Chapter 11

I stopped and hesitated, even I knew that when a woman say's the words 'We need to talk.' it's bound to be something very serious. I glanced at Andy and she held up her hands as if in surrender. In other words, she didn't know any more than I did.

"This isn't that much about Andy, even if she's involved because she's here." Lisa-Marie said quietly. "This is mostly about you and me."

"Well, if it's not about me..." Andy said quietly.

"Oh no, no, no, it does concern you too. I'd like you to stick around and listen in, even if you don't comment." Lisa-Marie reached out and took Andy's hand for a second. "I'm not too good at keeping secrets from anyone and I'd just as soon not do it if I don't have to."

She walked over to the stove and lifted the tea kettle. "Who wants their nightly tea?"

"I think I'll have mine." I said quietly. "Something tells me that I'm going to need it."

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist." Lisa-Marie sighed. "Andy, what about you?"

"Me too." Andy whispered.

"Look you guys, this isn't anything extremely drastic." Lisa-Marie said as she poured three mugs of boiling water, added three of the special packets from the cupboard, then carried the mugs over to the kitchen table where Andy and I had seated ourselves.

"Can I ask why you waited until Fran was gone before you decided to say whatever it is you're telling us?" I asked.

"Well, she sort of knows, I think." Lisa-Marie sighed. "You see, I had a long talk with Mom and we thought about what's going on. Then we tried to decide what had changed in my life that might be affecting me. We decided that the only thing that made sense was the birth control pills. You see when I started the course I'm taking now, I couldn't get home to see my old doctor, so I got a new one and he changed my prescription for birth control pills because I had some complaints. Then just a month ago, the drug store changed brands on me and I didn't realise it until I was well into the pack. I called them and they said the old pills were no longer made but that the new pills were equivalent. I think there's a minor chemical difference and my body reacts to it."

"So what are you saying? Do you want to go off the pill?"

"It's not that simple." Lisa-Marie sighed. "First off, if I do that, chances are I'll get pregnant soon and right now with a new farm, I think it would be a bad time. Then too, if I go off the pill and my hormone levels change, I'm liable to act differently again, but I like the way I feel right now. I really don't want to change my birth control pills again because the different pills affect my moods and because my moods change so much, they affect the people around me. That's why I asked you to stay while we talked, Andy."

"I understand." Andy smiled. "So I can comment?"

"Sure you can comment."

"Could you try it like this for now, since you're not taking all those other medicines?"

"Well, that's the other thing. All this stuff might change a lot anyway because I'm off of those other medications, but you have to remember that the doctor put me onto those because of the new birth control pills, and he changed those because I was screwed up before. When I was taking the original pills, I was a jealous bitch and I really didn't like that, but now that I think about it, this last little while was even worse."

"Yes, but Fran has you using herbs to take the place of those medications." Andy argued.

"And what if the herbs do the same thing as the medications did? Can you guys put up with an oversexed woman around here, like the one who was here the other day, the one who doesn't seem to have any limits?"

"Oh come on, Lisa-Marie. You weren't all that oversexed and you certainly had limits." I protested.

"Oh sure." She snapped. "I encourage Andy to run around nude to tease you and I arrange for her to watch us having sex, then I laughed about you getting a blowjob while I'm sleeping beside you. Don't you think that's outside of normal limits?"

"Define normal limits." I said flatly, doing my best not to look at Andy to see her reaction to the fact that Lisa-Marie knew about the blowjob. "You know darn well that normal isn't a term you can apply to sex. What's normal for the Smiths is outrageous for the Joneses and vice versa. Actually, you probably have a different idea of what normal is than I do. On top of that, you and I haven't been together long enough to define what we agree to be normal for the two of us."

"Tom, I don't want to argue about this or anything else." She said through her teeth. "I just want your honest opinion. What do you really think I should do?"

