Under The Tree

by Stephanie Williams

  “You do?”

  “We’re all friends. We’re close. Dare I say, we might even love each other to some extent. Maybe not in love—yet.”

  “And this makes you think all three of us should have a relationship with each other?” Nadia asked, her hands on her hips.

  “Why not?” Jasper came over and sat on the arm of the chair. “I mean, it wouldn’t be like a traditional relationship—”

  “Boy, I’ll say.” Nadia looked up at him, twisting her mouth.

  “But it’s only natural. Look, none of us has anyone special in our lives, except each other.” Roger continued. “So why not? It’s not like we’re going to go announcing our relationship up and down the neighborhood, or at work.”

  Nadia sat there, her chin resting in her hand. Roger didn’t know what to make of that.

  “You know, the more you two talk, the more it makes sense. And that’s what scares me,” Nadia said, getting up and going to the kitchen. “I think I need a drink.”

  Roger watched her as she left. He then went over to Jasper. “I should smack you.”

  “Why? How else are we going to find out how she really feels and bring this to the surface? Shadow puppets?”

  Roger sighed. He had a point. One didn’t just ask someone if they were willing to have a threesome out of the blue. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But tread carefully. Not so aggressive.”

  Jasper nodded. They both looked up as Nadia returned to the room.

  “So, am I to assume correctly that you two want to date me—at the same time?”

  Jasper looked over at Roger and winked. “Yes. Hey, look at it this way. No one would be cheating on the other because we all know about each other.”

  “Like I said earlier, it makes so much sense it’s scary.” Nadia shook her head.

  “So does that mean you’re willing to give it a try?” Roger asked, trying to keep the excitement down in his voice.

  Nadia shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  “Now, don’t take this lightly,” Jasper said. “We are going to be exactly like your boyfriends.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” Roger said.

  “Which means we’ll be doing everything that boyfriends and girlfriends do, right?” Nadia asked.

  “Affirmative.” Jasper’s smile was wide.

  “How about sex?”

  Roger cleared his throat. “Glad you mentioned that.”

  “Oh? Did I open a new can of worms?”

  Roger laughed. “No, honey. But what do you think we should do about that?” he asked, while looking over at Jasper.

  “I….I…man. Now, that you bring sex into it, it’s more complicated than the three of us going to a dinner and a movie.” Nadia got up and paced the floor.

  Jasper tapped Roger on the shoulder and gave him the ‘cut it’ sign.

  “Uhh, look. Let’s not get too deep into this right now. It’s the holidays; we have a lot going on. We thought since no one has been dating steadily, that it would be cute if we just date each other.” Roger chuckled.

  “Yeah. We have plenty of time to sort out all the details,” Jasper added.

  “So.” Roger clapped his hands together. “Do we have our party together? Anything last minute?”

  Nadia stopped and stared at them. She was thinking again. Trying to figure them out. Roger knew her all too well.

  “I only have the baking to do. The cupcakes, pies, things like that. I’ll be doing that the night before the party,” Nadia finally said.

  Roger let out a mental sigh of relief. She wasn’t going to push the issue. Or throw them out of her house.

  “Are we having a sit-down dinner or finger foods?” Jasper asked.

  “Finger foods. Oh yeah!” Nadia snapped her fingers. “That’s what I need you guys to get.” She ran to the kitchen, then quickly came back with a list. “Here. These are the things I need you to pick up A.S.A.P. While you guys are doing that, I’ll be getting the dining room together. I gotta find my tablecloth, get out the good china….”

  Roger looked at the list, then cast a glance at Jasper and nodded. “No problem. We’ll get on this right away.” He reached for his jacket. “Besides, what are boyfriends for?” He leaned over and kissed Nadia on the cheek.

  “Yeah.” Jasper kissed her on the other cheek. “Just think, you have twice the legwork for you.”

  Nadia smiled, but Roger could tell it was a smile full of skepticism. They’d show her soon enough.

