Chapter 69

Sitting next to Kirk on Byron’s couch, I looked around his apartment. It wasn’t the first time I was in the small apartment, but it always amazed me that everything was in one room. His apartment was a lot smaller than Kirk’s and mine, although his rent was more. Typical for Manhattan versus Brooklyn apartments. Byron’s apartment was a studio, basically one room with a bathroom. The one room contained the bedroom, living room, and kitchen. The couch Kirk and I sat on was large enough to seat three comfortably and four if squeezed in, but Byron and Jessica sat on chairs across from us. From the couch, we could almost reach out and touch the kitchen table and king-size bed.

Like in the restaurant earlier, the conversation kept drifting back to theater. There was a lot of talk about what plays were currently running on Broadway, how they were doing financially, and, more importantly, how the critics rated them. Also, who was starring in them, how long they had been running, and rumors about new productions. Sometimes someone mentioned which part they had auditioned for but didn’t get or parts their friends got. It seemed everyone knew everyone in the business.

I was grateful whenever Jessica curtailed those discussions and changed the subject. She would always give me a warm smile when she did. I liked her more each time. The hot non-theater topics at the time were the scandal of the contestants being given the answers ahead of time on the quiz show Twenty-One and the first pictures taken of the far side of the moon. None of us were interested in one of the biggest news stories for many people, the Dodgers beating the White Sox in the 1959 World Series. The World Series was always a talking point for most people, but this one was even more talked about by New Yorkers because the Dodgers had moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles the previous year. But the group of actors in Byron’s apartment weren’t interested in sports of any kind so it never came up.

What did come up, was gossip. About relationships. Who was dating and who broke up. And it wasn’t only us girls who were interested in that.

“Joey Duggan and Maggy broke up,” Kirk said.

“They weren’t in it for the long term anyway,” Byron said.

I chuckled.

Kirk turned to me. “What’s so funny?”

“I guess the sex wasn’t good.”

Kirk’s jaw dropped. Byron looked like a firecracker had exploded in front of him. But Jessica laughed.

“She’s right,” Jessica said, “it must have been the sex.”

“You both don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kirk said.

I reached over his lap and patted the couch cushion next to him. “Jessica, come sit here. We girls need to stick together.”

Jessica shot from her chair and plopped down on the couch on the other side of Kirk from me. Kirk started to get up. I placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him there.

“Where do you think you’re going, mister?” I asked.

“I’m not going to get stuck between you two.”

I grinned. “Why, isn’t that every man’s fantasy?”

No one laughed, not even Jessica, but I was on a roll.

“If the sex wasn’t good with us,” I asked, “would you still want to marry me?”

“The sex is great.”

“You bet it is. But if it wasn’t?”

“Of course. I love you.”

“Now what if it were Jessica?” I heard her gasp, but my eyes were locked on Kirk’s. “If you were in a relationship with Jessica for sex and the sex wasn’t good, would you stay in the relationship?”

Kirk turned to Jessica. I felt his body tense next to me. Jessica blushed.

“I guess not,” he said while still looking at her.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t love her.”

“But you had sex with her.”

Kirk’s head spun around. “We never had sex!”

“We’re talking hypothetically. Hypothetically,” I said with emphasis, “if you had sex with Jessica and it wasn’t good, you wouldn’t stay with her because you don’t love her. Right?”

“I guess.”

“So why is it so hard to believe that happened with Joey and Maggy?”

“Because Maggy’s moving to California. She’s going to give Hollywood a try. That’s why they broke up.”

My eyes dropped to my lap. “Oh, I didn’t know that,” I said somewhat embarrassed.

There was silence for a few moments and then Jessica asked, “So why do you think sex with me wouldn’t be great?”

I looked up and found Jessica staring at me. I turned two shades of red.

Jessica burst out laughing. “Gotcha!”

I was used to being teased by Kirk so I was experienced at giving as good as I got.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” I said, clamping my teeth to hold back the laugh. “There’s a bed over there,” I nodded toward it with a flick of my head, “and I’m sure Kirk here is willing to find out.”

Jessica was no longer laughing. The tension in the room was so thick that I’m surprised any of us were able to breathe. Maybe none of the others were. No one said anything. I sat with a smug smile plastered on my face. I was getting good at teasing back.

“Then I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Jessica said. She looked at Kirk. “Want to find out?”

My heart dropped to my stomach. My breath caught in my throat. Was she teasing or did she mean it? The room was as silent as a tomb. Kirk stared at Jessica in disbelief and then he looked straight ahead at the wall across the room, making eye contact with no one. I guess he couldn’t look at me. I wondered if he knew I would see the desire in his eyes.

What the hell had I gotten into?

I tried to think of a way to joke my way out of it. My mind was blank. My stomach was sour. I wished someone would say something. Anything. Even about the theater and plays that left me out. But the room remained eerily quiet.

And then something unexpected happened.

My pussy tingled and the sourness in my tummy turned to flapping butterflies. Memories of watching Mr. and Mrs. Russo have sex flashed through my mind and increased the tingling. The crotch of my panties dampened.

It was a life-changing moment.

“Go ahead,” I said.

Kirk’s head spun around. His eyes bored into mine. His expression was filled with panic and confusion. I patted his thigh and smiled. I nodded.

“You’re not serious,” Jessica said.

“I am. Kirk told me how much he wanted to have sex with you, but I was in the way. I’m no longer in the way. I want you two to ... do it. It’s what you want and it’s what Kirk wants.”

“But what do you want?” Kirk asked.

“I want you to be happy.”

“And what about you?”

“When you get off the couch, I’m sure Byron will take your place.”

I glanced at Byron. His expression was simply shock.

Kirk leaned next to my ear and whispered, “Are you sure? Really, really sure?”

I locked his head in my hands and guided his mouth to mine, shoving my tongue into his mouth. We kissed for a minute or so before I pulled away and brought my mouth next to his ear.

“I’m sure,” I whispered.

Jessica still hadn’t said anything. She just sat there dumbfounded, staring at Kirk and me. Kirk pecked my cheek with one last kiss before spinning around on the couch. Now facing Jessica, he held his hand out. Jessica’s eyes burned a hole in his hand and then her eyes darted between my face and the hand.

I gave her a warm smile and nodded.

Jessica clasped Kirk’s hand and he stood up. When she also stood, he led her to Byron’s king-size bed. The bed looked humongous in the single room. The foot of the bed nearly reached the arm of the couch so they didn’t have far to walk.

Byron and I sat frozen as if we were watching a play, but this was real life. Their kiss wouldn’t be make-believe. Their caress wouldn’t be make-believe. It was as real as it got.

Kirk sat Jessica on the side of the bed. When he sat next to her, her eyes were not on him. They were looking over his shoulder at me. I didn’t nod. I didn’t smile. I sat there staring back at her. What was going through her mind? What was going through my mind. I was numb. No, not numb. Excited. Like on opening day of one of Kirk’s plays. I couldn’t wait for it to begin.