I slowly drifted awake from the warmest, happiest dream I’d ever had. The details faded as more of my brain began to work, but the comfortable emotions and sensations continued. As the weight eased from my eyes, I sensed the soft heat pressed into my side. Bare flesh. Lori’s flesh. Her ass pushed against my hip.

I turned my head and looked at her. Since she was facing away, all I could see was her neck and thick blonde hair, but…

Wow. Just watching her gently breathe…

It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen in my life.

I lay there, just looking at her and feeling the warmth of her smooth skin against mine. Memories of the night before flitted through my brain. I had a strong urge to roll over and spoon her, but didn’t want to wake her. Besides, my bladder was slowly growing more insistent.

I slowly twisted around until I could see the clock on the nightstand. Seven a.m. That wasn’t too early, but it was a Saturday.

And last night had been amazing. I savored the memory of Lori riding me. Her weight and wetness as she pressed against me. And then her under me, with her nails sliding along my back but not quite scratching. Her sucking me, her taste—my cock stirred.

We hadn’t just done it once and quit. We’d done it a lot.

That was new to me, and I liked it. I liked it a lot.

I turned my head and watched her sleep. Enough light seeped in around a curtained window for me to see all the contours in her shoulder and the curls in her hair. I inhaled—the room smelled of sex and roses.

We’d certainly had plenty of sex.

I looked around the guest bedroom and started noticing things I hadn’t seen the night before. I’d noticed the full-length mirrors covering the closet doors. They made the room feel twice as big as it was, and it was already oversized, especially compared to Lori’s bedroom upstairs. Of course, it also had a king bed, which I’d really enjoyed.

With the paneling and the brass light fixtures, it felt formal—like something out of a Better Homes & Gardens spread—but I reminded myself that it was a guest bedroom. No one actually lived in it.

Then I noticed the comfy overstuffed chair between the end of the bed and the closet. That looked the perfect place to watch Lori awaken. If I actually wanted to get out of bed, that is.

Unfortunately, my bladder reminded me I had something to do.

Slowly, carefully, I extracted myself from the bed. The box springs creaked and the sheets rustled, but Lori only stirred a little. I grimaced when I realized I’d hadn’t brought any clothes down. They were scattered between her bedroom, the family room, and the side of the hot tub. Why the hell had I left my underwear by the side of the hot tub?

Naked Lori.

That was quickly turning into the reason for everything. I looked at her again as I slowly rose to my feet. The sheets didn’t cover her beautiful bare breasts. My dick twitched again, which did not help. I did not need morning wood making it hard to pee.

I quietly padded into the bathroom and carefully closed the door behind me so as to not make noise that would disturb her. I flipped on the light and then caught myself.

While I’d used the bathroom the night before, I really hadn’t looked around. Would you, if you had a hot, eager naked woman waiting for you? But now…

I hadn’t noticed the floor was tile instead of linoleum. It was cool under my feet as I moved to the toilet. All the fixtures were polished brass. After I’d taken care of business and washed my hands, I spotted a towel heater. As thick and fluffy as the towels were, I could only imagine how decadent they’d be warm.

I dried my hands, looked at the shower, and sucked in my breath. Instead of a tiny little stall, it stretched the length of the room and had two separate shower heads.

These two rooms were downright decadent compared to the rest of the house.

I liked that. Lori and I could set our own temperatures if we needed to. Assuming she didn’t like it as hot as I did.

Showering together without having to worry about getting caught? I was looking forward to that, too.

Back in high school, Andrea and I had always had to worry about getting caught. My dad would’ve killed me and my mom disowned me. Those days now seemed ages ago.

Lori had said her parents wouldn’t care. Her brother had said pretty much the same thing. Len had even said he’d been caught by his mom and she had told them to come by the kitchen for cookies when they were done.

That still blew my mind.

I finished drying my hands and returned to the bedroom. Lori stirred as soon as I entered. Then she rolled over and opened her eyes. She saw me and smiled.

My heart skipped a beat, and I smiled warmly back.

“Hey,” she said.

“Morning.”

“What’re you doing over there?”

I had a moment of panic. Was I not supposed to be in the bathroom doorway?

“You should be here. With me.” She pulled the sheets back.

I wasn’t an idiot. I climbed into bed and she cuddled into my side.

She began lightly running her fingers along my chest. “This is nice.”

It was. I loved the feel of her bare skin against mine. She was warm and soft, and part of me still couldn’t believe this was real. I still couldn’t believe we’d spent the night together.

She was mine.

Except she wasn’t.

She didn’t want to be monogamous. And I’d agreed to it.

But what did that even mean?

How did that work?

“What?” Lori quietly asked.

“Huh?”

“You’re tense.”

I sighed and willed myself to relax. “It’s nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah… Just hungry.” It was a white lie, but I didn’t want another big discussion, especially after how draining the last one had been.

She threw the covers back and sat up. My eyes were instantly drawn to her perfect breasts. They were full and curved like teardrops. Her large dark areolae were capped with fat, suckable nipples⁠—

I finally tore my gaze away and met hers.

She smirked. “Are you sure you want breakfast?”

“Well…”

She laughed. “Let’s eat now. We can play later.”

That sounded like a very good idea.

Lori pulled two silk robes out of the closet. She handed me the royal blue one while she slipped the ruby red one on. I felt a little self-conscious not having any underwear on underneath it, but I’d left mine… by the hot tub. Lori looked at ease, so I took a deep breath and smiled. It wasn’t like anyone was home anyway.

We walked out of the guest bedroom into the main basement room. I paused. I hadn’t paid much attention to it the night before because, well—naked Lori—but now, I pulled up short and gaped.

It was as decadent as the bedroom and bathroom. A wet bar with polished brass railing and a mirror behind it lined one wall and there were a bunch of couches arranged around a projection TV. The room could’ve been a nightclub if the ceiling had been higher.

“Yeah,” Lori said. “My parents like to entertain.”

I nodded. Those must’ve been some parties.

“Come on,” Lori said. She led me toward the stairs.

The upstairs was dark and quiet. We flipped on the lights in the kitchen and Lori told me where the coffeemaking supplies were. While I was getting it started, she poked around in the fridge.

“Do you want a big breakfast or a small one?” she asked.

“Small’s fine.”

“Do you like pineapple juice?”

I shrugged. I’d really never had it much.

“Okay. We’ll do pineapple juice, yogurt, and some granola.”

I pursed my lips in amusement. That sounded like a hippie breakfast. But then I remembered that Lori’s parents had been hippies, living on a commune and going to Woodstock.

She directed me to the cabinet with bowls, and a minute later, we both settled at the kitchen table. She smiled at me before sipping her coffee.

“So what should we do today?” I asked.

“Well… I want to soak in the hot tub and then…” She playfully leered at me and waggled her eyebrows.

I laughed. “That sounds fun.”

“I hope so!”

“Are we going to do anything else today?”

“Do you want to do anything else?”

My eyebrows rose. Lori—wow. She was bold! It was… exciting? Certainly new and…

My cock stirred. Yeah. New was good. Definitely good.

“Well…,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I suppose we’ll have to do some other things. At least after Len and Liz get here.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “We probably should. Any idea when that will be?”

“Nope.” She started eating, which I took as my cue to do the same.

As I did, I snuck peeks at her. I didn’t want to get caught admiring my girlfriend. Her blonde hair was a bit mussed but otherwise, she was perfect. She was my girlfriend, and she was gorgeous. Just looking at her made my heart race.

I really couldn’t believe my luck. She’d chosen me!

We ate quietly for a bit, and then Lori asked if I wanted honey with my yogurt and granola. I didn’t, but we talked about breakfasts and what we’d grown up on. I’d mostly eaten cold cereal except on some weekends when Mom would fix eggs and bacon. Lori had had everything from pancake feasts when her Dad cooked to a few pieces of fruit and a bran muffin.