  Nadia pushed them out the door. “Call me if you’re having trouble finding something,” she yelled as they made their way to the car.

  “Okay.” Roger waved back.

  Once in the car, Roger turned to Jasper. “So, what do you think?”

  “I don’t think she’s taking our offer seriously enough. I mean, she said sure, but I can tell she’s not buying the whole setup.”

  “That’s what I think, too.” Roger started the car. “But that’s okay. I came up with Plan B.”

  “Plan B?”

  “Yep. I’ll explain at the store.”

  ***

  Nadia peeked out the window, watching the guys as they left her driveway.

  Man! Was that an eye-opening conversation. And they seemed serious.

  At first, she thought they were pulling her leg. But as the conversation continued, it was clear they meant what they were saying and believed in it.

  And like an idiot, she’d agreed to it. Not only that, she’d actually told them it made sense, said those words out loud. Yeah, she wasn’t thinking clearly.

  Actually, the only thought that went through her mind when they mentioned all three of them dating was the bedroom. And when Roger asked how she felt about the sex part, she just about self-combusted, right there in the middle of the floor.

  She went into the kitchen to try and busy herself. But the thoughts of the three of them going out, then coming home and heading to her bedroom could not be erased from her brain.

  Damn! What a thing to put in someone’s head right before the holidays.

  Nadia was taking out her baking pans when her cell rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Nadia!”

  “Bebe! How are you?”

  “Remember that job I was coveting last summer?”

  “Yep.” She took a breath. “Don’t tell me—”

  “I got it! I’m coming to the West Coast!”

  “That’s awesome, Bebe! Fantastic! You’ve wanted this since, what, U of C? When does it start?”

  “Right after New Year’. And get this. I bought a house.”

  “Wow, you’re moving fast.”

  “Well, not fast enough. Escrow is stuck. I can’t move in for a few weeks. I thought I was getting into it before Christmas. I already made plans.”

  “Why don’t you stay with me until it clears?”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

  “No problem. My family is staying at hotels this year. It will be nice to see you again and we’ll spend Christmas together.”

  “Yes, it will. I’ll be there Christmas Eve, eve.”

  Nadia chuckled. “That’s perfect. I’m throwing a party.”

  “Oh, how rude of me.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t even ask if you had a significant other? I mean, it’s been months since Kev—”

  “Yeah, um. No worries. No one in my life right now. Only the guys, you know.” As soon as that came out of her mouth, Nadia realized the truth. She did have somebody. Two somebodies. Nah. She mentally waved away the thought. They had to have been joking with her. Besides, three people couldn’t date without someone getting jealous. They must have meant figuratively.

  “How is Rogper?’

  Cute, Nadia thought. Everyone always thought of them as one. “Uhh…they’re doing great. I’ll tell them you’re coming over for a spell. They’ll want to show you around for sure.”

  “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you….”

  “What
’s that?”

  “Have you ever dated one of them? Or even considered it?”

  Oh brother. Does she have my house bugged? Yeah, she’d considered it, all right. In fact, most of her daydreams ended with her in a pool of sweat under them, over them, between them. So much for keeping herself busy and not thinking about them. Now she was getting input from outside sources.

  “I don’t think they are interested in me like that.” Yeah right. “They’re like my buddies. Besides, remember, I told you they’re bi.”

  “Uh, yeah, which means they catch the bus on both sides of the street. So neither one of them has approached you?”

  Nadia didn’t want to straight-out lie, but she sure didn’t want to relay the conversation they’d just had. “You know the guys. They’re kinda into their own thing.” Boy, that was skirting around the issue. She should become a politician.

  “Hmm, strange.”

  “There’s nothing strange about that. They’re happy being my friends. Why would they want to complicate things with sex?”

  “Humph. The way those two look, I’d be willing to complicate things a bit.”

  Nadia groaned. Unreal.

  Chapter Three

  “I think our best plan of attack is the direct approach, so I’m kinda glad you brought up the subject, back at the house,” Roger said as he loaded the party stuff in the car.

