Sarah tried to be happy for him. She tried to move on. She dated a political science graduate student named Garrett Stone and couldn’t deny developing feelings for him, but no matter how hard she tried to break free from James, a part of her heart still belonged to him. When he returned from his tour in Afghanistan and prepared to marry his high school sweetheart, she refused to see him – until he finally broke down her defenses. The truth was that he had never been able to shake his feelings for her either.
Theirs was an epic love story. They were lovers with enough chemistry to light up the darkest night, yet their paths in life seemed to be on entirely different planes. Somehow we realized it wasn’t too crazy or farfetched to sync our paths, she thought with a smile. They married not long after their glorious epiphany.
Not that everything was completely smooth sailing after that. Sarah had gone through IVF because James wanted so badly to have a child of his own. Though he was thrilled to become a stepfather to Sarah’s children Abby and Owen, Abby was already an adult, and Owen wasn’t far behind. Sarah’s first IVF attempt ended in heartbreak when she miscarried twin boys. After much soul-searching, they decided to try again, but when Sarah was pregnant, James strayed beyond the confines of their agreement with a woman he met online. There were times Sarah thought she would never be able to forgive his betrayal, but he finally got his head on straight by the time they welcomed their beautiful daughter Lynnea into the world.
They’d spent the last year enjoying all the milestones of their daughter’s growth: her first smile, first words, first steps. Every time Sarah witnessed James scoop the tiny curly-haired lass up into his arms, her heart melted. He was the most affectionate, devoted father, even surpassing her wildest expectations for how involved he would be. He knew her immunization schedule by heart and read parenting books cover to cover. He loved snuggling up with her on the sofa while they looked through her board books. He even enjoyed giving her baths and choosing her outfits. The look in his eyes when her little mouth formed the word “Dada” was absolutely priceless.
In spite of Lynnea absorbing a great deal of their time and energy, the couple had not lost their spark for each other. In fact, their lovemaking, though possibly less frequent, was magnified in intensity. They were consumed with each other, hardly remembering they’d been open to other partners in the past. But the idea to open back up had been floated and even gotten unanimous support earlier in their visit to the cabin. Neither had any idea that it would come to fruition so rapidly. Sarah hoped they hadn’t gone too far too fast.
She poured the lovely burgundy wine into four stemmed glasses and turned to hand off one to Zora, who had followed her into the kitchen. “Cheers,” she said, smiling as though she wasn’t preoccupied with James’s thoughts. She heard the shower shut off as she was pulling the pot from the lower cabinet to start boiling water for the pasta.
“I’m just going to go check on my husband while this heats up,” she explained, receiving understanding nods from her companions in response.
The bathroom was still full of steam as she watched James’s figure emerge from within the mist. He had a thick white towel wrapped around his waist, and beads of water clung to his chest hair. “Yes?” he questioned, looking much more awake than when they’d last conversed.
“I’m boiling water for the pasta,” Sarah informed him. “I hate that we don’t have much to go with it.”
“Well, we’re refugees,” he retorted, smiling. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“Have you checked your phone?” Sarah asked him, her smile fading. She hadn’t been able to get reception all day. She imagined that the storm had interfered with the cell signals.
“Nothing there,” he answered, watching his wife’s features droop in response. “It’ll be okay, honey. I’m sure they’re all having a marvelous time and aren’t even thinking about us.”
“What if we can’t get the truck out tomorrow?” she asked, her voice cracking under the heaviness of her heart.
“Let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?” His blue eyes searched hers, hoping she could put aside her fears until they were realized instead of wasting energy worrying about something they couldn’t control and didn’t even know would be an issue.
“I’m not so good at that. You know that, James,” she answered, letting the corners of her lips pull up. “So what do you want to do tonight?”
“Oh, you know, whatever comes up,” he winked back.
Her fears about him being uncomfortable with their earlier activities were allayed, even if the ones about escaping the snow remained.