“They were awful,” she confided. “Mom insisted they were healthy, but they tasted like cardboard.”

“Probably were,” I said.”Who knows what goes into them?”

She chuckled. “Well, we’ll have tastier things later.”

I grinned. I was really looking forward to it.

We finished eating, cleared the dishes to the sink, and then headed out to the hot tub. I shivered when I first entered the crisp outside air but then we stepped into the sun, which felt really nice. As we wrestled the hot tub cover off, I looked around.

“No one can see us?” I asked. None of the neighboring houses had a clear view of the tub since large lilac bushes grew up at the fence line.

“No, not really.”

“You sure?”

She shrugged. “We’ve never had any problems.” She smiled and slipped off her robe and hung it over a chair that sat near the side of the ladder.

If Lori nude was amazing in the low bedroom light, Lori nude in the morning sunlight was spectacular. I sucked in my breath and just stared as she started climbing into the tub. Every part of her was perfect. Just perfect.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to have a problem with her being naked out here. Not one problem at all.

“You joining me?” she teased.

I grinned and nodded, but then the nerves hit. I looked around the yard once again. None of the neighbors could see a thing and no one else was home. I’d gotten naked the night before, so…

I took a deep breath and took my robe off. Then, as nonchalantly as I could, I laid it on top of Lori’s. Then I pushed through the water to her side. She smiled again as we nestled into each other.

“I really like it out here,” she said. “I wish my apartment had a hot tub.”

“I’ve never been in one other than at a hotel.” And I’d had to wear a suit in those.

“Oh, this is much better.” She pulled my arm around her and leaned into my shoulder.

I sighed happily. “Yeah.”

We just snuggled quietly for a bit. Eventually, Lori broke the silence.

“Sometimes… I like to come out here at sunset. It’s really beautiful, even though you can’t see the mountains.”

I actually looked west. Too many trees blocked the view.

“The sunrises at the cabin are better.”

“That’s right,” I said, “your family cabin. Near Winter Park.”

“Yeah. We don’t get up there as often as I’d like. We’re too busy.”

“I get it.” I’d certainly been busy as heck since school had started.

“But it’s fun when we do.”

“I’m glad.”

We fell silent again. She put one hand on my chest and started lightly stroking me. I returned the favor on her shoulder. We continued doing that for some time and then she reached up and nuzzled my ear.

She’d hit my ignition switch. I turned and kissed her. She heatedly returned it.

Our kisses quickly turned passionate. After a few minutes of making out, she pulled back, gasping for breath. Her eyes were wild and full of desire.

“Get up on the side.”

I did as ordered and hoisted myself up. My cock had hardened and she grasped it as she moved between my thighs.

I gasped as she started sucking me. The waves of pleasure began with her first kiss of the crown through her taking me as deep as she could. I trembled as she slowly bobbed her head. My fingers dug into the hot tub side as my breathing grew ragged.

Then she stopped. Still holding my cock, she looked up at me.

“I want more.”

“Okay…” I said.

She pushed away and hurried toward the stairs out of the tub. Reluctantly, I sank back into the water and then she turned.

“Just wait there,” she said. “I’ll be back.”

I hesitated but decided to go with it. I was rewarded with the delightful sight of her hurrying nude back into the house.

I sagged back in the hot water. It felt like I’d had more sex in the past twenty-four hours than I’d had before in my entire life. I knew that wasn’t literally true, but it sure felt like it. And we weren’t done yet?

That was… mind-blowing.

I mentally replayed the events from last night. Lori and I had gone to Rusty’s Halloween party in Fort Collins, with her dressed in a full-body suit as Eve and me in my borrowed Highlander costume. I’d faced off against that asshole Kevin after he insulted Lori, but Rusty had broken it up before it came to blows. Still… Lori had looked at me differently after that.

Had that been when she’d decided to sleep with me?

Or had it been earlier?

I’d been attracted to her since we met, the day I’d moved into the dorms and accidentally seen her topless while she was changing clothes. She hadn’t acted embarrassed or offended then, which should’ve been my clue that she was different.

We’d flirted when she came down to visit her brother, and then kissed after the R.E.M. concert. If that counted as our first date, then the hike in Rocky Mountain National Park with Liz and Carrie was our second, and the Halloween party our third.

I snorted softly. Sex on the third date. It was a cliché, but that’s exactly what had happened.

And wow, the sex had been… mind-blowing.

I continued to replay those memories until I heard Lori hurrying back. Once again, I enjoyed the sight of her bouncing breasts as she came into view.

“Got one!” She held up a foil packet.

I blinked. We were going to do it out here?

But before I could think about it too much, Lori was climbing back into the tub. Her swaying breasts again captured my gaze. By the time I could shake myself out of my reverie, she’d strode through the water to me.

“Put this on.” She handed it to me.

On autopilot, I took it from her. While I was fumbling to open the wrapper, she moved to the side of the tub opposite where we’d been sitting. She rose up and then bent at the waist and braced herself on the side.

Which gave me a perfect view of her ass and pussy from behind. Then she reached back with her fingers and parted her lower lips.

I groaned. It was both obscene and the sexiest thing I’d seen at the same time. The invitation was irresistible.

In a daze, I got the condom rolled on and tossed the wrapper over the side of the tub. I shuffled into place behind her and lined my cock up. She helped guide me into the final position. I held her hips and pushed in.

I gasped. The hot water swirling around my legs was nothing compared to the furnace of her pussy. She must’ve felt the same because she groaned and pushed back against me. She lowered her head as I began to thrust.

As the pleasure flowed, my mind wandered. I’d never had the sun on my skin during sex. Or hot water around my legs. But, my God, this was amazing!

And the way she shuddered? And the way her pussy clenched around me?

Oh, God!

Somehow, I kept moving, pushing, fucking as the water splashed up and around us. Lori groaned and pushed back.

I kept going.

She gasped and writhed. One hand snaked between her legs and I felt her fingertips caress my balls, which made me gasp. Then I realized she was playing with her clit.

It was… it was too much. We’d gone from zero to Indianapolis 500 speeds in only a few minutes.

Then she shook and squeaked. Twice in short succession.

Her pussy tightened around me as she came and I lost it. With a strangled cry, my balls emptied themselves into her. I shook and my knees buckled. I forced myself to stay still until I’d finished.

Lori pulled forward and I slipped out. She turned and gave me a goofy smile.

“That was good.”

“Yeah.” I grinned back. Then I looked down at my condom-covered cock. “Let me take care of this.”

“There are wipes in the cabinet in the mudroom.”

I nodded and pushed through the water to the edge of the tub. I climbed out and quickly patted myself with my towel. I wasn’t dry, but I wouldn’t drip. The crisp air still nipped my skin.

I still hurried into the mudroom and spotted the small cabinet Lori was referring to. I opened it to find tubes of sunscreen, some insect repellent, and yes, a package of baby wipes. I took off my used condom, wrapped it in a wipe, and glanced around for a trash can. Not seeing one, I turned and⁠—

—jumped out of my skin!

Carrie was standing right behind me.

I stood there, staring at Lori’s best friend. I was too stunned to say or do anything, but she wasn’t. It took me a full fifteen seconds to realize I was only wrapped in a towel and holding a used condom.

Carrie wore a robe that matched Lori’s. She grinned. “Hey, Mike.”

“Uh…”

“Lori out in the tub?”

“Yeah…”

“Cool.” She smiled and opened the door to the outside. “Coming?”

The shock finally cleared my system. I’d been gaping at her, but I finally managed to get my muscles to move. I finally spotted the trash can, disposed of the condom, and then followed her outside.

“Carrie!” Lori called from the tub once we came into view. “What are you doing here?” Lori’s tone was friendly.

