Chapter 3

Jen wiped her lips and rose to her feet. "I'm going after him."

"Do that," Jennifer said. "We'll clean up here."

"Thanks." Jen strode toward the stairs without looking back.

Dave turned to Jennifer, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I was worried something like this might happen."

"Me too."

She sighed. "Will you get the lights?"

Dave nodded and went to the switch on the wall. Jennifer turned the spotlight off and they gathered up clothes, setting Jen's and Will's in a pile by the stairs.

"Do you think it was jealousy?" Dave asked as they started taking down the curtain, carefully peeling back the adhesive hooks that had suspended it from the wall.

"No, I think it was that the reality didn't match the fantasy."

"But it was her fantasy."

"True ... but he certainly wanted it too."

"That's not the impression I got."

Jennifer paused and looked at him. "He told her it was the only game they hadn't tried."

"He said that to me too, but I think he was talking himself into it."

Jen nodded. "I can see that."

They folded the curtain and coiled the line and set them on the floor by the couch. Dave picked up their clothes bundle while Jennifer surveyed the room. He became very conscious of his nakedness.

"So what now?" he asked.

She looked up the stairs at the closed door. Whatever was happening behind it was too quiet for them to hear.

"We go to bed," she said.

Not being able to come up with a better suggestion, he nodded and they headed down the hall.

They put away their clothes and conducted their evening ablutions in silence. Climbing under the sheets, Jennifer cuddled into his side.

"So," he said, "we can't do much about Will and Jen until morning. What about us?"

"What about us?"

"You're okay with Jen giving me a blowjob?"

"Of course. Are you okay with her going down on me?"

He snorted. "Yeah."

"You realize they're equivalent."

"Well ... I suppose so. It just feels different." He chuckled at her raised eyebrow. "You two were incredibly hot together."

"And you don't think you were?"

"But that's because I like watching you have an orgasm more than I like having my own." He kissed the top of her head.

"But I didn't get to feel yours," she said with a mock-pout.

Dave paused. With everything that had happened tonight, was it right to seduce her? Then he realized he was being stupid. With everything that had happened tonight, they needed to reconnect. They needed to make love.

He pulled her up and kissed her deeply. She responded, with an equal mix of tenderness and passion, and soon he was absolutely sure it was what they needed. He ran his hand down her back in a long familiar pattern and she responded in kind, dropping one hand to his thigh. They played and moved like they'd done dozens and dozens of times before, until Jennifer received her pleasure of feeling him come inside her. Without words, the shifted until they were spooning and drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, Dave awoke from troubled dreams. Beside him, Jennifer tossed and rolled over, taking the blankets with her. He debated for a moment about trying to steal them back, but instead just lay there, watching her sleep. So peaceful, and so beautiful, she was an amazing woman. He would have liked to have watched her for hours, but his bladder insistently reminded him why he had to get out of bed.

After he'd finished, he decided instead to take advantage of the day and the silence to do some thinking. He wrapped himself in his robe and went to get coffee.

As he sat on the couch, sipping from his steaming mug, he mentally replayed the events of the night before. Sure, some of the warning signs had been there, subtle and overlooked in the excitement. Will's tension. His over-enthusiasm.

But they'd taken precautions too, with Jen constantly looking for Will's consent before going forward. Will had still ended up getting hurt. Even with all their discussion before the trip, and even with all their best intentions, they'd gotten burned.

He snorted softly at that thought. It really was all of them, and not just Will. They'd become too close for this not to affect all of them, as it surely did.

At least he and Jennifer were going to be okay. He vowed to never repeat the evening, but he knew they'd survive. More than survive, really. Last night's lovemaking had confirmed that they'd be just fine.

But what about Will and Jen? Or his friendship with Will? He replayed the evening yet again, trying to guess what might happen for those friendships.

After a while, he realized he could rehash what'd happened forever, without answers. The real question was—what now?

He finished his coffee, still musing on what to do, and went to get a refill. As he stood in the kitchen, he heard footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, Jen entered.

"I thought you might be up," she said.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

An awkward silence settled.