Dinner conversation was abundant. At least we happened to get snowed in with some intelligent, articulate folks, Sarah reflected as she carried dirty plates to the kitchen. Zora had taken over dinner prep while Sarah was talking to James in the bedroom after his shower, so Sarah felt the least she could do was clean up.
“Are you able to get a signal on your phones?” James asked Charlie as he and Zora relaxed on the leather sofa near the roaring fireplace.
Charlie shook his head. “Nope, and I don’t know if our friends are trying to reach us. I hope they made it to the airport okay. Hopefully they’ll be able to get back up here to pick us up tomorrow.”
“Do they have a truck?”
“No, but at least their car is front wheel drive. We’ll see. Fingers crossed.”
Sarah returned to the living area, wiping her hands, wet from dishwashing, on her jeans. “You didn’t happen to bring any food with you, did you?” she questioned, already thinking ahead to the next day. “I have more pasta and some fruit – and plenty of wine – but I don’t have much else.”
“As a matter of fact,” Charlie said, beaming as he pulled two full backpacks from behind the sofa out to the middle of the floor, “James and I grabbed everything we could find from the other cabin when we went up there for the shovels.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic!” Sarah exclaimed, feeling a bit relieved. Zora patted her husband on the thigh as if to praise his foresight.
Charlie unzipped the first backpack to reveal two big bottles of water, a package of granola bars, and several cans of soup. “Oh, and look, here’s dessert for tonight!” He pulled out a bakery box tied up with a white string.
“I’m sure that’s tasty and all, but I know what I want for dessert,” Zora interjected, her gaze suggestively pinned on James.
Sarah thought she might be imagining a flush creep onto James’s neck from her salacious innuendo. “What is it?” she asked Charlie, her eyes returning to the cardboard box.
“Black Forest cake,” he answered, licking his lips.
“I’ll go put all that in the kitchen,” Zora offered, gathering the backpack and supplies from the floor and bending over so that her ass was aimed right toward James.
When she rose from the couch to a standing position, Sarah noticed she purposely strutted close to James, just barely brushing his legs on the way by. She couldn’t help but study her husband’s reaction, and he cast her a wide-eyed look as if to ask for help. He sure has his hands full with that one, she thought, the idea amusing her. James often accused Sarah of being a little too take-charge for his tastes, but she seemed downright demure and submissive next to Zora. I’m sure he’s in for a real treat tonight. She envisioned taking Charlie out to the hot tub and returning to find James tied to the headboard. She couldn’t help but laugh when that colorful image infiltrated her mind.
When Zora returned, she snagged the other backpack and turned to the others with a wicked glint in her eye. “And guess what we have in here….?” she said, her eyebrows waggling, then she shot a questioning glance at her husband. “Unless Charlie took it out.”
His mouth curved into a full-toothed grin. “Nope, it’s in there.”
Now Sarah’s curiosity was definitely piqued. “What is it?”
Zora began to unzip the backpack very slowly, as if to draw out the suspense. Then she reached inside and pulled ou
t a black cardboard box with white lettering.
“Cards Against Humanity!” Charlie exclaimed. “Ever play?”
James slowly shook his head, but a smirk etched onto Sarah’s face. “My daughter has that game and plays it with her college friends. She said James and I aren’t cool enough to play,” she explained, laughing.
“Oh, you’re definitely cool enough,” Charlie winked back at her. “Wanna set it up, Zora?”
His wife nodded and began to sort out the cards while explaining how to play. Sarah felt a bolt of nervousness shoot through her as she glanced at the cards in her hands. This is going to be…interesting…she mused as she waited for the first card to be drawn.
Her eyes lit up when Zora placed the first card on the table. As fast as a reflex, Sarah plunked down one of the cards from her hand and glanced around the circle triumphantly. Zora narrowed her eyes a bit at Sarah’s eagerness, but collected the three cards and began to read them out loud.
