Odalisque
Eight
THE FOOTBALL GAME WAS FUN. I don’t think I’d ever been to a college football game, and even though SCU is Division III, it was a good game. The fact that we were playing Pacific Lutheran University meant that it was an inter-city rival from down in Tacoma, so there were a couple thousand people at the stadium.
We loaded both our cars and Sandra had her car loaded as well. Since Bree is no longer a cheerleader, she rode with Sandra and Melody surprised me by riding with them. Thor rode on the back of Amy’s bike. By the time we were all together at the stadium, we made a sizable cheering block for SCU and waved at Sonia as we filed in to get seats.
I was hoarse from yelling by the time we ended the afternoon and headed for the Spaghetti Factory for dinner. I barely got home in time to shower and warm up before heading to campus for my overnight shift
Oh, and we lost.
With no sleep during the day, I was nodding off in the chair at the tent by ten-thirty. There was no way I’d be studying. Except I forgot my Anatomy team. They all showed up at midnight and neither Amanda nor Justin was hoarse. They hadn’t gone to the game. Bree looked a little sleepy, but we got down to scoping out our project.
“So, why can’t you just draw the things that we need for the presentation and then we’ll put together the script?” Justin asked.
“I don’t have anything to draw,” I answered.
“There’s tons of pictures,” Amanda argued.
“Why would I draw a picture of a picture?” I asked. “That’s just busy work. Photocopy it and let’s work on the presentation from there.”
“Are you saying you drew all these from dead bodies?” Justin asked, pointing at one of my portfolios. It had about forty anatomical drawings that I’d done last winter.
“Um… yeah, actually.” There was a lot of emotional impact to what I was about to say and I didn’t know where any of my teammates stood on the issue. “During the holiday break last year, the exhibition called ‘Bodies’ was in St. Louis. I convinced my folks to let me spend two days there. I spent the entire twelve hours each day sketching what I saw. I know a lot of people think it’s disrespectful to the people who died and were preserved, but… well, I was really interested.”
“I don’t know that I could have done that,” Bree said. “I love the body, but I don’t know if I could detach myself enough to see it as art.”
“It’s not art. It’s science,” Justin said firmly. “Med students have been dissecting human bodies for hundreds of years. If we didn’t, medicine would still be back in the dark ages.”
“Hmm,” Amanda said. “So, are you saying that you could do the drawings for our project if you actually saw a subject? I mean, like if we did an autopsy, for example, you could draw what we saw?”
“Well, yeah. But, don’t go killing anyone for my sake, okay?”
“Of course not,” she snapped. No sense of humor. “But there’s a program that we can participate in that allows us to watch an autopsy at the Med School. First year med students will be dissecting cadavers the middle of November. Would you pass out in the presence of an unpreserved dead body?” she asked.
“Well… no. Not unless it was fresh.” Amanda rolled her eyes.
“I’ll see if I can get us into it and you can do the sketches of a real body. That will put us way ahead of the rest of the class.”
Amanda and Justin left about two. My eyes were crossing, I was so tired. Bree hung around like she wanted to say something.
“Aren’t you going home to bed, Bree?” I asked.
“I was wondering… um… oh god… if…” Uh-oh, I thought. “I asked Melody and she said if you were willing that it would be okay to just hold me for a while,” Bree managed to get out at last. “No kissing, no making out, no… um… fondling. Just… would you hold me?”
I opened my arms and the little redhead bounced into my lap. The office chair that I had wasn’t that conducive to having two people in it, but I rolled it back so I was against the building and hoped that would keep it from tipping over, at least. For her part, Bree did her best to curl up into the smallest ball possible as I wrapped my arms around her. As soon as she felt me hug her, she relaxed. We just sat there for a while as my eyes got steadily heavier. I couldn’t let it go, though.
“Why are you doing this, Bree? You don’t have to try to be with me. I’m your friend.”
“That’s what I’m trying to learn about,” she said. “I only know two ways to interact with guys. They are either my father or I have sex. Well, used to. I’ve been talking to Melody and Kate a lot lately.”
“That’s an improvement,” I chuckled.