"Will's going to be okay," she said. "We talked—a lot—and he doesn't blame you or me."

Dave nodded. "He blames himself."

"Yeah."

"The thing is, he's not the only one to blame. Any of us could have stopped it."

Jen's face tightened in pain.

"But it would have been hard," he added. "And we did do our best to make sure it went well. You certainly did."

She let out a breath and nodded. Dave filled a second mug of coffee and handed it to her.

"So what now?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know. I really love Will, but..."

"Do you still want to go beyond flashing with other guys?"

"Well ... I don't know. I mean..." She looked at Dave helplessly.

He nodded. "Well, then what do we do now? Today?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I have a couple," he said before taking a sip of coffee.

"And they're..."

"I'm not sure they'll work, so I'd like to think about them some more."

"Oh. Okay."

They fell silent then, but comfortably this time. Jen wandered over to the window, looking out and scanning the sky. Dave watched her, the way her body moved, graceful and supple. The way her neck curved as she turned her head, and even the tease of her kimono riding up in back as she stretched. It wasn't deliberate this time, he realized. Not an exhibitionistic game. But she was still beautiful and he felt a thrill from admiring her.

But that's what it was, he realized. Admiration. Appreciation. Not just a cheap thrill of the new or the unexpected or the risky.

Just like Jennifer in the sun on the trail. Or watching Jennifer sleep.

He snorted softly. Maybe he wasn't a voyeur in the way that the others were. The beauty hooked him far more than the thrill.

Except ... he remembered Will's expressions, looking at Jen. From that first Victoria's Secret trip last December, when Jen came out of the dressing room to model for Will and Dave, Will had been in awe when he watched his girlfriend. He'd been that way even last night, all the way until he'd come. So it wasn't just an adrenaline rush for Will either.

He sipped his coffee, musing about beauty and sexuality, thrills and passion. Across the room, Jen also appeared lost in her thoughts, looking out the window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

They both turned with the sounds of footsteps in the hall. Jennifer walked in, also clad in her robe. She smiled at them both and headed for the coffee maker.

"How is he?" she asked of Jen.

Jen bit her lip. "He's okay. Or he will be, he says. Mostly he's embarrassed about his reaction last night."

Jennifer nodded.

"We talked a long time and he kept coming back to how ashamed he was that he couldn't handle it, when he'd been the one to want it."

"Did he really want it?" Dave asked.

Jen hesitated, but then shook her head. "No, not deep down, which makes it my fault."

"Like I said earlier," Dave said, "there's plenty of fault to go around."

Jen grimaced, but didn't object.

"So you said he'd be okay," Jennifer prompted.

"Yeah," Jen said. "I think he will be. He's not mad or anything. He says he's not hurt badly." Her eyes darted to Dave. "He's just wishing I hadn't. He said he can't get the image of Dave's semen on my face out of his mind."

"Ah," Jennifer said.

"That's why I think he'll be okay," Jen said. "He can't keep thinking about that forever, can he?"

Dave snorted. "You might be surprised. Sometimes I have trouble not thinking about Claire with another guy, and I never actually saw anything."

Jen's face fell and she lowered her eyes. She shuddered, as if on the edge of crying.

Jennifer walked over and wrapped her arms around her friend in a comforting hug. They held each other for a while, not speaking.

When they did pull apart, Jennifer fixed Jen with a look. "Are you going to be all right?"

Jen took a deep breath and nodded.

"And what about the relationship?" Jennifer asked.

Jen shook her head. "He says he loves me. He kept saying it over and over again, in fact."

Dave furrowed his brow. Wasn't that a good thing?

"That much?" Jennifer asked.

Jen nodded, still tense.

Ah, Dave realized. As if Will's convincing himself.

"I'm sure he means it," Jennifer said. "He does love you after all. This has just shaken him up."

"He's grabbing onto the one thing he knows is true," Dave added.

Jen looked from him to Jennifer, who nodded. "You really think so?"

"I'm sure," he said.

Jen relaxed, letting out a ragged breath. Dave stood and joined the two women by the window, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"We all love you," he said. "And him. And it'll be okay."