“Oh, long story.” Carrie sighed dramatically. “Can I join you? I waited until you guys finished.”

“Sure.”

My mind short-circuited. Uh, what? Waited? She was here the whole time? She knew? Uh… what?

Then Carrie took off her robe.

My mind was too far gone to even think of keeping my jaw off the ground.

Her breasts were small, but firm, with small areolae and small, soft nipples. She had a tight ass and trimmed her pubes much like Lori did—straight and shaved at the side. And she was so nonchalant about being naked that I was stunned. Completely stunned.

But she grinned at me. Something told me she knew exactly what effect she was having on me. Especially when she turned, climbed the steps, and then lowered herself into the water. She was amazing naked.

“So what happened?” Lori asked.

Carrie looked back at me. “You coming?”

“Uh…”

A few brain cells fired. Enough to realize my towel was slipping. I took it off and realized dumbly that Carrie didn’t have one. I threw mine back on top of Lori’s. When I turned back to the tub, both women were looking at me expectantly. They were waiting for me.

By then, enough of my nervous system was in gear and I started climbing the ladder. Carrie’s eyes widened slightly as they dropped below my waist to my half-hard cock. Then she pursed her lips together in a small smile.

I blushed. Somehow, that gave me the energy to move faster into the water, where I quickly sank to my chest.

“Mike’s my boyfriend now,” Lori said to Carrie.

“Oh? Since when?”

“Last night.” Lori beamed at me as I slowly moved to her side opposite Carrie.

“Well, congratulations. You’re a lucky guy, Mike.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I know.” I smiled at my girlfriend, who reached under the water and took my hand.

“So what happened?” Lori asked Carrie.

“Jill brought four guys back to the apartment.”

“Four?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.”

“Mmm hmm,” Carrie said. “Even for her, that’s a bit much. I wanted no part of it.”

“I don’t blame you,” Lori said sympathetically.

“Yeah, so I came here.”

“Here?” I blurted.

“Oh, Mike,” Lori said. “It’s okay. Carrie’s practically family.”

“Uh… okay…”

Carrie smiled. “I know where the spare key is.”

Well, that explained how she’d gotten in, but her showing up was still surreal.

“So when did you get here?” Lori asked Carrie.

“Around two.” She saw my deer in the headlights look. “No one else is here, though.”

I just sat, completely bewildered. The one saving grace was Lori squeezing my hand.

“So when are your parents back?” Carrie asked.

“We don’t know,” Lori answered. “They went to one of their parties.”

“Mmm.”

They talked a little about Lori’s parents, but I didn’t track. My brain had completely lost lock. I was sitting naked in a hot tub. With not one, but two naked women. Who were chatting as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Oh, Mike,” Carrie said. That penetrated my fog. “I forgot to tell you last night. I really liked your costume.”

“Uh… thanks.”

“Yours was nice, too,” Lori said. “Kind of fits.”

“Like yours did. Really well.”

“Mike liked it.” They both turned and smiled at me.

“Uh… yeah.” A few mental gears managed to engage. “It was… clever. And really sexy.”

“Relax,” Lori squeezed my hand. “She’s not going to bite.”

“Not unless Lori tells me to.” Carrie waggled her eyebrows.

“Be-have!” Lori huffed but still grinned.

“You’re no fun.”

Lori chuckled and rolled her eyes. She squeezed my hand again. “Let’s change the subject. How long are you staying this morning?”

“I don’t know,” Carrie said. “I figure Jill will be done by lunch, but I may head over to Avo’s for brunch.”

“Oh?” Lori said.

“Yeah. Some of the gang’s gonna be there at ten. You’re welcome to join us.”

More of my mental gears were beginning to work. “Gang?”

“You met most of them last night,” Carrie said. “In the living room at the party.”

I nodded. We’d walked into the living room to find Carrie surrounded by a dozen women whom I’d realized were lesbians. While they’d been welcoming to me, they’d loved having our friend Liz join them. Which of course was one of the reasons we’d been invited to the party in the first place. Since the blind date between Carrie and Liz hadn’t gone well, Carrie had suggested Liz meet some of her other friends.

I let out a deep breath as the last of my mental machinery finally got working. Carrie was a lesbian. I’d forgotten that! While she was teasing me, she wasn’t the slightest bit interested in me. That was a huge relief.

“We’ll pass,” Lori said. “Maybe another time.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you have better things to do,” Carrie said.

Lori laughed. “I told you to behave!”

“I’m trying!”

“Uh-huh.” Lori turned to me. “I’m ready to get out. Shall we get on with our day?”

“Um, sure.”

Lori looked at Carrie. “You gonna stay out here?”

Carrie grinned broadly. “Yeah…”

“Just put the cover on when you’re done.”

“Of course.”

Lori turned to me. “Her comment about brunch has given me an idea.”

Lori led me up to her bedroom, where I’d changed into my costume the night before. My backpack still sat on her bed. While she looked through her drawers, I pulled my shirt, jeans, and underwear out of my backpack.

“Should I, uh… change in the bathroom?” I asked.

She looked at me with amusement. “Why? I’ve already seen you naked.”

My face reddened. Yeah, it was a stupid thought. But that was my upbringing again. You didn’t change clothes in front of people, right?

But Lori was right, too. Besides, while I’d been thinking about it, she’d shed her robe and pulled out a pair of blue cotton panties. She waited until I was looking her way and playfully leered at me.

“You haven’t seen me in these, right?”

“Nope. Just the green ones.”

She stepped into them and pulled them up. Then she struck a pose with her hands on her hips. “Ta da! Now you have!”

I laughed and took off my own robe. As we dressed, she started telling me about her cat, and I quickly caught on that we were going to stop by her apartment and feed little Miss Puss ’n Boots.

“Sorry about the name,” Lori said. “I got her when I was nine. Now everyone calls her Bootsy. That’s a picture of her.”

She pointed to what was clearly an old Christmas photo with a young Lori holding a cat up and grinning like she’d won the lottery. The mostly white cat did indeed have black feet, or boots, I supposed. I didn’t know enough about cats to know what they were called, or even what breed she was.

“She’s pretty,” I said, because, well, what else do you say?

“And really affectionate. She likes to snuggle up in my lap when I’m sitting on the couch.”

I nodded. I could see that.

“So,” she said as she finished buttoning her jeans, “ready?”

“Are we coming back here?” I asked. I looked pointedly at my backpack.

“Mmm hmm. Leave it.”

I nodded. “What about Len and Liz?” Well, Len would be fine, other than needing a ride back to Boulder at some point. I suspected he could somehow charm some woman into that if he needed to. But Liz’s car was still here, at least I thought it was.

“We’ll leave ‘em a note,” Lori said. “Besides, we might see them at Rusty’s."

“We’re going back?”

“Yeah. He has a big clean-up party the next day.” She smiled. “We should help.”

“Yeah.” Since Rusty had stopped Kevin from fighting me and then thrown the asshole out, I kind of owed him. Party clean-up sounded like the right thing to do.

Lori grinned. “Then we’ll have the rest of the day.”

I smiled back. A full day with Lori sounded like heaven.

We headed downstairs to the family room where we’d discarded our costumes in our haste to have sex on the couch. Lori had wanted it bad, and folding clothes hadn’t been on my mind. Now… I suffered a small panic attack that someone had found them and realized what had happened. Then I realized that was silly. The only person here was Carrie, and she’d probably seen Lori and me actually having sex.

That… just… my brain circuits went into confused static again.

Someone could’ve seen us having sex. I’d spent so much of my life hiding what I was doing, even if it was just masturbating. Getting caught having sex would’ve been the end of my life. But Carrie… Lori… they just didn’t care.

I wasn’t sure how to wrap my mind around that.

While I was wondering, we put away our costumes and then headed out to Lori’s car in the garage. As we pulled out, I noticed a Chevy Camaro pulled up behind Liz’s Acura. I raised an eyebrow. Somehow that fit Carrie.