"I don't think you have much of a choice. I think you need to decide which doctor to listen to and then follow his advice." I shrugged. "If you want to keep on trying the herbal treatments, I think that means you need to continue to go to Dr. Timmins. Otherwise your other doctor would probably insist that you go back on the other medication."

"Oh fuck that." She snapped. "I feel so much better now, there's no way I want to go back to feeling all doped up and loggy."

"There's something else you might consider." I smiled weakly. "Your reaction right now might be part of the withdrawal symptoms that Fran was telling us might be brought on by going off of those other drugs. She did say that some symptoms might show up at any time in the next week or two."

"Oh shit!" She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "My whole frigging life is a puzzle right now. I just want it all to settle down so I know what's going on and what to expect."

"Well, I can't tell you what to do, but you know I'm here to help and support you any way I can." I sighed. "I don't know what else I can do than that."

"I am too." Andy said firmly. "You two are two of the best people in my life and I'm sure going to help you any way I can, that's for certain."

"Even if I drive you crazy by being nuts?" Lisa-Marie asked. "Because that's what I feel I am right now. I don't know what to expect that I'll find myself doing the next moment. I don't seem to have any control over what I do or what I say."

"So what would you like us to do? Do you want us to act as guides or what?" I asked. "I mean, I can try, but like I told you, I probably have different limits than you do."

"Oh, Tom, I've known you since I was six. We were raised together for cripes sake, so I think your limits and mine are as close as possible."

"One big difference, I'm a guy, and the last time I looked, you were a gal. I have different basic limits than you do. For one thing, under natural circumstances I approach sex with a completely different attitude than you do."

"Like what, the fact that as a male of the species you want to spread your genes as widely as possible? Have a close look dear, at the moment I'm chemically neutered and Andy is knocked up. Fran left and I think she's already gone through menopause anyway. There's nowhere for you to spread your genes right now."

"You know those limits that you're talking about? You're pushing them right now."

"What? Getting you to admit that you'd like to screw Andy? How is that pushing the limits? We all know you would and we know she'd love it if you did. I'm not giving you permission to do it behind my back or anything like that."

"No, but it sounds like you're trying to give us permission to do it with your knowledge." I growled.

"No, she's not." Andy said quietly. "She just wants us to admit that we're sexually attracted to each other, which is true. But, I'm not about to do anything about it, because I'd be afraid of ruining things. A week ago when I first came here, I might have, but Tom told me his limits when we discussed kissing and cuddling the next morning."

"Oh come on, are you trying to tell me that you didn't sneak into our bedroom and give Tom a blowjob on the night of the blizzard?" Lisa-Marie snapped

"Me? You're blaming me for giving Tom a blowjob?" Andy looked at her indignantly. "Are you telling me that the blowjob you were talking about happened just the other night?"

Lisa-Marie stared her in astonishment, then turned and looked at me in wonder.

"Omigod, it was Fran." She whispered, then we both broke into laughter.

Andy suddenly giggled and looked at me strangely. "Was it a good one?"

"Absolutely frigging wonderful." I roared with laughter. "She should give lessons."

"And she'd have gotten away with it, if you weren't so darn honest too." Lisa Marie giggled. "Besides, like I said the next morning, she didn't do any damage."

"Except that both of us were blaming Andy." I said bluntly.

"Oh, Andy, I am sorry." Lisa-Marie said quietly. "I was convinced it was you, and I've been mentally holding that over your head all week, even though I was trying to be civil. I should have just asked, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, no problem." Andy was still giggling. "I have to say that I really didn't notice that you treated me any differently though. You aren't going to treat Fran differently now are you?"

"I don't see how I can?" Lisa-Marie giggled. "Since I almost treat her like a doctor, I think I'll just pretend that she was giving Tom a physical and let it go at that."

That brought more giggles from Andy and another laugh from me.

"Well, since she's been teaching me all about herbs, maybe I should get her to teach me a few of her other skills." Andy added. "Then I could almost be like a doctor and give guys decent physicals myself."

