“Sister,” Juanita said. “They’re going to take my breasts. If there was ever a night for wine and enchantment, this is it—plus it’s a full moon. Do we not all have diplomatic immunity tonight under our auntie in the sky?”
Shari cleared her throat. “I’d love a glass with you.”
Lance looked at Juanita in a new way: she was free now. On her own. Everything she’d wanted to do, she now could. She truly had nothing to lose.
He felt Juanita’s eyes on him and he looked away. This had been happening over the past year: an awareness of one another. There had been an afternoon in the Farmers’ Market on Granville Island where he and Shari had joined Duane and Juanita for some Christmas shopping. In the grand push and pull of the crowd, Lance had reached out to run the back of his hand along the inside of Shari’s wrist and hand—only to realize he’d done this to Juanita and she’d not resisted or stopped him. In fact, they’d easily had seconds holding hands like lovers together before he jumped out of shock and apologized to Juanita, but she’d only smiled and turned away to continue shopping. He’d wanted to tell Shari about it but felt that it was an innocent mistake, but, still, it was a sharing. Juanita’s skin was so soft. He realized that the only time they ever touched was in their welcome and until-next-time hugs. What happened on Granville Island was skin on skin, and it had been an uncurling of a hand into the soft wrist of a woman he adored. And she let him.
“Honey, are you okay over there?” Shari asked as she poured the wine into a long stemmed glass.
Lance nodded. “Perfect.” His voice cracked and they all laughed.
Lance could feel the hottest blood inside himself floating near the top of his skin. He took a deep breath and realized that his body was filled with the hottest and most exquisite humming. His chest felt tender underneath his shirt and he found himself breathing through his mouth. His body was purring with arousal and what would happen next.
“You know, Lance,” Juanita said. “Women talk.”
Lance smiled and spoke softly. “No…really?”
Juanita giggled.
“Wait,” Shari said and returned with the wine. She handed one to Juanita and kissed the top of her head softly. “For you.”
“Thank you,” Juanita said and they touched glasses so quietly.
Shari sat down and kissed Lance before turning to Juanita. “What was this about us saving your sex life?”
Both women raised their glasses and sipped slowly.
“Yum,” Juanita said. “Oh yes. Duane or Enaud always complained I was never wet enough. We always had to use lube. I could see it when we’d have to stop halfway through to find the bottle. I made the mistake of reminding him once of something called foreplay and he never let me forget it. With him, it was always the same thing: missionary or doggy style with minimal anything before or after.”
Lance imagined that and found himself rolling deeper into arousal. This was getting closer to something growing between all of them.
“I thought you said he was a cuddler,” Shari said.
“Oh he was,” Juanita said. “Old Enaud was a great cuddler. He’s probably cuddling someone named Lisa right now.”
“Oh fuck Lisa. Let’s keep this going,” Shari said. “I’m really interested in what image you have of Lance and me that helped ‘push you over.’”
“Well,” Juanita said and took a sip of her wine. “Old Enaud liked to watch a little porn to get in the mood. At first, I tolerated it but, after a while, I liked to watch, too. There’s this one woman—I can never remember her name. I have a crush on her. I love watching her. The image I have of you both is that while Duane was fucking me, Lance…” Juanita stopped and covered her face. “Oh I can’t say it. I’m too shy.”
Lance let his breath out at the same time Shari did.
“It’s okay,” Shari said. “Full diplomatic immunity, remember?”
“Whew!” Juanita said and looked up to the ceiling. “Okay, but you can’t look at me when I tell you. I’ll get too embarrassed.”
“Okay okay,” Shari laughed. “Lance, let’s look away.”
Lance felt his face burn with excitement. He looked at the star blanket.
“Are you looking away?”
“We are,” Shari called. “Where are you looking?”
“Into a pillow,” Juanita said. “The bunny one I gave you—from the Smoking Lily.”
“The one I picked out,” Lance said with a shiver. His cocked ached with hot blood-arterial blood—finding its way in a waterfall of arousal as it began coursing through his entire body.
“So as Enaud would be fucking me, I’d imagine …Oh my God! I can’t say it!” And she started to laugh. Then Shari started. Then Lance started. It was a laugh from the heart. They laughed and laughed and until they were all out of breath and Lance felt his wife curl her toes under his leg.
“So blah de blah and blah de blah,” Juanita raised a glass. “And I would come every single time.”
Lance let out the biggest breath and pressed his palms into his eyes. “Okay. Wait. You cannot cheap out on us like that.”
“Oh yes I can,” Juanita said. “I just did!”
“Juanita…” Shari said, “you’re turning me on. Don’t hold back now.”
“I can’t!” Juanita yelled with a smile. “I can’t say it. We just have to do it, okay? No words. There are no words for how I can explain it. We just need to do it. Together. As friends.”
“Oh God,” Lance thought and rubbed his hands together quickly, as if starting a fire the old way. “This is it. This is what’s been building all night.”
Lance knew Shari had fooled around with women when she was younger. She’d had a girlfriend one summer who kept in touch years later on Facebook and Lance did not mind at all. To think of his tough Dene wife making love to another woman was something special to him, something they never needed to talk about.