We started the drive to Fort Collins in pleasant silence. Lori focused on the road as we navigated out of her parents’ quiet bedroom neighborhood. I used the time to work up my nerve.

“So… um… Carrie,” I said. “Does she just stop by whenever she wants?”

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t she?”

“Yeah… but she doesn’t live there.”

“Well, she did. Our senior year.”

I coughed in surprise. “The whole year?”

“Well… no. Just after her eighteenth birthday. When her mom kicked her out.”

I whipped my head around to face Lori. “Kicked her out?!”

“Yeah. Her mom’s… not a good person. It was either live with us or go to her dad’s in Salt Lake.”

Her mom kicked her out! Her mom kicked her own kid out of the house. I just… I just couldn’t fathom that. I couldn’t see my parents doing that, even with my sister, and she and my mom fought a lot. Not even if we’d done something horrible, like… I dunno… smoked pot. Parents just didn’t do that to their kids.

“Carrie had it rough growing up,” Lori said, “but she’s really great. Really, really great. She’s kind of my second sister.”

“Okay…” I nodded, and it took me a minute to remember that Lori had an older sister who lived in California.

I fell silent as I continued to wonder how a parent could kick their kid out of the house. How could someone do that?

Lori broke the silence. “So she really is part of the family, you know? I love her to death.”

I slowly nodded. That sounds… really great, having a friend like that.”

“Yeah.” Lori smiled. “I’m glad she’s back.”

“Yeah…” I furrowed my brow. “Didn’t you mention something like three colleges in three years?”

“That was Len, but yeah. A year at Emory, a year at a community college in Utah, and now Colorado State.”

“Utah?”

“Yeah. Where her dad lives. He, uh, wasn’t happy when she quit Emory.”

I nodded. My parents would be furious if I quit college.

Lori sighed. “She’s really smart. She’s just… particular.”

“Particular?”

“If she likes something, she loves it. If she doesn’t, she hates it.” Lori chuckled. “Her cat woman costume last night was perfect.”

I smiled and nodded. I could see that.

Honestly, a lot of the costumes at the party had been really great. Yeah, there were a number of people who’d just showed up in just fake blood and old torn t-shirts, but Carrie’s cat woman had been top-notch, as was Lori’s roommate’s Wonder Woman costume. Of course, my favorite was Lori’s Eve costume, but maybe that was because I’d gotten to taste the apple.

I grinned at that thought.

“Um…” Lori’s expression turned serious. “I hope you’re okay that she just got in the tub with us?”

I needed to be cool. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Not everybody’s okay with nudity.”

“I’m okay with it.” God, I hope I was. Well… I was with Lori’s. And Carrie’s for that matter, now that I thought about it.

“Great!” Lori said. “I didn’t see the point in stopping her since we were already naked.”

“Yeah,” I said, trying to sound a bit sophisticated. “It would’ve been weird if she’d been in a suit and we weren’t.”

“Yeah.”

We fell quiet again. In some ways, seeing Carrie naked wasn’t that unusual these days. Since I’d started college two and a half months ago, I’d seen eight women topless or naked. They hadn’t all been intentional like Carrie—certainly not Len’s friend Julie or my sister. The memory of Michelle’s naked body flashed through my mind and I stiffened. I didn’t need to be thinking about my sister naked.

But Lori? My one-night stand with Brenda? The number of times my friend Liz had flashed me her tits?

In fact… all of them had been deliberate except Julie and Michelle.

“So…,” Lori asked, breaking me out of my woolgathering, “are you okay doing it again?”

“What?”

“Getting naked in the hot tub.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” What had I gotten myself into?

“Cool.”

I was saved from any further discussion by Lori turning onto a side street and pulling up in front of an old large two-story house.

She parked and smiled at me. “We’re here!”

Lori’s apartment was on the second floor of a converted house. It looked like one of those fancy homes from the 1920s, or maybe earlier, though it’d clearly faded with time. The facade was worn and it clearly needed paint, but it didn’t look decrepit.

“I know,” Lori said. “It’s not much, but the rent’s cheap.”

There was that.

“And they allow pets.”

Ah, the real reason.

I followed her up the walk and waited while she unlocked the main door. We ignored the doors to the left and right and headed up the stairs. At the top, she unlocked the door to the actual apartment. We stepped into the main room and a flash of white dashed across the room.

“Oh, Bootsy!” Lori dropped to her knees as the cat rubbed up against her. She started petting it and grinned up at me.

“This is Bootsy.”

“I figured,” I said with a grin.

While Lori petted her cat, I looked around. We were in an efficiency-style main room with a kitchenette and a small sitting area with a couch. The whole thing could’ve fit into my dorm room.

I heard a shower running behind one of the doors. Before I could call Lori’s attention to it, the phone by the fridge rang.

“Got it!” Terri’s voice. Then a bedroom door swung open and Terri took two steps out before she saw us and froze.

She was naked, completely naked. My brain instantly took a mental snapshot of her full and sagging breasts, with large areolae and crinkly nipples. Her pubes were dark and full.

“I’ll get it!” Lori hopped up to the frustrated mewls from Bootsy.

Terri ducked back into her bedroom and nearly slammed the door.

I stood, dumbstruck for a moment. Then I had the wherewithal to close the door so the cat couldn’t escape.

The shower shut off just as Lori got to the phone and Terri re-emerged, this time in a terrycloth robe. Bootsy now rubbed up against my leg.

I sighed. We weren’t animal people in my family. Still, I felt obligated to crouch down and pet the cat.

“We’re not interested, thank you,” Lori said and hung up.

“What are you doing here?” Terri asked Lori.

“Feeding Bootsy.” Lori opened a cabinet and pulled out a can of cat food.

Bootsy immediately abandoned her efforts to cover my pants in cat hair and dashed for Lori.

“But what are you doing here?” Lori asked. “I thought you’d be at Rusty’s.”

“We wanted more privacy.”

The bathroom door opened enough for Liz to peek out. She was drying her black hair with a towel and naked, at least the top half that I could see. Her nipples were soft on top of her small breasts and she quickly ducked back into the bathroom.

“Oh…” Lori said.

Terri blushed. “Um… yeah.”

I smirked. Terri had been one of the lesbians that Liz had met at the party. They’d hit it off better than I’d expected. But… that was the point. It was why Len and Lori had wanted Liz to attend the Halloween party in the first place.

Liz emerged now wrapped in a towel. She looked at me, then at Terri in her robe, then down at herself in the towel.

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” she blurted.

“Um…,” I said, “I think it’s exactly what I’m thinking. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Really?”

I shrugged. “I figured out you were into girls a while ago.”

Liz let out a long, relieved breath.

“Come on,” Terri said to her. “Let’s get dressed.”

Liz nodded and with a quick nervous smile, they retreated to Terri’s bedroom and closed the door.

Lori finished feeding the cat, who immediately devoured the food like she was starving.

“Well, that was a surprise,” Lori said.

“What? Liz and Terri?” I couldn’t believe that Lori hadn’t known they were lesbians.

“Well, yeah. Sort of. I thought Liz would end up with one of the other girls.”

I pursed my lips in amusement. Lori barely knew Liz. At least I thought so.

Lori leaned against the cabinet and regarded me. “And… you’re okay with it?”

“What, them being gay?”

“Yeah.”

I shrugged. “You like what you like, right? I have a thing for blondes.”

Lori grinned.

“It’s gay guys I don’t get,” I continued. “Who doesn’t like tits?”

Lori laughed. “Yeah, tits are great!”

As she laughed, her own chest bounced, which caught my eye and reminded me just how great hers were.

Bootsy finished eating and started rubbing against Lori’s leg and meowing.

