We'll manage to use it up before any goes bad. Remember, you bought a supply one person could use before that point, and there's four of us."

"Right, of course."

"Are you working all day again?" asked Veronica, "We could have our Ping-Pong rematch."

"That sounds good, Veronica," said Mike, "But I think we'll do that maybe tomorrow. I do have to work today."

All three women groaned their disappointment.

"But it's only for a few hours," Mike continued. "I'll be done by lunchtime. My major deadlines have passed, and I won't be accepting any new jobs until the road is clear and things get back to what other people call normal."

"So then what are you doing, if not Ping-Pong with Veronica?" asked Cassie.

"I was thinking I might chill with Jenny today," said Mike, turning to her, "If that's alright with you."

"Um, sure," said Jenny, "And, don't take this the wrong way, but... why?"

"Well," Mike said, chuckling, "I've had pretty good chances to get to know Cassie and Veronica. Cassie and I chatted a few days ago after I cleared the roof of snow, and then again last night when she brought me dinner and scolded me for not eating it sooner. Veronica and I had our first Ping-Pong match, and I taught her how to play Duck Hunt. So now, I'd like to get to know you better."

Mike's face was the pinnacle of innocence, when what he just described was anything but. The bonding moments he had referred to had really been intense sexual encounters. But he hid it so well that both Cassie and Veronica did not even suspect one another of anything at all.

Jenny, however, prided herself on being able to read people. She knew very well the first rule of body language: no information is still information. People radiate things about themselves all the time, from the words they say and their tone, to the clothes they wear, to the length of their stride, their breathing rate, and on, and on. More importantly, when and how a person carefully omits parts of this tapestry, and which parts, can speak volumes as well, much like seeing the gap where exactly one puzzle piece fits.

Somehow, Jenny observed, Mike was able to mix his signals. And she was sure that it was intentional. His voice was perfect, as if every word he spoke was nothing more than its face value. But his shoulders hardly moved, a potential sign of deliberate control, and something about the pacing of his phrases gave her the slight suspicion that his words had been rehearsed.

So had something happened between him and Cassie, or Veronica, or both? Or did he just manufacture an excuse to get her alone? And why? He sent absolutely no other signals. The more Jenny thought about it, the more she realized she had no idea what Mike was thinking, and what his time with her later was going to be about. And damn it all, she had already agreed. She wouldn't be able to buy any time to figure it out. Oh, well. Time to play it cool and see what happened. It may very well be nothing.

"I'm glad," Jenny said, "Considering we were accidentally thrown into this situation, it's a relief that we're becoming good friends."

Mike smiled at her, but said nothing.

*****

Mike did indeed spend the rest of the morning behind his office door, flipping pages and reading online journals, typing and collating, and in general, finding those golden nuggets of information that his clients didn't realize they were really asking for until he told them. Veronica exercised, showered, and practiced a bit more on Duck Hunt. Jenny retreated to the Library, connected to her room by the closet for reasons unknown, searching the book titles for clues into Mike's mind. But the sheer number and variety of books in the room was prohibitive to even scratching the surface. Damn again, she thought as she went back downstairs for lunch.

Mike took one sniff as he entered the kitchen.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "You found the Old Bay."

"What is it and why haven't I heard of it before?" Cassie interrogated.

"It's a seasoning from the Chesapeake Bay area. You know, Baltimore and Washington? Anyway, one summer in college, I went down there for a seminar and we went out to a local seafood place. I took one bite and accosted the waiter. On my way back, I brought a case of the stuff with me, which by the way was a fun story to tell to the security guards at the airport as to why I was carrying a dozen small metal boxes with me on my flight."

The women all started laughing.

"And you know," Mike continued, "Offering to bribe them with one of the boxes is pretty much always a bad idea, especially when they don't get that you're joking. And the security boss at BWI is really a nice guy, once the strip search is over."

Veronica and Cassie were red in the face from laughing so hard. Jenny probably was, too, but it was hard to tell with her complexion.

"Oh, come on, Mike," said Veronica, "Did that really happen?"

"Sort of. I told them it was Old Bay and we didn't have it where I lived, and when they saw my face as I talked about it, they believed me and relaxed. I still had to show them, but all the same it was just a formality. The box you used is the seventh. I have five left."

"This is really good, Cass," said Veronica.

"Just doing my part," said Cassie, "Besides, I hardly did anything but cook the filets and add the Old Bay. I can see why it's popular."

They interrogated Mike for the rest of lunch, about his trip to the nation's capital. He'd spent an extra week there, just going to all the museums and taking the White House tour, and even going to some other places in the area, like the National Cryptologic Museum to the north.

"So what are your plans after lunch?" Mike asked Cassie as they cleared the dishes from the table.

"Veronica suggested that we keep shoveling, now that it's the warmest part of the day, and try to reach our car. If we clear enough snow, could we move it into your garage, out of the elements?"

"Absolutely! That's a great idea. Let me know when it's time to move the car. I'll move the stuff in the garage for you."

"With us," Cassie corrected, putting her dishes into the sink, "We'll pull our weight around here, mister."

"Yes, ma'am," Mike said, with a slight bow. Cassie gave him a playful smack on the arm. He turned to Veronica. "You guys can go ahead and get ready to shovel. I'm sure Jenny and I can handle it from here."

Veronica and Cassie shared a glance. Now they understood. Mike wanted to talk to Jenny about something, he just wasn't saying what. With brief but friendly parting words, they went upstairs to their bedrooms to change into outdoor clothing.

Mike turned on the water and handed Jenny the drying towel when she came over. After about half the dishes were done, he turned to her.

"I've been meaning to ask," he started, "Not that it matters, or that it's any of my business, but I'm just curious-"

"My mother is Czech and my father is Brazilian. Everyone prefaces asking me the same way. What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Mike said, still smiling. In truth, Veronica had said pretty much the same thing when he had trepidatiously asked her a question just as personal. "So what kind of name is Jennifer for a Czech-Brazilian girl? Again, if you don't mind my asking."

"My parents are both professors. When they had immigrated, they met at some naturalization meeting, and spent most of the time with each other, being the only two who spoke English fluently. From that chemistry was I eventually born. I learned Portuguese but never got the hang of Czech. As for the name, my parents both love this country. They decided to give me a very American name. And so, I am Jennifer Eliska Azevedo."

"Pleased to meet you again," Mike said, holding out his wet hand. Jenny shook it.

"What about you?"

"Dunno," Mike shrugged, "As far as I know, my family's been here one way or another since this was the colonies. I think they just picked a name that sounded good to them: Michael Thomas Evans."

"Pleased to meet you. Again."

"I'm sure. So: now that we know each other, what'd you do all morning?"

"Oh, I , uh... I was browsing your library."

"Find anything you like?"

"A few things."

"Tell you what," Mike said, "Once we're done here, you can show me."

"Um, sure."

*****

Veronica went into the closet connecting her room to Cassie's once she was ready to go outside. Cassie was already inside, putting on her shoes. They didn't have proper snow gear, of course, because they never intended to be out in it anyway. However, since it wasn't actively snowing, they could make do with what they had.

When her shoes were on, Cassie stood up and gave a twirl for Veronica.

"How do I look?" she asked playfully.

"You look good, Cassie," said Veronica. She bit her lip to keep from saying more, like just how good Cassie looked to her. Veronica never had a problem seeing in Cassie what men saw. She didn't really like to think about it much, either.

"Thanks!" Cassie said, "Let's go get sweaty!"

Veronica groaned inwardly. Now why did she have to put it that way?

*****

Mike and Jenny heard the other two head downstairs just as Jenny had decided on a book to show Mike. She pulled it off of its shelf and handed it to him.

"Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett," Mike read, "A good choice. What did you think of Lupin Wonse?"

"I didn't actually read it," Jenny confessed, "It just looked interesting."

"So what else in here would interest you?"

"You tell me; you're the librarian, aren't you?"

"Oook?"

"What?"

"Never mind. It would take too long to explain. Anyway, I think you'd like Michael Crichton's Airframe. Female protagonist, mystery investigation. Spends a lot of time inside the character's head."

"Just because that's my expertise doesn't mean I always want that," Jennifer reproached him, "Sometimes I like books as an escape."

"Ah," Mike replied from behind the bookshelves somewhere. His voice bounced around in odd ways, being absorbed erratically by the shelves of books. "Your geekdom is assured. And by the way, you were only two-thirds right the other day."

"About what?"

"About being a geeked-out, geeky geek. Geeked-out? Yes. Geek? Yes. Geeky? Not in the least. I've found you to be quite confident."

The inflection he put into quite caught her attention. She started looking around for him, but still couldn't find him. Was he avoiding her, or was it just an accident?

"So, what books would you recommend as an escape for me?"

"How about the Dune books? I think you may rather like the Bene Gesserit."

"I've read them, and I do."

"Manipulative witches who use men as means to an end?" He was deliberately goading her, she realized. And worse, it was starting to work.

"Strong women with talent, independence, close ties to one another," she countered, "and the ability to think long-term. Women who are-"

Suddenly she was facing Michael, his face blank.

"Say it." His tone was flat, but his eyes were locked onto hers.

"Women... in control," Jenny finished. Michael smiled.

"Ventriloquism lessons when I was seven. I developed the skill, but not the rest of it. Moved on to other interests."

"So what was all that about?" Jenny asked, hoping her nervousness didn't show. It did.

"Oh, nothing," Michael grinned, "We wanted to get to know each other better. How about we just sit down and talk for a while?"

"Okay..."

"But we don't want to be interrupted, do we?"

"No..."

"So let's go to your room." Jenny wanted to object, but couldn't think of a clear enough reason. Damn it, she thought. What is he doing?

Mike led the way through the closet into Jenny's bedroom. Along the way, she noticed that a pair of her panties were the top item in the laundry basket, one of the things she borrowed from the linen closet to use during her stay. And now her growing anger split, as it now directed her way as well as at Mike.

The guest bedrooms were fairly large, as non-Master bedrooms go. Each was furnished with a bed, a nightstand, a full dresser, a low set of shelves, a recliner with an ottoman, and a desk with an office chair. Mike took the office chair and gestured for Jenny to take the recliner.

After sitting, she looked unwaveringly at Mike, doing her best not to glare.

"So how did you want to get to know me better?" she prompted.

"Oh, I'm learning more all the time," Mike grinned.

"Okay, look," Jenny started, "I'm grateful for everything you've done for us. And I do think we could be good friends. But, and please don't take this the wrong way, what the Hell is up with you today?"

Mike grunted. "You mean you don't know? Really?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Take a guess."

"All right... I know I pushed a little hard, too soon, before I got to know you better. And I'm sorry about that."

"Thank you. And you're not wrong. But you're not right, either. Keep guessing."

"This is about the first night, isn't it?"

"Bingo," said Mike, with a sarcastic clap, "Tell the lady what she's won, Don Pardo."

"What's your problem? As I recall, you liked it. I bet your shirt is stained with the proof."

"The handjob? A gorgeous woman surprising me with a handjob? Gimme a break. On that score, part of me is disappointed that's all it was. I'm a man, not a mannequin. I'd have had to have been seriously disturbed not to enjoy that."

Jenny threw up her hands in exasperation. "So what the fuck is wrong with you, then?" Mike leaned forward, now displaying anger openly, "What's 'wrong with me' is the mindfuck you decided to pull at the same time as my cock!"

"So I let you know a few things that got you to stop being stuck in a rut. It was obvious, Mike, you needed it." She was raising her voice to meet his.

"And did you think about the unexpected consequences?"

"How could I, if they're unexpected?"

"Exactly! Problems have solutions, but solutions have problems. Basic sociology, and I bet for psych, too."

"Oh, and how exactly have you suffered because of what I said?"

"For a start I go from being alone to rampant hormones in a matter of hours. That is not an easy transition to handle. All kinds of complications show up, and now I have to deal with them."

"So, what, you don't want to play like grown-ups?"

"Oh, so that's what you were really after, isn't it?" Mike's eyes gleamed.

"Excuse me?"

"Playing like grown-ups. That's what you want? Fine." With swift movements, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it off over his head, then crumpled it into a ball, and lobbed it at Jenny. It draped over her head.

She took a deep breath, ready to really let him have it, but his scent on the shirt distracted her. She whipped the shirt off her head, tossed it to the side, and settled for glaring at him defiantly.

"This is what you wanted, right?" Mike said.

"Not in the least," Jenny said, but they both knew she was lying. On their first day, Cassie mentioned how strong Mike had to have been to save them from the blizzard. Jenny now saw the proof. She could see his entire upper body, now bare in front of her. He wasn't merely cut – he was carved. Mike grinned again. God, Jenny thought, that grin is getting on my nerves.




The Warmest Winter, Day 05



Jenny got up to relieve some of the escalating energy and tension she was feeling. Then it hit her, and she pointed accusingly at Mike.

"You never really answered my question. What was so bad about the effects of what you called the mindfuck?" Mike stood up.

"You really want to know? All right, fine! I barely even knew the three of you when you did that, and the next thing you do, you pour fantasies into my head! Vivid, erotic fantasies!" He grunted with derision. "You want to know the first one?"

She knew she didn't really, but some perverse defiance made her answer, "Yeah, all right."

"That night, I dreamed about you. That's right. You came into my room, wearing nothing but a solid black thong. You come up, straddle me, and start jerking me off. You lean in to whisper something to me, and it's my alarm going off."

"Gee, what a compliment," Jenny said, dripping sarcasm, "Your worst torment is that my voice reminds you of a staticky radio station."

"Shut up; I'm not done. That's not the worst part. I could have had that dream anyway for all I know. But thanks to what you did-" Here he pointed his finger in her face. "-I've been wondering for the last three days whether or not what I saw in my dream is what you look like under the clothes. It ain't the dream you I've got a problem with- it's the real one." His face was inches from hers by the time he said this.

"HA!" she shouted, causing him to recoil in reflex, "That's you're issue? Okay, great. I'll solve it for you right now, pal."

Jenny yanked off the Marvin the Martian t-shirt as hard as she could, wrapped it into a ball and aimed for Mike's gut when she threw it at him. While he dealt with that, the bra came off, and her breasts swung free. And while he deflected the bra, she pulled down her yoga pants, and then once free of her feet, kicked them at him. She stepped back further and held her arms out.

"There? Now you know. Happy?"

"Let me think for a second and I'll tell you," Mike growled, his eyes raking across her near-naked form.

"It was a thong," he said, "not boy-shorts."

"Oh, puh-leeze," she said, but took them off anyway.

She was exactly as he had dreamed her. Her natural complexion gave her skin a warm tone that no time sunbathing could imitate. Her honey-golden breasts were round and full, with a deeper tone flushing her erect nipples. Jenny's trim waist gave way to sensuous hips, the tops of her firm, athletic legs. Mike felt himself getting very aroused, and knew she would notice. He wanted her so badly... but he wasn't finished with her just yet.

"Yup. Same as the dream," he said aloud.

"So, what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Jenny was still radiating defiance.

"Do? Who says I have to do anything?"

"Oh, please, we both know you want to."

"Okay, yeah. But you want it even more."

"Get over yourself." Mike's eyes gleamed again, and this time, his smile set off alarms in her head. Mike moved in close to her, not touching, and speaking in a low rumble.

"You could have teased me without the handjob. That would have been sufficient for your therapeutic purposes, to get me to see the three of you as viable sexual or romantic interests, as opposed to mere houseguests. But the handjob was you being selfish. You were hoping that would take my newfound horniness and use it on you in gratitude."

"I-"

"Shut up. My question is this: how far would you be willing to go? 'Cause that was pretty far. You mentioned that Cassie and Veronica would come after me too. Did you plant the idea in their heads? Are they just your puppets, too?"

Jenny slapped him, hard. He had to brace against footboard of the bed for support. Jenny was now glaring at him, incensed.

"How dare you! How dare you even suggest that I would use my friends like that! I would never, ever, you hear me? And if you say it again, we are out of here, snow or not!"

Mike rose again, and matched her, decibel for decibel.

"Oh, so you'd never do it to them, but to me, that's not big deal, right?"

"Like I said: you needed it."

"That is not- your- call. You barely knew me!"

"It's my job!"

"Really? Who's your employer?... That's what I thought. You may have the knowledge, but you have little more experience than an amateur."

"It's experimental! No one has experience!"

"What, so the first schmuck you meet is as good a guinea pig as any?"

"No, that's not it!"

"Then what?"

"It was... I..."

"Well?"

"I liked you!" Jenny finally shouted. "And wasn't ready to like someone again. Not after... nevermind, it's a story for another time. I'm sorry, Mike, okay? I screwed up." She hung her head.

Mike lifted her head by her chin, to look into her eyes again. When he spoke, it was soft, and gentle.

"The truth. That's all I wanted. I just had to make sure you could tell me. Apology accepted."

"I kind of hate you for how you did it, but thank y-" Mike stopped her from speaking with a kiss.

*****

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Cassie asked.

"Who?" Veronica said, yanking her attention from where she had been staring.

"Jenny and Mike."

"Bookworms like them? Probably re-enacting some obscure bit of Shakespeare or something. Why?"

"No reason."

*****

Jenny's lips still played along Mike's, caressing, nibbling, even a few playful nips. It wasn't long before she felt his tongue graze the sensitive skin, seeking invitation. She opened her lips just a little wider, but before he could take advantage, her own tongue darted out and began to wrestle with his.

They stood for some time, summoning their pent-up frustration, anger, and passion, and pouring it into the heat of the moment. Jenny could already feel herself getting wet, and knew exactly what she wanted from Mike. Even if he didn't want to give it, which she thought unlikely, she would just have to convince him. With this in mind, she redoubled the energy with which she kissed Mike. 

He pulled her into a one-armed embrace, and Jenny felt her breasts yield to his hard chest. With his free hand, Mike idly explored her contours, coming to rest on her tight ass, which he then grasped firmly. Her hands resting lightly on his waist, she could feel Mike's full arousal behind his jeans, and broke off the kiss.

"This doesn't mean," Jenny said breathlessly, "That I'm not still mad at you."

"You think I'm not still ticked at you?" replied Mike, his breathing just as ragged.

Jenny brought her hands in and unfastened Mike's jeans. Free of their constraint, his erection showed even more prominently. When she dragged down Mike's pants, taking his boxers with them, it brought Jenny to her knees, looking right at it.

Without waiting for a cue from Mike, she leaned in and dragged the tip of her tongue up his shaft, then briefly took the head into her mouth. His whole body stiffened at the stimulation. Mike's cock itself couldn't. Jenny had noticed it before, that when Mike got hard, it was as solid as bedrock, with only his skin pliant around it, like a billy club in a velvet sheath.

Mike brought his hands down and gently held the sides of her head. She continued her tease, sometimes licking the shaft longways, sometimes flicking her tongue across the width, sometimes grazing around the rim of the head. And of course, every time she took him into her mouth, she went only a little deeper than the time before.

She could feel Mike's speeding pulse through the throb of his erection, and hear his deep breaths and satisfied groans. This told her what to do again, if and when the fancy took her to do so. On occasion, he would guide her with a slight change in pressure from his hands, and this told her what not to do.

Jenny was a quick learner, and soon Mike was starting to leak precum, which Jenny appreciated as an entrée. This surprised her – she'd never liked the taste of a man's juices before. Eager to see if she would like the rest, she suddenly took a mouthful of his hard cock and started the real blowjob. Everything up to now was just teasing.

Mike gasped at the change, and made an involuntary thrust into Jenny's mouth. She had taken as much as she thought she could of him, but for that brief moment, she had Mike's cock partway down her throat. This gave her another surprise. She'd never tried to deepthroat before, and it turned out she only had a very minor gag reflex. Incredibly urned on by the sensation, Jenny moaned around the cock in her mouth, and held the base of it with one hand, to steady herself.

Jenny started to work her mouth slowly, up and down Mike's shaft, each time seeing how far down she could take him. The unyielding stiffness of his member forced her to turn her head sideways to accomplish this, bringing her body closer to his, causing her breasts to brush against his legs, and adding to the stimulation for both. With her free hand, she touched herself. She was so aroused now that her clit was almost beginning to hurt with unmet desire. Not only did her masturbation ease her discomfort and heighten her arousal, it made sure she was well-lubricated for... whatever she and Mike might do.

That thought spurred Jenny on even further, and she quickened her pace, pistoning over Mike's cock. This wasn't a blowjob anymore, not to Jenny. She was flat-out fucking him with her mouth.

God, it was hot. Jenny closes her eyes, moaning, now able to bury Mike to the hilt down her throat. Her clit was radiating waves of pleasure which buried themselves in her core, building to an explosion. She felt Mike's climax approach, which only spurred her hand faster, her head farther, until he suddenly pulled away.

Jenny was stock-still for a second, and blinked.

Mike pulled away?!

Before she could figure out how to kill him and still have sex with him, which she later reflected was not the most rational thought, as she was not remotely necrophilic, Mike knelt down in front of her, grabbed her by the waist, and looked into her eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Jenny," he said, "You didn't really think it was going to be that easy, did you?"

That snapped her out of it.

"You bastard!" Jenny said, but she didn't really mean it.

"Bitch," Mike stated, just as seriously, and then kissed her. He'd never kissed a woman's lips after she'd gone down on him before, and discovered that he didn't have much of a taste to himself. Well, actually, there was an exception to that, but he had other plans. "Get on the bed."

"Why?" Jenny's defiance was back.

"Well, if you don't want me to return the favor..."

Jenny smirked at him with a mischievous look in her eyes, then got up from the floor and positioned herself at the edge of the bed. In the meantime, Mike divested himself of his boxers and pants, which had still been around his ankles.

Now it was Mike's turn to kneel. As the bed had a footboard, Jenny had arranged herself towards the side of the bed, and propped her upper body up on a couple of pillows. Mike faced her shaved lips and licked his. Jenny laughed.

"The feast ain't just for your eyes, boy; get to work," she said. Mike growled and grabbed Jenny's hips, guiding himself in under her spread legs.

He inhaled deeply, taking in her powerful scent. At first, Mike only kissed her, tasting her, finding the best places to explore further. Jenny was very responsive, and also now impatient. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled it into her pussy. Smiling, Mike parted his lips, and used his tongue to part hers.

Once he started eating her, Jenny's hands went up to her breasts. While Mike took care of her below, she fondled and caressed them, pinching her nipples, and squeezed them tightly whenever Mike did something especially stimulating.

Mike tried almost everything he knew, to see what she liked, which was apparently everything, though some more than others. Sometimes, she liked to have her clit flicked, other times circled, other times sucked. It took some time to figure out the patterns, but Mike was a patient and thorough lover. The only thing he did not do was penetrate her. He would circle her opening, which made her writhe with frustration, but if he was going to fuck her, it would not be with his tongue.

While his mouth explored Jenny's pussy, his hands began to explore the rest of her. Her legs were now pressed tightly into his back, holding him against her. Mike ran his hands up and down them, feeling the smooth skin and toned firmness. He cradled Jenny's hips, slid his hands behind her, and though he had softened for a time as he concentrated on her pleasure, feeling Jenny's ass brought his erection roaring back to life.

Mike groaned into Jenny's pussy, gripping her ass and pulling her into his face as he did so. Jenny could tell it was her ass turning him on so much, and knowing he found her so sexy turned her on further as well.

"You like my ass, huh?" she whispered. It was all the volume she could manage. Mike groaned again, the vibrations setting off new waves in Jenny. "What else do you like?"

Mike responded by letting his hands resume their exploration of Jenny's body. When they reached her breasts, she settled for gripping the bedsheets.

Before long, Jenny was gasping and openly moaning. Good god, she thought, How does he know what I like so well?

Mike would never say, of course, because magicians don't reveal their secrets, but it was a rather simple matter of looking up from her crotch to see what her hands were doing, and imitating it. He used this to his advantage, now timing all of this stimulations combined. Sometimes, he would alternate from her breasts to her pussy, to spread the sensations around her body. Other times, he would suddenly hit everything at once, which would make Jenny buck with abandon.

Jenny could feel her climax approaching, and brought her hands back up to her breasts. Mike, however, took her hands in his and pinned them back down onto the bedsheets. This prolonged her approach to climax, depriving her of every stimulation except for his mouth, which was by now hitting every spot at the right time, again and again and again.

But climax was inevitable for Jenny. When it finally, finally happened, she was slammed by her orgasm before her body had a chance to react. She had a brief gasp, but her body remained relaxed. Jenny's mind reeled. Without the overload of full-body tension, she felt every scrap of her orgasm, every sensation of every wave. But her body was calm. Mike finally took his mouth from her, and as she opened her eyes, he furrowed his brow and spoke with a spot-on impression.

"Where's the ka-boom? There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering ka-boom!"

Jenny looked like she wanted to be really mad at Mike for ruining the moment like that, but he just looked too damn cute doing a Marvin the Martian impression. She laughed. The laughter continued even through an aftershock, contrasting it deliciously in a way. Mike finally cracked a smile, joining both Jenny on the bed, and in laughing.

"I'm going to get you for that," Jenny said.

"Oh, goodie," Mike replied, and resumed kissing her. Jenny decided her taste buds must simply be malfunctioning, because she didn't mind her own taste today, either. Maybe it was just something she could tolerate only if she was turned on enough.

And, god, was she still turned on. She had to admit that she wanted the Earth-shattering ka-boom. But Mike seemed in no hurry, so she relaxed and kissed him back. They lost track of time, laying on her bed, their mouth hungry for one another's again.

After a while, though, Mike's resurgent hard-on begged him for attention. With swift movements, he rolled Jenny over and positioned himself on top of her. His shins held down her legs, and his hands held her by the wrists above her head. She was pinned, and they both knew it.

"So what's this?" Jenny asked playfully.

"What does it look like?" Mike said, "I've got you where I want you."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Jenny prodded, a slight edge to her voice. Mike leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Whatever I want," he intoned, "I am the one in control here. Right?"

"Yes..." She tried passing it off as passionate tremors, but he could sense her fear threatening, just under the surface. Inwardly, Mike sighed. He did so hate to be right sometimes. But at least he had planned for this, and as quickly as he had pinned her, he had turned the tables.

Before Jenny knew what was going on, she was on top of Mike. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, and he'd even managed to somehow get her knees tucked up so she was now kneeling over him. Her pussy was now a tantalizing few inches from his rigid erection.

But now she was mad again.

"What was all that about?" she demanded.

"I could have done whatever I wanted. I wanted you to be on top," Mike replied.

"I am never going to understand you, Mike," Jenny said.

"I could have told you that," said Mike, "Oh, wait, I already did." Jenny playfully smacked him on the shoulder for the comment, then leaned in and kissed him, her breasts smashing against his chest again, a sensation he surmised he could really get used to.

The kissing quickly got hot and heavy, and their hands ran wild over one another's bodies, until Mike pulled her face away from his and held it, locking his eyes onto hers.

"You want it?" he asked huskily.

"Yesss..." she replied.

"Then take it."

Jenny groaned, used one hand to aim Mike as well as his solidity would allow, and managed to get him part of the way in.

Mike growled deeply. Jennifer was very tight, and very hot. She started with small rocking motions, coaxing him further inside her as their combined juices smoothed the passage. When, with one final thrust of her hips, they found him buried to the hilt in her pussy, they both cried out at once.

Used her hands to support herself, Jenny began to slide up and down on Mike's shaft, reveling in the feeling. Mike's hands found their way to her ass again, and his mouth to her breasts. Judging by his gusto, Jenny guessed he had been wanting to kiss them for quite some time.

Jenny was not simply fucking Mike. She would never set standards so mundane. As she pounded herself against him, she would occasionally alter the angle of entry to set off new sensations, before resuming her old rhythm. This refreshed the position, for both of them, allowing them to keep being pleasured by it without orgasm or it getting old.

Mike, too, knew better than the average lover. Instead of being what Jenny thought of as "nipple jockeys," Mike showed full appreciation for the entire breast. He loved nipples, as most men do, but he did not neglect the rest of her. She shivered when he oh-so-slowly traced the faintest line with his tongue from the bottom of her cleavage up through to the top of her neck. When he was done, she bent down to give him another satisfied kiss.

They continued in this way for some time, but Jenny could feel Mike's climax begin to approach, more certain than ever, and she had one more thing she wanted to do, so she slowed down, and when he opened his eyes to look at her again, she gave him the smile he was now beginning to recognize as her mischievous grin.

"Alright, Mike. I took it. Now take it back." With a smile, Mike lustfully complied.

After pulling out, he one last time flipped Jenny over, until she was flat on her back, and Mike was poised to impale her again. In a single motion, he slid all the way into her, until she felt his pelvis slam into her pussy. They both gasped, and Mike immediately began his long, slow strokes: nearly all the way out, all the way in, nearly all the way out, all the way in...

Jenny noticed Mike had left her hands free this time, choosing to support himself on his elbows, with one hand behind her shoulder, and the other still relentlessly exploring her body. The way he seemed to not get enough of her was an intoxicant to Jenny. A girl could get used to this, she thought. 




The Warmest Winter, Day 05



She wrapped her arms around Mike's shoulders as best she could, feeling his muscles ripple and strain. All the while, the rhythm of pleasure they were sharing grew in intensity and tempo. She lost herself in it. Any time Mike had the breath to, he would bring his lips down for a kiss, and they would light fires across one another's lips with their tongues until he had to break away again, both of them now panting and covered in sweat.

Mike started pounding more fervently, and Jenny felt her own orgasm approaching with it. She wrapped her legs around his, feeling his every thrust now through her whole body.

"Mike..." she managed.

"Yes," he replied.

"I... want you..."

"Uh-huh..."

"To cum inside me..." Jenny felt a shudder ripple through Mike, and he started driving into her harder. She knew they were both close, and she knew even more how she wanted it. Jenny grabbed Mike by the sides of the head and kissed him hard as her climax hit, his thrusts re-amplifying it by the second. Her whole body alternately tensed and shook, weathering her raging hormones. All the while, Mike kept his inexorable pace, and her lips stayed locked to his.

Just as Jenny's orgasm started to subside, the unbridled sensuality of it pushed Mike over the edge, and they groaned loudly into one another's mouths as Mike pumped his searing-hot semen deep into Jenny's overwhelmed pussy, sending her over the edge again.

Mike and Jenny were both rigid in their whole bodies, feeding off of one another's orgasms to expound on their own. They kissed, and carried each other through all of the tremulous aftershocks.

After a while, exhaustion finally overtook them, and Mike rolled off of Jenny so they could catch their breaths and recover. About a minute later, just when Mike finally stopped hearing his own pulse in his ears, Jenny broke the silence.

"See? There's the ka-boom."

Mike wanted to laugh, but was still out of breath and could only manage a chuckle. He wanted to lean over to kiss Jenny again, but for some reason his body wouldn't listen when he told it to move. He settled for catching her eye. The look she gave him said that she was thinking similar thoughts.

A few more minutes later, they finally got off the bed and started to recompose themselves. After Mike confirmed that Cassie and Veronica were still outside, Jenny darted to the bathroom to clean up before Mike's deposit started dripping dividends down her legs.

"Well," he said once she returned, handing her the clothes she had been wearing, "That saved time."

"What are you talking about?" Jenny said, looking at the clock. "That took forever! Not that I mind," she added quickly.

"I know what you mean. But that's my point. Could you imagine how long it would have taken if we had finished the argument before starting the make-up sex?" Jenny threw her head back and laughed, and for the first time in four days, Mike saw the beautiful person who woke him up, to their mutual terror, after he brought her in from the snow.

He closed the distance between them and placed one hand on her cheek. She half-closed her eyes and nestled into his palm.

"This... doesn't change anything... does it?" he asked.

"Well, we resolved that tension between us, right? Can we be friends now?"

"I meant the sex, actually."

"Oh, right... um, not if you don't want it to."

"And what about what you want?" Jenny opened her eyes and looked at Mike, really looked at him, almost as if for the first time. She looked on the verge of tears.

Jenny sighed and took his hand in both of hers. "Cassie, Ronni... I mean, Veronica, and I have rules."

"Rules?" This wasn't the first time Mike had to play dumb about them.

"For when two or more of us like a guy. We can each pursue him our own way, but only out of sight and mind of the other two. No asking, no telling."

"Let me guess why. Sisters before misters."

"You got it. What that means is," she sighed again, "If we are all after you, like I said we would be, and I really am sorry about that first night-"

"Forget it. We're square."

"Right, so if we are all after you... you get to pick. And until you do, we're at your mercy." Jenny's eyes flared briefly. "But if you hurt one of them, I'll kill you."

"And I'm sure they would say the same about you," Mike soothed, "You are wonderful friends to each other."

By this time, they were both dressed. Mike opened the door and gestured for Jenny to go first. They made their way to the kitchen to rehydrate.

"The rules are not very fair to you," Mike observed.

"They prevent us from destroying our friendship over a guy. It does give the guy a lot of the power, but usually he doesn't know."

"So why tell me?"

"You showed me that you could handle it. You had power, and chose not to abuse it."

"That was intentional. I was playing a hunch," Mike said.

"What hunch?"

"You sure you want to get into this now?"

"Sure. My brain's buzzing from the extra endorphins and stuff."

"You mentioned on your first day here that you just got out of a bad relationship. From your actions up until today and our conversation in the library, I got the distinct impression there were control issues involved. You were not overtly uncomfortable with being physically restrained, just instinctively. This suggests verbal abuse, not physical."

Jenny's mouth was open. "Damn, you're good."

"I looked at psychology stuff recently, and I have a knack for seeing the right details, at least these days. So I showed you that yes, I had power. But that's merely a fact. You're stuck in my house, taking charity at my sufferance, and as a matter of fact, it was a bed that I owned we just merrily defiled. I overwhelmingly have the power right now. But that's not me. I am not my power, but what I do with my power. So, I showed you that you had nothing to fear from me."

"Wow. Seems like a long way to go just to get laid."

"Totally worth it," Mike said emphatically. Jenny blushed a little. "You were right. World is rocked."

"Mine, too."

"I'm not going to ask if I'm right," Mike said.

"Really?" Jenny said. "Why not?"

"Because then it would only be fair if I gave you an equivalent answer. And I'm not ready for that just yet. I'll tell you this much, though: yes, it was a woman I was involved with. Yes, I got burned by that relationship. No, I'm not recovered yet. That's all for now."

"Yeah, I get that... By the way, what did you mean when you said we were square about the mindfuck?"

"Think about it..."

Jenny's eyes widened. "You bastard!"

Mike fell off his chair laughing. Jenny had just realized that their entire afternoon had been a master class in the exact kind of mindfuck therapy she had given him, only Mike had proven he was much, much better at it. Rolling on the floor, he only laughed harder as Jenny rattled off a string of expletives that would make a sailor go, "Whoa, nelly!"

"Was it revenge? Come on, answer me!"

"All right, all right," said Mike, wiping tears away. "Firstly, I'm showing you the technique works, although I won't recommend doling out handjobs to clients. Secondly, I needed to be sure that, no matter how my plans turned out, you would never try anything like that again. Okay, I know better now, but I didn't when I planned it out."

"Did you plan on us having sex?"

"Plan? No. Contrive to encourage? Damn right."

"Fair enough. Hey, wanna go check on Cass and Veronica?"

"Sure, why not?"

*****

Veronica and Cassie were digging out the area between their SUV and the tree Jenny parked it under when she and Mike came out of the house.

"Careful with Old Greybeard!" Mike called.

"What?" Veronica called back. She was the one not shoveling at the moment.

"The tree! Careful with the tree!"

The shovelers instead came around to the driver's side of the car, which had been fully cleared.

"We forgot the keys to get in, but we're almost done getting the snow out from around it. After that, we clear to the garage and park her," said Cassie.

"This is why I was the driver," said Jenny, "I did remember the keys."

"One better," said Mike, opening the driver's door, "I remembered that I never locked them after bringing you three inside the other day."

"Well, I still need the keys to start it, smart ass," Jenny said. Cassie and Veronica shared a look which agreed: whatever they said, they were cool now. The tension between them had been a concern for the friends, and they were glad to be rid of it. Jenny climbed into the seat and turned over the engine.

And that's all that happened.

"Battery?" Mike suggested. Jenny turned on the headlights successfully. He whipped out his cell phone and called one of his speed-dial numbers.

"Hello, Stan? It's Mike Evans... Yeah, the Hummer's fine. Listen, you talk to Dave?... Alright, well, we cleared their car and it won't start... Battery's fine... gas is low, but not out... okay, hang on." Mike then relayed some basic diagnostic questions to the girls as they checked what Stan asked them to through Mike, and Mike relayed their answers back to the mechanic.

"What's that?... Oh, okay... Okay... Thanks a bunch, Stan... Okay... See you in a few days... Bye." Mike hung up.

"Okay," he said, "I don't know the mechanic terminology, but your car's busted. For now, we leave it here, and when the snow clears, Stan'll tow it to his garage, take a look at it, and get us an estimate of cost and time. He's the best in the state, though, but don't tell the big shots, 'cause he hates being in demand. In short, it looks like you'll be here another few days, maybe even a week."

"All who mind, raise their hands," Veronica said wryly. Mike looked at the sky. Jenny stuck her hands in her pockets. Cassie clasped hers behind her back.

"All right, and I'll take care of Stan, you guys just worry about-"

"Uh-uh," said Jenny, "We've got the money, and you've done enough. We got the car bills."

"But that'll effectively end your trip, using up what you've allotted."

"Hey, we'll do what we want; it's our car and our money," sniffed Veronica, "And we can have this conversation inside, thank you. Some of us are tired from physical exertion, pal."

As they headed inside, Jenny offered, "What we wanted from the trip was time together, having fun as friends. We're getting that here, and we've made a new one."

"Drat," Mike joked, "Friend-zoned already." They all laughed as they made their way in the door.

*****

After dinner, Veronica decided to turn in early. She couldn't take it anymore, and worse, she didn't know why. She had to face the facts, she had nothing in this isolated environment to distract her, and now it seemed the universe conspired to keep her here, facing her demons. 

Veronica couldn't take her eyes off of Cassie all night. Cassie's movements, her pert breasts, her succulent ass, her delectable legs, those coffee-brown eyes... It was never any other girls, just men. And, now she had to admit, Cassie. Hot little Cassie.

She was confused, and horny, and conflicted, and horny, and overwhelmed, and horny.

Well, one of those, she could do something about. Veronica stripped below the waist and got into bed. From the drawer in the nightstand, she pulled out her travel vibrator. Immediately turning it to the highest setting, she fucked herself furiously with the battery-powered cylinder, cuming on it over and over, until she nearly passed out. Each time she was hit by an orgasm, she had to clamp her free hand over her mouth to keep from calling out Cassie's name. When her pussy finally could not take anymore, she put the toy away and pulled the bed covers over her, feeling ashamed of herself. Cassie was her friend. And what's more, they were both straight... weren't they?

Was she?

*****

Jennifer was the last one to go to bed that night, wanting to catch up on her plans for the day, despite how much better it had turned out for her.

Among other things, she checked her Facebook profile for news of home. Once there, she saw she had a friend request from one Michael Thomas Evans.

Smiling, she clicked, "Accept."



The Warmest Winter, Day 06



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

"Hey, Veronica, what's wrong?" Jenny asked as she poured her friend a cup of coffee. The third woman in the room, Cassie, was busy with the pancakes she was making for breakfast.

Veronica sighed, but wrapped her hands around the coffee mug with an appreciative glance. "You know I'm a bit restless. Yesterday's news didn't help."

"Oh. Yeah," Jenny sympathized. Snowbound in the house for the last five days by the worst recorded blizzard in New England, Veronica did not take the news very well that their SUV had broken down.

Of course, life typically gave her all kinds of distractions from things she would rather not think about, but now Veronica was staring deep into the heart and mind of Veronica. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. At least the car trouble was the frustration she could talk openly about. She flicked her eyes to Cassie, who was shaking her hips and humming some upbeat tune, and once again had to wrestle with the reaction it brought out of her.

It had been a long time, that was all, only exacerbated by the hot encounter with Mike a few days before when he fingered her to orgasm with his hot semen still covering her chest... That had been a good day. And she was tense here. Mike was great and all, but Veronica would have preferred being there by choice. She just needed to relax. That was it.

She was still letting her mind turn over when Mike galloped down the stairs.

"Morning, all," he said with a smile. All three ladies returned it warmly. Veronica noticed again that whatever tension was between Mike and Jenny was gone. That was good. Veronica was going to have to kick Mike's ass if they started not getting along, and that would have been a conflict of interest.

Another thing Veronica noticed was that Mike was a lot more comfortable in close physical proximity to her friends. Had they made their moves yet? How far had they gotten? Was it too late? Did Mike already rule her out?

Veronica truly wanted her friends to be happy, and if that was with Mike, she was okay. But if she had been sidelined already... well, that just hurt.

No, she thought, I'm just reading too much into things, seeing worry where there's none.

Out loud, she said, "Hey, Mike? That offer for the hot tub still stand?"

"Um, sure," Mike said, and then wrinkled his brow. "Didn't you already shower?" He gestured at her still-damp hair.

"Recreational bath," Veronica explained, "I've been tense from... shoveling yesterday."

"All right. You know how to use one?"

"Yeah. Been in one a couple of times."

"Oh, good. You guys still exercising today?" This was directed at Cassie and Jenny. They said they were, but ultimately agreed to move their workouts to later in the day. This meant that the major water usage was spread out.

"Are you working again today?" Cassie asked Mike once Veronica had gone upstairs.

"Yup. Gotta keep up my skills, at least."

"What a shame," said Jenny, "Cassie is going to show me the Mario Party games."

"Mario Party 4's my favorite," Mike said, "You'll have a blast."

*****

Smiling, Mike closed himself into his office and buckled down to his work. The bulk of his load today was for a construction company. They needed to make paycuts, here, here, and here, and how would that affect the employees, specifically? Was there another way to make ends meet? Would they only have to cut some people's pay, who would then quit, leaving their salaries free, while the company saves face?

That last suggestion Mike smiled at. It was devious, and quite a biting commentary on the human condition, on both the parts of the employer and the employees. So now, how was he going to explain the complications to his client? Sometimes, that was the hardest part: not in knowing the answers, but in getting clients to see what they need to see.

Mike was in the middle of typing up his third recommendation package for the client when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello. I'm calling for Michael Evans."

"Speaking."

"Mike! I didn't recognize your voice over my new phone. It's Rick."

"Rick, good to hear from you! Either your mouth is lined with cellophane or your microphone is crap, too. Or both. Speaking of, how's the Denver party scene?"

"Hopping in its own snowbound way, but I hear you got it worse."

"Yeah, but we're all right."

"Did you just say, 'We?' Who you got with you?" Mike filled him in, sticking to the basics and leaving out various intimate details.

"Well, I guess it's fortunate they're not the suing type. They try, you call me," Rick said.

"They won't, but okay. Say, isn't it, like, seven in the morning there?"

"Yeah, we just closed a major case and the firm threw a party to celebrate."

"And you more than most."

"Actually, I heard another lawyers-ears-only tidbit that made me think of you." Mike heard screeching tires in his brain.

"Me."

"Yeah. I'm not sure how much I can tell you, or even how much I know, but, see, I have a colleague I consulted with for a lot of your arrangements back in the day. He's a local, up your way in New England."

"I think I remember you mentioning him."

"Right, so we've kept in social contact since, 'cause it pays. Like now. For the last month, he's been hinting to me, strongly and pointedly, that he's a little overworked, even though his caseload isn't getting heavier. I ask why, he brushes off the question. Very squirrelly. I figure he's looking for a favor, reminding me of everything he's done for me before, so I'm patient, and I figure I'll wait for the other shoe to drop sooner or later."

"It dropped at the party."

"Exactly, but not by him," Rick continued, "Well, one of the guests of this party was a real estate lawyer. And he starts talking about some recent changes in zoning in the Northeast."

"Another possible connection to me."

"Yeah. So now my gut is giving me a bad feeling, and it ain't the tequila. Well, mostly not. Anyway, I put down my drink, excused myself, called the paralegals that weren't at the party, and sobered up while they came in. We've been scouring everything potentially related to you ever since."

"And what did you find?"

"Someone's been pulling a Michael T. Evans up there, but damned if I know who. Or what they're up to. I've seen tweaks here and there to laws, that went into effect at the first of the year, enforceable by the end of February, all of them. I really can't see what they add up to, but frankly, man, I'm more of an injuries specialist now. I can do it, but I'll need someone to translate some of this for me."

"This could be nothing, Rick."

"I hope so... but my gut has won me more cases than I admit, and it's never lost me any. Tell you what. I'll only bill you for the hours if I find something."

"Half the hours. I appreciate the effort and the initiative, but you're still volunteering."

"...Damn. I hate that you can do that. Half my client list would be giving me carte blanche by now."

"If I was just another client, you would not be my lawyer."

"Well, thanks, bud. For that, I owe you a beer when you get back to the mountains."

"The Appalachians and Catskills are-"

"Foothills and you know it." They'd had this argument before. Mike loved the Rockies, but still acknowledged the eastern range as mountainous. Rick, though a Brooklyn native until he was twelve, took to Colorado so well he regarding anything with trees on the summit to be "short."

"Well, thanks for calling," Mike said.

"Of course. And if one of those assuredly-fine ladies gets tired of you, or has a sister, you let me know."

Mike laughed, "Okay, but who's gonna let them know?"

"You jerk," Rick countered.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Watch your ass."

"I will. Thank you. Bye."

"Bye."

*****

"You were supposed to be my friend, Jenny!" Mike heard Cassie say as he descended the stairs into the basement.

"Look, I'm sorry! I've never been in this situation before."

"We can't both go for it at the same time."

"I know, I know. I just didn't think I'd enjoy it this much."

"I get that. But still, I got there first, so next time, accept it."

"Okay, okay, sheesh. It was just ten coins. Wario and Luigi are still way behind." Mike started breathing again, and turned the corner.

"Having fun?" The two brunettes turned and smiled.

"Jenny's getting the hang of it... mostly... but yeah!" Cassie exulted.

"Done with work for today?" Jenny asked as Mike sat down.

"Yup. There's a construction company that's about to get a quick primer on group solidarity, don't ask, and a few other irons in the fire are stoking along nicely."

Cassie was getting impatient, so she and Jenny continued with the game while Mike watched. Occasionally, he'd offer Jenny tips, which she appreciated. On one occasion, Jenny handed him the controller so he could take her spot in one of the mini-games, one where the goal was to press one button as fast as possible in the allotted time. Both women took notice of just how quickly and accurately Mike could oscillate the tip of his finger in a small target area, and the thought titillated them both. Cassie, usually the best at the mini-games, was so distracted she came in dead last.

After some time, Mike wondered aloud, "You guys seen Veronica out and about again yet?" They hadn't.

"Crud," Mike continued, "I just remembered some complications in the piping for the Whirlpool upstairs. You know, because it's only in use three months a year? Anyway, I'd better give her the heads-up and make sure she's all right."

Jenny and Cassie gave each other a look and started laughing.

"You don't need to make excuses, Mike," Jenny told him.

"You just want to see her naked," Cassie shrugged, "It's cool. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing. Tall, blonde, huge tits. God, what do men see in her?"

"Oh, yeah, Mike. I bet a 'heads-up' is exactly what you want to give her!" teased Jenny.

"Jealous?" Mike said. Just the one word, accompanied by a single raised eyebrow, was enough to silence them both. If they were right about Mike being sexually attracted to Veronica, which they couldn't know they were, then they could both be jealous. But neither of them could admit it in front of the other, or else essentially reveal how far they had gotten with Mike. With a wink, to show he was teasing them back, he went back upstairs to the third floor.

*****

Once Mike opened the door to his bedroom, he stopped cold.

Veronica was standing at the edge of his bed, apparently about to put on her day clothes. All she was wearing was a set of hot pink lingerie. In a flash, as her head whipped around to face him, he drank in the sight of her exposed body.

Like her friends, Veronica was toned by years of athleticism. Her smooth legs tapered down from her juicy ass. Her waist was trim, which only served to emphasize her enhanced bustline. Mike would have to send flowers to her surgeon- the work on Veronica was a masterpiece. As Veronica's nipples pressed themselves through the thin fabric of her bra, Mike's gaze lingered up to her neck, and then her face, which was now straight towards him.

"Sorry," he said, "I thought you'd still be in the tub."

"It's okay," Veronica said coolly, the opposite of how she suddenly felt, "It's nothing you haven't seen before."

"I know, it's still, uh, still polite... anyway, I, um... I came to see if you had any problems with the Whirlpool. Apparently not, so..." Mike turned to leave. Before he could close the door behind him, Veronica's hand was on it, stopping him. He turned around, and saw the look on her face.

Her slightly-dirty blonde hair was in an uncombed tangle, framing her features. Her richly blue eyes had an eccentric glint in them, and her arching eyebrows were raised just the slightest. Veronica parted her lips slightly, as if she was about to speak, and Mike couldn't help but notice that her lingerie matched them exactly. Her breathing was a little heavy now, and he tried to assess the sum of her body language. Was it... desire? Lust? She wanted something, but he couldn't quite tell what.

"Veronica, something wrong?" he gently tried, but it wasn't easy being supportive when his growing erection needed adjusting.

She responded to his question by grabbing the back of his head and pulling him into a kiss. Mike managed to get the door shut behind them, but Veronica was all over him.

"Want. You. Now," she panted, and tore off his shirt over their heads. Mike needed no further encouragement. In all honesty, he'd just been looking for an excuse. Still liplocked with Veronica, he found the clasp of her bra and unfastened it, releasing her tremendous mounds.

But it wasn't enough. Whatever Veronica wanted, Mike didn't know, but was sure he wanted it, too. He threw himself into the passion of the moment. His tongue continued its tango with Veronica's as he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the bedside.

Veronica relaxed and let the lust course through her. Now she was pinned, between Mike in front of her and the bed behind her. She could feel Mike's hard cock through his jeans, and she moved to get them off of him.

Mike was quicker. Before she knew it, Mike had dropped down and taken her pink panties with him. Now that she was nude, he latched onto her pussy and ate her voraciously. Suddenly weak in the knees, Veronica sank onto the bed. Already so horny, it didn't take her long to climax. Mike actually looked a little surprised at how easily she came, but recovered easily enough.

As Mike stood up again, he unfastened his jeans and let them stay behind, as well as his boxers. Kicking them aside, he now stood naked in front of Veronica. Without a word, Mike pulled Veronica to the edge of the bed, and then used one hand to guide himself along her slit. She openly moaned. Once he'd used her juices to get his hard-on nice and wet, he slid into her, slow and steady, all the way in, while Veronica thrashed on the bed.

Mike paused for only a couple of seconds before Veronica caught his eyes and said, "Fuck me."

Not needing being told twice, Mike started pumping Veronica, hard and fast.

"Harder!" she cried, "Harder!" And Mike obliged her. He was animalistic now. She'd seen it before, but not this intense. It only turned her on more.

"Yes! Yes! Like that!" Veronica continued. "Oh, god. Yeah. You like fucking me, huh? Mmmm, yeah. I bet seeing these tits flop around gets you so worked up, mm-hmm. Yeah? You like seeing me play with them while you fuck me? Ooohh. You like it when I talk dirty? Yeah, I know what you like. I feel you get harder... oh!... harder every time I... fuck, yes! Every time I talk dirty."

Veronica had her legs on Mike's shoulders now, and he was loudly slamming their bodies together.

"You like me talking dirty? You want a dirty girl? Yeah, I bet you do. You don't want me to give you anything, you want to take it, huh? Take what you want from this dirty girl. Take it, use me, fuck me. Oh, that's it, grab my ass, yeah! You like that firm ass? You want to see what it can do?"

With that, Veronica folded her legs back and held them down with her arms. The new angle drove Mike deeper into her, and she cried out again.

"Bet you like this, huh? Yeah. I'm such a dirty girl, I can take it any way you want me to. 'Cause I'm such a slut! That's right, I love sex. I can't get enough. That's right, give me more. More. More! God, yes! Oh, that feels so good! Fuck me hard, fuck me deep, oh, yeah, just fuck me as hard as you can, 'cause I'm just a dirty! Fucking! Slut!" Veronica screamed, and her whole body shook as she came again.

This brought her back down a little closer to reality. Mike was fucking her slow now, letting her recover.

"Do you think they heard us?"

"Who?" Mike looked up, as if from daydreaming.

"Jenny and Cassie."

"Ah, no... Um, this floor has some sound resistance, sounds travels up better than down anyway, and they're in the basement, playing a noisy game."

"Good," said Veronica, sitting up to assault Mike's mouth again, "Now keep fucking me."

"With pleasure." Mike was still rock hard, and so immediately turned Veronica over, face-down on the bed, her feet on the floor and her ass in the air. With one smooth stroke, he was all the way into her pussy again, fucking her straightaway, and she cried out even louder.

"You like me like this? You like seeing my ass? My firm, round, smooth, ass? Yeah, that's it, grip it tight, hold onto my hips as you have your way with me. Yeah, you want me facedown now, huh? Why's that? Maybe I'm not the only one you want, is that it?"

Mike was at an unstoppable rhythm, but had a feeling he knew what she meant anyway.

"I felt you get real hard when I mentioned Jenny and Cassie... oooh, yeah... you're hot for them, too, huh? Yeah, Jenny, with that Latina spice, those dark eyes, that smooth hair, those hot legs. Oh, god, I can feel how much you like that hard body."

Mike was a machine now, drilling into Veronica as fast, as hard, as deep as he could. He grabbed her arms, and pulled her upper body vertical. Over her shoulder, Mike could see her full, round tits bouncing with each thrust, could hear her heavy breathing, could see enough of her face to know how far gone she was with lust.

And of course he was getting impossibly harder. It wasn't just that he was fucking Veronica, or thinking about Jennifer now, but that he was fucking Veronica while she was thinking about Jennifer. If he'd ever experienced anything hotter, he was in no state to remember it. Which didn't matter anyway, because what Veronica did next blew it out of the water.

"And Cassie? You like her? You want to fuck her? You want to suck those ripe, juicy, perky tits of hers? Ahhh... You want to... to kiss those sweet, smooth, ass cheeks?... Oh, fuck! Want to kiss those full, pink lips, feel her tongue on yours? Harder! ... Run your hands through that thick brown hair, look into those brown eyes? I bet you want to suck every drop you can out of that... mmm... tight... little... pussy! You want to watch, as she cu... cum... cums- oh, god... oh, god! Oh, fuck me, fuck me, fuck meeee!"

With an even louder scream than before, Veronica's head snapped back, and Michael's hands shot forward to grab her tits. With a quick squeeze on her nipples, he set her off screaming again. While she peaked, Mike dropped his arm to below her chest, supporting those amazing tits with it, and grabbed her fine ass with the other hand. Her pussy continued to clamp around his pistoning cock, which only drove him faster to his own climax. Before Veronica's second scream had finished, Mike erupted inside her.

"Fuck! Yeah! Cum with me! Cum with me! Oh, god, I feel it! I want it! Oh, god, yes!"

Veronica reached down and fingered herself to another quick yet violent orgasm as Mike shuddered with the aftershocks.

Once they had separated, Veronica turned back over to look at Mike, and Mike stepped back to catch his breath.

"One of these days, stud," said Veronica, "I'm gonna make you shoot that load into my mouth. I want to taste you so badly."

"Patience, Veronica," said Mike, "I mean, I know today was quick, but..."

"I can wait."

"Can you?"

Veronica laughed, a little nervously. "Heh, heat of the moment, right? I can't be held to much of what I said there. But hey, we both liked it and you can't argue with results, huh?"




The Warmest Winter, Day 06



"I guess not. You want to use the shower first to clean up?"

"Sure." Veronica, on unsteady legs at first, went to the bathroom she had just vacated, bringing with her the lingerie she had just been wearing, and the clothing she had just been about to put on.

After she was done, it was Mike's turn. Veronica went down to the basement, giving the excuse for Mike's absence that he had forgotten to shower earlier, and so kicked her out of the bathroom, friendly-like. In the shower, Mike had to gingerly handle his satisfied-but-now-sensitive member. He'd had a powerful orgasm every day for the last six days, and the toll was now being felt. Mike realized he needed some time to recover before he did anything else with any of the ladies.

*****

Lunchtime passed relatively uneventfully. Whatever thoughts the ladies had about how far their friends had gotten with Mike, they kept it to themselves, lest they give themselves away.

Veronica paid special attention to her thoughts now. When she looked at Cassie, how did she feel now? Okay, so her cute, vivacious friend was still a dish, but not the uncontrollable turn-on she had been yesterday.

Okay, Veronica, she thought to herself, What the Hell is up with you?

Time to find out.

"Hey, Cass?"

"What's up, Veronica?"

"Mind if I hang out with you while you exercise? I mean, shoveling yesterday was such good quality time, but-"

"Sure, I guess. If you really want to."

Jenny decided to go outside and clear a bit more of the driveway, and Mike went out to help her once the lunch dishes were taken care of.

They didn't talk much at first. The sun was out, and the sub-zero temperatures that followed the blizzard were finally breaking, so before long, the hats and gloves were off.

"There. Cardio yesterday, strength today," commented Jenny, hefting a particularly large clump of snow and tossing it.

"I thought shoveling was cardio, with heart rate and all," said Mike.

"It depends on how you shovel, and it's unstructured either way." She heaved another shovelful. "If you do light shovels and quick movements, it's more cardio. This stuff" --she poked the snow bank she was working on-- "is thick, and dense from partial melting and re-freezing. It has to be lifted in huge blocks, which is slow and heavy, more like weight training. I've never had to think about it too much before, so I'm just guessing here."

"Sounds about right to me," Mike shrugged. "How much snow do you think is left?"

Jenny looked out over the gravel driveway, and tried to do the math. After half a minute, she realized she didn't actually know its dimensions, either its width or the distance to the property line.

"I don't know," she said, turning back to Mike, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just wanted you to turn around so you wouldn't see me make this." And he lobbed the snowball at her. It hit her in the midsection.

"Hey! I'll get you for that!"

*****

Veronica watched as Cassie worked her way through her routine, dancing at times, hopping onto a treadmill of the stationary bike at others. She still saw everything that drove men nuts about her, but it was a bit removed, almost detached, as an observation.

Whatever she was feeling, Veronica concluded, her sporadic attraction to Cassie must be just a vent or a misdirection of it. And whatever it really turned out to be, she could at least now recognize it if not name it, and keep some kind of a lid on it.

Relaxing now, Veronica laid back and closed her eyes. The only thing arousing her now was the explosive sex she'd had with Mike earlier. Contented for the time being, she drifted into sleep.

*****

Back inside, Jenny changed into some dry clothing and put her soaked ones into her laundry basket. The snowball fight had been short but wet. And cold, especially once Mike managed to shove one down her back rather than lob it at her. Still, it was fun, and it was nice to see Mike loosen up and be himself.

While she was changing, she had heard him go into the library next door, so she walked through the closet to meet him there. She saw him sitting in the reading chair, picking up where he left off in The Lord of the Rings.

"Hi again," she said.

"Hello," he replied, then went back to his book.

"I've been meaning to ask," Jenny said, which prompted Mike to re-place his bookmark, "Why are the closets linked like this?"

"Ah, that," Mike said, "A subtle bit of inspiration. I guess you've noticed how large the guest rooms are. That's because I wanted even an adult couple to feel comfortable in them. However, some couples might have children with them."

"Let me guess: you were thinking of potential relatives, and you wanted to discourage anything that might reach the children's ears."

"Sounds corny, huh?"

"Your heart was in the right place. I'd have done it differently, but I see what you were trying to do."

"I did ask for feedback from... well, it was not a decision that was reviewed with enough foresight. Even the architect just smiled, nodded, accepted the check, and drew it that way."

"How charming."

"Eh. Now that I think about it, any guests in any of these rooms shouldn't be up to too much mischief anyway."

"Mischief? Is that what you call what we did yesterday?" Jenny had sidled over and bent over Mike in his chair. He could feel himself begin to stir, only now it was a fair bit uncomfortable.

"Jenny..."

"It's okay. I won't be expecting this every day. But come on, you have to admit it was fun. And by the looks of it, you still want some more fun." She licked her lips as she glanced down as his nearly-full erection beneath his jeans.

"Jenny... Oh, god, how I want to, but... I'm still a bit raw from yesterday. We went at it pretty hard, remember?"

"Ooh, I don't think I'll forget any time soon. And yeah, I see your point. I'm sorry." Jenny kissed Mike of the forehead before standing straight again.

"Shall I try again tomorrow?" she asked.

"That's up to you," Mike said.

Crap, he thought, I need more time.

Jenny smiled at him. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"I try."

"And you succeed."

"Is this about yesterday?"

"Yes," Jenny said, "I just don't know what I'm doing anymore. You took my technique and outdid me at it almost instantly. Was it that simple? Am I just bad at it? Don't mistake me -- you did nothing wrong. It just raised a few questions, is all."

"And as you note, Jenny, I have answers," Mike replied. "I had time to observe you and devise a strategy. You didn't -- but you've already copped to that mistake, so don't worry about that. In that time, I studied the schools of thought for both physical therapy and psychotherapy, and took educated guesses at ones which would fit together. Using your example from your first day here, I was able to see connections."

Jenny sighed. Mike obviously wasn't getting his point across.

"Look at me, Jennifer," Mike ordered. She did. "All I did was refine the technique. That's easy. What you did was create it to begin with. That's much, much more difficult, and requires a lot more effort and thought than I would ever think to put into it. You have achieved something great here. Look, in science, who's regarded higher: the theorist or the guy that proves the theory? Okay, the proofing scientist is famous, too, but the theorist is the visionary. That's you. All I did was proof-of-concept."

Jenny's mouth was open, and she looked on the verge of tears.

"Besides, don't they make shrinks get checked before they can have their own patients? There you go. Consider it a rite of passage."

Still speechless, Jenny expressed her thanks by throwing her arms around him and kissing him full on the lips. No tongue, which surprised Mike. Afterwards, she left Mike to his book, and the erection she had re-inflamed with her kiss. Luckily for him, an aphrodisiac is not one of the things the Battle of Helm's Deep is regarded to be.

