Chapter 22

"So you and Tina never did talk about whether you were a couple or not, did you?" Sherri asked.

I shook my head. "I assumed she knew we were just friends now, but obviously she assumed differently."

Sherri winced. "Not good, Joe. Not good."

I sighed. "I know. The entire time we were together in Tucson, I avoided saying that I loved her, because I didn't want to lead her on when I knew I was leaving. And then I led her on by flying her out to visit." I sighed again. "Of course, I see that clearly now. Then, I was too excited about what could be in store for later..."

"So," Sherri prompted. "You were driving home from the airport when Sharon made her comment about friends with benefits..."

"Yeah," I said. "I was hoping I was reading too much into it when Tina spoke up..."

Tina reached over and put her hand on my thigh, squeezing it. "But don't you want more?" she asked Sharon.

Sharon shrugged. "Sure, but friends with benefits is better than nothing, particularly given the distance."

"I agree," I said.

Tina looked at me with a furrowed brow. I shrugged, but didn't say anything.

We arrived at my apartment soon thereafter. I gave Sharon the tour and she dropped her bags in the bedroom. Then I broke out a bottle of Chianti Classico and we settled into the living room, the women sinking onto the sofa while I pulled a chair in from the dining area.

"So," Sharon asked, "what's the plan?"

"Well," I said, "not much tonight, since it's so late. Tomorrow, I was thinking we'd go to the Capitol and maybe the White House and then walk around Georgetown for a while before coming back here to get ready for dinner. Tina and I've already seen a lot of the Smithsonian." I tried to look apologetic with that last sentence.

Sharon didn't seem to mind. "I'd like to see Georgetown. I thought about going there when I was applying to college, back when I was thinking about going into international studies."

"And you didn't?" Tina asked.

Sharon shook her head. "I didn't get in. I've thought about applying again, if I decide to go on to graduate school. The psychiatry program in their med school is supposed to be pretty good."

"Really?" Tina said. "I haven't started thinking about med schools yet, though I guess I'm going to have to soon. I'm going to start applying in the fall."

That's right, she's a junior. I still had trouble seeing her as anything other than an eighteen year old freshman.

"Good luck if you apply," Sharon said. "I'm not sure I could get in."

"What are you doing now?" Tina asked.

"Working for a catering company in their business office."

"Oh?" Tina said. The conversation slid on to food and cooking and the challenges of working in a professional kitchen. Tina told some stories of cooking for her entire family and Sharon joked that she was already then trained to do hors-d'oeuvres for one hundred. When the conversation hit its first pause, Sharon turned to me.

"So tell me about the restaurant we're going to tomorrow night," she said.

I glanced over at Tina, who was listening intently, and smiled.

"Well, I've read some great reviews. The chef apparently does a tasting menu that can be five or seven courses for a fixed price. You tell the waiter if there's anything you can't eat, like any allergies, and then he prepares what he wants."

"Sounds fun," Sharon said.

Tina nodded in agreement.

"It's supposed to be wonderful. It's in an old country house that they've converted, so there's also not a lot of tables in each room. I think we'll have a great time."

"And we'll do the pictures after?" Sharon asked.

"Yes," I said, nodding. I glanced over at Tina, who frowned and looked suspicious.

"I brought my camera, if you want to use it," Sharon said.

"Nah, I'll use my own," I said. "I could use the practice."

Tina had grown quiet, her eyes darting from me to Sharon and back. I smiled at her, try to be reassuring.

"So tell me about the Smithsonian," Sharon said to Tina. The younger woman forced a smile, and started talking about what we'd seen. I chimed in with some anecdotes, and Tina smiled when I reminded her about a crazy protester we'd passed on the sidewalk. As we talked and drank, Tina relaxed more until she was genuinely laughing at some of the jokes that Sharon made.

Her seriousness returned, though, right after Sharon declared it a night and retired to the bedroom. We'd barely gotten the sofa bed folded out when Tina turned to me.

"Tell me about the pictures," she said.

I took a deep breath. "Well, I've taken pictures of you, and I've taken pictures of Sharon. I realized what I really wanted to do was take pictures of both of you together. Sharon's agreed, and I'm hoping you will, too."

"What kind of pictures?"