"I hope so," Jen said.

"I know so," Jennifer added. "Will's going to be fine."

"Yeah," Jen conceded. Then she looked at her friends. "So what now?"

"Is he awake?" Dave asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, then why don't you find out?" he suggested. "We'll need to talk, all four of us, and it might as well be over breakfast. I'll cook while you two wake him up."

"Both of us?" Jennifer asked.

Dave smiled. "It'll be different. Help him think about something other than last night. Particularly if you both go dressed as you are." He gestured toward their short kimonos.

For the first time that morning, Jen smiled.

"Go," Dave urged. "I've got cooking to do." He stepped back from the women, and then turned and walked to the kitchen. He didn't look back until he'd heard their feet on the stairs.

After reloading the coffee maker, Dave started unloading the refrigerator and cabinets, trying to guess what he could pull together. Toast, scrambled eggs, and juice, it appeared. He didn't quite have the food on the table when the others cascaded down the stairs.

He saw the girls' smiles first, before Will's sheepish grin.

"Hungry?" Dave asked.

"Starving," Will said.

"Then take a seat," Dave said, "we'll eat in a moment."

They did, and made a few comments about being hungry and what Dave was cooking. But then the conversation trailed off. When Dave started dishing the food onto plates, the silent strain was almost palpable. He waited for Jen to say something, since she usually started things, but the table remained tense even after he'd sat down.

Will ended the silence. "Good food," he said, holding up his fork. "Thanks."

The women murmured agreement, but then the silence returned.

Dave took a bite of egg and looked around the table. Will's smile was pasted on. Jen's eyes darted back and forth. Jennifer, at least, was calm, but she just sat back, waiting.

He silently sighed. It was going to be up to him.

"So, Will," he said, "enjoy your wakeup call?"

Will's eyes darted between the two women before he faced Dave. "Yes," he said. "I wasn't expecting it."

"But it was a good surprise," Dave said. "Unlike last night."

The room fell silent.

"Look," Dave said, "we're too good of friends to ignore the elephant in the room."

"I'm really sorry," Will began, before Dave cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"We're all to blame," he said, "and we can all apologize more than we already have. The question is, where do we go from here?"

No one had an answer.

"Well... ," Jen finally said, "I know where I don't want to go. I don't want things to end up the way they did with Rob and Mark."

"I don't know exactly what happened with Rob," Will said, "but I'm not Mark. I'm not going to push for more."

Jen nodded, but with no vigor. They've already discussed this, Dave realized.

"Rob left me because he couldn't handle the jealousy," Jennifer said. "Even though we never did anything with another couple after the first time."

"Ah," said Will. He sank back in his chair, staring out into space.

Jennifer reached over for Dave's hand, before turning to Jen. "Dave and I are going to be fine," she said. "He won't be like Rob."

"Nor Mark," Dave added. "I've enjoyed the games, but I don't need them."

"Games," Will muttered. "Some fucking games."

"You used to like the games," Jen said.

"That may have been a mistake," Will said.

"But... ," Jen said.

Will avoided looking at her. "Yeah, I've enjoyed them," he said. "But how am I going to now, thinking about what might happen? What you want to happen?"

"Not if it means losing you," Jen said, her voice breaking. She reached her hand across the table, but Will didn't take it.

"I need to go to the bathroom," he said, standing up.

Once he'd left, Jennifer turned to Jen. "I thought you two were okay."

"I did too." Her eyes didn't leave the hall where Will had disappeared.

They waited, picking at their food, until Will returned.

"I'm ... I'm sorry," he said, giving Jen's shoulder a squeeze as he stood behind her. He looked at Dave. "I know that you're my friends, and my lover." He gave Jen another squeeze. She reached up and took his hand. "But I think things are fine and then ... the image pops up in my head again."

Dave nodded. "I know what you mean."

"You do, don't you?"

Dave met his friend's eyes and nodded. Will had heard him bitching about Claire for months before he and Jen had finally set him up with Jennifer.

Will sighed. "So what do we do?"

"That's what I asked," Dave said. "But I think the answer depends on what we want."

"I want things the way they were before last night," Will said.

