Baumgartner Hot Shorts (15 page)

He blinked at her, finally asking, “Do you want to do something with Wilson?”

“No.” Carrie sighed, rolling over and grabbing a pillow to hold onto. “I mean, it might be fun, but I wouldn’t want to do it if you’re not okay with it. I honestly haven’t thought about sex with another man in... well, since I met you.”

“But you’re thinking about it now?”

“Not right now,” she replied, glancing back at him “But in general... a little. Are you mad?”

“No.” He slipped an arm around her, kissing her shoulder. “Hey, listen, not to change the subject, but I have bad news.”

She winced. “How bad?”

“I can’t make our flight.”

“What?” She turned in his arms, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I have to work.” He sighed when her eyes starting filling with tears. She wiped at them angrily. “They put me on the schedule, even though I told them not to. What can I do?”

“Well, what are we going to do?”

“I guess I’ll just have to fly in a few days later.”

She fought her tears again, but it was a losing battle. “What about me?”

“I hate to transfer two tickets if we don’t have to. It costs money and we’re short enough this month as it is.”

“So you want me to fly out without you and stay with your parents for three days before you even show up?” She hadn’t even wanted to go in the first place! This was unbelievable.

“Carrie, it’s Key West,” he pleaded. “You can laze around on the beach, go swimming, get a tan...”

“Okay okay, I get it.” She sat up and reached for her t-shirt, pulling it back on. “I should feel guilty because you’re here working while I’m off having fun.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Fine.” She relented, sticking her tongue out at him. “I’ll go and have fun.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, patting the bed beside him. “That’s all I can ask.”

“But try to hurry.” She snuggled up to him as he pulled the covers over them both. “I miss you.”

“Already?”

“Always.”

“Goodnight, baby.” He kissed her forehead as she drifted off to sleep, her cheek resting on his chest.

* * * *

The girls spent the morning shopping for last minute gifts and Carrie convinced Daphne to come back to her apartment to help her pack them up so she could ship them off to Florida.

“If they lose these packages, there goes Christmas...” Carrie sighed, taping up the last box.

“That’s why you buy insurance.”

Carrie made a face. “Yeah, but you can’t open insurance on Christmas morning.”

“Good point.” Daphne lifted a bottle to her friend’s glass. “Here, have more wine, you won’t think about it anymore.”

“Oh, good, that will help me drown out the fact that I’m going to have to spend three days alone with Doc’s parents before he comes down.”

“Oh, cry me a river!” Daphne laughed, rolling her eyes. “Three days without your husband on a beach in Florida?”

“Well when you put it that way...” Carrie put the last package in the box, glancing over at her friend. “Hey, so tell me, did anything happen between you and Wilson?”

“Nothing to write home about.” She shrugged, handing over the packing tape. “He stayed for a while when he dropped me off but nothing happened.”

Carrie ripped off a strip of tape. “Do you like him?”

“He’s cute.” Daphne smiled over the rim of her wine glass.

Carrie laughed, taping up the box. “You like him.”

“A little,” her friend admitted, giving her a sidelong look.

Carrie took the offered Sharpie, addressing the box to the timeshare in Florida. “Do you want to know something about him that I’m now pretty sure you don’t know?”

“What?” Daphne gave her a return address label to stick on.

“He has a tattoo...” Carrie paused, looking up at her for emphasis.
“On his cock.”

Daphne’s jaw dropped, a quite satisfying response. “Are you serious?”

“Creepy or sexy?” she asked.

“Sexy.” The redhead nodded, sipping her wine. “Unless it’s something weird. Then it could be creepy.”

Carrie snorted. “See, I was hoping you could tell me.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get quite that far,” Daphne sighed, watching her put the last box with the others.

“Too bad.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Wait... quite that far. That means...” Carrie squealed, jumping up and down. “I knew it! I knew it!”

“So we made out a little.” Daphne tried to hide her smile. “Not far enough to see his cock tattoo, though, that’s for sure.”

Carrie grabbed her glass of wine, taking a gulp. “He offered to show it to me, but Doc stopped him.”

“Go figure.” Daphne laughed.

“Well, Doc is pretty open about me being with women, but men... not so much.” Carrie shrugged, carrying her wine into the living room.

Daphne trailed behind her. “What do you mean, he’s open?”

“We’ve always had this understanding, since college. Because, you know, I’m bi.” Carrie sat on the sofa, curling her feet under her, inwardly holding her breath. Revealing the fact that she was bi was the first step—and might be the last.

“You are?” Daphne sank down beside her, all wide-eyes.

“Well... yeah.” Carrie glanced up, trying to gauge her reaction.

“Interesting.” The response wasn’t much of a clue.

So she just decided to ask her directly. “Does that freak you out?”

“No. I just didn’t know.” Daphne ran a wet finger around the rim of her glass. “I mean, it’s not often you find someone else who’s bi.”

“You?” Carrie hid her smile behind her glass. Doc had been right after all.

Daphne nodded.

“Doc thought you were.”

“Did he?” Her friend laughed. “But you didn’t guess?”

“I suspected...”

“So wait...” Daphne leaned in, curious. “Have you been with a woman since you’ve been married?”

“No.” Carrie shook her head. “But Doc thinks I should.”

Daphne’s eyes narrowed and she frowned. “Is he one of those guys who wants you to be bi so he can cheat?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Carrie protested. “He doesn’t care if he’s not involved. He’s fine with me being with a girl all on my own.”

“Really?” Her friend looked doubtful. “But he wouldn’t mind if he was a part of things, of course.”

“Well yeah.” Carrie grinned. “I can’t blame him.”

“But not guys?”