"Like we've taken before."

She frowned.

"Look, it'll be fun, particularly since the two of you get along. And it's something I really, really want."

"You really, really want it?"

"Yes," I said, "you'd make me very happy."

Tina paused, thinking. She looked into my eyes and I smiled, trying to be reassuring and not come across as pleading. Then she made a small nod of her head.

"Okay."

"Thank you," I said, "you won't regret it."

"I better not."

"You won't," I promised. "And thank you."

Tina's smile was weak, so I took her in my arms and hugged her.

"I'm really lucky to have you," I said softly into her ear. She pulled back enough to smile at me, genuinely warm this time. My eyes darted to her mouth and back to meeting hers and, when she didn't object, I kissed her.

One kiss led to another, and we slowly sank down onto the bed. Tenderly, without really stopping the kisses, we slowly stripped off each other's clothes. Only then did I kiss my way down to her mound before putting her legs over my shoulders. Tina sighed as I slowly, almost languidly, kissed and sucked and licked her to a climax. Then I slid up on top of her and into her. We kissed, breaking only to gaze into each other's eyes, while I slowly slid in and out of her. My heart just seemed to melt with the connection, so much so that my climax seemed anti-climatic. We fell asleep, entwined in each other's arms.

We awoke to the sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen. As we opened our eyes, Sharon walked in bearing two cups of coffee. My eyes immediately snapped all the way open. Sharon wore a Boston University sweatshirt, but her legs were bare. The shirt hung too low for me to tell if she had panties on or not.

Tina and I sat up, but then Tina pulled the sheet back up over her breasts.

"Relax," said Sharon, handing her a mug, "we've all seen each other naked before."

Tina let the sheet slide as she accepted the coffee. I, of course, couldn't help stealing glances at her bare breasts, but Sharon didn't blink an eye.

Sharon went back to the kitchen and returned with a mug of her own and settled into the kitchen chair left in the room from the night before. She put her feet up on the chair rung, which forced the sweatshirt to ride up enough to confirm she wore underwear. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or not.

"So what's for breakfast?" she asked.

"I was going to cook breakfast burritos while you two got ready to go."

"Mmm," Sharon said, with a small grin.

"And to think he couldn't cook when he met me," Tina said.

"She's taught me well," I said.

Tina squeezed me hand and beamed at me.

"Well, I look forward to it," Sharon said. "After my shower."

So with a little effort, we got all of us moving. It was slower than I'd hoped, but faster than we'd managed in Albuquerque, which was good because we didn't have our own personal chef this time, like Sharon's mother had been then. The women didn't mind too much, though, and complimented me on the food. I accepted and slipped off for my first shower of the day, trying to keep it short so we could get going.

The women enjoyed the day. After stopping by the Capitol and Union Station, I drove us down to Georgetown, since we didn't want to walk the couple of miles from the nearest Metro stop. I miraculously found parking halfway between the University and Wisconsin Avenue, so we were able to tour both without having to try to move the car. Tina thought the campus was quite pretty, though Sharon thought CU, with its red sandstone facades and the mountains in the background, had it beat. We'd poked our heads into a handful of shops around Wisconsin and M Street before calling it a day and heading back home to prepare for the evening.

Sharon's comment that we'd already seen each other nude helped when as we got ready to go. Having three adults getting dressed with only two good changing areas and one bathroom turned out to be trickier than I imagined. I caught several glimpses of both women, half dressed. Tina saw me slipping on the thong and smiled. It felt strange, with the fabric of my suit pants rubbing my bare skin where the thong didn't cover me, but since both women were indeed wearing garter belts and black stockings under their clothes, I dared not complain.

Finally, we assembled in the living room, and I had to draw a deep breath of appreciation. Sharon wore the skirt and blouse I'd seen before and appreciated. Tina's dress was new—the ubiquitous little black dress, with a scoop front that showed off her cleavage. It also clung tightly to her hips and showed off her legs to perfection.

"You like?" Tina asked, turning and preening.

I let out a low whistle and nodded my head. "Oh, I like."

She dimpled. "I got it especially for this trip."

"You are a lucky man," Sharon said, looking Tina up and down herself.

"I know," I said. "I know."