“Oh, you!” she said. She scooped the cat up, moved to the couch, and then sat and petted the cat, who purred in response.

Not knowing quite what to do, I drifted over and sat next to her.

“So…,” Lori pitched her voice low, “is Liz only into girls?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “She is, obviously, but—oh, I get it. You’re asking if she’s bisexual.” I’d read a bit about bisexuals in Penthouse, though I didn’t know any. At least I didn’t think I did.

“I don’t think so,” I continued. “Just girls. Why?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Liz and Terri emerged from the bedroom, both casually dressed.

“So are you going to Rusty’s?” Lori asked.

“Nah,” Terri said. “We’re doing brunch at Avo’s with the gang.”

I blinked. That was the same brunch Carrie had mentioned earlier. The “gang” must be pretty tight.

Meanwhile, Liz was eyeing me nervously. Like she expected me to snap at her or something. I smiled as warmly as I could.

“So…,” she said, “you’re…”

“You’re my friend, Liz. That’s all that matters.”

All three women smiled.

Lori took my hand and squeezed it. “We should get going. We don’t want to miss Rusty’s cooking.”

“No,” Terri chuckled. “You really don’t.”

From the way she licked her lips, I was looking forward to this.

We said our goodbyes to Liz and Terri and headed out to the car. I waited until Lori had pulled out of her parking place.

“So…,” I said, “Tell me about this brunch.”

“Rusty’s?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they call it a brunch, but it’s really just Rusty cooking all morning. It’s his way of bribing people to get them to help clean up.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “You can imagine the mess.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s really good if you’re not too hungover. Only a few people will be, though.”

I nodded, and then put some pieces together.

“So some people spent the night,” I said.

“Yeah. Rusty doesn’t want anyone who’s too drunk driving home.”

It wasn’t too hard to imagine a drunken slumber party with people crashing wherever was comfortable. I kind of wondered just how many had spent the night.

“So… will I know anybody?” I asked.

“Most of them, probably. They would’ve been at the party.”

I grimaced. I couldn’t remember most of the names from last night.

“But Liz and Terri won’t be there,” I said.

She shook her head. “I think they’re still introducing Liz to everyone. And Avo’s is pretty good.”

“Ah.”

“So…,” she asked. “Did you really know about Liz?”

“Yeah. I figured it out a while ago. She was always checking out other women when we were at the pool or when we went costume shopping. She tried to be discreet about it, but I noticed.”

Lori chuckled.

“And then on the hike we took in Rocky Mountain National Park—it felt like she and Carrie were on a blind date. And then I realized they were.”

“Yeah,” Lori grinned. “They were. I’m glad it worked out in the end.”

“How long have you known?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ve known from the beginning.”

I slowly nodded. Len must’ve figured it out early and told her.

“I thought you’d be shocked,” Lori said.

“No, I was surprised, but not shocked.”

“Well, I’m glad you don’t find it disgusting.”

“What? Two women together?”

“Yeah.”

I chuckled. “Nope.”

She smirked.

“What? I asked.

“You think it’s hot.”

“Two women together?”

“Yeah.”

I grimaced. Just how much did I want to admit?

“You do,” she teased.

“Well… yeah.”

She chuckled. “That’s okay. It is hot.”

I laughed in relief. My girlfriend didn’t think I was a pervert because two women together turned me on!

And I had to admit.. seeing Liz and Terri both naked… and thinking what they’d been doing…

“And you liked seeing Liz’s tits.”

I blinked. How could Lori read me so well? She wasn’t clueless the way I’d been with Britt.

“You did,” she teased again.

“Well, umm…”

“It’s okay. I kind of get a kick out of it.”

“Kick out of what?”

“You drooling over Liz’s tits.”

“I wasn’t drooling!”

She laughed and her eyes danced. “It’s okay. Really.”

“Really.”

“I’m not going to get jealous of you looking at Liz’s tits. Or Terri’s, for that matter. They’re both really nice.”

“Okay…” She wasn’t going to be jealous? It was actually okay? That… wasn’t the way things worked, was it?

But why should she get jealous? It was only looking. And looking wasn’t cheating.

Which brought my thoughts back to our conversation about monogamy. I still had no idea how that was going to work, but… if Lori didn’t mind me looking at topless women, that was certainly a benefit. Because, based on how college had gone so far, I was going to see a lot more topless women.

Maybe… just maybe… this non-monogamy thing would be good.

We arrived at Rusty’s to find a lot fewer cars and large gaps between the ones that were parked along the street. Lori found an empty spot right next to the long driveway. After she locked the doors, we strolled back up the drive to what had been party central.

The sun was out, giving some late morning warmth, but I still felt a chill as we approached the spot where I’d almost gotten into a fight because a guy had called Lori a slut and a whore. I knew Kevin was long gone, but I still tensed as if he was just around the corner.

Which, of course, he wasn’t. Instead, we entered the yard between the house and barn to see faded Halloween decorations, a ton of scattered cups and empty bottles around the tables that had held booze, and not a single person. The barn door stood open, but the sound system that had been used for dancing was gone. The one saving grace was there wasn’t any garbage or vomit.

Lori led me to the door to the kitchen. We entered to the smell of pancakes on the griddle and brewing coffee.

Rusty stood at the stove, all six feet six inches of him, casually dressed in a t-shirt, sweat pants, and an apron. It clashed with his spiked hair and piercings, but I wasn’t going to say a thing.

Rusty looked up at us and smiled. He flipped a pancake on the griddle.

“Hey,” he said. “Good to see you.”

“Oh, good,” Lori said, “we’re not too late.”

“Nope. And, uh, sorry you felt you needed to leave early last night.”

“That’s okay.” Lori took my hand and smiled. “We managed to salvage things.”

“Cool.” Rusty looked me up and down and grinned. “Much better than last year.”

I blinked, and then I Got It. Last year was when Lori slept with Kevin, which she now clearly regretted.

Well, her past was her past. She was with me now.

A woman in an oversized man’s sweatshirt and bare legs came in from the dining room with an empty plate.

“Hi,” she said to us. Then to Rusty, “Do we have more bacon?”

“In the oven.” He nodded toward us. “Janet, this is Lori and Mike. She was Eve and he was a Highlander last night.”

“Nice to meet you.” Janet smiled and opened the oven once Rusty stepped aside. As she bent over, the shirt rose up, as did my eyebrows.

Janet wasn’t wearing panties. From the angle, I could only see her hip, but the lack of underwear was clear.

She stood and turned, and I recognized the band name on the sweatshirt.

“You like Husker Dü?” I asked.

She grimaced and her eyes darted to Rusty.

“Eh… it’s mine,” he said, “and yeah, I do.”

“They’re pretty good,” Lori said. “You need any help?”

“Mmm… maybe put the juice on the table?”

Lori nodded and then headed to the fridge. As we entered the dining room, we found ourselves walking with Janet.

“So…,” I said, “you’re Rusty’s girlfriend.”

She chuckled, low and throaty. “Oh, no. No!”

I blinked. That meant… oh.

In the dining room, we found a stack of plates along a sideboard, along with glasses, mugs, and silverware. A platter with pancakes sat in the middle of a large wooden dining room table and Janet set the bacon beside it.

“Coffee’s in the kitchen,” she said, “if you want it. Then she headed back to the kitchen.”

“Huh,” Lori said. “Usually there’s more people here.”

I nodded and looked toward the hallway entrance. Then I grinned.

“Speak of the devil,” I said.

Len slowly walked out. He wore the pants from his costume the night before and his undershirt, which was stained at the armpits. His face was drawn and haggard, but lit up when he saw us.

“Lor!” he said. “Mike!”

“Hey, baby brother.” She grinned at him. “You okay?”

“Well, sort of,” he replied with an even bigger grin. “Long night.”

She smirked.

