Trifecta (10 page)

"But what?"  There were too many buts in this conversation, and he was an ass.

"The night of my exhibit I could have sworn it looked like both of you…" Steve raised his eyebrows.  "Is it a duo or a trio?"

Wait.  This was what he wanted.  What he waited for, the questions, the speculation, the rumors.  He looked down at the table.  This is why he wanted to go out.  Not only to get Russell out of his shell, but to see what would happen.  "What do you think it is?" He fought the need to shake his head at himself.

"I know what I hope it is."  Steve laughed.  "Though I always thought two girls would be better."

He was about to tell him not to knock it until he tried it, but Steve filled in the blanks.

"But if you really liked the girl, watching her get it from someone else would be hot." 

Hot wasn't the word for it. Beyond hot, a scorching volcano that turned rocks into liquid in its path.  This was the type of conversation he should be having. "Have you ever done it?" 

"No."  Steve scooted his chair closer to the table.  "I always knew Lauren was wild.  Does she come with both of you?"

Sometimes more.  Her orgasms seemed different with each of them and he wondered if they felt different.  With him she screamed, with Russell she tended to grab him.  He rubbed his chin. 

"Holy crap you are both doing her."  Steve slid his glass aside.  "Do you do each other too?"

Jason was still back on the question about her coming for both of them. 

"It's okay if that’s how you swing, I always thought so."   Steve's voice became low.  "I've experimented with that."

Jason swallowed.  This may be more than he bargained for.

"You know erotic art is hot.   It is what’s in.  Sex literally does sell, and it seems as if you have a whole canvas in front of you."  Steve licked his lips.  "Have you taken it there?"

Visions of Steve's exhibit flashed before him.  The show was packed, people clamoring to see the work.  Erotic art was indeed gathering a ton of attention right now. Yes, Russell and Lauren were inspiration.  Their situation was opening up his mind.  He did a little sketching, but never with thoughts of doing anything further.  His mouth dried out.  What would his other two thirds think?

"Maybe that's what you need to get you out of your slump."  Steve hit the table.

Jason grabbed the arms of the chair.  Erotic art, but truly erotic.  Three times as erotic. A hit.

Exposing them like that would be a violation in every way.

"Can I ask you a question?" 

"Sure."  Jason struggled to get the word out.

"Where are Lauren and Russell now?"

"Home." 

"Oh."  Steve turned away.

"What's that for?" 

"Do you guys go for twosomes too?  Like are they home now doing each other without you?" 

Up until a few minutes ago, he never considered Lauren and Russell together without him.  It was the unspoken rule they did this together, or so he thought.  Actually, the only rule was they made the rules up as they went along.  He crossed his arms. "You know, I'm free to go out if I want to." Rules denoted a relationship, not fun, not art.  Nothing erotic.

"Dude, as long as you're cool with it."  Steve shrugged his shoulders.  "So what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're sleeping with your two best friends, its obviously more than some grand experiment or you would be spewing your guts right now.  How do you go out? What's it like?"

Steve voiced every one of his, Lauren's and Russell's questions.  He didn't realize he stood until he stared down at his friend.  Maybe it was also the unwritten rule they hung together and he left.  Could it also be the unwritten or written rule that he do something other than sit all day? "Don't you have some marathon to watch?"

"That I do."  Steve stood and tossed some bills on the table.  "I got this, I couldn't rent your kind of entertainment."

Entertainment, art, creativity.  Life was a lump of clay waiting to be molded.  "I have to go."  He stepped away from the table.

Steve caught him.  "If you need a fourth let me know."

"Thanks for the drink."  He left with a little more than he planned for his grand artistic work. 

***

"You're not watching."  Lauren poked Russell's shoulder.

"I'm not sure this is something you have to watch.  You sort of absorb it, like poison or smog."  Russell gave in and decided to pay the bills, but he did it in bed with Lauren, spaghetti and a drink.  He was fun personified. 

"You know you like it."  She put her plate on the nightstand.

"All they do is argue, and the producers put them in situations so they fight.  It makes me thankful you are not one of them."  He shook his head.  "On the other hand, they could go film in my family's house and get the same result."

"We could be a reality show," she whispered.  "An x-rated one, but a reality show."

"Hey."  He moved his laptop aside and took her hand.  "You okay?" Since Jason left she barely spoke unless it was about the television show. 

She nodded. 

Her lack of words told him she wasn't okay.  "I think this situation is just going to take some getting used to." 

"Is that how you feel?"

He stared at her.  If he honestly thought about it, since this started he wondered what it would be like if it were just the two of them.  He thought it would be better, but now he would have to admit he felt as if something was missing.  The house was too quiet, the sizzle in the air dialed down to a simmer, and the magic vanished.  There had to be something wrong with him.  "Come here."  He pulled her to him not wanting to give her any more details.

She scooted over and studied him, her eyes darting to different parts of his face. 

"What is it?"

She removed his glasses and smiled. 

He blinked her into focus.  "Now, what is it?"

She tilted her head left then right.  "I'm not sure if I like you better with or without your glasses."

"What do you mean?"  He put his palm to her cheek.

"Well, when you have your glasses on, you're Russell, the man who is a Solution Architect.  Computers bow to your every whim."

He focused on her lips.  "What about with them off?"

"When you have them off, you're usually going to kiss me."

"Am I allowed to kiss you without Jason here?"  He ran his thumb along her lower lip.  Right now, he should be devouring her.  Not sure what stopped him, he moved his face closer to hers. 