*****

At dinner, which made use of some ham that Cassie thawed the day before, along with peas and mashed potatoes. If Mike hadn't been exhausting himself with sex for the last three days, he'd have already started to gain weight. Cassie was a superb chef.

"So, I know that Jenny plans on developing a holistic therapy technique, or techniques," Mike said aloud, "but what about you two?"

"What about us?" Veronica asked.

"Well, what are you planning on doing, with your degree, out in the big wide world? Can't stay here forever. Even I need to go home in a month or so."

"Well, my skillset lends itself quite easily to being a hostess," Veronica supplied. "Where I'd be a hostess, I'll just see what the job market is like."

"And if it takes time to find a job?"

"We'll manage."

"We?"

"We're planning of staying roommates back home until we can all make it independently," Cassie said.

"And what if, for one to make it, they must leave the other two?"

The women were silent. They'd been together so long that splitting had never truly occurred to them as a distinct possibility before.

"Look," said Mike, "I'm not trying to come down on you. I'm just trying to help you think it through. Getting you to ask yourselves the right questions. How about you, Cassie? What are your plans in real estate development?"

"I never really thought about it. I just like doing it and it's something I can build a career with. Like Veronica, I thought I'd just see what's out there."

Mike sat back and sighed. "So, Jenny has to build a demand for her program, and you two have a supply, but you don't know where the demand is."

"What about you?" Jenny asked, out of curiosity.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to consult indefinitely, or do you want to do something else?" Jenny explained, "Hell, you have enough money you could go all the way to doctorate without even working. You might even be able to pay someone to do your household chores. That much off your plate, it wouldn't take you long."

"Well... huh. I guess I've been so focused on work I never saw where I was going," Mike said. Cassie started laughing softly.

"The three of us took our trip because we didn't know what to do after college," she observed, "and you're here because you're in a holding pattern. So, one way or another, we're all here because we don't know what to do with our lives."

The table got silent as this thought drove home for the four friends.

"So, is that irony, or happenstance, or what?" asked Veronica.

"I think it's just... appropriate," said Mike, "but I think we can help one another out, right? I mean, you've certainly got me out of my rut, and now you know how to avoid yours. We'll just have to sleep on it and see what we come up with."

Rejuvenated by the conversation, they started dreaming up wild and crazy lives they could lead. Cassie was going to be, they decided, a food critic for a TV show, set in a building on a site she developed herself. Veronica was going to be the first space stewardess when recreational space flight took off. (That was Mike's pun, and his punishment for it was that he had to be the one to serve dessert.) Jenny was going to be a therapist to the stars, marry some actor Mike didn't recognize, and have twelve babies. Mike was going to finally enter the stock market and own it within three years, with Donald Trump as his butler.

Still smiling ear to ear, they cleaned up from dinner and went their separate ways to wind down for the evening. Jenny finally got her chance to exercise, and she decided to just spend the night downstairs after rinsing off the sweat. Veronica thought that was a great idea, and joined her.

Mike felt his mind getting a bit overloaded, so he did some light housework to give his body something to do while he lost himself in his thoughts. If he had been a computer, his screen would have said: Processing. Please wait...

"Are you still down here?" Cassie said from behind him. Mike glanced at the clock. He'd been tidying up the main floor for nearly an hour. At his distracted pace, it was only maybe half an hour's work, but still, he must have had a lot on his mind.

"Yeah," Mike said, turning around, "You're still up here? I thought you'd be downstairs in the girly powwow."

"...I don't feel like it tonight. We don't do everything together." Cassie came closer. The kitchen area, where she was, had a step down into the living room, where Mike was, and she stood at it. Backlit by the kitchen lights, dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, Mike felt his resolve weaken.

"There are a few things," Cassie said, "That I'm glad I can do without them." The look in her eyes told him everything. His erection was returning, with a vengeance.

Think fast, genius, he thought, Can't say you need recovery time. Last time with her was two days ago. What else? Aha!

He stepped up to her, noting her nipples poking through her shirt. On the step, she was much closer to his height, and made kissing easier for them both.

When they first parted lips, Mike whispered, "Whatever we do, it needs to be quiet, and it has to be something we can hide quickly. They could be back up any second." Cassie nodded.

Mike spun Cassie around so that her back was to him. She dropped her sweatpants at her feet, but didn't step out of them. Her shirt would have to stay on. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck the whole time, while she pulled her arms back to feel his hips.

With firmness and swiftness, Mike brought one hand up to fondle Cassie's ripe, juicy, perky tits. The thought shot through his head, how Veronica had described Cassie's breasts. Mike started getting painfully hard. As Mike slipped the fingers of his other hand into her wet folds, he couldn't help but remember Veronica's rant about eating Cassie's pussy. Having now not one, but two views of how hot Cassie was, Mike braced her against his body, and fingered her clit mercilessly. Cassie gasped and shook, but stayed quiet, no moans, no whimpers, nothing.

His erection was getting too rigid for comfort. He had to relieve the sensitive skin on his cock. Using the hand that had been groping her breasts, Mike unfastened his pants and guided them down, along with his boxers. Once freed, he nestled firmly between Cassie's ass cheeks. Mike felt her breath catch in her throat when she felt his cock press into her ass. On level ground, it wasn't possible, but Cassie had chosen her location well.

Cassie couldn't have helped herself for the finest ingredients in France. She bounced and maneuvered her ass up and down Mike's length as he relentlessly toyed with her clit. She wasn't going to do anything to get Mike out of the mood if he still wanted access to a quick getaway, but she didn't give even half a damn anymore if they were seen.

Still kissing her neck, humping her ass, fondling her tits, and fingering her pussy, Mike reflected that he would much rather be licking her neck, kissing her tits, gripping her ass and fucking her pussy. He had never been this frustrated before in his life, including the many times there was not even a woman present.

As his wanton and unfulfilled desire mounted, he kept recalling Veronica's wild if unintentional confession about her fantasy of Cassie. The more he thought about it, the faster his hand moved. When that happened, all Cassie remembered was watching Mike play the game earlier.

When she could look down, Cassie saw Mike's arm as a blur. She could feel him rock-solid against her ass, could feel him breath heavy every time she slid up or down. His fingers on her nipples sent shocks through her body, and wave after wave continued to engulf her from the pussy outward.

Mike dipped the tip of a finger into Cassie's pussy, and she lost it. Her face was frozen in pleasure, but her body shook up and down, willing her orgasm to continue. Mike's arms still wrapped firmly around her, Cassie felt surrounded by his strength, his male sexuality.

Cassie jostled his erection repeatedly, and he couldn't stand it any longer. Mike knew he'd feel it later, but right now he needed release. Cassie had driven him to the edge with just her ass, and of course with being incredibly sexy to begin with.

Mike directed her to hold onto the railing that separate the two rooms, and he gripped her by the hip with one hand. His other hand, still slick with Cassie's juices, pumped his own cock furiously.

It wasn't long before Cassie felt Mike's hot semen sear the skin on her ass, and oh, god, did it turn her on all over again. She felt shot after shot hit her cheeks, until finally she heard Mike start gasping to catch his breath.

Mike stared at Cassie's ass. It was a primal satisfaction, doing that. To his animal side, it was a way of marking what got him so riled up, of attribution. In more civilized terms, it said: Approved By Michael T. Evans.

After the initial recovery, Mike said, "Let me get you a towel," and headed to the kitchen.

"No need," Cassie said quietly. When Mike turned, his jaw dropped.

Cassie, sweet and cute little Cassandra, was still bent over with one hand on the railing. With one finger on the other hand, she wiped up one of the gobs of Mike's cum off her ass, and then, looking straight at Mike, sucked it off. As he stared, rooted to the spot, Cassie cleaned every drop, one at time, and slowly ate Mike's full load. With each new drop, she softly moaned her appreciation, reveling in the flavor of each one.

When she was done, she came over to Mike, who was still transfixed. Cassie knelt down briefly to lightly kissed the tip of Mike's still-half-hard cock, making it twitch, and smiled.

"I'll leave you alone now," Cassie said, heading back to the stairs as Mike retrieved his boxers and pants, "But I'll be thinking of this all night."

Once upstairs, Cassie closed her bedroom door behind her and sighed. Would anyone ever not see her as the sweet, little girl instead of the adult woman she was? Well, maybe she'd done something about that with Mike tonight. The look on his face as he stood there? Priceless.

She still needed something in her pussy tonight. She got out her vibrating dildo from where she had stashed it, and sucked it to get it wet, remembering how Mike's felt and tasted the whole time. Okay, so it wasn't as big as Mike's, but Mike didn't have a variable vibration setting, either.

Flipping herself up into the doggystyle position, Cassie set the vibration to low and held the vibrator right at the opening to her pussy. Quickly, desperately, she bounced her ass on it, fucking the toy until she came again.

Once fully satisfied, she wiped off the toy and settled in for the night.

*****

Once Mike had clothed and gone to his bedroom on the third floor, he sat on the edge of his bed, and tried not to let his thoughts spin too much.

So, he had kissed all three women in his house on the same day. One of them just got a spermload all over her ass, and another was pumped full of it earlier the same day. And the third one got a load only the day before.

"And Veronica worries that she's a slut," Mike muttered to himself, "I wonder what she would think of me if she found out."

This led Mike to thinking about the Rules. Namely, that the three women he was now entangled with, had a disentanglement agreement that just tied him into knots. They were all cool with each other pursuing him, only they couldn't ask or tell about one another's pursuits, so that they couldn't be competitors, which would damage the friendships.

Noble, really, but for now Mike was gingerly removing his boxers. If he'd been wearing tighty-whiteys, the pain would have been excruciating.

How was he going to get a day off from them all, without any of them suspecting the others? He tried to focus his thoughts as he took a shower.




The Warmest Winter, Day 06



Tomorrow was a Saturday -- he had no work to do. He couldn't hole up again. Hell, that hadn't even worked the first time. Cassie came in and blew his mind right in his office chair.

What about keeping busy? Doing completely non-erotic things? Now that he thought about it, there was a list of small household chores that still needed doing, and that could eat up a chunk of time. But it wasn't enough. They were all very determined women. If they wanted an opportunity, he'd have to really stymie them.

Maybe he could make sure there was always at least two of them present. That could work, too, as long as he could finagle them that way, and Jenny at least would notice. He'd have to hold that in reserve.

What about a straightforward fib? "I'm sorry; I'm not up for it today." No. Not up for it? With any of those smokin'-hot beauties? That wouldn't be a fib, it would be an outright lie, and they'd all see straight through it.

Damn! What the Hell was Mike going to do?

Mike thought about just letting it go, taking it moment by moment and seeing what happened. It worked just now with Cassie, right?

Wrong! his penis answered. With Cassie, he'd meant to not engage himself at all, just pleasure her and leave it at that, but no. He just had to get his rocks off. Okay, granted, seeing her ass covered in his cum was something to keep him warm of cold nights for years yet to be, but now he simply couldn't do anything with his cock tomorrow. Even using the bathroom was going to be an exercise in delicacy at this point.

As he dried off and tried to settle down for sleeping, Mike tried to summarize in his head, to see if that would help.

Not having sex wasn't enough for almost about thirty-six hours. Two nights, plus the day in the middle. He had to avoid even getting an erection, if he could, as much as possible for that time. He should be fine after that. He had a lot of solutions that might suffice, but they might not. What he really would have liked was something he could be sure of, because very suddenly a large part of his life had been thrown into the air. As he fought sleep to keep mulling over his dilemma, one worry kept making itself quite certain indeed:

If Mike didn't think of something, and fast, then what had up to this point been every man's dream would become his own personal nightmare.



The Warmest Winter, Day 07



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders. For the record, I have nothing against gingers, as I proudly am one. Spoiler: No sex in this one- catch you next time!

*****

On Saturday mornings, Mike did not set his alarm. Especially in the winter, when he worked from a home office, it was important to delineate the weekend somehow. If he wasn't careful, he might overwork himself.

He got in a shower early, knowing that none of his three houseguests would be using the water heavily at the same time. Gingerly, he tested the sensitivity of his groin. Still not ready for action.

Six days ago, he found them in his yard. That day, and every day since, those women had given him more sexual satisfaction than the previous four years of his life. But none of them knew about one another's efforts, and Mike was feeling the wear and tear in areas he'd greatly prefer not to have worn or torn.

He was still churning over solutions in his head. He couldn't reject each individual advance – it was too complicated and unreliable. He certainly wouldn't reject any of the women, they were hot as Hell. Somehow he had to pre-empt them from making any advances.

Okay, so some of that was easy. They'd been living together, the four of them, for nearly a week now, and other than the basic leave-it-like-you-found-it, they hadn't cleaned house. That would occupy most of the day.

The problem was that he'd be doing an equal part, not only to be fair, but it was also, after all, his house. And watching a grown man engage in serious housework was, to many women Mike knew, a form of pornography. He had to kill the mood, everyone's mood, before they even got that far.

Mike got out of the shower and dried off. So, what could he say, or get them to talk about, that would kill the mood today but not any longer? Of course, if they knew his mood was killed for the day, they wouldn't try...

It was a shame he hadn't taken a bath, and that he'd already left the shower. It was absolutely a "Eureka!" moment.

Finally relaxing, now that he had found a solution, he finished his morning routine, got dressed, and went down for breakfast.

*****

"Hello?" Mike called at the bottom of the stairs. He couldn't tell where the ladies were. There was a crash from the dining room, followed by an exclamation of "Sonofabitch!" from what sounded like Jenny.

Mike smiled. Jenga on the dining room table. "Sorry," he called.

The women greeted him and razzed him for getting up so late, which he defended only by reminding them of the weekend. Cassie did not feel like making him a solo breakfast this morning, and besides that, it was her turn to set up the tower. Mike warmed a couple packs of Pop-Tarts and poured himself the last of the coffee. He joined the others at the table while they started another game.

As had started to be the routine, breakfast conversation centered on what they were going to do that day. Under normal circumstances (or as Veronica called it, "in the real world"), this would be taken up by work, school and whatnot. Snowed in, they needed to get creative.

Mike took the opportunity to suggest housework for the day.

"And that'll include laundry," he added, "I know I have a load or two."

All three faces looked at him, and then he realized the unintended innuendo. Restraining a wince at the error, Mike continued, "And how about we tell stories all day, to pass the time for the boring parts?"

"Can we finish the game first?" asked Veronica, deftly placing her block on top of the tower. Jenny's turn was next. Mike smiled inwardly, and timed what he said next perfectly.

"I could start while you keep playing to the end of this game," he offered while Jenny started scooting a block out from the middle.

Right as she was about to pull the block out, Mike said, "Kendra Harrington."

The tower fell, and Jenny cursed again, but then looked at Mike as full realization hit her. Her eyes widened to match those of Cassie and Veronica.

"We met seven years ago," Mike said, "My first term in college."

*****

Professor Napolitano sat across from the complicated student in front of him.

"As the department head," he started hesitantly, "I don't think I can recommend your course of action. College is about more than the credits. Employers are looking for certain kinds of experiences, what they show about character, et cetera."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on that," replied Michael, "Oftentimes what courses a person takes are subject to availability, and how well they do tied more to their learning styles matching the professor's teaching style, than to their natural proclivity with the subject matter."

Napolitano sighed. It had been like this the whole conversation. The young man sitting in front of him was in his second week of college, and already sounded like a graduate. The worst part was that the punk was right.

"Be that as it may," the advisor continued, "You should aspire to more. If you can CLEP as many courses as you are looking to, you could graduate in three years. But if you take your time, graduating in four years instead, you can add in internships, independent studies... any number of other things that are attractive to prospective employers. It'll make a sparkling transcript for a résumé."

"Let me try this another way," Michael offered, "What is a résumé for?"

"Oh, please."

"Humor me."

"Fine. Job hunting."

"Okay. So everything you're suggesting is to accelerate my career, making more money, sooner, doing a job I like. So far, so good?"

"Yeah..."

"As a matter of fact, that's the point of college, is it not? Replace ten or so years of on-the-job experience with four years of academia to reach the equivalent pay grade sooner?"

"If money is all you're after, but-"

"Without the motivating factor of money, college would be a ghost town, and you know it. It's not the only thing, but it's first by a long shot. Now, I already make a substantial amount of money doing consulting work. Most of that involves research, which is what I call 'work study.' I can only go so far without my degree, but the demand for my services is already rising. There will come a point where attending classes and doing homework will do more harm than good. To minimize the risk of this, I have chosen my course of action."

Michael stated all of this very matter-of-factly. He had a quiet, even tone. Whatever ruffled his feathers, it wasn't this. Napolitano sighed.

"All right, then, I've said my piece. For the record, I can't say I support what you're doing." He stood and offered his hand. Michael also stood, and shook it.

"I appreciate your willingness to keep an eye out for me," Michael said.

"And off the record, let me just say you got balls, kid. Good luck. I'll watch for you in the funny pages." Napolitano broke off the handshake to gesture to his collection of sociological journals. Michael smiled and walked out of the open door.

When he got outside, into the waiting area, he gathered up his stuff into his bookbag. Between it and the door he just walked through was another student, a girl that looked as fresh as himself to the environment.

"They tell people it only takes seconds for a thief to strike," the girl said. She was a redhead, wearing a businesslike skirt and blouse. Her long legs were crossed in front of her, stockings up beyond her skirt's hemline. One hand was on her knees, the other casually draped behind his bag.

"I kept an eye on your stuff for you," she continued.

"They also say you shouldn't trust strangers," Michael replied. She held out her hand.

"I'm Kendra," she said, giving him a strong gaze from her sea-green eyes and rising from her seat.

"Michael." They shook hands.

"There. Now we're not strangers. We should celebrate with a drink."

"I'm sorry. I don't like alcohol."

"You religious?"

"Not exactly. I mean, my parents are and I was raised that way, but I... never mind. What I mean is, I literally dislike the taste."

"Oh!" Kendra blushed, "Of course!" She laughed. Michael liked that laugh. It was high and sweet, and carefree. No pressure, just fun.

"How about coffee?"

"Oh, I don't touch the stuff," Kendra said, "But tell you what: we'll go to the dining hall and get milkshakes."

"What about your meeting?"

"Oh, I was a walk-in, and it can wait. Come on, before it gets busy."

They walked off together, still chatting the whole way.

*****

"So you lied to us," Veronica said, "You told us you graduated high school early, and were in college four years."

"Sorry," Mike said, "That was the without-Kendra version I tell casual acquaintances. Now you're being upgraded to the 'friend' version. That's why I'm telling you."

The four of them were working together, putting the finishing touches on the basement. It was easy work, most of it, but detailed and thorough. Mike had admitted that it had been far longer than a week since the house had been cleaned. He usually only had to do a major cleaning right before he left for the year. Everything needed to be returned to its orderly and organized state, and most surfaces that could take it were Handi-Wiped.

"My mother would be apoplectic if she knew this is how I cleaned," Mike said, "She thinks that if it takes less than a full Spring Break to clean a house, you must have missed something or done something wrong. Don't even get me started on her dishwashing standards."

After breakfast, the quartet had changed into their most work-ready clothing. For Mike, this was his oldest jeans and a plain white T-shirt. He didn't like to mess with a winning formula too much. For the girls, some variety was in order.

Cassie wore a pair of sweatpants, accentuating her round, full buttocks, and a plain white T-shirt similar to Mike's. Jenny had foregone wearing a bra and instead wore a bathing suit top under her shirt. Some cleaning spray and soapy water had already found its way onto her shirt, and so the zebra-print showed through. She also wore cutoff short shorts, which made her legs look even longer.

Veronica wore jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, being the first to volunteer for the ickiest tasks. She had the yellow gloves on in the group. Before Mike put the images of the trio, especially Jenny, into storage before he started getting turned on too badly, he made a mental note to have them do a carwash sometime...

"So was that the first date or were you friends for a while?" Cassie asked.

"I think we were friends until our milkshakes ran out," Mike said, "That's when I asked her to dinner the next week."

"So you guys hit it off pretty well, then?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was happy."

"So what happened?"

"Ah," Mike said, "The seeds of that were already sown. As someone once told me, 'You have to look at the details.' The signs were there from day one, but I really should have known the night I proposed. It was towards the middle of my second year at school..."

*****

Michael was feeling great about his life. He was making money doing consulting work, which was easy now that he chose his clients more selectively. His girl was gorgeous, his grades were tops, and most of all, he knew how to make it all fit together.

Without explanation, Michael insisted that Kendra don her best, and be ready to go out to dinner at seven sharp. They both still lived separately, in the dorms at school, so that their relationship would not distract from their studies.

When he arrived at her dorm to escort her to his car, he was floored. Kendra had bought a brand-new outfit for the occasion. The rubies around her neck matched the deep red of her hair. The dress was a tight black number, with a slit up the right side to mid-thigh, and subtle collar of a green that matched her eyes. Michael was briefly stunned.

The week before, Michael had managed to sneak away for a few days, giving Kendra the excuse of some on-site consulting gig. In reality, Michael went to see Kendra's parents, to ask permission to marry her. She had warned him about them, that they were very upper-crust, and distrusted the intentions of anyone in the working class towards their little girl.

Nevertheless, Michael pulled into their driveway in his Benz, precisely at their agreed time. He'd bought the car only a week before, as his old Ford Escort was unlikely to impress. The salesman was shocked but eager when he bought the vehicle outright.

"Mister and Missus Harrington, I will be direct. I know you are wary of gold diggers, men looking to your daughter as an easy alternative to earning their way in the world. I am not one of them. I already outearn most of my professors, and this will only increase in several ways when I have graduated. I will have more time, I will be able to risk raising my fees, and my education will garner me more lucrative consultations.

"I am aware that consultation is not generally seen as regular work, but five minutes' research will tell you I am in demand. I have even had an offer for an employee, to help me and learn from me. This offer came from a man twice my age.

"I dated Kendra for months and was quite happy to do so. When she revealed her parentage and the existence of her trust fund, I appreciated her willingness to share with me, as I will finally tell her of my real success before I propose to her next week.

"However, I would not like to be the cause of a rift between her and you. The love you three share as a family is obvious, and I would rather she be separated from me than from you. And so I ask you for your blessing to marry Kendra."

The speech impressed the couple, but they hid it well. After grilling Michael for half an hour about his consultation, they became convinced he was not exaggerating his accomplishments. When he showed them a pre-nuptial agreement with his signature already on the line, they finally had to break.

"You have our blessing and our encouragement," said Martha, Kendra's mother. They insisted he call them by their first names from that point further. Kendra's father, Samuel Harrington III, brought him his mother's wedding ring, which Michael accepted.

Now, at the restaurant, Michael seemed to have run out of words. How would he get it out? Why couldn't he just say it?

Stop. Think. Plan. Execute.

"Did you know I've been looking at properties?" he started. The conversation had been a little quiet for a while as they both enjoyed their meals and one another's company.

"What do you mean by properties?" Kendra asked, puzzled.

"I mean, vacant lots. Land."

"What for?"

"I want to build a house."

"A summer getaway for you? That's awesome!" Kendra always seemed to support his radical ideas. She always believed he could follow through. "I'd miss you while you were gone, but it would give you a chance to relax, work only as much as you want to-"

"No, that's not it, I..." Michael said, "I mean, it's a getaway for us... and maybe someday, more than that."

Kendra grew still. She spoke her next words carefully. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we can design our dream house, right where we want it, how we want it. It can be ours by the time we graduate."

"Michael," Kendra said, "That's... well, for a start that's too soon. My trust fund doesn't kick in until I have my degree. And my parents won't release it early if you don't have yours yet, either. Not to mention the interest on the loan we'd have to take out. I'd love to do it, but-"

"We wouldn't need a loan."

"Michael, you're not suggesting we build it ourselves, are you? 'Cause if so, you've finally said something I can't say is a good idea."

"Kendra, please! I'm trying to tell you I'm rich." Michael burst it out a little strongly. Kendra sat back, mildly startled.

"...How...rich?" she asked.

"Rich enough that I don't need to know how much a house like this is going to cost before I say we won't need a loan. Rich enough that I bought a Benz outright the other week, just to impress your parents when I saw them last week."

"You saw my parents? Why?"

"I wanted them to know how much I love you. I wanted them to know you have nothing to fear from me. I wanted them to give me their blessing."

Kendra's eyes started tearing up as she realized what Michael was driving towards. Michael noticed, and went straight to it. He slipped from his chair and down onto one knee. The surrounding restaurant hushed as the other patrons took notice.

"Kendra Marian Harrington, I have loved you from our first milkshakes to this moment. I would like nothing more than for us to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?"

With this last question, Michael opened the small box and revealed her grandmother's ring.

"Yes!" Kendra cried. "Oh, Michael, yes!" The restaurant cheered. Both of them smiling through tears, Michael slipped the ring onto her finger, and they kissed.

They received a bottle of house wine from the restaurant in celebration, of course free of charge. Other patrons who left before them came by the table to congratulate them warmly. They were feeling so great that they checked into a nice hotel rather than return to their dorms.

Once inside, Michael and Kendra were on fire. They couldn't keep their hands off of one another. They had been building to it for a month or so, but tonight Kendra could not stand it any longer. Not that Michael objected. When he slid into her for the first time, his first time, he could think of no more joyful moment, except the ecstasy of release which came soon after.

*****

"Oh, that's so beautiful," said Cassie. She was tearing up along with the memories.

"If I got proposed to like that, I'd never let him go," said Veronica.

"What, the romantic down-on-one-knee, or the revelation that he's fabulously wealthy first?" Jenny ribbed her.

"Well, the money doesn't hurt," she replied, but Cassie tapped her on the shoulder. Veronica and Jenny had not been facing Mike, but now they turned. Mike's face had darkened severely. His eyes were fire, his face was stone. He shook his head slowly, and the storm faded into the background as he continued.

"The summer before my last year of college, Kendra and I decided to get a short-term lease on an apartment for the summer, sort of a dry run. The laws had been altered and the changes enacted. The house was planned, down to the funky closets. She seemed okay with whatever I wanted, just happy to be with me, I supposed. And then about a week before term started, I got a phone call at a small rented office where I did my consulting work..."

*****

"Hello?"

"Hello. I'm calling for a Michael Evans."

"Speaking. May I ask who is calling?"

"Michael T. Evans? Engaged to Kendra Harrington?"

"Who is this?"

"I'll take that as a yes. My name is Sam. Sam Harrington. Kendra is my sister."

"She doesn't have a brother."

"They don't talk about me. They think it's letting the family down for a Harrington to not only join the military, but to refuse officers' training and enlist. Look, are you marrying Kendra or not?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then we need to talk. Face-to-face. Soon."

"My schedule's somewhat flexible."

"My plate's clear, too. May I come over?"

"Sure, I guess. Our address is-"

"I mean at your office."

"Sure. Today's one of my 'late days.' Kendra won't be expecting me for hours."

"I know. And I know where it is. Classified story short, I worked Intelligence."

Sam hung up. Michael stared at his phone.

Twenty minutes later, a man with Kendra's exact hair color knocked on the door. Michael let him in out of the rain.




The Warmest Winter, Day 07



"Samuel, I take it?"

"Sam. And you must be Michael." They shook hands, and Michael ushered his soon-to-be brother into a seat opposite his.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Michael asked.

"I know my sister better than anyone else," Sam said, "Even you, no offense. Our parents don't even see it because they don't want to."

"If you're about to accuse my fiancée of something, I will at least need to see some I.D." Sam handed him his card, which Michael inspected. He'd done some work for the police, and discovered a couple of verification tricks the cops don't typically tell civilians about. The card was real, and the man before him was indeed Samuel Harrington IV.

"You love her – that's obvious. But you have to look at the details. She's an amazing actress, even considered it as a career at one point, but the practices of stage were a bother, and the grueling process of TV or film was not for a princess like her."

"I don't often get angry," Michael said, "but you're pushing it."

"Whatever retaliation you can think of, either I can prevent you from succeeding or it won't do you any good or me any harm. Be mad if you want, but I will sit here until I have spoken my piece. Believe it or not, I'm on your side here."

"Fine. Go on."

"My family, even the entire extended family, is a bunch of money-hoarding über-snobs. Kendra, I'm sorry to say, is among the worst. Have you ever gotten the feeling she wasn't telling you something?"

"Yes, but it was usually followed by a surprise of some sort. She was hiding to keep me from finding out too soon."

"And all of the surprises explained every evasive answer?"

"She always explained whenever I asked."

"And every explanation completely satisfied your doubts?"

"I never thought too hard about it. I trust Kendra."

"You never thought too hard about it. You mean you saw what you wanted to see. How did you meet? When did she show interest in you?"

Michael told him.

"The door was open, you said, and Kendra was sitting by it. She heard you tell Professor Napolitano you were already making money. An eighteen-year-old raking in the dough. And she made sure she got your attention immediately. What led up to the first time you had sex?"

"None of your business, to be frank," Michael scowled, "And what makes you think we have?"

"If she accepted your proposal, then she's done everything in her power to have sex with you. If she hadn't succeeded by now, you'd have to be an idiot not to suspect her, and you're not an idiot, so she has succeeded."

"How do you get a link from the proposal to sex?"

"I'll tell you in a second. Answer me this, first: Did you reveal your true wealth before or after you proposed?"

"Before. Just before, in fact. I wanted no secrets between us, for her to have no illusions of any kind about me before I asked her." Michael knew he sounded defensive, and was beginning to worry that he in fact was defensive.

"A noble sentiment. Naïve, but noble. Let me tell you what happened that night. She heard you say that you are incredibly wealthy, and that you were willing to give half or more of it to her. Then, to seal the deal, she beds you again."

"We never... I mean, it was the first..."

"Oh, god," Sam looked horrified. "She did that to you? She was your first? And it was on the night you proposed? Oh, god, Mike, I'm sorry. If I had known, I'd have come at you with this with a bit more tact."

"With what?!" Michael suddenly shouted, "What the Hell are you talking about?! Just what are you saying? Quit beating around the bush and just tell me, goddammit! And nobody calls me Mike!"

"Michael. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you, that it wasn't true, that Kendra isn't who I know she is. But you have to know."

The truth was, Michael already knew. He had shouted to drown out his brain telling him the same thing. You have to look at the details, Sam had said, and he had done just that, the whole conversation. It had finally all clicked into place and made sense. Mike looked with mounting fear at Sam, who he now realized had been more of a friend to him in the last five minutes than others had been for his whole life.

Sam saw the look, and still forced the words out. It needed to be spoken into the air.

"You've been had. Kendra's the gold digger."

*****

It was lunchtime by now. The women were aghast.

"All that time?" Jenny said, "She was faking for all that time? Everything?"

"Not everything," Mike said, "I'm sure she didn't need to fake quite a bit. She may even have thought it could still work from time to time. For sure I still saw the possibility that she had loved me despite her greed."

"So what did you do?" Cassie asked.

"Having said his piece, Samuel left me to mull it over..."

*****

Michael sat in his office, listening to the pouring rain and re-thinking everything his visitor has told him. Was it true? Was Kendra only after his money, or at least, would she still be with him if he wasn't rich?

He hated himself for doubting his future wife, and so resolved to settle the doubts as quickly as possible. Closing his books and files for the day, he dashed to his car and began to drive to the apartment he shared with Kendra.

He wanted to call, even dialed a few times, but he was struggling so hard just to keep his emotions in check, to keep his imagination from running away from him, to keep his eyes on the slick road, that he never managed to place the call.

When he arrived, he decided to just walk in and tell her about his encounter with Sam, in a very matter-of-fact way, judge her reaction, and go from there.

Michael opened his front door, and found one of Kendra's black lacy bras on the back of the couch. She was not the best housekeeper in the world. Michael hadn't minded, as he would be home most of the time anyway, with an office to work out of.

Then he spotted the pair of briefs on the floor... and the panties in the hallway. Michael hadn't owned briefs in years, since he began to wear boxers. The line the undergarments made pointed straight to the bedroom, where Kendra and Michael spent their nights.

Within his chest, Michael's heart turned to ice- hard, tight, and cold. Gold digging would have upset him immensely, yet she could potentially make up for that, but this...

He heard noises coming from the bedroom. His bedroom. His bed. So many emotions fought for release, it was all Michael could do not to clutch his head and scream. Lost and drowning, he sought refuge in his intellect, which had yet to fail him.

Stop. Think. Plan. Execute.

"Execute." Perhaps not the best choice of words, thought a clouded part of Mike's head, desperate for a glint of sunlight.

He moved towards the front closet, and quietly opened it. Inside, Mike found the Tasers he had stashed for home defense. Two of them, one for each occupant. Mike had a distaste for guns, but nonetheless believed in defending his home, thus Tasers were the weapons of choice. Readying them both, he turned and moved with deliberation to his bedroom door.

They had even left it ajar. Kendra was so overconfident she had gotten lazy. Or did she really even care? No matter.

Mike peered into the room, scoping out the situation. His soon-to-be ex-fiancée was facedown on the bed, clutching a pillow to muffle her screams. Her head was towards the headboard, away from the door, as was that of her lover. The cuckolder was driving himself deep into Kendra's ass, something Michael had never been interested in doing. That explained a bit, at least.

He couldn't see the man's face, but the face didn't matter. Mike slowly, quietly walked around until he was directly behind the adulterers. He lined up his shot with one Taser, and fired.

The man felt sudden and extreme pain, right between his balls and his asshole. It only lasted a moment, because it was swiftly replaced by fifty thousand volts pulsing at four hundredths of an ampere. It doesn't sound like much, but to a human body, especially the scrotum, it's the Special Hell, the one reserved for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.

With a scream, the man rolled off of Kendra, and Mike could finally see his face. It was Marcel DuPont, a friend of Kendra's from her high school graduating class, one of several who came to their college at the same time.

Marcel reached down to clutch his groin, but Mike sent another jolt to warn him away. Kendra sprang up, wide-eyed and terrified.

"Michael! Wait! This isn't-"

"I have another Taser," Mike replied, pointing it at her naked chest, still flushed from her sexual exploits. "Choose your words carefully."

Kendra blurted out, "I have cancer, Michael."

"Excuse me?"

Kendra named the type, and explained that it was moderately aggressive, and that though it had been rather subtle until recently, the next stage would only be survivable with the absolute best care available, combined with duct tape and luck.

"Please!" Kendra begged, "I'm sorry! I, I wanted to be strong when I told you, because I knew how upset you'd be. So, I called Marcel. After all, he's a friend, and I'd tell him soon enough anyway."

Mike was still upset, but began to see another explanation. What she had been hiding was that she was sick, and had just found out why. Her concerns about his money were only the same ones her parents had, which were not unjustified. And she had made a mistake in a dire moment of weakness. It would take time to get through it, but maybe they could manage it.

Kendra saw the hope in Mike's eyes, and crawled over to him on the bed. Marcel was temporarily forgotten. Kneeling in front of Mike, she put her arms around his neck, trying not to think too much about the Taser he still pointed at her sternum. He would drop it soon.

"I'm so sorry," Kendra said, looking into Mike's eyes, which showed imminent tears, "We didn't mean for it to go this way. We were talking, I started crying, I needed someone so badly, and one thing led to another. It should have been you here. I am so, so sorry, Michael."

Mike looked straight into her sea-green eyes, still made-up from her internship shift earlier.

"You said you were crying." Mike's tone was flat. Matter-of-fact.

"Of course. I could die, Michael."

In a flash, Kendra saw the fire engulf Mike's gaze, and by the time she registered what Mike said next, it was too late.

"Your mascara isn't running."

Kendra opened her mouth to speak, and Mike squeezed both triggers.

*****

The ladies cringed. "Ooooohh."

"So it was the mascara that did it?" Jenny asked.

"It tipped the balance, broke the illusion, whatever you call it. The point is, in that moment, she wasn't hiding something from me. It wasn't omission or forgetfulness or the heat of the moment or anything else. She looked me square in the face and lied through her teeth about why she was with him."

"Did she even have cancer?" asked Veronica, clearing the lunch dishes.

"Yes. I talked with Sam afterwards, to thank him and fill him in on the details. A few weeks later, he called back and told me what else I didn't know."

Mike had decided to break off the engagement, and his relationship with Kendra entirely. Marcel fled the situation completely, and not even Kendra heard from him again. A Taser to the perineum can have that effect on people. Kendra's health would not be affected- her parents and her trust fund could treat a hundred people with the exact same type of cancer. Not that they would, except for their precious daughter.

So Mike felt no remorse for breaking up with her, despite her worsening cancer. They hadn't really put much of their personal belongings into the apartment, being just a summer rental, so he terminated the lease and moved his things out before term started.

"Then Sam told me the worst news: Kendra's lies weren't over. Sam had visited the family, not revealing his role in what had happened. Kendra told him what she had already told their parents."

According to her, she had told Mike about her cancer, and he flipped. He called her all sorts of names, and became very irrational. Her disease "did not fit into his plan," and he was angry at her. When she frantically tried to calm him down, he accused her of hysterics and Tased her to subdue her. Sam at this point asked why she did not press charges, this being assault. Kendra said that she had too much to handle, and would rather just be done with it.

Sam had wondered if things had really gone exactly as Mike had told him. After all, he'd just met the man that one night.

But then Kendra had continued her tale. As she told it, Mike had concocted the story of her cheating on him to cover his behavior. Samuel and Martha believed every word from their angel's lips, but Sam knew better. Mike hadn't told anyone about that night- he had no one to tell. He hadn't concocted any story at all, let alone a lie. So why would she assume he had fabricated such a story, if it couldn't have reached her ears? It had to be true.

Wordlessly, Sam left the house and called Mike. When the phone call was over, Mike never spoke to anyone in the Harrington family again.

Six months later, he received a newspaper clipping in his mailbox, in a plain, un-postmarked envelope. It was an obituary for Kendra Marian Harrington. The cancer's aggression outpaced all treatment options, and she had died. Mike never visited the grave, and found himself without a desire to.

"Didn't you love her?" Cassie asked, "She must have meant something to you, despite everything."

"I loved who I thought she was," Mike answered her. He was showing them the specifics and settings of his washer and dryer in the basement. "Who she pretended to be. But I was not in love with the real Kendra. I never would have been. In fact, the more I thought about her, even from a neutral point of view, the more I disliked what I saw. No. The loss was hard to take, but not as hard as if she were real."

"So this house..."

"Was just beginning construction, and if I changed the plans, the whole thing would have been rejected. It was a close-run thing getting it at all. I kept the plans, determined to live my life as I had envisioned it before I even met Kendra. So now, everything was back to normal, except that now I have my winters alone in a house built for two-plus. It isn't my 'summer getaway,' but it is mine. Everything she took from me, she will not take this, even from the grave."

"So when you said it was built for guests..."

"It was built for family. The Master bedroom is sound-dampened so the kiddies don't hear the parents having sex. The office was to be a playroom. It's not shielded to keep outside noise from inside the office, but to keep noise from the playroom out of the rest of the house, especially the bedroom directly above it. Soundproofing works both ways, but still. We didn't need many bathrooms because you couldn't use them for long periods at the same time anyway – not enough water."

The four of them were quiet for some time, and then began to exchange short sentences related to the continued cleaning of the house. They were up to the second floor, now that the laundry had been started. Mike would do his separately, once the ladies' was done.

"Whatsa matter, Mike? Afraid you'll get embarrassed?" Thank god for Veronica. The somber mood needed breaking.

"I haven't seen anything yet, so unless you're suggesting a runway show, maybe it's y'all that should be afraid of what I'll see."

Not for the first time, Mike smiled inwardly, as he had said something none of them could object to without giving away too much.

"So whose else's have you seen?" she continued to prod. "Who else has tried to win over Mike Evans?"

"You mean have I dated since then? Of course. Like I said, in some ways she was easy to get over, being a falsification. I've had dates, a few short-term girlfriends, nothing serious. Some even got physical. I'm not trying not to date, I just don't often. I suppose I've just been in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting for the next thing to come along."

"What's the wildest sex you've ever had with a real person?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Mike said. His mission had been amply accomplished, and now he wished the subject matter to return to normal. "You want more out of me, it'll have to be a tad less one-sided. Arrange a good game of Truth or Dare, and you might get an answer to that question." He smiled, and the group went to the library to dust.

*****

Up to and including dinner, Mike was fairly quiet. He got a short sidelong hug from Cassie at one point, and Veronica surreptitiously gave him a comforting pat on the back at another. He wordlessly volunteered to do the dinner dishes, and the ladies left him to it.

As he turned off the water and began to dry the dishes that wouldn't fit in the dish rack, Mike turned and saw Jenny standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am about what I did to you the first night."

"No need. I said we're square, and I meant it. Still do."

"Nevertheless," Jenny continued, folding her arms and leaning against the wall, "I get why feeling manipulated was such a big deal to you."

"I appreciate your understanding."

"That's an arm's-length phrase if ever I heard one, but that's okay. I just wanted you to know, I'll never do anything like that to you again."

"I believe you."

"But if there's anything I can help with, I'd like to try. Not for you, but with you."

"Thanks," said Mike, putting down the drying towel and beginning to put the dishes away, "But I'm fine."

"They say home is where the heart is."

"Yeah, what of it?"

"They also say you can't go home again."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're holding yourself to something, a future that no longer exists. Okay, your future with Kendra is gone, but so is the one before it. You're different. You need a new future, not to just try this one over and over in defiance of the memory of her."

"In other words, 'They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,' right?"

Jenny allowed herself to turn up the corners of her mouth. "Something like that."

"I see your point, and you may be right."

"So, will you let me help you?"

"I will consider it."

"Stop. Think. Plan. Execute?"

"Something like that."

"Well, that's something. Whatever our futures hold, I'm just glad for the chance for us to work together."

Mike froze in the middle of putting a cup on the high shelf. He had to remind himself to not drop it, as the rest of his mind was suddenly buzzing. Ideas, thoughts, images, words, connections, all started flashing through his brain as the coalescence of something big worked its way into his consciousness, pushing them ahead of it.

"Excuse me," Mike said, rushing by a suddenly-confused Jenny. He hurried into his office and shut the door behind him.

Jenny walked over to the office door, and stared at it. Cassie and Veronica, who had been hanging out at the second floor landing, came down and joined her.

"What happened?" Veronica asked.

"I have no idea. I was telling him I could help him through any residual issues he might have, and he was polite but resistant. Then he froze, and bolted into his office."

"Dude needs to get laid," Veronica said. She had sex with him only the day before, but it's what she would have said if she hadn't.

"You know," said Cassie, "Instead of our 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, we could all just jump him at once. I'm sure he'd like that."

"I bet he would!" Jenny said. They started laughing. It was a release. They were nervous.

The trio of women settled into apprehensive silence in the den, across the hall from the office. They could hear Mike sliding open drawers and slamming them shut, rustling papers, typing furiously on his computer keyboard. At times, they heard nothing. Presumably, he was reading.




The Warmest Winter, Day 07



"Eureka!" he shouted after some time, startling the women. They got up from their positions around the den, and gathered at the office door when he came out. His face was lit, and his grin was wide.

"Come on, let's sit in the dining room!" They complied, having never seen him so excited, not even about that Firefly TV show, which said a lot. They also wondered about his change in attitude since not two hours before.

Once they sat, Mike pointed at Jenny. "You have a therapy theory. A sound one, a damn sound one. But what you need to implement it, to get patients helped by it, is a business. Academia is not your friend until you have proven the validity of your techniques, and even then it'll be a fight."

"How can I get a business around it? I'm just the therapist!" Jenny objected.

"You need a specialized space, probably even a location with specific characteristics."

"Okay, so?"

"Know any good real estate developers?"

Cassie gasped. That was her major.

"She can take over basic operations once the real estate side is down," Mike said, "And she can easily handle expansion of the real estate, which I am confident will occur."

"But I don't know how to run a business!" Jenny continued.

"I do," said Veronica. "Don't you see what he's getting at?"

Jenny's eyes narrowed at Mike, "Are you serious?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "No, Jenny, I think the best bet for your future is to rent an ice cream truck and work the Yukon neighborhoods."

"Ha. Ha. Sarcasm noted, jackass." She stuck her tongue out at him to show she didn't mean the insult.

"Veronica is perfect," Mike continued, "She handles the business angles, basically the CEO, the chief executive officer. Cassie would be chief operations officer. You would be the owner. In day-to-day terms, Veronica would be front-of-house, utilizing her hostess skills, and Cassie would be behind the scenes. You, Jenny, would be the main attraction."

Cassie snickered, "In Next Gen terms, I'm the yellowshirt, Veronica's the redshirt, and Jenny's the blueshirt!"

"Come on, Cass," said Jenny, "Do you realize how crazy this sounds?"

"Actually it doesn't," said Veronica, and Cassie nodded in agreement. "I only wish I had thought of it myself, sooner."

"But that wouldn't have brought you here," Mike said, "Because there's one thing no business can do without, especially a venture like this one." He said the word "venture" pointedly at Veronica.

"Capital," she said, making the connection. Venture capitalists were those who funded new businesses. Being the business administration major, she would be intimately familiar with the phrase.

"Wait," Veronica continued, "Are you offering to give us money?"

"Hell, no," said Mike, with mock offense, "I'm buying myself a seat on the board. If I'm supplying the money, I'm seeing that it's well-spent. As chief financial officer, it's my own company my money will be going towards, not the individuals."

"Why?" Jenny whispered. There were tears in her eyes.

"I believe in what you're doing. I believe you can do it, and if you're given a chance, you'll change the way people think about recovery, and do a Hell of a lot of good. Besides, we're all looking for a better future, and this one's a damn sight better than a lot of others we could have. So what do you say, Jenny? Would you be glad for the chance for us to work together?"

Recognizing her own words, Jenny smiled. "Yes. Let's give it a shot."

Veronica and Cassie cheered. They were obviously on board.

"Look, it'll take years of planning, and further education for at least two of you, but trust me, it'll be worth it. And we'll be together every step of the way."

"Stop selling it, man, we've already bought the product!" Veronica laughed. In celebration, Mike brought up a bottle from the basement, some expensive vintage. He only had two finer- one he was saving for his wedding, the other for the birth of his first child, should he have either someday.

They toasted and chatted and dreamed crazy dreams until the bottle ran out, and then they all staggered upstairs to their bedrooms.

As Mike flopped into bed, having nearly fallen over while he undressed, he thought about calling his lawyer to see about legal consultations for the venture.

Lawyer. Rick! Nice guy. Party guy. Ooh, party. Parties were good. Rick was good. That wine was really good. Was it wine? It tasted kinda strong. Maybe he forgot to look at the label. But it was fun. Hey, Rick was fun. No, Rick was a moodkiller. So serious. That last phone call. What was Rick so serious about? Nothing. It was probably nothing.

Mike drifted off to sleep, and dreamed of Cassie, Veronica, and Jenny, all wearing zebra-print bathing suits, giving his Hummer a wet, soapy carwash. Outside the windows, the snow continued to melt.



The Warmest Winter, Day 08



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Mike rolled out of bed to the sound of Electric Light Orchestra's "The Diary of Horace Wimp." Another day, another chance for incredible sex with one of his delectable houseguests. Of course they were friends now, first and foremost, and he wouldn't do a thing to jeopardize that, but as long as they were open to it, and they were stuck here anyway because of the snow... What was that sound?

Dripping. A lot of dripping. Rain? No, he'd hear it on the roof. It was the snow melting. Okay, he'd heard it in the background for nearly a week now, but not this much.

After getting ready for the day, Mike went out onto the balcony. The snow indeed was finally starting to show visible signs of recession. A two-day blizzard left the entire area buried, trapping the three women there to begin with, but now there was a chance that their time together was starting to come to a close.

With a sigh, he went back inside, and downstairs for another of Cassie's culinary spreads. Mike had no idea how many different breakfasts were possible, but Cassie was determined to show them off.

"I wanted to talk to you," Jenny started in the middle of the meal, "About the... idea you had yesterday."

"Still can't think of what to call it, but there's time," said Mike.

"No, I mean, it sounds good in a pitch, but I want to really think about what it would actually take to pull off, to see if it's worth the risk."

"Number one," Mike responded, gesturing with his spoon, "I appreciate your point of view. You're the center of the enterprise, do what you need to get prepared. Number two, I am a professional assessor of such risks. People pay me outrageous sums to determine if paying even larger sums are worthwhile, savvy? I'm telling you it's worth it, so that should count for something. Number three... hang on... rats. I forgot where I was going with that." He got up to refill his coffee mug.

Jenny still looked apprehensive when Mike returned to the breakfast table. Cassie and Veronica sat quietly watching the exchange.

"Tell you what," Mike suggested, "I'll get my four hours of work in, and then after lunch you can talk it over with Cassie."

"What about me?" asked Veronica.

"You need your MBA, hands-down. After that, I'm sure you'll have no problem managing the business side of the company. Besides, I figured you'd want to come with me."

"To your office?"

"No, in the Hummer," Mike said, cracking a grin. "The snow's melted enough, and still dripping. I want to go see if the road is clear of fallen trees and excessive as-yet-unmelted snow. You mentioned being the most stir-crazy in this group."

"Or just the most crazy," murmured Cassie into her coffee cup. She grinned slightly when everyone turned to look her way.

"Anyway," Mike continued, "You're car's shot, so we're taking the Hummer. It'll be slow going for up to a forty-mile round-trip, so that's the whole afternoon. I'd like some company so I don't get bored, and if there's anything blocking the road that doesn't need a chain saw, we can just get it ourselves."

"Okay, okay," said Veronica, "Dude, you oversell. You had me at Hummer."

"All right then. Ladies," Mike said, getting up, "I will see you at lunch." With that, he put his dishes into the sink and went to his office to work.

"So what's your input, then, Veronica?" asked Jenny, "Since you'll be gone later."

"You provide the product, or in this case, service, and I'll do what I can to help you keep doing it," Veronica said, "How much goes into the product, what space you'll need, how specific, how much quality and quantity, that's what you need to hammer out. You bring me a full venture proposal, and I'll look at the whole thing, holistically, and give you my input. I can't really, until then. My job is making it all fit together as best as it can."

Jenny thought for a second. "Okay, I get that. Cassie, what about you?"

"Let me think about potential details for a while. I might even do some Internet research."

"That's actually a good idea. Meet back here for lunch?"

They all agreed, and went to their separate rooms.

*****

In his office, just before lunchtime, Mike called Dave, the ranger he knew best from the park.

"Hello?"

"Monkey, it's Uncle."

"Hey, Mike. What's up?"

"I'm taking the Hummer out to see how clear the road is. How is it on the big wide world beyond?"

"Cold. Wet. Still rock salt everywhere. What we need is a good rain followed by a night we don't get a freeze."

"Yeah, I agree, that'd be good," said Mike, subconsciously nodding, despite being on the phone. "Should I find a tree or somesuch, how long would it take to get someone out?"

"Depends on how many miles, trees, and 'somesuches' you find. Look, I can have three guys on call and ready to go at a moment's notice after fifteen minutes. I'll make some other calls to see if I can wrangle more, but if the snow's too high at this end, you're still stuck."

"I get that. I'll be heading out in about an hour or so. I'll call you when I'm done, either way."

"Sounds good. You know what I'm going to say next."

"Yeah. Don't freeze, don't waste gas, don't pee in the snow, and don't mess up any trees I don't have to."

"More or less. Talk to you later."

"Same. Bye."

"Bye."

*****

After lunch, Veronica got on her most weather-appropriate clothing. She and her friends hadn't banked on being stuck in snow, so she had to improvise a little. Her undergarments were easy enough- a black pair of string bikini-style panties, with the of-course-it-matches bra. Over these, she first donned a white t-shirt and her exercise pants, tight against her skin for warmth. She doubled up on socks, and completed her main ensemble with jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. To this, she added her shoes, and a coat, hat, and pair of gloves from the downstairs hall closet. She opted against a scarf, as she planned to not leave the warm car.

Now ready for anything, or so she felt, Veronica headed to the garage. Mike was already in there, double-checking the Hummer for drivability, as it had sat idle for a month or so.

"Everything okay?" she asked. Mike looked up, or since it was from the driver's seat of a Hummer, down.

"So far, so good. We'll find out for sure on the road, if we get very far."

"Wow. I feel so comforted."

"Ha ha frakin' ha. You want to get away from the house for a couple of hours or not?"

"No no, I'm coming," Veronica said quickly, hurrying over and getting into the front passenger seat.

Mike finished his checks and climbed in, but it still seemed an interminable time to Veronica until they were ready to go. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes, but she was antsy.

Finally, the garage door opened and Mike pulled out.

"Woohoo!" she exclaimed suddenly, then placed her hands over her lips and darted her eyes over to Mike, who was holding his ear and trying to turn a grimace into a smile.

"It's okay," he said, "I... didn't want to use that ear again today anyway."

After briefly pausing to make sure the electronic garage door device activated to shut the door behind them, the Hummer rolled slowly out, and up onto the road.

The service road ran along the outer border of the park itself. It was mainly used for emergency vehicles, ranger access, and the construction vehicles from when the ranger stations were first built. Mike's driveway was a left turn off of it, and by the time a car hit the gravel driveway, it was outside the park.

Without being built for ease of travel, the service road had its quirks. At times, it turned abruptly to avoid a particularly large tree. The landscape's bumps and dips were only flattened as necessary, so any kind of speed was going to be difficult to maintain. The upshot of this was that even in ideal conditions, they would not reach the main road for over half an hour, easily. The good news was that this was not much slowed by the presence of snow.

Mike kept the radio off, and tried not to speak during some of the tighter turns. Where he remembered particularly large dips or bumps in the road, he gave what warning he could to Veronica.

"OW!" she cried at one point.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. That last bump just made me hit my head, that's all."

"Sorry."

"No, you warned me. It was just a big bump. Are you sure it wasn't a tree?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I remember it. I really am sorry. I should have taken it slower."

"Maybe. But I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

"Here. Tighten your seatbelt, and try to grip something low. Lean your seat back as far as you can."

"I won't be able to hear you that well."

"I won't be talking too much. I'll be focusing on driving better."

"Mike, chill, will ya?"

Mike finally cracked a smile. "Chill? Really? We're in the middle of the aftermath of the Blizzard of the Century, and you tell me to chill? That's a little heavy-handed, isn't it?"

"How many Blizzards of the Century have there been so far?"

"Don't get me started."

For a while after, Mike and Veronica drove in silence. The park boundary, and thus the road, was placed where it was because it was a small ridge. Slightly higher elevation meant that the road was less likely to flood. Also, Mike noticed, it made trees want to fall away from the road, rather than onto it. The wind could have blown trees over, but in a forest this thick, the winds would have broken momentum before reaching this part. Still, as unlikely as trees covering the road were, he still had to check.

"Stop."

Veronica had nearly whispered it. Mike almost wasn't sure he heard it the first time, so he slowed down a little. The crunching tires were reduced to a low grind.

"Stop." This one sounded a bit more urgent.

"You all right?"

"Stop the car!"

"Already braking. What's wrong?"

He got no answer from Veronica. Mike stopped the Hummer and looked back at her. She was holding her sides, looking somewhat pale.

"The car's stopped," he said gently.

Veronica immediately unbuckled herself and got out of the truck, gasping for fresh air. She went to the side of the road, looking like she was about to heave, but then she slipped and fell out of sight.

"Damn it!" Mike shouted, He got out of the Hummer and raced over to where she had been. Apparently the snowdrift she had tried to step on was on lower ground than it looked, and she had fallen a couple of feet. Luckily, the snow was deep and soft, but her outer layer was getting soaked.

"Veronica, any injuries?"

"My dignity needs a tune-up if that's what you mean." She was alert now, and a sense of humor was a good sign.

"Can you get up?"

"I'd rather have help."

Mike helped her up, and back to the Hummer. They leaned against it and caught their breath.

"So what was that all about?" Mike asked, "From the beginning."

"Oh, that," Veronica wheezed as clouds of her breath swirled in the air. "I get seasick a little. If I am about to go on a long boat ride or a plane flight, I take an over-the-counter med and I'm fine. This road wouldn't be enough, usually. I mean, it wasn't on the way in."

"But the knock on the head made you more sensitive to it."

"Got it in one. Anyway, I came out to get fresh air and heave if I needed it. Thankfully not. But then I slipped and you know the rest."

"Resting's a great idea. Driving's taken its toll on me for the moment. Wanna lie down in the back for a while?"

"There's room?"

"I removed the back seats after I bought it. Plenty."

Mike opened the trunk and they climbed in. Mike had spread blankets across the back, he explained, so that the food he bought, including things like eggs, could survive the trip just that much easier.

"Honestly, I have not a clue as to how the eggs survived when you didn't. You sure you're not concussed?"

"No, I'm fine. Really. My head itself doesn't even hurt anymore."

Mike still insisted on checking, just to be sure.

"Nope, no sign of concussion."

"Told you," Veronica chided him.

"All right, all right, fair enough, but you're freezing. Let's get you warmed up before you get other problems, like pneumonia. Take off your top layer of clothing – it's useless against the cold right now." As she maneuvered to do so, Mike reached up front and restarted the car, which brought a blast of warm air through the interior.

"Breathe slow and deep," Mike instructed, "The warm air in your lungs will help keep you warm from the inside."

"I know," Veronica said, "I remember first aid."

"So do I," said Mike, "But the course I took got something wrong."

"Oh? What was that?"

"They recommended keeping layers on while warming up. But they don't specify that it's only best if you're outside. If you're inside, and not actively being re-chilled, you actually warm up faster the closer you are to naked."

"I get that. But what happens when you put your clothes back on?"

"They warmed up individually, just like you. Instead of your body heat warming your clothes, your clothes will have their own heat, and so your body heat stays in your core, warming you further."

"Nobody's around for miles, right?"

"Um... yeah. We've only gone about twelve miles."

"Only twelve miles, he says. Sheesh." Veronica unbuttoned her jeans and started to pull them down.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked, turning his head away.

"Getting closer to naked, like you suggested."

"I didn't suggest – I mean... You don't have to-"

"Come on, Mike," Veronica said, "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before."

"That was different."

"How?"

Mike had no answer.

"Come on, Mike, turn back. You'll get a crick in your neck if you keep it turned like that for much longer." Reluctantly, he did so.

"And open your eyes," Veronica sighed, "You and I both know you are no gentleman."

Mike opened his eyes. Veronica had stripped down to just her bra and thong. She was supine along one side of the truck, her head resting on a pillow made of her dry clothes. Her wet clothes were spread out as much as they could be at the head of the space. Veronica seemed quite relaxed, smiling lightly while her bright blue eyes glittered at him. She really was centerfold-gorgeous. Either business would lose a great mind, or modeling would lose a star. Such an imperfect world, that it would have to choose.

"There. Happy?" Mike asked.

"Surprisingly, yes," Veronica sighed, this time in contentment, but then her demeanor changed. "You got pretty soaked, too. You should warm up."

Mike looked down. Yes, his clothing was covered in melted snow, especially his jeans. Plus, the truck was nice and toasty. He shrugged and started removing his jacket. The warm air did feel good against his bare skin. Mike gave Veronica a what-the-hell look, and proceeded to strip to his boxers.

Once they were both stretched out in the back of the Humvee, Veronica asked, "So how can you drive this thing? I thought they weren't road legal."

"Technically not for some roads, including a lot of the ones around here, but the local cops have an understanding with me, that absolutely anything that happens involving this vehicle on those roads is automatically my fault. If I get so much as a speeding ticket around here, these tires may never touch asphalt again."

"Harsh."

"But in another way, more than fair."

"I guess. So why a Hummer?"

"Well... hmm. I never really thought about it. I guess I wanted to splurge on something with all the money I make. The house doesn't count – even the indulgences there have practical reasons behind them. This bad boy" – he thumped a wall – "I extremely don't need. I use it less than a dozen times a year, and everything I use it for can easily be done by a utility van with snow tires."

"Nice to see you cut loose on something of your own accord."

"Yeah, well. It happens. So what would you drive, if you could?"

"Red convertible sports car. No question."

"What model?"

"Dunno. Depends on what's on the market at the time I'm looking to buy."

"So not a classic?"

"No, I want to be pampered by technology in a car. Top of the line and right off of it."

"Sounds like you."

"Oh?" Veronica's eyebrow raised. "How's that?"

"Fun, high-quality, well-built, and hot."

"Nope, still getting warm," Veronica said, feeling her upper arms with her hands.

"Are you?" Mike asked, suddenly concerned. He reached over to feel her skin. It was still somewhat cool to the touch.

"It was just a joke. What are you doing?"

"Getting closer for warmth."

"I'm fine."

"You're not warming up fast enough."

"Stop fussing. I've just not been moving that much. If I flex my muscles a bit, do you think it would help?"

"I guess."

"All right then." Veronica started to flex various muscle groups as Mike settled in about half a foot away from her. They lay side by side, facing each other now.

"Did you mean it?" she asked after a minute or so.

"About you being hot? You know I think that. Proven it a couple of times, as I recall."

"About me being high-quality."

"Yeah. Of course. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"But what did you mean by high-quality?"

"You're smart. You're independent. You don't take bull from anybody. You fiercely defend your friends. You are unashamed of who you are. That's high-quality." Mike gave Veronica a beaming look, but a sort of sadness crossed her face.

"I'm not... completely unashamed," she said.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked softly.

"I..." Veronica sighed, then seemed to resolve something, "The way I threw myself at you so soon. I barely knew you, and I slutted it up. The worst part is, I was trying not to for once." She started tearing up. "God, what you must think of me."

"You recognized a part of your behavior you disliked, and made an effort to change it. You said, 'for once,' which tells me it's the first time you tried in that way. Personal change is hard. Sometimes, you get a breakthrough moment and it's cut and dry, but mostly, it's hard work and learning from failures."

"I guess. But I'm still disappointed with myself." The threat of crying had abated. He was getting through to her.

"Want my advice?"

"I guess."

"Feel bad enough to motivate you to do better next time, but beyond that, it's not worth it."

"Sounds like a cop-out."

"Maybe. But try it. See if it works."

"I just don't want to be the 'easy' one anymore."

"Is that how others see you, or how you see yourself?"

"Both. I've heard guys call me that when I was around a corner or something."

"Ah. Mind if I ask a few personal questions?"

"Fire away."

"Are you as discriminating with partner selection as Jenny and Cassie?"

"Yeah..."