As we were talking, a blonde woman in sweats wandered up behind Len. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and looked equally tired. When she reached his side, I recognized her. She was the Angel Len had been flirting with the night before.

“Hey,” she said.

He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “Mike, Lori, you remember Monica, right?”

I definitely remembered her, or at least how her curves had filled out her short dress the night before. She was on the voluptuous side, but not quite all the way to pudgy. That said, I’d forgotten her name, even if I’d even known it.

A moment later, the brunette who’d been the Devil came up behind them. She, too, was in sweats with her hair pulled back. Monica saw her, smiled, and pulled away from Len just in time for him to wrap his arm around the brunette.

“And this is Regina. Regina, my sister Lori, and my roommate, Mike.”

“Pleased to get your names at last,” Regina said with a broad smile.

I let out a small sigh of relief. I hadn’t forgotten their names!

“I’m going to get coffee,” Monica said.

“I’ll join you,” Regina added.

They headed to the kitchen. Lori pursed her lips in amusement and gave her brother a knowing look.

I had to roll my eyes. Lori had said that Len had a habit of collecting harems wherever he went. Obviously, he was doing it again. But before I could say anything, a third woman sauntered up. I didn’t remember her from the party at all.

This woman was wearing Len’s shirt from last night and her legs were bare. She had an asymmetric punk haircut and her hair was dyed blue. When she reached Len’s side, her eyes lit up.

“Hi!” she said while looking at me.

“Lori, Mike,” Len said. “This is Nikki. Nikki, my sister and my roommate.

“Ooh, nice to meet you.” Nikki extended her hand to Lori while still looking at me. “You’re dating your roommate’s sister?”

“She’s my girlfriend,” I said proudly.

“Ooh, good for you,” she said to Lori. Then she kissed Len on the cheek. “I need some coffee.” He gave her a hug, and she slipped off, following the other two.

“Really, Len?” Lori teased.

He shrugged, not at all abashed or apologetic.

“I hope you got the big bedroom,” Lori said.

He smirked. “Oh, we did.”

Lori rolled her eyes.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s eat.”

As we loaded our plates, I thought back to what’d just happened. Janet had obviously spent the night with Rusty. Len had his harem. If that was any indication…

Wow. A lot more than drinking had happened after we’d left.

But then… we’d done the same thing. Just back at Lori’s parents’ house.

And nobody was embarrassed about it or hiding it. At least here.

That was… a little mind-blowing.

As Lori and I settled into our seats, Len joined us, with the ladies trickling to the chairs on his other side. Once Len was seated, he looked at us.

“So where’d you two end up last night?” he asked.

“Back at Mom and Dad’s,” Lori answered. “In the guest bedroom.”

Len raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Congratulations.”

My face heated. I couldn’t believe she’d told him that! But then… why did we have to hide it? No one here was. And it wasn’t like he’d seen us, like Carrie probably had.

“And you said girlfriend?” Len pointedly asked me.

“Mmm hmm.”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Lori said.

He asked her a silent question, and she nodded. I remembered how much the two of them talk. I didn’t know what to say, but I squirmed as I thought of how long and, well, raw our conversation had been about monogamy. I wondered how much she’d tell him.

While I was thinking about that, I took a bite of one of the pancakes. It was good! I didn’t know what Rusty had done, but this was one of the better pancakes I’d ever had.

“Wow,” I murmured.

“Yeah,” Lori said to me as an aside. “He got into cooking because of a girlfriend a few years ago.”

I nodded. I could easily see that.

Lori and Len talked a little bit more about what had happened after she and I had left the party. Nothing dramatic, apparently. Though Len had seen Liz and Terri leaving together and got a kick out of it. He laughed when Lori told him about us surprising them.

“Sounds like that time Leanne called,” he joked to her.

“Huh?” I said. I had to remember that Leanne was the oldest sister they rarely talked about.

“Oh, Mom ran out to answer the phone naked,” Lori said, with a tone that made it clear she didn’t think it was a big deal.

“And Carrie was sitting in the kitchen,” Len added.

“Ah.” So Carrie really was part of the family. Still… that was a lot more nudity than I was used to. My mom would’ve let the phone go to the answering machine before being okay with any of us being nude in the kitchen.

But their family was different. Clearly different. That… was taking some adjustment.

While I mused about that, Len and Lori continued chatting, though sometimes they talked with the women on the other side. I was too far away to participate in those conversations, so I just watched. Nikki was the most animated and clearly flirting with Len every chance she got. The other two were quieter, though whether that was because of their personalities or because they were just tired, I couldn’t tell.

But of course, most of the time, I just snuck peeks at Lori. Her warm smile made me warm, and I loved watching her chat and laugh with her brother and his friends. I loved seeing her relaxed and happy.

Eventually, we all finished eating. True to our promises, we got to work cleaning up. Len drafted me into holding the ladder while he took down Halloween decorations. The women cleared the booze table. A half dozen other people joined us and the work went fast. Then we worked on the trash and anything else that needed to be done until Rusty said he could handle the rest. It was a little after noon when the three of us and Monica and Regina converged back in the dining room again.

“So…,” Lori said to Len, “are you going to stay longer?”

He gave Monica and Regina a regretful smile. “I’ve… I’ve got to work on a paper that’s due Monday.”

“Will you come up again?” Monica asked.

“Yeah. Weekend after next if I can get a ride.”

She furrowed her brow in obvious disappointment.

“That’s the earliest I can manage,” he said apologetically. “I’ve got a family thing next weekend.”

I raised my eyebrows at that. Lori hadn’t mentioned anything.

“You owe us dinner,” Monica said firmly, but with a fond smile.

“Weekend after next,” he promised.

“Good.” She opened her arms, and he stepped in for a hug that finished with a short kiss on the lips. Then he did the same with Regina. Neither woman seemed at all perturbed, which made me think of Denise and Debbie back in Boulder, who regularly shared Len.

Man, what was it with that guy? Sleeping with multiple women who didn’t mind seemed to be his thing. I’d be jealous except… I had Lori.

We finished our farewells, found Rusty to say goodbye to him, and then headed to the car. Len climbed into the back seat and leaned back with a loud sigh.

“Great party,” he said.

Lori chuckled and we exchanged rolled eyes. Then she pursed her lips before smiling.

“Yeah,” she said, “for all of us.”

My heart grew three sizes and I dopily grinned back.

We arrived back at the Freemans to see Liz’s car still parked out front. Lori hit the button to open the garage door but then parked in the driveway when we saw her parents’ car tucked into the garage.

“They’re home earlier than I expected,” Len quipped.

Lori shrugged in reply.

We entered the house through the garage to find Mrs. Freeman sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee. She was dressed casually and slumped like she was really tired.

“Ah, you’re back!” Mrs. Freeman stood and opened her arms for a hug. As she did, I realized the thin granny dress she wore was really thin. I could see the curves of her nipples well enough through the fabric to be sure she wasn’t wearing a bra.

My face heated, but no one else seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care.

Len and then Lori gave their mom a hug and then she gestured for us to sit.

“So, how was the party?” Mrs. Freeman asked.

“Good overall,” Len said. He gave me a look that told me he wasn’t going to bring up the near-fight with Kevin. “How was yours?”

“Really good.” She grinned.

“So where’s Dad?” Lori asked.

“Sleeping,” Mom said. “We ran into the Montgomerys last night and ended up back at their place along with the Costellos for an after-party.”

“The Costellos are back in town?” Len asked.

“Mmm hmm. But not Traci.”

“Oh.” Len’s face fell.

“Len dated Traci when they were juniors,” Lori quickly explained to me.

Len shrugged, and I realized that “dating” wasn’t quite the right word. “Sleeping with” was probably better.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Freeman said. “Your father tried to keep up with the young bucks and…” She huffed and shook her head.

I furrowed my brow in complete confusion. Keep up with them?