“‘What’s a girl’s best friend?’” she read. “’Ass clowns?’” She read off the first card and shook her head in silence. “’An atomic death ray gun,’” she read off the second card. That one got a bit of a chuckle from James.
Zora’s face brightened with amusement as she read the final card. “‘What’s a girl’s best friend? An erection that lasts longer than four hours!’” The laughter spilled from her mouth before she could even get all the words out, and soon everyone in the circle had also erupted in laughter.
“Oh my god, that’s perfect!” she squealed, finally regaining her breath. “Whose card was that?”
“Mine,” Sarah admitted sheepishly. “So what do I win?”
“You win the card,” Zora answered. “Let’s play to seven cards, okay? Whoever collects seven cards first wins.”
It was Charlie’s turn to read the cards next. “Oh, here’s a good one for you, Sarah! ‘I’m sorry, Professor, but I couldn’t complete my homework because of…’”
Giggles echoed around the table while the three players shuffled through their cards, trying on the way the completed sentences sounded in their heads. Finally, Charlie collected all the cards and began to read them out loud: “‘An Oedipus Complex’ – okay, not bad. ‘Dark and mysterious forces beyond our control’ – oh, very good…or ‘Stephen Hawking talking dirty!’” His voice nearly cracked with amusement. “That one! Definitely the last one!”
“That’s mine too!” Sarah grinned, looking around the table with a proud grin. “I guess I have a knack for this game!”
“Must be beginner’s luck,” Zora said sharply, her eyes glued to her cards as James selected the next one from the deck.
After an hour, Sarah was leading 6 cards to 4 of Zora’s, while the men each had 3 cards. It was Charlie’s turn to read again. “Oh, this one is a two-parter. ‘In a world ravaged by blank…our only solace is blank…”
There was silence while the three other players shuffled through their cards, but Sarah didn’t miss Zora’s quick, cunning glance at Charlie. It looked like a warning that he better choose her card…or else. Sarah couldn’t believe how competitive Zora was even at a silly card game.
Charlie collected the cards and looked through them before reading them aloud a bit hesitantly. “‘In a world ravaged by sexual tension, our only solace is tasteful side boob!’ Oh, I like that one!” He glanced around the table and found poker faces reflecting back at him.
He grouped the next three cards in order before he read them. “‘In a world ravaged by penis envy, our only solace is my collection of high-tech sex toys!’ That’s very funny! Well, a lot of people say technology can solve any problem.” He smiled, hoping to elicit grins from his fellow players, but his wife scowled back at him. James and Sarah both wore uneasy smirks.
He cleared his throat before reading the final set of cards. “‘In a world ravaged by intimacy problems, our only solace is a salty surprise!” He chuckled for a moment before setting all three piles of cards down on the table in front of him. “Wow, this is hard choice,” he admitted. “The game could be over!”
“Just choose one,” James suggested with a neutral expression on his face. “And if Sarah wins on this round, we can have dessert.”
“Oh, I’m very much looking forward to dessert,” Charlie retorted, locking his gaze on Sarah.
Zora folded her arms across her chest. “Are you going to pick a winner?”
“Oh,” Charlie answered, shooting his wife a panicked look that seemed to beg her to calm down. “I think I like the second one best! Whose was that?” He glanced around from his wife to Sarah to James.
There was an awkward beat before Sarah erupted, “Oh, that’s mine! I won!”
“Great job, honey!” James said, patting her on the back.
“That was a little anti-climactic,” Zora remarked, struggling to wipe the look of frustration off her face. She mustered a sanguine quirk to her lips. “Maybe I need a real climax?”
James’s eyes grew wide as he looked from Zora to Sarah. “Dessert first?”
Sarah stood up, feeling it was her duty as hostess to dissolve the tension that had settled on their cozy, fire-lit space. “I think I’m going to take a dip in the hot tub first if anyone cares to join me.” She needed some fresh air before Zora got on her last nerve.