“No one has a single bruise yet,” Bree responded in kind. “But they are teaching me stuff that I never figured out. I need to learn how to be with a man and not be sexual or be his good little girl. But, god! It gets so lonely sometimes. I just want to have someone who will hold me.”
“Anytime, Bree,” I said. And I meant it. It felt like we’d turned a corner and with that thought, I drifted off to sleep.
On Wednesday, after midterms at PCAD, I kissed Melody goodbye and Lissa took her to the airport. I went through my normal daily routine, including a workout with Lissa at the club when she got back. We got home just in time to meet Molly and the boys. I whipped up a meatloaf and mashed potatoes and while it was cooking, sat to read.
“Is Meddy’s daddy okay?” Damon asked out of the blue.
“Meddy’s daddy is very sick, so she wanted to go visit him. It’s nothing for you guys to worry about. Melody will be back on Sunday.”
“Is Meddy’s daddy our grandpa?” Damon continued.
“Well… I guess you could say that, but like my mom and dad and Gramma Lexi, they aren’t regular grandparents, they’re special grandparents. You’ll get to meet them at Thanksgiving next month. They are coming here for a visit.”
“And Gramma Lexi,” Drew chimed in. He’d taken an instant liking to Lexi last spring, just as he had to Melody before that.
“That’s right, kiddo. Gramma Lexi will be here and so will Grandpa Saul and Grandma Deb—my mommy and daddy.”
“I like grammas and grampas,” Drew affirmed.
“So do I.”
Lissa and I got the boys to bed, the kitchen cleaned up, and sat to listen to the silence in the house. By some miracle, I’d managed to stay ahead of my homework since we got home from Minneapolis and was feeling pretty good about where I was, so the two of us had a chance to just get to know each other again. We sat in the big chair at first, but Lissa was a little antsy and we agreed a bath was what we needed.
“You know, I love Kate,” Lissa said.
“But?” I asked.
“Don’t even mention butt until mine’s bare,” she giggled. I quickly helped remedy the situation and gave her butt a light pat.
“Butt?” I asked again. We stepped into the tub and decided not to run the jets in case the boys needed us.
“But she completely exhausted me Wednesday. I thought Melody was insatiable, but she was wrung out, too. I don’t know how many times I came after she dragged me to the bedroom, and nothing I could do would get her off. Then that scream when she did go off—and no one even touching her. I nearly went through the ceiling at first, but then when I saw her, I think I came again! What got into her?”
“Were you upset? Unhappy? Unwilling?”
“No. Just surprised. And a little overwhelmed, I guess. It was just so unlike the sweet innocent girl we fell in love with,” Lissa sighed.
“Well, it’s true,” I said. “I mean, I still think she’s sweet, but not so innocent anymore. I mean, let’s face it; she was a virgin who had never had an orgasm until our birthday just over a month ago. None of us came into our relationship that uh… naïve. Melody and I were virgins, but we’d masturbated. Kate didn’t even really believe it would hurt the first time. So… that sweet and innocent girl gives up her virginity, not to one person, but to three on the same night. Again, even the way we’ve played in the past few months, none of us had quite an equivalent introduction to sex. I think she feels like she has a lot to catch up on.”
“But she’s still teaching us!” Lissa said. “Now I want to know if I could spend the whole day on edge and then come like that. She took us way beyond teasing before a tournament.”
“What’s worrying you, darling?”
“I’m afraid that… well, that once she’s tried everything she can think of, she’ll want to try everyone.”
“Yeah. That’s a danger, isn’t it.”
“How can you be so calm about it?”
“Lissa, you were married to Jack and then celibate until you met Melody and me, right?” She nodded her head. “How many people have you made love to this year?”
“Three, but…” I shook my head. “Five,” she sighed.
“And Kate wasn’t with us for Allie or Beth, yet she fully approved, even though I don’t think she’d go to bed with Allie. Maybe with Beth. And she’s played around with Wendy. I don’t think Wendy actually wants to be in our communal bed. I don’t think. But you know what?” Lissa looked at me plaintively. “Kate loves us. She loves us so much she’d do anything for us, but more than that. She loves us so much that she trusts us to let her experiment.”
“You’re so smart. Are you my much younger lover or my older wiser mentor?” she asked. She was shaking her head.
