Chapter 1: Party night at the Davidsons

“Is someone going to deal?” Alice asked shuffling the cards repeatedly. The weekly card party had gone its usual way tonight. They were in the Davidson’s family room, a warmly furnished, comfy room with a variety of soft chairs and sofas and a large round game table. After almost three years, the three couples spent as much time chatting and flirting as they did playing cards. Really only mildly annoyed, Alice looked across the big, round card table at her partner, Vern Fratelli, and grinned.

“Doesn’t look like it right now, Alice,” Vern returned her grin. “Unless you’re up for cribbage.”

“I don’t play with sharks, Vern. You’re out of my league. I can take you to the cleaners at poker, but forget cribbage.” Alice looked across the room to where her husband, Peter Pryzck, was chatting with their hostess, Susan Davidson. The two of them were corporate lawyers and seemed to spend part of their card party evenings comparing notes. Susan was laughing at something Peter was telling her. All three couples lived within a few blocks of each other.

Alice looked back at Vern. “Want to get some air?” she asked, stretching her torso and rotating her shoulders. Vern watched the effect this had on Alice’s low-cut peasant blouse. He looked to where his own wife, Maria, was leaning against the bar chatting with Adam Davidson. Her eyes were dark and serious and Vern wondered what the subject was. When he looked back at Alice, she smiled warmly.

“I think she’s going over a problem with Adam,” she said, “Looks like it, anyway. You up for some air?” she repeated.

“Sure,” said Vern, rising from the table and following Alice out onto the deck that overlooked the Davidson’s lawn. The late spring air was cool and refreshing, and a pretty moon lit the green grass and bushes. The swimming pool was still under its winter cover, waiting for more consistently warm weather. A high privacy fence surrounded the pool.

Alice moved to the wide wooden rail of the deck, leaning on her elbows. Vern leaned back against the rail next to her, his arm brushing her shoulder. “This isn’t much of a card party anymore, is it?” Vern said.

Alice stood up, her shoulder now overlapping his, her breast lightly touching his upper arm. She looked in his eyes. “Does that bother you, Vern? We’re all really good friends and it’s gotten so we share a lot. You and I, Vern, you know we spend time talking shop. We’re both in retail, we’ve got a lot in common and we respect each other’s judgment. Peter and Susan talk shop a lot, too.”

“Well, no, Alice. I’m not upset about anything at all.” He chuckled and looked down at where their bodies made contact and pressed himself a little tighter. “I think Maria’s talking with Adam about the twins. Or, maybe not. I’m not being critical, just noticing that things have changed.” Vern looked at her pretty face and smiled. He took a moment to look again at her shoulders and the tops of her breasts in the white blouse. Alice noticed, moved her shoulders slightly to improve his view and grinned. “And as for you and me,” he went on, “you’re right. We have a lot in common. As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you something anyway. You know Maria’s always been a stay-at-home Mom since the twins were born. Now they’re 15, I think she’s looking at her future. You have any ideas for her?”

“You keep looking at me like that Vern and I’ll give you ideas.” They both laughed.

Inside, at the bar, Maria Fratelli said to Adam Davidson, “ ... so I’m wondering where I’m going to go in the next couple of years. Andy and Patti are going to be out of the nest in three years, barring accidents, and I’m not sure I want to be the good Italian mama for the rest of my life, making lasagna and cleaning house.”

Adam looked at Maria, her dark hair done in a pony tail and her full body encased in jeans and a sweater that was unbuttoned well into her cleavage. “Why don’t you go back to school?” he said. “I know you took English Lit in college. Why don’t you go back and try something else?”

Maria looked up at him from her height of only about five feet something. She smiled and ran her hand across the front of Adam’s polo shirt. It wanted to stay there, but she let it slide off to rest against his hip. “That’s sweet, Adam. Going back to school’s a good idea, but there’s nothing I really want to do other than what I did, unless it’s some other form of literature.” She paused a moment, looking up at him, her hand rising to hold his waist above his belt. “Actually, I think I want to write. I could take some creative writing courses.”

“Well, really, Maria, you can do that, but I’d really suggest you just start writing while you take courses that interest you. Go for a Masters in Lit if you want, but really either take something you can make a living at or concentrate on writing.” Adam ran his hand down the soft fuzz of the sleeve of her sweater, his hand coming to a rest on hers. “The twins will be pretty self-sufficient from now on, you’ll be able to take courses in the afternoons and write mornings, or whatever works. And being a writer will mean you’ll be home when they need you.”

“Yeah, that’s important. Having boy and girl twins is tougher than indenticals, I think. You’ve got the twin thing and the boy-girl thing at the same time because they’re the same age.” She turned her hand to squeeze Adam’s. “You’re right. I can try writing right away and take some courses. If writing doesn’t go well, I’ll still be able to take some courses that are more...” she paused and grinned at him, pulling his hand to rest on her chest just below her breasts, “ ... goal oriented. Whatever that means.” She pressed his hand against her rib cage, then pushed it a little lower onto her tummy. “Maybe you can be my guidance counselor at the university.”

Susan Davidson was watching Peter Pryzck as they talked. They were only exchanging gossip about the judges and lawyers they each worked with. It was useful information, and fun to speculate on the foibles of their colleagues, but there was more going on here, she knew.

Peter’s eyes kept roaming over her face, her chest – her breasts weren’t more than handfuls, she thought, but her halter top displayed them well (which was why she wore it). And he was paying attention to her legs where they extended below her short shorts. So he was scoping her out, as he always had since they’d begun these weekly get-togethers. Susan didn’t mind this at all; it made her feel good. And when she told Adam about it after an evening of flirting, she was always ready for this ardent response. Their lovemaking was always special after she had told him about how Peter or Vern had eyed her or touched her and how she had encouraged them.

And then he would tell her how Maria or Alice had flirted with him and how he had responded with a look or a touch. And they would talk about the attractions that had grown between them all and speculate on what might happen next. And when they talked about “what ifs” and tried them out on each other, their love-making was exceptionally passionate.

Chapter 2 »