Caught in the Middle

by Kira Barker

I got a snort for that.

  “Pining, eh? You could have just said something and spared yourself decades of longing.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” I pointed out.

  “With the longing?”

  “With the decades.”

  “It’s been more than ten years since we graduated high school—you can’t tell me that you’ve been oblivious to my charms before that.”

  This time shaking my head came with a weird pang of regret.

  “You know, for a while I really thought you’d be the one to pop my cherry. Teen girl fantasies… I know, I had them, too.”

  Changing lanes kept his eyes focused on the road for a couple of seconds, but once the car was steady again, Jack turned to me, a strange look on his face.

  “You’re serious? I thought you were joking when you made me promise to be your first if you made it through high school without getting laid at least once. You know, that thing about not being a naive girl from a hick town freshly moved to the city, and a virgin to boot.”

  “Oh how could I have forgotten about that?” I snarked back, hoping that my sarcasm sounded less defensive to him than it did to me. “But yeah, I was kind of serious.”

  “Then why did you fool around with Bobbie Miller? It was in the backseat of his mom’s car, right?”

  “Why do you know where I checked in my v-card?”

  Jack gave a sound between a snort and a grunt.

  “Because the fucktard bragged about it in the gym locker room. Or why do you think I socked him a good one that landed me in detention for a week?”

  “Because he was a fucktard?” I pointed out, but couldn’t help feel strangely satisfied about that little morsel. Bobbie hadn’t been the only guy who’d ever pissed me off who ended up on the wrong side of Jack’s attention, but I’d never made the connection between him dumping me and the shiner he’d been sporting for weeks. It also made me feel better, if just a little, about letting him grope me.

  “Then why didn’t you say something to me? I doubt that you just let Bobbie molest you. You were pretty blunt even back then.”

  “Because you screwed half of the cheer squad, and I wasn’t really into being associated with that lot in any way?”

  That was only part of the truth, but it sounded better than admitting that back then I’d been sure that I couldn’t quite live up to his standards, his weird promise aside. That would have been a pity fuck, and while even as a horny seventeen-year-old I had been sure he would have made me feel good about it, I’d been happy not to depend on him in that way.

  “Well, there’s that. Although it was only three of them, not half. I had a lot less game going than people thought.”

  “You were still a manwhore back in high school. Not that you’ve changed that much.”

  He didn’t deny my accusation, only smiled that small smile that made me forget all about being pissed at him for his promiscuity. At least he owned it.

  “Why didn’t you say something to me?” I asked. “You know, as an impressionable seventeen-year-old, I would have been unable to resist your charm.”

  “You’re still as defenseless now as you ever were,” he said, letting me know.

  “Yeah, because I totally didn’t shoot you down last night.”

  “Only because you and Simon have your mindfuck stuff going on. Without that, you would have been all for me bending you over the next available hard surface.”

  It annoyed me a little that it was true, but not enough to keep a stupid grin off my face.

  “And you wouldn’t have made a move on me otherwise.”

  “Are you accusing me of being in cahoots with him? You offend me, woman!”

  Both of us laughed at that, but I shook my head.

  “Seriously, he didn’t set you up for that? Not even a little? And it was his fault that I wasn’t wearing any panties.”

  “He told you to go commando?”

  The incredulity in his voice rubbed me the wrong way. It sounded too much like an accusation of me being a pushover.

  “Well, he told me to change something up, and it seemed like the logical thing to do.”

  “Yeah, swaying around in a dress that’s tight in all the right places without panties is my kind of logic.”

  I considered slapping him for that resurfacing leer, but decided that our safety was more important than my pride.

  “It certainly felt interesting,” I pointed out.

  “You’ve never gone commando before? You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  I shrugged.

  “Not wearing a short dress, horny as fuck, after someone shaved off my pubic hair.”

  Jack’s face went comically slack, making me grin brightly. Ah, so he hadn’t been aware of that.

  “He did what?” he asked, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

  I blinked innocently, donning my sweetest smile.

  “Shaved me, you mean?”

  Jack forced his attention back to the road, but it was hilarious to see him swallow twice.

  “Simon, you’re such a rat bastard!”

  Something that sounded like a vaguely affirmative murmur came from the back seat, making me grin even more brightly.

  “Now how do feel about getting cockblocked last night again?” I teased, feeling wonderfully vindictive about my own horniness just then.

  Jack uttered something low under his breath while his knuckles stood out white on the steering wheel, but after a few more seconds he relaxed with a lazy smile spreading on his face.

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “Because you’ve added substantially to my own plight, and it’s only fair if I spread the misery.”

  “Huh.”

  “And because he said I just have to hold it until we get to the lake, not hike halfway around it, and while I don’t hold it beyond him to enjoy dragging me along a little further, I think I have a good chance making you hard enough to just drag me behind the next tree and have your wicked way with me.”

  He laughed, and it was a deep, rich sound.

  “See, that’s why I would have been defenseless to you if you’d come on to me like that in high school.”

  That remark reminded me that he still owed me a reply.

  “Then why didn’t we end up screwing?”