"Both in quantity and quality?"

"Yeah..."

"Then how are you the 'easy one' of the group?"

"I tend to have sex with a guy far sooner in a relationship than either of them. There doesn't even need to be the relationship sometimes."

If she only knew... Mike thought. Out loud, he said, "Seems to me you just like sex for the sake of sex more than a typical person. Add to that the stereotype people tend to inappropriately attribute to you given your looks, and the result is a social stigma."

"Great. Comforting."

"It should be. Every component of who you are that contributes to the stigma is innocuous, or even good. And even then, it's only society's reaction that makes the conjunction of them bad."

"Boy, I'm glad I got an 'A' in Junior Comp, or I wouldn't be able to follow you."

"Sorry. I watch a lot of the Big Bang Theory. My explanations get like that at times. The point is, Veronica, that you know you're not a slut, or a whore, or a prostitute, or any of those other things."




The Warmest Winter, Day 08



"Even before I heard other people say it, I thought it sometimes."

"Well, there's no judgment in this Hummer."

"Really? You don't think less of me?"

"Why would I? I've had sex with you just as much as you've had sex with me, and believe me, I was a very willing participant."

Veronica smiled.

"Ready, willing, and able, as I recall," she said. She moved a leg up, brushing the inside of his legs until she met his boxers. "And it looks like you are now, too."

"Well, you're nearly naked, we're talking about sex, and like I said before, you're hot," Mike retorted.

"So we could have sex right now, in this car, and you wouldn't think less of me?" Veronica almost stated it, as a proposition to be confirmed or denied.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'll respect you in the morning," he said in mock exasperation.

With her free arm, Veronica reached around Mike and pulled him in. Her breasts were pressed between her body, his body, and the blanketed floor. Still running her leg along his, she kissed him.

After recovering from his initial surprise, Mike closed his eyes and kissed her back. Her skin had warmed considerably in the last few minutes. He ran his hand through Veronica's hair, eventually holding the back of her head to keep her in the kiss. As if he really needed to.

Veronica and Mike moved their bodies into one another's, sliding and caressing. Mike then rolled onto his back, putting Veronica on top with a squeal of delight from her. She sat up a bit, careful of the Hummer's roof.

"I think it's time to be rid of this," said Veronica. As she reached both hands behind her, it forced her back to arch forward, jutting her breasts out. Mike groaned.

"Mmm, you like?" Veronica asked coyly, "Then how about this?" She unclasped the bra, and let it fall onto Mike's face. This frustrated him, as it blocked his view. He tore the black underwire off his face and tossed it. Veronica had gotten two handholds in the ceiling of the Hummer, a literally open invitation to which Mike responded.

Sitting up, Mike wrapped an arm around Veronica. To her surprise, he did not immediately go for the breasts themselves. Mike first kissed and licked the line of her cleavage, up to the base of her neck, where the most sensitive skin was. When he got there, he gave it a sudden, harsh kiss, accompanied by his free hand grabbing her ass roughly. Then he pulled his head away and started in on her breasts, which now ached for his attention.

Gripping her handholds, Veronica let herself get lost in the pleasure. Mike was teasing her nipples, lightly pulling them, twisting them, flicking them with the tip of his tongue. When he was done with one, he switched to the other, and every so often he would spread kisses around the whole breast. At one moment, he pulled as much of a breast into his mouth as he could. Veronica gasped and felt her panties get suddenly even wetter.

The whole time Mike ravished her cleavage, he kept a hand firmly on her ass. Before long, he was pulling her into him, grinding her wet folds onto his erection. If he felt especially primal, he would pull his hand off her ass long enough to re-grab it, with a low growl and another harsh kiss to her breasts. This would inevitably set Veronica off again.

They continued like this for a time, until Veronica could not stand it any longer. She brought her hands down from their grips and placed them on Mike's shoulders. He pulled back and looked up at her.

"So what's next?" he asked.

"Mmmm, I like that you asked me," Veronica said, "Such a clever tongue you have. Let's see what else it can do."

Smiling, Mike leaned back and grabbed some clothing to put under his head. Veronica pulled off her thong, which in the Hummer required her to be thankful for her flexibility. Judging by the look on his face, Mike was just as thankful.

Veronica positioned herself with one leg on either side of Mike's head, her ass towards his crotch. He assumed this was so she could easily slide down later, an idea of which he heartily approved. Holding her hips firmly, Mike said, "You know, we're eight miles from the nearest person, minimum. No noise restrictions out here."

Before Veronica could ask him about that statement, he had lifted up his head and wrapped his lips around her pussy.

"Oh, god!" she cried, "Just like that! Oh, fuck yes!"

Veronica could feel Mike lap up her juices. The man actually liked the taste. Some guys had told her they did, but she never believed them until now. It only encouraged her to moan louder.

Mike had trouble concentrating. For a start, he took his hands away at the first opportunity to remove his boxers, all the while keeping up on Veronica's pussy. But before long, his hands were back on her firm butt, and she was rocking slightly over Mike's busy mouth.

"Yeah! Suck that clit! Ooooh, right there, right there! Ah, yes!"

Mike continued teasing Veronica's clit, enjoying her whole body shudder with every flick. He nailed the timing, so that each flick was just a hint more intense than the last. The teasing was driving Veronica around the twist.

But even that tactic couldn't last forever. Mike eventually felt Veronica begin to shake. She was close. He closed his lips completely around her pussy again, and with long, slow circles around her clit, began to softly hum.

Veronica would have collapsed if she hadn't been propping herself up on the front seats. Her body wanted desperately to cum, was shaking in anticipation, but it still felt far-off. The erotic sensations were washing over her brain. She couldn't think. This was the nirvana, where all that existed was the feeling. She moaned and cried, louder and louder, until it nearly hurt her ears in the confined space.

When Mike sensed she could not stand it any longer, he suddenly upped the tempo to frantic. As fast as he could, he flicked his tongue roughly, back and forth across her clit, while the climax ripped through Veronica.

"Oh, fuck! Fuck yeah! Oh, god! Yyyeeeeeessss!"

Veronica bucked hard as the orgasmic convulsions came. She only stayed over Mike's mouth by the strength of his arms holding her in place. She half expected Mike to release her once she had finished, but he didn't, and she got another lesson in why intellectuals make the best lovers: they tend to be quite thorough.

Still liplocked to Veronica's pussy, Mike darted his tongue into her as far as it would go. Hearing a surprised gasp, Mike adjusted his angle and tonguefucked Veronica. While she kept up her verbal play-by-play of her enjoyment, Mike satisfied himself by caressing and grabbing Veronica's ass. Soon, she was cumming again, and Mike lapped up her juices, as before.

This time, Veronica lifted herself off of Mike, and gave him a sultry look.

"Thank you. Now its your turn. Hold on here and here." She pointed to places in the truck, and he complied.

"Why?"

"Trust me."

"All right."

Veronica positioned herself over Mike's crotch as she had before over his head.

"Now promise me," Veronica said with a small grin, "That you won't let go until I say you can."

"Okay, I promise." Mike played along.

"Good." Veronica promptly lifted herself away from Mike, and swooped her mouth in to give him a blowjob.

"Ah!" Mike gasped. The woman knew her stuff. Just when he thought he was on the brink, she would change what she was doing to set him back another few minutes, and it was all frantic, and skillful, and hot.

"You... tricked me..." he managed.

She took his cock out of her mouth long enough to say, "You kept mentioning 'Hummer.' It gave me ideas."

His laughter soon gave way to the sensations she was dancing around his shaft. He could feel her tongue lightly against underside of his cock as she first swallowed, then released it.

As Veronica gave Mike the longest blowjob he'd ever managed to keep his load for, she repositioned herself so that her ass was towards him, with her legs on either side. But it was too far away to continue his earlier ministrations. And he'd promised not to move his arms. Damn what a tease. All he could do was to stare at that perfect ass, that clean-shaven pussy, and imagine grabbing the former while fucking the latter. The memory of two days before drifted up in his mind, of taking Veronica from behind as she seemed to fantasize about Cassie.

Mike groaned. He felt himself reach the point of no return. Veronica felt it, too, and scooted her rear back to over Mike's mouth. He latched on and sucked, giving Veronica another, smaller orgasm, when his ran him over like a freight train.

Mike cried out as his entire lower body went rigid, and his cum began to pour out of him, straight down Veronica's throat. He lost count of how many waves of pleasure he had, and just lost himself in the dizzy heights she had sent him to.

Veronica had something new to fantasize about. She eagerly gulped down every shot of Mike's cum he sprayed, which was no easy task. With each drop, she knew she had been the cause, the reason he was cumming so hard, and it just turned her on even more. But this... Veronica swallowed and swallowed, and still more filled her mouth. By the time he subsided, she had taken at least six mouthfuls.

Normally, when she got this horny and the man was obviously tapped out for the time being, she'd save the thoughts for later and masturbate herself to sleep, but right now she needed another release.

"So... I made you that horny, huh?" she asked breathlessly, sitting up against the trunk door, her fingers playing with her pussy.

"Oh, yeah," said Mike, just as breathless, "All you."

"Mmmm. You know that I get turned on, knowing I turn you on so much."

"I can tell."

"So I'm going to get myself another orgasm out of it, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Mike finally opened his eyes, and what he saw made him halfway hard again. Veronica was, in that moment, pure sexuality. Her hair was a sweaty tangle, her skin was flushed, and her mouth was opened with soft moans of desire. The middle finger of one hand slowly slid into and out of her pussy, and with the other hand, she slowly caressed her breasts, cupping and pinching, first one, then the other.

"You can move your arms now," Veronica said, absentmindedly. Mike let go of his grip and stretched his fingers.

"You want to hear about the dream I had last night... about you?" Mike asked.

"Of me? Was I naked?"

"Almost. You were in a bikini top and short shorts. It was a car wash."

"Typical male fantasy."

"Well, you, and Jenny... and Cassie." Veronica took a sharp intake of breath.

"All of us?"

"Mm-hmm. All in bikini tops and short shorts." Mike knew she would be thinking of Cassie in the outfit.

"So... what did we do?" Veronica asked, her eyes now shut, her finger pumping faster.

"You all got soapy, then wet from the hose."

"Go on..."

"Then Jenny suggested you should all just take off the wet clothes."

Veronica muffled a moan, but said, "And then..."

"Jenny dropped her shorts first, then you."

Veronica's hand was audibly slapping against her pussy now, and the other was pinching a nipple pretty hard.

"None of you were wearing anything underneath. Well, Cassie was a bit shy... so you came over."

Her breathing came fast now, as Mike narrated the story now playing behind her eyelids.

"She was turned away from you, so you reached around and unbuttoned her shorts. She didn't resist you. Then you pulled down her shorts, hips to ankles, your face ending up inches from her ass cheeks."

Veronica's body was tensing up. She was close.

"Then, as I watched in my dream, you smiled at me, winked, and kissed her ass."

Her eyes snapped open, staring at the ceiling.

"I woke up in the middle of the night with an outrageous hard-on. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I did the only thing I could. I jacked off last night, thinking about you kissing Cassie's ass."

Veronica slammed her finger into her pussy one last time and came, this time silently. As her body shook, however, Mike could see her mouthing the words, "Fuck her, Mike." The implication of what she was fantasizing now would have floored him had he not already been laying down. When she looked at him again, he pretended not to have noticed.

"Mmm... you should write fiction," Veronica said, "That was good."

"It was mostly true, too," Mike said.

"Which parts?"

"Undomesticated equines could not remove it from me."

"Big Bang Theory?"

"Stargate, actually."

"See, this is why geekdom isn't for me Too much to keep track of."

"How many brands of women's fashion items are there?"

"Hundreds, probably thousands. Why?"

"Nothing. Warm yet?"

"Oh, hell, yeah."

"All right. Let's finish up, otherwise they'll suspect something."

"Who?"

"Jenny and Cassie."

"Oh, right, them."

They re-clothed and kept driving.

*****

They arrived back at the house over an hour later. As Mike walked into the kitchen area, he encountered papers scattered to and fro across the room.

"Guess what the Hell?" he ended up asking, changing horses mid-sentence.

"Sorry!" Cassie called from somewhere in the dining room. She and Jenny were at the table, sifting through even more papers.

"We got a little carried away," Jenny said apologetically, "We'll get it all up in time for dinner. Hopefully."

"Dare I ask?" Mike wondered.

"It's our initial notes and ideas. Some are rough sketches, or ideas. Some are first early drafts that we might want to take another look at. That's most of the kitchen, anyway."

"I take it the idea is viable?"

"One way or another, it looks like it."

"Okay, um. Can you take a break?"

"Sure. How'd your thing go?" Jenny asked, stepping gingerly over yet another doodle of a massage table.

"The road's clear."

Jenny froze mid-step.

"What?"

"The road's clear. I'll call Stan, and get him out here today. He'll fix your car and before you know it, our business meetings will have to be by conference call."

"Oh."

"You don't sound happy."

"No, I am, it's just, unexpected, is all." Jenny spoke in halts and stops as her mental gears shifted.

"So, how about you ladies get Veronica caught up and the first floor cleaned up, while I make a couple of phone calls?"

"Okay," Jenny said, while Cassie continued to dance in the dining room about the news of the clear road. "Where is she, anyway?"

"She probably went upstairs to change. She hit her head on a bump, which made her get more carsick than she could handle. She went out to heave, and instead slipped on a snow bank. She's fine now, but her clothes got soaked. I had to take it a lot slower after that."

"That's why it took so long?"

"Well, the road's not exactly an interstate highway to begin with."

"Noted. All right. You go call Stan. I'll try and stack some of this." Jenny shuffled through the papers like they were fallen autumn leaves to get back to the dining room. Mike went to his office and shut the door.

*****

"Hello?"

"Stan? It's Mike Evans."

"The SUV still busted?"

"Yup, but the road's clear."

"You want it towed now?"

"If you could. I'll double the distance premium." The distance premium was an extra amount negotiated between Stan and Mike for towing from Mike's house to Stan's garage. This was the first time Mike had to pay it.

"Ah, how can I say no to you? Your being here has been such a boon for us all. Make it one-point-five times, and I'll be there in two hours. Leave a key in the ignition."

"Thanks, Stan. I owe you one."

"Naw, let's call it even."

"You do that if you want. See you in two hours."

"See ya. Hey, Tina, gonna be a good Valentine's Day this year!" Mike heard Stan shout as he hung up the phone. Tina was Stan's wife.

Chuckling, Mike hung up, and then redialed, to a Denver number.

"Hey, Mike. I've been meaning to call you." Caller ID made Rick's life much easier.

"Hey, Rick. How do you feel about business law?"

"I'm not half bad at it. Are we suing or getting sued?"

"Preventing being sued. The ladies have a start-up I'm looking into financing."

"They pitch this idea to you before or after you told them you were Creosote's rich uncle?"

"My idea, actually."

"And you want me to be the legal consultant."

"At first. I'm thinking that if the business grows in sufficient size, you'd be the first person we negotiate with for head of the legal department."

"My firm does allow consulting work outside our field, but what you're talking about would be like a second job."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Are you interested?"

"Mike, you got me this job, and you pay your bills on time. For you, I'd sue my grandmother."

"They're both dead."

"Their estates aren't. Quit splitting hairs. Anyway, I wanted to update you on the law snafu up your way."

"What's the word?"

"Mum, apparently. I have never been this cockblocked in my life." Leave it to Rick to use sexual metaphors for his job.

"What do you mean?"

"I have every paralegal I can bribe scouring last year's copies of the laws you and your property are under, and comparing it to this year's. None of them were voted on – they all got the sign-off by politicians, and not just a few. They all seem to be innocuous changes. But every time I find one, my gut gets knotted tighter."

Rick could never use it in court, but among people that knew him, Rick's Gut Feeling was Exhibit A.

"So what does it all add up to?"

"That's where I'm being blocked. Every call I've made, they either genuinely don't know, or they're evasive as Hell. I've got nothing on how it all fits together. I've got maybe a couple of dozen puzzle pieces, but no idea how big the puzzle is or what the picture on the box looks like. Follow?"

"Yeah, it sounds impossible."

"Remember that when I send you my bill. Whatever's going on, it's either really subtle, or I've just gone insane and paranoid."

"They're not mutually exclusive, you know."

"Oh, ha ha. You're hilarious. Look, just promise me you'll take all this seriously."

"I promise. Look, I just found out the road is clear. Starting tomorrow, I'll be able to go out, and maybe get some on-the-ground intel. The people here like me."

"That may not be enough anymore." Rick had a strange inflection to his tone as he said it.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked sharply.

"I don't know. Ask my gut."

They were both silent on the phone for half a minute.

"All right, Mike, just wanted you to know."

"Yeah. No news is bad news."

"Bingo. Call me if you come up with anything."

"Ditto. Bye."

"Bye."

Mike hung up, and stared at his phone for a few minutes, trying to process the conversation. He shook it off. There was nothing he could do about it right now, so he may as well just set it aside for another time.

*****

Stan arrived in the middle of dinner. Mike went to the door when he knocked, and got a surprise.

"Dave! Good to see you."

"Hi, mind if we come in?"

"I guess not. We're having dinner, though."

"Oh, sorry. We won't be long," said Dave, "I just wanted to check up on you."

They entered the kitchen area, where Jenny, Veronica, and Cassie still sat.

"Ladies, this is Dave. Dave, this is Jenny, Cassie, and Veronica. Ditto for Stan."

"You guys want to stay for dinner?" Cassie asked, "We have some left over."

"Thanks, but no," Stan said, "Tina's got my own dinner waitin' on me at home. I better get goin.' Don't take too long, Davey." He went outside to hitch the broken-down SUV to his tow truck.

"You guys need anything?" Dave asked. "I can be back tomorrow, no problem."

"That's nice of you," said Mike, "but we have been kinda stuck here for over a week. If we want something, we'll have the most stir-crazy person go into town and grab it. Besides, we both know that's a Hell of a trek. I couldn't ask you to do it."




The Warmest Winter, Day 08



"That's why I offered. I seem like a nice guy, but don't have to actually do anything. Win-win." Everyone laughed. "All right, I gotta go now. You take care of yourselves. And Mike, you should come to town a bit more."

Mike gave a sharp look to his pal. It had been the exact same inflection that Rick had used.

"I'll walk you out," Mike said.

Outside the front door, Mike turned to Dave.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but we just got a ton of money, Mike. The park, that is. So much that soon we could stay open all year."

"What's the catch?"

"That's the weird part. No strings attached. It's just that the money's earmarked for the park. As long as we can justify the purchase to the people we already answer to, the money's there to buy it. Ranger station upgrades, equipment, even a bit more land. It's crazy."

"Well, that sounds great!" Mike said, "Good for you! So why the concern?"

"Less than a day after the money drops, I hear about some kind of zoning changes that went into effect at the first of the year. I don't know anything about that, but I do some checking. You know how they say if something's too good to be true, it usually is."

"Yeah..."

"Next Monday, there's some kind of emergency session at the county courthouse. To see if the public objects to the changes."

"That's odd. I've never heard of that before. They don't typically do things like that around here."

"I know. That's why I came to warn you. Complicated law changes, around my park, mixed in with zoning stuff? Made me think of you. I'm keeping it quiet, in case I tip someone off who shouldn't be, but maybe some other people can tell you stuff you can put together."

"You think there's a conspiracy?"

"I always think there's a conspiracy, and darn it, one day I'll be right."

"I just hope it's not today," they finished together.

"Thanks for the heads-up. Stan's waiting on you. I'll call you if we need anything."

"You do that. See ya."

"See ya."

*****

Mike slipped into his office, just inside the front door. The ladies were talking excitedly about their future business and didn't notice him. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Mike, whatcha need?" Rick said.

"Focus on laws concerning the park, and zoning. Also, see what you can dig up about law repealing procedures locally, to see if anything changed. And find out about an emergency court session next Monday."

"Now that's a lead. Where'd you find this stuff so soon?"

"I've done some good for the local economy. People here like me."

"Hooray for poor judgment. I think I might be able to squeeze something out now."

"I'll let you get back to it, then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

*****

The four friends, Mike and the women, spent the rest of the night chatting and planning various details of their business. It would need its own property, a specially-built structure, highly-trained and specialized staff, and on, and on.

In the back of his mind, Mike considered how friends could work together. For a start, there would need to be fewer secrets between them. Trust between friends can be broken and repaired with little repercussion elsewhere. But when business partners lose trust, the business and everyone connected to it get hurt somehow. And when the client list is comprised of people in serious need, that could get ugly, fast.

Should he tell them about the laws and such? What would he say? There might be something very bad, or for all they knew, very good. No matter what, it was premature to say.

Then there was the Rule. None of the ladies shall be aware of the others' pursuits of the same man, until such time as there is only one pursuit. No asking. No telling.

Mike resolved himself, right in the middle of a debate between plastic and real office plants, to somehow get the secret out into the open, and soon. It was the ladies' rule, after all, not his, and he never actually agreed, except passively, to abide by it.

Whatever the case, tomorrow promised to be quite interesting.



The Warmest Winter, Day 09



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Cassie woke up once again to the sound of her cell phone alarm and turned it off. She flipped off the covers and lay in bed for a while, convincing herself to get up. Making breakfast was fun, after all. On the other hand, she really wanted to stay in bed and touch herself, thinking about Mike. She'd been with him a few times now, sexually, and each one made her want more. Jenny and Veronica would be downstairs soon enough to ask questions if she was late making breakfast. Maybe just a little self-pleasure.

Grabbing her dildo from her nightstand, she lay back down on the bed, face-down. She didn't dare use any of the vibration settings, as the others might hear it if they roused early. Positioning herself over it, she began to shift and adjust her hips with small, slow motions -- her little secret. Her past lovers and her present friends marveled at her hip control. This was how she stayed in practice. Holding the dildo in position just so, she could tease herself to crashing orgasms with just her hips.

However, that was not for today. As soon as her pussy juices had lubricated the toy, she glided back and forth on it, making sure it hit all the right spots inside her. Every time Cassie slapped her pussy against the hilt of the toy, she recalled Mike's explosive climaxes. Slap -- on her ass. Slap -- down her throat. Slap -- in her pussy. Slap -- on her ass.

The soft, rhythmic sound couldn't have been heard through the door to her room, and before long, Cassie didn't much care. She flipped onto her back and began roughly fucking her pussy with the dildo until her climax hit. Cassie's whole body tensed and shook, her eyes shut, and she caught her breath in her throat to keep from calling out.

As soon as the glow faded, she burst into action to make up for lost time. She put the dildo in a plastic bag, reminding herself to clean it later, and put it back into its drawer. Then she got dressed for the day.

Feeling flirty, she went for a set of light pink panties and matching bra. Ankle socks, to accentuate her legs, and a denim cheerleader-style skirt. The way Mike had reacted last time she wore such a skirt, she was hopeful for today. To up the ante, she wore on of her "party" shirts. Black, with somewhat elastic fabric, and the perfect neckline. Low enough to show a decent portion of her chest, but not so much as to be obvious.

Maybe she was a bit paranoid about her chances with Mike. Cassie had always felt second-string next to tall beauties like Jenny and Veronica, especially Veronica. Men liked to see her as the "cute" one, and she was getting tired of it. A few times before, she'd gotten so disheartened trying to compete with her friends for men's affections that she'd given up.

Right then, Cassie decided to keep after Mike until she or Mike said otherwise. Even if she had to do so right in front of her friends. She'd prefer not, of course, but it was time for a change.

*****

As Jenny got ready for her morning shower, she heard Cassie head down the stairs to make breakfast, with a steadiness to her step that Jenny had not noticed before.

In the shower, Jenny had plenty of time to reflect on her friends' behavior while she shaved. Today was an "everything-below-the-waist" shaving day. She took her time, so as not to irritate her skin, or leave bumps or hairs. She knew Veronica waxed, and Cassie had shaved the previous day. That's what had reminded Jenny to do so.

Cassie and Veronica. They, like her, had not gone casual, entirely. That was a huge indicator that they were all still interested in Mike. She knew she shouldn't be trying to keep tabs, but everything a person did said things, and she was trained to pick up on them. She couldn't help it, to a degree.

Cassie, at least, was sure. She'd commented, as a joke, that they should all jump Mike at once. And Veronica had gone along with the joke, come to think of it.

Jenny paused and considered the idea herself. She'd never thought about having sex with a guy at the same time as one of her friends, let alone both of them. Would she need the guy there? Yes, definitely. But could she appreciate the physical pleasures of sex, no matter the gender of her partner or partners? She really didn't know, but the idea still tingled in her head, and she thought she might like to find out someday.

As she dried off, she focused on the more immediate issue of Mike. She decided to try an experiment: neutral clothing. Underneath was whatever she wanted, which is this case was a bright white bra-and-thong set. But over the top, she wore a "Psych Majors Do It In Your Head" t-shirt and jeans with a belt. She even put on her watch and her pink fuzzy slippers.

Let's see how Mike reacts to this ensemble.

*****

Veronica finally caught her breath. She'd just barely heard Cassie masturbating through the closet doors, realizing that her nearly-adjacent bedroom was just out-of-sight-out-of-mind enough for Cassie to have apparently not considered it. Veronica so badly wanted to finger herself to an accompanying orgasm, but stopped herself.

No. She truly did want to get her libido under control. If she couldn't, she'd be a man, and that just wasn't an option. So Veronica lay in bed, gripping the edges, sometimes shaking as she struggled for control of herself, but eventually, it passed, and she could get up now.

So, how did she want to proceed with the day? Did she want to go for Mike again, or take it easy? Maybe she would just take it easy, but not object if he pursued her. That's the ticket.

To that end, Veronica picked out a bikini swimsuit top and bottom to wear. Bikini tops tended to be perfect for her to perk up her larger-than-average breasts while not shoving them in anyone's face. So to speak, that is. The bikini bottom was so that she matched. What's the fun of being a girl if you can't treat completely arbitrary fashion decisions as if they were immutable laws of the universe?

Planning to not step a foot outside the house today, Veronica donned a pair of shorts with the word "Perfect" across her buttcheeks, and a Tweety Bird t-shirt. Add socks and her watch, and she was down the stairs for breakfast time.

*****

The machine-gun lyrics naming various newsworthy tidbits of the mid-twentieth century rattled across Mike's consciousness until he turned off his radio alarm as it blared "We Didn't Start The Fire" by Billy Joel. He woke up with a hard-on, but that was becoming the norm this past week. Unlike previous days, however, he had no inner struggle whether or not to satisfy himself right away.

Today, he had a plan. He'd thought of it right before going to sleep, and now he could spend his whole workday ironing out the details. He was ahead of his remaining deadlines for the moment, and usually he'd either double-check his conclusions or present his findings early. If he had time left, he still may.

But his three gorgeous, sexy houseguests, all of whom had been driving him wild for the last week-plus, must not suspect anything until it's too late for them to care. To that end, his usual ensemble would serve him well. Black boxers were a given, as were his jeans, watch, socks, and belt. For a t-shirt, he picked a Polo shirt that was just the slightest bit snug around his chest and shoulders. He smiled to himself at what the ladies would think, if anything.

All that would be later, so for now, it was just another morning in their crazy semi-snowed-in situation.

*****

Breakfast passed normally, with the four friends chatting, especially about how good Cassie's cooking skills were. She wasn't blushing nearly as much at the compliments lately. Topics wandered, from their future as business partners, to fun anecdotes from their lives, to games, movies, and anywhere else the conversation happened to wander. They seemed to be able to discuss virtually anything, but each of them knew quite well there was at least one elephant in the room.

Mike, at least, had an idea in that regard. He went to his office to "work," shutting the door behind him as always. The others didn't suspect a thing. Veronica went to exercise, followed by a shower. Jenny and Cassie got dressed for cold weather and went outside to bring in some firewood, now that the snow no longer covered the supply in the backyard.

"It'll be kind of weird going home after all this, won't it?" Cassie asked as they carried short log wedges up to the back porch of the house.

"Sort of," said Jenny, "But where is home, exactly? We paid for our apartment through the end of the lease, but what then? We knew we were moving, but where are we going?"

Jenny threw her head back and her laugh echoed back from the huge wall of the house. "We're sorting out so many details of an operation, and we don't even know where it'll be!"

"How about Denver?" Cassie asked quietly.

"Denver?" Jenny repeated with surprise.

"I've been giving it some thought," Cassie continued, "Even at its densest, the Denver area has a lateral urban sprawl. That means they built out, not up. It's a large enough city to provide whatever resources we'll need, but it's isolated enough from most of the country to seem like a getaway for clients, even if we're just in the suburbs. Mike already lives in the area, so we'll know people right away, the local higher education is pretty good, and if we want to get higher degrees elsewhere there's a lot of purely online Master's and Doctoral programs."

Jenny's mouth was open and she stared at Cassie.

"Plus, as you know, I'm a Broncos fan."

That snapped Jenny out of it. "Right. I should have known."

"So what do you think?"

"I think it's worth a look."

"Come on, you think it's a great idea. You're just playing it cool because you don't want to let on that you're still into Mike."

"And if I am?"

Cassie shrugged. "No big deal. I am, too. So's Veronica, if I know her at all. You know, Mike told me something interesting the other day."

"What was that?"

"He said that if he we counted our time with him as dating, we've all gotten, like, a dozen or so dates from him already. 'Cause we're together all the time here. Assuming a date per week, that's three months, as of a few days ago."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, we've never all been interested in the same guy for this long before."

"Yeah, you might be right."

"The Rules were never meant to last this long."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I dunno, but I'd bet Mike can't be having a good time juggling us all and keeping it separate and secret. Well, okay, he could easily be having a good time, obviously," Cassie giggled. "But what I mean is it can't all be a good thing."

"I guess. We'll keep an eye out, then, and we'd have to talk with Ronn- damn it, Veronica- about what changes, if any, we should make."

"Agreed."

Once the firewood was spread out on the deck, they left it there to dry out in the sun. They could bring it in easily enough from the back door. From the kitchen through the hallway into the front room with the fireplace was wood and linoleum- easy to sweep up, no problem. Their morning work done, they hung out in the living room, until Veronica and Mike would join them.

*****

Veronica was downstairs at the kitchen island, sipping fruit punch Kool-Aid that Jenny had made that morning, when Mike walked in, holding his cell phone.

"Okay, hold on, let me put you on speaker."

Jenny and Cassie got up from their seats and came closer.

"Hello again, ladies," said the voice on the speaker, "It's Stan, the mechanic. I finally got a look at your SUV about noontime, and I'm afraid the news isn't good."

"How bad?" Jenny asked.

"It's totaled. The engine block cracked."

"How can it be totaled?" Cassie asked, "It looked fine!"

Mike answered. "These days, Cassie, 'totaled' is another way of saying that it would cost less to replace than to repair. With technology being what it is, totaling is getting easier to do."

"Can't the crack be fixed?"

"No," Jenny shook her head, "The engine block is what holds the pieces of the engine together. It's basically the next-strongest part after the frame that keeps the people safe. If it cracks, the engine can't fit together. It's like putting a puzzle into a frame vertically without having the pieces supported by anything."

"Gorgeous and they know about cars," Stan said, "Mike, you lucky bastard."

"Now don't go starting rumors again, Stan," Mike chided, "They are my guests. Besides, remember what you said about Dave and the new grocery store girl?" Mike looked up and mouthed "Long story," which the gathered women suppressed giggles at.

"All right, I'm just joking," Stan said, "Not about the car, though, sorry."

"So what do we do?"

"Nearest airport's nearly four times farther away than Mike is, and in the other direction, and there's no car dealers around here."

"And I only have my Hummer," said Mike, "And even I am hesitant to use that much gas. I have to get Dave to drive me to where I can get a cab, which will take me to a rental car place, which will get me to the airport. We'll work something out. Stan, what can you do about the SUV?"

"Any personal possessions in it you ladies want saved?"

"Yes!" all three stated without hesitation.

"I'll keep it in the lot until you can get a look inside and grab your stuff," Stan said, "After that, I'll get a guy to haul it to a CarMax and get what you can for it. I'll just bill you or give you the difference."

Jenny whispered to Mike. "How can we trust him?"

Mike laughed, and responded aloud, "How can we trust him? First of all, Tina'd kill him if he even thought about it, and believe me, she'd know it before he did. Second of all, the man's the best in the state. You don't get a rep that good for ripping customers. He'll give you every penny your truck is worth, and not charge you a dime more than he feels is fair."

"A penny's less than a dime," said Veronica.

Stan roared with laughter over the phone, so loudly the speaker distorted the sound. "And don't you forget it!" he said.

"Seriously, though, thank you," said Mike.

"You're welcome. Gotta go now," said Stan.

"Bye," said the women

"See ya," said Mike.

When Mike returned from putting the phone back in its charger in his office, Cassie was already coming back downstairs from getting her phone.

"Where's your phone?" she asked. Mike gave her a confused look. "Well, go get it!" she prodded, pressing buttons on hers.

Mike came back out and she dialed a number from her phone's address book.

"What's going" is as far as Mike got before Cassie shushed him.

"Hey, Nate! Glad you could talk," Cassie said when the call was answered, "Listen, I need a favor... No, nothing like that, he's been nothing but great... yes, I mean a great gentleman." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Can you listen for a sec?... Okay, we got the car to a mechanic finally, but the engine's busted and can't be fixed. We're out in the middle of nowhere, almost literally. I need a huuuge favor... Can you come pick us up?... Me, Jenny, and Veronica... Okay, thank you... I love you, too. Bye-bye." She ended the call and handed Mike back his phone.

"Nate is..." Mike remembered the name, but he had forgotten from where.

"My brother," Cassie replied, "NYPD, straight outta high school."

"Right!" Mike said, recollections collating, "I remember now. Two years older than you, three inches taller. Also a Broncos fan. I've been meaning to ask: why?"

Cassie shrugged, "A college roommate he had turned us onto the game, and he was from Pueblo. We picked up the fandom from him."

"Fandom of sports? No way," said Veronica.

"Oh, yeah. Superstars, superheroes; sports stats, comic book numbers; archnemeses and rivalry teams," said Jenny, "Shall I go on?"

"So jocks are really..."

"Closet geeks."

"Wow..." said Veronica, "That explains a lot..."

"Except the rest of the phone call," said Mike, turning back to Cassie.

"He's gonna talk with his captain during his lunch break in an hour or so and see how soon he can use his vacation time to drive up here," she said.

"I couldn't ask him to do that," said Mike.

"You didn't. I did," said Cassie.

"You're a mean sister."

"Hey, we've been pretty close since Mom and Dad died. A chance to see each other? Not to be missed."

The conversation spun onwards and outwards as they had lunch. It continued to fascinate Mike that other than the obvious Rule-inhibited subjects, anything was fair game. There was a ten-minute argument over whether or not dust bunnies should be classified as dust rabbits instead. (Dust bunnies won, of course.)

By the time everything from lunch was cleared and cleaned, Nate called back.

"Hello?"

"This is Nathan Fox. Who am I speaking to?"

"Mike Evans. Your sister called you on my phone. It's the only one with reception out here."

"Well, that's a time-saver. It's you I need to talk to, really. I can start out on Friday, probably getting there on Saturday. I need more specifics. For example, your address."

"Funny thing," Mike said, "This house doesn't have one."

"Come again?"

"It's twenty miles from a main road. The local postal office sent me a good-humored personal letter telling me that; while, quote, 'they assure me that rain, sleet, and gloom of the night are not impediments to their duty, a forty-bloody-mile round trip for one stinkin' house is,' unquote. Word-for-word, I swear. I still have the letter around here somewhere."

"So how do I get there?"

Mike gave him an address in town. "Go here, and tell them your name. I'll call them and tell them to expect you. They'll give you a map and directions." Mike heard typing on the other side of the line.

"Okay, I think I see the address on MapQuest."

"Twenty-two miles from there. And you'll have to drive it slow. It's twisty and bumpy."

Nate was quiet, except for murmuring a few numbers. "Mid-to-late afternoon Saturday, barring unusual traffic. I'll call this number when I get to the address."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Yes you will. Can I talk to Cassie?"

"Sure." Mike handed the phone over.

"Yeah?" Cassie said, "I'll be fine... Really. Love you, too. See you Saturday."

"Good brother," Mike said.

"Overprotective, but yeah," said Cassie, "You'd like him."

"Oh?"

After that, Mike suggested they all go downstairs to play Mario Party 4. The women agreed, but only if they could switch it to Super Smash Brothers Melee, another GameCube game.

"And why don't you have a Wii again?" asked Jenny.

"I kick it old school with gaming. Shoot, I've been looking to get a D-and-D game going back in Denver. Which reminds me..." He went out of sight. As the ladies got settled in to pulverize one another's cartoon avatars, they heard Mike do something upstairs and then come back down.

"What was that all about?" Veronica asked.

"It's a surprise. Everyone remember the rules?"

They did. Mike had them try various configurations of teams, to "reinforce their cooperative efforts," which would come in handy for being business partners.

"Dude, you already sound like a bureaucrat," Veronica laughed.

"No, if I was a bureaucrat, I'd call it 'team building' and we'd be around a campfire, singing."

"I think I'd prefer the campfire right about now. How do you get your Pikachu to do all those crazy moves?"

"The yellow C-stick. Here, I'll show you." Mike came over and put his arms around her, so that his hands were over hers on the controller.




The Warmest Winter, Day 09



"Every character has moves like these," he explained as he demonstrated on the screen, "Up is usually some kind of bicycle kick, good for keeping opponents in the air. Left and right are powerful lateral attacks. Down is typically a good defensive move. But none of them are instant, so timing is important."

"Thanks," she said, breathing somewhat heavier. Her friends noticed the change.

That moment stirred in Cassie's head for a while, so that some time later, she said:

"Hey, Mike, can we partner up again? It's been a while." She realized only afterwards the double meaning her question had, and smiled at the happy accident.

"Sure." He came over and sat next to her on the couch. At this point, they'd switched to Mario Kart Double Dash, a racing game with two players in each car.

"Where do you want to sit?" Mike asked.

"I want you behind me," Cassie said, "On top."

Unseen by the others, Jenny's eyebrow briefly raised, but she said nothing. The whole afternoon passed by. They'd play rounds with just two or three of them, when others went to get snacks or use the bathroom. During one such break, Jenny and Mike were alone in the basement when Cassie and Veronica both wanted to get Kool-Aid from the kitchen.

"You seem quite at ease today," Jenny ventured.

"Yup," Mike answered simply, giving away nothing.

"So, nothing's bothering you?"

"Nope. Should there be?"

"Maybe. We're all planning some pretty big life changes together. For us, it's getting a direction, a good thing. For you, it's a complete change of direction, which good or bad, can be tough to handle."

Mike saw his opportunity, and came over to where Jenny was sitting. Kneeling in front of her, he took her hands in his, controller notwithstanding, and look into her eyes.

"I appreciate that you care about me, and that's not just a line, I really do." Mike placed one hand gently against her face. Jenny's eyes half-closed. "I'm going to be okay. And it's because I have friends like you." He got up and kissed her forehead before going back to his seat. They went back to racing until Cassie and Veronica returned.

"What did we miss?" asked Cassie.

"Jenny still sucks at Rainbow Road," Mike answered.

"You distracted me!" she retorted.

"Singing 'I've got a lovely bunch of koopa shells' is not a distraction," Mike insisted, "If anything, it's fair warning."

"Well, I've got a blue shell! Take that!"

"Nooo!"

*****

"I didn't know I'd even bought the ingredients for a meal like that," Mike commented, turning on the water to start washing the dinner dishes. "Especially after all the other meals we've had."

"Necessity is the mother of invention," Cassie said cheerfully. She was laying on her stomach on the living room floor, reading one of Mike's coffee table books. She had her feet in the air and her arms pressed her breasts together, showing her cleavage. Her skirt hiked up a little when she lay down, showing off just a bit more of her ass. Mike ran his hands directly under some hot water to kill his sudden urge to take her right there, in front of her friends.

Not. Yet, he thought to himself.

Afterwards, the women stayed in the living room, chatting, and Mike suddenly became a mysterious busybee. When they asked, he just said it was a surprise, but the box he was carrying around looked heavier every time they saw it. They heard clinking, but couldn't see what dishes he was putting into the box from the kitchen, or what we pulled out of the refrigerator. And then... was that his office door? The basement door? What was going on?

And then they heard him making a racket downstairs, then nothing they could hear. Finally, he popped his head around the corner and said, "The surprise is ready. Please join me in the basement?"

Their curiosity won out, so they didn't even ask. They all just followed.

*****

"I call it Ultimate Truth Or Dare," Mike explained. They were seated now around a square card table Mike has set up in the basement, having folded up the Ping-Pong table to make room. The box Mike had filled was next to his chair, still closed.

"While I explain," Mike went on, "I need a volunteer to pour drinks."

Veronica's hand shot up. Mike reached into the box, and retrieved the first item, the one he had retrieved from the fridge.

"This is a two hundred milliliter bottle of fifty-something-year-old Eiswein. It's German for ice wine, and among the finest dessert wines you can buy. The grapes are picked while ripe and frozen, hard to make. Anyway, Veronica, you need to pour into these shot glasses up to the half-ounce mark. There should be thirteen half-shots, with a little extra. Pour that into the thirteenth glass." He handed her the glasses, and she opened the bottle to start pouring.

"When did you start drinking?" Jenny asked.

"Hang out with my lawyer long enough, you get a taste for it in self-defense. Anyway, speaking of business connections... what we need between us, as friends and as business partners, is trust, and the honesty to deserve it. To that end, I think Truth Or Dare is in order. No one has to play, though."

No one volunteered to leave.

"Okay, then. What I've done is add some other stuff to the game. Every round, we'll add a new rule, which I will describe. I'll also go first each round, to demonstrate, in case it's unclear."

With that, he reached into the box, and started pulling out paper, a pen, funny-looking dice, a digital timer, and a set of index cards, which he unclipped.

"I'm starting to get nervous about what these new rules are," Cassie said.

"You can leave the game at any time and no one can dare you to stay," said Mike.

"Besides," said Jenny, "It's three against one. If one person goes too far, the others can gang up and make them regret it."

"Hopefully, we won't have to do that," said Mike. "Thank you." This last part was to Veronica, who had handed him the bottle back. He put it back into the box.

"Everyone take three shots," he instructed, "And by 'take' I mean 'put in front of you.' We're not drinking them yet."

"How much alcohol is in these?" asked Veronica, who had forgotten to check the label.

"About halfway between dinner wine and tequila. A little more. Call it forty percent."

"Forty percent!" exclaimed Jenny, "My liver just cringed."

"That's why it's only three half-shots apiece. Plus, we just ate. Full stomachs. Shall we get started? Okay. The first round is straight-up Truth Or Dare. I'm first, so: Jenny. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"How many men have seen you naked, ever?"

Jenny sat back, and thought for a while. "To the best of my knowledge, it's at least a dozen. Maybe more." Cassie and Veronica were bug-eyed. The number was a lot higher than they expected. Jenny laughed at their reaction. "He said, 'ever,' right? I'm including my infancy. There were at least five men in the room when I was born, right there."

Mike chuckled. "Well played, Jenny, well played."

Cassie asked Mike, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Who are you physically attracted to the most in this room?"

"Going off of Jenny's technicality precedent, I'd have to say myself." All three women groaned as Mike smiled. "Without gravity's physical attraction, I'd disintegrate. You meant 'sexual attraction,' I think."

Cassie responded by sticking her tongue out at Mike.

It was Jenny's turn. "Mike, Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who of the female gender are you most sexually attracted to, of the people in this room?" she asked, then added, "Smart ass."

"That's like asking me to decide between my favorite time of day, my favorite movie, and my favorite ice cream flavor." Jenny just folded her arms. "Okay, fine. Cassie, but only because she's dressed to advertise today. Your question only concerned the present tense. Usually, it's an even split."

"Diplomatically said," complimented Veronica, "Well done. Cassie: Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"How did it make you feel when Mike picked you?"

Cassie blushed and looked down, suddenly very self-conscious.

"I felt suddenly very, very turned on," she said softly, "And sexy."

"And you should," Veronica let slip, "Mike, your turn."

"New round," he said. "See? A whole round of Truth. Interesting, but not as much fun as we could be having. This round, we add Spin the Bottle."

Mike placed the Eiswein bottle on its side in the center of the table, then read the top index card of the stack:

"From this point forward, spin the bottle to see who you are going to ask Truth or Dare. You also spin for the objects of Dares, as appropriate. If the spin result is impossible, respin."

"I didn't get all of that," said Jenny.

"Let's say I want to Dare someone to, let's see, kiss someone else on the back of the neck. I spin to see who gets kissed. If it's the same person, they can't well kiss the back of their own neck, so we respin."

"Got it."

Mike spun, and it came up to Cassie. She picked Truth again.

"Have you at any time in your life fantasized about each other person in the room?"

Cassie's eyes widened at Mike's boldness, but her determination began to come back. "Yes."

Now it was her turn to spin. It came up to Jenny, who surprised everyone with the first Dare of the game.

"I dare you to show Mike your tattoo."

Mike objected. "Wait! You have to spin to see who gets shown the tattoo."

"That's no fair," Cassie said, "You're the only one who hasn't seen it."

"Rules of the game."

"Hmph." But she spun anyway. The bottle rested on Veronica. Jenny got up and motioned for Veronica to scoot back, then lifted up the back of her shirt until it revealed the ink. Jenny sat back down, and now it was her turn.

"Cassie," she said after the spin, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"When was the last time you fantasized about each of us?"

Cassie blushed furiously. "You, a couple of years ago. Veronica, a few months ago. Mike, this afternoon."

"Yeah, girl!" Veronica whooped, offering her a high-five. "Everybody gets curious, don't be shy. My turn." She spun and it came up on Mike, who chose Truth.

"I was watching you when Cassie dared Jenny just now. Did you or did you not already know what Jenny's tattoo looked like?"

Mike sighed. "Playboy Bunny, back of her left shoulder." Veronica put her fist up in triumph. Cassie's mouth dropped open. Jenny smiled a tad sheepishly at Mike, who looked back at her with a shrug.

"New rule," he announced again. "This is what we call a 'd-twenty,' D for die, twenty for the number of sides. Every time you're asked Truth or Dare, you roll this die. If the result is a one, you must pick a Dare. Oh, and the die goes one size smaller every round until we reach the smallest size."

Mike spun the bottle, and it pointed at Jenny. She stared at her Dare Die result.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, picking it up and looking at the other nineteen sides. "I got a one!"

"It happens. Okay, Jenny, I dare you to switch t-shirts with..." He spun the bottle. "Ha! Me!"

Jenny took off her shirt, revealing her white bra against her skin tone. "What are you waiting for?" she asked Mike, who hadn't moved.

"The dare is for you to do the switching. I'll lift my arms to help, but the rest is all you."

Jenny came over and peeled off Mike's polo shirt, and then slid hers down his arms. Along the way, Mike could feel her breasts on his back for a second, long enough to tell how hard her nipples were. She sat back down, not bothering to button up the collar of Mike's shirt. He could catch her scent from the fabric, and judging by the look on her face, she was in a similar spot.

Cassie spun. "Myself. Do I dare myself, or what?"

"Just respin," said Mike, "For now." That got everyone's attention, but Cassie respun.

"Veronica, Truth or Dare?"

Veronica rolled, and said, "Truth."

"When was the last time you fantasized about each of us?"

"What makes you think I have?"

"You said, 'Everybody gets curious.' And if you haven't, you could say 'never.' Well?"

"This morning."

"For who?"

"Everybody."

Cassie, Jenny, and Mike all burst out laughing. Veronica had said it so despondently, it was hilarious. Eventually, Veronica cracked a smile and joined in.

Jenny spun, and then had to respin to ask Cassie. She rolled, then picked Dare.

"I dare you," she said, "to kiss Veronica for a full minute, lips to lips. Oh, damn, I have to spin for that kiss, don't I?" She spun, and it stopped at first Cassie, but then respun to...

"ME?" Jenny said.

"Hazard of the spin," Mike said, "Certainly makes the game more interesting."

Cassie leaned over and met Jenny halfway.

"And... go." Mike had set the timer, and they kissed when they heard the beep.

At first, it was just a smooch, like Europeans may do to one another's cheeks. But before long, Cassie started gently caressing Jenny's lips with her own, which Jenny ultimately responded to. Cassie's tongue flicked gently out, causing them both to softly gasp. Mike wanted to see how Veronica was reacting, but would rather have burned the forest to the ground than looked away. He was rigid under the table. Jenny slipped her tongue out, and had just begun to explore Cassie's lips when the timer beeped.

Everyone jumped, and snapped out of it, breathing heavily. Veronica let go of the table and stretched her fingers.

"Your turn, Veronica," Mike managed. After the spin and the roll, Cassie selected Truth.

"How was it?" Veronica asked simply.

"Good," Cassie replied, "I mean, I'm not turned lesbian by it, but it was still... very good. I guess being with a girl isn't a turn-on or turn-off, for me. But the kiss itself was nice." She stopped talking when she realized she was babbling.

"Thanks," Jenny said softly.

"New rule," Mike announced once again. "This one's simple. Before your turn, you drink a halfshot. That's three shots each over three rounds. The thirteenth one is a third more in the glass. That's the Big Shot, and whoever is the last person clothed has to drink it." He drank, spun the bottle, and Cassie rolled a six on the d12, since the d20 round was done. She picked Truth.

"Who were you hoping you would kiss for that minute?" Mike asked, "No offense to Jenny if it's not her, of course."

"Veronica. Apparently, we've both fantasized about each other so... I'm curious."

"And you ruined it!" Jenny said.

"No, your spin did. The rules are the rules," Mike replied.

"We can break the rules. They're our rules," Jenny countered.

Mike's eyes sparked as he said, "I was hoping you'd come to that conclusion."

Silence fell over the table.

"Oh, you sneaky bastard," Jenny said.

"High praise, coming from you."

"I'll get you for this."

"Only if the spins go your way. Cassie, your turn."

Cassie drank slowly, apparently liking the sweetness of the icewine. She smacked her lips as the bottle came to rest on Veronica, who picked Dare without rolling.

"You missed out on a kiss," Cassie said, "Spin to see who you kiss on the lips for one minute."

"Not myself, I assume," Veronica said, and respun. "Cassie!"

The two stood up and leaned over the table. Mike started the timer again, and watched. Veronica wasted none of it, and before long the two were Frenching across the card table. Mike was hard again, and knew this one minute would keep him warm for months. Jenny, however, was watching him, not the kiss. By the time the minute was up, Cassie and Veronica were moaning softly around one another's tongues.

"That is pretty good wine," Veronica said. Cassie licked her lips.

Jenny drank, spun, and got Mike, who rolled a five and picked Truth.

"When was the last fantasy you had about all three of us at once?" she asked.

"I can't think of the word for time increments that small," Mike said, "That answer your question?"

Veronica drank, then ended up asking Cassie, "Who kisses best?"

"Mike," she replied.

"I meant Jenny or me, but okay."

"You were both good, but neither of you knows how to kiss a girl. He does. He really does."

"Thanks. New round, new rule," Mike said. "From now on, all clothing that is removed must remain off until the end of the game. Obvious exceptions are glasses and piercings and such."

"Holy crap, I just realized we're all still dressed," said Veronica, "I never had this much fun with my clothing on before." The group laughed.

Mike drank, and spun back to himself, and then to Jenny, who picked Dare without rolling.

"I dare you," said Mike, "to remove one article of clothing of their choice from..." He spun the bottle. "Veronica!"

Veronica held out her arm. "The watch." Cassie and Mike booed comically while Jenny removed it and tossed to a corner of the room.

Cassie drank her second halfshot, spun back to herself, and then got Jenny again, who rolled a 4 on the d10 and chose Truth.

"How many times have you had sex with Mike?"

"WHAT?" Jenny exclaimed.

"That's my question."

Jenny glared at Cassie, but appeared to forgive her before saying, "Once... You'll pay for that."

"Don't worry," said Mike, "It doesn't take up a whole lot of your time."

"We'll see," said Jenny, drinking her next glass and spinning. It landed on Veronica, who picked Dare.

"Remove the pants of..." Spin. "Mike! Haha!"

Mike stood up from his chair. Veronica came over and eagerly unbuttoned and unzipped his fly. Keeping her face inches from his crotch, she slowly teased the denim down around his half-erection, which was becoming a larger fraction by the second. Once the pants were around his ankles, he stepped out of them, and picked them up. Mike started removing his belt.

"What are you doing?" asked Jenny.

"You said pants, not anything else."

"Ah, but the rules only state that all clothing removed stays off. We had to remove the belt to get to the jeans, but the rule applies."

"True." He threw his jeans and belt over with Veronica's watch.

Veronica drank, and spun the bottle. Mike asked for Truth after his roll.

"How many times have you had sex with Cassie?"

"Hey!" Cassie objected.

"Fair's fair, hon," Veronica said. "So how about it, Mike?"

"Once. Guess what? New round, new rule. From now on, the next Dare with a time limit is set at one minute, and it goes up by one minute for every timed Dare afterwards. I'll keep track with pen and paper." He drank his last shot, spun, got himself, then respun and got Cassie. Cassie rolled a seven on her d8 and picked Dare.

"I dare you to do a striptease for us, for one minute. And it doesn't count as a striptease unless you remove at least one article of clothing."

Cassie went over to an open part of the room while Mike set the timer. Jenny went over to the stereo system and put on a record. After a couple of tries, she found the spot she was looking for, and gave Mike the thumbs up to start the timer.

Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig In The Sky" wailed in the basement again, and the four of them started laughing. Cassie still managed some pretty impressive dance moves, though, and with deft foot moves, slid out of both of her socks. When the minute was up, she held them up for all to see and tossed them into the clothing pile. It was now her turn.

After the drink, the spin, the respin, the roll, and the question, Cassie got to dare Jenny.

"I dare you," she said, "to masturbate in front of us, for what is now two minutes."

Jenny sighed in resignation. In for a penny, in for a pound. She slid a hand into her pants and grazed her wet clit. She stiffened at the touch, which is when Mike started the timer. She worked her finger around slowly, not wanting to do too much too soon. She was wet enough and turned on enough she might be in danger of climaxing.

Mike drank in the sight. Jenny sat across from him, eyes shut in pleasure. He was rock-hard again; he lost count of how many times tonight this made.




The Warmest Winter, Day 09



Jenny was relieved when the timer beeped. If it had gone on any longer, she would have broken down and fingered herself to orgasm, to Hell with the game. As it was, she was buzzing with excitement, and now it was her turn.

Jenny spun and got Cassie, who picked a Dare instead of rolling.

"I dare you to remove the t-shirt worn by..." Spin. "Me. Oh, well."

Cassie reached over and pulled Mike's shirt off Jenny, who now sat in her bra, her nipples visible through the thin fabric. Mike got a good look and did not care who knew it.

Veronica drank the last half-shot, then spun and got Jenny. Jenny chose a Dare again.

"I dare you to take off an article of clothing, of your choice, from..." Spin. "Drat. Yourself."

Jenny stood up and tossed a single fuzzy pink slipper onto the clothing pile. Everyone else booed her, as before.

"New round," Mike said.

"New rule," they all joined in.

"Okay, so there's only the Big Shot left, for the last person naked. The Dare Die is down to a d6, or standard six-sided cube-y game die. Wow, that ice wine is good. Makes me glad I acquired a taste for alcohol. Anyway, what was I saying? Right. The new rule."

He smiled.

"We add Seven Minutes In Heaven. From now on," he started reading from the next index card, "any time you spin to see who you're asking Truth or Dare, and you spin to yourself, that's seven minutes, adding three for each additional spin to yourself. After that, the next person it points to, joins you in seven, or ten or thirteen or whatever, minutes in heaven."

The ladies tried not to show how excited this idea made them, but the booze was making that difficult. Nobody was drunk, just noticeably tipsy.

"The two people will go to my bedroom on the third floor. The timer will be started as soon as the upper door shuts. The third person will stand at the bottom door, and call up when time's up. The fourth person can hang out at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor to keep the third person company. If the time is exceeded, by more than a minute, giving the first two time to collect themselves, the third person comes up to help them back into the game downstairs."

"Sounds like fun," Veronica said, "Let's go already."

"Oh, and this doesn't count towards the Timed Dares, but is the whole turn for the person."

Mike spun the bottle, and got Veronica, who chose a Dare.

"I dare you to remove one article of clothing of their choosing, using only one hand, from..." Spin. "Jenny."

"At this rate, I'll be naked first, not last," she retorted, "Take the other slipper."

As the fuzzy pink footwear sailed into the pile, Cassie spun with a thoughtful look on her face. "Veronica."

"Dare."

"I dare you to... let someone take off your t-shirt."

"Clever girl!" Jenny cried, "Up top!" They high-fived. With a smile, Cassie spun. Mike got the honors. When he lifted the shirt off, he reveled in the sight of Veronica's double-D breasts, barely concealed by her choice of bra. No, wait, that was a swimsuit top.

Jenny spun, and it stopped at Mike, who chose Truth.

"Roll, then."

"One. Crap."

"I dare you, Mike, to use only your mouth to remove an article of clothing of your choice from..." Spin. "Cassie!"

Mike looked over at Cassie and gave her a light smile. Then he dropped to underneath the table.

"Don't you dare look!" Cassie said, wide-eyed. Her hands were flat on the table, and she looked nervous suddenly.

"You know you'll have to help him," said Veronica. "Otherwise they'll rip."

"Iknowthatpleaseshutup," Cassie replied. She shifted in her seat every so often, using her hip control to make sure her panties didn't get damaged. Cassie took a sudden and sharp intake of breath, stifling a cry.

"Is he using his mouth?" Jenny asked knowingly.

"Y-yes..."

Her intense arousal seemed to pass as Mike got the panties down her legs. The whole table could tell how horny she was by how strong her scent was in the air now. Mike came up and tossed the pink panties onto the clothing pile.

"Sorry that took so long," he said. "I had to do some maneuvering to get a grip on the panties. It's Veronica's turn, isn't it?"

Veronica spun.

It pointed at herself.

Silence fell, except for the sound of the bottle spinning on the table for the second time.

"Cassie again!"

Veronica beamed, and Cassie looked nervous again. Sensing her hesitation, Veronica took her by the hand and started leading her upstairs. Mike and Jenny followed.

Once into the open hallway on the first floor, Mike said, "Remember, all clothes that come off, stay off. Unless you want Jenny and I to know exactly how far you went, keep everything on. Besides, it's more fun that way." He started up the stairs after them when Jenny cut him off.

"Uh-uh. You stay down here, lover boy. Gimme the timer." Mike didn't argue. He was having the time of his life anyway.

*****

Once in Mike's bedroom, Veronica shut the door and immediately went in for another kiss from Cassie.

"So... all we do... is kiss?" Cassie managed when Veronica let up a little.

"Whatever," Veronica said, "Whatever we want. That's the point."

"I see," Cassie said as Veronica spent some time on her neck.

"Can I..." Veronica started.

"It's okay to ask," Cassie said.

"Can I.. explore you, a little? With my hands?"

"Uhh... sure..."

Veronica groaned, and started lightly running her hands up and down Cassie's body. When she reached Cassie's ass, she slid her hands under the skirt, and squeezed the firm muscles.

"Oh, god!" Veronica gasped in a stage whisper. "You are so hot!"

On instinct, she started grinding Cassie, their inside legs against one another's wet pussies. Cassie adjusted her hips for mutually better angles, and they kissed against the door, grinding one another with Veronica's hands on Cassie's toned ass.

"Time!" they heard Jenny call from downstairs.

"Damn it," Veronica muttered, forcing herself away from Cassie. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just... wow. That was intense."

"Sorry. I... didn't think I would be like that."

"I'll, uh, I'll take it as a compliment."

"Thirty seconds!" Jenny called.

They straightened out their hair and clothing, and went back downstairs.

*****

Seated once again at the card table, Mike announced the new round, and read from the next index card:

"From this point forward, every person must remove one article of their choice before taking their turn. This is in addition to any taken off during the course of the game."

Mike removed his watch and flung it onto the clothing pile. He spun, and when it landed on himself, all three women got very quiet. The re-spin stopped at Jenny.

*****

"Seven minutes! You know what to do!" called Veronica as they shut the bedroom door.

"I've wanted to do this for an hour," said Jenny, bringing Mike is for a kiss. Without another word, she dragged him back to his own bed, where they spent the whole time liplocked and hiplocked, with the occasional roll across the California-king-sized mattress, which is about a foot longer than a regular king-size.

"Whatever else happens tonight," she whispered between kisses, "I want it."

"Want what?" Mike whispered back, taking the opportunity to get a close-up view of Jenny's soft, smooth cleavage.

"Your load. In me. Tonight. I want it."

"The lady with dibs gets it."

"Be serious. If you're gonna, promise me."

"If it's in my willpower to control, you got it. Promise."

"Good enough, now bring that tongue back here." Their tongues and bodies continued to wrestle until time was up. They made it to the lower door with six seconds to spare. Jenny's hair, however, was still a telltale mess.

*****

Back downstairs, it was Cassie's turn. She took her shirt off, revealing her pert breasts in their pink brassiere. Mike, still hard from seven minutes with Jenny, felt his mouth watering at the sight. On Cassie, the look was innocent and naughty at the same time. It made him very badly want to get her to lean to the naughty side of life. Seeing his reaction, Cassie gave him one of her special smiles, the ones that let him know exactly where her mind was.

She spun the bottle, and it landed on Jenny, who was still trying to fix her hair as she said "Dare."

"I dare you," Cassie said, spinning the bottle again, "For three minutes, to French kiss the person, while one of you sits on the other's lap. Their choice."

She looked at the bottle. "You can't sit on your own lap. Respin." Then, "Veronica!"

"On my lap," Veronica instructed.

They would have been tentative earlier in the evening, but by now the hormones and the hooch had done their jobs to keep things rolling. When Mike saw Jenny and Veronica both open their mouths in the kiss, he let out an audible groan. Deciding to give him a show, Veronica reached around and groped Jenny's ass through her jeans. Mike stared so hard his vision blurred for a second. He was very conflicted about the timer when it beeped.