  “I agree.” Jasper got into the passenger seat.

  “So you like my plan?” Roger followed him into the car, fastened his seat belt, and started the engine.

  “We have no choice. And like you said, this will be better. That way it’s out in the open and we’ll know right off the bat how she feels. No room for misunderstanding.”

  “Good.” Roger just hoped executing the actual plan wouldn’t blow up in their faces.

  Ten minutes later they pulled into Nadia’s driveway. Roger looked over at Jasper. “Okay, Operation Get Nadia Horny is underway.”

  They made their way to her house and rang the bell.

  “Cool, that was quick. Come on, you can help,” Nadia ordered, taking the bags in the house.

  “They only had the jumbo marshmallows. Is that okay?’ Jasper asked.

  “That’s perfect, actually, for what I need them for.”

  Nadia flitted from one side of the kitchen to the other. Roger watched her reaching up into the cabinet over the refrigerator, then thumped Jasper on the arm and tilted his head in her direction. It was time for Jasper to make his move.

  Jasper strode over and pressed his body against Nadia’s side as she reached up for the second time. He bent his head and whispered in her ear. “Let me help you get that.”

  Roger stood to the side taking in the seductive scene. It wasn’t his time yet. He had to wait for the right moment.

  “I…I need that long baking sheet right there, thanks,” Nadia said as she tried to move.

  “Where’s the fire?” Jasper asked.

  “Huh?’

  “You’re trying to wiggle away from me so fast. Am I crowding you?”

  “Uh…no, no. It’s…that…I thought maybe you could look for the cupcake pan. Down there.” She pointed to a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. That was Roger’s cue.

  The plan was to make sure Nadia was physically close to them at all times, and not just holding hands. They wanted her to feel them. To get used to their bodies against hers. To get her thinking about the possibilities they knew she’d been suppressing these months and years.

  Roger moved to stand close beside her. “You need anything else, while he’s looking for the pan?” He rubbed her shoulder.

  “Y-you can take out the mixer. It’s under that cabinet.”

  Damn it. Didn’t she have anything out in plain sight? Roger went to the cabinet and lifted out the heavy mixer. Figuring her next command, he washed it and set it up. Jasper found all the cupcake pans and washed them, too. He also found the paper cupcake liners.

  “There, you’re all set now.”

  Nadia stopped pulling ingredients from the cabinets and looked around. Everything was out and in place, like she’d asked.

  “Uh, gee, thanks, guys.” She began walking into the next room. Roger grabbed her by the arm.

  “Hey, no thank-you kiss?”

  “Oh, of course.” She kissed his cheek.

  Was she kidding? He cupped her chin in his hand and brought it closer to his. “I think that deserves a little something more special. After all, we washed the stuff, too.” He pressed his lips against hers, slowly slipping his tongue into her mouth.

  She tried to pull away. But Jasper came up behind her and stopped her.

  “I would like a little lovin’, too,” he said, as he pushed her hair to the side to expose her neck. He kissed her, making her jerk and bump into Roger’s mouth.

  “Ouch!” Roger pressed his fingers against his lip. “I think I bit it.”

  Nadia quickly moved away and went into the living room and sat in her favorite chair.

  It’s not going to be that easy, woman. Roger nodded to Jasper and they both followed her. They each pulled up an ottoman and sat by her feet. Jasper took Nadia’s left leg and massaged her calf. He then took off her shoe. “You must be tired. You’ve done a lot to the place. Relax and let us take care of you.”

  Roger took her other leg and gave it the same treatment. “Yeah, go on, sit back and relax. We have three more days before the party. You’re pretty set.” He dug the pads of his fingers into her calf. She was tense and tighter than the head of a drum. “Come on, honey, loosen up.”

  “Oh…okay.” She slid down in the chair. Roger could feel the muscle in her leg loosen up a bit. He and Jasper began to give her the massage of a lifetime.