"I don't know, are you? Maybe we should ask Jason."

"Jason would say its one of the many things we need to figure out." 

He retrieved his glasses and found their missing third in the doorway holding two bags.

Neither of them moved.

"You know you were right, the rain is a bitch, couldn't get to the Valley."  He approached the bed.

Russell ground his teeth together.  Leave it to his best friend to come in like nothing happened.  The man couldn't address a thing, not even an envelope.

He put the bags down and pulled off his jacket.  "Just the few miles I drove exhausted me."

Russell focused on Lauren.  She stared down at the blanket fingering the satin edge.  "Try it in rush hour."

"Touché."  Jason kicked off his shoes and reached down in the bags.  "I think what I meant to say was the Valley wasn't the same without you."  He stood up to reveal a bouquet of flowers and a six-pack of imported German beer.

Lauren glanced at him and then to Jason. 

Jason held the flowers out to her.

"Thank you."  Lauren took them and put her nose in the center.

"Sorry I bailed, but maybe I needed to I find out where I needed to be."  Jason handed him the beer.

Russell nodded and grabbed the bottles.  This was meant for him, Jason preferred Japanese beer. 

Jason reached in his pocket, handed him a bottle opener and motioned toward his side of the bed.  "May I join you for cold spaghetti and a hefty dose of reality television?"

"The bed is big enough for all of us."  Lauren pulled the cover down.

Jason tossed his pants aside.

The bed bounced as he joined them.  Jason put his arm around Lauren and flicked him in the head.

"What?"  Not sure what emotion to have, he swiped Jason's hand away.  He didn't want to be won over with flowers and beer. Jason needed to do something other than push and placate.

"Just wanted to do that." Once more Jason reached over the edge of the bed.  "Now to the matters at hand.  I have some things to do tomorrow."

A flash of yellow caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to find Jason holding a yellow pad and pen. "Did you go to the office supply store?"  Except for college, he never saw Jason with anything other than art paper.  Jason at the office supply store on a Friday night concerned him.

"No, the lady at the liquor store gave it to me when I asked her for a bag to write on.  I stole the pen and took a penny from the take a penny thing."

Both he and Lauren leaned over to see what Jason wrote.

"He has very neat writing."  Lauren grabbed Russell's leg.

Russell scanned the list.  "If you're going to be painting you'll need canvas."

"Nope, no canvas."  Jason held the pen.  "Where do we need to go?"

"You don't have any blank canvas." While Jason may placate, Russell managed

"I am aware, but I thank you for looking out for my inventory."  Jason hit the pen against the paper.  "Does anyone else need anything tomorrow?  I am about errands."

"I need to go office supply store."  Lauren wrinkled her nose.  "And you don't have any canvas."

"I am not painting on canvas, there are many mediums." 

"Jason."  Something was up and he squeezed his fist tight.

"I want to repair Lauren's room from our get together disaster, and then I thought I would do that paint detail work on that car model you found."

Lauren's mouth opened, but no words exited.  Russell was sure his expression matched hers.  It had been so long since he asked Jason to paint his vintage model that he put the car away and cycled to another project.  As far as the room painting, he hadn't even begun harping on that one.

"I actually tried to remember everything I promised either one of you, but feel free to add to the list."  He flipped over to the second page of the tablet.

This list consisted of major and minor deeds he took on but didn't complete.  Fixing a tile in his bathroom, helping Lauren put photos in her photo album, buffing out the scratch in Russell's car, returning a car to his parent's dealership. 

"Jason."  Lauren twisted the blanket in her hand.

"Are you sure you want to do all that this weekend?"  Russell still didn't know what emotion to have.

"Actually you know what I want to do?"  Jason took Lauren's flowers and moved them to the bottom of the bed.

"What?"  Lauren stared up at her blond god, stars in her eyes.

"I want Russell to finish what you started before I walked in here."  He licked his lips. 

"What are you talking about?"  Russell handed him a beer.

"Kiss her, so I can."  Jason took the beer and tilted his head. 

"What are we doing?"  Maybe Jason knew the answer where he didn't.  Why were they upset when he left without him?  Why didn't things feel right until he was here?  Why was Jason remembering every errand? 

"We are doing this. Then tomorrow we are going out on errands together and next week the two of us are going to escort Laurie to her annual charity function. It will be our debut." Jason rubbed his hands together. 

Finally, Lauren smiled.  More than a smile, she glowed.  The light coming from her could illuminate Los Angeles.

"Kiss her."  Jason clapped. 

Russell froze.  Errands meant public places with the three of them on a whole new level.  While that may be okay, what about the party?  What about a debut? The sweet warm sensation that surrounded him while Lauren assessed him with and without his glasses, and dare he say the relief that encompassed him when Jason returned, turned to a knot right in his stomach.  They would be a freak show.

"For the record, I think that we need to reserve this for the three of us."  Jason motioned between them.

"Even though I take both of you to that party every year, I would love to go off show with the two of you this year." Lauren pursed her lips toward him.

Lauren didn't mind, why should she?  With two men, she would be the envy of everyone there. On the other hand, people wouldn't think the same of him and Jason. However, he couldn’t keep them hidden if he wanted this. 

Her perfectly plump lips lured him.  Unable to resist, he connected their lips with a light kiss of confusion.

"Damn it, Russ, kiss her.  How are we going to get her out of that sweatshirt with a peck?  We have to warm her up."  Jason pushed him back and crushed his mouth to hers.