Before sitting back down, Jenny removed her belt and flung it onto the pile. She spun the bottle. "Mike, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth. I don't think I could take a Dare right now."

"Roll."

The tetrahedron clattered on the table.

"One! Dammit!" The ladies roared with laughter.

"Okay, I'll go easy on you. Just this once. Remove an article of clothing of your choice from..." Spin. "Cassie."

"Me again?" Cassie complained. "All right."

With a start, Mike realized she only had two more items on. He decided to be merciful and take her bra off. Crouching behind her, he planted a small kiss on her back as he unhooked the clasp. She shivered -- the others thought she was just cold.

Cassie tossed the bra onto the pile, which was fairly large now, and folded her arms in front of her now-bare chest, but not before Mike got a glimpse. His hard-on was threatening to be painful now.

"You call this easy?" Mike asked Jenny.

"I'd say it's rather hard," she retorted with a grin.

"Ha ha. Veronica, your turn."

Veronica held up her clothing item, a single sock, to the booing of the others. Her spin landed on Cassie, who wanted a Truth question, and since she rolled a four, she got it.

"Cassie, what's the first position you and Mike tried?" asked Veronica.

"Mmmm... sex itself or just in bed at all?"

"Sex itself."

"Cowgirl in his office chair."

Mike put his head in his hands. Why was he suddenly embarrassed?

"Mike, what are you doing?" Veronica asked, "It's your turn."

"Right," he said, looking up, "New round. From this point forward, you must answer a Truth question unless you roll a one or spend time in Heaven."

Next, Mike stood up and presented both of his socks.

"I hate feeling unbalanced," he explained as he tossed them aside.

He spun, and got himself.

"Again?" Jenny threw up her hands.

Mike spun again,

"No way! That's ten minutes, now!" Veronica said, excited.

The third spin stopped at Cassie.

*****

When Mike's bedroom door was shut, Cassie brought his head down for a kiss, then said, "I need this. I won't let you come, but just give me this."

As she knelt down as shifted his boxers to retrieve his rigid cock, Mike answered, "Five minutes, and then it's my turn." As his luck would have it, the digital clock beside his bed had just turned minutes. Easy to keep track of.

The next five minutes of Mike's life were torturously sweet. Cassie kept her word, never letting him get too close to climax, but god, how he wished she would. He ran his hands through her thick brown hair as she worked her mouth up and down his shaft.

When the five-minute mark came, Mike reluctantly pulled Cassie away, and then picked her up, carrying her to his bed, where he flipped up her skirt and dove in.

Mike was very glad she kept herself shaved. Hair down below may be a sign of sexual maturity, but on a practical level, frankly, sometimes it tickled distractingly. For the same reason, he kept himself as trim as he could manage, even during the long months he spent in this house. It's good to keep up the habit. Cassie was rediscovering this firsthand.

When Jenny called "Time," Cassie was gasping, and nearly burst into tears when Mike stopped, she was so close to an orgasm. Before Mike could open the door to go back downstairs, Cassie roped him in for one more kiss, and then said, "You owe me one."

*****

Back downstairs, it was Cassie's turn. Having only one item left on her body, she slipped off her skirt and tossed it onto the pile. Mike openly grinned, and Veronica gave a wolf whistle.

Sitting back down, Cassie spun the bottle. It landed on Mike, so he rolled. It was a three.

"Truth."

"Okay, Mike. How many orgasms of yours are the three of us directly responsible for? Masturbating to your fantasies doesn't count."

"Oh, geez. Hang on." Mike sat back and counted on his fingers. "Eight, and damn close to nine, especially now that you're naked."

The women all looked at one another, trying to do the math to figure out who had caused how many. Mike suppressed a smile.

On Jenny's turn, she took off her watch, to another chorus of booing. Her bottle spin pointed at Cassie, who rolled a one.

"I dare you," Jenny said, "to pleasure someone by hand for four minutes." She spun the bottle. "Lucky you. It's yourself."

The booze must have been stronger than Mike thought, because he half-expected Cassie to go around the corner, on the technicality that Jenny failed to specify where she had to complete her dare, but Cassie just pushed her chair back and closed her eyes. Mike absentmindedly started the timer.

Cassie first just gently stroked her pussy lips, but soon seemed to forget she was being watched. With her other hand, she massaged her breasts and pinched her nipples. When she first dipped a finger insider herself, she bucked, which caused Veronica and Mike, and even Jenny, to jerk in their seats in response. Playing a hunch, Mike looked at the timer, and told her softly, "One minute left."

This put Cassie into overdrive. Both hands were at her pussy now, the first still pumping her fingers furiously in and out, the other rubbing her clit, while her hips gyrated in the cloth of the chair, grinding against both hands. With ten seconds left, she cried out and her whole body shook. Cassie jammed her fingers into her pussy, bucking with each thrust, each wave of her orgasm. The alarm beeped for thirty solid seconds before Mike had the presence of mind to turn it off. She opened her eyes, then pulled her chair back up to the table like nothing had happened.

"Your turn," she chirped to Veronica.

Veronica wanted nothing more than to be naked at that moment, but the damn rules were in the way. Oh, well. She held up her remaining sock, tossed it aside, then spun the bottle to Cassie, who rolled a two. Truth.

"I didn't know you had that in you," Veronica confessed, "How long have I been wrong?"

"It's been a gradual thing," Cassie said, still catching her breath. "But years, at least."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Mike? New round, new rules."

"Actually," Mike said sheepishly, "There aren't any new rules. the game's complicated enough as it is. We'll just keep playing the same way, the rest of the game."

With that he finally took off Jenny's t-shirt and put it on the pile. While he stood up to do so, all three ladies got a front-row seat to Mike's erection. He spun the bottle.

"Three rounds in a row?!" Veronica exclaimed, "How do you do it?"

"It's random," Mike said, "That's how random works. I'll explain some other time." He spun again. "Jenny. Seven minutes, you and me again."

*****

"I want that cock, now," Jenny said the second the door was closed.

"Keep your jeans on," Mike said, "Here, kneel in front of me."

When Jenny had done so, he pulled down his boxers enough for Jenny to suck on him a bit. Once she had gotten him nice and wet, he pulled away and repositioned, giving her a titfuck.

Jenny kept her hands on either side of her breasts, holding them in and squeezing Mike, to his pleasure. The whole seven minutes, they kept their eyes locked onto one another's. A speck of dust floating between them would have spontaneously caught fire.

Around the fourth minute, Mike had to stop. He was getting too close to climax, and he didn't want to just yet. So he pulled his boxers back up and settled for snogging a beautiful, sexy, horny half-Latina wearing nothing but a bra and jeans.

"Time!" came the call, several eternities later.

*****

"I've been thinking," Cassie said, "Can we hear that mandatory clothing removal rule again?"

Mike found the card and read, "From this point forward, every person must remove one article of their choice before taking their turn. This is in addition to any taken off during the course of the game."

"Aha. That's what I thought. We assumed it meant our own clothing, but that's not what the rule says. As the first person naked, I get to choose whose clothing is next."

"Let's keep it to our own clothing," said Mike, "If we can. But if you're out, you can pick."

"Okay. Veronica, off with the shorts." Veronica obliged, and tossed them at Cassie. "Hmm, 'Perfect' indeed," Cassie joked, then put them on the clothing pile. She spun the bottle, and it landed on Jenny, who rolled a one for a dare.

"You have to provide oral pleasure for someone, for..."

"Five minutes," Mike supplied.

"Five minutes, without letting them cum," Cassie continued, then spun. "Mike!"

Jenny got under the table with a smile, then Mike felt his boxers be pulled down once again. Jenny's earlier frenzy was gone, and she took her time. Mike lay his head down in his arms on the table, focusing on anything but Jenny sucking his cock. His tax returns, a sick labradoodle, Stan doing a hula, anything. It only sort of worked, but it was enough. When Veronica called time, he was breathing heavily, but no closer to climax.

And now it was Jenny's turn, and she opted to remove her jeans. That sight did bring Mike just a bit closer to climax, but he calmed himself down again. Jenny spun, and it landed on Veronica, who rolled another Dare.

"I would have said dare anyway," she shrugged.

"Okay, Veronica, I dare you to do absolutely nothing for six minutes while someone does whatever they want to you. You move, they stop, and you have to strip naked as penalty." Jenny spun the bottle. "Cassie!"

Without hesitation, Cassie came around the table and sat in Veronica's lap, one leg to either side. As he started the timer, Mike remembered the position from their tryst in the office chair. Cassie then proceeded to kiss Veronica all over her bare skin, while rocking slowly back and forth on her lap. Veronica had been smart, though, and had gripped her seat tightly the moment she saw Cassie get up. She was shaking and moaning, but she held still.

Cassie slid gently off of Veronica's lap, careful to avoid the table edges, and then buried her face in Veronica's cleavage, eliciting a loud moan. Kissing and licking, Cassie explored Veronica's breasts, even sliding her tongue just inside the fabric every so often.

"One minute left," Mike croaked. Even Jenny was biting her lip and shifting in her seat. Cassie slid down even further, and slowly planted kisses down Veronica's abs, lower and lower, and then shifted to kissing the inside of Veronica's thighs. Veronica herself was in tears at the exquisite torture.

The timer beeped, and Veronica grasped Cassie by the head and kissed her, hard. It was only for a few seconds, but it left Cassie reeling as she took her seat again.

For her turn, Veronica removed her troublesome bikini bottoms, then spun the bottle. It landed on Cassie, who rolled for a Truth question.

"The dare was whatever you wanted," Veronica said, "How long have you wanted to do that?"




The Warmest Winter, Day 09



"Exactly that?" Cassie replied, "It was just going with the flow once the dare was called."

Veronica seemed a little disappointed by this, but said nothing.

Mike took off his boxers, to the cheers of the ladies. They looked sad when he sat back down.

"Guess the Big Shot ain't for me," he said. After the spin and the roll, he asked Veronica, "Truth question: How many women have you ever been attracted to, more than just out of curiosity?"

Veronica looked directly at Cassie as she replied simply, "One." Cassie appeared to have gotten the message.

On Cassie's turn, a gleam hit her eye, and she said, "Veronica, lose the top."

As Veronica untied it, Mike roared, "The Big Shot! Jenny, bottoms up!"

Jenny looked around and realized that, with both bra and panties still on, she was the only clothed person left.

"Sláinte," she said, the traditional Irish toast, and downed the sweet Eiswein in one gulp.

Cassie spun the bottle, and it came up to herself. Then, to...

"Me again?" Jenny asked, incredulous. "Let me see that bottle." She snatched it off the table. "Oh, my god! Do you know how expensive this stuff is?!"

"I bought it, so, yeah," Mike said.

"Damn, I wish I'd made it last longer!"

"Well, you can share the bit on your lips with Cassie for the next seven minutes."

*****

"What are you doing?" Veronica asked from the second floor. Mike was in the bathroom on the first floor, running water in the sink.

"I'm running pure cold water over my hands," Mike replied, "If that doesn't work, I'll grab myself suddenly with them."

"Ooh," Veronica said, wincing.

"Don't worry; it's working. My hands will warm up in a couple of minutes, and I will be able to last much longer now."

"Good to know."

*****

"I wonder what they think we're doing," Cassie asked.

"Who knows? We know we're just kissing."

"You're pretty good at it now."

"Thanks for the lessons."

"Okay, try again, only this time, use slower motions. Like this," and Cassie demonstrated.

*****

Back down at the table, it was Jenny's turn, and so she removed her bra, to everyone's delight.

She spun.

"Seven minutes," counted Veronica.

Jenny spun again.

"TEN minutes."

She spun again.

"Thirteen minutes!"

She spun again.

"Thirteen minutes... with Mike!"

Veronica and Cassie congratulated Jenny, who just rolled her eyes like it was no big deal. Mike said nothing, but had a familiar glint in his eye.

Cassie sat on the bottom step, while Veronica was at the top, near the lower door to the third floor.

"I don't think I'll ever forget tonight."

"It's not even over yet," said Veronica.

"Oh, good."

*****

No sooner had Mike's bedroom door shut than Mike had wrapped his arms around Jennifer. They both immediately parted their lips to allow their tongues to swirl and dance. Jenny could feel Mike's prominent erection pressing into her, and responded by pulling herself into him even more tightly. His hands found their way to her waist, then down and around to the curves of her tight ass. He caressed and gently massaged her there, all the while keeping her on her toes with his kiss.

Mike held nothing back. The more he felt her respond to him, the more he gave. Her smooth skin in his hands, the chain of sparks between their lips, her succulent breasts crushed against his chest, Mike could feel himself drowning in the pure sensuality. Everything about Jenny only turned him on more.

Jenny pulled her head back to catch her breath, only to have it driven out again as Mike changed his focus of attention. Raising one arm to behind Jenny's back, Mike repositioned himself to drop his head to her breasts. In this pose, he had one leg supporting her weight, and his other balanced him with her legs on either side of it. Jenny felt Mike's cock against her panties, and started to grind involuntarily, small movements to take the edge off.

Mike continued to kiss as fervently as before, only now he spread the love to Jenny's D-cups. He loved how she responded to touch almost anywhere. When he drew the tip of his tongue up the line of her cleavage, she would throw her head back and groan. When he kissed the flesh of her breasts, she would hold his head more tightly. When he flicked her nipples with his tongue, she would breathe heavily, and when he pulled one using suction, she would gasp and grind harder into him.

Before long, Jenny could not stand it any longer, and pulled Mike's face back towards hers, a burning heat behind her dark eyes. She kissed him again, madly, passionately, until he thought he would break down and take her right then. As luck would have it, his thumb caught on her panties, breaking just enough of the moment for him to regain his faculties.

"Hang on," he said while they paused for air, "We forgot something."

He dropped to his knees, and pulled Jenny's panties down as far as they would go. Jenny closed her legs, allowing them to slip off the rest of the way. She was completely nude, like Mike, who was closing in on her now-naked pussy.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Jenny said, playfully running away towards the bed, "I still want that cock in my mouth."

"Later," said Mike, chasing her. He caught her just before she got onto the mattress, and held her hips as he knelt again, planting kisses on her ass cheeks before spinning her around.

Mike swooped in and began to do for Jenny what he had done for Cassie earlier that evening. Jenny felt like objecting, a little, until Mike began to softly hum. She gasped and held his head between her thighs. Her knees began to shake, and she moaned until he had to stop for breath. For as long as he could, Mike kept his lips clamped over Jenny's pussy, his tongue pirouetting around all of the places he knew she would like. And he kept humming, varying pitch and volume in small ways to complement what his tongue was doing.

"God, I'm so close..." Jenny said, but managed to get a grip on herself. She tightened her thighs on Mike's head, forcing him to pull back. He was highly aroused by how strong her legs were.

"We're almost out of time," Jenny said, "Now switch places."

Mike obliged, and before he could even compliment her on how she had tasted, Jenny drove all reason from his head. She pounced on his cock. There was no build-up, no easing into it. Jenny went from zero to industrial piston in a flash. Mike was able to get a grip on the footboard of the bed, and on Jenny's shoulder, but then held on for dear life. Jenny braced herself with her arms against the bed, so Mike knew it was all just by mouth, which was incredibly erotic. The sheer surprise put him off enough, otherwise, he'd have blown his load already.

Jenny was finally satisfied. Nothing had made her hotter the entire night than experiencing Mike's reaction to her mouth around his hard cock. Whenever it stiffened further, she felt it, and it spurred her on. She heard Mike breathing rapidly, glanced up to see his eyes closed.

"Hey, save some for us!"

Jenny and Mike parted, whipping their heads around to see Veronica, who had spoken, and Cassie.

"Your time was up, like five minutes ago," Veronica continued, walking slowly towards them. "We called, and you didn't answer. It's okay. We pretty much figured why. But don't think you're getting him all to yourself tonight."

While Veronica spoke to Jenny, Mike's eyes found Cassie's. They burned hotter than Mike had ever seen them. Cassie was also a little flush, head to toe, and Mike remembered how hot her skin got during sex.

"Okay. Your turn," said Jenny.

"Wait, don't I get a say?" asked Mike, smiling.

"No," all three women said in unison.

Before Mike knew it, he had been laid flat on the bed. After another short makeout session with Jenny, she knelt over his head, facing the headboard, away from his crotch. Mike took his cue and lifted his head to suck on Jenny's sweet juices again, while she brought her hands up and played with her own breasts, squeezing and pinching them.

Veronica and Cassie laid on either side of Mike, facing in towards his cock. They leaned in and began to kiss one another through it. Base to head, they kept their lips on Mike's erection, using their tongues across it, and feeling the electric jolt whenever they touched one another. Every so often, they would wrap their lips and tongues around the head of Mike's cock, and slowly tease it, swirling their tongues together.

Cassie and Veronica were French kissing each other and giving Mike a double blowjob at the same time. As soon as Mike realized what they were doing, the thought exploded in his mind. He deflected the excess sexual energy by rapidly tonguefucking Jenny, which made her throw her head back and gasp sharply. Before she could climax, however, Mike pulled back and said,

"Cassie won the game, right?"

"We're still playing?" Veronica asked. Cassie giggled.

"Yeah, I'd say Cassie won," Jenny said, "Although it could be argued that you won."

"So, Cassie," Mike asked, a little muffled by Jenny's crotch, "Truth: What do you want done to you?"

"Fuck me, Mike," she replied instantly, "Fuck me now."

"Yeah, girl!" Veronica cheered.

Jenny got up from over Mike and he saw Cassie assume a position. She perched above him, and steadied herself. They were both well-lubricated, as Cassie had been touching herself as she and Veronica worked Mike's cock. Looking straight into Mike's eyes, she pushed her hips down and back, causing everyone to groan. Mike and Cassie groaned in pleasure; Jenny and Veronica groaned in jealousy.

Cassie closed her eyes and rocked slowly back and forth. She let her hands roam freely, through her hair, around her breasts, down her slim waist, across her full, round ass. As the others watched, she brought a hand away, then with a smack squeezed her ass again. She wasn't quite spanking herself, just grabbing herself a bit roughly. She continued to caress her own body, eyes closed, her lips closed onto one pinky in her mouth, as she steadily rocked Mike's world.

Veronica decided to get in on the action. She and Jenny had been touching themselves, watching, but now Veronica crawled across the bed. With one hand, she propped herself up, and the other joined Cassie's own in caressing her warm skin. As Cassie bent her head down to look, Veronica bent her head in, then snaked her tongue to Cassie's clit.

"God, yes!" Cassie suddenly cried out. She began to shake as she quelled the temptation to quicken her pace. Not only would that make things not last, it would make Veronica stop. Mike was a little disappointed that Veronica was blocking some of his view of Cassie, but that faded any time Veronica happened to graze his rigid cock.

Jenny was fingering herself -- she couldn't help it. Watching her friends have sex was unexpectedly arousing. She locked eyes with Cassie, who only held up one hand and gave her the "Come here" gesture. It was Cassie's turn, after all, so Jenny obliged. Kneeling on Mike's left, because Veronica was on his right, Jenny faced Cassie, who pulled her into a kiss.

Cassie wasn't teaching Jenny how to kiss a girl this time -- she was demonstrating. She even pulled out a few tricks she hadn't had time to teach Jenny yet. Jenny couldn't help but respond to Cassie's incredible technique. Cassie still rocked back and forth on Mike's cock, but now she and Jenny wrapped their arms around one another, and with their breasts smashed together, they continued the kiss with still-mounting enthusiasm.

Mike was, needless to say, looking at paradise in his rearview mirror. Every so often, just to keep Cassie guessing, he'd either shift his hips a little, or flex the muscles that made his cock twitch. Either made Cassie react with renewed passion, and he reveled. At first, he'd have preferred reverse cowgirl, to see Cassie's ass, but now he was very glad indeed. For a start, both Jenny and Veronica had their flawless asses towards him now, and he eagerly groped them to occupy his hands. When his eyes weren't shut in pleasure, he was treated to the sight of Jenny and Cassie making out.

Dear Penthouse... No, this was too good to share.

Cassie was shaking more and more as she became more overwhelmed with the sensations across her whole body. She was trembling so much that if Mike hadn't had his cock deep inside her pussy, he wouldn't have noticed the transition she made into her orgasm.

At first, Cassie's rocking motions became a little more staccato, then she groaned into Jenny's mouth. Cassie drew her hand down to Veronica, who took the cue and began to suck gently on Cassie's first two fingers. Cassie's other hand reached back to her ass again, her tongue still being sucked on by Jenny. She started shaking even more, until her hand drew Veronica away enough. When she felt Veronica shift her weight, Cassie gave another groan and began riding Mike hard, and fast. Even Jenny was taken aback by Cassie's sudden ferocity.

As Cassie slammed her pussy down onto Mike again and again, she tightened her grip on her ass. One more time, she drew back, and then roughly grabbed her ass again. She timed it to match one last, deep thrust, and then pulled her head away from Jenny and gasped.

Cassie's breath caught in her throat, so she made no sound as she came. Her whole body shook with the force of the orgasm, her face contorted in the intense waves of pleasure. Mike had to breathe carefully to avoid climaxing himself, Cassie's pussy acting so much like a vibrator around his cock. Plus, Cassie was beyond hot when she came. She was incandescent.

Finally, Cassie's lungs forced more air into her body, and she fell onto her hands, catching her breath. Her eyes were wide in surprise at the magnitude of her climax.

"You want to know the best part?" she whispered into Mike's ear when she was able, "I feel a bigger one building. I think I've wanted to let go for a while now."

"Glad I could help," Mike whispered back. Aloud, he said, "Veronica? Truth: What would you like done to you?"

"Oh, goodie," Veronica replied. She laid down on the bed, face-down, then gestured for Cassie.

"How do you want me?" Cassie asked, all shyness banished for the time being.

"I want that pussy in my mouth," Veronica said. Cassie scooted over, and Veronica pulled her in by her hips. Veronica knew she's be sensitive after fucking and cumming so hard, so she made delicate strokes and took her time. Cassie sighed and leaned back, content for now to enjoy Veronica's talents, shutting her eyes and absentmindedly massaging her tits.

After she got settled with Cassie, Veronica took the next opportunity to spread her legs a bit, arch her ass into the air, and tell Mike, "You know what to do."

"Bossy, aren't we?" he said dryly. He lined up over Veronica, then propped himself up on one arm. He used his free hand to guide himself to Veronica's slick slit. Knowing how she'd like it, Mike thrust in completely right away. He was rewarded by Veronica's squeal of delight. He made slow thrusts as he finished getting himself settled in, using the opportunity to also keep gazing at the gorgeous sights of Cassie and Jenny. Cassie was still off in her oasis of pleasure, and Jenny had gone back to slowly fingerfucking herself, her eyes drinking in the scene.

As Mike began to pick up the pace with Veronica, he asked her, "What about Jenny? I think her pussy's feeling lonely."

"Mmmm," Veronica pondered, incidentally humming into Cassie's pussy, making her writhe. "I think I want to see what Cassie's fingers can do."

Cassie opened her eyes at this, then reached a hand over to Jenny, who repositioned to give her more comfortable access. Jenny caressed her own tits as Cassie began to explore her pussy.

Mike continued to pound away at Veronica, feeling her athletic ass against him with each thrust. He slipped one arm under Veronica's torso, allowing him to support himself on one elbow, and that meant he now had a hand free for other things. Mike guided Veronica's blonde locks to one side and began to kiss her on the back of her neck.

To Veronica's tongue, Cassie was sweet and just a little tangy. It was intoxicating, even more than the Eiswein. It felt wild, touching her friends like this. Veronica could feel every one of Mike's inches as he fucked her, his hips clapping softly against her ass with each thrust. She could feel his lips on her neck, his hand appreciating her curves. And she wanted more.

Cassie felt Veronica grow more insistent, but by now she wanted more anyway. When Veronica slipped a finger into Cassie's hot pussy, they both gave a small cry. What's more, Cassie felt Jenny get a little wetter at the same time.

"Mmm, Cassie," Veronica said, "you are so tight."

Cassie smiled. She'd known for some time that Veronica liked dirty talking.

"God, Mike, you feel good," Veronica continued, "Keep fucking me, just like that... Cassie, you like watching him fuck me? Just like he fucked you?"

She saw Cassie nod, her eyes half-closed.

"God, it made me so hot watching up-close as you rode him... bouncing that fine ass of yours up and down on his hard cock." She grabbed Cassie's hip with a free hand for emphasis, and began fingerfucking Cassie's pussy. Cassie started writhing in pleasure and pounding her own fingers into Jenny's slit. Jenny clutched the beddings, her hair falling in sweaty tendrils over her face.

"Mike likes it when he hears me talk about you," Veronica said to Cassie. "That thick brown hair, those dark eyes... Your perfect tits beg me to suck them."

Cassie caressed her tits with her free hand, wanting to hear more.

"I can't get enough of you swinging around this beautiful ass, Cassie," Veronica rasped. Mike was slamming into her harder now. "And still I'd rather just keep tasting your sweet... sweet... pussy ohhh God..."

With a sudden motion, Veronica pulled Cassie further underneath her, and Mike had to move his arm to make way. Veronica then attacked Cassie's tits, eliciting moans from them both.

Mike readjusted so that he was kneeling, and would still be able to fuck Veronica. Cassie's legs were to either side of Veronica, and Mike did not miss the opportunity to follow them down and grab Cassie's ass. It really was a beautiful ass. Jenny crawled over to Mike and started kissing him, her sweat-covered body against Mike's. He took one hand and picked up where Cassie left off in fingerfucking Jenny, who showed her appreciation with her lips.

Cassie decided to be just a bit naughtier. So Veronica liked dirty talk and had fantasies about her? All right.

"That's right, suck those tits," Cassie whispered, "Put that mouth all over me while Mike fucks you."

Veronica's eyes snapped open, and she looked at Cassie, who returned her gaze.

"Now's your chance, hot stuff," Cassie continued.

With another groan, Veronica pulled Cassie down just a little more, enough for her to kiss Cassie's neck, which she did. Cassie arched her back, pushing her chest into Veronica's, driving them both wild. With one hand, Veronica reached down and resumed fingering Cassie, prompting Cassie to wrap her legs around both Veronica and Mike, as much as she could.

Mike was at a solid but steady pace now. He was using every trick he knew to help himself last longer. Jenny was out of breath so badly she couldn't even kiss him anymore. She just laid her head on his shoulder and let herself be manipulated.

Soon there was a point where Cassie and Jenny happened to cry out at the same time. That pushed Veronica over the edge. She pulled her lips away from Cassie's neck and began screaming into the beddings. Mike felt her hand rub Cassie's clit furiously, and he responded by doing the same for Jenny, who gasped.

Veronica screamed even louder when the orgasm itself hit. Mike had to pinch his lip between his teeth to keep from coming. She pushed back onto his cock, burying him deep inside her once more. She screamed, and came, and screamed some more, all the while still frigging Cassie's clit, until she, too, climaxed.




The Warmest Winter, Day 09



When she saw Cassie climax again, while Veronica's was still in full swing, Jenny couldn't help herself and came, moving her hips over Mike's fingers involuntarily.

Mike pulled away. He had to; he was too close again, and he wanted to last as long as he could.

"Jenny's turn," he managed.

"How you doing, Mike?" Cassie asked.

"Just fine, thank you," Mike grinned.

"Want a break?"

"No, I want to fuck Jenny."

Everyone but Jenny got off the bed, to stretch their limbs as much as to give Jenny room to get into position. On her hands and knees, she threw a look over to Mike that said what Veronica had to use words for: "You know what to do."

Indeed, Mike did, and had been looking forward to it. Kneeling behind Jenny, he guided himself into her, and penetrated her with long, slow strokes. By the sounds she made, she'd been looking forward to it for just as long. Mike had to be honest with himself and admit that Jenny's pussy felt the best out of the three. In no hurry, the pair settled into a marathon rhythm.

"God, that is so hot," Veronica said, "You two should make a video."

Jenny laughed, which only contrasted the feelings from her pussy.

"Come here, Cassie. I want to kiss you a little more."

Cassie would have gone, even if it wasn't Jenny's "turn." She settled in under Jenny, who bent low to take Cassie's mouth with hers.

"Mmmm," Jenny said between kisses, "You taste like strawberries."

"Shut up, you know that's my lip balm."

"Hey, Veronica?"

"Y-yeah?" Veronica had been masturbating frantically on the side of the bed.

"Grind Cassie's pussy with yours. You two are such a turn-on to watch."

Mike, for the uncountable time that night, could hardly believe his eyes. His hands gripped Jenny's hips, and he had an unrivalled view of her ass as he pounded her. He could just catch glimpses of her breasts swaying with the rhythm. All four of them, but especially the ladies, were by now covered in sweat, their hair in matted tendrils. He could see Jenny and Cassie still making out like teenagers, Jenny with one hand on Cassie's chest, Cassie with hers on Veronica's hip and pussy.

Veronica now interwove her legs with Cassie's, angling so that their pussies could press together, and began rocking back and forth, much as Cassie had on Mike earlier. Cassie rubbed Veronica's clit with her thumb, while Veronica kissed Cassie's outstretched calf.

Fully satisfied for the time being, the quartet held this position for some time. Mike would occasionally run a hand or two over Jenny's smooth back or down her legs. Veronica would grab her breasts every so often. Cassie sometimes thrust back against Veronica, garnering renewed vigor despite the impending exhaustion.

No one had the strength or wherewithal to hold back and be quiet anymore. Grunts, groans, and moans filled the bedroom. Even Veronica was beyond words, not that she didn't still try. The only word she kept repeating the others could make out was "Fox," Cassie's last name and perhaps a comment on her sexuality.

Mike was close, and everyone knew it. They were feeding off of one another's intensifying arousals. Even their ragged moans started to sync up, until everything they did became one rhythm of increasing tempo.

Jenny and Cassie had to break their kiss completely, they were breathing so hard. Cassie grabbed her tits in both hands, while Jenny used hers to keep from collapsing. Veronica's eyes were shut in concentration, her face red but looking pleased.

Jenny bent low so that she could whisper into Cassie's ear.

"You know you're the hottest one here, right?"

The comment was calibrated as only Jenny knew how, and Cassie went nuclear. Her legs wrapped around Veronica and she bucked her hips, trying to fuck Veronica's pussy. She gripped her tits so tightly the surrounding skin turned white, and this time she was not silent. She wasn't screaming, but her moans were quite loud as she was bowled over by an orgasm that nearly made her pass out.

Seeing Cassie's abandon, Veronica came with a cry of her own, and the two slowly ground their hips together, extending the pleasure. Under the right circumstances, a woman can go from orgasm to orgasm without much of a valley between the peaks, and the pair seemed set on a world record.

The tiniest thought managed to peek through the haze of Mike's perception, which was that Jenny was getting more turned on watching Cassie and Veronica than he was, and he'd have thought that was impossible. She liked watching. Really liked it.

Now that Cassie and Veronica were satisfying each other fully, Mike turned his complete attention to Jenny. He pulled one last trick out of his bag.

With a smooth shift of his weight and a quick grab with his arms, Jenny was kneeling in front of Mike, with his cock still deep in her pussy. He thrust more slowly now, which allowed him to stave off orgasm for almost a full minute longer. With one arm just under her breasts, he held her upright, and the other lightly circled her clit. This kept her fully aroused as he slowed to an agonizingly slow pace.

Jenny could feel Mike approaching his climax. His cock may has well have been made of steel, he was so hard. His hand on her clit kept her on the edge of her own completion. All she needed was his hot load shot into her, and she'd be there.

They both felt it at once, that slight shudder right before a man comes. Jenny braced as Mike made one quick, final thrust, and then they both lost it.

Mike slammed his cock into Jenny's pussy as far as it would go, filling her even before his load sprayed out. When she felt each shot, Jenny's orgasm renewed itself. His climax seemed endless.

Mike wrapped his arms around Jenny, and they called one another's names as they continued to cum together. They completely lost track of time, and never knew how long they had stayed there, locked into mutual pleasure. For Mike, it was the closest he ever came to an out-of-body experience.

At last, they finally drifted back down to the bedroom, and when they had sufficient breath, shared a passionate kiss.

"I repeat: That was hot," said Veronica. Cassie just nodded slowly, stunned both by the sight and her own orgasm.

Jenny smiled and Mike took a small bow

"Um," Jenny said.

"What?" Mike asked softly.

"I need to clean up a little."

Cassie and Veronica looked down, and saw Mike's load already slowly beginning to leak out of Jenny's pussy, mingled with her own juices.

"I got it," said Cassie, "I haven't eaten anyone all night." She then darted forward, flipping onto her back.

"What are you... oh, my God!" Jenny braced herself. Cassie was lapping up everything hungrily. Mike wished desperately he could have stayed in position and enjoyed it more, but he had to pull out. Cassie ate Jenny with further gusto after this, until Jenny felt herself empty out again.

"Mmmm," Cassie said when she had finished, "That was good."

"That was... interesting," Jenny conceded.

"That was hot," Veronica repeated with a wide smile.

"Yes, we get it, everything's hot," Mike teased.

"Tonight? You're damn right."

Exhaustion hit them all within minutes. They didn't even bother to get under the blanket. Nestled together, they kept each other warm all night.



The Warmest Winter, Day 10



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

The memories of the previous night started pouring back as soon as Mike regained consciousness. This may have had something to do with the warm bodies laying next to his on the bed. Thank God he bought a King size, said a stray thought. He recalled that he never set his alarm for the morning. What time was it? More importantly, why did he care?

The only way the four of them could fit onto the bed was if they all spooned the whole night, sleeping on, in this case, their left sides. Jenny was on the far left, and Mike woke up with his arm around her and his stiff erection nestled into the top of her ass. Her hair still carried traces of the scents from last night's escapades, but for the most part she had regained her natural scent. For Mike, it was sheer intoxication.

He felt the body behind him stir, and judging by the pitch of the sleepy purr, the firmness of the breasts against his back, and the heat she still emanated, he decided it must be Cassie. Veronica should therefore be on the far right, behind her.

Not wanting to rouse anyone too early, Mike was content to lay in his bed with the three deliciously sexy women. His hand, of its own accord, began to softly explore Jenny's body in front of him. He couldn't help it. Mike felt Jenny give an involuntary shiver as his fingers traced the curve of her hip to her waist. When he slowly wrapped his hand around her right breast, Mike had just enough of a view of her face to see her discreetly bite her lip.

"So you're awake," he whispered, "Good morning."

"Good morning," she whispered back, with a light smile, "Up for round two, I take it?"

"No, I'm pretty stiff."

"That's what I'm talking about."

Still climbing out of sleepiness, it took Mike a second before replying, "No, I mean my muscles. I think we all need to stretch before doing much else."

"Hey, could you two keep it down?" whispered Cassie from behind Mike, "Some people are still trying to pretend to sleep."

"Sorry," whispered Mike, "Why, what were you planning?"

"Not me," said Cassie, "Veronica."

"Rats," said Veronica, "How'd you know?"

"If I tell you, you'll just correct it."

"Phooey."

The four of them lay in silence for a short while.

"Um..." said Jenny.

"What?" said Cassie and Veronica, both with the unmistakable subtext of "I know you're about to say something we don't want to hear, so get it over with."

"We should all clean up," said Jenny, "Especially the beddings."

Everyone else on the bed quickly took stock of themselves, and the blanket underneath them, and laughed.

"Yeah, you're right," said Veronica.

Taking her unwitting cue, Mike continued, "And when you're right, you're right."

"And you? You're always right!" Cassie finished.

"Oh, god," Jenny said when she got it.

"I guess I'm first, being on the end," Veronica said, getting up, "I'd say Jenny, too, but she's too busy being embarrassed that she knows what you two are talking about."

Cassie giggled into Mike's back. Veronica closed the door to the master bathroom, and they heard running water from the shower. Now that the bed occupancy was down to three, they spread out a bit more and let their limbs stretch.

As Jenny and Cassie lay flat and arched their backs, Mike was conflicted. The only reason he didn't roll over and ravish one of them is that he couldn't decide which one. His hard-on was throbbing now.

"You still seem tense," observed Cassie.

"Two guesses why."

"Hey, Jenny, mind if I take this one?" Cassie asked as she moved gracefully down the bed.

"Sure," she replied, a little surprised. "If he's got anything left. Last night I was afraid his balls were going to shrivel, he pumped me so full."

"Hey, I'm right here," Mike objected.

"It was a compliment, babe," assured Jenny, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"So I'm a babe now?" Mike asked playfully.

"Oh, totally," said Cassie, then took Mike into her mouth.

Mike was still a tad sensitive from such vigorous activity, but Cassie knew what she was doing. Jenny's hand swiftly found her slit, where she started rubbing herself. Taking his eyes away from Cassie, Mike saw that Jenny was just as transfixed by Cassie's head bobbing up and down on his cock.

Jenny, for one, was impressed by Cassie's speed. She must practice with her dildo, Jenny realized. Sweet little Cassie had a very naughty side.

"I think Cassie wants to be a lot dirtier than we've given her credit for," Jenny whispered to Mike. It wasn't quiet enough.

"One way to find out," Cassie replied, coming up for air. Mike took the opportunity to get out of bed, taking Cassie by the hand to come with him. Mike sat her down on the floor at the footboard of the bed, facing him as he stood facing the bed. Cassie resumed her blowjob while Mike braced his arms on the bedframe. Jenny crawled over, her catlike movements making Mike's heart pound even harder. She gently pulled Cassie's hair back, and watched.

Now that he had their full attention, Mike placed on hand on Cassie's head to hold it still, against the bedframe. Then, with short, hard thrusts, he began to fuck Cassie's mouth while Jenny watched.

Cassie, as soon as she realized what was going on, lost control. She shut her eyes tightly, and got two fingers on one hand wet from her pussy, then plunged them deep inside, fingerfucking herself to Mike's rhythm. Her other hand darted across her body, squeezing her breasts, running across her silk-like skin. Every time she tried to moan, it would be muffled by Mike's pistoning cock.

Jenny hadn't had time to build to one of the earth-shattering orgasms she'd been having recently. Ever since Mike took Cassie to the end of the bed, she had a series of small ones, each of which held their own knee-trembling delectability. She saw Mike start to get unbalanced as he got closer, so she knelt on the bed above Cassie and kissed him, holding her arms at his waist to steady him.

Cassie could barely discern the details of what was happening. She could still feel Mike's hard cock slide into and out of her mouth, and her tongue struggled to keep up, wanting to taste everything, every time. She opened her eyes, and looked up as much as she could, to see Mike and Jenny break their kiss, and bend their heads to look down at her. Jolts of pleasure ran back and forth between her lips around Mike's cock, and her pussy, which was tightening around her fingers as they kept up their pace. God, how she wanted this.

"Take a deep breath," said Mike, his voice urgent. He pulled his hips back so that only the head was in Cassie's mouth. When she'd taken a lungful, he slammed his cock back into her mouth so hard she couldn't breathe anymore. His thrusts were long and deep, and she knew how close he was.

"Oh, fuck," Mike gasped, and gave one final thrust, and began to pour his load down Cassie's eager throat.

Cassie wanted to scream, but her air was blocked. She just continued to frantically finger herself, fingers of one hand in her pussy, the other hand working her clit. With every shot of Mike's cum, Cassie could feel it rush through his cock with her tongue, then hit the back of her throat. She swallowed as often as she could, not wanting to let a single drop escape. Mike had fucked her face, and all she could do was sit there and let him. She loved it.

When Mike was finally emptied, for a second time in less than a day, he stood back and admired Cassie. She sat on the floor, looking as sexed as he'd ever seen her.

Cassie wasn't finished. She wanted to scream, to let her orgasm take over, but she still had a mouthful of Mike's hot load, and she didn't want to wait to swallow it all. Without thinking, Cassie pulled Jenny with one arm into a kiss. When their lips had locked, Cassie poured into Jenny's mouth her tongue, Mike's cum, and a scream. Jenny had to swallow, and to admit it wasn't bad, although she still preferred fresh.

Cassie's body went rigid, and only relaxed when her orgasm had run its course.

"Damn," said Veronica with a smile from the bathroom doorway, "I can't leave you people alone for five minutes, can I?"

*****

The day's events began after that. The ladies each went to their own guest room to finish cleaning up and to get ready for the day. By the time Mike made it downstairs, Cassie was already cooking breakfast as normal. He smiled to himself at what he was considering "normal" today.

Before he even reached the kitchen, he sensed it. Something in the lack of conversation, the muted clinks of the dishware. Taking his cue from them, he poured himself his coffee and leaned his elbows on the kitchen island. The only one who would catch his eye was Jenny, and he saw her looking back at him with an identical expression to his own.

A slight upturn of Jenny's eyes told him everything: what had happened upstairs the previous night was finally catching up to everyone. While they stayed in the bedroom, the spell remained unbroken, but now it sank in: They'd all had sex with each other. Mike had the easiest time of it, as he'd had sex with each of them before, individually.

But for the three lifelong friends, sharing such an intense sexual experience was a Hell of a complication. Now they had to sort out their own feelings about it all, and then deal with how one another felt, and how they felt about how their friends felt, and so on, and so on.

Luckily, Mike was not a moron. He waited until breakfast was just about over before he broke the pensive silence.

"All right, we got a late start today," he said. The women all looked to him. They were going to talk it out when he left earshot. What he said until then determined whether it was a discussion or an argument. "I still have my four hours of work to do, so that's my morning. Would anyone object if I was not part of the clean-up from last night's game?"

There was no objection, but Mike hadn't expected there to be. They were glad enough to be able to talk without him. And he made sure to insert the subtle reminder of the role that gaming, playfulness, and fun had in the sexed-up evening.

"So my pillowcases and blanket need to be washed. I laid them on my bedroom floor for whoever washes them, even if it's me. My sheets are fine – nothing soaked down that far, although that wasn't for lack of trying." Mike got not even a smirk – a bad sign. "There's also the game materials from downstairs that need rounding up. The shot glasses need to be washed. And our clothing needs to be sorted out, and some of it used to fill out the pillowcase load of laundry. Did I miss anything?"

The ladies seemed to relax as he spoke. He was using a tone that put them at ease. Ironically, it was his more formal tone. Back on the first day they spent at his house, Mike had been very hostly in his manner, giving them the house tour and such. He used that tone again, and they got the message he intended.

What that tone meant was that Mike assumed nothing based on the previous night. He was not expecting it to happen again, or anything else for that matter. As far as Mike was concerned, he conveyed, they were all still just friends, who happened to have had a wild night together.

Easy for him to think, Veronica thought, He can go back to before if this all goes to crap.

As Mike walked into his office, she turned to her friends and said, "So who-"

"Oh, and could someone drop off my watch when they find it?" Mike called, "Thanks!"

That finally broke the tension. The ladies laughed and heard Mike's office door shut.

"So who starts?" Veronica repeated.

"Depends on everything we're talking about," said Jenny, "But I think we can at least go downstairs and start cleaning. That way if we can't think of what to say, the silence doesn't get awkward. Plus, I have a hunch Mike has his ear against his office door."

"I do not!" they heard, "I don't need to."

*****

They took their time, focusing more on the conversation than the cleaning.

"There's a lot we could talk about," said Jenny, "There's just last night in the bedroom, the whole game, and then there's everything since we got here. You all caught his pointed comment about us changing our rules?"

"Yeah, now that you remind me," Veronica said, "That wasn't fair of him. He broke the Rule."

"He was never under the Rules," Cassie said, "We imposed them on him without asking him first. He found a way out from underneath that didn't flat-out defy them. He just got us to break them ourselves."

"I think," Jenny said tentatively, "I think we need to all just lay our cards on the table. So to speak. From getting here until the start of the game, what have we all done with Mike?"

"How will that help?" Veronica said.

"It'll help us understand one another's behavior last night. All of it directly led us there," Jenny replied, "If it helps, I'll go first."

"What about chronologically?" asked Cassie.

"Neither of you had a chance before I took mine. After you two went to bed, the first night."

Veronica looked shocked. "You slut!" she teased.

"It wasn't like that. Look, you know how my therapy technique combines physical with mental? Well, I saw he needed some serious shaking up, and the physical part happened to be a handjob while he looked at porn on his laptop. I know, I know, very bad idea. Mike and I already discussed that and we've made amends."

"We didn't talk after Mike went to shovel snow off the roof," said Cassie, "The second day. He fell asleep naked on his bed, and I couldn't help myself. I stripped naked and gave him a blowjob. He woke up and it turned into a sixty-nine. We didn't talk at all, as a matter of fact."

"Damn," said Veronica, "I was last? If I'd known that... anyway, he got turned on keeping me company while I was in the shower, then we played Truth or Dare Ping-Pong and one thing led to another."

"So that's where he got the idea," Jenny said.

"I guess. He must have really liked my tits, he sprayed them so hard."

"That explains why he shut himself off the next day," Cassie said, "Remember? I had to bring him dinner after you two went to bed?"

"And dessert, too, if I remember last night correctly," Jenny said, "Cowgirl in the office chair, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought so. Well, you remember the next day, when he weaseled his way into talking to me alone while you two shoveled? Well, that's when he got me to argue with him about that thing I did the first night. And, like Veronica, one thing led to another. Only in my case, it led all the way."

"Wait," said Veronica, astonished, "You mean I was the last one to have sex with him, too?! Here I am thinking I was too forward too soon!"

"So when was your first time with him?" Cassie asked.

"Only a few days ago. I got out of the shower, and had only gotten my lingerie on when he walked in unexpectedly and-"

"Took them right back off?" Jenny suggested.

"Damn near ripped them off. Funny thing about it was, he was the most turned on when I started talking about you two."

"He's such a guy," Cassie said. They all smiled. "It must have been late that night, then."

"What?" asked Veronica.

"Oh, he had some line about not wanting you guys to hear us, so he just fingered me and then jacked off onto my ass." She said it like it was no big deal. It was a bit freeing, feeling comfortable talking dirty around her friends.

"Oh, that sneaky bastard!" Jenny exclaimed for the second day in a row, "He told me that afternoon he needed some recovery time, but I didn't know how much because we all kept it so secret."

"That's not sneaky."

"But he told us, early the next day, about his ex. You know, Kendra Harrington? The bitch who cheated on him, and her parents won't believe it? The cool brother, what was his name?"

"Sam."

"Right. Sam. Anyway, Mike told us that story so the mood would be killed for the whole day. None of us even tried. He got his recovery time."

"That sneaky bastard," Veronica echoed.

"And I got him last night," Jenny said, "and Cassie this morning. Sorry, Vee, that puts you one down."

"Two days ago, it really was a Hummer," Veronica replied.

"No way!" said Jenny, "I wanted to do that."

"With Mike in the Hummer, or just in a Hummer?"

"With Mike, silly."

"So where do we go from here?" asked Cassie, "As far as each of us and Mike?"

"I'm out," Veronica said to everyone's surprise, including her own. After a second, she realized she meant it.

"What's wrong?" asked Cassie.

"Nothing's wrong," Veronica replied, "In fact, I think something just went right. I realized, it's not Mike I want. I mean, okay, I want him, but just for sex. And he hasn't shown anything more than that towards me, either. And so me sticking in isn't fair to you two, so I'm out. If he and I happen to in the future, great, but I am not going to go out of my way for it." Jenny and Cassie nodded. "I got enough to think about." She added softly.

"So who wants to mention the ginormous elephant in the room?" Jenny said.

"What elephant?" Cassie asked.

"The somewhat-else-than-heterosexual activities that occurred last night," Jenny replied tactfully.

"Oh. That."

"Any idea how we should approach that?" Veronica asked.

"Carefully," Jenny said instantly, "That's for damn sure. I've got some notions bouncing around in my head. Tell you what. Don't sweat it for a couple of days. I'll pin down what the thoughts are, and we'll talk, and go from there. Sound good?"

Cassie and Veronica agreed.

"So how does the Rule apply going forward?" Cassie asked Jenny, "With Mike?"

"I guess we still try to be discreet. I mean, it's pretty rude for one of us to flirt with him right in front of the other. But if one of us happens to walk in on a kiss, or a private conversation, or... whatever else... it's not that big a deal."

"And I can just sit back and laugh," said Veronica, "This could be fun."

*****

Once the downstairs was clear, Cassie stayed behind to exercise. Jenny and Veronica went upstairs and got the laundry started. At least, the pillowcases and Mike's clothes. They carried their own clothes up to the laundry baskets in their rooms. Mike could wash his own blanket.

Cassie was just coming downstairs, having showered and re-dressed on the second floor, when Mike exited his office for lunchtime.

"We're starting to run low on some essentials," Cassie said, gathering the ingredients for lunch. "And more fresh stuff would be pretty awesome, too."

"Ooh!" Veronica raised her hand eagerly, obviously volunteering for the grocery run.

"Okay," said Mike, "Cassie, you know what you can cook, so you have to go. Veronica would throttle me if I had her stay. Jenny, you want to go?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I've got to exercise anyway."

"And frankly, I'm exhausted," Mike continued, "Think you can handle driving the Hummer this time?" This was directed at Veronica.

"Yeah, I'll manage. At least if I hit my head it'll be my own dumb fault this time."

"Oh, so that part was true?" Cassie said halfway into a cupboard, retrieving some kind of appliance Mike had forgotten about.

Jenny was impressed that he didn't whip his head around. The only giveaway was the slight furrow in his brow, and the fact that he didn't respond. Cassie had just given away that they revealed everything to one another downstairs. Mike had to be concerned about that conversation.

After lunch, Veronica and Cassie went to get their stuff together for the trip. They also had Mike call Stan to let them know they were swinging by to get their stuff out of their broken-down SUV.




The Warmest Winter, Day 10



When they were alone and cleaning up the lunch dishes, Jenny said, "I was wondering if you'd keep me company downstairs while I exercised."

"Umm... okay," Mike said, "And, don't take this the wrong way, but... why?"

"Well, we talked some stuff over, and I'd like your input. Also, there are some things I want to talk about and get your perspective. Just me, not on their behalf."

"All right, I suppose."

*****

Mike watched Jenny with interest and a hard-on as she went through her routine. She made use of almost everything he had in his exercise area. The free-weights, the stationary bike, the treadmill, even the chin-up bar.

"I try to keep a variety in my routine," Jenny explained, "It's great for overall health and figure maintenance. As soon as enough snow is clear and the temperature gets a tad higher, I'll probably do some jogging along that road."

In Mike's eye he saw Jenny's athletic form bounding along in a jogging suit, and he had to readjust his seated position.

"Sorry for the unintentional torture," Jenny said sincerely, but still with a grin. "How about I take your mind off it?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Jenny flopped down on the couch, having finished her workout. From his angle in his own chair, Mike got a great look at her long, smooth, olive-toned, firm legs.

"So here's what we did," Jenny started, "We told each other everything we all did with you."

"WHAT?!" Mike sputtered.

"Wait, hang on, not everything, I mean we didn't get into details, but yeah. It kept us all open and honest and not competitive. And based on that, we decided that, going forward, we would still try and be discreet with our interests in you, but other than that, we're relaxing the rules."

"All three of you agreed?"

"Actually, only Cassie and I needed to agree. Veronica's out."

"Was it something I did?" asked Mike, instantly very concerned.

"No, no. I just think that she's got some stuff to sort out, and she also saw that it would only ever be just sex and friendship between you."

"Right."

"Don't sound too disappointed – she wouldn't say no if you asked, she's just not actively pursuing you anymore, is all."

"Okay. I think I get it."

"Good."

They sat in the quiet, cool basement for a while. Jenny caught her breath, and Mike felt his erection subside mercifully.

"So what's on your mind?" Mike asked, reclined in his chair with his eyes closed.

"I need the sociologist. It's about sexual identity."

"You, Veronica, and Cassie all now question whether you might be lesbians, or at least bi."

If it had been a question, Jenny would have been miffed at his cockiness. As it was, he knew it, and he knew that he knew it. And, in a way, he was sparing her the awkwardness of broaching the topic herself. Given the circumstances, she let it slide.

"Yes."

"Okay." Mike cleared his throat, his eyes still closed. He spoke as if lecturing to a college classroom. "Sex is the physical act of procreation, including the physical sensations directly involved. Sexuality is everything else associated with the act that does not fall into that category. Follow?"

"So far."

"Okay. The biology of sex is the same for everyone. Man and woman, then sex, then baby. The sexuality is so diverse as to be individualized. Some of this is cultural. We're taught who is and is not an ideal or even a viable sexual partner, based on ideas beyond practical biology. Some cultures one, some cultures more than one. Age, social class, hell, even neck length in a culture or two."

"Okay..."

"Here's where things get fuzzy. I'll start with an example. Have you known anyone who liked to be touched with ice during sex, even for brief moments?"

"Yeah, a couple." Now was not the time to reveal being one of them.

"Have you thought about what they have in common with sexual sadomasochists?"

Tires squealed in Jenny's head. "Wait, what?"

"The same mechanism drives both into being stimulants. Bear with me. Tell me: what happens to the nervous system during sexual arousal, especially towards climax?"

"Signals go a bit haywire."

"Exactly. Now, let's say someone lived on a farm, and every time they had sex, it was a literal roll in the hay."

"All right."

"Hay is uncomfortable, even to sit on, fully-clothed. Sex? Forget it. But sexual stimuli can override the others. And, as a biological adaptation, it can absorb them."

"Run that by me again?"

"Think about it. Humans are incredibly vulnerable during sex to all kinds of mood-killing stimuli. For our species to survive, individuals must adapt to unfavorable circumstances in order to want to continue procreation. As Paul Reiser said, 'If our parents had to, say, slap each other in the head with planks of linoleum and crawl hands-and-knees through acres of muddy stink to create Life, I don't know that we'd all be here today'."

Jenny laughed out loud. "Okay, I see your point."

"But that adaptation mechanism has a potentially wonderful, potentially dangerous side effect. Not only can a person grow to not mind whatever is associated with sex in their mind, they can grow to like it. Whatever that may be. Cold... pain... emotional love... physical attractiveness... animals... children... anything."

"So how does this relate to us?"

"Because it's not the only mechanism. The social ones are still in force, as well as personal choice. It is possible, on a purely biological level, to become sexually appreciative of virtually anything. Members of the same gender is a small hop compared to some of the deviances out there, and believe you me, you don't want to know."

"But-"

"I'm getting there. Let's use pain as an example. A person feels a little bit of pain once during sex, and finds that he doesn't mind. Okay. The idea plays in his mind, and he decides to push that boundary, taking more risks during sex, letting himself feel more pain until he hits his limit. But he hasn't yet. And all the while, the association between pain and sexual pleasure grows stronger, until he may even come to need pain to become aroused. At that point, he has crossed from being sexually tolerant of pain, to being sexually appreciative of pain, to being a sexual masochist."

"See, now you've got me really wishing I'd taken that Psychology of Sex class instead of that elective."

Mike was distracted now. "What elective?"

"Mmm? Oh. A class on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Cool stuff."

"Interesting. So, to make this example relatable now, let me rephrase your initial concern. You, Veronica, and Cassie are obviously tolerant of lesbian interactions, at least with one another, under some sort of circumstance. There may be additional factors out the wazoo. Your concern is whether any of you are appreciative, or even more."

The light fully dawned on Jenny. "Yeah. That's it. I guess."

"It's just a theory."

"Well, let's test it. On me. How would you determine where someone is on the spectrum?"

"A few questions. First: are you still sexually and-or romantically attracted to men as a gender?"

"Yes."

"You're not a lesbian. Same question for women."

"No, I think."

"As a gender."

"No."

"You're not bisexual, either. Now that you've had a sexual experience with another female, do you have thoughts about doing it again with different females?"

"No."

"Hell, you're not even bi-curious. May I take a guess?"

"You seem to be on a roll. Go ahead."

"You tolerated last night because you were curious in a scientific sort of way, and the idea of sharing a sexual experience with your friends was not a turn-off. But it was also not a turn-on. If I or some other man wasn't there, I feel sure you would not have been nearly so comfortable."

"Yeah, you're right."

"If I may be bolder, I think Cassie's in a similar position as you, maybe even Veronica. But I think this question stirred up some others for her, if what you tell me's true."


"Wow. I see why you're a hot consultant," Jenny said, "I mean, uh, that you're a consultant, and you're hot, no, that, um, as a consultant, you're hot, wait, dammit, as consultants go, you're-"

Mike burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. I kept a straight face as long as I could."

"You ass."

"Oh, come on, if that was a scene on TV you'd be laughing just as hard as me."

She didn't answer except to stick her tongue out at him.

"Let me be clear on one thing," asked Jenny, "Were you equating lesbianism to bestiality and child porn?"

"No," Mike stated emphatically. "I mean that everything associated with sex, other than the act itself and sensations thereof, are social constructs ingrained in us by our parents or such, or psychological constructs we develop by this other mechanism. The factors produce everything, both healthy and unhealthy forms of sexuality, however any society defines them."

Jenny suddenly gave a snort of derision.

"What is it?" Mike asked.

"I've been reading some of those sex stories you've got in that library upstairs. And wouldn't you know it, every time someone questions their sexuality, they turn out to be gay or bi."

"I hadn't noticed that. So none of them ever said, 'You know? I was just curious. It's fun, but I still like guys.' Weird." Mike finally opened his eyes and looked at Jenny, who was giving him a long, thoughtful look.

"What?" he asked.

"You," she said, "I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get to the bottom of you."

"Well, just mind how you dig. That's some hefty dirt to be kicked up."

"Speaking of," said Jenny, "My sweat's starting to dry and itch. I gotta shower."

"Don't let me keep you."

*****

After her shower, Jenny found Mike in the library, working his way through The Return of the King. Hearing her come in, he read to the end of the paragraph (which takes a while with Tolkien) and put the bookmark back in.

"What's up?"

"It occurs to me that we've all been kinda spontaneous with you," Jenny said.

"I guess. Although in our case, I sort of nudged it that direction."

"Still. Even last night was not guaranteed to pan out the way it did."

"Granted. What are you getting at?"

"Wanna have sex?"

Mike burst out laughing. Not at the idea of having sex with Jenny, which was making him immediately respond in his nether regions, but at the casual tone she used to ask him.

"Oh, you know the answer to that one. Absolutely."

Jenny leaned in and kissed him. "Good. Go lay down on your bed, face-up and naked. And close your eyes. I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Hmmm," said Mike ponderously, getting up, "I am now intrigued, as well as horny. Sounds like fun." He hurried off upstairs, and Jenny tried to remember exactly what he had described the other day...

*****

Mike settled in, having fun imagining all of the tricks Jenny might be up to. He had a couple of ideas of his own, of course, not the least of which was now in his bedside table drawer. It was a restorative he had found some years ago. Applied properly, it greatly prevented or repaired the wear-and-tear on him from sex. Without it, the girls would have had to do without him even more often than one day a week. But that was just the side effect. It was mainly a massage oil and lubricant. It didn't even have much of a taste. It was his secret weapon.

His less-than-secret weapon was rigid in anticipation when Jenny came into the room. Mike dutifully kept his eyes closed.

"Open your eyes," Jenny said. She was wearing an outfit that Mike remembered, but couldn't place from where. He was about to ask when Jenny held a finger to her lips for silence.

With grace and ease, she slowly peeled off her shirt to reveal her glorious breasts, displayed and framed by a black lace bra. Jenny turned and began sliding down her jeans, revealing her mouth-watering hips and ass to Mike, whose eyes widened. He strained not to stroke himself at the striptease he was witnessing.

Jenny was now wearing only the bra and matching panties. Mike got another good, long look at her sport-toned legs as she bent over to remove her jeans. Jenny's hands caressed her skin all the way back up her body as she stood up again, around her hips, grazing her breasts, until she deftly caught her hair tie and pulled it off, shaking her head to let her silky hair fall all around.

She arched her back, jutting her breasts forward, keeping her head back as she reached around behind herself and unclasped her bra. Like most women, Jenny quickly brought her hands around to catch the bra before it fell away, causing Mike to groan in disappointment. Where was the dejá-vu coming from?

Jenny finally let the bra go, revealing her breasts, exactly as Mike had dreamed them the first night after he had rescued them from the blizzard.

Of course!

Mike smiled, and Jenny nodded. Over the last few days, he'd told Jenny about the dreams he'd had of her, in detail. She was re-enacting one for him.

Now that Mike had caught on, Jenny crawled up to him on the bed, using that catlike languor that only a woman can achieve. It was sexy as Hell.

"There now," Jenny said, "No game, no booze, no dream, no argument, no distracting friends. This is what it looks like."

"Mmm, I like it."

"Thought you might," Jenny said, then brought her lips in for a slow, patient kiss.

When they broke for air, she straddled Mike, the base of his hard-on pressing against the thin fabric of her panties. The man was solid, she thought. Jenny ground her hips against him, with her hands on his chest to steady herself. She could feel his muscles under the skin, and remembered how strongly he could hold her.

"Aw, you poor thing," Jenny started.

"There's a sentence every man loves to hear in bed."

"Shut up," Jenny said, trying not to laugh, "I was going to take pity on your cock, seeing as how I'm getting satisfied and you're not."

"I have no complaints at the moment, but if you insist..."

Jenny shifted one hand to the middle of Mike's chest, and could feel his heart beating. With her other hand, she reached down and began to stroke him, as in the dream.

"I have got to tell you more of my dreams," Mike rasped. His breathing deepened, and his pulse raced.

"Tell me one now," Jenny coaxed.

"All right... it's a pretty straightforward one... ooh, keep doing that... It involves my Hummer."

"Yeah..." Jenny picked up her pace.

"And you..."

"Yeah..."

"And Cassie. And Veronica..."

"Uh-huh..."

"In bikini tops, and short shorts, washing it."

"You guy."

"I thought you liked that about me," Mike said, pressing his cock into her pussy for emphasis.

"Mmm... you know what I say to that?"

"What?"

Jenny leaned in close to Mike's ear. She moved her supporting hand away, but the other still stroked Mike's cock. Mike could feel her breasts press into his chest, her nipples drag a little over his skin. He heard Jenny draw in a breath to speak.

"Is this where you were expecting me to make loud and obnoxious alarm noises?"

"No."

"Liar."

"Busted. So what will you do to me for it?"

"Well, that's simple." Jenny did so, leaving Mike flat on the bed. "I'm going to ride you until you buck."