"Honey, if you do, I'll make sure Tom is one of your first patients." Lisa-Marie snorted. "I owe you an opportunity for thinking you were a bitch for the last week."

"Don't suggest things like that." Andy grinned. "You're putting ideas back into my head that I've already had to fight to clear out."

"Hey, both of you stop, please." I pleaded. "I don't think teasing me is going to help anything right now."

"Teasing you? Just how are we teasing you?" Lisa-Marie grinned. "We were coming to terms so we know where we stand."

"Yeah, don't ruin this for me." Andy laughed softly. "She's made me an offer and I'm trying for a bigger portion at the same price."

"We're haggling over you, Tom, how does that make you feel?" Lisa-Marie giggled.

"Well, at least you're grinning now." I sighed. "I'm glad you're in a better mood."

"Yeah, we've resolved the blowjob thing which has been bugging me, and besides, I think Fran might have changed my tea a little bit."

"I wonder?" Andy got a strange look on her face. "I thought mine tasted a bit different too, but then I decided I was just imagining things. What about your tea, Tom? Did you taste anything different about it?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it." I lifted my mug and sipped the last mouthful. "Yep! It does taste different, a slightly bitter aftertaste that I never noticed before."

"Well, now I know why we're all so uninhibited." Andy giggled. "I imagine she put it into all of our tea mixtures, but I think I smelled ground coriander in mine and I just remembered what that was used for."

"So are you going to tell us?" Lisa-Marie demanded.

"Well, I didn't hear about it from Fran, I read about it in that book I got from the town library about herbal remedies, in the section about herbal potions that were used by witches." Andy was giggling so hard she could hardly talk. "Coriander is one of the main ingredients used in love potions and other potions meant to increase desire between couples."

"Oh come on." I scoffed. "Fran wouldn't give a love potion to all three of us."

"I think she would." Lisa-Marie started to giggle almost as much as Andy.

"But why?"

"Because, I think she likes you." Andy snorted. "I think she's decided that you need lots of love and attention."

"And of course she heard all about last Friday night, when I was so open about our sex practices with Andy." Lisa-Marie snickered. "So I think I'm loaded with things that have made me feel about the same as then."

"While you and I have a nice big dose of herbs that will make us happily uninhibited." Andy added with a big grin as she winked at me.

"We could always go throw up and then drink a bunch of coffee or something." I suggested.

"What, and waste a chance to screw around when we can blame our actions on someone else." Lisa-Marie giggled loudly. "Jeez man, what are you thinking? What do you think, Andy, do you want to find out what the old witch's love philter will do to us?"

"You mean you're serious? You want to try it? You don't want to try to purge this junk from our stomachs?" Andy stopped laughing and stared at Lisa-Marie almost as if she was in shock. "What about the long term effects to our friendship, should we risk that?"

"I think we'd be a lot closer." Lisa-Marie giggled, then calmed. "But, perhaps you're right. I like you too much to have either of us feel like we were hurt by this sort of silly thing."

I sighed heavily.

"What's with you?" Lisa-Marie said sharply. "You sound relieved and you were the guy who was going to benefit the most. The dream of any man, two women vying for his attentions."

"That's the trouble, there are two of you and only one of me, so I actually am relieved. On top of there being two of you, I know you can wear me into the ground on your own and since Andy hasn't had any sex in what, a couple of weeks? She's probably even more aroused than you." I looked at Andy questioningly.

"Actually Tom, I'm not." Andy said quietly. "I think the early stages of pregnancy are really setting in and my body's hormones are telling me to take it easy. I'm nowhere near as wound up as I was last week. Maybe Fran's love potions were just for you and Lisa-Marie? Or maybe mine will hit me later?"

"Well, it's funny, but I don't feel anywhere near as wound up as I usually am after a week without any kind of sex either." I shrugged. "If anything, what I'm feeling right now is... energetic and willing, but not particularly horny."