Dave glanced at the women, who nodded agreement.

"And I don't want to keep having that image in my brain."

"That's tougher," Dave said.

"If I could undo last night, I would," Jen said.

"And if I could erase my memories," Will said, "I would."

"You may not be able to erase them," Jennifer chimed in, "but you can write over them."

"Huh?" Will's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Do you think Dave will think about Claire when his birthday or Valentine's Day roll around next?" she asked, smiling at Dave.

"Uh ... no."

Dave smiled and silently chuckled. Jennifer's gifts had been so memorable, there was no way Claire's ghost could come close to competing.

Will grimaced. "I dunno. What would write over them? We've tried just about every game there is."

Dave smiled. "I have some ideas."

"Like what?" Will asked.

"Well, for starters, a lot more happened last night than just the blowjob. You're already forgetting some of those sights."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Hmmm."

Dave turned to the women. "Were you really kissing, behind the curtain?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jen asked.

"No," Dave said. "I want you to kiss now, with Will watching."

The women exchanged a silent look, and then turned to Will. His eyes were wide with surprise. Then Jen stood and offered her hand to Jennifer, pulling her up. The stepped close, wrapping their arms around each other. Jen brushed her hair back so the guys could see. She then bent in for the kiss.

The kiss was tender, with a tinge of passion. It lasted for several heartbeats. When the women pulled apart, they both were breathing harder.

Will's mouth hung open.

"Again," Dave said.

This time, Will's eyes glazed as he watched the women kiss.

"So what else do you remember from last night?" Dave asked.

Will jerked, shaking himself back to attention. The women parted and slid back into their seats.

"I remember the silhouettes," Will said. "Those were hot. And Jen going down on Jennifer." He grimaced. "Though that tends to make me think of what came next."

"Do you remember the night before?" Dave asked. "All of us having sex in the living room?"

Will nodded, a grin escaping. "That was fun."

"So you've got other, better memories of this weekend already," Dave said.

Will rolled his eyes. "I don't know."

"Do the women need to kiss again?"

"No," Will said, "though I wouldn't object if they did."

"Maybe after breakfast," Jen said, her smile relaxed for the first time in the morning.

"So let's finish eating," Dave said. "And maybe we can figure out what we're going to do between now and the fireworks show."

With that, the conversation turned to matters of the mundane. While it wasn't as relaxed as conversations of the days before, it wasn't forced either. They hadn't come to any conclusions, though, by the time they'd finished.

"Well," Jen said, "whatever we do, I want to shower first."

"Me too," Jennifer said.

"Do you want me to join you?" Dave asked.

"How about..." Jen paused, looking at Will before continuing, "if I shower with Jennifer? You and Dave can watch."

Dave blinked, but then a small grin spread across his lips. "That would probably help overwrite memories," he said.

Will hesitated, but then nodded in agreement.

Jen turned to Jennifer. "The upstairs shower walls are transparent. Care to join me?"

Jennifer smiled.

"I'll put away the food and then join you," Dave said.

It didn't take long, which meant that Dave was only a minute behind the rest. He arrived in the upstairs bathroom just as the women were shedding their kimonos. Will had already snagged the seat on top of the closed toilet, leaving Dave to lean against the sink.

As Jen adjusted the water, Jennifer smiled back at the men. Dave sighed, drinking in her beauty. The curve of her hips, her legs. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, unintentionally highlighting the smoothness of her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Jen had stepped under the water. She turned, letting it cascade down her breasts and then across her shoulders. Her nipples jutted out and her hair started to plaster to her neck. She shifted to the side, letting Jennifer take her turn under the spray.

Dave glanced at Will. His eyes were wide and bright, his lips pursed. He caught Dave's gaze and smiled before returning to admire the women.

Jen lathered up her hands and ran them down Jennifer's back while Jennifer swiveled under the water. Jennifer let out an "ooh!" when Jen soaped her ass. Then Jen dropped to her knees and did Jennifer's legs.