  They pushed up her pant legs and ran their hands over her smooth, delicate skin. Roger never felt anything so delicious. He was tempted to bend down and lick her calf. Instead, he and Japer continued to knead her muscles until they became Jell-o in their hands.

  “Mmm, that feels good.”

  Roger looked up and saw Nadia had sunk into the chair, with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. Jasper tapped him on the shoulder. He nodded to Roger, who nodded back. Jasper took over the leg Roger was working on, while he carefully got up and sat on the arm of the chair. Roger then started massaging Nadia’s shoulders. Her eyes popped open.

  “What are you doing?” she asked while trying to scoot away.

  “Jasper and I thought it would be better if we worked in shifts. He’ll massage the bottom half of you and I’ll work on the top.” He smiled at her.

  “See what having two boyfriends can do? Now what other woman can get treatment like this?” Jasper asked, as he moved up farther on her legs.

  “Exactly, continue to relax,” Roger said, as he unbuttoned the top three buttons on her blouse, “and let me get your shoulders. You seem tense there, too.”

  ***

  Tense wasn’t the word. Horny was more like it. The feel of their strong hands on her legs was enough to make her go up in flames. Now to have Roger massage her shoulders would surely turn her into ashes.

  Why she let them continue, she didn’t know. It had to be that kiss Roger planted on her back in the kitchen. His mouth was warm and sensuously soft. That was the first time he’d kissed her like that. She caught herself responding, but immediately pulled away when she felt Jasper’s warm lips on her neck.

  Now this. She started to feel trapped. But they were just massaging her. Harmless, right?

  So why were her panties getting wet?’

  “There, how does that feel?” Roger purred in her ear.

  Nadia noticed her shirt was open halfway down her chest, and Roger’s strong hands were rubbing her shoulders, but slowly making a path to the tops of her breasts. “Um, that feels fine.”

  “Only fine? I have to fix that.”

  Roger got up and tapped Jasper on the shoulder. “Our girlfriend needs the gold treatment. She just feels…fine.”

  J
asper looked up at her. “Oh, that won’t do.” He got up, too. “Come on over here.” They both went over to the couch and moved the huge coffee table out of the way. “Lie down here.” Jasper motioned to the floor.

  Nadia, unsure of herself, looked down to where he pointed. “What are you going to do to me?”

  “Gosh, don’t say it like that,” Roger said, his hand on his hip. “We just thought you’d have more room to relax if you were on the floor.”

  “We want to give you a full-body massage.” Jasper stretched his long fingers, cracking his knuckles.

  Against her better judgment, Nadia did as they asked. She got on the floor and stretched out on her stomach.

  “Uhh…we want you on your back,” Roger said.

  “Massages usually start off with the client on their stomach,” Nadia protested.

  Roger and Jasper threw each other a look. “Well, since we were already doing your legs and shoulders sitting in the chair, we would like to continue that way.”

  She looked at them both and they smiled, smiles too broad for her taste, but she decided to trust them and not her own instincts. She flipped over onto her back. “Okay. Continue.”

  Jasper smiled. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Chapter Four

  Roger moved his hands back to Nadia’s shoulders. He loved the feel of her skin. He could tell by the look on Jasper’s face he was feeling the same way. His eyes were closed as he rubbed his hands up and down her long legs.

  Roger wanted to strip her down, but the agreed-upon plan was slow seduction. If Nadia wanted more, they would not hesitate, but she would have to make the first move if things were to progress.

  That journal entry played over in Roger’s mind. Especially now, while he was touching her, that memory was becoming truly agonizing.

  They pulled her clothes down a bit more. Roger slipped his hands inside her blouse and eased his fingers underneath her bra straps, lowering them. So far Nadia hadn’t balked. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. She seemed to be enjoying what he and Jasper were doing to her.

  Jasper pulled her pants down some more. Her panties were exposed and Roger and Jasper both noticed the unmistakable wet spot on the crotch.