Jenny didn't even get up to take off her panties. She just slipped them aside, revealing her honeyed pussy lips for Mike's mouth to water at. She adjusted forwards, and now slid her pelvis back and forth over Mike's cock, sharing her wetness with him, preparing to guide him in.

At the first look of distracted concentration from Jenny, Mike slid a hand down to his cock and lifted it slightly, allowing Jenny to maneuver more freely. He felt her lips slide over the head, and then the very tip felt heat.

Jenny felt it, too, and slowly worked her hips back, appreciating every inch of Mike's hard-on as she filled herself with it. Mike drew his hands back and rested them on Jenny's hips.

After the heightened raw sexuality of the previous night, neither Jenny or Mike was in any rush. Some of what drove them before could have been pent-up sexual desire, fulfilled with an available partner. Now, however, they were having sex simply because they wanted to, not because they also needed to.

Mike relished the chance to focus on her. In last night's frenzy, so much had just blurred together. Hot, yes. Wildly sexual, not a doubt. But just a little unfulfilled with what else sex could be. As Jenny rocked back and forth, establishing a rhythm, he let his eyes wander across her lithe body.

Jenny knelt atop him, and he felt her hips under his palms. They tapered into Jenny's trim waistline, only for her body to blossom outwards again. Mike felt he could gaze at her breasts for days at a time. They were full, round, and completely natural. Her areolas were dark now, her nipples erect. In a minute, he was going to have his way with them, but that could wait for now.

Mike's eyes continued their upward trend, gliding across the smooth and kissable skin of Jenny's neck. Her face was framed by her dark hair, which flowed freely down her soft shoulders. Breathing steadily, Jenny had parted her full, pink lips, and her tongue occasionally licked them.

When Mike finally rested his gaze on her eyes, they were shut. Jenny seemed to sense he where he was looking, and opened her eyes to look back. He saw, as he knew he would, the fire. Somewhere in the back of his mind he recognized it, having seen it before both during sex, and lately, at other times. Had she been more open with him, so that he could see it? Did he just know her better? Something else? It didn't matter. He was satisfied to feel its warmth, and looked forward to seeing more.

Mike usually liked switching positions at some point during sex, but this time he lacked the inclination. Maybe just a small change. He smiled.

"Something funny?" Jenny asked, not changing her rhythms.

"Just enjoying myself."

"Aw, and here I was hoping you were enjoying my self."

"Oh, that, too. Here, let's try something."

Bracing his feet on the bed, Mike brought his hands to under Jenny's calves and lifted her up, still firmly rooted to him, and shifted them both back on the bed. Jenny cried out in delight and surprise. Between the pillows and the headboard, Mike was very nearly sitting, and Jenny now crouched around him, and miraculously still felt him inside her.

"Ooh, you're good," she said, leaning in for another kiss.

"I was inspired."

As their lips met and teased one another's, Jenny resumed her pace on Mike's persistent erection. Her new position gave her movements more bounce than before, and she took full advantage. More quickly now, she drove them both closer to the edge.

Mike's hands were firmly on her waist now, holding her just well enough so that she didn't accidentally slip off. Her arms were resting on his shoulders, her hands behind his head.

As Jenny was doing most of the work, she needed breathers more often than Mike. Whenever this happened, she would throw back her head and let Mike have his way. He would pinch her nipples with his lips, and use suction to pull them just a bit. His tongue traces swirls across her breasts and between them, up her neck.

"I love your tongue," Jenny groaned. Mike said nothing but she felt his cock twitch. She felt how close he was, he was pressing into her so much. She was starting to lose focus, but by now her body was taking over.

Mike and Jenny bent their heads, their arms wrapped around each other as Jenny bobbed on Mike even faster, even harder. There were no words anymore. They were both lost in the pleasure. Jenny could feel her climax approaching, and her hips raced to meet it.

Mike felt the familiar jolt, and knew it was time. With one hand, he clasped Jenny by the back of her head, and drilled his gaze into hers as he began to fire his load. With a couple more thrusts, which sent Mike careening, Jenny reached her own climax, and leaned back to enjoy it purely.




The Warmest Winter, Day 10



Both she and Mike had closed their eyes again. When Jenny opened them again, Mike was giving her a look she couldn't really identify.

"What?" she asked a little sheepishly. Mike reached up and got the hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind an ear.

"You've never been more beautiful, and that's a competitive category."

Without knowing exactly why, Jenny felt herself blush.

"We should shower," Mike continued.

"Way to kill the mood, there, tiger."

"You misunderstand. We should shower. All the cleanup today, we should conserve water a bit."

It was a bogus line. They both knew it was a bogus line. And they both knew that they both knew. But it was fun, and so Jenny quickly got off of Mike and darted to the shower stall.

"You coming?"

The shower ended up conserving exactly nothing. Any time their lips were remotely close, they shared a deep, passionate kiss. And in the cramped space of the shower stall, that was pretty often.

*****

After they both re-clothed, they went downstairs to share mugs of cocoa by a fire until Veronica and Cassie returned.

"You know, there's still one thing I am a little concerned about," Mike said after a comfortable silence.

"What's that?"

"Last night was not the most hygienic thing in the world. You know, me going from one of you to another without protection."

"Oh, don't worry about that. We've been friends for so long and borrowed one another's clothes so often we probably have identical germs anyway. Shoot, more than once we all got colds so close together we still don't know who catches them first. If it makes you feel better, we'll keep an eye on it, and see a doc if a UTI or somesuch pops up."

"It does actually. I mean, you ladies take care of yourselves pretty well, so I figured. But it's still nice to hear the words."

"And don't forget, Mike, you are taking care of us, too. We haven't forgotten. This is your house, your beds, your food, your fireplace, hell it's your friggin' marshmallows in my cocoa."

"You sound a bit surprised to be in such a situation."

"... Yeah. I guess I am."

"Your ex?"

"Yeah." Jenny curled her feet up into the chair she was sitting in. Mike was stretched out on the couch.

"Can you talk about it?"

"I guess. His name was Lewis. Lewis and I met in college, like you and your ex. He seemed okay at first, otherwise I would've called it off early. But over time, he began to get verbally abusive. Nothing direct, and certainly not physical."

"Good. I'd have to kill him."

"Right, well, after it started, I thought I could maybe steer him back. You know, help him stop."

Mike put one hand over his open mouth and set his mug down. His eyes were wide.

"No. Tell me... tell you didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"You thought you could 'fix' him."

Jenny hung her head. Tears began to form around the edges of her eyes. The fire was gone.

"I couldn't. He just got worse. The bitch of it all was, he knew. He knew I was trying to help him, and he would laugh at me for failing. A month before graduation, I had a few things at his place, so I got his roommate to let me in while Lewis was in class. I got my stuff, and left a note. Here's the irony: his major? Communications."

"Huh."

"I failed, Mike. I failed him and I nearly screwed up just as badly with you."

"Jennifer Eliska Azevedo." Mike used her full name, and got her full attention. "You lack experience, not ability. And nobody is free of failure. This reminds me of a House episode. You ever watch that show?"

"No."

"Okay, so the doc, House, has to give a day-long seminar lecture thing to a bunch of med students. He gives them a case, and lets them diagnose as they see fit. It's his own case, why he has to use a cane, but he doesn't tell them that. He takes them through everything, and they reach the same conclusion his doctors did. And then they see it's his case, and that they were obviously wrong. His point was, they will make a bad call. They will make a decision that kills someone. And he tells them that if they can't accept that, they should not be doctors."

Jenny's fire returned. "Are you telling me to quit?"

"Oh, hell no. I'm just telling you to accept the outcome, as long as you did what you could. Lewis? An idiot. For not appreciating you, and for not wanting to change."

"Thanks."

They returned to a pensive silence until they heard tires in the driveway.

"We're back!" Veronica called as she walked in the door, her arms full of grocery bags.

"We're right here; we know," said Mike, getting up.

"Stan says Hi," said Cassie, behind with just as many groceries. Once the car was unloaded into the kitchen, Mike said, "I'll leave you to it. Don't want to spoil the chef's surprises."

"Oh, no you don't," said Cassie, "You're helping. Get that cute butt of yours back in here."

Mike looked at Jenny, who shrugged.

"Well," she said, "It is a cute butt."

He rolled his eyes, but went back in to help.

*****

After dinner, everyone parted ways for the evening. Veronica and Jenny went to their rooms, while Cassie stayed behind to plan the next meals. When she was done, she popped into the office to see Mike working.

"Do I need to have sex with you again?" she asked playfully.

"No, I just want to clear my head a bit," Mike answered. "I don't need dinner, I genuinely do want to do a little work, and I will get to bed at a reasonable time. Happy?"

"Yes and no," said Cassie, coming around the desk, "I'm looking forward to next time."

With a sweet kiss, Cassie turned to go upstairs.

"Good night," she said, swaying her ass as she climbed the steps.

"Good night," he called softly.

Mike let himself lose track of the time. He had set a timer, and what he was doing could be interrupted at any point. This came in handy at close to midnight. His cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mike Evans?"

"Who is calling?"

"I shouldn't wonder you don't recognize my voice. It's been a while."

"I repeat: Who are you?"

"This is Sam, Mike. Sam Harrington."



The Warmest Winter, Day 11



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Cassie woke up to the sound of her cell phone's alarm, one of the few things her phone was good for so far out in the boondocks. She slid the soft blanket down her nude body, feeling it cares her skin and wishing it was Mike instead.

Mike, who was still such a mystery to her. He obviously wanted her – their sexual exploits left that abundantly clear. But he had yet to really take full advantage of her willingness, and she knew very well that her willingness was well-known.

Of course, there was also the matter of Jenny and Veronica. Friends for life, and had spared the occasional naughty thought in one another's directions, but only two nights ago did they act on them, having sex with each other nearly as much as with Mike. Only so much of that could be blamed on the Eiswein.

Cassie lay in bed for a minute or so, letting her mind work through the tidbits floating around within it. Okay. So that was the situation. Anything she could do about it at the moment? No. So, business as usual, taking things as they happen, until something comes along to change that. Shiny.

Something Mike had said gave her pause when it came to picking what to wear for the day. Mike had called her the hottest of the three women, but only because she was "dressed to advertise." How much would he be interested if she didn't?

She wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. In deference to her desire to not look like a slob in her own mind, she tucked in the shirt and wore a thin belt. In deference to her desire to have sex with Mike readily should he be willing, she forewent wearing a bra or socks. Her panties were leopard print.

After finishing her morning routine, Cassie headed downstairs to start breakfast. She'd gotten fresh supplies yesterday, and looked forward to the omelettes that would feature as today's breakfast. Cooking was an art form that Cassie found delightful. She'd been told many times that she should be a professional, but she felt that getting paid for it would sully it in some way.

Downstairs, however, felt wrong. She couldn't be sure, having only been here for a week and a half. The office door was ajar. Maybe that was it.

Cassie entered the kitchen and turned on the light. She smelled... old, burnt coffee? A glance at the coffeemaker revealed a half-pot, still being warmed as the contents continued to evaporate.

What in the world?...

Looking around for other things amiss, Cassie finally spotted Mike, stretched out on the couch. As she hurried over, concerned, she saw that he was in the same clothes as the previous day. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his shirt had what were swiftly becoming coffee stains on it. Well, that was that mystery solved, anyway.

"Mike?" she asked softly, holding a finger under his nose. He was breathing. Good. She said his name again, a little louder. He stirred.

"Mmwhat?" he said groggily. "Cassie? What're you doing up?"

"It's morning," she said softly, helping him sit up. "I make breakfast, remember?"

"Right. There still coffee?"

"I wouldn't call it that anymore. Do you have a spare pot?"

"Yeah. Under the kitchen island. What time is it?"

"Sevenish. A-M. When did you get to sleep?"

"Dunno. Thought I hadn't 'til you told me."

"Mike," Cassie said, firmly, "I'm going to ask you what's wrong, but first I'm going to get Jenny and Veronica down here. Whatever it is, we're with you. We're your friends." With a brief hug she got up and rushed off, begging her mind to shut up.

*****

"Jenny, you dressed?" Cassie called through the door.

"Yeah."

"Something's up with Mike." Jenny was out of her room in a flash and they went to Veronica's together.

"Veronica, you up?"

"I heard. Gimme a sec." She came out of her room a few seconds later, still straightening her shirt over her breasts. With all of the Avengers assembled, they went back downstairs.

They found Mike in the kitchen, throwing out the old pot of coffee. Not the coffee from the pot, the whole pot, coffee and all. A new batch was already brewing.

"Hey, I can clean that!" Cassie objected, rescuing the abused cookware.

"Mike," Jenny began gently, "You know us well enough by now, to know that we're not going to just let you go it alone. At least tell us what's going on."

"Not. Yet," Mike stated simply. Jenny got a little scared by the utter lack of emphasis in his voice.

"What do you think is going on here?" Veronica fumed. "We. Are. Your. Friends. Of course we're here to help you, even if you're too thickheaded to accept it. So what is it, huh? The man gotta leave the women out of it? Some pride thing, where you have to do it yourself? Some big secret? Come on, Mike, what?"

Mike placed the coffee mug he was holding down onto the counter. With slow, deliberate steps, he approached Veronica. Jenny winced at the hollowness and pain she felt him radiate as he spoke, slowly and distinctly.

"Veronica," said Mike, "Everything you just said is based on a number of assumptions. Assumptions that say more about you than they do about me. Had you let me continue speaking, I would have told you that I am waiting for a call from my lawyer. What I have to say is rather involved, and I would rather not interrupt it. Besides, I will have more to tell once he calls, and I would also rather tell everything at once. Does this meet with your approval, Miss Mayweather?"

She cowed under his rising glare, and nodded. "I'm sorry, Mike. I didn't mean-"

"Yes, you did. But that's fine. Just don't do it again."

"Mike?" Cassie spoke softly. He turned, and his manner was so menacing she almost didn't continue, but she steeled her nerves and said, "Is there anything you can tell us? And, until your lawyer calls, is there anything we can do?"

Mike did seem to actually consider this.

"I don't believe so. On either count. No, I take that back. One half-cup of coffee. Black. And don't let me get away with talking to any of you like that again. I believe you'll understand later, but that is no excuse. Veronica, I apologize."

"Me, too, Mike." He seemed to be calming down now. Cassie thought that maybe having everyone confront him at once was a bad idea after all. Would she ever know the man, or just be puzzled the rest of their friendship?

Cassie went about making breakfast, as everyone being hungry was also most likely a contributing factor to the argument, such as it was. Jenny sat next to Mike, and while she said nothing, she did try to put a comforting hand on his back. He jerked away at the touch. Whatever it was, it weighed on his mind heavily, and he did not want distractions.

Some time later, Mike's cell phone rang. They didn't even see him retrieve it from his pocket, he was so fast in answering it.

"Hello?"

No sooner than he heard whose voice was on the other end than he bolted up from the table and hurried to his office, leaving his half-eaten breakfast on the table.

"Tell me you have good news," he said, before shutting the door behind him.

*****

Ten minutes later, Cassie and Veronica sat uneasily in the living room, while Jenny washed the breakfast dishes to take keep herself grounded. They heard Mike's office door open, and waited with expectant silence.

"That was Rick," Mike said, "My lawyer. Jenny, you may want to sit down. I know I do."

A little shuffling was in order, so that Mike had the recliner, and the girls shared the sofa.

"Rick recently noticed some funny things about the local laws. Someone had changed them, the way I did to get this house built. Only he didn't know who, or why, or what they wanted. But his gut told him it was bad. Ranger Dave recently hinted at something, too. I had nothing to go on, until around midnight last night."

"What happened?" asked Jenny.

"I got a call from Sam Harrington."

The women gasped.

"Why would the brother of your ex be calling you?" Veronica asked.

"Because he just found out his parents, Kendra's parents, are behind what's been going on."

"Which is?"

"In short, they want me to lose the house."

Jenny unrolled a string of expletives that made even Veronica's eyes widen.

"Funny thing," said Mike, "Rick said almost exactly the same thing."

"They can't do that!" Cassie said.

"Apparently, they can," said Mike, "They'd been laying the groundwork since the day Kendra died. They've spent a lot of money to change the laws which result in an eviction from the premises, enforceable very soon."

"How soon?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know. As soon as I got off the phone with Sam, I left a message for Rick. He just called, and I told him everything Sam told me, as well as Dave's implications. He's doing some digging on his end, and he'll call back as soon as he has something, or his lunch break, whichever is sooner."

"Why this? Why now?"

"According to Sam, the Harringtons believe I am responsible for Kendra's death. They believe her story, that I broke up with her and fabricated the story of her adultery when I found out about her cancer. They seem to think that the emotional trauma of her abandonment by me left Kendra without the will to fight her cancer, contributing to her death."

"Didn't Sam try to dissuade them? Tell them the truth?"

"He's been on the outs with them for years anyway. They've all but disinherited him, and that's probably only because he's their only remaining child. They won't listen to him."

"So what can we do?"

"That is what Rick is investigating as we speak. In the meantime, we keep calm and carry on."

"What, just ignore it?" Veronica said.

"No," Mike snapped, getting up and starting to walk away. "If they are going to succeed in taking this house, then all of the time we have left here is limited and should not be wasted. If they are not going to succeed, then we have no reason to behave differently. Now, I could use some mindless fun right about now, preferably involving comical violence. Are we playing MarioKart or what?"

*****

They raced until the edge had been taken off of Mike's stress levels. They even saw him crack a smile or two. Mario Party was up next, as a single game can occupy an entire evening if need be. Every so often, Mike would just repeat to himself, "We don't know enough to react yet." The mantra seemed to help.

The call came during lunch.

"Rick, I'm going to put you on speaker. The women have been fully informed, and you may speak freely in front of them. In fact, Cassie is in real estate development. She may be able to help. Veronica's a business major, if that's needed."

"Thanks, Mike, but we're not there yet. Hello, ladies, normally I'd love nothing more than to talk to you but right now we're on the clock. Mike, they already have a court date."

"WHAT?!" all four shouted.

"That's my ear. Ow," said Rick, "Samuel and Martha Harrington, right?"

"Correct."

"Yeah, they pulled some strings and got an emergency court hearing to get the laws enforced as quickly as possible. The way they changed the laws, the park stays open for the full year, with money for expansion and amenities and whatever, as long as these laws are enforced, but it's a package deal. All or none. They're going to frame it as concern for keeping the park open as opposed to being for 'private interest.' They even made their own money untouchable by them, they are that committed. As long as the government sufficiently enforces the new laws, the money is there."

"And if I stay, the park gets only what it had before."

"Less," said Rick, "They undid part of what you gave them."

"So what's the plan?" Mike asked.

"The hearing is Monday. I'll fly out Saturday, get a read from the locals on Sunday. In the meantime, remember whatever you can about the Harringtons. I need to know who I'm dealing with."

"Will do."

"Okay, I'm getting back to work over here. My cell phone is with me and charged from now until your house is safe. Day or night, got it?"

"Thanks."

"Bye, Mike."

"Bye." They hung up. Mike looked around at the others. "Thoughts?"

"Gimme your phone." Cassie held her hand out. Intrigued, Mike clapped it into her palm.

"Be right back." She went into the dining room, and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Nate, it's Cassie."

"Hey! Something wrong?"

"Sort of. How much time off of work could you get?"

"A full two weeks. I figured I'd be on the safe side."

"Oh, good," Cassie sighed.

"What's going on?" Nate asked firmly.

"Some legal tangles have developed with Mike and his house, and we've decided to stay long enough to help him. His lawyer is flying in on the same day you're planning on getting here. Think you could give him a lift?"

"Mike must be a hell of a guy."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're asking me for a favor – not for you, not for your friend, but for his lawyer. You in love with him?"

"Nate!"

"Just trying to see what's spinning in your head, sis. You're not usually this gung-ho."

"Look. He's a really great friend. And we're all planning a business together, a real one. His idea. And, well, yeah," Cassie lowered her voice. "I like him. But you know it's more complicated than that."

"Oh, don't tell me this is about those damn rules. Cassie, I've always told you those were a bad idea."

"Put it this way: Mike is convincing me of that."

"Wow. So, some serious potential."

"Maybe. But come on, I've known the guy a week and a half."

"Fair enough. Let me see if I have this right. You want me to pick up the lawyer on my way in to Mike's."

"Right."

"The legal trouble is I take it not Mike's fault?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!"

"Sorry. Had to ask. And clearing up these legal troubles will benefit Mike, the prospects for the business, and therefore you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"All right. I'll do it. I don't know him or his lawyer from Adam, but for you, anything."

"Thanks, bro."

"Do I need to pack my Taser?"

"You can borrow Mike's." Between a brother and sister, that response told Nate everything he needed to know. "You available to call later?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Working out the details with Rick. That's the lawyer."

"Oh, so it's 'Rick,' already?"

"Oh, stop it! You are so mean!"

"I have to be. You're too nice. Talk to you later."

"Okay."

*****

Cassie walked back in and tossed Mike his phone.

"Nate's going to pick up Rick from the airport on his way in. We can call him later with the details."

Mike was silent for a second as he absorbed the information. This was hampered by the backlog in his head of things to sort through.

"Wow," he managed, "You three really can manage a crisis, can't you?"

"Sadly, practice," explained Jenny.

"If it isn't one thing, it's another," added Veronica.

"All right," said Mike, seemingly reaching some internal conclusion. "Regardless of residential status, I still have work to do today. That's my afternoon. Cassie? When should I be expecting dinner?"

"Um... since we got a late start today, and a late lunch, call it seven."

"All right. See you at seven."

"It's a date," she said. She hadn't meant for that to slip out. Even without the current situation, it tipped her hand too much. But Mike appeared not to have noticed.

"I have dinner to prepare," Cassie said. "What're you two up to?"

"I was going to check online," said Jenny, "See if maybe I can't dig up something on the Harringtons. Maybe there's a skeleton in a closet somewhere we can use."

"You really don't like them, do you?" asked Veronica.

"They're hurting Mike," Jenny replied through gritted teeth.

"Well, I am just going to sit and think for the afternoon. You remember that meditation thing you taught me a couple years ago?"

"Yeah."

"That. I'll do that."

None of them knew it, but as they parted ways for the afternoon, they all had the same thought.

If want to get to Mike, they're gonna have to first get through me.

*****

Mike was in the middle of typing a letter which explained why high turnover is not a good idea, despite rising costs for long-term employees, when Rick called.

"What's the buzz, Rick?"

"Well, now that they know where to look, the paralegals, bless their hearts, have actually turned up some useful information."

"Go on."

"The Harringtons have spent a not-insignificant amount of their money to provide for the park. However, part of this deal meant that the park should have a hospitable environment. That is to say, you can't build anything in the immediate surround. Roads and train tracks only, if anything. You want anything else, you have to go through all sorts of red tape."

"The part that gets me is how they could have it enacted retroactively. I'm already here."

"That's what the hearing is about. If enough people object to the enforcement, it will happen gradually."

"Weren't they required to notify people of it?"

"They did. Only you don't spend that much time in town, the townspeople probably didn't see what it really was about and ignored it, and the flyer sent in everyone's mail got thrown out for the same reason."

"And I never got one at all because I don't have an address."

"Bingo."

"They didn't have to call? I remember that hoop being one we had to jump through."

"That law got changed. Two years ago."

"Two years- those bastards."

"Yup. They've been planning this for a long time."

"Well, at least the cavalry's coming."

"Thanks."

"Well, actually, it's you and another guy now. Cassie's brother, Nate. He's driving up the same day you're flying in. Feel like hitching a ride?"

"I guess. Let's get him on the phone, work out the details."

After a few minutes of button pushing, Mike was finally able to give Rick Nate's number, and Rick initiated the conference call. Rick was still in Denver, Nate in New York City, and Mike at the corner of No and Where.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Nathan Fox?"

"Yes."

"Hello. My name is Richard Tessaro. I'm the lawyer for Michael Evans, here with him on a conference call."

"Hello again, Mike."

"Hi. You still up for chauffeuring Rick?"

"As a favor to Cassie, yes."

"I can also make it as a favor to me," said Rick, "If I'm not in my own vehicle, I will need to drive your car or be driven by you wherever I need to go. You would have to stay at the hotel in town, in the room next to mine. Winter's slow, so getting adjacent rooms will not be a problem. And, since it is a business expense which saves me from renting a car, I can pay for your room and board while you do so."

"Well, I was hoping to see the girls a bit more than that," said Nate, "But I suppose it'll be often enough, and I could use the compensation, as this is an unpaid vacation for me."

"I can pay you back for that if you need," offered Mike.

"No. This is family. I agreed for Cassie, not for money."

"Okay, just want to be sure you're not hurting if you don't need to be."

"Thanks. What airport, what time?"

From there, the conversation was all business. Nate was relieved to find out that Rick had been to the house before, and remembered the directions. Nate would pick up Rick from LaGuardia, and as soon as they'd left the city, stop for lunch and for Rick to stretch his legs. After that, road trip as needed to Mike's house. After stopping by in person, they'd go back to town and check in at the hotel.

"Okay. Mr. Fox-"

"If we're going to be one another's road trip buddies for hours, call me Nate."

"Fine. Nate. I understand you're not doing this for us, but thank you nonetheless."




The Warmest Winter, Day 11



"Same here," said Mike.

"I'll check my email for the flight plan, and I'll see you Saturday." Nate disconnected.

"How are you holding up, Mike?" Rick asked when they were alone.

"Thinking about a lot of things I expected never to think about again."

"I get that. But keep it together. Nobody knows those laws better than you. If there's a way out of this, it's in your head."

"No pressure."

"Exactly. See you Saturday, and remember to call if you need me."

*****

At dinner, conversation was amicable, but sparse. Mike hardly paid attention. Other than letting the women know about the travel arrangements, he kept himself inside his head with his thoughts.

"More work?" Jenny asked Mike as they cleared the table from dinner.

"No, I was going to read for the rest of the evening," Mike said, "Clear my head."

"Ah. I think that's good. Don't stress too much about it today, sleep on it, tackle it with a vengeance tomorrow."

"Yeah." Mike said it listlessly, then went upstairs.

"Well," said Veronica, "I realized I forgot to exercise today, so I'll squeeze in a routine before bed. You got some time to chat, Jenny?"

"Sure. Cassie?"

"I'm up for a quiet evening, too, I guess. I'll just be in my room."

*****

Close to an hour later, Mike heard a rhythmic thumping coming from a rom on the same floor as him. Exiting the library, he located the source as being Cassie's room. He knocked, but got no response. Cautiously, he opened the door, only to see Cassie dancing around, earphones blasting music from her iPod.

"Ah!" she cried, startled as she noticed him.

"Sorry," he said, raising a defensive hand. She pulled out her earphones. "I tried knocking."

"No, sorry, it's okay. Whatcha need?"

"I was just wondering what the noise was, that's all."

"Sorry. Sorry. I'll keep it down."

"That's okay. I just wasn't expecting it, is all."

"Do you dance?" Cassie later wondered why she asked it. Mike certainly didn't know.

"Uh, yeah. Whenever Rick drags me to a club, my dancing partners tend to compliment me. The ones that don't tend to be less drunk, and they say I don't put enough 'soul' into it, whatever that means."

"Oh, I know. It's an art thing. There's a difference between dong the right moves in the right order, and dancing, between making crap up and improvising, saying the lines and acting. You know?"

"I guess."

"Want me to show you how? I can."

"All right. I guess."

Cassie got excited and put her iPod on shuffle, docked in the port of her bedside alarm clock, the one she didn't bother setting. Since it was already on her dance mix, the song was perfect and the beats came through loud and clear.

"Okay, let's start. Just dance for a while, let me get a feel for your skills, then we'll shake things up and see what we can do."

For the first few songs, Mike was hesitant. He didn't know how much the floor could take, or where he'd be at most risk of banging his shins. Cassie, however, glided around the room and him, tossing her hair, waving her arms, and swinging her hips. Half the time, her eyes were closed, yet her face was still bright.

Mike started feeling that competitive spark. She wanted to see what he could do? All right.

A song came up that he recognized, and he cut loose. He spun, he clapped, he pushed his skill. Cassie gave a whoop more than once. Mike even caught her hand and twirled her once. She was laughing, and he found he couldn't help but join in.

"Okay, I think I see what's going on," Cassie said between songs, "You're still in control. Dancing is about letting go. Being part of the music."

For the next song, Cassie stayed close. Any time she caught Mike repeating a move, or holding moves for too long, she did something to knock him back out. Catching his hand, stepping where she knew he was going to, whatever. Mike started doing the same to her, upping the ante.

"Okay, I'll admit. That was fun," said Mike.

"See? You let yourself get competitive. Keep going. Put yourself into the song more."

They were both starting to sweat now. Cassie's skin sparkled with the droplets rolling down her contours. But the dancing didn't stop. Every so often, one or the other would get out of breath, and would need to be supported a little for the rest of the dance.

After half an hour, Mike and Cassie were dancing closely. They had learned one another's rhythms and steps, and now pushed themselves and each other, harder, together.

When her first felt Cassie's ass brush his crotch during a song, Mike realized that he was rock-hard. He hadn't even realized how turned-on he was. His hands had started out on Cassie's hips, but over time rose up and around to just under her breasts.

"Cassie," Mike said, "Are you trying to-"

"Sshh," Cassie said, still swaying to the beat, holding a finger to Mike's lips, "Let this be whatever it is. Just you, me, and the music. Let it go."

As if controlled by remote, the iPod's next song was a slow groove. Mike only held Cassie more tightly against him. Her every move was a tease, but the urgency he'd been feeling for the last week was gone. Dancing was enough.

Cassie must have been feeling something along the same lines, because she ran her hands up and down the front of her body. Her nipples clearly showed through her shirt, and she rubbed herself gently through her jeans, grinding against both her hand and Mike's hard-on. Barely audible over the music, Mike heard her gently moan.

She really was something amazing. The last remnants of his worries fled his mind at the realization, and he bent down to kiss her on the neck.

*****

"Do you really believe all that?" Veronica asked Jenny.

"I'd have to double-check the psych stuff, but it sounds good. Besides, it's Mike's theory, not mine."

"You sound pretty confident I'm not gay or bi."

"Only you can tell for sure, but I don't think so. Look, if you found a guy who was like Cassie except for gender, would you be asking yourself if you were gay? Or would you just go for the guy?"

"Oh, he wouldn't stand a chance."

"So, I think, for you, that the personality of Cassie is a turn-on for you, more than the gender of Cassie is a turn-off. That make sense?"

"I guess. I mean, it sounds all right, but I just... I don't know."

"Look, it's just something to consider."

"I will. Promise. Now can I exercise?"

"I thought you wanted to talk."

"Yeah, but it's taking forever. Shoo."

*****

Mike explored Cassie's neck, taking his time. She felt his lips cross her skin, trailing fire. The dance had set her nerves sparking, and Cassie felt every touch he gave her as its own unique gift. When she could stand it no longer, she gave a slow twirl, now facing him.

A moment of eye contact was all it took. Mike bent his head low, his arms wrapped around her, and Cassie felt him pick her up into an embrace, and a kiss. She thought he had shown her passion before, but now she knew she had been wrong. There was no patience, no hurry, no hard or soft. There was only the moment, and the music. And the music would be ending soon.

When Mike set her down again on her toes, Cassie slid her hands down his well-muscled chest, until she found where his shirt had come untucked. Staying in the music, she pulled it up, as high as she could, while Mike raised his arms. When Mike's shirt reached his upstretched elbows, he flung it away, and Cassie planted kisses across his bare skin.

Mike repositioned his legs so that they crossed Cassie's. From this new stance, their dancing would serve also to grind into one another. Not content to be less dressed than her, Mike pulled Cassie's shirt over her head, while she raised her arms, her eyes closed. Mike swiftly ran his thumbs across her erect nipples, causing her to gasp and instinctively lunge against him. Her eyes opened, and there was sheer lust in her gaze.

Another song came on. This one brought the tempo up again, and Cassie could not be stopped. Mike joined her in revelry, their hands on one another's waists, feeling every gyration, each bump and grind. Their belts came off next, almost at the same time.

It was sex, only without the sex. They were amping themselves up so high, Mike and Cassie were both at risk of climax with their pants still on. They continued to lose themselves in the unrelenting beat, holding one another as close as the dance would allow. Cassie constantly felt her breasts brush by Mike's hard chest, knowing it excited him just as much as her.

There was one last song on the playlist, and she knew it. Somehow Mike picked up on it too, from some subtle shift in her movements. Closing in, Mike covered her lips with his, and ground his hips harder into hers. When the fadeout stopped, they both knew, the moment didn't have to.

*****

Jenny heard music playing in Cassie's room. Funny. She usually used her headphones. Were they broken? Jenny climbed the stairs, intending to knock on the door and ask, to see if Cassie wanted to borrow her pair. On her way up, she noticed the library door open. She checked. Mike wasn't in.

So was Cassie alone in her room or not? Was Mike in there, talking privately with her? If so, she'd come back later. Jenny brightened up when she remembered about the closets.

In Mike's house, on the second floor, bedrooms on the same side of the house were connected by a single walk-in closet, accessible from both sides. Jenny's connected to the Library, Veronica's to Cassie's. Jenny went to Veronica's room, shutting the bedroom and closet doors behind her. The slats of the closet door were angled downwards, so she had to stand fairly straight to see into the room.

Jenny put a hand to her mouth to muffle her gasp.

*****

By the time the last song ended, Mike and Cassie were fully engaged in their kiss. Their tongues continued the dance, darting and swirling. Cassie was moaning with each breath. Mike wanted more.

Breaking the kiss, he knelt down and unbuttoned Cassie's jeans. She let a brief cry escape when Mike spun her around. Now, as he teased the denim down her hips and legs, he gave deep, appreciative kisses to her ass.

Standing, now that Cassie was only in her leopard-print panties, Mike resumed the kiss. Only now, his hands spread themselves across her ass cheeks, grabbing as much of her as he could. With a grunt, he lifted her up, and their heads were reversed, with hers the higher. Cassie smiled, wrapping her legs around Mike's waist.

Mike felt the effort was well worth it. Now, if he bent his head low, he could tease Cassie's succulent tits, and if he looked up, he could see Cassie's gorgeous face. Her hair had long before spilled out of its hair tie, and it was sexy as Hell.

Eventually, though, Cassie got down, and returned the favor by removing Mike's jeans. And his boxers, at the same time.

Jenny could only stare as she watched Cassie take Mike's steel-hard erection into her mouth. She could remember what that was like, what it tasted like, how it felt. She knew she shouldn't be watching, that she should just go and leave them to it.

But it was so. Fucking. HOT.

Jenny had barely moved, let alone touched herself, and she was already trying not to squirm, or make any noise. As Cassie's head bobbed up and down over Mike's cock, she gave up and enjoyed the show.

Mike was stunned. Usually, he'd have come by now, Cassie was so hot and so good at what she was doing. But the dancing had changed the paradigm – something else would do it tonight. Gently bringing Cassie back to her feet, Mike whispered into her ear, softly.

"What do you want?"

Just as softly, Cassie leaned into his ear, and after a brief lick to his lobe, she said, "Everything you've got."

Mike let loose a deep rumble of satisfaction at the answer, and gently guided Cassie backwards, against the wall next to the closet door. Swiftly, Mike lifted Cassie up, then pressed into her to keep her from falling. She felt every inch of his cock pressing against her pussy, every movement he made sending her head spinning.

His hips still holding her up, Mike used one hand to move her panties aside, and guide the tip of his erection to her slick folds.

"Mmm, please," Cassie whispered.

Mike hadn't even needed that. He pushed himself into Cassie, inch by slow inch. Each time he thrust, he went in a bit farther, pushing Cassie higher. Gasping for air, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, let his hard chest crush hers, and held on.

Behind the wall, Jenny swallowed hard. She was not going to make it much longer without doing something about it.

Mike's pace was hard and fast, and yet they did not feel closer to climax. A week before, they had engaged in very hot sex, because they both drove one another to an incredible climax. Now, they both enjoyed the journey. Climax would happen, but only much, much later.

When he finally let Cassie back onto the ground, they shared a highly-charged kiss. When it finally broke, Mike whispered, "Hands and knees."

Jenny saw a look of excitement on Cassie's face. It blossomed into feral lust when Mike knelt in front of her, his cock once again in reach of her lips.

This time, however, Cassie rocked her whole body back and forth, fucking Mike with her mouth. Mike groaned at both the pleasure and the sight.

Jenny was caught up in the sight, too, and lost her grip on the doorframe. Her hand suddenly came down and hit something of Cassie's in the closet. Mercifully, it was clothing and made little noise, but jarring what turned out to be Cassie's laundry basket loosed another item. Jenny, spurred by the adrenaline of her panic, managed to catch the object before it could clatter.

It turned out to be one of Cassie's dildos. Jenny saw two more with it, tucked away in what would have otherwise been a good hiding spot. Cassie's vibrator, Jenny knew about. The one she was holding had sensation-enhancing ridges and contours. The other one was a replica of a man's anatomy, a suction cup at the base but otherwise very realistic. A fair bit smaller than Mike's, Jenny thought, and not nearly as hard. And, hang on, just how many of these did Cassie think she needed on an extended road trip? All Jenny brought was a pocket vibrator.

Her attention was jolted back into the room when Cassie began to moan again, only this time muffled by Mike's cock. Jenny slipped a finger inside her pussy and realized that she had been masturbating. Naughty, dirty thoughts flitted through her mind. Watching Cassie and Mike fuck while using Cassie's toy was top of the list right now.

Jenny stripped off her shirt and jeans, followed by her panties, taking her eyes off of the scene in front of her as briefly as possible. All she wore now was her teal bra, the comfortable one that still showed her cleavage if she wanted. She slipped the toy into her mouth, instinctively imagining it was Mike's cock, and mimicking Cassie's fine oral work on the other side of the door.

Cassie was all for being patient, but now her pussy begged her for attention. Her busy fingers could only do so much. She needed Mike again. Cassie popped him out of her mouth, and while her hand gave him a few jerks, she tossed her head back to indicate he should take her.

Mike lustfully obliged, taking the opportunity to rake his hands across her searing skin. At her backside, Mike drank in the sight of her ass, then her pink, perfect pussy lips. He bent low, planting kisses on them, and Cassie responded with shivers and moans.

Able to resist no longer, Mike thrust back into Cassie, causing her to throw her head back and cry out. He gripped her by the hips, watching her ass bounce off of him as he pounded her, rocking her whole body.

From Jenny's angle, she could see Cassie's face, contorted in pleasure, and she recalled more of how Mike made her feel. She slipped the toy into her pussy, bracing herself once again against the doorframe as she bucked. The unexpected orgasm hit her hard, and she struggled to stay silent. It took her some time to catch her breath, as heavy gasps could be heard.

Cassie was in a similar state. Mike was slamming into her, like a machine, and she still wanted more. When her climax arrived, she groaned and ground her hips back against Mike, who kept up his relentless pace throughout.

Shaking, Cassie sat up on her knees, and Mike wrapped his arms around her. The way they were positioned, he was still inside her, but only just.

"There's something I've wanted to try for a while," she said, "May I? I think you'll like it."

"Sure," Mike whispered, drawing her hair back and planting soft kisses on her neck.

Cassie stayed for a few moments to appreciate them, then got up. "Be right back."

Jenny went from aroused to alarmed in what had to be the biggest biochemical whiplash of her life. She slipped the toy out of herself, and had just enough time to grab her clothes before Cassie reached the door.

Cassie looked into the closet to find the toy she wanted. It was there, all right, right next to the vibrator. But where was the other one? Did it fall? She glanced around quickly to see if maybe it was on the floor, and saw Jenny.

The look on Jenny's face, combined with the fact that she was only in her bra, must have told Cassie everything. Cassie only smiled, winked, and grabbed the toy she was after, shutting the closet door behind her.

Jenny was conflicted. She was busted. But what was Cassie up to? Her curiosity teamed up with her libido and got the better of her. Jenny dropped her clothes, went back to the door, and after using her pussy juices to lubricate it again, slipped the toy back inside. Her whole body tensed with the unexpected pleasure. The adrenaline shock must have re-sensitized her nerves.

"I want you," said Cassie in Mike's ear, softly. "Both ways. At once. I can't get enough of you. But there's only one of you. This is the next best thing."

Intrigued, Mike watched as Cassie pushed the suction cup into the bedpost, which was a flat-sided piece of furniture. His hard-on, which had softened a little during the break, re-erected as Cassie slid her legs under, to either side of the dildo. She slid her pussy along the toy, using the same technique that Jenny had just used.

Using her unparalleled hip control, Cassie maneuvered the tip to her opening. She looked directly at Mike, who stared with unbridled lust at the sexpot in front of him. Cassie did not so much as blink when she slid back and penetrated herself on the artificial cock. Mike and Jenny both bucked.

"That's how I look when you do it," Cassie said. Slowly, she pulled herself away and then back onto the toy. She increased her pace. Mike was just kneeling nearby, idly fondling himself as he watched.

Jenny, too, was masturbating. She leaned against the door frame now, freeing her other hand. She pulled, twisted, pinched her breasts, especially her nipples, trying to find an outlet for her sexual energy that did not include screaming. The toy in her pussy felt good, and she understood why Cassie liked it.

"Come here," she heard Cassie say.

Mike knelt in front of her again. Without hesitation, Cassie engulfed him in her mouth. At the first taste, a shudder ran through her whole body, and she slowly rocked back and forth. It was obviously as good as she was hoping. When only Mike's tip was in her mouth, she was against the wood, the toy deep in her pussy. When the toy came out, Mike's cock hit the back of her throat. The alternating rhythm drove Cassie so wild she was shaking with excitement. Toy, cock, toy, cock, pussy, mouth, pussy, Mike, toy, Mike, pussy, mouth, toy, Mike.

Another orgasm ripped through her, even bigger than the one before. The waves of pleasure were rippling back and forth across Cassie's body, and she still wanted more. And so, she could tell, did Mike.




The Warmest Winter, Day 11



She let go of Mike's cock, and leaned back, grinding her pussy into the mounted dildo. Mike nearly came when he heard her pull the toy right off the bedframe with just her pussy and hips. Slowly, Cassie slipped the dildo out of her pussy, and held it in one hand. Seeing the fiery desire in Mike's eyes, she crawled forwards, swaying her hips, until she was in the middle of the floor, facing the closet.

With one finger, Cassie beckoned Mike closer. When he came near, she said, "Now the other way. And don't you dare stop."

Mike was beyond words, but he gave her such a fierce kiss his intent was clear. He moved around to behind Cassie, and this time, Cassie looked right at the closet door as Mike entered her.

Jenny's hand was a blur. She was in danger of losing her balance, crashing to the floor at any moment, and it just spurred her on.

Cassie lost her reason. Mike took her with such abandon she couldn't help but be swept up in it. Mike pounded into her, harder and harder, until her hips began to give way, and they descended to the floor. Cassie propped herself up on her elbows, and worked her mouth over the dildo. When she licked it, Mike went just a hair faster. When her lips closed around it, Mike pushed into her harder. And when she slid it, inch by inch, down her throat, Mike growled deeply.

Before long, she was fucking herself with the toy, just as she had when Mike was in front of her. She shoved it deep into her throat, remembering the taste of Mike's thick, hard cock, which was now slamming deep into her pussy. And she remembered Jenny in the closet, having forgotten for a few minutes.

Mike felt Cassie begin to tremble. It was over her whole body, and her pussy tightened around his cock. His hips kept pounding of their own volition, causing sensations which blocked out everything else in his mind. Cassie was moaning louder now. The only reason the whole house didn't hear her was that she still kept the dildo in her mouth, sucking it frantically.

Mike put one arm under Cassie's breasts, and with the other he took the dildo from Cassie's grip. Her hands clutched the carpet, her eyes wide. Instead of an alternating rhythm, which Cassie had continued, Mike began to shove the dildo into Cassie's mouth at the same time his cock buried itself in her pussy.

Cassie began screaming, or would have. With every simultaneous thrust, the scream got louder, and longer. Her eyes shut tight, and Mike saw her whole body flush even more. Mike hit the point of no return, and Cassie yanked the dildo out of her mouth, gasping for air. She was beyond even screaming now.

Mike felt the intense heat build, and then climb. When it burst from him, he slammed his cock into Cassie's pussy one last time. Wave after wave crashed over him, and he saw no end in sight.

Cassie felt Mike's orgasm, and it drove all breath from her body. But as he continued to pump his load into her pussy, she got it back, and planted her face into the carpet to scream. Her whole body felt the orgasm. Her fingertips were shaking as much as her legs. The rhythms of the evening were still resonating with her, because she felt her climax flow back and forth across her body, even as Mike poured himself out into her.

Jenny was shaking, too, with one hand rubbing her clit and the other still getting maximum usage from the toy. Jenny started to come when she saw Mike pull out of Cassie mid-orgasm, and watched Cassie flip over instantly in response.

Mike held his still-throbbing cock in his hand, and watched in pure lust as he covered Cassie with his load. Her oh-so-talented abs, her mouthwatering tits with those delectable nipples, that adorable face – very soon they were all covered. Mike had never, ever cum so much in his life, not even in the last two weeks.

Wanting to give Cassie a special, final treat, Mike leaned forward, bringing his cock right up to Cassie's face. She didn't have time to react quickly enough, and he covered her mouth with his cum before she could open it. When she did, though, Mike pushed in as far as he could go, and fucked the rest of his load down Cassie's throat, while she spread his cum on her body with one hand, and fingered herself to a continued orgasm with the other.

Jenny was floored, metaphorically. And despite the buzz of her orgasm, still felt more than a bit jealous. Mike had never cum that much for her. Oh, well. Give it time. Jenny wiped off the toy, put it back, and started to get her clothes back on.

Mike sat up and gazed at Cassie, thinking that porn had lost a star when she found her talent in real estate. Their loss, his gain.

Cassie propped herself up on the side of the bed, still wiping up as much of Mike's cum as she could and sucking it off of her fingers. All the while, her other hand was still busy with her clit. Every so often, she would buck as yet another aftershock pulsed through her.

"Get enough?" Mike managed minutes later, after he had caught his breath.

"Oh, yes," Cassie enthused. "That'll hold me for at least an hour."

They laughed. Once they had the strength to stand, Mike got dressed, then checked the hallway. Nobody there. Given her more-than-disheveled state, Cassie had to go directly to the shower, naked. Not that Mike minded.

Cassie has just shut the bathroom door behind her when Jenny came out of her room and saw Mike in the hallway.

"Hey, you."

"Hi, Jenny. How was your chat with Veronica? If you don't mind my asking."

"Fine. I take it you hung out with Cassie?"

"Uh, yeah. She gave me a few dancing lessons."

"Hope you're not Baptist."

"What?"

"It's an old Baptist joke. I don't even know how true it might be. According to the joke, Baptists won't have sex standing up, because it might lead to dancing."

Mike laughed at the irony. He was doubled over the second-floor railing when Veronica came up from the basement.

"What? What'd I miss?"

Mike stopped laughing, and looked as if he were about to tell her. But apparently the thought was too much, and he broke out again, sliding down to the floor.

Veronica came up to the second floor and gave "You are strange" looks to both Jenny and Mike, which only made them laugh harder.

"Hey, did one of you go into my room?" she asked.

"What?" Mike said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"My door's open. I always close it."

Cursing to herself, Jenny said, "Oh, sorry. I think my earphones might be going, so I was going to borrow yours to check."

"Okay. Just close my door. You know that."

"Sorry."

"S'okay. Good night, Jen."

"G'night, Vee." Veronica shut her door.

Mike was giving Jenny a look she couldn't place. He had a maddening number of those.

"What?"

"Earphones?" It was all he said. No facial cues, no body language. Maddening.

"Yeah. I like music," Jenny said defensively. "Okay, so I don't dance to it in front of other people like Cassie, but I know a good tune when I hear it. I can even sing, so there."

"Okay." Mike said, making a show of letting the issue go. She was in Veronica's room? And that crack about dancing? Curiouser and curiouser. And...

...Wait, did she just specify "in front of other people" on purpose? Oh, this was too good to miss. There needs to be a plan...

Smiling, he said, "Good night, Jenny."

"Good night, Mike." She went to her room. Mike popped his head into the bathroom.

"Good night, Cassie."

"Good night, Mike."

It was amazing, Mike thought as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, unused since the foursome between himself and the three fine examples of womanhood staying at his home. This morning, he'd never been so stressed, so sleep-deprived. Now, he could sleep for a day, not that he was going to.

Jenny was right. Take a day, sleep on it, tackle it tomorrow. He really felt like the luckiest man in the world, friends like the three of them.

Hell, with friends like that, Mike thought as he drifted into sleep, who needs a girlfriend?



The Warmest Winter, Day 12



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Veronica came downstairs for the day, and started looking around.

"What is it?" asked Jenny, who was once again in a pink fuzzy slipper mood.

"Just looking for Mike."

"He's not down yet."

"You sure? Have you checked under the dining room table?"

Cassie and Jenny chuckled.

"He doesn't handle adversity all that well on his own, does he?" Veronica asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"I wouldn't say that," said Cassie, "I'd say it all came as a tremendous shock to him, which anyone would need time to recover from. All things considered, I'd say he's bouncing back very well." What she didn't add was that he felt good enough to have wild animal sex with her while Jenny secretly watched.

"Besides," said Jenny, "He's not on his own. He's got us."

"Who's got who?" said Mike, coming down the stairs.

"You've got us," Jenny repeated. "Good morning."

"Thanks, and good morning. What's on the menu, Cassie?"

Cassie did her best not to blush as she refrained from saying the answer that presented itself.

"Pancakes, and scrambled eggs with cheddar."

"Yum," said Mike, "So, given the carefree conversation, I take it none of you have seen the weather?"

"No."

Veronica gave Mike a suspicious look. "Oh, no, don't tell me..."

"I'm afraid so. More snow is coming down."

Veronica exploded. "Oh, son of a motherless penny goat wearing a tutu in a barn door albatross with a penguin on a stick!"

Mike doubled over, laughing. When he could catch his breath again, he asked, "What was that?"

"Vee tends to get spontaneously creative when she wants to swear too badly," explained Jenny. "How much snow did they forecast, exactly?"

"A couple of inches, tops. Nothing to fret about."

"And you let me worry? You are evil," groused Veronica.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, it's enough that I'll have to go up and clear off the roof again. After lunch."

"Need any help?" offered Cassie. Jenny, Veronica, and Mike all turned to look at her. The last time she went to help Mike they had ended up getting one another off orally. Cassie had since confessed as much to the others, and Mike knew it. Seeing their gazes, Cassie realized they had all made that connection.

"No, I mean to actually help. I didn't, I mean, I wanted to-" This time she actually did blush.

Mike smiled. "That's okay. It'll be nice to be alone with my thoughts for a short time. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, it's been a while since we've had regular exercise. Physical activity, tons, but some routine would go a long way right now. I'd like to, seeing as I didn't yesterday, so I'll count my time on the roof."

"How much work do you have?" Jenny asked.

"Same. Four hours. But I may put in a bit more, get a bit ahead, that way if and when I can do something about the house, I have the time."

*****

After breakfast, Mike went to his office to work, but left the door ajar, signaling that he could be bothered. Cassie started on some preparations for future meals. After a few minutes of sitting quietly, finishing the last of the coffee, Jenny got up and went to Mike's office.

Taking one last second to compose her thoughts, she knocked lightly on the door.

"Come on in," said Mike, "I'm still just getting my stuff out."

Jenny went in and sat down in the chair across the desk from Mike's.

"Hey, why do you have a second chair in here?"

"On occasion, a very affluent and very impatient client has requested my services expedited, to the point of coming here in person to discuss the matter. I'd share more, but I have agreed with these clients to never reveal how vulnerable their positions were. Frankly, they tend to be powerful people who have gotten stuck, and I helped them. Now, I know what you're thinking, and no, none of them can help with the house. Firstly, none of them are local. Secondly, it would be unethical to ask. Thirdly, even if it were not a breach of ethics, it would make me one step closer to being like the Harringtons. No, thank you."

"So what is your plan?"

"Don't have one yet," Mike shrugged, pulling out yet another volume, a textbook on medieval German architecture. "I've been letting it go, until there's something I can do."

"Mike," said Jenny. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... wherever you got that thought from, give it back and ask for a refund."

"Interesting. Don't take this the wrong way, but... why?"

"You're a Rain Dancer."

"I don't understand the reference."

"Oh. Well, some native tribes actually did have a Rain Dance. And according to some stories I've heard, there's a reason the dance always worked. It was because they didn't stop dancing until it rained."

"And you see that quality in me?"

"Well, yes. Like your consulting work. You seek just that little bit of insight more than other consultants, and what makes you so good at what you do is that you don't stop looking until you find it."

"So, with the house..."

"No one knows the situation better than you. You know the laws that got changed, the local politics, the Harringtons, everything. All of the information you need is there. You just need to comb through it until... until it rains."

Mike sat back in his office chair, and thought.

"If I had a client in exactly my situation, what would I do?" Mike murmured.

"I think," Jenny said, getting up, "That... is the right question. Program terminated." She left the office. A few seconds later, she heard Mike say:

"The I, Robot movie? Really?"

*****

An hour later, Mike's phone rang.

"Rick, what's up?"

"I'm fine. How are you?" Rick said with dry sarcasm.

"Sorry. Busy day. Besides, I know how you are when you're on a job."

"Yeah, okay. Anyway, thought I'd give you an update. The interns have put together the documents, and I have put together the defense. I also found out that you're not the only one bringing a lawyer."

"You're kidding."

"No. The good news is, I know the guy. Well, by reputation anyway. I interned with a rival firm back in Brooklyn. He's a bastard. Some of us just act like it, this guy doesn't need to. Carlos Santiago. Started out great, defending poorer districts from abuse by The Man. But he crossed the ethical line a few too many times and now he can't see it anymore. Not his professional ethics, nothing we could use against him, just his personal ethics."

"Lovely."

"Funny thing is, his brother's a hell of a nice guy. Go figure."

"So how does this affect the case?"

"Overall, not much. But it does mean we will have to double-check everything, and even then stay on our toes."

"Sounds like I should be doing more on my end."

Rick was silent for a second, a new occurrence. "What, you haven't been? That isn't like you. Are the girls too much of a distraction? 'Cause I can find a hotel for them."

"That won't be-"

"I'm not just saying this as your lawyer, Mike. I'm your friend, too. If you want to keep the house, keep your head cool. Both of them. Or at least cool enough to focus when you need to."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, you sound like my Dad."

"Wise man."

"More a wise ass, but thank you anyway. In fact, one of the girls, as you call them, told me something similar earlier."

"So do it already. Okay, I'm hanging up now. You, get to work." The line went dead.

After a few minutes to collect his thoughts, Mike put away his research. That job wasn't really urgent anyway. He could get it done in a few hours, and it wasn't due for weeks. So, he bent down, then grunted as he lifted the dust-covered filebox onto his desk. The thud rattled his pens, and some dust motes took the opportunity to skydive, but Mike opened it up, and began to scour all of his files from the original house agreements.

*****

The smell of food woke up Mike's stomach, and he wandered out for lunch.

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup," Cassie informed him over her shoulder. Mike went over to the sink to wash his hands, having gotten ink, dust, and assorted particulates all over them researching.

"Oh, by the way, Stan called," Mike said. That got the ladies' attention. "He said he sold your old car, and the check for your payment is waiting back in town to be picked up."

"Sweet! Did he say how much?" Jenny asked.

"Nope, but that's between him and you anyway," Mike shrugged.

"Man, that kind of took him forever, though, didn't it?" wondered Veronica as Cassie plated up the cheesy gooeyness.

"As long as it got done, that's my opinion," said Jenny.

"I don't know," Veronica shrugged, "I guess maybe he shouldn't agree to the job without knowing how long it will take."

"Oh, like you can predict your life?"

"Well, no..."

"So have some sympathy for the guy. We don't know what took so long. Maybe it was even more important than the car."

"But-"

"Look, it's done. Can we move on now?"

"All right..."

Mike smiled to himself. For some people, sometimes, it's just never enough. Oh, well. We all have our foibles.

*****

The four housemates ended up all going to their rooms after lunch. Mike was preparing to clear the roof again, while Jenny and Veronica got ready for their workouts. The girls decided that, since they couldn't remember the old schedule, they would just start a new one. Cassie drew the short straw, and would exercise the next day. She was just getting settled into a good book when she heard a tapping on her door.

"Yeah?"

"It's Jenny. Wanna keep me company?" she heard through the door.

"Sure! Why not?"

Once they got down to the basement, Cassie took up station on the sofa, as she had when Jenny and Veronica duked it out playing Ping-Pong the week before.

"So what'd you want to talk about?" Cassie asked casually.

"How'd you know?"

"How long have we known each other?"

"Right. Stupid question. Sorry." Jenny's words came out in stops and short breaths, as she was stretching.

"Well? How about it?"

Jenny looked up, and then gave her the same explanation that she had gotten from Mike, and had talked over with Veronica before, about how appreciating another woman's touch does not necessarily make a woman a lesbian.

"And you really believe all that?" Cassie asked.

"Well, it makes sense for me. I'm just putting it out there to consider."

Cassie sat thoughtfully for a while as Jenny hopped onto the stationary bike. She missed her twelve-speed back home. It made her look forward to Denver, though – her research had revealed that it was great for cyclists.

"I don't know..." said Cassie. "I mean, you've known me since the dawn of time. What do you think?"

Jenny paused to compose her response. "I think you enjoy Mike and a fake dildo way more than you enjoyed Mike and two real women."

"There's that," Cassie laughed, "And you, missy, are a peeping Tammy."

"It's not what I went in there for, I swear."

"Sure. I believe you."

Jenny put her face into her arms across the control panel of the bike. "God, I am so embarrassed."

"Don't be. I thought it was hot."

"Well, you don't count. You have the libido of a teenage boy. Looking at linoleum would make you want to have sex."

"Nice try. I know Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I hear it."

"One of these days you'll miss a reference."

"Step into my lair, said the dreth to the chorkant."

*****

Mike stepped out onto the balcony and breathed deeply. Slowly, due to the temperature, but deeply. The new snowfall was blending in with the drifts from the blizzard, and the wind was just a steady breeze. He would miss the view if he had to leave, that much was certain.

His mind took the scenic route down memory lane as he prepped to take care of the roof. He remembered the day he had the idea for the harness setup. In his excitement, Mike had run up and down the stairs, from the balcony of the third floor bedroom to the workshop in the basement where he had his drafting supplies, and back again, at least twelve times. Each new configuration he planned required new measurements, new calculations, new sketches. And each inspired yet another modification or improvement, until finally, it was as perfect as it was ever going to get.

It had been fun, Mike realized, the challenge of it all, of getting all of the details right for this house. He fought every step of the way to get it just the way he wanted it.

So why wasn't he fighting harder to keep it? Why wasn't the search fun anymore?

Now up on the roof, Mike brushed off the solar panels somewhat absentmindedly. He still minded his work, otherwise he'd likely join the snow on the side of the house. It probably wouldn't hurt much, given how deep the snowdrifts were, but getting back out would have been beyond a royal pain. Best to just pay attention.

Nevertheless, his mind kept wandering. The solar panels only needed clearing because of the house's high energy requirements. Those in turn were due to its size, which came from the idea of a family living there, or even just vacationing.

Mike had no family to live there with him. His parents had a comfortable single-floor in Nebraska, and living with the parents was out of the question. The world for the most part had no idea of his skills or successes. Most of what Mike did, he did for others, and they reaped all of the rewards that mattered. All Mike got was an outrageously large paycheck, but though the numbers went up, the money seemed smaller these days. It wasn't important anymore.

Now Mike faced the prospect of losing his only real personal accomplishment, the house he had poured so much of himself into. But was that even him anymore? Was it worth the headache? Should he just let it go? He couldn't. It was his tether. That's why he kept coming back, Mike realized. If he didn't have the house, all he had left was his work, and his friends. This was not to discount his friends, but even utter douchebags have those; it didn't count as an accomplishment.

Working his way to the back of the house, nearly done with the roof, Mike came upon the antennas. This part took some time, as he had carefully avoided them during the blizzard. One wrong move and the really would have been completely cut off. Now, however, he could use his gloved hands to clear them. Television satellite first, that was the largest. Internet and telephone second. Then the security feed antenna. He had forgotten about that one.

Mike kept an eye on the house, even from Denver. He really didn't want anything to happen to it. He had a few discreet security cameras throughout the house, at the most likely access points for break-ins: in the basement, viewing all windows and the door in from the workroom; on the first floor, looking out to the access road; and on the back of the house, looking out towards the forest.

From Denver, he'd periodically look in on the house. Mike snorted as he thought of Linus van Pelt and his blanket. Maybe he should let go of the house. But not to the Harringtons. Not like this. On the other hand, they seemed to be one step ahead of him. It may get even worse.

Back inside, Mike stripped off his layers of outdoor clothing, then sat on the edge of his bed to think for a while.

*****

Jenny got up from the exercise mat, having finished her cool-down.

"Shower time?" Cassie asked.

"Yup." Jenny grabbed her towel, but her grip slipped and something Cassie recognized fell out.

"Hey! My vibrator!"

"Right!" said Jenny, "I meant to give that back to you. Obviously, I cleaned it."

"You mean you were going to give it back once you used it again in the shower and cleaned it off again," Cassie said with a smirk, picking up the toy and inspecting it for carpet fuzz.

"I confess nothing. But ooh, is that thing nice. And it's so quiet!"

"I know, right?"

"Anyway, I stink. Gotta shower."

"Don't have too much fun," Cassie called.

"Can't anymore," Jenny said through the door. A few minutes later, Cassie heard the water running and Jenny getting in.

It was a very good vibrator. Cassie had broken five others before finding this one online. All this talk of sex got her a little worked up. And now that she was alone with her thoughts, Cassie began to consider what she did want the most, out of her sex life, and even her life as a whole. But mainly her sex life.

What was it about sexual recklessness (as she considered it to be) that attracted her so much? Was it the overstimulation? As a matter of fact, no, she realized. If anything, it distracted as much as helped.

