'M' is For: [Ch4] Ladies and Their Tricks - Part 1

I had downloaded hours of music and several Kindle books to my phone for the train ride over after work, but in the end, I could barely focus on what I was reading. I felt like I was back in middle school, invited to my first sleepover by a girl more popular than me.

Missy and Thomas met me at the station in their rental car, a big, expensive-looking SUV. It had only been a few days since I'd last seen Missy, but we exchanged hugs and exclamations of "How are you?" while Thomas stowed my bags in the trunk.

It was getting late, but sunlight still streaked the purpling sky. The houses we passed outside of the train station were just turning on their lights, and the first strains of weekend music could be heard drifting across their lawns.

"Turn left up ahead," Thomas told Missy, looking up from the map he'd been following on his phone. She did as he said, pulling just a little too fast onto a narrow road partially obscured by overgrown bushes and trees.

"Whoops, sorry!" Missy said aloud to no one in particular. Thomas shook his head but didn't say anything.

The road sloped gently upwards. The houses became larger, but also conversely harder to spot. They nestled behind strategically-planted trees and stone walls, and I had to crane my neck to catch sight of a bay window or a stone balustrade.

When Missy pulled into the gravel-paved driveway with a loud, satisfying crunch, I had to resist the urge to pinch myself.

The house we were staying at was even more secluded than the other homes we had passed. Flanked by tall oaks and maples, it sat comfortably atop a generous lawn. Two cast iron lanterns framed the front door, and they cast a welcoming glow upon the stone walkway that led up from the driveway. To my unseasoned eyes, it looked as lofty and as vast as a mansion.

"Who is this guy that your dad knows?" I had to ask.

"Oh, just one of his business partners," Missy said, waving the question away. "They go way back. He uses this house for vacations and rents it when he's away."

I wanted to ask more questions, but Missy didn't wait. She jumped out of the car and went ahead inside. Thomas popped open the trunk and grabbed both my bags before I could stop him.

"I can carry them, really," I said somewhat sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," Thomas assured me earnestly. "I insist." He slammed the trunk shut and, left with no other option, I followed him inside.

I was just closing the door when I saw Kiara coming down the hallway toward us, wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and a cotton caftan. Close behind her was Danielle, barefoot in a loose collared shirt.

"Hel-lo," Kiara said, drawing out the second syllable of the word. She came up to me and gave me a loud kiss on the cheek. "How was the trip?"

"Not bad," I said. "Did a little reading on the way over. Had my books all downloaded to my Kindle."

"Aw, that's adorable," grinned Kiara. She moved past to stand beside Missy, putting an arm around the taller girl's waist. Missy returned the gesture affectionately, pulling her close.

"We found some peanut butter, but other than that, the kitchen's pretty empty," Danielle informed Missy, who waved the comment away.

"We'll do a grocery run later. Where's James?"

"Hot tub," Kiara rolled her eyes. "Good luck getting him out of there anytime soon."

"Okay, Thomas, why don't you show Mal to her room? I'm going to have a quick word with James. And then we can give her a quick tour!"

Kiara gave me a little finger wave. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah, see you," I said.

"This way," Thomas told me.

He led me up the main staircase and to a room at the end of the second-floor hallway. He opened the door with the hand that was not carrying my things and stepped aside to let me enter.

"Oh, wow," I murmured.

The room was cozy, decorated in muted greens and blues that offset the white of the curtains and furniture. Someone had set out a vase with silk flowers on the dresser beside a compact little machine that I guessed was some sort of air purifier. I stepped toward the windows and gently pushed aside the curtains. It had gotten noticeably darker since we'd left the station, but I caught the shadowy silhouette of the surrounding trees and a glimpse of the driveway.

"You've got your own bathroom through that door," Thomas said, pointing. "You should have everything you need, but if you don't, just let me know."

I poked my head into the bathroom, registering the shampoo and soap and the fresh towels stacked on a small wooden stool.

"I should be set. More than set." I ducked out and reached for my bags, which Thomas was still holding. "Thanks for carrying these up."

"Of course." He stood a moment longer, watching me as I put the bags on the bed. His eyebrows were gathered into a slight frown, and if I didn't know better, I'd say he looked worried.

"What is it?" I asked him a little nervously.

"It's nothing. Just..." Thomas hesitated. "I hope you have a good time here. But it's okay if you don't. Don't feel like you have to stay just because Missy invited you."

"Uh, okay, thanks," I managed. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Yeah. Okay." Thomas cleared his throat. "See you downstairs, I guess."

"Yeah, see you."

Thomas turned and left. I stared at the door. Something about his words unsettled me. Could it be that he didn't want me here? But if so, why? He hadn't been anything but nice to me. I found myself nibbling on my cuticles, a habit I'd never quite been able to break. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I hastily dropped my hands.

Surely I was over-thinking things. If there was anything I ought to know, someone would tell me...right?

❖❖❖

"Hey guys," I said, attempting to keep my tone casual as I strolled into the kitchen.

I had changed out of the blouse and flats I'd worn at the office and was now clad in a loose T-shirt and shorts. The swap of clothes had alleviated my brooding and I felt almost cheerful again, the sense of foreboding Thomas's words had given me temporarily forgotten.