  Jack was silent, and for a moment I thought he was trying to come up with the answer that would annoy me the most, but when he replied, he sounded sincere and also a little self-conscious.

  “Trust me, the thought kept me awake more than one night. And not just because you were sleeping something like a twenty-second dash across the backyard away from me. I guess I never came on strongly to you because I was afraid you’d just leave me behind like everything else from back home as soon as you saw that there was so much else out there in the big, wide world.”

  That was the last thing I’d expected him to say.

  “Seriously?”

  He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.

  “Kinda. Not that I was insecure or some shit, but I was well aware that if we hooked up, you’d always see me as your goofy best friend and high school sweetheart. And then you would have gone off to college and realized that I’d never be more than that, while on the other hand you’d have all those smart college seniors who never laughed about fart jokes and who could finally match your wits and stuff. It was easier to just remain your trusty fall-back guy from the get-go and not give you an extra incentive to leave me behind.”

  I didn’t know what was worse—the wave of sadness that swept through me as I realized what I could have had back then and what was lost forever to us now, or the biting knowledge that he was likely damn right in his assessment.

  “Or, you know, we could have stuck together through it all. Hell, we could have been married for over ten years already.”

  I didn’t know why I said that, most likely to make myself feel better, and the dark smile he sent me told me clearly that he was aware of that.

 
“I doubt that you’ve been so happy about me and the legions of women I’ve screwed since then. Not quite hundreds, but, you know.”

  “Yes, I know. I’ve walked in on more than one. Or five,” I enthused, not quite enthusiastically. “Do you have a thing about others walking in on you, because if I think about it now, it seems like an awful coincidence.”

  Jack’s shrug was rather noncommittal.

  “Habit, I guess. You can only double-team so many girls with your roommate before you stop really giving a shit whether he knows or not. And you kind of got between us by accident. Before you got between us literally, I mean.”

  “So nice of you for pointing out the obvious, again and again. My memory’s not that scattered yet.”

  He was back to grinning widely now, of course.

  “Eh, whatever. But seriously, I doubt that married us would have been that liberal about adding Simon to the equation. And I certainly wouldn’t be okay with some guy shaving my wife’s pussy and not letting me reap the benefits of that immediately afterward.”

  That made me laugh, but also weirded me out a little.

  “Can we please stop with that train of thought now? I don’t quite feel very matrimonious things for you, exactly. And don’t even think about referring to me as your wife ever again.”

  “Not your kind of kink, eh?” he teased, then braced himself when he saw my slap coming from the side. It was barely more than a pat on the upper arm, but he still grunted as if I’d socked him a good one. “Okay, okay, disbanding all thoughts about fucking you in your wedding dress… Ouch!”

  “Don’t be such a crybaby.”

  That thankfully concluded that conversation, and it was a couple of miles later that Jack picked up the threads.

  “Speaking of our plans for the day, I have a question.”

  “Just because my pussy is bare, I doubt that it functions any other way than before,” I let him know.

  “Very funny,” he grunted, but the careful look on his face had me perking up instantly.

  “So what has you in such a tizzy?”

  “Nothing,” he replied way too quickly, then made a face as he realized it. “Just promise me you won’t hit me right away once you hear this.”

  “No such promises will ever be made.”

  He opened his mouth, and for a moment I thought he was going to ask Simon to make me not hit him, but he refrained from it and instead started anew.

  “Just how much do you need to be the absolute center of attention the entire time?”

  For a moment that question made me frown, mostly because it was hard to think with anything else than my overly excited sexual organs that wanted to be very much the center of all attention possible for the maximum amount of time, but then what he actually said filtered through that satisfaction-starved haze.

  “I’m completely okay with you fucking Simon as long as I get to watch and take care of my own needs.”

  The deer caught in the headlights look he gave me made me want to laugh, but I quickly staunched that to avoid turning a casual moment into an awkward one.

  “How the fuck do you do that?”

  “Do what? Oh, you mean because I’m not obtuse enough not to get where you’re going with that question? Seriously, you’re not that dumb. That thing between us is a two-way street. You know me, and I know you. Sure, I’ve been kind of in the dark about what you do between the sheets for the past years, but I’m not blind. Besides, it can’t have been that much of a surprise for you that I like it rough, so why should it come as a surprise that I can guess that you like to get a little curious yourself?”

  “It was that insistence that we’ve never had anything with each other while we tag team girls, right?”

  I shook my head, now unable to contain that laugh, but at least it came out as a soft chuckle.

  “I really don’t care, okay? But I have been wondering why you never did anything before. I mean, you haven’t, right?”

  Jack made a face, then shrugged.

  “Nothing beyond accidental touches. You can’t do a DP without getting really comfy with the other guy, obviously, but it’s easy to shrug that off. At least it was always easy for me, with Simon. Never did it with another guy.”

  Thankfully, that made him laugh himself, so it drowned out my own mirth.

  “Never did it with another guy, huh?” I echoed, unable not to rub that in.