“You know,” Juanita said. “I’ve always felt that when men marry, they find invisible wives along the way. Sometimes it’s at work, sometimes it’s through friends, but, Lance, I’ve always considered myself to be your invisible wife.”
Lance looked down. He felt her words blanket him but didn’t know what to say. He was suddenly terrified he’d lose her. Too soon, he thought. What she was now facing had come too soon. But she would not fight it alone. He and Shari would do whatever it took to help her.
“I’ve told Shari this and I don’t know if she told you,” Juanita said.
Lance felt a tear slide down his face. “She hasn’t.” Why was he crying? He was, out of surprise and dread. He wiped his eyes. Shari squeezed Lance’s hand that this was okay. This was important. Everyone knew there was a chance Juanita would not survive her operation. She’d lost her mother to breast cancer and an auntie had passed away on the operating table. Her heart had simply stopped. Perhaps out of heartbreak at the thought of losing her breasts.
Lance dry swallowed and nodded. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. You’ve always been there. Both of you.”
“You know,” Shari said. “I believe all these years, Juanita, you’ve been my invisible wife, too.”
Juanita smiled. “Really?”
“You carried me through the infertility years and our miscarriage. I’ve always loved you. You taught me to dress, to do my hair. You were my sister but also my wife. I’ve had my thoughts over the years. You have a beautiful body, an exquisite body. I’ve had my thoughts of you when Lance and I were making love.”
“You have?” Lance and Juanita asked together.
“Oh yes,” Shari said. “Lance, do I have diplomatic immunity?”
“Of course,” Lance said.
“Ummm… okay,” Shari said. “I sometimes pretend that when we fuck, Lance is you but with a cock.”
Lance heard himself inhale at the boldness of th
is, the perfection of this.
“Wow,” everyone said together and it was like the room exhaled together. Lance felt the hottest deepest blood inside himself swell through him once again.
“I like that,” Juanita said. “I like that a lot.”
The women—his goddesses—raised a glass and drained the rest of their wine.
“And, Lance,” she said. “I’ve always loved your eyes. They’re so tender, so sincere. But they’re fierce, too. It turns me on the way you look at Shari. I can tell that you are her wolf.”
Lance blushed. “Thank you.”
“Don’t you just want to grab his sideburns and fuck his face?” Shari asked.
Juanita burst out laughing. “I’ve thought about it.”
Lance blushed and looked down. He was speechless.
“Mmm,” Shari purred. “This feels nice.” She laughed and ran her fingers through her husband’s hair. Lance felt both honoured and deliciously shocked.
“Can we see your pictures?” Shari asked. “Your portraits?”
Juanita thought about it. “Maybe. They’re upstairs in my bedroom.”
My bedroom, Lance thought. It’s all hers now.
“Before I show you,” Juanita said, “I wanted to let you in on a secret.”
“Oh?” Lance and Shari looked at each other.
“The four things we’re celebrating?” Lance asked.
“Yes. I’ve been working on something,” Juanita said.
“In secret?” Shari said.
“Yup,” Juanita said, “and I wanted to share some incredible news with you—but you can’t tell anyone.”
“What is it?” Lance asked.
“Well,” Juanita said slyly. “I’ve been working on a dream of mine ever since my diagnosis and it looks like it may have taken off in a good way.”
“What is it?” Lance and Shari asked.
“I’m glad you asked,” Juanita said. She pulled out a T-shirt that read, “Unless it makes my nipples sing or helps find the cure for all cancers, I don’t want to hear about it.”
Shari and Lance laughed.
“Cool shirt,” Lance said. “Where did you get it?”
“I made it,” Juanita beamed. “It’s being picked up by an organization and it’ll be used to help fundraise.”
“Congratulations,” Shari said.
Juanita threw one to both of them. “You get the first ones. We launch this next week.”
“Good for you,” Lance said. “When did you do this?”
“The same time I worked on this,” She said as she reached behind her chair and she pulled out a large green bowl. Lance had seen this one before. It was a wedding present, made out of bamboo. It was usually holding gluten-free chips or nachos.
She passed the bowl to Shari and motioned with her chin. “Take one and pass it to Lancey.”
She smiled and winked at both of them.
Shari took the bowl, reached in and swirled her hand around. She plucked a note and was about to read it when Shari said, “Not yet. Now Lance gets to pick one.”
Lance was handed the bowl and he could see that each note was typed up professionally and on the back in silky, purple letters were the words: DARE: What’s a little desire between friends?
“Turn it over and read it,” Juanita said. “Shari first.”
Shari turned her card over and, by candle light, Lance saw his wife’s eyes widen. She laughed and covered her mouth.
“What?” Lance asked. “What is it?”
“Oh I can’t,” she said. “I can’t—I can’t!”
Lance looked at his wife. Then he looked at Juanita. “What is it?”
“So,” Juanita said. “What I’m hearing from you, my dear, is that you’re not going to answer the question or complete the dare?”
Shari shook her head. “I will not. Not now—not ever.”
She tucked the card back into the bowl and mixed it up. She covered her face with both hands and started laughing. “What is this game?”
“It’s called DARE,” Juanita said. “I invented it.”