Kiara and Missy were seated at the counter on barstools. Thomas was sitting at the dining table nearby, his body angled towards them. All three of them looked up when I entered.

"Hey," Missy said, sitting up a little when she saw me. "Did you find your room okay?"

"Yeah, it's perfect. I'm ready for my tour if you're still offering."

"Oh my gosh, yes! Absolutely!" Missy clapped her hands and jumped up out of her seat.

"Thomas and I will wait here," Kiara said cheerfully. "Have fun!"

The house was spacious and well-kept. Everyone's room was decorated in a similar style as mine — neutral tones and quaint patterns, a touch of slightly contrived country home. But there was no denying the house made for a fantastic Memorial Day weekend getaway. All the bedrooms funneled out into a common living room area with two-story windows. The pool in the back was gorgeous, tiled in blue and turquoise. It was too small to be a lap pool, but perfect for hanging out, and I could see it came with a colorful collection of inflatable rafts and tubes. Beside the pool was a hot tub. A man with reddish-blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard was relaxing in it with Danielle, who had kicked up her feet and was laying back with her eyes closed. He looked a bit like the kind of party-loving jock I'd initially assumed Thomas would be. When he saw us, he lazily raised a hand in greeting.

"That's James," Missy told me. To her friend, she called out, "This is Mallory. One of my friends from barre."

"Yo," James called back. "Nice to meet you."

"How's the hot tub?" I asked him with a smile.

"Amaaazing," sighed James. "I miss these. Figured I'd get some time in before the fun and games started tonight." He glanced at me with his light blue eyes. "You excited? Missy told you what to expect?"

"What to expect?" I glanced at Missy, my heart suddenly thudding loudly in my chest. Danielle had opened her eyes and was watching us with an unreadable expression.

"Missy likes her surprises," Danielle said to James. "She doesn't know anything."

Missy waved it off. "Stop teasing Mal, you two. I'm just giving her a short tour, then we're going to head back and plan dinner."

We moved on past James, headed towards the garden that fringed the poolside area. By now, the sky was nearly completely dark, but solar-powered garden lights illuminated the paved stone path. Trellises with flowering wisteria created a semi-covered walkway that ended in a row of flower beds encircling a bench by a tall lamp. The sight was absolutely lovely, the smell of flowers nearly overpowering, but James and Danielle's words lingered in my mind, distracting me.

"What's going on?" I finally asked Missy. "What did James mean about the fun and games?"

Missy paused at one of the trellises, cupping a flower in her hand.

"Look, I didn't want to tell you before you made it out here, but my friends and I...we like to have fun. In ways that I thought you might have been a little freaked out by." Missy glanced at me sideways.

"Missy..."

"It's kind of hard to explain..."

"Just tell me. Is it illegal?"

"No, no, nothing like that, jeez," laughed Missy. "We just like to have sex with each other, okay? And sometimes it gets a little kinky."

I stared.

"What?! What do you mean with each other?" I struggled to process this. "I thought you and Thomas were in an exclusive relationship!"

"Committed, yes. Exclusive... Not exactly." Missy took a seat down on the stone bench and smoothed her hair over her shoulders. "I've never been able to just be with one person, and Thomas knows that. We both agreed that we would take things one day at a time, and if our feelings about the situation ever changed, we'd let the other know, no hard feelings. Plus, I love sharing Thomas. It's such a turn-on when I get to watch him fuck my friends." Missy grinned impishly at me, flashing her white teeth.

I sat down beside her.

"So you invited me to a weekend of orgies and didn't think that I might somehow want to know that?" I asked, my voice cracking a little.

"As I said, I thought you might freak." Missy surveyed me. "Are you?"

"I'm... No, I'm not freaking out. But it's crazy!"

"Look, Mal," Missy said quite seriously, putting a hand on each of my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "It seems pretty obvious that you're in a bit of a romantic and sexual funk. You haven't had a successful date since you moved to New York, and just holing yourself up in your apartment with your vibrator is so sad when I know you could be doing so much more!"

"Don't tell me," I said dryly, "you're trying to set me up with someone here. Is it Kiara? Or James?"

"No, nothing like that." Missy rolled her eyes. "You said you wanted to embrace your new life here and try new things. I just think you would have a really good time if only you would let yourself loosen up and maybe separate the romance from the sex a little."

Missy straightened, her hands sliding from my shoulders as she arranged her hands in a posture of supplication. Wide, guileless eyes beseeched me. "Mal, it would be my honor to be your guide on this journey. If only you would let me."

I could still feel the warmth on my shoulders where her hands had touched me. "I could walk away at any time?" I said in a low voice, thinking of Thomas's words to me up in my room.

"Anytime," Missy said firmly and without hesitation.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll stay...for now. But Missy?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"No more secrets, okay?"

Missy beamed, and it was so full of baby-like delight at my decision that it was impossible to be angry with her at all. "Yes! Of course. I absolutely promise. Oh Mal, we're going to have so much fun!" She glanced sideways at me. "Now tell me, what do you know about BDSM?"