“I’m the man who loves you like no other and always will,” I said.
That settled it. We didn’t really talk much the rest of the night.
“Oh, god, that feels good. A little to the left. Yes! Oh, oh, oh!”
“My god, you certainly are vocal tonight,” Bree laughed. “Keep it down or I’ll have the entire football team lined up outside.”
She’d just hit the exact spot beneath my left shoulder blade that had been driving me crazy all week. As she pressed her thumbs into the muscle, I could feel the knot finally relaxing.
“Oh, that’s good,” I moaned. “That spot gave me fits all week.”
“Well, I’m glad I got it. What are you even doing here today? Don’t you have a party to get ready for tonight?”
“Yeah. But we’re not starting till eight. There’s plenty of time. And you do not know what it’s like with three women in the kitchen.”
“I thought Melody was in Boston.”
“Yes, but Wendy took the night off work to come and help. She really loves to prepare for a party.”
“Well, don’t you have to go put on a costume or something? I’ve got my sexy pirate outfit hanging in my room.”
I grinned. “Oh, didn’t you know? This isn’t a dress up party; it’s a dress off party.”
“What! Are we having another naked posing party? Melody didn’t say anything about that.”
“No. That’s not what’s planned. Unless Kate gets her way. She’d love to draw some men other than me.”
“Yeah. Draw them. Right.”
“Hey! Who’s dragging me off to draw a corpse next week?”
“That wasn’t my idea. Fucking Amanda thinks she’s the queen,” Bree said disgustedly.
“Hmm. Think we could get her and Justin to pose naked?” I asked.
“You don’t think they’re—”
“Just savor that image and go put on your sexy pirate costume,” I laughed. “If you want to come over early, you’re welcome to.”
“Thanks. Get your ass to the shower. I’ll see you in a couple hours.”
“Hey, Meddy. How’s it going, love?” I asked as soon as Melody’s call rang through. She’d been gone two days and even in the busy week, I missed her like crazy.
“I wish I was home with you,” Melody whined. “I’m horny.”
“Already, sweetheart?” Lissa asked as she huddled over the phone with me.
“I miss you,” Melody said. “I love you.”
“We love you too. How’s your dad doing?” I asked.
“It’s sad. He’s really thin and completely bald. He was really glad to see me, though.”
“Oh, sweetie, I should have come with you,” Lissa said. “Give him a kiss from me, okay?”
“Oh, he’ll like that,” Melody laughed. “Every time he mentions you, he calls you my beautiful wife.”
“He really came around, didn’t he?” I asked.
“Yeah. He’s still pigheaded and stubborn about some things, but he’s accepted us being together.”
“What’s he resisting?” I asked.
“He still won’t move back home. He says that he chose his course and he won’t subject Mom to living with a man that is of no use and just a burden,” Melody said.
“That’s just harsh,” Lissa said. “If you ever get sick, don’t you even think about running away. I will chase you down and drag you back.”
“I love you, Lissa,” Melody cried. “Thank you for being my lover and my wife.”
“You know that goes for the rest of us, too,” I said. “I’m going to call Kate in to say hi. She’s in the kitchen with Wendy and Bree.”
I left the phone with Lissa as I ran out to get Kate. Bree said, “Say hi for me.” We went back into the bedroom.
“Kate’s here, darling,” I called as we entered.
“Hi, love,” Melody said.
“I love you, Mel,” Kate answered. “How’s your mom doing?”
I almost corrected her. It was Melody’s father that was sick. Then I kicked myself mentally. We hadn’t asked about her mother at all. That has to be just as hard on her as seeing her father sick.
“Oh, sweetie, she’s really sad. She comes over to visit dad every day. I’m headed over to her house in a few minutes. Dad just went to bed and it’s still only ten. I need to hold my mommy and let her know that I love her.”
“I’m glad you’re going over there,” Kate said, “but remember that she gets to comfort you, too. You’re her little girl and your father is holding her away while he’s sick. She just has to take care of someone and you get to be the one.”
“God! How’d you get so smart, Kate?” Melody asked.