Len noticed. “Dad can’t hold his liquor.”

“Oh.” That made sense.

“So…” Mrs. Freeman looked at Len. “How long are you staying?”

He grimaced. “I’ve gotta get back. I’ve got a paper due Monday.”

“Are you sure?” She looked a bit eager.

“Yeah, but we’ve got Dad’s birthday next weekend.”

I looked questioningly at Lori.

“We’re going to the cabin for Dad’s birthday,” she explained.

I nodded.

“Do you need to go back, too?” Mrs. Freeman asked me.

I mentally ran through my assignments. I could probably juggle things okay. But I did have to be back for D&D on Sunday.

“I need to be back by lunchtime tomorrow,” I said.

Lori beamed at me. “So you can stay?”

I grinned and nodded.

Mrs. Freeman. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here again.”

I tensed. Mrs. Freeman had figured out we’d spent the night? But she didn’t seem bothered by it…

Lori quickly jumped in. “Or we could stay at my place.”

“That’d be nice,” I said. To Mrs. Freeman, “I appreciate the offer, but it sounds like you and Mr. Freeman need to recover.”

“Oh, call me Linda.”

I nodded and shifted in my seat. That was actually more uncomfortable than calling her Mrs. Freeman.

“Well, I still need to get back to Boulder,” Len said. “Have you talked to Liz?”

“Saw her earlier,” Lori said. “She and Terri were going to brunch at Avo’s.”

“With the crew?” Len said. “Good for her.”

Mrs. Freeman nodded. I just couldn’t think of her as Linda yet.

“I’ll call the apartment,” Lori said.

While she did, Mrs. Freeman asked Len more about the party. To my surprise, he outright admitted he’d spent the night at Rusty’s. She nodded like this wasn’t a surprise. He didn’t explain who he’d spent the night with, and I was still flabbergasted that it’d been three women. But if his mom suspected, I couldn’t tell.

Lori cupped her hand over the phone. “Liz wants to stay until tomorrow.”

Len grimaced.

“I can give you a ride,” Mrs. Freeman said to him.

“You can?” His eyebrows rose.

She nodded. “I’m not worn out like your father.”

“Oh. Um. Okay.”

“Get him to show you around campus,” Lori said before she got back on the phone to talk with Liz.

Mrs. Freeman smiled.

Lori hung up the phone and looked at me. “Liz says after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” I replied.

“Cool. Want to see Old Town Fort Collins?”

“Sure!”

She smiled at her mom, a knowing smile that almost turned into a smirk. “Have fun.” Then she looked at me.

“Let’s get your stuff.”

I smiled. A day with Lori? I was ready.

We drove back to Fort Collins, and I was grateful that Loveland and Fort Collins were only twenty minutes apart. It was almost like driving from one end of the Springs to the other. We parked near the Old Town area, which was a small plaza that reminded me of Pearl Street, but not nearly as linearly laid out or expensive. Most of the shops held the same touristy stuff, and we mostly window-shopped. A breeze had picked up, though, so from time to time we left the cool outside for one of the warm shops.

When we walked, we held hands. There weren’t a lot of people out, so at times it felt like we had a street or store to ourselves. We talked about high school at the beginning. Lori said hers was good. We swapped stories about her running cross country and me running track the one year I’d done that. Academically, our classes had been pretty much the same, though we both had fun stories from biology. She’d had a girl in her class faint when they were doing dissections. She laughed hard when I told her about the guy who thought that erections actually contained bones.

“Really?” she laughed.

“Really. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.”

She rolled her eyes. “What’d he end up doing?”

“No clue,” I said. “We weren’t exactly friends.”

She nodded. “Let’s go on to the next store.”

We continued to walk and talk. At one point, I thought Lori was going to buy a little cat figurine in a store, but after checking the price, she set it down. She gave me a knowing smile.

I nodded. She got that you couldn’t spend money like water.

“When were were little,” she said as we walked, still holding hands, “I was so crazy about cats, you could give me anything with a cat on it and I’d love it.” She smiled at the memory. “Len gave me this clay cat he’d made one Christmas.” She giggled. “It looked more like an elephant.”

I smiled, as much because her giggle sounded like bells as from the story.

“Ah, Len,” I said.

“Yeah… Len.” She shook her head. “I’m glad he’s going back to work on his paper.”

“Oh? Why?”

“He’s… well… don’t tell him I told you this, but he’s struggling.”

“Huh?” I was truly confused. “He goes to class and he’s always studying and doing his homework.”

“Yeah…” she sighed. “He’s always coasted. This is the first time things haven’t come easy to him.”

“And a lot comes easy to him,” I shook my head. Certainly getting women into his bed did.

“Mmm… some things. This?” She shrugged. “It’s different, you know?”

I nodded. Then my throat caught.

“Yeah… yeah it is."

She slowed and looked me squarely in the face. “Oh?”

“Yeah… I’m having problems in chemistry. Especially the lab.” We stopped walking and I told her briefly about my lab partner.

“Mmm…,” she said when I finished. “It sounds like he’s stoned.”

“Crap! You’re right!” I felt stupid for not figuring it out.

“You should talk to the TA and the professor. You need a different partner, even if that means changing days.”

I nodded slowly. I hadn’t thought about a different day…

We started strolling again. Lori talked a little about her own classes, but she was doing well. Eventually, we passed a brewpub where the smell of French fries drifted out.

My stomach responded and I tried not to salivate.

I looked at Lori. Her eyes were on the brewpub too. If I was her boyfriend, now was the time.

“Um…,” I said. “Do you want to get something?”

“I have a better idea. Let’s get some groceries and cook together at my place.”

I nodded, remembering a conversation from a while ago where Len and Lori had talked about how they’d had to learn to cook because their mother was so bad at it. I wasn’t great, but if we were working together?

“Besides.” She playfully leered at me. “I’m getting hungry for dessert.”

“Then let’s go!”

We stopped by the grocery store and picked up ingredients for chicken quesadillas, rice, refried beans, and a salad. The beans would be easy—remove from the can and heat. I was mildly surprised that Lori picked out a fresh chicken breast instead of getting canned chicken. That’s what my mom would’ve done.

Then after we had the food, she led me down one of the pharmacy aisles. My gut tightened when we stopped in front of the condoms. I reminded myself that I’d bought condoms plenty of times in the past. There was nothing to be nervous about if I was buying them with the woman I would be using them with.

“There!” Lori grabbed a box of a dozen Trojan Magnums.

“Magnums?” I asked.

She grinned. “You’re wide, remember?”

My face heated with how blasé she was. I looked around, but no one could’ve heard.

Then we checked out. Lori paid and the clerk didn’t blink an eye when he rang up the condoms.

We returned to her apartment to find that Liz and Terri were out. There wasn’t any note, but Lori didn’t seem to mind. We put everything away, washed our hands, and started cooking. She started me cutting up a cucumber and pepper for the salad. I chopped away while she cooked the chicken. Then I caught her watching me in amusement.

“That’s not how you hold the knife,” she said.

“Oh?” I set it down

“Mmm hmm. It’ll be easier this way.” She picked up the knife and showed me. “You also want them all the same size. It makes the salad better.”

“Okay…”

She set the knife down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m not dating you for your skills in the kitchen.”

I blushed and she chuckled.

“Though…” She made a show of looking around the efficiency kitchen. “Mmm… not here.”

I laughed. “Good, because I don’t even know how we’d do it.”

“Bend me over the counter. Take me from behind.”

My eyebrows reached for the roof. She giggled and put her hand to her mouth. She was clearly teasing, so I just shook my head. I stepped forward to claim a kiss just as her cat rushed between my legs and nearly tripped me.

“Bootsy!” Lori cried.

Bootsy continued to rub up against my legs. I stepped back but he kept doing it. I stared down at him in exasperation.