“What!” Lance and Shari said together.
“Yup,” Juanita beamed, “and a board game company has decided to launch it. This is our prototype.”’
Lance and Shari’s jaws dropped.
“What?”
“That’s incredible!” Lance said.
“You’re amazing!” Shari echoed.
They both started clapping. They rose and hugged Juanita and she hugged them back gently. Lance noticed that she was protecting her chest. He closed his eyes and held her a little longer than usual. Dear Lord, he thought. Don’t let us lose you. Please, God.
He swallowed hard and looked down.
“Oh now,” Juanita said. “Your turn, Lance.”
Lance turned his card around and read aloud the words as he discovered them, “What is the one thing your lover has told you about yourself that turns them on that you had no idea before you met them?”
Lance sat down and sipped his water. He looked to his wife and repeated the question.
Shari beamed. “Answer please.”
“Well now,” Lance said. “I would have to say that I had no idea that my hands were sexy.”
Both women started laughing.
“I could have told you that,” Juanita said and she winked at Shari.
Lance realized that this was not news to either of them.
He reached out and kissed Shari. “Thank you, sweetie.”
“No, baby. Thank you! They are sexy hands—especially when you’re holding me after we make love.”
“Or when you’re cooking for us,” Juanita said and sipped her wine. She gave him a special smile.
Lance felt something excruciatingly exciting building in the room. It felt freeing and alive.
“What is this game?” Lance asked.
“Well,” Juanita said. “The gift of cancer is that you put things into perspective right away. You realize that all we have is right now. I decided that I wanted to create a board game or a card game that dared couples to risk their vulnerability. Sooner or later, we all forget about spinning the bottle as adults—and even when we’re in love. So I invented Dare and I’ve thought up about 200 questions.”
“Baby,” Lance looked to Shari. “What card did you get?”
“Darling,” she said coolly to him, “I may tell you later if you’re a good boy.” She then looked at Juanita. “You know what card I picked, don’t you?”
Juanita shrugged. “I think I do.”
“So you’re telling me that you’d do it?”
“Of course I would—if I was dared.”
“Where did you even think of that?”
Juanita blushed. “I have certain guy friends and there are certain forums where there are people who are into that.”
Forums? Lance thought. Yum yum. What has Juanita been up to at nights? he wondered.
“So you’d do it?” Shari asked. “You’d do it right now?”
“Yes!” Juanita yelled. “I would. I mean I’d love for five minutes to prepare myself and I’d love to choose the lighting, but I would.”
“What was the dare?” Lance asked as he reached into the basket and took a few cards. He turned them over.
When was the last time you came? What did it feel like? Describe it to us.
Thirty second dare: get your friends to do whatever you want them to for only 30 seconds. Quick. Don’t think. Dare them.
Use the silk handkerchief to gently secure someone so they can’t see and play “Where will I kiss you next?” You have as many kisses as you wish. Make one tickle; make one ache and make one count. Go!
What do you think “second base” is for a girl? Don’t hold back and act it out. GO!
Lan
ce felt his breath catch with all of this. He also felt himself blush. His chest tightened in full arousal and he put the cards down. My God, he thought. What a treasure.
“Oh you just hold on,” Shari said and started to laugh. “So,” she levelled her eyes at Juanita. “You’d do it right now if I dared you.”
Juanita nodded. “I would.”
“Jesus,” Shari sat down and tucked her feet under Lance’s legs. “This woman is fearless.”
Everyone laughed. Lance agreed. He was tempted to keep reading the 80 or so cards all marked DARE but decided not to. He wanted to play it.
Lance blushed. “So this company bought the rights?”
“They did,” Juanita sipped her drink. “We go live next spring. They’re actually testing the game right now at all the sex conventions around North America.”
“Holy!” Lance said. “Congratulations.”
“I couldn’t help but notice, Lancey, that you’ve had a look at one, two, three, four cards,” Juanita said, “you have to answer all of them. If you don’t, we get to dare you to do whatever we want—and there are two of us.”
Lance’s eyes widened in complete embarrassment. “Wait. So that’s two dares for each one?”
Juanita nodded. “That’s if you don’t answer or do what the card demands.”
“Hold on,” Lance said, flustered and aroused all at once. “Easy now. Shari didn’t even do hers.”
“I know,” Juanita said. “And that’s why we get to dare her to do two things after we’re done.”
“Done what?” Lance thought. He realized that this was all a beautiful trap. The whole night had been the perfect web to get them all together. The songs they’d been asked to bring—he knew it was for them to play as they all made love together —or cuddled. He just knew it.
“Darlings,” Juanita said. “You two are going to conceive the most beautiful daughter. I’ve seen her in my dreams. I am carrying her and she’s fallen asleep between my breasts. In my dream—that’s the most curious thing of all—I still have my breasts. Your little girl—I can never see her face—is carrying little shoes and she’s sleeping. You’re walking beside me, holding hands. We’re by the ocean. I’m positive it’s Kits. My heart is singing and we’ve just come from the most fantastic meal together. We have our whole lives ahead of us raising your little girl and I’m the crazy auntie. I’ll always be her favourite.”
Night Moves Page 15