She pursed her lips, remembering their conversation about Wilson. “Actually, we were just talking about that.”

“And what did you two decide?”

Carrie shrugged. “He’s not as okay with that.”

“Go figure.” Daphne snorted, glancing at her. “Let me guess... the conversation was about Wilson?”

Carrie blinked and swallowed, not sure if she should tell her friend the truth—but they always told each other the truth, right? Even when it hurt.

“Well... that’s where it started, I guess.”

“I can’t blame you.” Daphne’s finger traced round and round the rim of her glass. “He
is
fine. Prime threesome material.”

“Well, he’s not an option on the table,” Carrie reminded her, putting her hand on her friend’s forearm. Her skin was as soft as a baby’s.

“But
I
am.” Daphne spoke the words, matter-of-fact, sliding her hand down to press it into Carrie’s. “Doc’s given you permission to have sex with me... if you want.”

“Yes.” Carrie’s heart beat so fast it felt like it might burst out of her chest. “If
you
want.”

Daphne linked her fingers with Carrie’s, smiling. “I wish I had a husband who was so open.”

“You don’t have a husband at all.” The words were out before she thought about them.

Daphne laughed. “Thanks for reminded me.”

“You know what I meant.” Carrie flushed, squeezing her hand. “You’re free to do whatever you want. With anyone.”

“I am.” She nodded, their eyes meeting.

“If you were me...” Carrie swallowed. “What would you do?”

Daphne said what she felt, as always. “I’d have an affair with my best friend.”

“You would.” Carrie couldn’t catch her breath.

“Hell yes,” she breathed.

The front door opened and both girls jumped, startled, as Doc came into the room, brushing snow off his shoulders.

“Hey girls! It’s snowing, but they say it’s supposed to warm up, so I doubt we’ll get a white Christmas. Not that we’ll be here anyway...” He slid his coat off, glancing at them sitting on the sofa, and then stopped, looking between them, from one to the other. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Carrie protested, trying not to sound breathless as Daphne unobtrusively disengaged her hand.

“I was just getting ready to go.” Daphne stood, putting her wine on the coffee table. “Nice to see you, Doc. Have a good holiday, if I don’t see you.”

“You, too,” he replied, watching as she slid on her coat and boots. He held the door for her as the women said goodbye, waving to each other before Daphne slipped out into the cold.

Doc looked after her, curious. “What was that about?”

“Nothing.” Carrie wasn’t in the habit of lying to her husband, but this time, this one time, she wanted to keep this to herself. At least, for a little while.

* * * *

“It’s about time you picked up the phone!” Carrie berated her friend over the wire, but she really felt like hugging her through it. “Where have you been for the past three days?”

“Home,” Daphne replied.

“I was getting ready to come make sure you were still alive,” Carrie scolded. “Why haven’t you picked up the phone? Did you get my messages?”

Of course she’d been worried about just this thing, that Daphne would be scared off, that it would ruin their friendship. And maybe it had, just the mention of it. The thought made Carrie feel physically ill. She’d been feeling that way for days.

“Yeah, I got them,” Daphne admitted. “I just... I guess I’ve just been feeling sorry for myself.”

Uh-oh. So this was it then.

“Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know, because you’ve got Doc, and now you’ve got Wilson lusting after you, and you pretty much just get everything, and what do I get?” Daphne spat bitterly.

Wow.

“Wow.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Carrie stared at the receiver for a moment. “What do you mean, I have Wilson lusting after me?”

“He came over here the other night and you were all he could talk about.”

“... What?”

“You heard me. You and your temporary tattoo. And it’s not that I blame him—you’re fucking gorgeous, and who wouldn’t lust after you? Hell, even I’ve thought about it. You know I have.”

“Daphne... stop.” Carrie really wished her friend was in front of her, that this conversation had taken place in person instead.

“What?”

She took a deep breath. “Listen, I called you for a reason.”

“What reason?”

Might as just well come out with it. “I wanted to invite you to Key West with me for Christmas.”

Daphne was quiet for a long time. “Are you serious?”

“I already bought the ticket so you better say yes.” She’d dipped into her own savings account, the one she’d had since before she and Doc were married.

“Wow.” That was all Daphne could seem to say. “Wow. I mean... wow.”

“Come on, it will be fun. Doc can’t come for a few days, he has to work. It will just be me and you. Well, and Doc’s parents. But we can go shopping and swimming and, hell, we can even swim with dolphins if you want, I don’t care—”

“Shut up,” Daphne replied, laughing. “You had me at shopping.”

“You’ll come?” Carrie’s heart swelled, filling her throat.

“Of course I’ll come! I told you I’d jump at the chance. I’m jumping! This is the best Christmas gift ever. I so need a break.”

Carrie smiled at the phone. “Me, too.”

* * * *

“How many inches?” Carrie twisted the phone cord around her finger, glancing at Daphne sitting on the sofa in the living room. Her friend raised her eyebrows, grinning, and Carrie stifled a laugh. “Oh, Nan, I’m so sorry. When do they think flights will be going out of Boston again?”

“So how many inches?” Daphne used her hands to denote the measurement. “Eight... ten...” The width between her hands got wider, and wider still. “Twelve?”

“Fifteen inches of snow is just crazy,” Carrie agreed, snickering at the shocked look on her friend’s face, the way her hands tried to take that huge measurement. “So they’re saying at least a day? Maybe two?”

“Did they get that kind of snow in Michigan?” Daphne called.

Carrie shook her head, answering Nan. “No, Doc said it was all rain when it went through. They got wet, but no snow... yep, he’ll be here... okay... and where is the Christmas tree stored?”