“Well, there’s going to be a lot of mutual comfort going on,” Kate said. “I watched Grandpa Ken when my grandma died. Even after she was gone, he felt like he needed to take care of someone. It was as much a part of his healing as grieving was. He took care of the twins and me and taught us all day long, even though Momma was right there.”
“I love you, Kitten,” Melody said. “You always know just how people are feeling.”
I had to agree with her there and we started talking about the party and who all was coming. Bree and Wendy were still in the kitchen putting together the snacks.
“Did you say Bree was there helping?” Melody asked.
“Yes. She got here a few minutes before you called,” I answered.
“Would you call her in?” Melody asked. I stepped into the hall and called for Bree. She approached with a curious look on her face.
“Hi Melody,” Bree said. “I hope you’re having a good visit with your father. Is he getting better?”
“About the same, miss,” Melody answered. “I wish I was there with you guys for the party, though. I intended to be.”
“Believe it or not, I was looking forward to seeing you,” Bree said.
“Right. Tony, please describe Bree’s costume for me,” Melody said.
“Um… you want me to take a picture and send it to you?” I asked.
“No. I want to see it through your eyes. Be honest. Don’t skip anything.”
“Okay. Well, it’s a sexy pirate outfit. She’s wearing a green bandana with her red hair sticking out all over everyplace. She’s got a leather vest— Is that real or fake?— fake leather, like Ultrasuede or something, that’s ragged at the bottom. She has a kind of peasant blouse on under it that’s pulled off both shoulders with long flowing sleeves. The vest is laced under her boobs, so they really… um… stand out.” Bree was blushing and you could see every freckle on her skin just brighten.
“Wait. Laced? Like a bustier?” I looked at Kate and Lissa with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s too short for a bustier,” Lissa said. “Her tummy is bare and she’s got a cute innie navel with a big diamond cluster in it.”
“Yow!” Melody said. “Sounds hot. Keep going, Tony.”
“Oh! Wait a minute,” I said. “She has a dragon tattooed on her left shoulder blade! That wasn’t there at the party last spring.”
“I got it on my birthday this summer.”
“Our own girl with a dragon tattoo,” Melody giggled.
“Okay. Well, that gets down to the skirt. It’s kind of a two-layer thing. The under part is short, of course, and green to match her bandana. It’s got a ragged fringe like the vest does. The over part is kind of like the sashes we were wearing for the posing party last spring. It’s cut at a diagonal, so it’s longer on the left than the right and she’s got a sword stuck through it. Then she’s got these knee-high laced up boots with heels so high she’s almost as tall as Kate.”
“Oh, Bree! Fuck-me boots?” Melody laughed.
“Melody!” Bree shouted. “It’s just sexy.”
“Well, listen, sexy,” Mel said. “Just so you know, it’s okay with me if you give Tony a nice goodnight kiss tonight. Just don’t go trying to get him into your panties, okay?”
“Um… I don’t think so,” Bree stammered looking at Kate and Lissa. They were both smiling at her. “It’s… uh… not tonight. Mel, even if it’s okay… um… I’m not going to unless you’re here. I promised, remember?”
“Hey, I love you all and you have to get this party started!” Melody exclaimed. “And I have to get over to my mom’s. Before you all take off, would you take me off speaker and let me talk to Bree a minute?”
We all said goodnight and that we loved her. I handed the phone to Bree. After she said “hi” she just listened.
“Thank you, Melody,” Bree answered. “Yeah. I’m really sure. Just come back soon, okay?— See you Sunday or Monday.” She disconnected and handed the phone back to me and left the bedroom without saying anything to anyone.
“What was that all about?” I asked Lissa and Kate.
“Got me beat,” Lissa said, “but whether she kisses you or not, I’m going to get a much closer look at that diamond cluster in her navel.”
“Mmm. Dippin’ Dots,” Kate laughed. She kissed Lissa then turned to me. “Don’t worry, Tony. Bree and Melody are working it out. Melody gave an inch and Bree honored her by giving it back. It’s not about you.”
“Well that’s comforting,” I said, giving each of my partners a deep kiss. It threatened to keep us in the bedroom a long time. Bree wasn’t the only one in a sexy costume. We broke the kiss, panting a little.
“Let’s get this party started,” Lissa said.
Comments
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