"Well, I make up for both of you." Lisa-Marie grinned at me. "And Tom, I'm glad you feel energetic, because I feel like I can keep you busy for a long time and you may need that energy."

"Well, it's early, but I have a book to read for now." Andy grinned. "So I'll say goodnight and let you two do what comes naturally."

"Want us to leave the door open for you?" Lisa-Marie teased as the two of them hugged.

"You can if you want, I'm closing mine for now." Andy giggled, then came to hug me. ""Goodnight, Tiger Tom."

"Tiger Tom? Where did that come from?" I laughed and caught her head in my hands, then kissed her lightly.

"I don't know." She giggled. "It just seemed to fit. Goodnight now."

And with that, she ran upstairs. Lisa-Marie and I only paused to rinse out the mugs before she led me up the stairs by the hand with a mischievous look in her eye. When we got to the bedroom, she paused and turned to face down the hall.

"We're leaving the door open and the night light on. You're welcome to come visit." She called fairly loudly, then pushed me into the bedroom and away from the door.

"You are a real bitch at times, aren't you?" I laughed at her. "Poor Andy."

"Poor Andy my ass!" She giggled, her fingers already busy on the buttons of my shirt. "I have an idea she's a manipulative little bitch, almost as much as I am. Besides, I offered, and she turned me down. So now I can tease if I want."

As she undressed me, I was returning the favour, but I paused and kissed the tip of her nose.

"What if she changes her mind and decides to come down and see us?"

"Then I guess we'll just have to make room for her to crawl into bed too, won't we?" She tickled me lightly. "And don't try to tell me that 'Big Johnny' doesn't like that idea a whole bunch. You'd love to carve another notch in your bedpost."

"Well, number one, we don't have any bedposts and number two, there wouldn't be room for another notch after I carved all the notches for the times that you and I..."

"Ass." She interrupted, giggling loudly. "Each woman only gets one notch for the very first time."

"Can't see that we'd need a bedpost then, the notch for you would be awful lonely."

"Don't you think there should be at least a little notch for that great blowjob?"

"Unh uh. I don't know how to carve half a notch." I laughed.

Then I dropped to my knees, pulling her jeans and panties down in one motion, then scooping her up in my arms and carrying her to the bed.

"Unh uh." She hung on around my neck as I tried to set her down. "I want you in the bed, and in the middle. I do want sex, but first, I want to talk and cuddle, okay."

"Hey, you usually like to talk and cuddle afterward, what brings on the change?" I asked as I set her down and willingly slipped into bed.

"Well, tonight I want to make sure you're worn out and that means you'll just fall asleep afterward." She snickered as she snuggled close.

I ran my hands over her back and kissed her forehead as she shifted to where she wanted to be. Her eyes were gleaming and her face was wreathed in a smile as she shifted to lay atop my chest.

"I still think perhaps it was Andy who gave you the blowjob last week." She whispered quietly, her lips only inches from my ear.

"But she denied it and I believed her." I protested. "I thought you did too."

"I did at first, then I thought back and she never actually denied it. Instead, she said something like 'Who me? Would I do something like that?' Don't you remember as a kid using words like that when you were trying not to lie directly but still trying to get away with something that you knew was wrong?" She snorted. "I did tell her I forgave her though, but I think she's going to come see us later."

"I suppose you could be right. I don't recall exactly what she did say." I frowned. "However when it comes to her joining in with us in bed, I'm not sure that I'm happy with that."

"Oh nuts. She's here and she's willing and available. You're a very virile man and I'm a rather uninhibited woman, especially right now. Just talking about her has perked up your Johnson, I could feel it get harder under my belly as we talked, so I know your body wants her, even if your head is hesitant. And you know what's strange? I don't feel jealous of her at all. But at the same time, if it was Fran that gave you that blowjob, then I am jealous of her."