Chapter 42: The Experiment Bites Back

Warren woke up. The first, barely coherent, thought he had was that he was clutching a breast. The second, slightly more coherent thought was "Did Sophie lose a cup size somewhere?" The third, now completely coherent, thought was-this isn't Sophie's tit I'm squeezing. It's Jessie's.

I'm in bed with Jessie. We slept together last night. I slept with my girlfriend's best friend. And she slept with my best friend.

And I still can't believe we did it.

Warren got out of bed, since he had to pee. He managed to disengage himself from Jess, despite her still-asleep moans of protest, and headed to the bathroom. He checked the clock-5:30. He didn't think they had wound it down the previous night until, like, 2:00. Three and a half hours was not enough sleep. He really should go back to bed.

He looked at Jess, lying on the bed. Then looked at Sophia, all curled up with Crash. He looked at Jess again, looked at the bed, looked at the space he had just been lying in. And turned toward the dufflebag he had brought with him. He pulled out a teeshirt and a pair of sweatpants and the Dostoevsky book he was in the middle of. He pulled on the clothes, glanced back at the three people still in bed, and walked out of the bedroom. He went into the kitchen, brewed some coffee, poured himself a cup, and headed out to the front porch outside the cabin.

He looked out at the gorgeous sunrise over the lake, and sighed. Then he picked up his Dostoevsky and pretended to read it.

It was close to three hours later when the next person woke up. It was Jessie. She rousted herself, and wondered where Warren was. Ah, she thought, the culinary marvel is probably out in the kitchen preparing the breakfast of all time. Shoulda waited for me. I'll catch up with him in a bit.

She crept over to the other bed, leaned over Sophia, and gave Crash a big wet kiss. As his eyes fluttered open, she grinned and said, "Hi, Big Boy, was it good for you, too?" Crash woke up and burst out laughing, which woke Sophia. She looked up at Jess leering at her, and laughed herself.

"Morning, Jess. Morning, Jason." Jason kissed her on the cheek.

Jessie looked at Sophia and asked, "Is he still functional? All the parts still work and everything?"

"Last time I checked, everything was in working order, but I'll let you do the final inspection." She sat up, and peered around Jessie. "So, where's mine?"

"Dunno. I just woke up, and he was gone. I figure he's out in the kitchen inventing Eggs a la Warren, or something."

Sophia giggled, and reached in her bag and pulled out a bra and a set of panties, and her long robe. She put on the bra and panties, and got off the bed. Jessica zoomed past her and replaced her in the bed with Jason, giggling. Sophie smiled, put on her robe, and went out into the kitchen.

"Warren?" He wasn't in the kitchen, and he wasn't in the bathroom. She looked in the living room-no Warren. She went back in the bedroom.

"Guys, Warren's gone."

"Did you check the porch?" Jessie asked.

She went out to the porch, and then came back in. "Guys, he was there-his book and an empty coffee cup are out there-but there's no Warren. I'm worried."

"The car's not gone, is it?" Crash asked.

"No. I hope not, since he doesn't have his license yet."

Crash had a brainstorm. "Soph, go check down by the lake, on the dock or something. Warren's told me before that being around water helps him think."

"You're right." She hustled out of the bedroom and then out the front door. She walked down the little path through the trees that led to the lakefront. And there, sitting on the dock, staring out into the lake, was Warren.

"Snugglebear?"

Warren looked up, and gave her a half-smile. "Morning, Pookie."

"I was worried. I didn't know where you were."

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep. I was out on the porch, attempting to muddle through Dostoevsky, but I'm too incoherent in the morning to handle him. So I decided to come down and watch the sun rise over the lake."

"Too bad I missed it. Sounds romantic."

"Very beautiful. I like sunrises, I'm just not enough of a morning person to see them often."

Sophia smiled, and sat on the dock next to him. She put her arms around him and gave him a hug-and he stiffened-just slightly, but she felt it.

"Warren, is anything wrong?"

"No, Pookie, everything's fine." But he was still stiff, and his arms were making no effort to return her embrace, as they normally would have.

"Sure?"

"Sure."

She stood up, "Well, then, why don't you come on up? I can help you make breakfast. Besides which, I think Jess wants to thank you for last night-she was very impressed." And the minute she said it, she realized she had said the wrong thing, because she saw the muscles in his back clench, and heard him take a deep breath.

But he turned to her with a half-smile and said, "No, Pookie, you go on up. I'm not hungry. I'll be up in a little while."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be there in a bit."

"OK." Sophia turned away from Warren, and climbed the path to the cabin, and practically ran through the front door. She found Jess and Crash on the couch.

"Didja find the Prep Stud?" Jessie cracked.

"Yeah, I found him."