Jennifer turned, letting Jen work her way up her front. She skipped around her pussy, but spent extra time on Jennifer's belly. Then Jen looked back at the guys and grinned. Slowly, without breaking eye contact with Will, she cupped Jennifer's breasts. She made sure they were good and soapy before releasing them.

"Is that what you wanted to see?" she asked, her voice sultry.

"It's pretty nice," Will said.

Jen stepped back while Jennifer rinsed. Then they switched places. Jennifer didn't spend as long soaping up Jen's back or legs. She re-lathered her hands before fondling Jen's breasts, though, smiling at Will the entire time she caressed her friend.

As Jen rinsed, Jennifer made a show of playing with her own breasts. She looked down, but where her hair threatened to cascade forward, she straightened up, pulling it back over her shoulder.

"Wash your hair?" Jen asked, now clean.

Jennifer shook her head. "I don't want to take the time."

"Okay," Jen said, "but I'm going to. I need to wash the semen from last night out."

She immediately winced and looked at Will. He sat frozen. Tense.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He nodded. "Go ahead and wash your hair."

Jennifer handed her the shampoo and they tried to go on as if nothing had happened. Dave heard the women talking quietly, but he was too intent on watching Will.

His friend didn't move. Will didn't smile and his eyes didn't track the women's movements. He didn't seem upset or angry. He also didn't seem present in the moment.

Dave nudged him with his foot.

Will startled and looked at Dave. Dave nodded toward the women and Will's attention returned to the beauties in the shower.

Jen lathered and rinsed her hair, her eyes closed. Jennifer, though, had caught the interplay between the men. She gave them a half-hearted smile before reaching for the conditioner bottle.

Jen let Jennifer massage the conditioner into her hair and scalp, making small appreciative noises, but the energy still wasn't in them. They kept sneaking peeks over at the guys. Will tried to smile back, but was clearly forcing it.

When Jen turned off the water, Dave nudged Will. "C'mon," he said, "there's not enough room for them to dry off while we're sitting here. Let's go get the kitchen cleaned up."

Will nodded and pulled himself to his feet.

"We'll be down in a few minutes," Jennifer said.

Dave nodded acknowledgement and herded Will out the door.

In the kitchen, Will lightened up. They cleaned in silence for a few minutes before Will paused.

"Sorry," he said. "I was doing fine until..."

"Yeah, I know." Dave leaned against the counter. "So how do we keep you 'doing fine'?"

Will grimaced. "I don't know. I liked having a new game, but..."

"Maybe we should dispense with the games."

"Huh? The girls love showing off."

"Oh, I'm not saying we ask them to stop," Dave said. "In fact, I think we both want them showing off, as much as possible." He grinned, leading Will to nod in acknowledgement. "I think we should just stop it being games."

"I don't get it."

"It's thinking of the exhibitionism as a game that got you in trouble. You had to go onto the next game, and the next game and the next."

"I'm not sure about that."

Dave shook his head in mild exasperation. "Why do you like it when Jen shows off?"

"She's a beautiful woman. I like looking at her."

Dave nodded. "So why not stop there?"

"Well..." Will grinned. "Sometimes I like the thrill. Like when she does some flashing in public. It's a rush. I also like thinking, when another guy's looking at her, 'yeah, she's beautiful, but she's going home with me.'"

"Yeah," Dave said, "but that doesn't work if she starts fooling around with them. Or me."

Will fell silent, staring into space. Then, after a dozen heartbeats, he nodded.

"You're right," he said. "I don't want her touching other guys."

"That's right. Even though you talked yourself into it this weekend."

Will sighed. "Yeah. Except she does want to be able to touch other guys sometimes."

"So you two need to talk."

"That's going to be a tough talk."

Dave nodded. "You don't have to have it right away."

"Yeah ... I want to think about it."

"Do that."

"Okay," Will said, "but back to the games. What's wrong with games?"

"What I said. As long as it's 'just a game, ' it's hard to see how much fire you're playing with."

Will scowled. "So what do you suggest? We already agreed we like them showing off."

Dave shrugged. "So we get them to show off without it being a game."

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"Do what?" a voice called from the stairs. They turned to see the ladies walking down—Jen dressed, Jennifer back in her kimono.