“Boots!” Lori bent and scooped the cat up. “Are you being naughty, Bootsy?”

She brought the cat up close to her face and… nuzzled it? I couldn’t really describe it.

“He knows you don’t have a cat,” Lori said with a smile.

“Well… that’s Dad’s fault.”

She nodded and petted the cat a bit more. Then she smiled at me. “Let me feed him.”

“Sure.”

I watched as she stopped cooking long enough to check the cat’s water bowl. She talked about what he’d been like as a kitten and the cats they owned before.

“So you really love them.”

“I do,” she said. “It started with our visits to the farm.”

“Oh?”

We continued cooking while she told me about her childhood visits to the farm where her parents met. She never used the word “commune,” but it was pretty clear that’s what it was. I listened and asked a few questions to draw her out. She smiled a lot, which I loved.

We finished cooking and continued the conversation at the table. There, we kept pausing to eat—the quesadilla was really good! I wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten the homemade salsa to have so much flavor, but I loved it!

Eventually, the conversation turned to my childhood. It was pretty boring, really, but that didn’t stop Lori from asking her own questions. She grew especially curious when I started talking about when my mom “found Jesus.”

“We were always churchgoers,” I said, “but… she started taking it to another level. Dad went along a lot rather than argue.”

“I can see that,” Lori said.

“It wasn’t too awful,” I continued. “At least for me.”

“Ah.” She nodded knowingly. “But for your sister…”

“Yeah. It’s been… rough on Michelle. Especially dating.”

“I’ll bet.”

I grimaced as I thought of my visit home for Homecoming. They’d wanted me to make sure my sister didn’t have sex with her boyfriend while they were gone. Well, needless to say, I’d “failed” at that. “Failed” by not even trying.

And then Michelle had come out of the bathroom naked…

“I feel sorry for her,” Lori said.

I shook off the memory of my sister’s naked body. “Yeah. I do, too.”

“Do you do anything for her?”

I shrugged. “I try. It’s harder now that I’m here.”

“Yeah…” She smiled and sighed. “Distance sucks.”

I snorted. “No kidding.” I was not looking forward to figuring out how to make this relationship work with Lori when we lived an hour apart.

“But it’s manageable,” she said.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “you just have to cram everything in when you’re together.”

“Well, I’m not sure I’d say cramming.” She playfully leered at me.

I laughed. “Filling up the time together? Is that better?”

She chuckled. “How about filling me up?”

I glanced at our plates. We were basically done eating and my blood was stirring.

“So…,” I said, “time for dessert?”

“You read my mind!”

We quickly cleared the table and put away the food. We didn’t have many leftovers, and Lori had done some cleaning as we cooked, so after a minute or so, everything was done except for the small pile of dishes next to the sink.

“I’d be happy to wash those,” I said. I’d grown up getting scolded by mom about leaving dirty dishes around way too often to just leave them.

She blinked. “You sure?”

“Yeah. As much as I, um, want dessert, it won’t take long.”

“Wow. Okay… Well, I need to use the restroom anyway.”

She told me where the dish soap was and I got started while she slipped off. I was already a third of the way through the stack when Lori came back. She came up and kissed me on the cheek.

“Meet me in the bedroom when you’re done,” she purred.

My cock stiffened and I nodded.

There really weren’t that many dishes, and I finished what was left quickly. I pulled the stopper to drain the sink, dried my hands, and headed to the bedroom. My heart beat faster in anticipation. She’d left the door ajar, so I pushed it all the way open and stepped in.

I froze as the sexy sight of her took my breath away.

Lori stretched out on the bed with her head propped up on one arm. It was a cheesecake pose if I’d ever seen one, but—oh, what cheesecake!

Her free hand lightly caressed her hip, right below the strap of the thinnest black g-string I’d ever imagined. Even more, it was transparent, showing her golden pubes behind it.

Her bra matched the panties. As little more than thin black gauze, it hid nothing. Her nipples were red and hard. Her breasts jiggled as she giggled.

“You like?” she teased.

“God, yes!”

“A little sexier than my green panties.” The ones she’d been wearing the day we met, when I’d accidentally seen her topless.

“They’re all sexy! You’re sexy.”

“And you’re overdressed.”

I chuckled. “A solvable problem.”

I stripped as quickly as I could. As I did, Lori sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. She swung her feet down to the floor. When I was down to my underwear, she beckoned me over.

“Let me do that.”

I was no fool. I stood in front of her. I wasn’t sure where to put my hands, so I settled for just letting them hang by my side.

Lori grinned at me and then ran one finger across my cock over my underwear. When I sucked in my breath, she giggled.

“Tease,” I said.

“Oh, you have no idea.” She smirked and gently caressed me again.

I reached forward and she batted my hand away. I returned it to my side as she started tugging on my underwear.

“You’re still overdressed.”

“Want me to help?”

“No. I’ve got it.”

It took her a little bit of effort to pull my underwear down, given how hard my cock was. It visibly throbbed. She took ahold of it while I stepped out of the fabric. She lightly stroked me with her hand and then grinned when our eyes met.

Without breaking eye contact, she opened her mouth and slowly pulled my cock between her lips.

I gasped as the warm wetness engulfed me. She sucked once lightly before pulling back and just kissing the tip. One kiss followed another as she feathered them down the side of my shaft and then back up.

I panted for breath. Especially when her kisses switched to light licks.

She took her agonizingly sweet time. Part of me wanted her to hurry, to get to the finish. Part of me wanted what she was doing to never end.

I was breathing hard, really hard, when she started to suck. She bobbed her head so smoothly that it felt like a wave, or a wet massage. A really, really good one.

She kept going forever and a day. Each time, she took me deeper than I thought possible. It all still felt heavenly, and my balls were beginning to tighten.

The pressure built until I was on the edge.

“Gonna come,” I said.

She gave me a thumbs up, of all things. But then, her mouth was full. She tightened her lips and sucked harder. Then her eyes met mine.

It was too much. With a groan, I exploded. She held still as I filled her mouth. Then she pulled back and swallowed. She smiled at me.

“I think you like these panties.”

“Take ‘em off,” I growled.

“Ooh! Taking charge!”

For this, I was. I needed her. I wanted her. But… I also need to recuperate. Which left one obvious alternative.

“Take them off so I can lick you.”

She chuckled and did just that. After she’d also removed her bra, she scooted up on the bed so she could rest her head on two pillows there.

I climbed between her thighs. It was my turn.

I inhaled her scent. She was wet and ready. I decided to tease her. I kissed her mound and then her inner thighs. I circled around a couple of times before changing to light licks.

She squirmed and pushed her pussy toward my mouth.

I chuckled and kept teasing her.

“Dammit, Mike!”

I laughed and licked her pussy from bottom to top.

She sighed and then moaned as I started flicking her clit with my tongue. I sucked and licked it and then did a little more licking down lower. I loved her taste—sweet and tangy at the same time.

“Finger…” she said breathily.

Oh, yeah. She liked having a finger inside her. I shifted until I could slide one in and curl it up. Then I returned to licking and sucking.

Her breathing grew more ragged and she clutched the sheets. I kept doing whatever made her gasp. My jaw tired but I kept going.

Then she arched her back and squeaked as she came.

I chuckled. Her noise when she orgasmed was so unique and cute—I loved it!

She put a hand on my head and gently pushed. I eased back and sat up. I grinned like a loon.

She caught her breath and then smiled at me. Then her eyes dropped to my hard cock

“Get a condom.”

I chuckled. “Anything you want.”

She’d left the box she’d just bought out on the nightstand. She watched and lightly caressed her breasts while I got one on. When I moved into position between her thighs, she helped line me up.

Then I slowly slid in.

The first rush of pleasure nearly overwhelmed me. I slid into her wet heat like it was my second home. Sh