So what had made her the hottest? Thinking back, Cassie remembered sixty-nining Mike on their second day at the house. Her favorite part had been when Mike woke up, and without saying a word, dove into eating her pussy. She hadn't had a choice but to take it, not that she minded. And again when they had sex for the first time, she only got really hot when Mike took the initiative.

The surrender, that was it. Cassie realized that she liked to give herself over during sex. Up until now it been to sex itself, but maybe she just wanted to give herself up to a lover, let them be in control.

She also realized that the vibrator was also deep in her folds, on maximum, and that she was slowly working it in and out with one hand. She had lifted up her skirt and pushed her thong aside without any thought.

Exploring this new idea, Cassie closed her eyes and pictured... no, not Mike, she needed to see if it could turn her on without him... Cassie pictured one of the guys from her teenage fantasies, no name but a hell of a body. She softly bit her lip as the images came faster.

In her mind's eye, her hands were tied to the headboard. She wore a blindfold. Her lover had stripped her naked, and was now enjoying his prize. She could feel his hands all over her, touching, exploring, yet she knew nothing of him. When he leaned in close, Cassie could feel that he was naked, his hard member pressing into her the inside of her thigh. She groaned.

"You like this, do you?" she heard his voice rumble.

He moved his lips down, slowly down to her breasts, licking them, kissing them, pulling gently on the nipples.

"Please..." Cassie whispered.

"Maybe..." said her unseen lover, "Maybe not." This got another groan. It was torture, but she wanted so much more of it.

Cassie gasped as his lips kissed her between her legs. Before long, she was gasping continually as his tongue worked its magic on her. She tried to wrap her legs around him, as she had with lovers before, only to have him roughly pin her legs to the bed, and redouble his efforts. She bucked so wildly the cry caught in her throat.

Yes. This is what she wanted. She wanted this... so badly.

"Fuck me," Cassie said. It was whispered, a plea, a whimper.

"What was that?" Her lover said, obviously having heard it.

"Fuck me," Cassie begged, with more urgency.

"Ask me nicely," the man commanded.

"Please..." Cassie was nearly crying. "Will you please fuck me? I'll be as nice as you want."

"What if I want a naughty girl?"

"I'll be whatever you want. Please... just fuck me. Use me. Please."

"Mmmm..." That was all the mystery man said. Before Cassie knew it, she had been turned over. Her hand restraints were loose enough that it didn't hurt, but she could move them even less now. Cassie could only ache for longing while she felt her lover put her how he wanted her. He wanted her doggystyle, that much she could tell.

But then he teased her even more. He held his cock in one hand, and slid the tip only partway into her folds. Then, with deliberate slowness, he stroked her pussy up and down with his cock. Cassie shuddered and nearly drew blood biting her lip, until he finally started to push into her.




The Warmest Winter, Day 12



Once he did, though, he took no further time. Cassie was lubricated enough that he was able to push in, all in one go, causing another silent cry from the helpless beauty. He pounded her hard, and fast, and relentlessly. Every so often, he would take a hand and grope her tits, or grab a firm handful of her delectable ass, but never, ever ceasing to take her at his pleasure.

Cassie could feel his climax approaching, and her own. She couldn't even moan now if she wanted to. His orgasm seemed always only moments away, until she felt the thump, thump, thump, get louder, and louder.

"Where is everybody?" he said.

Wait. That wasn't her fantasy lover. That was Veronica.

And those thumps were not in her imagination. It was Veronica coming down the steps. She was going to turn the corner in another instant.

Shit.

Cassie managed to sit upright and put her skirt back down before Veronica came into view.

"Hey, Cass, what are you doing down here?"

"Umm, Jenny and I were talking about stuff."

"Did she give you the 'Maybe we're not all lesbians' talk, too?"

"Yeah..."

"You okay, Cass? You look kinda flustered."

"No." Yes.

"Really?"

"I think you woke me up. Sorry. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep. I'm surprised, is all." There. That explained everything up to that point. The next part, however, was going to be tricky. This was because Cassie hadn't had time to get the vibrator out of her pussy, and while she was still really, really turned on, so was it. And as quiet as it was, she couldn't let it come out on its own without alerting Veronica, at which point she would need the Witness Protection program to avoid the razzing. There is a downside to everything, even BFFs.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Veronica asked.

"Hmm? What?" Cassie said, jerking her head up again.

"I asked if you know what I'm thinking."

"I doubt I could say what I'm thinking," Cassie replied shakily.

"I think we should just go for it and see."

"Go for what and see what?"

"If we're really attracted to each other. No game, no Mike, just us. If it's yes, we've settled a lot of issues. If not, at least we know and we hopefully had some fun finding out. What do you say?"

"Umm..."

*****

Jenny finished brushing out her hair. Something in her heritage allowed her to accomplish this while it was wet, to the eternal jealousy of her friends and enemies alike. She grimaced a little at the fact that she hadn't brought replacement clothes down with her, but bunched up her workout attire and checked the fitting of the towel around her. That's when she heard Cassie and Veronica through the door.

*****

"Yeah. I guess. Let's do it."

Suddenly nervous, Veronica leaned in for a kiss. Their lips touched, even more tentatively than in the game a few days before. Whatever happened next couldn't be blamed on the rules or alcohol. After neither Veronica or Cassie recoiled, they went in again, and this time, their lips were much less tightly controlled.

Cassie seemed a little off balance, the position she was in, so Veronica brought her hands up to steady her around the waist. Able to focus better, they both let their tongues slip and before long they were making out like high schoolers.

*****

Jenny, still in the bathroom, opened the door a crack, just enough to see what was going on. Her mouth dropped when she saw her best friends snogging on the couch. She didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't just walk away; what if they saw her?

Veronica let out a small moan, and the sound went straight from Jenny's ears to her clitoris. Well, Jenny thought, she was naked already. Setting her clothes on the edge of the sink, Jenny leaned against a doorframe to watch her friends pleasure each other, while she pleasured herself. Again.

Back on the couch, Veronica and Cassie were breathing heavily. Every technique they had learned was going into this experience, and each reaped rewards. Breaking away for a second, Veronica grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one smooth motion. Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders, framing her breasts. Another deft set of motions, and Veronica's bra joined it on the floor.

"Kiss them," Veronica said.

"Wh-what?" Cassie asked.

"I said, kiss them. Suck them. Give 'em what ya got."

The allure of being commanded overcame her trepidation, and she buried her face in Veronica's cleavage. She tasted sweet and creamy. Cassie steadier herself by placing her hands on Veronica's hips, while Veronica held Cassie's head gently in her own hands.

Cassie grew bolder and began to tease Veronica's nipples mercilessly, which she knew from Veronica's stories would drive her crazy.

"Cassie... you... little... minx... I'll pay you back for thisssss oh, god." Cassie released the nipple. Veronica reached down and started swirling a finger around her pussy lips. She was so wet, it wasn't long before she could insert the finger and start to really enjoy this.

As Veronica took more responsibility for her own satisfaction, Cassie too focused more on herself. She couldn't help but get turned on right now – that damn vibrator was still sending shock waves across her body. It wasn't fair to Veronica, or herself, to let it interfere.

Taking her cue and opportunity from Veronica, Cassie leaned back and stripped her shirt off. Bare-chested, since it was another bra-less day, she stood to slide her skirt down. Veronica groaned again, and Jenny bucked soundlessly behind the door.

Cassie picked exactly the correct angle, and used her exquisite hip control to ease the vibrator out without her hands, and without it hitting the floor, and without Veronica seeing the motions. When it was reachable, Cassie caught the vibrator along with the hem of her skirt and pulled them both down at once. It was difficult not to gasp as the toy's head passed her lips, but she managed it. Settling back down on the couch, wearing a thong and a smile, Cassie let her hand, with the skirt and vibrator, drop behind the couch and out of Veronica's view.

But not out of Jenny's. Jenny saw the vibrator peeking out from inside the skirt, and the realization of what must have happened hit her with a flash as Cassie pressed the button and held it to turn off the toy. Totally distracted now, Jenny had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Still, this made her realize that Cassie was taking this thing with Veronica seriously. Best to make sure she didn't interrupt them. She would have to leave at the next chance, only there didn't seem to be one just yet.

Too bad, Jenny thought as she resumed fingering herself.

*****

Eventually Mike realized that his thoughts had processed all they needed to when he noticed he was planning a scale model of Minas Tirith in his head. Coming downstairs, he was surprised to find nobody. Not a soul.

For a second, he thought he heard a voice in the basement. Well, that made sense. Everybody had a lot to talk about lately. He didn't want to interrupt, but this was no time to, even accidentally, isolate himself if he didn't have to. It was quite the conundrum.

Taking refuge in his office, Mike turned on his computer again. While idly watching it connect to the network, he remembered the security camera. Of course. It had no sound, and he could see what was going on in the basement without interruption. And though he always looked in from Denver, the network included all of his computers, so doing it locally was no problem.

When the picture came in, Mike's eyes nearly popped out of his head. It took an effort of will not to fall out of his chair. Cassie and Veronica were making out on his basement couch, naked or nearly so, fondling one another's breasts avidly.

Mike's erection quickly swelled to being painful. By the time he could reach down to adjust himself, the touch was overwhelming. He was ready. It was like a porno, only being shot live in his own basement. At the mercy of his own testosterone, Mike sat back in his office chair and enjoyed the show.

Wait, what was that in the corner of the screen? The bathroom door? It took Mike a second to remember the camera controls, but when he did, he made two small adjustments: one a little to the left, to see the entire bathroom door; secondly, he zoomed in a little. It was Jenny, he realized with a start, and by the look of it she was as turned on as he was. This made his hard-on jerk in his hands, in addition to the jerking already being done to it.

*****

By now Cassie and Veronica were exploring one another's bodies freely. Veronica could not get enough of grabbing Cassie by the ass and just squeezing, which Cassie liked and reciprocated with a pinch to Veronica's nipples. All of this was accompanied in now-partial secrecy by Jenny drawing light, slow circles around the very tip of her clit.

Jenny was beginning to enjoy a new comfort level with being a voyeur. Every so often, her eyes would roll back as another wave assailed her, threatening to wash over her but never quite. It was exquisite. As her eyes travelled back down from one such roll, she spotted something. What was that red light? Was that a... camera?

It was, Jenny realized. A security camera. And there was only one person who could have turned it on. Cassie and Jenny were lost to each other for the moment, and Jenny slipped away, taking her gym clothes with her. Time to see what Mike had to say about it.

*****

Mike groaned in disappointment as his entertainment was reduced by a third. Jenny was out, and coming upstairs.

Which meant, incidentally, that she would be walking by the door of the office any second. The door Mike had been too engrossed to shut.

Mike quickly stood up and pulled his boxers and jeans back up. Unable to find something to wipe off his hand, he settled for the back of a pants leg. At the very last instant, he managed to turn off his computer screen.

"Hey, Jenny, done exercising?"

"Yeah, just had some girl-girl time with Cassie."

"Ah. I see."

"And I think Cassie and Veronica are having some girl-girl time now," Jenny said. The tent in Mike's shorts and the involuntary ab clench gave her the answer; he had been watching.

"Oh, good," said Mike, pretending to think she was talking about friends bonding. "Friendships come first."

"So what were you working on?" Jenny said, walking around to Mike's computer.

God, even in just a towel, she is sexy as Hell, Mike thought. Scratch that. Especially in just a towel.

But now she seemed to be reaching for his keyboard. Mike moved to intercept.

"It's all private stuff. You know, for a client. Here, I'll save it, and then we can talk, if you want."

Mike pushed a button on the keyboard and learned three things the next moment. Firstly, the security feed did in fact include audio. Secondly, its output was set to maximum volume. Thirdly, the F11 key was the mute/unmute toggle. He quickly pressed it again, but knew he was busted.

Reaching past him, laughing softly, Jenny turned Mike's monitor back on. Cassie and Jenny were front and center, still breathing through one another's noses, only now with their hands in one another's pussies.

Red-faced with many things but at the moment primarily embarrassment, Mike glanced at Jenny. Jenny's eyes lingered on the screen for just a second too long, and when they met Mike's, they had the tiniest glint of triumph. Mike, however, was a very smart man, and had gotten to know Jenny very well in the last eleven days.

"I'm still one up on you."

"How so?"

"You caught me looking today. But you were looking today, too. In the bathroom. And yesterday, from the closet."

"How did you know about yesterday? Did Cassie tell you?"

"Nope. You just did."

"You-" Jenny couldn't complete her sentence, as the rest of her body propelled her into kissing Mike.

*****

Downstairs, Veronica and Cassie broke away and leaned back on either side of the couch, interlinking their legs so they could very nearly grind their pussies together. Instead, they each used their own hands to climb towards orgasm, heads thrown back.

Neither of them cared about keeping it quiet. That had long since been driven from their minds. And since their orgasms were entirely female-driven, it lacked the urgency a male presence provides. So now, when climax approached, Cassie felt it start deep inside, almost far away. But it built, slowly but surely. It wasn't much longer before both she and Veronica were crying out loudly.

*****

Jenny's towel slipped to the floor, and she urgently pulled apart Mike's zipper with her hands. The moment she could reach it, she grabbed Mike's erection and stroked it. They both groaned in relief.

Jenny ducked down quickly and pulled Mike's pants with her. His boxers followed, allowing her to run her tongue up Mike's veined deep-red shaft. With great eloquence, Jenny expressed her love of Mike's cock, with all of her oratory skill. She was gratified by his hand clenching on the desk and a heavy growl of satisfaction parting his lips.

When she felt she had driven him appropriately wild, Jenny stood up again. Turning her back to him, she let his arms wrap around her, felt his musculature against her curves, his rod pressing into her backside. Together they watched as Cassie and Jenny began to slowly and deeply fingerfuck themselves. They were heading to the mother of all orgasms, and Jenny was eager to watch it, but with one more addition to her pleasure – her own orgasm.

With a move Veronica had taught her, Jenny lifted one leg and placed it on Mike's desk, elevating her pussy to a height he could reach without stooping, and opening it up more easier penetration. She turned back to Mike, whose eyes again held the animal lust she craved so much from him.

"Take it," she purred.

Mike growled, so fiercely Jenny was almost scared. But roughly grabbing her hips, Mike guided himself into her and slammed his cock into her pussy, all the way to the hilt, all in one go. Jenny gasped as the pleasurable shock drove breath out of her.

Without a word, Mike made use of Jenny. He pounded her from behind, he grabbed her swaying tits, he stifled his groans into her shoulder. Jenny took it all in, as well as the sight of Veronica beginning to buck and twitch. Hers would be soon.

The blinding lust finally began to fade from Mike's mind. Not that he minded, but he sometimes liked to have clear memories of sex, and when he got that primal, it began to blur. Looking up again, he saw Cassie and Veronica, masturbating in the basement. He could hear them, slightly time-delayed, from the basement door. Reflected in the old-school monitor he saw Jenny, wide-eyed and lost in her own world of sex. She was beautiful in that moment, joyful and radiant. Behind her, Mike caught, for a second, his own reflection.

And that's when he felt his skull crack open. He cried out again, only this time for a much, much different reason. Extricating himself from Jenny, he held his head in his hands and fell of the floor.

"Mike?!"

"Too much... It's too much..." he kept whispering. On instinct, Jenny whirled and cut the security feed. Then she wrapped her towel around herself, removing further stimuli.

"Too much... too much..."

Jenny was scared. She had ideas on what this might be, but too many. She would need Mike to calm down some to help narrow it down. To Hell with everything else, she resolved. She got up to call the others, rally the troops.

"No," Mike managed, guessing her plans. "Just you. Please. No one else."

"Can you sit up?"

"Yeah, sorry," Mike said. He got up and sat back into his office chair. It seemed to revive him, or reassure him somehow. "God, I'm so sorry. I ruined perfectly perfect sex."

"Hey, don't sweat it. I got you into this mess, remember?"

That got the slightest of smiles from Mike, but then a wince.

"Has this happened before?" Jenny asked.

"Never like this. Only normal ones."

"Normal what?"

"Stress migraines. This felt like the granddaddy migraine all the others hear stories about and want to be when they grow up."

"You kept saying 'too much.' What did you mean?"

"What was my life twelve days ago and what is it now?"

"Right. Stupid question. Sorry."

"It's not your fault either. I think... I think for now I need a fair bit of decompression. I'll be in my office. I doubt I'll be out for dinner."

"Okay," said Jenny softly, "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay... and Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being willing to keep a secret from your friends. I know what that means to you."

Jenny leaned in and kissed his head softly. "They're your friends, too, now. But you're welcome."

Gathering up her dirty gym clothes for the umpteenth time, Jenny finally made her way up to her bedroom to get dressed again.

*****

Veronica suddenly stopped.

"What? What's wrong?" Cassie asked, concerned. She stopped as well, with great effort.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just noticed the camera was off."

"The what?"

"You can stop playing now. Jenny went upstairs and the camera Mike was using is off."

"When did you notice them?"

"Oh, I knew the whole time, since we first really got into making out. After that, it was just fun imagining their reactions when they thought it was real."

"Funny. Yeah. Me, too."

"Glad you picked up on it. Could you imagine?"

"Yeah, really."

"Anyway, we should get dressed. I have to exercise and you need to make dinner."

"Dinner. Right. Umm, I'll just go use the bathroom first." Cassie pointed for emphasis. Gathering up her clothes, and whatnot, Cassie left without another word and secured the door behind her.

Once alone, Cassie sat on the edge of the sink and turned her vibrator back on. After running it under some warm water, she eased it back into her still-hot and still-wet pussy. Struggling to stay quiet, she pounded herself until she climaxed.

It was good, as orgasms tend to be, but nowhere near the Big One she had been building towards. Starting with her mystery man fantasy, and building on whatever came her way, which turned out to be Veronica, only to be interrupted, Cassie had never felt so sexually frustrated before, ever. Using some running water to mask it, she let out a string of expletives. She wanted to scream.

*****

The three women were quiet during dinner.

"I, uh, I think we might need to give Mike his space for a while." Jenny offered.

"What makes you say that?" Cassie asked.

"Well, I, uh... well, it just can't be easy with the upcoming hearing, the threat of losing the house, and then on top of that, each of us, all of us together, and the plans for the future... it's a lot for a guy to handle after only a week and a half."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Veronica. "Even me?"

"Yeah, probably," said Jenny, "If he thinks you're rekindling interest in him, or might do so..."

"Good point. So what do we do?"

"We wait, and take our cues from him."

"Agreed," said Cassie, "Now what's this about you watching us downstairs?"

"Shall I tell Veronica everything I saw?"

Cassie's eyes widened. "Nope. That's quite alright."

"We're even?"

"Never happened."

Veronica shook her head. "I missed something." Jenny turned to her.

"Yes, you did, but you'll never know what."

"What, that Cassie was being vibrated half the time downstairs? It wasn't hard to figure out."

Cassie and Veronica sat, openmouthed, as Veronica got up and put her dinner dishes away.

"Ladies," Veronica said, before heading up to her room for the night, "Blonde ain't nothin' but a hair color."

*****

Mike snapped out of his runaway train of thought when Cassie knocked gently on the office door.

"It's just a sandwich, I swear," said Cassie. "You need to eat something."




The Warmest Winter, Day 12



Mike set the plate down on a shelf behind him. He was keeping his desk clear, to help clear his mind. And now here was Cassie. Demure as a debutante, as hot as a volcano. She was very obviously quite horny but doing not a thing about it. Something clicked in Mike's brain, and he stood up. Much of what he had been suppressing, he now allowed to surge forward. Here was a way to get all of it out. Closing in on Cassie, he closed the office door with one hand. Jenny had long since gone to bed, and Jenny was holed up in the library.

Cassie could sense the pheromones Mike was generating, which only brought her own hormones raging back.

In the last moments they held themselves back, Mike whispered, "It's just sex, I swear. We both need this."

"Yessss..." Cassie moaned.

Mike growled darkly, then quickly stripped both of them to nude. Wordlessly, he sat Cassie onto his desk, on the other side from his desk chair, the one they had first had sex in. Bending low, Mike drank from her pussy, spurred on by the taste and by Cassie's bucking and thrashing. Meanwhile, Mike's hands grabbed anything they could – her ass, her tits, her thighs. He was physically claiming her, taking her body to do with as he pleased.

And he did please. When Cassie began to shudder nonstop, Mike pushed her back so that her head hung upside-down from the other side of the desk. Circling, Mike placed his solid member on her waiting lips, when she promptly and greedily engulfed him. She brought her hands up to help guide him, but he pinned her arms down with his own. With long, slow thrusts, Mike took his cock into and out of Cassie's mouth, while her tongue did what it could to taste him and tease him.

Eventually the urges got too strong, and Mike could wait no longer. Circling back around the desk, he pulled Cassie up so that she was sitting on the edge of the desk. From this position, Mike penetrated her, then lifted her off the desk entirely to fuck her standing up.

Bouncing on his cock, Cassie reveled. Arching her back, she pushed her tits into Mike's face. He responded by taking each one almost entirely into his mouth, one at a time, then doing as he please with it until finally teasing it back out all the way to the tip her hardened nipples.

"Fuck me," Cassie whispered with each breath, "Fuck me."

Still Mike's need grew. He set Cassie down, then used a foot to slide over the footstool for the second office chair. Standing Cassie on it, he flipped her around, then bent her over the desk.

Mike groaned loudly. Cassie's ass was now up in the air, her pussy ready and eager, and at just the right height.

Cassie tossed her head back and said, "You gonna take what's yours or not?"

Mike snarled. Normally this would have scared Cassie, but she was too delirious to notice. Cassie braced as she felt Mike's hands grab her by the hips, which she sensuously swayed. Then she felt every inch of Mike crash into her, and her body spiraled out of control.

"FUCK!" she yelled.

Mike slammed into her now, hard and fast. Cassie's tits brushed the desk as she struggled to hang on. God, yes, this was it. This is what she needed. The orgasm she felt building earlier regained its earlier strength, and now expanded within her, as Mike's seemed to.

Without warning, Mike lifted her chest off of the desk, and held her up with one arm across her tits, his hand groping and fondling the mound. With his other hand, he covered her mouth as he increased his pace yet again.

Even if Mike had the slightest inkling to stop, he could not have. Something deeper than his mind was getting its way right now, and he was along for the ride. But what a ride. Cassie was an endless font of sexual energy, and Mike gorged himself. And now he felt that familiar tightness start, the beginnings of returning the favor.

Mike let Cassie drop back down onto the desk, then slowed his pace. Cassie was in tantalized agony. She felt every contour of Mike's cock as it pistoned in and out of her folds. She couldn't scream now, not even groan. The orgasm finally caught up with her, though, and Cassie threw back her head with a sharp cry. Her whole body flushed, and Mike caught her under the neck. Leaning over, he planted one deep kiss into her mouth, then released his hold.

Cassie was in the thrall of her prolonged pleasure, and Mike felt his near. Grabbing both of her ass cheeks, he held on for dear life as he made a few final, hard thrusts into Cassie's already-quivering pussy.

At the last second, Mike pulled out, and swiftly sat Cassie down onto the stool. She kept her orgasm alive with one finger in her pussy, and with the other hand grabbed Mike's cock, shoving as much of it into her mouth as she could on such short notice.

When Mike climaxed, Cassie was ready. She sucked and swallowed, sucked and swallowed, all the while continuing to stroke Mike's cock with her fingers. Cassie coaxed every drop of cum out of Mike, as if it needed further convincing. Mike, still shooting cum down Cassie's throat, collapsed onto the desk, shaking.

When Cassie at last let go of Mike's cock, she would have sworn his balls were noticeably smaller. Even her own libido was completely exhausted. In the odd clarity of mind that sometimes happened to her after sex, she shakily asked, "How... ooh... how do you do that?"

"Do... what?" Mike, too, was catching his breath.

"Cum that much? In so short a time? So many days in a row"

"There's a list of foods... that increase... output... naturally," Mike said. "I've been eating them for years, with no one to spend them on." He managed a smile.

"Now I have, too," said Cassie, licking her lips.

"Just sex, right?"

"Absolutely. Let me know anytime you just want me for my body."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They got dressed in silence, conserving energy so they could make it up the stairs. At the second floor landing, where Mike had to go up to his room, he said, "Good night, Cassie. Thanks for the snack."

"You, too. Good night." Mike closed the door behind him.

Cassie wavered a bit, still somewhat weak in the knees. She leaned against the railing for a few minutes to regain her legs.

The library door opened, and Cassie turned to see Jenny standing there, struggling to hold back tears in her eyes.

"Did you-" Cassie tried to ask. Jenny interrupted with a tone seemingly devoid of emotion.

"Yes."



The Warmest Winter, Day 13



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Jenny woke up at six o'clock in the morning, and could not get back to sleep.

When she ran into Cassie the previous night, they both freaked and ran to their rooms. Neither of them were ready to talk about what suddenly had come between them. Still, the questions would not leave Jenny alone.

What had Cassie meant to ask? Jenny didn't let her finish. But how could Jenny hear the words that Cassie might say?

And what did Cassie think Jenny meant? What was going through her best friend's mind right now? Was she awake, too, trying to wrestle with just as many questions?

Jenny couldn't stand it any longer. She got out of bed, and opened her bedroom door. After strengthening her resolve she made it to Cassie's door. Her resolve faded into streams of doubt which matched her renewed tears. She wasn't even sure exactly why she was crying. The person who usually helped her sort it out was just a light knock, a soft name call away.

But Jenny's voice said nothing, and her hand stayed at her side.

Cursing herself, Jenny went back to her room and shut the door behind her. Willing herself to stay in bed, she stared at the ceiling until her usual wake-up time.

*****

When breakfast time rolled around, Mike came bounding down the stairs with far too much energy for anyone over the age of six on a day other than Christmas.

"Good morning, all!" he cheerfully supplied. The women greeted him back.

"You're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today," Veronica said.

"My head's a bit clearer, is all," Mike replied, grabbing a bowl for the breakfast soup Cassie had made. Jenny dropped her spoon.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I didn't sleep well last night."

"Too cold? There's extra blankets," Mike jumped in, concerned. "Anything you need, all you have to do is ask."

Jenny looked up at him, outwardly showing no sign of her distress. Mike's face was for once an open book; he meant every word. That only made things worse for Jenny.

"I think I just need to lie down for a while," said Jenny, getting up. "See if I can't catch up a little on my sleep." Without another word, she sped upstairs to her room, leaving her breakfast hardly touched.

"Was it something I said?" Mike wondered aloud.

"No," said Cassie, "She gets like this sometimes. God, I'm so sorry. It's easy to forget you haven't known us that long. But yeah, she'll be okay. I got it."

"You sure?" Veronica asked, "Should I be there too?"

"Umm... not this time," Cassie said carefully. Mike looked from Cassie to Veronica, and sensed that much was not being verbalized but was being communicated clearly nonetheless.

Seeing Mike being a little too interested in their amiga-a-amiga moment, Veronica turned and asked, "So what are your plans today, Mike?"

He shrugged. "The usual. Work, lunch, have sex with somebody." Veronica smacked him on the arm, but the three of them got a laugh out of it.

"You are so bad!" Veronica said.

"I think that might be part of it!" Mike was on a roll now. There was no stopping it. As concerned as Cassie was for Jenny, even she had to admit it was funny and keep laughing.

"Can't you pull your head out of it for one second?" Veronica fumed.

"THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!"

*****

Once breakfast had been finished and cleaned up, Cassie took Jenny's bowl up to her.

"More reading today?" Mike asked Veronica.

"Yup. That library of yours is awesome. How'd the self-help section get so big?"

"What do you think most people really want consultations for? Business? No. They want validation. I slip some friendly advice in while we're meeting about other stuff, and now not only do they like me and want to use my services, but they are, at least hopefully, better human beings who live better lives. Gratis."

"You sly dog."

"I help where I can."

Veronica made a melodramatic pout. "Like pulling three helpless ladies in from the cold, cold snow?"

Mike just stuck out his tongue at her. After finishing the last of his coffee, he put the dish in the sink and went to his office to work for the day.

*****

Cassie knocked on Jenny's bedroom door with her free hand.

"Jenny?" she asked softly. "Can we talk?"

"I'm in here," Jenny said from the library next door.

Once she went in, Cassie saw Jenny sitting in the reading chair, an aged recliner that Mike had scoured dozens of yard sales to find, just so the library would have exactly such a chair. Jenny looked a little pale, but that may have been the lighting of the room. Mike had installed special bulbs to help keep the books from yellowing prematurely.

"I brought a peace offering," Cassie said, "It's still warm."

"Thanks," Jenny said, accepting the bowl. "Sorry for running out on breakfast like that."

"It's okay. Vee and I covered for you."

"Thanks." Cassie sat cross-legged on the floor, while Jenny ate. Emotions can only block so much appetite, and even so, Cassie stress-cooked, and the smell was too damn good. Now, she waited patiently.

"I, uh," Jenny started. "I mean, you, um. You should ask me again. And this time I won't interrupt."

It took a second for it to click in Cassie's mind, but when it did, she asked, she took a slow breath and then asked, "Did you... overhear Mike and I last night? In the office?"

Jenny looked away as she said, "Yes. I wanted to come in here for another book, and... through the doorway, I heard..." Tears welled up again.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," Cassie said. "If I knew, I would never have. Please, you have to know that."

"I know," said Jenny, looking her way again. "That's not it."

"What is it? You can tell me."

"That's just the thing, Cass, I can't."

"Why not?"

Jenny sighed. "Look, right now, I'm stuck between my friendship to Mike, my friendship to you, and my responsibility to myself."

Cassie became guarded. "Did Mike try to make you choose between us?"

"What? No! He'd never, we both know that. Look, can I just explain what I can?"

"Okay, yeah."

"I... I can't say everything, because some of it's just between me and Mike. I'm not sure how to say this. Um, you know how I mentioned we should ease off of Mike for a while?"

"I did, I swear. The move was his."

"I know, Cassie. I know you wouldn't have. And that's just it. Everything Mike's going through; us, the house, his past, our future... It's too much. And... that overwhelmed him at... an unexpected time, last time he and I... were alone together. I've probably already said too much. God, I'm such a horrible friend."

"No, I think it needed to be said. Mike may have been wrong to ask you to keep it a complete secret. On the other hand, he probably didn't see this coming."

"I certainly didn't," Jenny said, "I mean, I know why I'm upset. Being with me was too much to deal with for Mike, but being with you was apparently the greatest thing in the world. I mean, did you see him this morning? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you two, I am. But what is so wrong with me? That with me he would... but then with you..." Jenny broke down. Cassie leapt up and embraced her friend, waiting patiently for all of it to come out, everything Jenny had been holding in.

"Nothing's wrong with you," Cassie said, "And I don't know what happened between you and Mike, and I don't want to. You're right; it's between you two. But you've been good for him, too."

"You think so?"

"Totally." Cassie gave Jenny one her intense gazes. Cassie once stopped a drive-by Jehovah's Witness mid-platitude with one of her more irritated facial expressions. She got a free gift card from that mall's security because the guy never came back.

"That doesn't explain Mike."

Cassie snorted. "He's a guy. Food, sleep, sex. It will come down to those, trust me."

Jenny cracked a smile.

"There's my girl. And I'm thinking this time it's sex."

"Big surprise."

"Well, if I talk about me and Mike last night a little, nothing descriptive, will you be okay? I've got a hunch it'll help."

"Let's give it a shot."

"Alright. Well, Mike and I had a similar problem to one another. Our libidos became unleashed. Veronica's always flaunted, you've always been the confident one. Mike and I, for our own reasons, held back. After everything we've all done the past two weeks, it got out of control. You and Vee could handle it better, but for Mike and I it became a problem. Last night... last night was just venting it all out. It was just sex. Mike and I, I think, put all our excess sexual energy into it."

"You make it sound therapeutic."

"It was, on some level. We both needed it."

"So why was I too much? And not you?"

"Maybe with you there's something else at play."

"Like what? And is it good or bad?"

"Without knowing exactly what went down between you two, which I still don't want to, I have no idea. But think about it. You'll figure it out. You're smart."

"You're pretty smart there, too, hotshot." Jenny was more relaxed, more herself again. Cassie smiled.

"So what do we do about Mike?"

"In what way?"

"How do we turn having sex with us back into good old-fashioned fun, like when we first got here?" Cassie asked, then laughed. "Look at me, I'm nostalgic about last week."

"I know the feeling. And I'm thinking we create an open scenario for Mike."

"An open scenario?"

"Yeah. It's a technique. You contrive a real-world situation for the person to react to. They are not forced to enter the situation, or to do any particular thing within it. Doing that presents the person with a relatively controllable number of stimuli to respond to, and you can learn a lot by what they respond to, and how."

"Sounds like fun!" Cassie's eyes sparkled. "What did you have in mind?"

"First of all, we need to compile a list of Mike's sexual desires, fantasies, and preferences."

"Us, us, and us. Done."

Jenny laughed. "Yeah, really. But specifically..."

*****

Mike came out of his office for lunchtime, as usual. Today's selection was sandwiches, using up the rest of the lunchmeat, and pear slices lightly glossed with some sort of brown sugar glaze. Everyone spent half the time smacking their sticky lips.

"So, anybody have afternoon plans?" Veronica managed.

"Well, there's not much left to do except wait for Rick, I'm afraid," Mike said, "Everything's organized best I can figure, and we'll just have to see what Rick can use. I, for one, need to get some exercise in, a proper workout."

"I'll spot you," said Veronica, "I wanted to show you something."

"Woooooo," intoned Jenny and Cassie. Veronica shot them a dirty look.

"Hey, I'm out, remember? Not everything is about sex." She rolled her eyes. "Sheesh. You are such guys."

Mike discreetly gave them a glance indicating he had every reason to disagree.

"Sure, Veronica. I'd love to have a spotter."

*****

When Veronica came down the basement steps ten minutes later, she found that Mike had beaten her there, but only by a minute or so.

"What's the computer for?" he asked when he saw her.

"It's a website I use called Fitocracy."

Turning the tablet so he could see, Veronica showed Mike the website. Sitting on the bench together, she walked him through the premise as she set up his account and profile. Essentially, it did for exercise what TSR did for fantasy games. It gave a ton of options, and when you put in that you've done them, you score points and even level up.

"Another way that jocks are closet geeks," Mike commented.

"Shut up. You made your point," Veronica nudged him, shoulder to shoulder.

"You're very relaxed these days," Mike commented later, after he finished his stretches.

"I'm... more comfortable being myself, I guess. And I know what that is a bit better."

"That's great, I'm happy for you." Mike went onto the treadmill and started a brisk walk.

"Thanks. So how about you?"

"Me?" Mike's head suddenly raced through everything the past twenty-four hours.

"Well," he started, "Jenny and Cassie are still interested."

"I know."

"And I'm so busy with this house thing I can't decide."

"I know."

"But I'm not going to turn them down in the meantime."

"I know."

"Okay, look, I know you know a lot of this, but can I just get it out, to sort out my own head? It's kinda full at the moment."

"I know. I mean, uh, yeah. Sorry."

"Thanks. So anyway... Yesterday, I accidentally started to see you and Cassie... down here... together."

"I know."

"Veronica!"

"Sorry! But you were saying it like a confession. I did already know. And about Jenny spying on us from the bathroom. Did she come up to see you afterwards?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, that wasn't too enthusiastic. What happened? If you don't mind my asking."

Mike explained, without too much sexual detail, about how Jenny exposed Mike's voyeurism and joined him in it, as well as the fact that they were starting to have sex watching Veronica and Cassie.

"If it makes you feel any better, Cassie and I were putting on a show. I knew even then about the camera. It made a small whirring noise when you adjusted it. Looking in that direction briefly, I saw the red light on top."

"I... don't know how to feel about that, tell you the truth. But I was there, banging the hottest woman I've ever seen, no offense, watching the runners-up in my basement, hearing it all, and then... my head felt like it was cracking in half. Total moodkiller, right?"

"Holy shit," Veronica said, "You okay? What happened?"

"Biggest stress migraine I've ever had in my life, by a mile, nearest I can figure."

"How'd Jenny react?"

"She was concerned, of course, and knew what to do, thank God."

"That explains why she asked us to ease up on you for a while. She didn't say why. She was discreet."

"Good for her. It can't have been easy keeping a secret like that."

"From us? Shoot, she's lucky she lasted that long. I bet we'd grill her harder than that lawyer friend of yours. Hey, is he single?"

Mike's mind flashed to Terry Pratchett: "I knew the two of you would get along like a house on fire." Screams, flames, people running for safety...

"Mike?"

"Hmm? Oh, let's just say the two of you are too alike to be compatible. It would be intense, that's for sure. Some people ignite when they collide and mistake the explosion for fireworks, and the worst happens when they try to live with the fallout."

"That happen to you?"

"No, but it usually happens to Rick."

"So what about you?"

"Me? You mean if that's not it, what happened yesterday? Well, that's the poser, isn't it? For some reason, being intimate with Jenny was too much to handle, but having sex with Cassie was not."

Mike thought he saw Veronica's face shift briefly, but she said nothing.

"Biting a smart aleck comment? I don't mind."

"More or less, and that's okay. I forgot it already."

Mike didn't know if he believed her or not, but continued with his workout.

When he was done, he sat down next to Veronica again, and she showed him the Fitocracy names for all the exercises he did. After they input all the details, Mike touched the button to save the workout. He leveled up five times and got four achievements instantly. In the time it took him to go through all of the pop-ups for these, he had been given something called Props three times.

"Well, I'd love to stay and spot you, but I really need a shower," said Mike.

"That's cool. I'll shower down here when I'm done, then probably Duck Hunt. I'll figure out a way to shoot that damn dog if it kills me."

*****

Mike got out of the shower and toweled himself off thoroughly. He had taken great care not to leave himself soapy. A consultation gig three years before had him researching how soap worked, and it was an eye-opener. Apparently, the active ingredients of soap are particles that have the exact opposite electrical charges of the particles of dirt. They bond, making it easier for water to wash it away. One of the unintended consequences is that if soap is left on a surface, it will actually attract more dirt, attraction being a two-way street in the chemical world.

So, Mike used a minimally sufficient amount of soap at all times. Besides, if he was with Jenny or Cassie and they started tasting soap, it would sort of kill the mood.

Coming downstairs, Mike tried to assess where everyone was. Cassie's bedroom door was shut and the kitchen was silent, so she was probably taking a nap or reading. Jenny's door was shut as well, most likely the same reasons. Mike went to her door to see if she wanted to sketch out anything else for their future business enterprise.

Behind the door, Mike heard soft music he couldn't quite make out, just that it was in fact music. The floorboards creaked in time, indicating that Jenny -- or someone -- was dancing in there.

This was an opportunity not to be missed, too good to be true. Mike went into the library next door, and checked to see if it was empty. It was. Then slowly, carefully, Mike opened the closet door, the one that led to Jenny's room.

Peeking through the airflow slats, Mike just about creamed his boxers. Jenny was sliding and swaying around the room, to what Mike now clearly heard was a sexy striptease tune.

Jackpot! Mike now knew what Jenny liked to practice in her spare time. And he'd be damned if he interrupted her. Timing his movements to the beat and waiting until she was away from the door, Mike unfastened his jeans and got them to the floor, along with his boxers. Freeing his feet for comfort, Mike nudged them off to the side, and started stroking his hardening erection.

Damn that girl was fine, he mused. Her movements were fluid, her steps light. Every time she whipped her head around, her long dark hair would fan out and re-settle, always looking stunning. As part of the dance, Jenny would run her hands up and down her tight body, sometimes catching the edges of her clothes and revealing skin.

Mike had done so much more than touch that skin. He'd run his own hands all over it, caressing her while they shared intense sexual passion. Mike would thought that a mere striptease could not compare, but in fact it made him ache for that touch even more. The only thing keeping him on his side of the door was the naughtiness of spying on Jenny.

When Jenny gripped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it off over her head, Mike had to stop for a second to stifle a groan. Jenny had, to his mind, the perfect tits. Honey-golden, not too big, not too small, all real and proud as their owner. Mike's mouth instantly watered at the thought, and his cock throbbed. Jenny was now in skintight jeans and a sexy bra.

Without warning, Mike felt a hand on his cock that wasn't his. Another hand clamped over his mouth, otherwise he would have cried out. But wait, those nipples poking him in the back felt very familiar.

Sure enough, when the hand was taken away from his mouth and he turned, Cassie was there, looking more mischievous than ever. Mike was helpless against her; he was literally in the palm of her hand.

Cassie dropped to her knees, and it was all Mike could do not to audibly gasp as he realized her plans. When Cassie took him into her mouth, Mike's eyes rolled back. Mike leaned against the door frame, riding the ups and downs of, well, Cassie's head. She was taking her time, too. Looking down at her, Mike saw her brown eyes looking back up at him. With one hand, she directed his chin so that he was looking out at Jenny again.

Jenny had unbuttoned her jeans, and was now swaying her ass to the music. As she teased the denim over her hips, Mike unconsciously humped air, only to remember it was Cassie's mouth. And Cassie was getting clever. She bobbed her head in time with the music now, putting all of Mike's senses into the same rhythm. It all blended together, rather than overloading him.




The Warmest Winter, Day 13



Even so, Mike closed his eyes to focus on the pleasure of just the one thing. Even so, Jenny's athletic ass found its way under his eyelids. Bright light hit those eyelids, just as a gust of air whooshed by. Mike's eyes snapped open, looking straight into Jenny's.

Busted.

Cassie, for some reason, didn't care. She took the opportunity to get more comfortable, all while not breaking rhythm.

"Hey, Mike," Jenny greeted casually, leaning against the opposite side of the doorway. "Whatcha up to?"

"Oh," Mike said, half nervous, half horny, "I'd say I'm up to the full length."

"Having fun down there, Cassie?"

"Mmm-hmm." For emphasis, Cassie gave her a thumbs-up.

Mike was shamelessly ogling Jenny. In her lingerie, which he could clearly see now was a matching set, all black as usual, Jenny projected an easy grace and feline confidence. And as any man with real brains knows, confidence is one of the sexiest things a woman can have.

"See anything you like?" Jenny said, edging closer.

"I see everything I like," Mike replied. That's when Jenny's lips met his.

*****

Veronica came up from her shower to her room. Along the way, she heard the music and other noises coming through the bedroom door and the library.

"Again?" she muttered softly. "Good gravy."

It was still hot, knowing what they were doing, even if she was staying out of it. Veronica shrugged, laid down on her bed, and pulled down her panties. This was going to be good.

*****

Mike pulled away, his head starting to ache distantly. Jenny sensed it immediately.

"Hey, ease up, there, Cass. I want a turn, too."

Cassie popped Mike out of her mouth, and jerked him with her hand while she said, "No fair! I saw him first!"

Mike let loose a laugh, and instantly, the tension left him. He used the opportunity to divest himself of his shirt. A split second later, he caught Jenny's eye, and mouthed out, Thank you.

Jenny beamed. This time, Mike pulled her in and initiated the kiss. There was so much more than sexual desire in the locking of their lips. He got so lost in swirling his tongue with hers he almost forgot about Cassie on his cock.

Almost.

Cassie was persistent, and still putting her all into her performance. After feeling Mike jerk in reaction to one of Cassie's more impressive feats, Jenny broke again and said, "Okay, my turn. I think he'll pop too soon if you stay down there."

Reluctantly, Cassie got up. At least her legs could stretch out again. Slowly, sensually, still to the beat of the music, Jenny and Cassie danced into one another's positions. Cassie leaned into Mike's hard, naked body with her soft, curvy one, still clothed. Mike wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in.

As he did so, he felt Jenny's mouth engulf him. After having felt her touch on his lips seconds before, he knew with incredible detail what she was doing to his stiff member. She must have been practicing on something, because she went straight to deepthroating him with no hesitation. But she went slowly this time, causing Mike to groan, a low and deep rumble that went straight to the women's pussies and electrified them.

"Well, aren't you going to kiss me?" Cassie asked, "She and I have switched, haven't we?"

Mike laughed. "With Jenny down there, I can't bend low enough, short stack."

"What do you mean?" Cassie asked with faux innocence. She even batted her eyelashes at Mike.

"Shall I describe it to you?" Mike asked, "Or would you like me to find you a box?"

Jenny snorted in laughter and had to pull away. All three of them were in stitches as Cassie brought over the footstool from the armchair in the room. Jenny went back to blowing Mike, Which made him throw his head back again.

When Mike saw Cassie again, she was standing next to him, very close, on the stool.

"How about now, big man?" she cooed.

"Better idea," Mike said. He grabbed the hem of her tight T-shirt and pulled it up. Cassie lifted her arms to help him get it off entirely.

Cassie had once again gone without a bra, to Mike's eternal gratitude.

Wrapping his arm around her waist again, Mike dove into her chest, causing her to gasp. First one breast, then the other, found its way into Mike's mouth, where his tongue teased everything it could out her nipples.

Cassie got quiet, focusing on the experience. Mike only knew he was doing well when he felt Cassie shudder or her breathing change. The lack of vocality from her also allowed Mike to focus more on what Jenny was doing to him.

Jenny, too, was pulling out all the stops. Every time Mike thought they had a rhythm going, she'd change it up, turning him on in a slightly different way. It was the Sisyphus method of oral pleasure, and it drove Mike nuts without bringing him any closer to orgasm.

Neither of the ladies seemed to be in a hurry, so Mike decided he should make things even.

"Shall I return the favor?" he asked.

Cassie and Jenny did not need to be asked twice. Wordlessly, they both abandoned Mike in the doorway and laid down on the bed, their legs overhanging the edge.

It took Mike all of a second to catch up. Kneeling in front of Cassie, he started to pull her white thong down her smooth, toned legs.

"Hey!" Jenny said, "You were already kissing her! It's my turn."

"She was right, Jen, she saw me first. It's only fair that I return the favor to her first."

With that, Mike brought his mouth in over Cassie's slick pussy. She had gotten very wet while Mike worshipped her chest with his mouth. He swiftly maneuvered his tongue into her folds, first lightly touching the clitoris, then her entrance. With deliberation, he drew lines between the two with his tongue, all the while sucking just a little with his lips.

Cassie was reacting strongly, but stayed quiet. Her eyes were shut, but her hands clamped tightly to her breasts, and squeezed every time Mike sent another jolt to pleasure through her. Jenny looked down and saw that Cassie's toes were curled tightly, a sure sign of a good time.

Mike was the one feeling mischievous now, but there was only so much he could do.

"Well, that's good for now," he said, trying to get up from Cassie right before she climaxed.

In another instant, Cassie had her legs wrapped around his head, pulling him back in. Jenny laughed when she heard a muffled "Or not!" from the vicinity.

Jenny's hand was down her panties at this point -- how could it not be? Jenny knew what Mike was doing to Cassie, and ached for him to do it to her. Maybe she should save time and finish undressing. No, she'd rather feel him take her clothes off, feel his urgency as he stripped her. The anticipation made her heart pound.

Cassie's body started shaking the bed. Her hands gripped the sheet, and her legs tightened even further. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped repeatedly as her orgasm washed over her.

"Mmmm," she said closing her eyes again. She released Mike, who gave an exaggerated crack of his neck. It sounded like popcorn. Jenny giggled, while Cassie moved to sit up against the pillows.

Cleaning off his lips with one hand, Mike eyed Jenny hungrily. She looked like she popped straight out of a Playboy Special Edition. Jenny had dropped one bra strap over her shoulder, and leaned back on both hands, displaying her breasts proudly. The leg nearest Mike she kept up on the bed, giving Mike a taste of the shape of her ass, while the other leg stretched down to the floor. Mike did not know how Jenny knew his favorite pose for a woman, or that she knew, but he never saw anyone pull it off with such style.

Mike climbed up onto the bed to give Jenny another kiss, then placed a trail of kisses down her midline. Jenny lifted her chin, and sighed when Mike traced his tongue lightly from the base of her neck down to her breasts.

"Let me get that for you," Mike said reaching around for her bra clasp.

After about ten seconds, Jenny said, "Let me get that for you." The kissed again as Jenny took off her bra. Mike wanted to feast then and there, but had other plans for the moment. Still trailing kisses down her skin, Mike came to her panties. Jenny lifted her hips to help him, and no sooner had they been flung across the room then Mike dove into Jenny.

Mike never could identify what he liked so much about Jenny's taste. It was sweetly creamy, with something almost like citrus, and a warm spiciness somewhere between cinnamon and nutmeg. It made Mike think of Christmas. Stuffing a stocking had never been so much fun.

Jenny, in contrast to Cassie, was being quite vocal.

"Oh, God, Mike!" she exclaimed several times. Mike held her hips, just to keep her pussy where he could reach it. Jenny had never thrashed about quite this much before. Either he was getting better, or she was letting herself enjoy it more.

"You two are so hot," Cassie said suddenly, "You'd make a fortune in amateur porn."

"They don't pay residuals," commented Mike between his next mouthfuls. It was reflexive, he would recall later. The consultant had shown up for a second. Mike was glad his face was already red from exertion. Thankfully, it just got a laugh from the ladies.

"Focus, will ya?" Jenny said, then laid back on the bed. "I'm so close..."

Mike obliged, and soon Jenny tensed in orgasm. Mike happened to look up at that moment, and nearly fainted. Jennifer was jaw-dropping. Her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, her hair in matted tendrils down her face and across the bed. Her breasts heaved with each breath, her nipples erected to the sky. What's more, she was completely at home in her sexuality. Nothing had ever turned Mike on more in his life. Given that last two weeks of that life, that was a Hell of an accomplishment.

"So," said Jenny, when her breath returned, "You gonna fuck us or just foreplay us to death? 'Cause I'm happy either way, just so you know."

"Just for that, you're first," Mike said, pulling Jenny's hips into position. Her legs were curled up at his sides, holding his hips right back. If she angled just right she could feel his butt as he thrust. Leaning in and bracing his hands on the bed, Mike looked straight into Jenny's eyes as he slid his full length into her.

Mike had to close his eyes to savor the feeling. Jenny was tight but not squeezed, and hot all the way down. Just the feeling of her pussy around his shaft nearly made him blow his load right then. But Jenny rocked a little, and Mike got busy. Taking his cue from her, he slowly dragged his solid cock in and out. Jenny cried out in tormented ecstasy. Jenny was losing her mind, torn between begging him to take her hard, and pleading with him not to change a single goddamned thing.

"Ooh, this is too much," said Cassie, "I need me some more of that." Mike noticed they were talking not like themselves, playing around, being characters, acting sillier. It made sex fun. Damn. Whatever he'd done to deserve knowing these women, he'd been paid in full a long time ago.

Cassie stood on the bed, and made her way carefully over to the fucking couple. After carefully lifting up Mike, she stood in front of him, her pussy once again in front of his face.

"Nope," was all Mike said. With a free hand, he guided her to turn around. Understanding his plan, Jenny offered her hands up to support Cassie's. This left Cassie standing on the bed, straddling her best friend, who was being slowfucked by the man who now was practically devouring her asscheeks.

Mike thanked the stars for all of his practice coordinating multiple women for the last week. Otherwise he would not have had the rhythm to keep driving into Jenny while he satisfied his desire for Cassie's sweet ass. Mike marveled at it. It was perfectly round, perfectly smooth, and was firm to the touch. Or kiss, as the case may be.

Jenny felt Mike pick up the pace, and she felt herself spiraling again -- she'd never fully come down from her previous climax. Mike now French-kissed Cassie's wet pussy, making her somewhat weak in the knees.

Cassie came again, and actually did fall to her knees on the bed. Jenny, too, felt the flood race through her arms and legs and back again, until she couldn't take any more for the moment. Jenny slipped back, out from under Cassie, then came around to kneel on the bed, facing Mike.

"You really know how to make a woman feel sexy, you know that, Mike Evans?"

"It helps to have great source material," Mike smiled, and they shared a brief kiss.

"Can you keep going?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Right. Stupid question. Sorry."

"How about you, bobcat?" Mike asked Cassie, placing a hand on her back.

"What was that?" Jenny asked, her arms draped around Mike's neck.

"Bobcat. She's the bobcat, Vee is the tomcat."

"And what am I?" Jenny purred.

"You're my wildcat," Mike could barely get out before Jenny smothered him in another passionate kiss. Apparently it was the right answer.

Cassie, meanwhile, had recovered. Now, her legs were spaced for ease of access, and she was giving Mike an intense look over her shoulder. Her ass beckoned him.

With a deep, rumbling sigh, Mike pushed into Cassie, making her throw her head back. And this time, there was no slow rhythm. Mike slammed into Cassie from behind while Cassie clutched the bedsheets, with her hands to keep from collapsing, and with her teeth to keep from screaming.

"You know how hot it makes me, watching you fuck?" Jenny said, one finger in her pussy.

"How hot?" Mike whispered back.

"This hot." Jenny smashed her face against Mike's, and now it was his turn to hold on. Ye gods, he thought she was an amazing kisser before. His mouth nearly orgasmed. Fired up even more, he returned the favor, pulling her tongue into his mouth and having his way with it, only to find she had reversed the tables and started doing the same to him.

Cassie let out a brief gasp, and Mike realized how hard he was pounding her. His full length, head to hilt, was pistoning the sex pistol on the bed without mercy. Cassie was so close she had tears in her eyes.

Now that Jenny and Mike were no longer so focused on one another, they heard Cassie whispering with what little breath she could manage:

"Take it, take it, take it, take it..."

Hearing this made Mike groan, and that pushed Cassie over the edge. Mike could only slam into her one more time before it became impossible. Cassie clenched, then came again. Mike caressed her ass the whole way through, almost kneading the supple flesh.

"Okay. I need a break again," she said.

"You still good, Mike?"

"Yep. Could do with laying down for the next part. My hips are gonna hurt like Hell tomorrow. Worth it, don't get me wrong."

"Hmm, I think we can manage that. Cassie, want to relax in the chair for a while?"

"If my legs will get me there. Ooh, I'm wobbly."

Jenny allowed Mike to lay down on her bed, while Cassie stepped gingerly to the chair, collapsing into it. Jenny lay on the bed next to Mike, whose erection had subsided as he stretched and relaxed. Jenny ran her hand over Mike's hard and still-heaving chest, then leaned in to kiss him again. Back to slow and sensual, she was being quite patient.

It didn't take long. Jenny and Cassie were gorgeous, Mike was very healthy and virile, and he still needed release very badly. Jenny coaxed his back to fully hard with one hand, then brought her mouth down to join it, once again giving Mike oral pleasures as far down her throat as he could go. Swinging a leg over his head, Jenny presented him with a way to repay her kindness.

Eagerly, Mike wrapped his arms around her legs and clapped his hands firmly on her ass, like he had before from the other angle.

Cassie propped a leg up on the arm of the chair, spreading her pussy, and started to masturbate again. Remembering her own experience in the same position with Mike, Cassie recalled the taste, the feel of his cock in her mouth, the joy of his mouth on her pussy. She rode out several small orgasms thinking about that, and watching him repeat the feat with Jenny.

"Someone fuck me," Mike said suddenly, "I'm getting tortured here. I need pussy again."

Jenny turned around to smile at him. "Bossy, aren't we?"

"Whatever works, babe. Oh!" Cassie had accepted the order and climbed back onto the bed. Straddling Mike in reverse cowgirl, Cassie quickly slid Mike into place and began to rock back and forth over Mike's cock.

Mike felt Cassie's hip control, as she made each and every thrust perfect. Jenny had to pin him down with a kiss to keep him from thrashing or crying out.

Cassie, too, was now riding from orgasm to orgasm. One more big one would finish all of them off for the next month.

"Jenny," Mike said, "You. I want you. On me." Not the most eloquent Mike had ever been, but his higher brain functions were temporarily on the endangered species list.

"You heard the man," Jenny said.

"Aww," Cassie said, "Now I just have to settle for his phenomenal oral skills."

Cassie turned around, and knelt around Mike's face. Mike grabbed her by the ass and grazed her clit. When she bucked, Mike increased his labors, using every tricked he'd learned.

Jenny, meanwhile, straddled Mike and got into the same reverse cowgirl that Cassie had been in. She started off slow and smooth, like before, only now she slowly, agonizingly slowly, increased the pace.

Cassie felt the increases in pace as well. Not only did Mike rock beneath her, but his tongue became fiercer and his lips more demanding as he came closer to the boiling point.

They'd all had enough sex around and with one another to know that this was it. No more playing around, no more delays. Everyone was covered in sweat. Jenny and Cassie closed their eyes, and leaned their heads back.

Mike looked up, and saw beauty incarnate. Jenny and Cassie were rocking in time with one another, their heads resting on one another's shoulders. Their hair was cascaded around their faces, their full lips open, their beautiful eyes closed, lost in the moment. The women braced themselves, linking their arms, which only arched their backs and made their breasts more prominent.

It was everything. Mike was ready, but with Jenny setting the pace, he was helpless. These two amazing women had him entirely at their mercy, and were taking their pleasure from him, and he could not have been more turned on by Aphrodite herself.

Jenny finally broke. She rocked her hips as fast as she could, and Mike responded by using his voice to vibrate Cassie's clit. Mike's cock jerked in Jenny, which pushed her over the edge as she knew he was going to come.

She felt Mike throbbing inside her, followed by the rush of his cum, pouring out of him, into her. It felt wonderful, it felt sensual, it felt right. With every thrust of his hips, every jet he shot into her pussy, her climax started all over again and she cried out for more.

Mike could feel each drop as it raced up his shaft into his gorgeous, sexy wildcat. With each jerk, he instinctively forced his tongue deep into Cassie, as far as it would go. This made her buck, pressing against his head as her final, biggest orgasm rocked her body.

No one wanted to move for some time. Jenny shuddered in continued pleasure, however, as Mike's ejections leaked out of her.

"Mike, Jenny..." Cassie started, eventually. "That was great. Especially you, Mike. I have to go shower, though. Someone has to make dinner."

"I already ate," said Jenny and Mike together. They looked at one another and laughed.

As Cassie gathered up her clothes, she remarked, "I'd tell you two to get a room, but..." And then she left through the library, finally shutting the doors behind her as she went. Jenny turned and sprawled out next to Mike, her head on his chest, an arm and a leg draped over him.

"You want to hear something funny?" she asked, almost a whisper.




The Warmest Winter, Day 13



"More fun? Alright," Mike said, just as quietly.

"I mean funny odd... I was, sort of, worried that I couldn't, you know, measure up to Vee and Cass. They seemed to turn you on more than me."

Mike was concerned, and confused, "What are you talking about? There's no way you're not as hot as they are."

"Well, the sex you've had with them... I can read between the lines, Mike. It's hella wilder than ours. It's great, believe me, but... you know..."

"Jennifer." Mike said the name calmly, to make sure he had her full attention. "You are my wildcat. I wouldn't change a single thing about our time together. Not one thing. And..."

"What? What is it?"

"It's been in the back of my head for a while, and maybe it's a rule I should have done from the start."

"Mike, it's okay. You can tell me."

"I think that, unless I decide to be with one of you... Exclusively, I mean... There should not be anything... else... between us."

"Just friends, no benefits?"

"Yeah. You okay?"

"And you conveniently wait until after the mind-blowing sexcapade before revealing this?"

Mike chuckled. "Actually, I wasn't sure until what you just said. I don't want to do that to any of you, even accidentally."

"That's sweet, Mike, but it's okay now, I'm not-"

"Can you tell me squarely that nothing like it will come up? Ever?"

Jenny sighed. "No. I guess not."

"So we're cool?"

"We're cool. And, um, I'll let Cassie know. It'll be less awkward coming from me, but she'll understand either way. Oh, and Michael?"

"What?"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking ever again."

Mike kissed the top of her head. "Deal, babe."

The conversation wondered from there, only stopping when Cassie knocked to let them know she was done in the bathroom. Mike and Jenny shared another shower, kissing and joking and laughing until the water ran cold.

*****

Dinner was amazing, Veronica thought. Gee, I wonder what inspired Cassie so much...

"I'll get the dishes," Mike said. He felt he owed a bit to Cassie, too, although an argument could be made that everyone was pretty well compensated. Then the phone in his office rang.

"Never mind, I'll get that instead."

In his office, Mike picked up the handset.

"Mike Evans."

"It's Rick. I'm at the office, about to leave. Anything else you want me to do here? Once I leave, I can't do anything until I get to your place tomorrow."

"Just get here in one piece. You want to make the last-minute touching-base with Nathan, or should I do it, since his sister is here?"

"I got it. We're fine. I might even like the guy, once I clear up this case." Rick got borderline-obsessive about his cases when they drew close. It's what made him such a good lawyer, but it tended to take over his personality at times. He knew it, though, and kept it under control. His friends, like Mike, understood and weathered it.

"Well, stay safe, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya."

*****

As everyone was tucking in for the night, Mike found himself on the second floor landing chatting idly with Veronica. Jenny and Cassie were mysteriously exhausted and went to bed a bit early.

"So, that was pretty hot this afternoon."

"Pardon?"

"I heard the whole thing. Got five orgasms out of it, as a matter of fact."

"Yup. Their trap worked well."

"Except you knew it was a trap."

"Well, yeah. But they're my friends. They were having so much fun setting me up. The library door, the music just loud enough, starting to unclothe as soon as I start watching... Who am I to get in the way?"

"So did you decide to go through with it, or did you decide to let them know your decision?"

"I went through with it, not that they gave me much choice once I got started. But even then, I hadn't really decided until after. Something Jenny said. That's when I made up my mind and told her. She took it well, and is going to tell Cassie."

"Something Jenny said, and Cassie wasn't there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing."

"You're getting pretty attentive to me and Jenny. Did she say something to you?"

"No," said Veronica, honestly. You did.

"Anyway," she recovered, "Tomorrow's a big day. See you in the morning."

As Veronica disappeared into her room, Mike reflected back on the day. What fun.

Good, said a part of his brain. Because who knows how much longer this is all going to last. The girls are going to leave, and you may not even have this house much longer. Will all of this survive in the real world? Will any of it?



The Warmest Winter, Day 14



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders. Spoiler: No actual sex in this one -- catch you next time!

*****

Her mystery man had returned. Cassie was helpless. With one hand he held her down against the countertop, and with the other he held her waistline. Thrusting deep, he fulfilled himself in her.