"Is he coming in?"

"No. Not right now anyway."

Jess and Crash looked at each other. "Where is he?" Jess asked.

"Down on the dock, by the lake. Looking like he wants to throw himself in." Sophia was close to tears by this point. "I couldn't get him to come back here. I gave him a hug and he stiffened. I made a joke about coming up here so Jess could thank him for last night and he really stiffened. I asked him if anything was wrong, and he said no, but there is."

"Oh, shit," Jessie said. "Regrets?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sophia asked.

"Want I should go talk to him?"

"I don't know if that would help, or hurt."

"Let me give it a try." She ran in the bedroom, threw on some clothes, and headed down to the dock.

"Hey, Prep Stud!"

"Hiya, Jess."

She sat down next to him. "So, did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "It certainly was different. I gotta admit, Jess, you're something else."

"And you are very, very good." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now, tell me, what happened this morning."

"Huh?"

"You woke up, saw the rearranged sleeping arrangements, and got out of the bedroom like a rocket, didn't you?"

Warren sighed. "Please don't take offense to this, Jess, but I woke up snuggling the wrong girl this morning. I got up to go pee, and it was only 5:30, and I should have gone back to bed. I went back in the bedroom, and saw you where Sophie should be, and I got out of there."

"Well, we all just kind of passed out where we were," Jess said.

"I know, I know... it was just..." he faltered. "Look, Jess, don't get me wrong. I had a blast last night. It was great; you were great. But the only thing that's been running through my mind all morning is, 'Oh my God, I slept with my girlfriend's best friend. How could I do that?' over and over again."

"Hey, she slept with your best friend, too. And she gave you permission."

"The first part does not help, and the second part doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. I thought it would be OK. I was wrong."

"Oh, shit, Warren, now I feel horrible, since this was all my idea."

"I agreed to it, Jess."

"Yeah, but I can't help but think that we pushed you."

"I agreed."

Jessie sighed. "Warren, I don't know what to do or say right now. Look, I love Jason with all my heart and soul. I wouldn't trade him for anything." She took a deep breath. "But the reason I came up with this idea is that I wanted a night with you, just one night, and I wanted it in the worst way, and I was willing to share Jason with Sophia to get it." Warren looked at her, startled. "Now, I also knew that Jason wanted a night with Sophia, in the worst way, and would be willing to share me with you to get it. But it was selfish, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry you regret it. I never meant to hurt you."

"Jess, do you regret it?"

"If you're this upset by it, of course I regret it."

"Forget that. Outside of that, do you regret it?"

She looked him dead in the eye. "Not for a fucking second. Now, I say that knowing that Jason doesn't have a problem with it. I'd never jeopardize what we have together, and I never would have wanted to jeopardize what you and Soph have, either. But if you weren't out here having second thoughts, I'd be jumping for joy. You, my dear Prep Stud, are a legend, especially with that tongue of yours. Shit, Sophie should rent you out-you guys would make a mint."

Warren cracked a smile at that. Then got serious again. "Jess, why am I the only one having regrets?"

"I can't answer that, because I don't know what's going through your mind."

"Fair enough, so tell me what's going through your mind. Tell me what you thought of last night."

"OK. I had fantastic sex with one of my dearest friends. Twenty feet away, my boyfriend had great sex with one of his dearest friends. And, when we were done, we all still knew who we were in love with."

"Damn, Jess, you're just too sensible."

"Well, what's going through your mind?"

"I cheated on my girlfriend with her best friend."

"How can it be cheating when she gave you permission?"

"You're sensible, I'm emotional."

Jess cracked up laughing. "You're right, Warren, you are emotional."

"Jess, I have a serious emotional investment in my relationship with Sophia."

"Of course you do. You think she doesn't? You think Crash and I don't?" Jessie thought for a minute. "Going to bed with me hasn't thrown you into emotional confusion over Sophia, has it?"

Warren laughed. "No, of course not. That is not the problem. Don't get me wrong, Jess, I love you, but I'm not in love with you, and I never will be. The sex was fantastic, but it was what it was."

"Right, Warren, that's exactly my point. It was what it was. It was great. I'd do it again, if everyone else agreed and if it didn't put you in such a damn funk. But it was what it was. Great sex with a dear friend, no emotional entanglements, no commitments. And don't forget one thing-Sophie wanted you to have this."

"Hmmmm," was all Warren said.

"No, really. She's told me that she's badgered you about going to find someone else. Look. Instead of going out and finding some unknown girl who'd figure out how wonderful you are and try to dig her hooks in you, Sophie gave you to me. Her best friend, who would have lots of fun with you and return you to her, safe and unharmed." She touched the hickey on his cheek, and giggled. "Well, relatively unharmed."