Dinner was fabulous. We all ordered the seven course tasting meal and the chef blew us away. The scallops melted in my mouth like butter and the châteaubriand was so savory that none of us could leave a drop of the sauce on our plates. The wines were a perfect match and, even better, no one carded Tina. We drank, we laughed, and we teased each other for over three hours.

When we returned to my place, the merriment continued. I broke out a bottle of champagne and slipped a second into the fridge. We toasted to friendship. We toasted to vacations. We laughed and toasted to psychics in Georgetown. Relaxed in only the way that good company and the remnants of a good meal can provide, we settled into a happy silence.

Then Sharon set down her now-empty glass and looked at me. "So, do you want to take the pictures now?"

I nodded.

"Where?"

"How about we start next to that wall?" I said, pointing to the blank one on the far side of the living room. "Then we can do some on the couch."

"C'mon," Sharon said to Tina, tilting her head toward the wall.

Tina's eyes went wide for a moment, but she quickly finished her champagne and followed Sharon over to my makeshift studio. I quickly grabbed my camera and a couple of spare rolls of film.

"How do you want to start?" Sharon asked.

"Just standing side by side," I said. "I've got plenty of film."

My first shots were pretty boring—just the two of them facing the camera. Then I had them stand at an angle, like I'd seen the photographer at Allen's wedding pose people. I got some fun shots of them standing back to back, with their sides to the camera. For the third one in that stance, they both took up their refilled glasses and toasted the camera. I took the fourth shot with their heads tilted back as they drank. Then I pulled a folding chair over and we took some with one of them sitting while the other stood nearby. Both of them took turns in the chair and they went for poses from demure to silly to over-the-top vamping. In no time, I'd finished the first roll of film. The women freshened their glasses while I reloaded the camera.

"Are you ready for the next set?"

Sharon nodded and began unbuttoning her blouse. Tina paused, watching her, until Sharon looked at her and smiled. Then Tina reached back for her zipper, missing the tab on the first try.

"Here," Sharon said, "let me."

Tina turned and held her hair up so Sharon could get at the zipper. I quickly snapped the new roll of film into the camera and dropped to one knee, so I was shooting up at an angle. Sharon grinned at me. She'd already finished unbuttoning her blouse, so she tossed it aside and then stepped back a bit so she wasn't blocking my view of Tina. As I clicked away, Sharon slowly unzipped Tina's dress, exposing the tan flesh beneath one inch at a time.

When the fabric had parted enough, Tina glanced over her shoulder. I looked up from the camera and mouthed "Wow!" She grinned back at me. Sharon saw our exchange and smiled. She touched Tina lightly on the shoulder, and then slowly slid the dress strap off. Tina's warm smile didn't fade as her dress slid to her hips and then, after a tug by Sharon, pooled at her feet. I managed several great shots as it did.

Tina stepped out of her dress and then picked it up and set it aside. While she was doing so, Sharon quickly shed her skirt and then grabbed the champagne. She passed a freshened glass to Tina before holding hers up.

"To Joe," she said, "the luckiest man in D.C."

I chuckled. "That's for sure." With two gorgeous women standing in front of me, wearing only black lingerie and heels, how could I disagree?

I asked them to continue to hold their glasses up while I took a couple of shots. They did, giggling, turning to face each other, and then back-to-back. When their glasses were halfway drained, Sharon suggested they do the 'drink through interlocked arms' trick. The first shot was fine, but then I realized it'd be even better if they each bent one leg slightly at the knee. It took three shots to get exactly what I wanted, but I was confident that the final one would come out really well.

The ladies refilled their glasses while I shifted a lamp to better illuminate the couch.

"What now?" Sharon asked.

"I'd like the two of you sitting side by side," I said, gesturing toward the new makeshift studio.

They sat and we tried a handful of arm and leg positions, none of which made me particularly happy. The best one was when I had them lean against the sides of the couch, stretching their legs out across the cushions, almost intertwined. The sea of black nylon created by their stockings was interesting, but I couldn't quite get it to be sexy.

I mulled it over while I changed the film. I had two sexy bookends framing the scene, but it wasn't as hot as when Sharon had unzipped Tina's dress.

"Would you two mind interacting a little more?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe lean in together, or have Tina lie across your lap.