"Have some fun with exhibitionism and voyeurism without it being a game," Dave answered.

Jen looked quizzically from man to man.

"Dave thinks that if we hadn't gotten so caught up in playing the next game, we might not have stepped across the line."

Jen frowned and turned to Dave.

"I think we should do some exhibitionism without it being a game," he said. "You know, just for the beauty of it. Because you two are so beautiful."

"Aww," Jennifer said, smiling.

Jen cocked an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Did anyone bring a camera?" Dave asked.

"I've got a small one," Jennifer said.

"We're not doing anything until the fireworks show tonight, right?" Dave said. "How about we go hiking and find a place to take some pictures?"

Jen finally smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"We better get dressed then," Will said, gesturing at Dave.

"Right," he said. "Everyone meet back here in a few minutes?"

After nods all around, Dave and Jennifer headed down to their room. As they dressed, Jennifer turned to him.

"Are you going to want to see more of me and Jen together?" she asked.

"Together as in touching? I don't know. I enjoy it, but, well, that's not what this is about."

She nodded, a look of relief on her face. "Good. I don't want things to turn into just lesbian sex shows."

"Okay..."

Jennifer smiled and reached out for Dave, touching his arm. "I love you," she said. "If I'm doing anything with Jen, it's for you."

He smiled and took her hand. "So you're not going to be running off for wild afternoons of sex with Jen."

She shook her head. "Nothing without you present."

He squeezed her hand and then, impulsively, pulled her in for a kiss. Tender at first, it soon turned passionate until Jennifer pulled back.

"If we get started," she said, "we'll never be ready to meet the others."

"Raincheck?"

"With interest." She kissed him again to seal the promise.

They finished getting ready and found Will and Jen waiting for them in the main room. After getting out the maps and discussing possible trails, they eventually decided on the North Fork of the Swan Trail. It wasn't too long of a drive to the trailhead, which was once again crowded with cars.

"I'm not sure about this," Will said, watching a family pile out of a nearby SUV.

"We can get off-trail," Jen said.

"Might be a while," Will muttered.

"We've got plenty of time," she said, shouldering her pack. "And you know it'll be worth your while." She waggled her eyebrows in emphasis.

Will snorted. "Then lead on."

It did take them a while to get down the trail. They passed a few hikers in a meadow near the start, and encountered another couple when the path got rocky. Finally, after an hour and a lot of sweat, they entered a densely forested stretch. They stopped in the shade of some pine trees to suck from their water bottles.

"Go off here?" Will asked, breathing hard.

"There's supposed to be some old cabins up ahead," Dave said. "They might make a good backdrop."

Will shook his head. "They'll also draw other hikers." He looked at Jen. "What do you think?"

"I want to get completely naked," she said. "Without getting in trouble."

"Let's go that way," Jennifer said, pointing off the trail up a ridge.

After a round of nods, they agreed and bushwhacked up the steep hill. A couple of times Dave thought they might stop, but Will wanted to be further from the trail. Finally they found a sunlit break in the trees, where an old pine had fallen, taking down a couple of smaller ones with it, and now lay waist-high. A few bushes grew in the clearing, but mostly grass filled the space.

"So how do we start?" Jen asked, looking around.

"By handing me the camera," Will joked.

"Mmm," Dave said, "how about if I handle the camera? You can focus on the poses."

Will nodded. As Jen sorted through her pack for her camera, Jennifer wandered over to the fallen tree. She turned and smiled at Dave, mouthing "I love you." He blew her a kiss in return.

Jen handed the camera to Dave. While she was explaining how to use it, Jennifer returned to her pack and retrieved a thin blanket.

"The bark's pretty rough," she said when Dave noticed.

"We could always do some in the grass," Will said, gesturing to a sunny patch.

Dave suppressed a smile. He's getting into it. Good.

"So how do you want to start?" Jennifer asked.

Will shrugged and looked at Jen.

"How about if we start by the tree and move to the grass after we're naked?"

"Sounds good."

The women sauntered to the fallen log while Dave moved back, checking the light and framing. They stood awkwardly, waiting.