“I’d love to,” Charlie answered. Zora didn’t even look up as she continued putting away the cards, her smirk having morphed into a bitter scowl.
“Great!” Sarah brightened. “Let me grab a few towels, and then we’ll head out.” She looked to James to see what he planned to do, and after flashing her a look of resignation, he turned to assist Zora with cleaning up the game. When she touched his wrist, he gave her a little shrug.
Well, this ought to be interesting, Sarah thought, heading into the bathroom to retrieve towels from the linen closet. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with another man alone…
Five: Hot Tubs and Fireplaces
“I’m sorry Zora is such a sore loser,” Charlie apologized while easing his muscular body into the water. There was so much steam billowing into the frozen air that Sarah could scarcely make out the contours of his limbs and the ridges of his chest and abs as he slowly submerged himself.
Sarah laughed in response, her breath forming a white cloud that hung in the air while she hastily stripped out of her fluffy pink robe. She braced herself for the solitary moment of frozen hell before her icy appendages were soothed by the warm bubbles spurting out of the hot tub jets. When she turned back to dip her toe into the water, she noticed Charlie drinking in her naked figure like she was a bottle of wine and he was intent on getting drunk.
An appreciative smile creeped across his lips as she sank into the percolating depths of the hot tub. The snow had tapered off to mere flurries now, but it melted before it entered the steamy atmosphere surrounding them. It was like they had a big glass dome over their heads protecting them from the elements.
“God, this feels amazing, doesn’t it?” Sarah sighed as her bottom found the smooth fiberglass seat next to Charlie. His arms were outstretched along the edge so that her neck brushed against his bicep as she made herself comfortable.
“It’s all amazing,” he agreed, locking his dark eyes onto hers. “I’m glad we’re getting a little time to get better acquainted.”
“Me too.” Sarah smiled as she breathed the steamy air deep into her sinus cavities. “Though, I don’t feel like we’re strangers by any means.”
With his other arm, he reached down through the gurgling foam to take Sarah’s hand into his. She was surprised at how large his hands were, though she supposed she shouldn’t be. Some women look at a man’s hands to get a clue about how well-endowed he is, she mused. I think I just did the opposite! A chuckle caught in her throat as she had a sudden flashback of Charlie moving inside her earlier in the day. She still felt a delicious burn between her legs from being stretched so wide by his considerable girth.
“I know Zora comes on strong
sometimes, but she is really a remarkable woman,” he said, his eyebrows stitching together. “I hope you – ”
“Oh, you don’t need to defend her!” Sarah chuckled again, surprised and even a bit dismayed he continued to talk about his wife. I thought I was going to get a chance to know who HE is, she thought. “I think Zora is just lovely. Headstrong. Outspoken. I admire that, and those are qualities that will serve her well in a career in academia.”
“I’m glad you think so,” he murmured, his eyes finding hers again in the light mist rising off the water. The LED lights on the walls of the hot tub were set to change from green to blue to red to purple. So every beat of conversation found them shrouded in a different color.
“So tell me more about Charlie,” Sarah said, sinking deeper into the water until her head rested on his well-developed shoulder. She stroked her fingers down his thigh and saw that her touch seemed to electrify his cock, which was beginning to come alive beneath the water.
“Well, let’s see here,” he began, his accent dancing off his full lips as he looked toward the sky to collect his thoughts. The heavens were hazy with clouds, a gauzy band of moonlight daring to peek through at regular intervals. The stars were completely hidden, or maybe they were falling to the ground as snowflakes, shimmering in the stream of silver beaming down to earth. “I grew up just outside London. My father worked in finance; my mother stayed home to raise my brothers and myself.”
“Wow, going way back, I see,” Sarah giggled, her hands continuing to explore his body.
“Yes, and you’re making me forget my entire life history,” he sighed. Her fingers had trailed dangerously close to his manhood, which was now arching up toward his navel, thick and engorged with desire.
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