Sharon looked at Tina with raised eyebrows. The younger woman shrugged. Sharon shifted to the middle of the couch and Tina laid her legs across Sharon's thighs.

I took the picture. "Try the other way," I said, motioning with my hands. When I saw their looks of confusion, I explained. "Put your head and shoulders in her lap instead of your feet."

They shifted around and I got a couple of pictures, but either Tina's head was too low compared to Sharon's, or the way she was lying just looked uncomfortable.

I looked up from the lens finder and frowned. "We need something else."

"I know," Sharon said. She looked at Tina. "Slide up and roll over."

Tina complied, which resulting in her stretched across Sharon's lap, almost as if she were about to get spanked. Sharon placed on hand between Tina's shoulders and the other on her upper thigh. The pose framed Tina's ass perfectly, highlighting her delicious curves.

"That's nice," I said, dropping into a crouch. Tina turned and smiled, more amused than sultry, while I directed Sharon on how to position her arms.

"It would really be sexy to make it look like you were spanking her," I said. "Maybe put your hand on her ass?"

Sharon frowned and shot me a small glare. "I'm not going to do that."

I nodded agreement and her face got devilish.

"But I could do this," she said. She placed her hand on the clasp of Tina's bra. Tina sucked in her breath, but didn't move or say anything. I clicked away as Sharon undid the hooks and pulled the fabric away. I took two more pictures as Tina eased herself off of Sharon's lap, letting her bare breasts come into view.

"Very nice," I said. "You are two very sexy ladies."

Tina dimpled and Sharon laughed. "Get us some more champagne, Joe."

I retrieved a new bottle from the kitchen. It took a moment to get it open, and when I returned, the two women were sitting, talking quietly on the couch, both bare-breasted. Sharon had removed her bra as well.

"Aw," I said, "I was hoping to have Tina take that off."

"It was starting to dig into me," Sharon said. "It needed to go."

"Well," I said, "she could remove your panties. That would be really sexy."

Sharon shook her head. "Not going to happen."

Tina's eyes were wide, darting from me to Sharon and back.

"Well," I said, "how about if you remove them at the same time?"

Sharon thought for a moment and then nodded. She turned to Tina and cocked her head, the question unsaid. Tina took a deep breath and nodded back.

"You probably need to stand, then," I said.

The ladies got unsteadily to their feet, with Tina helping pull Sharon off the couch. They grinned at me, a little loopily.

"Here," Sharon said to Tina, "face this way." She tugged Tina's arm so that the two had their backs to the camera.

Then, slowly, and ever so teasingly, they hooked their thumbs under the elastic of their panties and slowly rolled them down. Past their hips, then down their thighs, before they dropped to the floor. As they bent over, their hips curved almost sinuously and the cheeks of their asses grew taut. I used almost a third of a roll of film capturing the sight.

Tina started tittering.

"What," Sharon asked, as they straightened up.

"I just realized we mooned Joe."

Sharon giggled. "And the camera."

"Hey, I don't mind," I said.

The turned around to face me and put their arms around each other's shoulders. I snapped the last two pictures on the roll and then sat down to change the film.

"I'm sorry, Joe," Sharon said, sitting and unhooking her garters. "I know you find these sexy, but I'm getting tired of them. They need to come off.

I shrugged, seeing as how I didn't have any basis to object. Tina watched Sharon for a moment and then decided to follow her lead.

"Another thing," Sharon said. "This fabric is rough on my skin." She got off the couch and rubbed her ass.

"Well, we could do some more standing shots," I said. "Or use the kitchen chairs."

Sharon frowned. "The chair's pretty hard."

"So let's unfold the bed," I said. "It's comfortable."

It didn't take long to get the sofa unfolded. The women immediately stretched out, lying next to each other on their backs. I moved to the foot of the bed and took a few more pictures. I didn't try to push them together, sensing that it wouldn't go over well, but I did aim for some symmetry in how they held their limbs. Finally, I ran out of film and set the camera down.

"Thank you, ladies," I said. "It's been an incredible evening, having two such sexily dressed women with me at dinner, and after."

"Or undressed," Sharon said with a spark of mischief in her eyes. She found her champagne glass and took a sip.