Too bad her morning alarm went off.

Waking up and turning off her phone's chimes, Cassie stretched for the morning. Her legs caught the blanket and exposed her hardened nipples to the cold bedroom air. Cassie shivered at the sudden contrast, which was nonetheless titillating.

Reaching down, Cassie could feel how wet she was. She'd been outrageously horny, just being able to express her sexuality openly, she felt for the first time in her life. Then she got the backlog out of her system. Only now, she had a solid idea of what she wanted in a man, again for the first time in her life, and the fantasy ratcheted up her libido all over again.

A partner in life, she thought, That's what every woman wants. But in the bedroom? There's something I want more.

The thought that preyed on her mind was Mike, her current sexual interest. He could certainly take charge, but there was a bit of a cost. He wasn't quite himself when he did it. Something had to be wrong for that to happen. It was hot as Hell, and Cassie owed the best orgasms of her life to it, but she couldn't do that to him.

As she was getting dressed for the day, she was surprised by a knock at the door.

"Cassie?" It was Jenny.

"Yeah? Come in."

Jenny had apparently gotten a jump on the day. She was already dressed, from her Game of Thrones t-shirt to her hip-hugging jeans, and, yes, her pink fuzzy slippers. She'd even put her hair back into a loose braid. Cassie, however, had only managed to slide her bikini bottoms up her legs, and so was popping into and out of the closet getting and putting on her outfit for the day.

"Someone's ambitious this morning," she commented as she put on a bra. Her brother was arriving in the afternoon and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. It was nice being unrestrained, however long it lasted.

"I, uh, wanted to help Mike make a good impression on Nate," Jenny said. "And I don't want Rick to think we're bad for Mike."

"You're worried about those?" Cassie said, donning one of her own t-shirts. It might have been borrowed from Jenny in a previous year, but possession is nine-tenths of ownership between best friends and roommates.

"Not really, I guess. But, you know, it couldn't hurt..."

Cassie laughed as she walked to her closet, clad only in her tight shirt and panties. Her ass swayed with each step, something she did to keep her hips loose, should she decide to flirt.

"What do you think Rick will be like in person?" Cassie asked.

"A lot like on the phone. An arrogant cod, but good at what he does."

"I wonder if that's true in the bedroom..." Cassie mused as she stepped into her jeans.

"Cassie!"

"What? Is Mike allowed to sleep with all of us, but I can't think about maybe another guy?"

"No, it's just... you haven't even met the man!"

"I will today," Cassie said, shimmying her jeans up past her hips. She did so carefully and slowly, not wanting to damage the clothing. It took longer than she cared to admit to find jeans matching her full-bottomed figure.

"What would Mike think?"

Cassie shrugged. "Does he have to know?"

"He is our friend, and the lawyer's. And it's sort of on that subject I meant to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"Mike's put a stop to everything, for the time being. No more sex with each other unless it's exclusive, like, a relationship."

"You sure it wasn't your idea?"

"What? No, I'd never do something like that without talking to you first."

"Ah. So has he confessed any secret longings for moonlit walks on the beach with either of us?"

"God, I hope not," Jenny said, "If he ever does, I'll Friendzone him permanently. That kind of date is completely not me."

"You've thought about what it would be like to date Mike?"

"Haven't you?"

Cassie said nothing, but let a small smile cross her face the next time her back was turned.

*****

After joining his houseguests for breakfast, Mike got right down to business.

"So, it looks like today should be another clean-up day," Mike said, "It's been another week."

They'd been cleaning as they went, but company was coming and even if they didn't need to clean much, it passed the time.

"Rick and Nate should be here sometime in the late afternoon, depending on how they handle lunch. Cassie, you want to call and check?"

"Nah. He's a big boy. If he has to, he knows to call."

"You talking about Rick or Nate?"

Cassie shrugged, smiling. "Does it matter?"

Since Mike had no work to do, it being a Saturday, he pitched in equally and tidied up the place. They had to run some fans in the basement, to air it out. Between all of the exercise and sexual encounters that took place down there, it had gotten a tad ripe. A couple of refreshed Glade Plug-ins and it was smelling as good as new. On the first floor, most of the rooms were a cinch. The kitchen took a bit longer. Cassie, of course, directed the whole effort. Whatever she was in the bedroom, she would always be queen of the kitchen. After that, everyone took care of their own rooms, and everyone took a bathroom, one on each floor. Veronica drew the short straw and had to clean the one in the basement.

Other than laundry, this was it for the house. After the scouring the previous week, everyone was a bit more careful, mindful of cleaning it up. By lunchtime, they all settled back down again.

"Well, that worked up an appetite," Mike commented.

None of his houseguests commented. As with last week, they were quite turned on by a man who was proficient and even eager with housework. However, present circumstances being what they were, the ladies had to quell any desires to being mere fleeting fancies.

For Cassie, this was quite a bit difficult. She had to keep reminding herself that while Mike was pretty damn good, she in fact wanted something only similar to him. Maybe Mike would be different in the real world, maybe not. But until she found out, she couldn't fixate too heavily on him.

All in all, it was a pretty quiet lunch. The only thing left to do was wait.

*****

An electric blue Camaro turned into Mike's driveway around one in the afternoon. The driver got out first: a stocky man with thick brown hair. He wore jeans and a polo shirt under his leather Denver Broncos jacket. Coming out from the passenger side was a taller man, wearing a long overcoat which concealed everything else he wore. After finding his feet again, he reached into the back seat and pulled out an expensive-looking briefcase.

"Good gravy, and I thought Denver drivers were insane," commented the well-dressed one.

"Come on, you've lived in the Boroughs, you know what it's like to want to cut loose."

The passenger sighed. "Let's just go in. I've got a job to do."

They climbed the steps and knocked on the door. The cry of "Sonofabitch!" echoed from somewhere in the back of the house.

"Sounds like Jenny lost Jenga again," said the driver.

A few moments later, Mike opened the door.

"Rick! Good to see you!" Shaking his hand and clasping him on the shoulder, Mike ushered him into the house.

"You must be Nate. Glad to meet you." Mike gave him a similar welcome. By now the three women had joined him, and were giving Nate hugs.

After the initial greetings were over, Mike said, "Jenny, Cassie, Veronica, this is Rick. Richard Tessaro. He's my lawyer, and a damn good friend."

Rick held out a hand in greeting, using each woman's name to help him remember. All three were stunning, but the short one... was she eyeing him?

After Mike helped them out of their travel attire, they moved to the kitchen, where there was more room and the coffeemaker. Everyone had some sort of hot-water-based drink, be it coffee, cocoa or tea, except for Rick, who insisted on water.

"Not a drop or milligram of anything while I'm on this case," he explained, "Usually it's only during the actual court case, but for Mike, I take no chances."

Rick them cast a sidelong glance at Nate. "No matter how tempted I am to calm my nerves."

Cassie put her hands on her hips and peered at her brother. "What did you do?"

"I thought we'd be here a couple of hours from now," Rick said, "That is, until I met this bat outta Hell. Apparently, Mike, did you know that when we made the original agreement, we removed speed limits from the access road?"

"...Yeah! I remember now. The speed limit was for the rangers, because their vehicles couldn't handle higher speeds. It was a safety guide. But my Hummer could, so we had it dropped. It wasn't a big deal, as I recall."

"Is now!" Rick said, "I'm hanging on for dear life in that little blue pinball he calls a car, and he just smiles and accelerates."

"What? That road is fun," Nate chimed in.

"The worst part is, every time I try to voice my worries about, you know, death and other inconveniences, all he says is, 'It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind.' What does that mean?"

"Nate," said Cassie, "What have I told you about freaking the mundanes?"

"What?" said an increasingly confused Rick.

"Scaring the Muggles," offered Jenny.

"Using geekspeak on non-geeks," explained Mike, "It's from-"

"I don't care," Rick interrupted, holding up a hand. "Court date still Monday?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Okay, then we have zero more time. Sorry to be abrupt, ladies and gentlemen, but this is my job and my client's time. I take it you only have road trip clothing?" This last part was directed at the women. They affirmed his suspicion.

Opening his briefcase, he pulled out a credit card.

"This is a card for my firm's account. The firm owes Mike incredibly for a lot over the years. In recognition, they have granted me some... leeway. Each of you may buy one ensemble for the purposes of appearing in court. If it is visible in any way, even just an outline under another layer, even just a patch showing from a particular angle, I can justify it to my bosses. Also, dinner at a food court. There's a megamall about two hours from here. You can use Nate's car. The mall's address is already programmed into the GPS. Do any of you know how to use one?"

"We all do, of course," Veronica said.

"Then how did you end up here?" Nate cracked. Cassie swatted him on the arm, which only made him and Mike laugh harder.

"Moving on," Rick said, "I need the vehicle back here by ten. You leave the mall at eight, getting there at three. That gives you five hours, minus dinner. Unless you drive like Speedy Gonzales over here, in which case you'll have a lot more."

At this point, he handed to card to Cassie, who immediately stuffed it into her bra. Taking her friends' hands, she ran off, and the three were out the door less than five minutes later. A free shopping spree? Out of the house for the first time in two weeks? Megamall? Sweet!

As the Camaro's wheels spun away from the house, Nate turned to Rick. "So what was that really about?"

"You noticed? Well, I'm going to need to be a bit bossy the next forty-eight hours. The less time I spend arguing before I get into the courtroom, the better. That shopping trip just bought me what is now a precious commodity: time."

"You still didn't give them much time," said Nate, "You don't know girls that well."

"Actually, I know them quite well," said Rick, "I've wooed my fair share."

"And then some," Mike murmured into his glass. Ignoring him, Rick continued.

"I don't actually need the car back that soon. But if I actually told them eleven, I'd get it back at midnight."

"So what do we do in the meantime? And why isn't Nate getting an outfit at the same time?"

"I had Nate bring his -- it's still out in the car. And I just know you have something appropriate from times your clients come to you. And in the meantime, You can show me all the documents you think are relevant. Nate? You ever do any criminal profiling?"

"Not as a specialty, but all cops do to some extent."

"Good. Let's go; time's a-wastin'."

*****

Jenny, in the driver's seat, turned off the road and into the gas station once they reached town.

"The guys already filled up on their way in," pointed out Veronica, confused.

"This is Stan's place. Remember? He has the check for us? And I checked; my bank has a branch in the mall. We can deposit it," Jenny said, getting out of the car.

"Bigger shopping trip!" Cassie exulted from the back seat. She even pumped her fists in the air, so far as the car roof would allow.

Inside, Jenny rang the bell for service. A minute later, out from the back came Stan. "Ah, hello. You'd be here for the check, right?"

Stan was an older gentleman, grey-headed with an ambling demeanor. He had a quiet assurance about him that put Jenny at her ease.

"Yup. That's me."

"Well, I have it still. But I have to ask for some I.D. afore I hand it to ya, 'cause that's the rules."

Jenny reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet. After Stan had the card, it took all of a second for him to holler back to Tina, his wife. She came out, same demeanor as her husband, and about the same age, but with a bit more vigor in her step.

"One of Mike's young ladies?" Tina guessed.

"Yep. Tina, this is Miss Azevedo; Ma'am, this is my wife Tina."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Jenny said, offering her hand. Tina took it, and held it.

"Now, you're keepin' good care of our boy Mike, now, aren't you?" Tina said with a twinkle in her eye, still gripping Jenny's hand.

"Um, we're all friends, and helping out with the hearing as much as we can," Jenny said. Tina let go, then handed her the check with her other hand.

"He's losing his hearing? Aww, that's a shame," said Stan, "Still, it's so quiet 'round here, not missin' much."

"No," said Jenny, "The court hearing. About the laws that got changed?"

"What laws?" Tina said quickly.

"Um, it was rather quietly done, but some people tweaked the laws the same way Mike did, only they did it to force Mike out. The hearing's up at the county courthouse on Monday."

"Well, we'll be there," said Tina, taking the reins from Stan, who still looked confused. "Count on it."

"Thanks. Listen, I have to go now. Nice meeting you, Tina, and thank you both for everything!"

As they watched the car drive away, Tina turned to her husband. "Come on, we got some calls to make."

*****

About an hour down the road, the ladies came upon a rest stop. They got out to switch drivers. Veronica jumped around and did some cartwheels.

"Whoo! Free! FREEEEEEE!" she exclaimed, to the amusement of the truckers, who would certainly remember her on the next cold night. Jenny and Cassie leaned against the car for a minute or so, their breath making fog in the air. As great as Mike's place was, they missed the outside world.

"You know how this makes me feel?" Veronica said, "I feel alive! I feel energized! I'm... I'm ME!"

A few more minutes later, Veronica calmed down enough to be able to get back into the car. It was now Cassie's turn to drive.

Rolling down the road once more, Jenny piped up from the back seat, "And now the cats will come out to play!"

Cassie and Veronica giggled.

"Cats?" Cassie said, "Where did you come up with cats?"

Jenny could feel herself blush mildly. "It was just something Mike said. You guys know he has nicknames for us now?"

"Oh, really?" said Veronica, folding her arms across her ample chest.

"Yeah. You're the tomcat, Vee."

Veronica shrugged. "Could be worse. And I'm the most boyish out of the three of us."

"Cassie's the bobcat."

"Is that a short joke?" Cassie wondered, more out of curiosity than taking offense. When she knelt in front of them, men tended to be thankful for her height.

"I think it might be a tribute to your blowing skills," Jenny confessed. "I've seen him react to it. You're pretty damn good."

"I do my best," said Cassie with feigned humility. If she didn't change the subject very soon, she was going to have to enter herself into the Sixty-Mile-An-Hour Club. "And you, Jen?"

"Oh, me? He, uh, he called me his wildcat."

"Nice," said Veronica, giving Cassie a look across the front seats. Cassie returned it. They both allowed themselves quite small grins. Jenny did not notice, however, as she was concentrating on how best to situate herself so that her long legs could stretch out in the back seat.

"Guys?" she said, realizing the silence, "What? What is it?"

 "Nothing," said Veronica. "Cats. I like it."

*****

Back at Mike's house, Rick finally stood up and stretched his stiffening limbs.

"Well, I think that about does it. Everything else is either in town tomorrow, or in court on the day," he said, "Unless you can think of something."

Mike shrugged. "I think we're good."

"Good. Now, if I'm not mistaken, the Playoffs are on."

Downstairs, the men kicked back and enjoyed the game. It was AFC, and the Broncos are NFC, so they really didn't care who won.

Around the start of the third quarter, Rick casually asked, "So, Mike, you hitting it off with any of them?"

"Excuse me?" asked Nate.

"I said 'hitting it off,' Nate. Not 'hitting it.' Although if you want to answer that one, too, Mike, we can have Nate leave the room."

"Not on your life."

"Chill, guys," said Mike. "And no, Rick. I'm not going to lie, they did all try at first, but with everything else going on, I temporarily friendzoned them."

"Damn, that's badass," said Rick. "All that sweetness coming your way and you sidestep it, lickety-split. I am so proud to know you."

"It's not like that," said Mike, "They are actually friends now."

"Did their stupid 'rule' give you any trouble?" Nate asked.

"What?" Rick looked confused.

"They had a rule," Mike explained, "So that if more than one of them like a guy, they each pursue the guy individually, out of sight and mind of the other interested parties. Whoever the guy picks, the guy picks, no hard feelings."

"And this is the first time I've ever seen them all go for the same guy," Nate said. "I guess saving their lives goes a long way."

"It's not like that, either, I swear!" Mike said. He was starting to blush now. "Any time their interest moved to the next level, they made the first move. Every time, I swear."

Nate's hackles lowered a bit at this. He may not have liked thinking about what his sister may or may not have been doing, but as long as she was fully willing he knew he had no right to complain or interfere.

"So you had to let them all down easy, one at a time?" Nate said. "I bet that was fun. I never liked that rule. I've always said it did more harm than good."

"I agree," said Mike. "That's why I contrived a way to get them to break it. It's gone. Kaput."

"Okay," and Nate, "Now I'm impressed."

"How?" asked Rick pointedly.

"What?" Mike's head whipped around.

"How?" Rick's eyes drilled into Mike. "How did you get them to break the rule?"

"I, uh... I made up a party game, and we all played, and I made the rules a bit convoluted, enough so that one of them would complain about it, so that when they did, I could point out that a person can change the rules they themselves made."

"What was the game?" Great. Now Nate was interrogating Mike, too.

"A version of Truth Or Dare, with Spin The Bottle added to see who would be asked and such."




The Warmest Winter, Day 14



"You know that we both know you're holding back," said Rick. "What aren't you telling us?"

Everything. "Look, it's between me and the ladies. And I get Nate's interest, but what's it to you, Rick? One of them catch your eye? Cassie, perhaps?" It wasn't exactly a shot in the dark. Mike had spotted sparks beginning to flare up between those two right away. They were both looking to see if the other had spotted them sizing the other up, and neither noticed Mike noticing them.

When Rick didn't answer right away, Nate turned his attention to the lawyer. All he did then was fold his arms across his muscled chest and cock an eyebrow.

"The way I see it," said Rick, not batting an eye, "Some girls are hot. Some of them have brothers. One such brother is you. Besides, you should be happy for her. Being that attractive gives her choices when it comes to men. She will not need to settle for anything less than what makes her happy. I mean, come on, those dark eyes, that thick mane of hair, those shapely legs, and that gorgeous, round-"

By the time Mike cut him off, Nate was cringing and turning away in his chair.

"Dude!" yelled Mike. "Nate doesn't want to hear that, and I don't need to!"

"What did you say?" Nate spun so fast his chair shifted.

Mike slapped a hand across his mouth and shut his eyes tight.

"Shit."

"All right, Mike, out with it."

"Okay. For the record, fuck both of you. A trial lawyer and a cop? Goodness gracious. If Jenny was here, I'd may as well open up my skull and hand you my brain."

"Quit stalling," said Nate.

"Fine. I've... gone all the way... with all three of them. Jenny, Veronica, and yes, Cassie."

"You slut!" Rick congratulated him.

"Shut up, it's not like that. It's just... God, I don't know what the Hell it was. I think it's just what we all needed. And like I said, when it started getting complicated, I put a stop to it. Nothing was done that anybody regrets, and that's all the detail you're getting from me. I don't kiss and tell."

Nate still glowered.

"Look, man, I know you don't know me from Adam for the most part," Mike continued, "But I guess I'm currently in a position similar to an ex-boyfriend they all had but still get along with. It's weird, because it's only been two weeks, but we were snowed in. We had time."

Nate still sat, but his expression was softening.

"Hell, Veronica even bowed out early. And like I said, it's done. Anything that might be between me and Jenny or me and Cassie is in the future. Everybody's just friends for now, no benefits."

Nate chuckled. "You convinced me, like, a full minute ago. I just wanted to see you squirm. Consider that your punishment. That's all I can do. Cassie's a big girl, and can handle herself. Besides, you hurt any of them, and they'll hide the body before I can get to you."

"I like this guy, Mike," said Rick, "Razzing you by myself has gotten too boring. Can we keep him?"

"Easy, there, Suit," said Nate, "Talk about my sister like that in front of me again and all bets are off."

"Can I say she's attractive?" Rick asked.

"Yes."

"Cute?"

"Sure."

"Adorable?"

"...Okay, fine."

"Hot?"

"No."

"Scrumptious?"

"NO!"

"How about callipygous?"

*****

The girls opted for the first drive-thru they saw, so that they would have more time to shop. Besides, Cassie's excellent cooking left them wanting little in the way of food. After their brief stop at the bank, they darted into the mall to breathe the musty, sale-filled air.

"All right," said Veronica, leading the charge to the Mall directory, "First things first. Neiman Marcus for the basic outfits."

Upon storming the gates of the clothing store, the women fanned out into a pincer formation. Veronica's steady gaze pinpointed a business suit, which she picked off and carried to the dressing room for interrogation. Cassie, following her instincts, targeted a low-cut, short-sleeved top, then stalked onwards for a skirt, casually taking a slip hostage along the way. Jenny's directive was clear in her mind: only one little black dress would accomplish this mission.

Once all three of them were in the dressing rooms, they chatted as they changed.

"I wonder how much we can get away with," mused Veronica, pulling the suit pants up her legs.

"What do you mean?" asked Jenny. She was last into the dressing rooms, and was still stripping down to her bra and panties.

"Well, he said whatever was visible, right? So isn't the outline of lingerie usually visible? Or even a strap or something?"

"Yup!" said Cassie, shimmying her pants down in the next room over.

"Oh, goodie."

"I don't know." Jenny still sounded doubtful.

"Two out of three," said Veronica. "The motion carries. Ooh, this also means we need to see a hair stylist, and get mani-pedis."

Jenny still had some hesitation, but the half-plausible explanation and her desire to be pampered teamed up and mugged that thought in one of the back alleys of her head.

"Are we ready?" she asked instead.

"Let's do it!"

The three women stepped out and looked around at one another. Veronica's business suit was theoretically all business, but on her would probably make the interns melt. That would have had something to do with her double-D bustline pushing out so far she couldn't button it all the way up, and so her cleavage and the very edges of her bra were visible. And the pants fit her legs precisely; Cassie was jealous. All Veronica needed was a pair of glasses to embody so many teacher, secretary, and librarian fantasies. And despite it all, she still managed to be irreproachably professional.

Cassie's blue top matched her bright personality, and her black skirt with trim of the same blue color showed exactly as much of her hips as she wanted. Below that, it flared out to give her legs a comfortable range of motion, swishing as she walked, but then settling down again to subtly suggest the shape of her legs.

There was absolutely no doubt about the shape of Jenny's legs. The slinky black number she slid into hugged her form the way every man looking at it would want to. The dress went down to just above her knees, then the slit up the right side came to mid-thigh, giving a flash of more leg as she walked, but only that. The V-neck dipped down, just barely showing the top of Jenny's cleavage, and the fabric of the dress did the rest. Her arms were bare, and the shoulder straps were almost just for show. Once Cassie zipped her up, the dress rested comfortably just below the back of Jenny's neck.

After appreciating one another's selections, they all changed back into their normal clothes, bought the items, then went to the in-house tailor to have the clothing altered while they shopped. Veronica very nearly wrote a hymn in praise of megamalls on the spot.

The hair salon was the next stop. Forty-eight hours couldn't do too much to their hair that a shower and some careful maintenance on the day couldn't fix. Jenny let her hair loose, planning on wearing it that way on the court date. Cassie, too, since her hair was relatively short. Veronica said she planned on a tight ponytail, to complement the business persona. The whole time, Cassie kept mentioning how alike Rick and Mike were. Veronica and Jenny exchanged glances but said nothing. The best part was the deep-scalp clean they all felt, which they hadn't managed due to water usage worries. They took only the necessary showers and got clean, but this girls' night out was tremendously refreshing.

The next place was to get manicures and pedicures. Due to the cold temperatures, none of them planned on open-toe footwear. This meant that only their hands, being visible, would be paid for on the magical lawyer card Cassie kept secured in her bra between uses. But the women were feeling particularly great, and spent some of their own money on professional pedicures as well.

Even though that ate up time, it gave the women renewed energy for the rest of the shopping. The shoe store may as well have been subject to Vikings as these women on a mission. In the end, Jenny and Veronica settled on low heels, being the right balance between style-slash-formality and comfort-slash-not-twisting-an-ankle. Cassie went with mid-heels, for the same reasons, plus height. None of them bought socks, because their next stop was Victoria's Secret, after they stashed their purchases into temporary lockers.

"Like the man said," Cassie reminded her friends, "Outlines under another layer are his to pay for. Bra straps and stocking count, with of course the matching panties. Man, wear something hot and guys get riled up. Wear something half as hot that's a matching set and the guy will damn near take you from behind on the spot."

"Is that what you're hoping for?" Veronica needled her.

"Shut up."

"I think I'm pretty stuck on options," said Veronica. "With business attire, it's either white or black... I think I'll go with black..."

"What about you?" Jenny asked Cassie. "White or black?"

"Oh," said Cassie, "Um, well, I got the blouse I did 'cause it's the same blue as a matching set I've got with me back at Mike's. But, after all, I may change my mind. I should get something else. You know, just in case."

Jenny smiled. "That's my girl."

"And you?"

"It doesn't really matter what color I get, as long as the straps are black," said Jenny. "Or I could go strapless. The dress I picked can do the rest."

All three of them were amazed at how quickly and decisively they were shopping. It felt very strange. Spending forever amid rows of options was half the fun. When they happened to be looking at similar thongs, Cassie mentioned this to Veronica.

"I think we just all know who we are and what we want a lot better," Veronica responded, holding up what amounted to a shoestring with a How-To-Wash tag.

"Hmm," Cassie replied, half lost in thought. "What do you think, Vee: black or white?"

Cassie had apparently selected a style, and held up identical versions of it in either hand, save for the stated colors.

"Black is the naughty color," Veronica said, "But some men like the idea of making an angel fall. Not literally, just the idea somewhere in the back of their minds."

What she didn't say was that she was dead certain Richard Tessaro was exactly such a man. Veronica wondered which one Cassie would choose, as she took both sets to the changing room, a far-off look on her face.

"What do you think, Vee?" came a different voice. This time it was Jenny.

"Why does everyone keep asking me?" she said as she turned around.

Jenny shrugged. "You're have a good eye. Which one? Tiger, cheetah, or leopard?"

"Cheetah's bolder than leopard, but I'd still go for tiger. As cat prints go, it's the classic."

"Thanks!" Jenny went back to her browsing, trying to find a matching bra. Of course Jenny would go for a cat print, Veronica thought, but she won't admit to herself why. Some people can be so clueless.

Finally, and luckily on sale, Veronica found what she was looking for, and headed to the dressing rooms. Once again, the trio chatted as they tried on their intended outfits.

"What did you go with?" Veronica asked Jenny.

"Tiger. You were right, and I was leaning that way anyway. I'm going strapless, and then I found a solid-fabric tiger print bottom. Black stockings, too. Damn, I feel sexy."

"How about you, Cass?" No answer. "Cass?"

"I'm here. Just... give me a minute."

In truth, Cassie had donned her all-white ensemble and looked appraisingly at the reflection. Sitting down on the bench, Cassie began to think of her mystery man again. Unable to help herself, she slipped a finger down into her folds and let the images flood her mind. He would not be gentle. He would pull the bra straps down, devouring her breasts as soon as they were bared. He would not wait to take her panties off, just pushing them aside to take her all the sooner. He would even use the bra strap as a rein, pulling her up, putting her where he wanted her as he took her from behind.

Cassie's reverie was abruptly broken when she bucked and knocked her head against the wall behind her.

"Ow."

"You okay?" Veronica asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just... lost my balance." Definitely this set, Cassie thought.

"Are we all done?" Jenny asked.

"Yup, I think so," Veronica said, "Shall we compare?"

Stepping out of their dressing rooms, Jenny, Cassie, and Veronica gathered at a central spot between them to give one another feedback.

Cassie wore a typical but tasteful bra, not so much for support as for accentuation. Her nipples were barely not visible behind the fabric, but the heart of her chest was still bare, as with her blue top. Her panties were quite skimpy, lacey but not fragile, framing her ass without, as some thongs do, merging with it. To this she added white stockings which came up to just above her knees.

Veronica's bra and panties were also white, as she had changed her mind, but somewhat less risqué. However, between her bustline, her garter belt, and the stockings up to mid-thigh on her long legs, they didn't need to be much more than present.

Jenny, as she said, wore a black-outlined tiger print strapless bra, with a matching pair of panties that circled her assets as well as Cassie's did hers. Jenny's black stockings rose up until they just barely touched her ass, completing the frame.

Before any of them could get a word out to talk about their respective ensembles, they heard a crash from in the store at large. Without noticing, they had gathered at the entrance to the dressing rooms, which was visible to much of the rest of the store. Whipping their heads around to the source of the noise, they saw not an astonished man as they expected to see, but a female employee who up to that moment had thought of herself as completely straight.

"I think that's mission, accomplished," said Jenny, "Shall we scram now?" They all zipped back to their rooms and changed back into their street clothes.

Upon exiting the dressing rooms and approaching the register to pay, they heard employees, and even a few customers, applauding and whistling on sight of them. Blushing keenly, they got halfway down the mall corridor before they realized they had no idea where they were going next.

"What about make-up?" Jenny asked. "That's visible."

"And accessories!" piped up Cassie.

"Oh, I wish we could," said Veronica, "but I don't think we can fairly justify any more. And as far as spending our own money, we still need to buy a new vehicle with a lot of it. Not to mention the time. We need to get Nate's car back to Mike's so he and Rick can go into town to sleep."

"So complicated," whined Cassie playfully. "Phooey. Alright, let's go."

Picking up their shoes from the locker, they swung by the tailor's and retrieved their outfits. Trying them on briefly again, they were satisfied with the alterations. Finally, happily, they made it to the car. Veronica even sniffled a little as they pulled away.

*****

"So, what were the girls like over the years?" Rick asked. The game had long since ended, and the guys cared even less about the late game than the early one. They were up on the main floor, circled around an open bag of Doritos perched on the kitchen island.

"Pretty much like today, overall," Nate shrugged. He felt comfortable chatting with the other guys about the ladies, knowing how much regard they had for Mike, and having gotten to know both Mike and Rick. Their cockamamie plan for the future might even work. Denver PD would probably be keen to get NYPD blood into the mix, so he'd be square for a job, following Cassie out west.

"I mean," he continued, "there's differences, obviously, but it'd be forever telling you all the details."

"Has Jenny always been the schemer?" Mike asked pointedly.

"Oh, yes. Absolutely. Pranks, schemes, surprise parties, you name it, she's behind it. Why? She try on you?"

"Yep. Got her back, though."

"Oh, no!" Nate laughed. "Man, you've started a war you may not be able to finish."

Mike smiled to himself. Nate was obviously thinking of pranks. Considering the kind of schemes he and Jenny played on one another, he may or may not be willing to do that ad inifinitum.

"You know, I've met girls like that," Rick said.

"He says that about every girl," Mike noted to Nate.

"Shut up. If I know her, and I'm reading the other two right, they'll weasel a way into buying as much as they can with the card, and then some. What's more, knowing women in general, there's not a snowball's chance in Tahiti-"

"It's a magical place," intoned Mike and Nate together. Rick ignored them.

"-that they'll take two trips. Oh, no no no. They'll squeeze through the door with no less than, let's see, three bags each, and try and squeeze everything through the door, exactly like they complain about when we try to do it in the bedroom."

"My doorframe is less valuable," Mike said as the front doorknob turned. The ladies were back, bright-eyed, energetic, and loaded with bags precisely as Rick predicted. The men watched in disbelief as the ladies struggled into the house and shut the door behind them, then broke out laughing as one.

"What?" asked Jenny, confused.

"Hey!" objected Veronica, "It's the girls' job to do that the guys! No fair!"

"Nathan Fox, what have you been telling them?" Cassie asked, hands on her hips, until the bags' weight shifted them.

"Nothing they didn't already know, I swear!"

"Good thing she didn't ask me that," Mike whispered behind his hand to the guys, and they all broke out laughing again.

"Okay, just for that, bro, you're staying for the whole thing, whether you like it or not!"

"Wait, staying for what?"

"The show. Rick needs to see what the card bought, so we'd better show him, right? You three, basement, ten minutes. Get going."

Confused but intrigued, the men grabbed the Doritos bag and couple of beers they had put in the fridge earlier, for Mike and Nate.

*****

Ten minutes later, The guys had settled into a few folding chairs in the basement, along the far wall. They had taken the initiative to fold up the Ping-Pong table and move it aside, as well as a couple of other details.

"You boys ready?" Veronica called from the stairs.

"Yup!" Mike answered.

"Then buckle up!" She turned the corner, strutting in her sexy business suit.

"I have a playlist for this; hang on," Rick said. On a hunch, he had plugged it into Mike's stereo system. The next moment, "Hot Stuff" filled the basement.

"You have a playlist for this?" asked Nate.

"He has a playlist for everything," Mike said over the music, "I call it Rick Magical iPod."

"It ain't the only thing I got that's magical, according to the ladies," Rick said.

"You boys gonna yap," said Veronica, who had approached them during this time, "Or will I have to keep someone after class?" With this, she placed one heel on the chair, directly between Nate's legs. Nate gulped.

"Business casual," said Veronica, speaking to Rick but not taking her eyes off of her helpless prey. "The garters keep the stockings up, so... totally necessary, I'm sure you'd agree..." She outlined the top, unbuttoned portion of her shirt.

"Since I can't seem to close this part, oh my, I think my bra is showing. That needs to fit in, don't you agree?" The men all nodded slowly. Leaning in to Nate, giving him the world's best angle of her bosom, she spoke in a stage whisper:

"The panties just had to match. And wouldn't you just love for me to prove it?"

She abruptly pulled away, leaving all three men hanging tough. "Not tonight, sweeties. Aw, you're so adorable when you're horny." With a wicked laugh, she sashayed away, to the beat of the music.

Cassie was next, and entered the men's view. Nate cringed and shut his eyes, plugging his ears and turning away.




The Warmest Winter, Day 14



"Ah! I can't be seeing this! This is torture!"

"You think that's torture?" said Rick, "We can see her, but can't do anything about it!"

Mike laughed. The music changed to the next track, and Cassie grooved to the beat. Mike and Rick were both remorselessly hard and had to adjust their seat position. Cassie walked over to Rick.

"Thanks for the blouse. I like it a lot. Don't you?" Cassie asked, leaning in. To the rest of her ensemble, she's added a simple necklace featuring a small blue gem, dangling just above her bust. Reaching her hand up, she pulled ever-so-slightly on the edge of the front of the shirt. "You want to see what I've got under here? Do ya?" Rick nodded slowly, fully expecting her to pull out her bra strap. Instead, he got a close-up view of... his credit card. She kissed him on the forehead chastely as she handed it back to him, then turned around.

"You like the skirt? Took me forever to find it. Hugs the right parts, you know? What do you think?" Rick, for once in his life, was speechless.

"Hey!" Cassie said suddenly, "No touching!"

"No touching!" Nate echoed emphatically, taking a break from humming loudly to himself.

Cassie laughed brightly, and Rick took a sharp intake of breath.

The next thing poor Nate heard, Mike and Rick were having the time of their lives.

"Whoo, yeah, shake it!"

"Daddy likes, girl!"

"Damn, you fine!"

And so on, until finally, he felt Mike's hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, she went back about three minutes ago. We just wanted to see you squirm."

"Goddamn you, Mike!" Nate half-laughed, "You're worse than Jenny!"

"Someone call for me?" As if on cue, a new song cued up. It was low, deep, sultry, and Latin. Even Jenny felt it. Closing her eyes at times, she stepped to the beat and danced up to the guys, settling in front of Mike. Mike sat, eyes wide, rigid from his head to his head to his feet.

"You know," Jenny purred, "I've never owned a little black dress before. Thank your friend for me."

"I've been paid in full, trust me," said Rick. Jenny tossed a gaze his way, letting her hair drop down over her shoulder.

"Of course, I don't think it's fair for Rick to just see the one thing, aside from the shoes." She went to Rick and turned around, lifting her hair to expose her back.

"Unzip me, please," she requested, which when Rick was done, left even more of her back exposed. She gently laid her hair across a shoulder, to keep it off her back, then walked smoothly back over to Mike.

"Now he's seen. Would you be so kind, as to put me back together?" She turned and Mike took in the smooth skin all down her back. He'd appreciated it before of course, but it was so much hotter today for some reason. Across her back was the bra strap, and at the very bottom of the zipper he spied just a snippet of her panties. Was that... tiger print?

When he came to zip her up, it was torture, being so close and not being able to touch her. He wanted to be friends, true, and he wanted to focus on the trial, but he most certainly did miss her touch. And to be the one to close it off, left him wanting so much more.

As Jenny sauntered off, she called back. "Bye-bye for now, boys. Thanks again for the shopping trip! Oh, and in case you think we were picking favorites, Veronica drew the names out of a hat and told us the order. Be glad you didn't get Cassie, Nate!" Laughing, she went back upstairs.

A full three minutes later, the men moved again.

"Okay," said Nate slowly, "I get it now. My sister aside, you had to live with that for two weeks? I'm surprised you can walk. Man, I forgive you."

"And forget the circumstances- the fact you could say no to any of that at all takes more cojones than I've ever had," said Rick, "Dude, my respect for you grows and grows."

"Gee, thanks, I think," said Mike. "Shall we meet them upstairs? Long day tomorrow, as I understand it."

"Right," said Rick, instantly back into lawyer mode.

It took some time for the girls to come back downstairs, being quite careful with their new clothes as they put them away. Once they had, Rick made it clear they all needed to get back to business.

"I understand a lot of steam and pent-up energy needed to be expended at this time. And I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong. But right now, I need a good night's sleep, and so does Mike. I'd recommend it for the rest of you as well. Mike, you get your stuff back in order. We left it a bit of a mess in the dining room. Veronica, you help him. Cassie and Nate, I'll let you two have a family moment. Jenny, would you help me bring my stuff back out to the car? I do not feel like tripping in the dark."

Outside, Rick put his briefcase into the back seat of the car, and began adjusting the seat and mirrors for his tall frame, rather than for Nate's shorter one.

"I need to talk to you," he said conversationally. "About Mike."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but hell, it's our only shot. Our case is not as strong as I would like it to be. I have very few cards to play. The law is trump, and right now it's on the Harringtons' side. Whatever the way out is, it's in Mike's head. Problem is, that head? It's not in the game. Something's keeping him from doing what I know he wants to."

"Why-"

"Why am I telling you? Because you can get to him. I can, given time, and I've tried. But now we're out of time. You're the best shot."

"What makes you think I can?"

"Let's just say I listen to more than what's said. Do you care about Mike?"

Jenny was taken aback. "Uh, yeah. Of course I do."

"Then please, do what you can. He's not just my client; he's my friend, too. Get Veronica and Cassie out of the house tomorrow -- I don't care how. No distractions, just you and Mike. Let Nate know it's time to go."

When Jenny walked back into the house, she had a thoughtful look on her face, but everyone was feeling good enough nobody noticed.

Nate kissed his sister on the cheek and said his goodbye. The girls were starting to fill Mike in on the details of their shopping trip, as Mike cast one last "Help me" look to Nate. But Nate had to go. On his way out, he spotted the upturned hat with slips of paper in it. It must have been the one Veronica used. On a hunch, he checked. The slips were blank. Smiling, he walked out into the cold.



The Warmest Winter, Day 15



The Warmest Winter, Day 15 

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders. 

***** 

Jenny's eyes snapped open, and she habitually looked at the clock. Seven twenty-six. 

Six? It had been seven for years, like... well, like clockwork. Sure, she'd sometimes go back to bed or have to get up sooner, but this... something was definitely out of whack. But what? 

Carefully placing the thought aside in her head, Jenny got out of bed and waited until the proper minute arrived. She felt no different. It would have been strange, to someone unfamiliar with her, to see her worry about waking up a minute early, but over the years it had become a tremendous source of comfort and familiarity. Those first couple of days out here in the middle of nowhere, when Jenny still had lingering doubts in the back of her mind, somehow the connection to all her other mornings settled her down. 

And it was such an amazing thing that she had relaxed. Michael Evans was a singular man, she thought, and she felt fortunate to call him a friend. Caring, intelligent, funny... nimble in the mind, not to mention the bedroom... and there was something else about him, something Jenny couldn't quite place. 

In the end Jenny decided to shrug it off. She'd figure it out eventually. For now, she thought as she dressed, she had a job to do. Charged by Mike's lawyer and friend, Jenny had to get Mike to focus his high-performance brain and figure out how to keep the house. 

That could be tricky. He could see through most influences. Therefore, she had to get him to convince himself. He was competitive, and that was to her advantage. People also tend to hunker down in their own position when faced with opposition. Then again, flat reverse psychology would not work, as he'd see right through it... 

Jenny's mind circled the issue, a subroutine humming along in the back of her thoughts as she went downstairs for breakfast. 

***** 

Cassie was back to old habits, as evidenced by the omelets awaiting her friends. They made their usual chitchat, about life, the universe, and everything. Late in the meal, as Cassie was preparing Mike's omelet for when he came down, Jenny made up her mind on the plan. 

"Hey, V? Cassie?" They turned to look at her. 

"Rick asked me to do something for him today," Jenny explained, "To help Mike with the case. Part of it means no distractions. Think you can come up with a reason to leave the house for the bulk of the day?" 

"No need; we've got reasons," said Veronica. "Just leave it to me when Mike comes down." 

Mike came down a little later than usual, which only added to Jenny's mounting undercurrent of worry. It didn't mean anything- but it might mean a lot. The trouble was, Mike was pulling away, she could feel it, and it also felt like there was nothing she could do. 

"Good morning!" he greeted effusively. The women greeted him back. 

"Bacon and cheddar?" Mike grinned. 

"You know it," Cassie said, with a slight curtsy. 

Cassie cleaned up the breakfast dishes while Veronica played some Facebook game on her tablet involving bright colors, profane reactions, and a deep, masculine voice saying "Divine!" every so often. Jenny stared at her laptop and pretended to read the same paragraph over and over. 

"Hey, Mike?" Veronica finally piped up. 

"Yeah?" 

"Mind if Cassie and I run into town today? All this court stuff's making us twitchy." 

"Not a problem. Um, what about Jenny?" 

"Oh, I've uh, I've got to exercise," said Jenny. It was true, she did. She was relieved she didn't have to make an outright lie. "And I can fret here as easily an anywhere else." 

"Yeah," reiterated Mike, "Take the Hummer. Might need gassing up." 

"We'll manage," said Veronica, right before "Sugar Crush!" sounded from her tablet. Pumping a fist into the air, Veronica made her way up to her room to get ready to go. 

After she finished the dishes, Cassie, too went upstairs to prepare. Mike smiled to himself. 

"What?" asked Jenny, noticing. 

"Oh, nothing. You ladies all have to go to your rooms for five minutes just to walk out the front door. I put on my shoes and a coat and I'm good to go. It's a guys-versus-girls thing, I guess. That's all." 

"Ah." 

Mike looked over. 

"Was there something else?" 

"I was wondering what exactly Rick plans on doing." 

"Dunno. I didn't ask. But I trust him. He'll make it happen." 

"He knows what's best for the case? Even better than you?" 

"...Yeah, I'd say so. Why?" 

"No reason." 

***** 

"You sure this is the place?" Nate asked as he pulled into the parking lot. 

"It's the only church around here, "said Rick, "I did the research. Most locals attend on Sunday mornings. Those that don't can be told by those that do. And I have permission of the preacher to speak after service." 

"Need me to come in with you?" 

"The more faces they see in Mike's favor other than his lawyer's, the better. That's why even if the ladies didn't want to come before, I would insist. Glad I didn't have to." 

Getting out, the men made their way up to the door. It was a typical rural church, one of those that would be a stand-alone sanctuary if not for the attached preacher's office and the supply room. A pavilion was visible near the treeline, evidently for summertime functions. 

Nate went to open the door straightaway, but Rick held him back. 

"Hang on," he said in a low voice, "We don't want to be disruptive. It's a small church -- we'll attract attention just by entering." 

When the congregation inside burst into an a capella hymn, Rick nodded, and the pair slipped into the building. The noise was low, relative to the voices, and only those hit by the cold draft turned to see the newcomers. They smiled with moderate warmth as Rick and Nate found seats in the back row. 

Could be worse, thought Rick. 

Once the congregation sat down, the preacher stood up to finish the service. When he noticed Rick, he gave a slight nod of recognition, which Rick professionally returned. 

"And now," said the preacher at the end of the service, "I have a community announcement for you. But it would be better to come directly from the source. Mister Tessaro, would you please come up?" 

Rick got up and approached, shaking the preacher's hand with a smile. Turning around, he scanned the congregation's faces. A little over two dozen people, this congregation was directly connected to half of the people he wanted to reach, and could talk to the rest if he motivated them. 

Nate gave Rick a thumbs-up from the back. Rick restrained from rolling his eyes. 

"Thank you, Pastor Downey. And thank all of you for your time this Sunday morning. My name is Richard Tessaro, and I am a close friend to Michael Evans. Some of you may have met him over the last four years, and some of you may even know the full story of his involvement in this area. There is a situation I would like you to know about regarding his presence here, because I am also Mike's lawyer. 

"When I met Mike, he was a college senior, breezing through his classes and already earning ridiculous amounts of money doing freelance consulting. My only saving grace was that I, too, was something of a prodigy, albeit restricted to the law. He saw even more potential in me, and recruited me for what, to this day, is my most interesting assignment ever. 

"Mike wanted his dream house. But the property was in an unfortunate location. Twenty miles from the nearest public road, bordering a small national park. I worked with him to use multiple legal means to make tweaks to local laws and ordinances, to allow him to achieve his dream. 

"Every step of the way, Mike insisted that he would help the park in exchange. The combined effect of all of the changes was that in exchange for his dream house, Mike enabled the park to stay open ten months out of the year, where thanks to cuts it had only been able to stay open for six. He cares about the area. Every winter he stays here, he lives as a local. His food, gas, and other supplies all support the local economy in the tourism off-season. 

"And now, someone has done it again, someone else. If they get their way, Mike will be forced to leave his house, the one he dreamed of and worked for. It is for this reason I am here. At the county courthouse, tomorrow, at one in the afternoon, there is a public hearing for the most recent law and policy changes. I urge you to come, and voice your protests against this injustice to my friend, and yours. Thank you." 

***** 

Veronica and Cassie explored the town a little in the Hummer before picking somewhere to eat. There wasn't much, so exploring a little was all they could do, and there was only one good diner that wasn't filled with truckers. 

The women walked inside and shook off the cold, glancing around at the place. It looked like a Mom-and-Pop cross between a Waffle House and a Cracker Barrel. 

"Hi!" greeted a waitress brightly, "Any preference on where y'all'd like to sit?" 

"Over here!" came a voice. Turning, Cassie and Veronica saw Rick and Nate in a booth, drinks in hand. Nate was waving them over. 

"You said party of two, cutie!" cooed the server. She had to be at least twice Nate's age. Veronica was about to say something, but Cassie laughed. Joining the men in the seats, they began chatting. Cassie bunched up next to Rick, not wanting to be next to her brother. 

"It's a sibling thing," she explained. Nate stuck his tongue out at her. The girls ordered drinks, hot cocoa for both of them. Even Rick was having a cup, although he declined marshmallows to limit his sugar intake. 

"Well," said Rick, producing a credit card, "I think this counts as a business lunch for us, since you're my driver and you two are character witnesses. I think I can swing it." 

"So does that make you a swinger?" Cassie asked. Nate nearly swallowed his straw. Rick raised an eyebrow at his seat companion. 

Veronica wisely changed the subject. "So how did it go?" 

"Well, I gave them the speech," Rick said, "It seemed to go over well enough. It got them thinking, at least. That's all I can expect on such short notice. Took a few questions, but most people hadn't heard much about it and didn't know what to ask. Stan and Tina were interesting, though." 

"How's that?" asked Cassie. 

"Well, Jenny apparently said something yesterday, and that got Tina motivated. Apparently the Wives' Club around here is strong and active. A lot of husbands are going to find their beds cold indeed if they do not plan on attending tomorrow. Like I said, interesting." 

The drinks arrived, and the ladies ordered. The conversation flowed, and the food was good. Sometime later, as they waited for the check to be processed, talk circled back to the day's plans. 

"So what's next?" asked Veronica. 

"Next stop is the park itself. I had Ranger Dave set up a meeting with as many rangers as could make it. The park should have a say, shouldn't it?" 

"Ooh, I've wanted to see the park since-" Cassie paused. "Well, since I knew it was there! Can I come with?" 

"It's pretty boring," said Rick. Nate nodded his agreement. 

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something fun to do," said Cassie. Nate looked intently at the bottom of his cocoa mug. 

"What about you, Veronica? Won't you be bored by yourself?" 

"Hey, if she's going with you, you don't need me to drive. I'll keep Ronni company." 

"Actually, now I... never mind," Veronica said. She realized she didn't mind it so much when Nate said it. 

"Glad that's settled," said Rick, producing a quarter. "Okay, Nate. You and me. Winner gets to pick between the Hummer and the Camaro. I'll be flipping onto my hand. Call it in the air." 

***** 

After about three minutes of haggling the fine points of a coin flip, Nate and Rick agreed that Cassie would take Rick in the Camaro and Nate would drive Veronica around in the Hummer. 

"So, what should I expect?" Cassie asked between directions from the GPS. 

"Just me and the rangers, talking about the deal," shrugged Rick, absentmindedly riffling through papers in the briefcase on his lap. "Probably nothing new to you." 

"What would you like for me to do for you?" she asked. Rick looked askance at her. Was she aware of the double meanings her questions could have? Or was his attraction to her just playing tricks on him? 

"Umm... I'm meeting them at the Visitors Center, so I guess you could look around," he suggested. "Keeping that place well-staffed was one of our contributions, so it's a not-so-subtle reminder of all we've done for them." 

"Turn left in... point... five... miles..." the GPS interrupted. 

"We're almost there," said Rick, "Game time." 

Upon getting out, they saw a number of cars and trucks outside the building -- a good sign. Inside, Rick saw the rangers gathered, a couple in uniform, near the information desk, where there were benches and chairs. 

"Rick, good to see you again," said Dave. When Mike made his original deal, Rick and Dave got fairly familiar with one another, Dave being the liaison to the park rangers. Dave turned to his co-workers. "Guys, and gals, this is Rick Tessaro. He helped Mike put together the original deal that helped us out so much. Now some people are trying to kick Mike out. I, for one, am supporting Mike, but Rick is here to answer any questions we have, so we can all make better informed decisions." 

The question-and-answer session began, first with some background questions, and then with specifics in regards to how various law and policy changes affected the park. These rangers were committed to their work, and certainly not fools. This worried Rick. He didn't want to pull the wool over their eyes, but the full truth could inadvertently cause more harm than good. 

Cassie got bored quickly, so she took Rick's suggestion and wandered around. Wandering from glass case to glass case, she learned more than she expected about the park. 

Rick fielded most of the questions with ease. He'd guided enough witnesses in testimony that he could roll with the punches. Cassie, however, managed to be distracting, even though he only occasionally saw her between the display kiosks. The first time, she was taking off her hat, shaking out her hair and running her hand through it. The scarf came off next, then her gloves. A couple of minutes later, she happened to stop right behind a gap between the rangers, and peeled off her coat, bending her arms back to let it drop, which just so happened to arch her back and accentuate her breasts. 

Rick became more and more thankful that his briefcase was concealing his groin from public view. If the fabric of his pants was stretched anymore, they would rip and he'd be in very public view. Damn it all, did she have to do this right now? Hell, did she even know, or was she just this innately sexy? 

He suddenly became aware that Dave was talking to him. 

"...very much for your time and candor. We appreciate it. We'll talk among ourselves now, and you can count on at least me being there tomorrow." 

"Thanks, Dave. Always a pleasure." 

"Anytime." 

"Cassie?" Rick called. "We're ready to go." The whole thing had taken close to an hour, not including the drive, which had been close to half an hour with all of the twists and turns in the roads. 

"Cool. Let me get my stuff." 

She turned away from him, bending over to retrieve the items she had stowed under one of the benches. Rick tore his gaze away before she caught him staring. 

"Where to next, boss?" she asked innocently. 

"My hotel room," he said, "I need a shower." 

There. Two can play that game, Rick thought. 

***** 

It didn't take Veronica and Nate long before they got bored and decided to just hang out in Nate's hotel room, next to Rick's. 

"Hey, Ronni?" Nate asked once they had settled in. 

"Yeah?" Veronica was at the table, shuffling a deck of cards in the hopes of getting some kind of game started. Nate always had one on him, just in case. 

"Recognize this?" 

Veronica saw Nate hold it up as he sat down on the edge of the queen-size bed. 

"It's a piece of confetti?" Veronica guessed. 

Nate laughed. "No. It's one of the 'numbered slips' you used to determine who toyed with whom last night. I couldn't help but notice that it's blank." 

"Well, Jenny and Mike are, well, it's obvious, right?" Veronica babbled nervously, "And Cassie seems to have the hots for Rick, so that left me and you, it doesn't mean-" 

"Stop right there," Nate said calmly. There was a timbre in his voice that he used on the job and rarely in personal matters, but this was important. "If that were true, you would have sent them in first, then gone last. No sense in taking a chance the show might be stopped before your intended results occur." 

"That's not necessarily true," Veronica objected, "Besides, you know I'm a flirt. I date all kinds of different guys all the time. You, I mean, have you still not gotten a girlfriend yet? Do you even like girls? What's this to you?" She was grasping at straws, at anything that might help her figure out what was going on. The cards lay in a pile on the table. 

"Almost everything you just said or implied is not true," Nate continued. 

"That's-" 

"Ahem. You are a flirt. Correct. You do not, however, date all kinds of different guys. I've known you since I was in third grade, and you have yet to have a serious relationship. Boytoys on speed-dial, yes. Relationship? No. Have I gotten a girlfriend yet? Still working on it." 

"What does that-" 

"I'm not done. Technically, I do not like girls." 

"I knew-" 

"I've only ever liked the one. Just one girl. Now a woman." 

"Who-" 

"Don't be dense. I know you're smarter than that." Nate stopped, remembering the bit from The Replacements where Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves talk about being a duck on a pond, all calm on the surface, but underneath the feet are kicking like mad. Thank God for his cop training, he thought, to keep a cool front when your heart feels like it's attempting a jailbreak from your ribcage. 

Veronica was silent, confused, catching up to the conversation for a while. Suddenly her eyes widened. 

"ME?!" 

Nate laughed. "Yes, you, silly. You want the whole story?" 

"Uh, yeah," Veronica said, still stunned. She got up and sat next to Nate, who held her trembling hands in his own. 

"Do you remember when you were in seventh grade, and you were upset that nobody you liked was asking you to the Spring dance at your school? When I heard you say that, I realized how much I wanted to take you, and how dumb the other boys must have been not to see how awesome you are, et cetera, et cetera. That's when I knew I liked you." 

"I think I would have said yes," Veronica said softly. 

"Alas for me, I was basically a brother to you already. But to me, you were definitely not a sister. Recall, if you will, what happened after your senior prom." 

"I'd rather not." 

"I mean, after you finally got away from the guy." 

"You kicked his ass. Nearly hospitalized him." 

"Afterwards, I had to ask myself why. Because it wasn't just defending a friend. It was even more personal than that. I was... territorial. It was my job to comfort you, protect you, be there for you, as a partner, you know? And you gave that role to another guy, fine, I could accept that. But when he betrayed that trust... I lost my cool. Not because he hurt a friend, but because he hurt you." 

Veronica wanted to remind him that the rat bastard never actually succeeded, but her throat was choked up. She tried giving him a look to convey her feelings, but tears were filling her vision. 




The Warmest Winter, Day 15



"I never knew..." she managed, "How could I not have seen-" 

"Sshh, it's okay," Nate said, bringing her into an embrace, "You see now. That's the point." 

Pulling herself together, Veronica explained, "You know, I only recently realized what I wanted out of a man. I think not knowing is what led me to not commit to anyone before." 

Nate wisely stayed silently attentive. 

"And then I know what I want, and here you are, and it's you. It's the guy you've always been. The friend, the companion, the man I want to be with, it's you. I can't believe it. I think I'm in shock." 

"I was hoping for love, but shock will do in a pinch," Nate grinned. Veronica took half a second before playfully punching his arm. 

"You rat," she said, but smiled. Nate's day got infinitely better. "God, I wish I could say I fell in love with you, too, you know? But I'm just starting to, Nate. I feel like you deserve better." 

"There's nobody better than you," Nate said with conviction, leaning in for a kiss, "And if you want to, I'm fairly certain you'll catch up to me in no time." 

When their lips connected, Veronica felt just as certain. She had never been with anyone so patient and tender. It was exhilarating. 

"I want you, Nate," she whispered in his ear, "Be with me." 

"Always," he replied. 

Veronica pulled away a little to look Nate in the eyes. 

"Before we do, you should know..." 

"You and Mike. Rick and I got it out of him. No specifics, but I got the gist. And we're cool. I mean, the man's obviously got good taste." 

"Other men have made me feel sexy," Veronica said, "How is it only you can make me feel beautiful?" 

"Dunno. I tell the truth?" Veronica crushed his mouth against hers for that answer. 

"Seriously, though, have you ever been with a woman before?" Veronica asked. 

"Good grief, I thought I was the interrogator. Let's get this out of the way, shall we? We're both clean and you're on the pill. We both know what we're doing. I've had flings, but they were really just practice for right now. Speaking of, can we please get on with getting it on?" 

Nate had always been a fun person to get frustrated, and in bed it became hilarious. Veronica threw back her head to laugh, and Nate took the opportunity to attack her chest with his lips. 

The pace accelerated soon after; Veronica had not even pleased herself for days, and Nate had been eagerly awaiting this day for over six years. 

Rolling across the bed, Veronica and Nate stripped one another whenever their hands were free, all the while kissing like mad. Veronica had on her garters, as with the previous evening, which meant Nate was naked first. He barely kept himself from going over the brink when she took him into her mouth. He was able to distract himself by getting the garters undone. Once free, he slid her lacey white panties down her legs to her knees. They were both kneeling, Veronica's head bobbing up and down, Nate leaning over her running his hands over her ass. He slipped a finger between her legs and felt her shiver with excitement as he ran it up and down her slit. 

Veronica was wet -- very, very wet. Nate brought his finger up to taste her for the first time, and again had to hold himself back. 

"Let me return the favor," he managed between gasps. 

"Some other time," Veronica said. Shoving Nate onto his back, she climbed on top of him and turned around, showing her ass to him again. With practiced movements, she aimed him and guided him into her. Both Nate and Veronica cried out. 

Veronica swiftly established a rhythm. She wasn't going to drag this out any more -- they had both waited long enough for this day. Using her inimitable flexibility, she arched her back until her head lay next to Nate's. She did so slowly, so as not to disrupt their lovemaking, which gave Nate time to guide her hair out of the way. 

Once in this new position, Nate wrapped his arms around Veronica, and angled for a renewed kiss. With his hands on her chest, and hers on his hips, she had never felt so close to anyone, certainly not in bed. 

Nate must have felt it, too, because he began to meet her, thrust for thrust. He swelled even more rigid inside her, and she began to slow the rhythm as her body took over. 

"Veronica," Nate whispered, his voice full of love and lust, "I'm going to-" 

"Yes," she whispered back, "Do it." 

He closed his eyes to focus on the pleasure, and Veronica did the same. 

"Oh, Nathan!" Veronica moaned. 

Nate drilled into her one last time, then let himself go. Veronica's whole body went electric as she felt him jettison into her, time and again. Her silent scream of ecstasy matched Nate's equally silent roar. 

They stayed in that position until Nate had gone soft and his legs were threatening to fall asleep. They passed the time by making out and holding each other as the aftershocks caught them each in turn. 

***** 

"Okay, so what's pass interference?" Jenny asked. Mike had decided to spend the evening watching the playoffs at the big screen in the basement, and Jenny joined him once she was done exercising. She decided to ask him about football, which she had enjoyed watching but never understood before. 

"Well, when a defensive player wants to prevent an offensive player from being able to catch the ball, he obviously can't just throw the guy to the ground and pin his arms. A line has to be drawn somewhere. Pass interference crosses that line. Beyond that we get into things like unnecessary roughness, personal foul, and other things." 

"Ah. Why was it half the distance to the goal that time?" 

"The penalty would have put them into the end zone, causing a safety." 

"What's a safety?" 

"You're down in your own end zone, the one behind you. Two points for the other team. Penalties should not directly cause points to be scored, hence the modification to the penalty." 

"Ah." 

They sat in silence for a while, just letting the game happen. Jenny found herself enjoying the time. She liked this side of Mike, just hanging out, doing whatever together. It made her nearly decide not to bring up the issue, but she felt she had to, for Mike's own good. She took a deep breath. Oh, well. Time to see if her latest plan would work. 

"I've been meaning to ask," she said casually, "Why do you want to keep the house, exactly?" 

***** 

After washing up and getting dressed again, Veronica and Nate had The Talk. 

"So, what are we now?" Veronica asked, twirling her hair with one finger, a nervous habit. 

"You know where I stand," said Nate, "It's up to you. What do you want?" 

"I..." Veronica settled herself. This was huge. "I want to see where this goes. May I be your first girlfriend?" 

Nate came over and kissed her. "Of course you may. We are boyfriend-girlfriend. We are a couple. We are dating... Have I missed anything?" 

"You missed a spot," Veronica said, pointing to her lips. 

"Well, just to be thorough..." They kissed again. 

"So what do we do next?" Veronica asked. "Sit around and wait until we recover, then throw ass at each other again?" 

"Sounds great!" said Nate, "But I should get you back to Mike's. When Rick and Cassie are done, they'll go there to drop off Cassie. Rick'll probably want to get to bed early, given the Chri-" 

"Ssshh! Don't say it! You'll jinx it!" 

"Okay, okay... given the thing, we'd better get going." 

Halfway down the long access road to Mike's house, Nate reached over to Veronica's seat. 

"What are you doing?" Veronica asked. 

"Returning the favor." 

"On the road?!" 

"It's not just for guys, you know. Besides, drive slow." 

Eventually, Veronica had to stop the car. It was parked on the road for quite a lot longer than either of them first expected. For some reason, they lost track of the time... 

***** 

"Was that Vee and Nate leaving as we pulled in?" Cassie asked Rick. 

"I didn't get a good look. Probably." 

They went into Rick's hotel room, and Rick excused himself to shower off. Even for such a short trip, he packed heavy. He knew he had to be presentable at all times, and so brought a plethora of suits. Selecting for now a casual outfit, he went into the bathroom and shut the door to shower. Cassie snooped around. 

Good lord, this man had a lot of paperwork. That told Cassie quite a bit. He flew halfway across the country on very little notice, and put trial-level resources to work, just for a hearing, because it was his friend. Cassie found herself melting a little inside at the thought of how softhearted Rick must be deep down, to have such loyalty. Then, of course, it was Rick's hardness that occupied her thoughts. She caught glimpses through the thin fabrics formal clothes are always made out of. He seemed to be as cut as Mike, who was mouthwatering when unshirted, let alone naked. Cassie felt herself get wet at the thought of a body like that, naked, just behind the door... 