  “It’s not like I’ve never looked at anyone else. But everyone does that, right? Don’t you girls get all comfy in the locker rooms at the gym? Soap each other up and stuff?”

  “No, the extent of physical contact I usually have with other members of my sex is to push their stuff away if the bitch was too inconsiderate not to put it all over the bench right in front of my own locker. Female interaction is usually a far shot from porn. But then I’m personally not really interested in girls,” I pointed out when I realized that my dismissive comment might have made him self-conscious. “I can appreciate the female form, but it really doesn’t do it for me. Sorry, I’m completely boring when it comes to what gets me going.”

  “And you can still say that with a straight face after what I walked in on yesterday?”

  “There wasn’t even a flogger or cane in sight,” I offered.

  I got another snort for that, but a good-natured one.

  “So no objections from you.”

  “As long as I can watch and wank,” I amended.

  “What is it with women and gay porn?”

  “Why do you love to watch girl on girl?”

  “True,” he admitted, not the least bit chagrined.

  “I presume you and Simon talked about this already?”

  He nodded.

  “Last night. He said he was fine with it, as long as I asked you and you didn’t throw a hissy fit.”

  “He really expected me to throw a fit?”

  “No, that was me paraphrasing his much less animated expression. I added that just for kicks and giggles.”

  “Are you sure you’re not gay? Giggles, really?”

  Before Jack could reply, Simon interjected, sounding surprisingly awake.

  “What I actually said was he should ask you himself if he was afraid that if I asked you, you would feel obliged to go along for whatever fucked up reason.”

  “Hey, that’s not—“

  “It is,” Simon said right over Jack’s feeble protest. Finally opening his eyes, he looked at me, a hint of a grin ghosting over his lips. “He was especially concerned about your unfamiliar recent receptiveness concerning suggestions coming from me.”

  “Not getting myself off until you allow me to was not a suggestion,” I ground out.

  “See what I mean?” Jack pointed out. “I’m totally fine with whatever you crazy kids do when I’m not around, but I’m not happy with stirring up a hornet’s nest by inadvertently acting as his proxy.”

  “But you were fine with grinding yourself against me and offering to fuck me last night.”

  “You were doing at least as much grinding as I did,” he defended himself. “And besides, that was different. But same point. You’re confusing me!”

  “Welcome to my world,” I jeered back, but then got serious again. “But I do see your point. Let it be said that you have my uninfluenced consent to do whatever you want in front of me, as long as I get to—”

  Jack sighed.

  “Yes, we got it. You want to get off while watching us.”

  “Hey, I’m going out of my way here not laughing at your behavior, and you don’t take my very pressing concern seriously?”

  “Simon, stop being such a bastard and let her rub one out right here and now so we can go on and enjoy the day without her being all cranky.”

  “No!” I shouted, a little surprised myself, just as Simon gave a way more succinct, “No way in hell.” That made me glare at him, but he just settled back against the window and closed his eyes.

  “Wake me when we get there. As much fun as listening to yo
u two bicker is, I really need some more sleep.”

  Jack and I traded glances, and after a second he flashed me a broad grin that I was only too happy to return. Oh, this was going to be so much fun! And if the look on Jack’s face was any indication, I would get my payback only too soon.

  The lake was just as I remembered—large enough not to see the other end from the parking area where most people remained who got here, and away from the hiking trails so it was not that frequented in the first place. Except for a few stretches of beachy shoreline, trees grew right up to the water, making the entire area a tranquil oasis only an hour or two away from the city.

  Much to my dismay, Jack didn’t drag me off to fuck me right behind the next tree when we arrived, even when I hinted that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath my shorts today, either. However, with the fresh air in my nostrils and the sun shining warmly on my face, it was hard to hold a grudge for long as we picked up our backpacks and made our way around the lake. Simon still seemed half-asleep or otherwise lost in thought, and Jack regaled me with spoiling every single TV show I hadn’t yet caught up on. More than once I was tempted to try to push him into the water whenever the small trail we followed got close to the lake, but considering that he was strong enough to pick me up and throw me in, I refrained until we’d arrived at our destination, a small peninsula reaching out from the wooded shoreline, a single, huge oak lending shade on the otherwise vegetation-free beach.

  Simon and I took our time putting our stuff away and getting blankets and towels ready, but Jack dropped his things right there, wrenched his clothes from his body, and ran straight into the lake, his lily white ass in fascinating contrast to his otherwise tanned body and the black tattoo snaking up his right biceps and shoulder. I shot Simon a pointed look from where he was watching the spectacle beside me.

  “I shouldn’t have bothered bringing a bathing suit, right?”

  “It’s always nice to unwrap presents,” he pointed out, but forewent donning trunks himself as he followed Jack.

  Then it was just me, still partly clothed on the beach, feeling ridiculous about the amount of time I’d wasted this morning trying to puzzle out whether I could dare wear that bikini that made my boobs look great but left my mid-section obviously exposed, or rather take the swim suit that pushed everything into lines sleeker than gravity had left me with, but also squashed what didn’t need squashing away. Shrugging, I left my clothes in a heap as I made my way into the water myself.