Feeling mischievous, Cassie hatched a plan. Maybe Jenny was a bad influence, maybe not. Time would tell. 

Rick got out of the bathroom clothed, running the towel through his dark hair to finish drying it. Cassie brushed by him as she whisked in for her turn at the shower. 

"Thanks for getting it warm for me!" she said before shutting the door. Rick cursed in his head at her ambiguity. Trying to set it out of his mind, he sorted through his paperwork, getting it into shape for tomorrow. The thing at Mike's place the next morning would leave little time after tonight, but it would be worth it, win or lose. 

"Sorry," said Cassie, opening the door. "Where's the other shampoo and conditioner? You used enough that I need another bottle for my hair." 

"Behind you on the sink," Rick replied, looking over. Cassie was dripping, having already stepped into and out of the shower. Her hair was flat around her face and shoulders. She had a towel wrapped around her, barely big enough to cover from her nipples to the bottom of her ass. 

"Oh, I see. Thanks!" Cassie turned to grab it, and her towel slipped from her other hand's grasp. For a second, Rick saw Cassie's bare backside, hair to heels. It looked delectable and his cock jumped in his pants. Suddenly reaching to replace the towel using a hand already carrying hair care bottles, she let something else slip her grasp but appeared not to notice. 

Cassie turned a little red, then darted back into the bathroom. Along the way, she glanced at Rick through their reflections in the mirror. Then she was back in the shower. 

Rick got up. That look had been the last clue. Looking at what she had dropped into the sink, his suspicions were confirmed. It was a white lingerie bottom, and on a new hunch he gave it a sniff. It smelled of a beautiful woman's arousal, and that was all Rick needed. 

Cassie was just beginning to think of what to do next when she heard the bathroom door open and shut. 

"R-Rick?" 

"You've been quite naughty all day." 

Cassie's breath shortened, her heart suddenly racing. 

"Oh?" she managed. 

"You know exactly what you've been doing, and now, you're going to get what you've been asking for." 

Cassie felt a primal feeling of triumph emanate from between her legs, which were shaking with... fear? Anticipation? 

"Do you know what's going to happen now?" There was a force in Rick's tone that went straight to Cassie's brain and turned off all sorts of higher functions that would not be needed soon. "Now, I am going to join you in there. You are going to give it to me, and I am going to take it." 

The curtain ripped aside, and Cassie gaped. Rick was naked, and fully erect. His eyes were gleaming, and his mouth curled into a hint of a smile. And he was in fact very well-cut. A soft groan slipped from Cassie's lips. 

Rick stepped into the tub and shut the curtain behind him, not wavering his gaze from Cassie's for a second. Then with lightning reflexes he scooped her up and closed his mouth over hers. On instinct, Cassie jumped up and wrapped her legs around Rick's waist. His throbbing erection pressed against her clit, and with her hips, she slid up and down ever-so-slightly against him. 

Rick and Cassie had their arms around one another now, their kisses frantic and charged. Rick felt Cassie's hardened nipples drag along his chest, and knew it excited her as much as it did him. 

As the water poured over them, they let the first wave of passion overtake them, until Cassie cried out, grinding against Rick's cock through her climax. 

"Mmmm," Rick growled. "You owe me for that." Dropping her, Rick guided her to her knees, where he presented her with his stiff prick. 

When Cassie started work on him, Rick's eyes rolled back into his head. Without thinking, he thrust his hips, and to his surprise found Cassie very accommodating, even eager. Spurred on, he placed his hands on either side of her head, guiding her up and down. On occasion, he'd give her an instruction; higher, lower, deeper, circle here now, this spot now, harder. 

Eventually Rick went from guiding Cassie's mouth on his cock, to holding her head while he thrust. Her groans, and how hard she was masturbating as she sucked him, told him how much she liked him being in control. Everything he discovered about this woman made him want her more. 

When he finally couldn't wait any longer, Rick helped Cassie to her feet, then spun her around and pinned her against the shower wall. She gasped at the cold contrast against her, especially on her nipples, but didn't have long to dwell on it. Rick grabbed her by the hips and positioned her, just as he positioned himself behind her. 

With long, smooth pushes, Rick eventually was able to sheathe himself entirely within Cassie. When she felt his balls slap against her for the first time, she let out a guttural gasp that from a man would be an undeniable grunt. Bracing herself against the wall with her hands, Cassie focused on holding her ass out so Rick could fuck it, on standing, and on being the most turned on she'd ever been, which said a Hell of a lot. 

Rick was having trouble deciding. He'd no sooner settled into a rhythm with his hands on Cassie's juicy hips and ass, than he would switch and grab her by the tits. When he pinched her nipples, she would throw her head back and moan loudly, and he loved that. But he settled on her waist in short order. From there, he could still pound Cassie's pink flesh, control the positioning, and feel how tense she was from the throes of their collision. 

Her skin was hot, he noticed. Was there anything not perfect about this fine young thing? Oh, there it was. 

"Hey," he growled huskily, "Keep those hips where I put them." To emphasize, he grabbed her hips roughly and slammed into her once before resuming his former pace. 

Cassie's eyes lit up when he did this, and she turned her head to look back over her shoulder at him. Rick then saw the sexiest thing, hands-down, he'd ever laid eyes on. The look on Cassie's face conveyed everything. She wasn't the lay-back type; she was just letting him have his way with her because she wanted him to. 

From that moment, Rick knew how he wanted to proceed, and a shower fuck just wasn't good enough. He turned off the water and told Cassie, "Bed. Now." 

Excited, she raced to the bed and crawled under the covers before Rick had a chance to follow. Seeing her, he ripped the blankets clear of the bed in one pull. 

"What are you going to do to me, Mister?" Cassie said innocently, curling up and covering herself with her hands. 

"You little minx," Rick said, "I'm gonna do what you know we both want me to. I'm gonna fuck you now." 

"You weren't before?!" Cassie remarked before Rick drove all reason out of her brain. With strong arms, he flipped her over and arranged Cassie into being on her hands and knees. Kneeling behind her, Rick impaled her again, down to the hilt in one go. Cassie bucked. 

Hands on her hips, Rick pounded her without reservation or, for that matter, patience. Cassie clutched the sheets and bit the sheets, screaming through her gritted teeth. 

"FUCK!" she cried out suddenly. Her whole body shook with the force as her orgasm crushed her. "Oh, god! Take it! Take it! Take it, oh, fuck meeee!" 

This set Rick off even further, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that both of them would walk funny tomorrow. 

"Oh, yes, oh, yes, oh, yes," Cassie repeated over and over as wave after wave rippled through her. "I want to taste it," she whispered. "Please. I want you to come in my mouth." 

"Mmmm..." managed Rick, "I like the way you think. Agreed." Then he lost his mind. With what scraps that were left he pulled out, which told Cassie it was time. Rick lay back, quickly stretching out on the bed. At the same time, Cassie slid back over him, until her lips were clamped around his cock again, and his lips were not far from hers. Taking the cue, Rick grabbed her ass with both hands, then tongued his gorgeous bedroom companion as far as he could. At the last moment, he put his hands on Cassie's head again, and held her. His breath caught in his throat, and then all he saw was a flash of white. 

Cassie was so close from her earlier orgasm that even though her pussy wasn't being touched, she still came when Rick did. She closed her eyes and let mouthful after mouthful gush into her throat. She swallowed it all loudly, taking great pleasure in Rick's audible groan whenever he heard a gulp. When she was done, she gently licked up and down the top of his still-engorged shaft with the tip of her tongue, sometimes circling the head, eliciting shudders and jerks from Rick. When she finally released him, he licked her until she had another climax, this time a more subtle one, deeper and more intimate. 

"We are drenched with sweat," Rick observed. He and Cassie were laying on the bed in one another's arms, enjoying the afterglow. "I think we need a shower." 

Cassie laughed, and Rick couldn't help but join in. 

They were almost done with the shower when Rick pulled Cassie up, her legs wrapped around his waist as before. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, smiling. 

"We. What are we doing? And the answer is, having sex again, of course." With that, he slipped his resurrected cock into Cassie. She leaned back, letting the water course down her chest, forming a small river between her breasts. Rick hungrily accepted the invitation. 

***** 

"All I'm trying to say," said Jenny, following Mike up the stairs from the basement, "is that you might be trying too hard to hold on the past! Why are you being so defensive?" 

Mike whirled on her at the top of the stairs. "Why am I being so defensive? I don't know, maybe it's because you've known me for all of two weeks and think you can tell me what to do with my life!" 

"Don't pull that out-of-context crap on me, Mike, you know full well I'm only trying to get you to think!" Jenny returned his glare with one of equal ferocity. Mike stormed off again. 

"Oh, so I don't think? Man, the judgments just keep pouring in!" 

"I didn't mean it like that! I just want to break you out of the walls you've put up, and don't tell me I'm overstepping my bounds, you've admitted they're there yourself." 

"And is it really your place to do that? What gives you the right?" 

"It's not about my place or who has what rights, Mike! I'm trying to help!" 

"By telling me I'm wrong." 

"No, by getting you to ask different questions. Rick can only do so much, but there's a slam-dunk in this case, I can feel it, but it has to come from your head. If you consider giving up the house, really consider it, that could refresh your brain enough to see all possible solutions, including ones that don't involve giving up the house." 

"Did you actually count how many presumptions were in that cockeyed stratagem you just rambled? Or did it just not occur to you that you might just be wrong?" 




The Warmest Winter, Day 15



Jenny was starting to get scared. This was resistance beyond what she was expecting. Mike was, frankly, frightening when angry. What's worse, he kept control of it. 

"Okay, okay," she started, trying to calm herself down. "Let me see if I can try this another way." 

The front door opened. 

"We're back!" announced Veronica. Nate followed closely behind her. 

"Don't bother," said Mike, brushing by her to go upstairs. 

"What's going on?" Veronica asked, concerned. 

"Oh, nothing," said Mike breezily as he went up the stairs. "I've just been having a friendly discourse with a meddling bitch!" He called the last words over his shoulder before shutting the door to his room behind him. 

"Stubborn jackass!" Jenny shouted up in response. 

"Someone want to fill me in?" Nate said. 

"They get like that," Veronica said, "This is the worst I've seen it, though." 

The front door opened again. 

"Hey, bro! How was your day?" Cassie asked, giving Nate a hug. 

"Pretty damn awesome," he said. 

"There was, uh, steam still rising from your engine block when we pulled in," Rick mentioned, "Didn't you two leave, like, over an hour before Cassie and I?" 

Veronica whipped her head around and blushed. "We, um, stopped on the way in. For a while." Feeling bold, she took Nate's hand in hers. Cassie's eyes bulged. 

"You?! And you?! SQUEE!" Veronica and Nate found their necks yanked by the spontaneous hug from Cassie. Rick sat back and grinned at the scene. Jenny's head reeled. She knew Nate had a crush on Veronica since the Stone Age but... wow. 

"How was your time with Rick?" Nate asked pointedly. He had gotten a good look at Rick's face during the hug, and saw some familiar expressions. 

"Awesome!" 

"How awesome?" Nate raised an eyebrow at Rick. 

"Let me put it to you this way:" Rick confessed. "If anybody can tame me, it's her." 

"That just leaves you and Mike!" gushed Cassie; then she saw Veronica's frantic cutting motion across her throat. 

"Yeah, I... don't know about that," Jenny said. "It got pretty bad." She looked straight at Rick. "Your idea sucked. He exploded. I should never have pushed him, but no, I had to trust that you knew what you were doing. And now I..." She couldn't finish the sentence. 

Rick raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. I'm sorry. I forgot he could get like that. It's been a long time, and the wounds run deep. Jenny, I really am sorry. Please believe me when I tell you I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think it was our only shot." 

"Our only shot?!" Cassie said, until the others reminded her to lower her voice. "What are you talking about?" 

"I'm saying I honestly don't think I can win without some genius brainstorm. And the only person who could come up with one doesn't want to." 

"Do you still want to do the thing for tomorrow, considering everything?" Nate asked. 

Jenny thought for a while. 

"Yes. Yes, I do. Especially because of everything." 

"Okay, we'll be downstairs getting the stuff down." 

"I'll be along in a minute." 

Jenny watched the new couples head to the basement. God, it was so easy to see their connection, that crazy fire between them that said Love with a capital L. New or long-held, romantic or physical, all four of them screamed it. 

Screaming. They didn't know the half of what was said in the basement. Jenny's eyes teared up as she thought back. What had gotten into her? What made her try so hard? What had gotten her so out of whack today? Whatever it was, it was driving her crazy. 

The realization hit Jenny like a punch in the stomach. How she was feeling. Why she was acting the way she was. Why Mike mattered so much to her. How deeply she felt before she was ready to. How hard she had fallen for him. 

And now, how badly she had screwed it all up.



The Warmest Winter, Day 16



Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders.

*****

Michael Thomas Evans looked at himself in the mirror. It had taken a fair bit of focus to get to sleep after the argument he had with Jenny. Even so, it didn't feel very restful: even his dream thoughts were racing rapidly. Usually he could recall his dreams, and today only brought flashes and blurs.

He'd learned how to deal with times like this as early as high school. When he found that he had woken up an hour before his alarm, he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, letting his thoughts continue to sort themselves out as they did when he slept. It helped, but not much.

Maybe he'd been too hard on Jenny. She did seem like she was just trying to help. But after the last time she tried to push him, and what it took to sort that out, was she stubborn enough to try again? Or just arrogant? He shook his head. Arrogance wasn't her style. That sounded more like... Rick.

Mike groaned at the realization. Memory clicking into place, he recalled that Rick orchestrated time alone with Jenny before heading out two evenings before. That was the last time they'd seen each other before the argument. He must have put her up to it.

Still, she should have known better. And regardless of the reasons they both had, it wasn't worth it. He'd have to hash it out and settle the issue.

As if on cue, the second after Mike came to this conclusion, his alarm went off.

"I don't want clever... conversation," Billy Joel sang, "I never want to work that hard.... Mmmm... I just want someone... that I can talk to... I want you just the way you are..."

Click. Mike turned it off. He had to face the day sometime. Getting up, he did his usual morning routine, with only a few changes. He took more time shaving, so touch-ups before the hearing wouldn't be too tasking. And the clothes he put on were very casual and loose-fitting, easier to take off for more formal attire later. He'd shower later, too.

Boxers? Check. Jeans? Check. T-shirt? Check. He reminded himself to buy a fez.

Still trying to think of what to say to Jenny, he headed downstairs to face the music. What he found himself instead facing was a bow, like from a wrapped present, stuck to the inside of the second-floor door to his bedroom. He unstuck it, and palmed it, planning on asking about it at breakfast.

When Mike opened the door, his mouth dropped open. Someone had decorated his entire house with his Christmas decorations. The lights, the garlands... everything, it looked like.

Walking into the foyer, Veronica turned and spotted him.

"Hey, everybody! He's up!" she called.

Christmas music sprang from Mike's stereo in the living room, from what sounded like Rick's Magical iPod. People started pouring into the foyer from the kitchen. Nate joined Veronica and put his arm around her. Rick and Cassie followed, and then...

"Dave? Stan? And Tina?!" Mike gaped further.

"Merry Christmas, Mike!" everybody chorused.

"But it's nearly February!" was all Mike could think of to say.

"Always winter, never Christmas," said a voice on Mike's right. Jenny had not been with the others; she was in the library when Mike came down. Cassie hurried back into the kitchen to keep something from burning, and the others followed.

"Don't stay too long, you two," said Veronica. "Wouldn't want Mike to miss his own party."

When they were alone, Jenny continued. Her voice was guarded, not sure how he'd feel since the previous day's argument. "You reminded me of Narnia, when we first see it in the book. Wonderful and amazing, but also a little sad. When I saw all these decorations covered in dust in the basement that first day, that got me thinking. You were always here only in the winter, but you never let it be Christmas."

"And we know exactly who the White Witch was," Mike said.

"Heh. Really. I just wanted to-"

"I know," said Mike, wanting to spare her from apologizing again when she didn't need to, not to him. "You've been a better friend to me than I deserve. And don't bother denying it, I know my faults. On that note, I wanted to apologize. Whatever my opinions and feelings are, there's a right way and wrong ways to express them. I crossed a lot of lines yesterday that I'm not happy about. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course, Mike, why wouldn't I? I... I like you, I think you know, and don't want to stop being friends just 'cause we argue. If that were the case, Vee, Cass, and I wouldn't have made it this far."

"Steve Harrison?"

"No, look, I really liked the guy, but then Veronica... oh, you know what? Ancient history. But you see? It's just history. We're cool."

"You were right about one thing, Jenny."

"What's that?"

"You've thawed me out. This has been the warmest winter I've ever had." Jenny had to wipe a tear out of her eye.

"Either join us in here or get a room!" hollered Rick from the kitchen, "We're tired of straining our ears!"

"To be continued?" offered Mike.

"Yeah," said Jenny softly, "I'd like that."

Once downstairs with Jenny and everyone else, Mike heard that song from the beer commercial with the dancing lights. Rick was most definitely behind the playlist.

"So how did you pull this off?" Mike asked Jenny. She beamed. Not only had he liked the surprise, but he was letting her show off her plan. Validation, for the win!

"As soon as I heard about the court date and the stakes, I told Cassie and Veronica my idea. We called Nate and through him got ahold of Rick. After that, it was just a matter of spreading the word. Rick called Dave, Dave called Stan and Tina. Knowing your routine after two weeks, and that the master bedroom suite was sound-dampened, we could put everything up while you slept. Rick and Nate spent the night in the basement, having borrowed some stuff from the closets. Remember those extra blankets you offered us? Dave, Stan, and Tina arrived only about half an hour ago."

"We carpooled," explained Dave. "I'm also their ride to the courthouse." Mike noticed their attire. Dave had on his ranger uniform, and the mechanic shop couple had a warm version of their Sunday best.

"I feel so bad," said Mike, "I don't have anything to give you, Jenny. Oh, wait, yes, I do. Close your eyes."

She did, and like a kid, held out her hands with a huge grin on her face. Mike put something in her hair.

"Now you're decorated, too," Mike said. Jenny opened her eyes and found her reflection in the microwave door. The bow from the door was now in her hair. She turned back to Mike and smiled.

The bow stayed in her hair for the rest of the party. Since the party had been planned long before Rick arrived, he had thought to bring a party game called Cards Against Humanity, for which he also bought as many Christmas expansion packs as he could. Mike had never played the game, and what it amounted to was a person reading a prompt, and everyone else answering the question or filling in the blank with a card from their hand, to hilarious effect. This was made more interesting by the fact that more than half of the cards were of an overtly sexual, pornographic, or just plain graphic nature.

"That's horrible!" said Stan after reading one of the cards. Tina looked over.

"It's not that bad," she shrugged.

"But it's one of the hand-written cards!"

Finally, after a small brunch, the carpooled guests left to go to the courthouse early. Rick and Nate, too, left, to swing by their hotel for anything they missed, and to tidy up their appearance for court. This left Mike and the three ladies to get ready to go.

After a short shower, which the other three also took in succession after him, Mike turned his attention to what to wear.

Mike went for what he thought of as "respectful but just shy of complete formality." What it amounted to was a suit where he didn't wear a tie. He chose a plain black suit and white button-up shirt, and then pulled out a long black overcoat, for the cold, along with a Kangol cap and a pair of gloves.

Downstairs, he sat in his armchair, openly appreciating the job everyone did decorating the Christmas tree. It looked beautiful. He went to the kitchen and pulled out his digital camera from a supply drawer.

"That for us?" asked Cassie from the hallway. Mike turned. She was stunning. Understated yet bold, sexy but not wanton, assured but not diva, the outfit was Cassie in every way.

"You look great," Mike said honestly. Cassie smiled.

Veronica was next, looking how Mike could only think of as a "sexy, kick-ass, professional." He told her so.

"Ha! I like it!"

Jenny turned the corner, and Mike nearly dropped the camera. Before, when he had seen her in the same dress, there were all sorts of distractions. Now, he could only stare, dumbstruck. Jenny looked uncharacteristically abashed at his attention, but recovered quickly.

"Someone close his mouth before a bird lands in it."

"What, no reactions to how I'm dressed?" he countered.

"Yeah, lookin' sharp!" commented Veronica.

"Makes me look forward to what Rick's wearing," Cassie said.

"Not much different," said Mike. "We have the same measurements. And we keep it that way, by accident. We're gym buddies, too, and you know how competitive we are. Ever wonder how I got my physique? Now you know."

Cassie was smiling to herself, presumably walking down memory lane.

"Well, let's just rip the Band-Aid off, there's nothing else to do here," said Jenny.

"One thing," said Mike suddenly. "I just realized that in all this time I still don't have any pictures of any of you. And I think the three of you would look even more beautiful in front of the Christmas tree."

They all put down their purses and hurried over. Cassie was between her friends, and they all had their arms around one another. Mike snapped a photo that would certainly keep him warm for the rest of the winter.

"And now, a family tradition of mine," Mike said, "One serious, one silly. No one's gonna see it if you don't want them to, just have fun with it!"

After a couple of minutes, the ladies settled. Veronica unbuttoned her shirt to fully reveal her cleavage, and Cassie planted her face as deeply into it as she could. Cassie's hands found their way to Veronica's ass, grabbing her cheeks. Veronica's pose was a comically-shocked gasp at Cassie, eyes wide and jaw dropped, her arms straight out, fingers wide. Jenny gripped Cassie by the hips and brought hers in, miming penetration as if using a strap-on. Her expression was an exaggeration of what Mike guessed was a male O-face, eyes scrunched up with her mouth open. Mike snapped the photo, not knowing if in the future he'd laugh at it or jerk off to it. But it was totally them: fun, confident, sexy.

"Okay," he said, "Now we can go."

Donning their coats, they headed out, spirits high.

*****

It took over an hour and a half to reach the courthouse, which was really just one wing of the municipal building. The building itself was the standard brick-and-columns setup, from back when the area was first becoming populated. The founders had evidently thought it would one day be more metropolitan.

Mike dropped the women off at the bottom of the steps leading in, then went to park the Hummer. He saw a number of familiar cars and faces. Some smiled and waved, some looked irritated, some quickly turned their heads away. He found a spot in the back, as his behemoth of a vehicle would not easily fit in most regular parking spots, and walked in.

Jenny and the others were milling around in the hallway outside the courtroom, just past security, waiting for Mike. When he walked in, Dave was on his way over.

"Tall, white hair, balding stick in the mud?" he asked, "Short, kinda hog-faced redhead? Mexican lawyer? That them?"

"His parents were Guatemalan, actually," Mike said, "Not that they would cop to knowing him anymore. But yeah, that's them."

"They're right up front, like they're prosecuting somebody. Think they own the place."

"Well," said Rick, striding up in his courtroom best. Nate followed. "We're here to make sure they can't."

"Hi, Rick," said Cassie.

"Hey, Cass. Oh, you're wearing the blue one today? Hmm. I really liked the white one, the way it frames your" –he caught Nate's gaze- "Never mind. Shall we? A front row has been saved for us."

"Who's the judge?" Nate asked as they walked inside the courtroom itself.

"Anderson. Tough but fair. Very tough."

Mike saw Samuel and Martha Harrington in the front row on the right, sitting and looking only straight ahead. Their lawyer was next to them, facing the crowd, reading it. When Mike entered, he made eye contact and grinned. He even had the audacity to wink.

Seeing this, Rick refocused his friend. "Come on, everyone saved us the other front row. The hearing starts in a few minutes."

Mike took a second to look around before seating himself. The place was by no means large, and by no means packed. The floor was full, except that nobody apparently wanted to sit next to the Harringtons or their lawyer. The upper-level seats were occupied by few, mainly mothers who wanted to nurse without having to defend themselves about it.

Nate took the aisle seat, followed by Rick, Mike, Jenny, Cassie, and Veronica. Dave, Stan, and Tina were in the row behind Mike, and other uniformed park rangers were dotted around the courtroom.

The bailiff walked in and announced the formal title of the proceeding, then "the honorable Margaret Anderson, presiding. Court is now in session. Please rise."

Everyone did so. Judge Anderson walked up to her seat at the head of the room. In other circumstances, Mike may have whispered to someone next to him, "Does Judge Judy have a twin?" It seemed that the only difference was that Judge Anderson had long, white hair, wrapped in a tight bun.

"Thank you, Jerry," she said, talking to the bailiff. "You may be seated." That was to the room.

"I am given to understand the unique situation we are here today to review," Judge Anderson began. "And if I knew it would get so many more people interested in the legal process, I'd have done it a long time ago." A light smile graced her lips, and the tension in the room broke for the time being. "Despite the fact that this is not a trial, I understand we have two trial lawyers present. Is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor," replied Rick, standing.

"Who are you?"

"Richard Tessaro, ma'am. And this suited gentleman on the other side is Carlos Santiago. I am against the enforcement of the new policies as written, and he is for them."

"Let him speak for himself," chided the judge, holding up a finger. Rick sat. "Mister Santiago?" He stood.

"Mister Tessaro is correct, your honor. I am Carlos Santiago, and I represent Mister Samuel Harrington the Third, and his wife Martha, who have dedicated years of their lives and much of their wealth to the implementation of the policy-changing Act in dispute today."

"From the documentation I have in front of me, it appears they are not locals. This means they are outside interests. As a matter of fact, I know the judge for your district. Why are you here?"

"Your honor, I will explain," Santiago said.

"Go on."

"The Harringtons thought it a shame that the park could not stay open the full year, and so sought through legal means to benefit the park in a profound and lasting way. Though they themselves are not locals, their daughter, rest her soul, loved the area. As a tribute to her memory, the changes they sought to make would enable so many others to see the beauty that Kendra Harrington could no longer enjoy."

"Thank you, Mister Santiago. Mister Tessaro, you look upset." Rick took this as an opening to voice a rebuttal. But first, he turned to Mike.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "This is my only move."

"What are you-"

"Your honor, as much distaste as I have for saying it," Rick proclaimed, "Most of what my colleague just expressed is an outright lie."

The courtroom buzzed with conversation, and Judge Anderson banged her gavel for order.

"Mister Tessaro, you will need to support that highly inflammatory remark."

"Of course, your honor. I am the lawyer Michael hired to forge the agreements that allowed him to stay here, with the oversight of your predecessor. I understand the relevant local laws more than anyone else, save Mike himself. And now, I draw the court's attention..." Here Rick noted specific portions of the law and gave brief explanations of how they combined, especially with prior years' changes also wrought by the Harringtons.

"The sum of these, your honor, is that the Harringtons specifically designed these laws to not only prevent land development around the park, but to remove all development on land not outright owned privately, and the leases not renewed. Technically, my client does not own the land his house is on."

"Your point, Mister Tessaro?" It had been a lengthy explanation the judge had not been prepared for when she decided on decaf that morning.

"There is only one property these laws could possibly apply to, your honor. My client's. Michael Thomas Evans, the gentleman to my left."

"Mister Evans. My predecessor, Judge Ross, spoke of you to me. Gary said you were something special. Any idea why these people may wish to target you?"

Mike hesitated to answer, glaring at Rick.

"Fine," Mike said to Rick, "But you owe me." Turning to the judge, he stood and said, "Your honor, the Harringtons' daughter was my ex-fiancée."

This caused another buzz, and another gavel bang.

"You have my attention, Mister Evans."

"I met her in college. We dated, and even moved in together. After some time, I proposed and she said yes. Sometime later, I got a visit from her brother, Sam, who had been keeping tabs on his family, despite being estranged from them. I didn't even know she had a brother. If not for the hair color, I wouldn't have believed he was. Anyway, he told me that Kendra was only after me for my money. Not wanting to believe him, and wanting to hear her side of the story, I went home. Early."

The pained look in the judge's face told him that she already guessed where the story was going.

"I came home and found her in our bed with another man. I admit that I was angry enough, I shot him with a Taser in the perineum."

"You shot him where?"

"The perineum. It's the patch of skin between the-"

"I know where it is, Mister Evans. Please, just continue."

"She lied to my face about why she was doing it. But the details were patently false. I shot her with my other Taser, don't ask, in the chest, then left. I later heard from Sam she had concocted a story he knew to be false, and so he believed me and I him. Kendra tried to use her illness as an excuse, but I left anyway. Her parents could take care of her, or she could sucker someone else into being her sugar daddy. I got a newspaper clipping, I assume from Sam, her brother, when she died. And that's all." Mike collapsed into his seat. That had taken a lot out of him.

"And now," Rick said, taking the reins, "The Harringtons are just using the law to get revenge on what they think Mike did, supposedly leaving their daughter in a state of despair that made her succumb to her cancer."

"I object, your honor," said Santiago. "All of this is hearsay, prejudicial against my clients, questionably relevant, and not substantiated in any way."

Judge Anderson turned on him. "The relevance is what I say it is, Mister Santiago, and I will not have that questioned in my own court. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your honor," the lawyer backpedaled.




The Warmest Winter, Day 16



"And I'm afraid I can corroborate everything Michael has said," came a familiar voice from the back of the room. Mike turned.

"Sam!" he exclaimed.

Buzz. Bang. Silence. Sam walked forward as Rick commented, "Did anyone see him come in?"

Mike reached out to shake his hand when he was close enough.

"Good to see you, Sam. How did you know?"

"That's something I'd like to know," said the judge. "You have suspicious timing."

"I understand, your honor," said Sam, looking directly at the judge. His parents whispered furiously at their lawyer.

"My clients wish it known that they have disowned the man before you. They claim no relation."

"At the time in question, I was still their son and Kendra was still my sister. And your honor, I think you first need to see this." Sam produced something from a pocket, and held it out, so that only the judge and the bailiff could see it.

"I think you'll see that this government badge verifies that I am Samuel Harrington the fourth, a Major in the United States Air Force, in an intelligence division. My parents have wealth, a connection to me, and legal sway. I keep tabs on them to see if anyone is trying to manipulate them, or me through them. When they first made moves three years ago, I increased my vigil."

"And what made you keep tabs on who your sister was dating four years ago?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but that question is a little too personal and not quite relevant enough. Respectfully, I decline to answer that question. I am not under oath, and this happens to be a 'No Questions Answered' badge."

Jerry the Bailiff took a closer look at the badge, then turned and nodded to the judge.

"I see," said Anderson. "Well, is there anything else you'd like to share?"

"Not at this time, your honor."

"Mister Santiago, do you have anything to say in response?" Sam sat down in the row behind Mike.

"Um, just a minute, your honor," he said, feverishly sifting through paperwork.

"If I may, your honor," Rick interjected.

"Go on," allowed the judge.

"The Harringtons have acted maliciously towards my client. Their passive-aggressive use of the law to take his dream home away from him is nothing more than a petty attempt at revenge. Oh, they may not have broken any law, your honor, but they've bent it. Bent it over their knee and given it a good, hard-"

"That is enough, Mister Tessaro," said the judge, holding up a warding hand. "You point is sufficiently, and colorfully, made. Mister Santiago, have you anything to say now?"

Santiago had put the papers back down, and looked smugly at Rick. Damn, Rick thought, he sees it.

"Your honor, Mister Tessaro has made my point for me. The laws have been changed. The only purpose of this hearing, as I am sure you know, is to decide whether the implementation of the law should be strictly upheld, or delayed. Mister Evans had his reasons for making changes to the laws, and so have my clients. I maintain that their motives are not relevant. They made changes to the law in exactly the same manner as Mister Evans."

"They still represent outside interests," Rick countered, "Their connection to the area, that their daughter loved it, has been discounted."

"But Mister Evans was an outsider when he first made changes."

"He has become part of the community. Though he is here only a few months a year, and socializes little, he is friendly to those he meets, and everything he does here benefits the local economy, from the food he eats to the gas he uses to the fact that he enabled the park to stay open four months longer, from six to ten months a year. That makes him a local interest."

"Only ten months?" asked Santiago with a gleam in his eye. "Why, under these new laws you would have them reject, the park would be open year-round."

Loud buzz.

"Rick!" hissed Mike. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's my job, dammit!" Rick growled quietly, "You said you wanted to keep the house, and that was in the way."

"How's that working right now, huh? They all think you lied to them!"

Rick scanned the crowd. Public opinion had definitely turned against Mike. Even Dave looked doubtful. Only Tina remained resolute, and was having a heated argument with her husband. Carlos Santiago seized the opportunity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my clients are receiving nothing for their venture. Mister Evans got to build a mostly-empty house in the middle of otherwise pristine wilderness, whereas my clients ask nothing from you. Their money is a donation, to be used as you see fit. Park expansions, developments, renovations, anything. The Harrington trust will provide. If Mister Evans has his way, none of it will pass."

BANG! The gavel came down, and so did the volume.

"In light of the evidence before me today," said Judge Anderson, "I believe I understand the situation more completely. Mister Evans, my predecessor set a potentially dangerous precedent in allowing your agreements to pass. And I would set an even more dangerous one if I chose between two such sets of agreements. As the first allowed you here, and the second removes you, they cancel out. I leave it in your hands. Will both changes be allowed, or neither?"

"Your honor, if I may ask, why is he the deciding vote?" Santiago objected.

"Because he only used the courts, Mister Santiago. Your clients abused them. Among other things, this hearing would normally have been in a month or so's time. I have a feeling you made the change so that Mister Evans would be caught off-guard and not see the rug being pulled out from under him. This emergency hearing has delayed a criminal proceeding to another day. You have either cost an innocent man more days in jail, or kept a guilty man from his punishment.

"Secondly, your clients have made it clear that their only motive is Mike's removal. I have a hunch that if I ask them to decide, they will take the six-month option, removing Mike and keeping their money. I have no reason to think otherwise. And if both parties are truly interested in giving to the park, they can do so without an ulterior motive, however benign, next time."

"Unfortunately, I can corroborate that, as well," Sam chimed in. The judge nodded.

"Thirdly, I am given to understand that he has saved three lives and kept them well-cared for, even as recently as earlier this month. I presume that the three young ladies next to him are said lives. Their presence here is as much a character witness as I could ever hope to see.

"Mister Evans, you have ten minutes to confer. In the meantime, we'll have a short recess."

Bang. All rose, the judge left, and then the buzz turned into a full-on hubbub.

"So what's it gonna be, Mike?" Rick asked, as a friend.

"They can't win," he replied, "Not like this."

"You can't either, Mike," said Jenny. "I'm sorry, but it's lose-lose."

"Mike." Dave put his hand on Mike's shoulder. "Please. Please, we need this. It's been what we've wanted for so long. I'm sorry, but like the judge said, you're out either way. Think about it. More land. We can renovate some buildings, hire specialists. Maybe even build a camping cabin. We could do a lot with the... what? What is it?"

Mike was stock still. His eyes were circular. Then he drew a breath in slowly. Recognizing the signs, Rick grinned. His genius buddy was back.

"Dave, you're a godsend!" Mike grabbed him and kissed him on his receding hairline. Then he reached out and grabbed Jenny's hand, meeting her gaze.

"Jenny, I'm so sorry. You were right. About everything. Me, the trial, the house, everything." And then he kissed her. As much passion as she'd felt in his kiss, it had never held so much joy. Her heart leapt in her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. Cassie offered her a tissue, and a sidelong hug.

"Rick, Dave, here's my idea." The three huddled together, talking excitedly, hashing out what details they could. The room had noticed, and was quietening down to try and hear the conversation. Santiago looked worriedly at Rick, and saw Nate grinning back at him. Even Nate had heard of Carlos Santiago's reputation, in the NYPD. The rich bastards get lawyers like him, and walk. This was going to be fun.

The judge returned. Everyone rose, and sat again.

"Well, Mister Evans?"

"Your honor, I would like to retract my efforts to block the proposed legislation."

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Santiago just looked skeptical.

Judge Anderson started, "I must say, Mister Evans, I am surprised-"

"With... One. Exception," Mike continued. The judge smiled.

"That's more like it."

"The law stipulates that all buildings currently developed in the affected areas not previously under the law's purview be razed. In the interest of fiscal efficiency, the park rangers would like my house to stay."

"You can't-" Santiago jumped in.

"As a ranking representative of the rangers for the park, I confirm the request," said Dave, "We plan on converting the building to our uses, after purchasing the land outright."

"You can't-" Santiago jumped in again.

"Oh, I think he can," said Rick, "You see, the money is a donation, to be used as the rangers see fit. Park expansions, developments, renovations, anything. The Harrington trust will provide. And if Mister Santiago has his way, none of it will pass."

"The law stipulates that if any of the law fails to be upheld, none of it goes into effect, and the money reverts to the Harringtons."

"The law that you manipulated for exactly this purpose," the judge said, finally letting her anger show through. "I am going to allow the exception, and if you think this is an error, feel free to take it up to the state Supreme Court, where the Honorable Gary Ross now presides. See how he feels about it. I have a feeling he'll find that portion of the law unconstitutional and you'll lose the case. For now, however, Mister Santiago, you have technically won, even though this is not a trial. Take it."

"I understand, your honor," he said, suddenly looking contrite. "Thank you, your honor." The Harringtons whispered urgently to him, but he waved them off.

Judge Anderson cleared her throat. "In light of all of the available evidence, I find no reason the new laws should not go into effect, with the exception of the retainment of the developed property, at the park's discretion."

Bang. Buzz.

"There is, however, more to my decisions." The buzz died of its own accord. "Mister Evans, given the difficulty, I will grant you a full month to make arrangements and completely vacate the property in question. Paperwork for the sale of the property to the park should be cc'd to me by that time. And as a show of good faith, your houseguests, who are obviously no longer snowbound, need to leave by the close of business tomorrow, five in the evening, local time."

"Understood, your honor, and thank you," Mike replied, grateful. It could have been much worse.

"Drat, I was hopin' you'd help us," said Dave. "We need more durable materials for the house, with all kinds of people coming in and out. Knowledge of how stuff in there works, you know. We can't do it on our own."

"Sounds like you could use a consultant," chimed in Veronica. Mike's face lit up.

"HA! That's great! They'll be paying me to make their efforts worthless! That's hilarious!" Mike doubled over. The release was immense; he needed the laugh.

"Oh, man," he finally managed, "How else can we screw them over?"

"Mike," Jenny said. She put a hand on his arm gently and spoke softly. "Don't be cruel." Mike almost glared at her, but understood. The Harringtons were not worth become that sort of person.

"As for you, Mister Santiago," came the judge's voice again. The courtroom went silent. The voice dripped doom. "And for your clients, there's the matter of obstruction of justice."

Santiago's head yanked up, his eyes wide. Samuel and Martha looked stunned.

"You unduly twisted the legal process, no two ways about it. Take this offer, and I will not press criminal charges. If convicted, you spend jail time here, and I want you out of my jurisdiction. All of you. I will not, however, give you a fine to pay. You seem to think you can throw money at something until it bends to your will, and I do not wish to encourage you. You will perform an amount of community service. Dirty, gritty, smelly community service. But as I said, I want you gone. You will serve it in your home jurisdiction. You will pick up trash on the highway as your neighbors and friends drive by. Remember, I know the judge, and he sees things the way I do. We will come to an agreement, and you will serve, or you will be jailed, with a permanent record, right here. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, your honor, thank you, your honor," Santiago actually bowed a little, and scraped. He knew exactly how much worse it could have been.

"Now that all relevant matters have been settled, this court is adjourned." Bang!

"All rise!" said Jerry the bailiff. As a local, he was in a good mood. His daughter always wanted to see the park in Christmastime, and now she would be able to. People started filing out, and the chatter sounded excited.

"I knew you'd find a way!" Rick said, "Didn't I? Didn't I say it?"

"Mike," said Tina, "You're a good egg. We're gonna miss you around here, but I think it's time to move on."

"What she said," said Stan, offering a hand. Mike shook it. The couple walked off, arms around each other. A team, the two of them. Mike felt his heart ache a little, a twinge of jealousy.

"I can't thank you enough," said Dave, "We, that is, can't thank you enough. And don't take this the wrong way, but we'll help you pack."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Mike, "It's a lot of stuff, and more hassle than it's worth to not be done on time. Besides, you'll still see me. I'm consulting, remember? And I might just have to vacation here from time to time, to say 'Hi' to folks. I'm gonna miss this place, a bit."

"You better. Hey, I gotta go. My buddies and I need to have a meeting. We have funds to allocate!" He walked off, bouncing with every step. Mike shook his head. He'd never expected that sentence to be said so cheerfully.

Rick was packing his paperwork when he found Carlos Santiago next to him, offering a hand.

"I know I won again," said the lawyer as if it was no big deal, "But at least you made it feel like I lost. Well done."

Rick glared at his opposing counsel.

"Your approval fills me with shame," he said.

"Rick," Cassie said, "You never told me you read that webcomic!"

"What webcomic?" Rick looked over at her. Forgotten and embarrassed, Santiago walked away. This left the Harringtons with clear access. They looked furious, and strode forward.

"Oh, hell, no!" objected Jenny. She, along with Cassie and Veronica, jumped up and formed a very angry wall in front of the not-nearly-as-angry couple.

"Over our dead bodies, you stupid, arrogant, pieces of slime," said Veronica menacingly. The ladies advanced slowly, ushering the Harringtons out the door. Their men, plus Sam, took the opportunity to get into the aisle.

"Do something!" Martha called back to their lawyer. Santiago, on his cell phone, looked back, shrugged, and walked out the door. The Harringtons wheeled and sped after him. The ladies turned, looking pleased. The men applauded. There were few people besides them in the courtroom now.

"When I warned you about hurting my sister," Nate said to Rick, "Did you think I meant the danger was me?"

Veronica came back and stood beside Nate, who stood about an inch shorter than her because of her heels. They were almost identical in height when barefooted. Cassie snuggled up to Rick, who asked, "Seriously, what webcomic?" Cassie responded by pulling him down by his tie so she could kiss him.

"You did great," she said.

"Sam, always a pleasure," Mike said.

"Likewise," Sam responded, shaking Mike's hand.

"I wish I'd met you first."

"Yeah. Me, too."

"Hey, if you ever retire, or just wanna hang, consider Denver, eh? Good place for a new start, from what I hear."

"I think I might just do that," said Sam. "In the meantime, maybe we can keep in touch. Does anyone have a pen I can borrow?"

Everyone searched their pockets or purses for a pen. When they looked up, Sam was gone.

"Damn!" Rick said, echoing off the walls, "He really gives a chilling reminder of why they're called spooks, huh?"

"Mister Evans, I expected you to be out celebrating the Harrington's pyrrhic victory." Judge Anderson had returned from her chambers, dressed now in everyday wear.

"Just letting it soak in for a while," said Mike. "And thank you. I couldn't have asked for a more fair ruling, and Gary couldn't have done it better. Would you let him know I send my regards and congratulations?"

"Of course. And congratulations to you again." She turned to walk out the door. Before going through, she called back, "Oh. And I expect a Christmas card this year!" Laughing with an age a fraction of her own, she left.

"Let's go home," said Jenny. Mike looked at her.

"I mean your home, Mike. Let's have one great big, final blowout to celebrate."

"I like the way she thinks," said Rick, "Let's party!"

*****

As relieved as they all were, the backlash from the stress of the day hit everyone pretty hard. They stopped off at the hotel to switch drivers, and for Rick and Nate to change into more casual clothing. They checked out of the hotel, and put their bags into the back of the Hummer. Tonight, they would all party. When the morning came, they would go. While everyone else had more time, Rick needed to fly back to Denver as quickly as possible, and the others felt that a single parting would be easier than drawn-out goodbyes.

Once nestled away back in Mike's house, Rick and Nate got the party put together in the basement, moving furniture and hooking up Rick's iPod. Nate grabbed some snacks and some drinks, putting the latter into the downstairs refrigerator. Meanwhile, Mike and the ladies changed.

Coming downstairs, it was clear that nobody was dressing to impress. All six of them went with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The closest any of them got to a higher sense of fashion was Jenny, who chose all black.

Everyone crashed into a chair or sofa cushion and lay there like marionettes with clipped strings. The conversation wandered around, as they all let their minds unravel. Mike was the first to recover. He went to his wine collection and pulled out a bottle, second from the left at the top. The rest were all at the bottom.

"I was saving this one for a special day, but I think today is special enough," he said. The prospect of booze perked up attention, especially Rick, who would now let himself imbibe. Mike poured some into everyone's glass, which in some cases was a plastic cup, and raised his in a toast.

"To good friends, to the end of the past, and the start of a future." He didn't really think of the words. His mouth just said them while his brain asked him to drink.

Once the drinks were flowing, everyone loosened up and began to let the victory sink in. Smiles and laughter became more common, and Rick started up his playlist. Song after song played, and they even got up to dance.

Sometime later, Mike, sitting on the sofa next to Jenny, looked at Rick, incredulous. "Do you really have a playlist for Christmas, a trial victory, and a new girlfriend, combined?"

"Apparently?" Rick asked, shrugging. Rick's Magical iPod, indeed. "Wait, girlfriend?" He looked down at his diminutive dance partner, Cassie.

"Yup. You're mine now." She smiled, then went on tiptoes to kiss the bottom of his chin.

"When did that happen?" Rick looked at Mike, helpless and bewildered.

"It sneaks up on you," Mike said, laughing.




The Warmest Winter, Day 16



"Tell me about it," said Veronica, dancing with Nate.

"Speaking of future, Nate," Cassie said, "You hear about what we're gonna do for a living?"

"Yeah, sis," Nate said, "We're moving to Denver and you're gonna be a business. Something like that."

"Think the NYPD can bear to lose you?"

"Yeah. They'll be fine. Besides, family first. Someone's gotta keep Rick in line."

A slow song came on a little later. Mike turned to Jenny. "Would you like this dance?"

"We're not-"

"Come on, let's dance." He took her hand and almost had to yank her up.

Jenny let herself soften into Mike's firm embrace. She could feel her heart pounding, wishing she could tell Mike how she felt about him, wishing it made sense to her. She had only known him for a couple of weeks, but she knew. What scared her even more was the thought that he might not feel the same way. For now, however he felt, Jenny accepted it, closed her eyes, and let him sway her to the music.

Mike leaned down to whisper into her ear, "I think Rick and Cassie made a discrete exit."

Jenny looked up and sure enough, the pair were nowhere to be found.

"Oh, man," said Veronica, "My bedroom's next to hers!"

"We'll spend the night down here. That okay, Vee?" said Nate.

"Spend the night with you? Twist my arm more, why don't you?"

Mike took Jenny's hand, and spoke to the remaining couple, "We don't want to intrude, then. We'll go upstairs now."

Once upstairs in the kitchen, Jenny asked, "Why the sudden urge to leave the basement?"

"Well, if Rick and Cassie are going to be doing what we both know they will, we should get upstairs before it gets noisy."

"So, good night, then?" Jenny asked, nervously.

"Well, no, not yet," said Mike, "Do you want to come up to my room and finish our earlier conversation?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

*****

Jenny sat on the edge of Mike's bed, which was just as well. "On edge" is precisely how she felt. Mike pulled up the chair from his private desk and sat down facing her.

"Um, I really don't know where I'm going with this, but I feel like I need to just talk it out, okay?" he asked. Jenny nodded.

"Don't be nervous. It's not bad, it's just... well, I don't know yet. We'll see. But relax, okay?"

Jenny cleared her throat. "Okay." She folded her hands to keep them still.

"You have been just one big surprise after another, you know that? First discovering you in my yard, you scaring the crap out of me when I woke up, you jerking me off while I watched porn... and that was just the first day!" They both laughed.

"And what's been bugging me is how you got so under my skin so easily, and so quickly," Mike said. Jenny heard fascination in his voice, edged with frustration. "And it's not the plots you did with me, Lord knows I'm a schemer. I think what got to me the most was how right you were. And are."

"Um, sorry?" Jenny tried, "I'll try to be wrong next time, maybe?"

"Ha ha," Mike grinned. "Smart ass."

"Beats boredom."

"Ain't it the truth. I guess, with all the history we've somehow managed to have together after just two weeks. Good Lord, is that all it's been? Anyway, I wanted to clear the air completely."

"Mike, I didn't go into using any of my ideas with the intent that they would go as far they did. I just... overcommitted. I wanted to succeed too badly."

"I think I know what you mean," Mike said carefully. "And I think some of my reaction was surprise at the fact that I wanted you to. Succeed, that is. You threw me for a loop, babe."

"I really am sorry-"

"I needed it. That's the truth. You only did what I didn't want you to do, when it was something I needed instead. That's a kind of friendship that's been rare for me."

"That's sort of what I wanted to say earlier," Jenny said. "Because for me, it's not just-"

"Jennifer."

She stopped talking. As much as she disliked interruptions, the way Mike said her name... he was showing her something new. Mike joined her on the edge of the bed, and brought a hand up to her cheek.

"Jennifer Eliska Azevedo." She closed her eyes as he said her full name. "I don't know how, I don't know why, and I certainly don't know how it happened so fast... please, look at me."

Jenny opened her eyes, and met Mike's. She saw fire there, burning hotter as it drew nearer.

"Jenny. I react so strongly to you, because I care about you so damn much. The way I feel... I haven't felt this in a long time." She heard the bittersweet exodus of released pain in his voice. As if hearing it himself, Mike continued, "It's how you've managed to heal me in such a short time. I... I..." The words caught in Michael's throat. Jennifer reached out to him.

"Michael... are you saying you're... in love with me?" Asking that question had been the hardest and most fearful moment of Jenny's life.

Mike's eyes met hers again. "I don't know," he said. "I wish I did. I wish I knew for sure what love felt like." His head dropped, ashamed that he couldn't say, couldn't see...

Jenny's heart started to break. He had come so far, but now, at the moment of truth, he faltered, and she was becoming too torn apart inside to think of what to do. But as much as she now knew she loved Mike, what he did next introduced her to the real him, the core of who he was, and she loved him all the more for it.

Mike took a single deep breath, then held Jenny's face in his hands, keeping her eyes on him. The fire she saw in his eyes had exploded. "I don't know for sure," Mike said again, but confidently this time. "But with you, I'd damn sure like to find out." And then he kissed her.

The fire was not just in his eyes. Mike's lips traced the flames across Jenny's, and she returned in equal measure. That moment, that connection, said everything else that the couple no longer needed to. None of it mattered anymore. None of it.

"I think," said Jenny, when they resurfaced for air, "that I know exactly how you feel."

"Really?" said Mike, "Your throbbing erection is at an awkward angle, too?"

Jenny crawled onto the bed and grabbed a pillow, then smacked him with it.

"Way to ruin the moment, Casanova!"

"There'll be other moments, don't worry."

Jenny suddenly grew silent. Mike got onto the bed next to her, and put a comforting arm around her.

"What is it?"

"Do you really think there'll be other moments?"

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't there be?"

"The real world, Mike. We've only ever seen each other in this isolated situation. Out in the real world, with real jobs and all the other day-to-day problems life throws at us... we'll be different people out there. What if... what if this doesn't last?" Jenny leaned in and whispered, "I want this to last. I want it so much." Mike held her close.

"It's okay, it's okay. Sssshhh. It's okay," Mike whispered back. "You saw me at my worst during this time. Alone and angry, just a Nowhere Man. And I've seen your vulnerabilities, too. There's always more to learn, and I repeat myself: I'd damn sure like to."

Jenny curled up tighter into the form of his body on the bed. "Good answer."

They lay there together, enjoying the comfort of one another's presence, for some time after. Mike occasionally planted a kiss on Jenny's head, or traced her curves idly with one finger, but they were content, just being in the moment.

Despite the improved sound blocking in the floor, however, the sounds of another moment leaked through from the bedroom below them.

"Holy crap, they must be loud," Mike observed. He knew the specs for the floor.

"Wanna listen?" Jenny said. He recognized the mischief in her eyes. Oh, well. Better he should join in her shenanigans instead of being the target.

"Two glasses from the bathroom," he said, getting off the bed and reaching a hand down to readjust himself.

Mike and Jenny smiled and laughed as they put the cups on the floor, then lay flat to listen.

"That's Rick!" Mike stage-whispered.

"I don't hear Cassie," Jenny said. "Maybe she went back to silent mode?"

"Yeah, and now Rick's getting the hint. I don't hear either one."

"Wait... listen closer."

For about thirty seconds, neither of them spoke.

"Good gravy, is that the bed making that racket?" Mike asked.

"Gotta be."

"Wait, I hear them again. They're trying to be quiet, but failing."

Through the cups, Mike and Jenny heard Cassie moaning in orgasm. It went on for quite some time. Jenny was impressed. A sudden break in the sound, then a couple of thumps. Cassie moaned again, and then her moans were stifled by... something. Her moans spiked in volume as they heard Rick begin to gasp for air. Mike and Jenny both understood that Cassie would not require much protein in her breakfast the next day.

They rinsed out the glasses and left them in a sink, sharing half-embarrassed glances at what they had just done together. Jenny walked towards the door.

"Well, they're done," she said, "I should probably-"

Mike spun her around against the door and kissed her again, full force. When he pulled away, he smiled. "Wanna see if we can outdo them?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Mike attacked the sensitive skin of her neck, while Jenny ran her hands up and down his muscular torso.

"You know," Mike managed, "The doors don't block sound as well."

"Bed," Jenny said, "No arguments."

"Wait, wait," Mike said suddenly when they had gotten to the bed. "I don't want to rush this. Not tonight."

Standing Jenny in the middle of the room, Mike placed his body less than an inch away, teasingly close, behind her.

"I wish you were still wearing that dress," he said, "I would very much like to have taken that off of you."

Jenny sighed. Mike's hands were running all over her, and he planted kisses wherever she had exposed skin. One at the base of her neck sent a shiver down her back.

Mike tugged her shirt free, then stepped back to pull it over her head. She raised her arms to help, and then it was off. Mike let it drop to the floor, then turned Jenny around, holding her tightly.

"Mmm, tiger stripes," he said with a Cheshire grin, "I approve."

Jenny smiled, then relieved Mike of his shirt in a similar fashion. She pulled wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into another liplock. She felt her soft chest press against his rock-solid one. Jenny explored Mike's physique, every muscle, every line, and Mike traced her curves likewise.

"More," Mike whispered. They wanted this to be quiet, private, for each other only. He sank down onto his heels, and slowly pulled out Jenny's belt, tossing gently aside. Then, one by one, he unbuttoned her jeans. Guiding her with his hands, he brought her backside into full view. Then eased the denim over her hips, revealing the panties that, with what fabric it could, matched her top. As Mike finished getting her out of her jeans, he caressed her legs and spent a little time appreciating her well-toned posterior with his lips. When he stood again, he wrapped his arms around her waist and swayed her, dancing to the music only the two of them could hear.

Jenny went with the flow, drinking in the surplus of expression from Mike. However, she had a plethora of emotions and desires to release, as well. She decided to start with the raging hard-on that Mike had nestled comfortably into her backside as they swayed.

Turning, Jenny offered Mike another kiss before lowering herself to her knees. In the process, she nudged her jeans out of the way. Once she had unbuttoned Mike's fly, the zipper nearly came down of its own accord, the pressure under Mike's waistband was so high. She let his jeans drop, and he stepped out of them. Jenny then lifted Mike's boxers over his erect member, then let them drop, too.

She remembered how hard Mike would get, which was completely. She could see every ridge, every contour, and if that wasn't enough of a turn-on, she knew that she had caused every inch of it. Nothing had ever made her feel as sexy as that.

Mike had to put his hands behind his back to restrain himself. This was not to be rushed. Jenny first kissed him, up and down, then used her tongue to excite the kiss further. When she did take him into her mouth, she first went only as far as the head, utilizing what felt like every kissing technique she knew. Mike found it difficult to keep from getting too stimulated too quickly. Jenny was good.

She was also a tiny bit cruel. Mike sighed and relaxed, finally able to enjoy her ministrations with a slower build-up. That is when she took him more fully into her mouth. Mike clenched his abs at the sudden pleasure, bending over with the sensation.

Here is where Jenny's real self-expression began. Jenny unleashed a roller coaster onto him, one he thought of later as the Tongue Twister. It sent him left, right, up, down, around and around, thrilled him every second. Then she went for the gusto. Slowing to a torturous pace, Jenny slid Mike in all the way to the hilt, then almost completely out again. Mike gasped for air, and could only take a few more, which he did. Then he placed his hands on Jenny's shoulders. She got the message, and stopped.

Jenny kissed him again, then leaned in close next his ear, and softly purred. The sound went straight to Mike's libido and cranked it up to eleven. With a single motion, Mike scooped up Jenny and laid her down on the bed. He crawled up after her as she lay there, panting and smiling with excitement.

She sat up and Mike knelt before her. Sharing a kiss, they ran their hands across one another's bodies again. They couldn't get enough, and Mike still wanted more. Reaching behind Jenny, he unclasped her bra, then pulled it away. Jenny laid back onto her elbows and lifted her chin, shaking her hair out of the way. An open invitation.

Mike took a second to realize the incomparable beauty before him. Her long, silky legs were stretched under him, and her hips curved in to an athletically trim waistline. And her full, round, soft, smooth breasts were free and clear, her nipples high in the air. Sexy did not begin to describe it, in his mind.

He left a trail of smoldering embers where his lips touched her body. Her lips, down her neck, down to between her breasts.

It was now Jenny's turn to gasp. Mike had remembered everything. Every last detail, everything she liked, where, when, how. It took extraordinary effort of will to keep from crying out, even more to let him continue instead of making him take her.

Then Jenny felt Mike's fingertips slide in under her waistband. She lifted her hips, and Mike stripped her of the last of her clothing, and now they were both fully naked on the bed. The scent of Jenny's arousal filled the room. Seizing the opportunity, Mike took Jenny's leg, and emblazoned his kisses slowly up the inside, all the way from ankle to her inner thigh. Jenny trembled with anticipation, which was well-rewarded.

The slow but inexorable build in their lovemaking made every moment delicious in Jenny's mind. And that meant that Mike's oral skills went to new heights. Snaking his tongue into her folds, he ran the tip up and down slowly, making Jenny's controlled breathing suddenly quite ragged. Then he grazed the clitoris, barely touching, just circling the edge, with occasional flick of the tongue to keep things lively.

Mike touched his tongue to Jenny's entrance, and she went rigid. Her eyes went wide, and her body shook. It was a peak, but Jenny hadn't climaxed. Nevertheless, it was still more intense than some of her other orgasms.

"I don't know if we should go this slow," Jenny said, "We build it up too much, I may pass out during the best part. And don't want to!"

Mike looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Mmm. You would like the earth-shattering kaboom?"

Jenny grinned. "Rock my world, big guy."

Mike raised himself over her, then came down to kiss her again. Luckily she didn't mind her own taste, something she had found out that first night, the first time she'd masturbated thinking of the godlike body now preparing to make her his. My, how times change, she thought.

"Does milady have a choice of position?" Jenny kissed him passionately for that question. She'd never been asked before, not one-on-one. Maybe the taking could wait just a little longer.

"Me on top."

"Oh, good, my favorite." Mike laid down, getting into position. Jenny blinked at the mood shift.

"What's gotten into you so suddenly?"

"You, silly. I know, ironic, right? But it occurs to me, I'm not just intensely attracted to you, I also like having fun with you. Besides, it is my favorite with you."

Jenny rolled over and straddled her lover. "You know what else?" she said. She then guided Mike with one hand, then eased back onto him. Her arousal made the passage smooth, and before long she rested comfortably on Mike's hips. It took a few moments for them both to regain their breath.

"What else?" Mike said , eventually.

"You talk too much, that's what."

Hand on her thighs, Jenny began to rock Mike's bed and world.

"Slow ride..." Mike sang softly to her tempo. "Take it easy..." When Jenny joined him on the repeat, without disturbing her rhythm or making the moment too silly, Mike knew. No more doubts, no more questions.

Jenny was smiling, her face lit up with the joy of the moment. Better than any dream Mike ever had. He reached a hand up and put it behind her head. That got her attention.

"I just realized something," Mike whispered, so softly Jenny leaned down to hear what he said next.

"What?" she asked.

"I love you, Jennifer."

Jenny's hips stopped, mid-glide. She stared at him.

"Jenny?" Mike asked. "Jenny, you alright?"

Jenny sprang back to life, engulfing Mike's mouth with hers. Their tongues tangoed feverishly, until she finally released him. Then she met his eyes again.

"I love you, too, Michael. Doesn't matter how we got here. What matters is we're here."

Jenny happily resumed her rhythm on top of Mike, with just a bit more bounce now.

"So, why's this your favorite?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, I can lay down and take a break while you do all the work," said Mike. "That's a plus." Jenny stuck her tongue out at him.

"Secondly, that also helps me last longer, which is great for both of us. And my hands are free to do whatever I want." Mike demonstrated as he listed each location. "I can caress these sexy legs of yours, I can grab some of that fine ass. I can enhance your other experience" -he slipped a thumb onto her clit, making her gasp- "and best of all, I get to see and caress these ripe, juicy, breasts. Seriously, yum." Mike licked his lips. "Best of all, I can see your face. You truly are a magnificent and beautiful woman." He gave Jenny a look that confirmed he meant every word. God, how she wanted this man more and more.

Jenny picked up her pace, exhilarated by the feel of his still-solid cock inside her. Mike had to stop her, so they could change positions.

"Ooh, babe," Mike said appreciatively. He and Jenny were laying next to each other on the bed, catching their breath and occasionally making out. "You've got me so wound up, I think our next one's gonna be the last. And shouldn't you have had, like, three by now?"

"I think I'm saving up," Jenny said. "Looking forward to seeing if I'm right. You ready?"

"Absolutely. Hands and knees."

Once behind her, Mike entered, then guided them both down onto the bed. Jenny's legs served to wrap her even more tightly around him. He began to slowly thrust his hips forward, luxuriating in her tight, hot pussy.

Jenny held back a squeal of delight, this being another of her favorites. The combination of penetration, angle, and intimacy would definitely make this a powerful experience. She held herself up on her elbows, allowing Mike to put an arm under her chest for support. With his free hand, he reminded her of everything he liked. Her hair, her chest, her hips, her ass, her waist... there was no part of her that he caressed less than the rest.