His arms tightened. "I'll protect you with my life."
"From what you and Roland have said, both of our lives are up for grabs." She sighed. "I want to go home."
"I know. I wish I knew how to help you, even though" He kissed the top of her head. "I'm beginning to feel things I've never known. I want to touch you, taste you. I want to be inside you every minute. I can't get you off my mind. Because I was remembering what we did this morning, I made a simple mistake at work, bringing the scrutiny of my supervisor. Much more of that and they will have me see the firm's doctor. His examination would be sure to gain the truth." He shuddered beneath her. "For me, a death sentence would only hasten my end, but I worry so for you, Barb."
"What do you mean 'would only hasten your end?' Are you sick?"
"In the next few years, the colonization of other planets will be complete. The last of those being transported will leave, and the rest of us will remain. With no women and a dying star, life will be very difficult. An early death might be preferable."
She raised up so she could see his face. "Why can't you go?"
"I'm a computer designer. There are many of us. My position isn't as desirable as Roland's."
"You mean Roland is going to be saved and you will be left here?" Indignation leached into her voice.
"It is best for society," Thomas said.
"And not of my choice," Roland added from the doorway. "Of course I would have Thomas come with us. But it is not my decision."
Barb pulled away from Thomas and sat up, facing Roland. "Have you tried to get Thomas on a transport?"
"No. It is not my place."
"You're a shit, Roland."
Considering for a moment, he said, "I am not sure what you mean by that." He sighed and held out his hands. "Barbara, can we not simply enjoy our time together?"
"Yes, Barb, that's best." Thomas brushed her hair back from her face in that now endearing gesture. "Try not to think about things we can't change."
She fought the urge to continue arguing. The tension of the last few minutes had brought back her headache. She was so tired of pain. Being held by Thomas had been nice. Now all of the peace was gone. "I suppose that would be best," she said.
"Very good." Thomas moved to get out of bed. He kissed her shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.
She captured his face and kissed him. Roland heaved a sigh and they broke apart.
"Look," Thomas said with a smile directed at Barb. "I have chocolate to clean off me."
"What is chocolate ?" Roland demanded.
"This." Barb held out the plastic bottle as the pain moved from the back of her neck to a place directly behind her eyes.
Thomas disappeared into the bathroom. Roland examined the bottle.
"Twist the tip," Barb told him. "And then squeeze a little onto your finger."
His expression when he tasted the syrup reminded her of a boy instead of the priggish, unbending professor he'd been a minute ago. How could he stand being saved when his friend would be left behind on a dying planet? Of course, maybe she had it wrong. Maybe there were no "friends" in this age.
Barb stood to follow Thomas into the bathroom. Stabs of pain assaulted her and she stumbled.
"Here," Roland cried, rushing to steady her. He set her on the bed and moved away. A moment later he returned. "Take this," he said, pressing his finger between her lips. It must have been the same he used to sample the chocolate because the elixir was sweetened.
He stood before her, massaging her neck and rubbing her nape with his fingertips. She dropped her forehead against his stomach.
"Better?"
She nodded. "Thanks."
She felt his sigh. "You think I am cold. That I do not care enough for Thomas to save him from his designated fate."
"If your position is so vital surely there's someone you can talk to, some rule you could break." She raised her head and looked into his face. No amusement brightened his two-colored eyes. There was only a deep sadness.
He didn't stroke her hair as Thomas did. Instead, one hand rested on her shoulder and the other formed a fist at his side. "Thomas and I have known each other since we were children. We have very different temperaments. I am serious while he sometimes lets emotion rule him. That is not acceptable in our society, but I always found it comforting, an aspect of life that I lacked. In school we used to hide from our instructors, managing worlds spun from his imagination." He stared into space and smiled, and Barb felt a twist of the heart for the little boy he must have been.
Sighing, he added, "But childhood does not last forever. Our aptitude tests directed we go into different disciplines. I gave up dreaming of what could not be and determined to excel in reality. Thomas is good at what he does, but I fear he never gave up wanting the impossible. We lost touch and then accidentally met years ago."
"And that's when you moved in together?"
"He moved here with me. His apartment was much smaller and not in a desirable part of town. The arrangement has been very satisfactory. I enjoy having someone to talk to in the evenings."
"Someone to share with." She studied him. "Maybe someone to imagine with, now and then?" He stiffened, but didn't deny her assertion. "So this apartment was larger because of your position?" He nodded. "And there's still no way you can get him on a transport?"
He hesitated. "If there was a way, I would. This is not something we talk about, Barbara. Thomas understands. Why make him feel worse by discussing something that will not happen?" Roland looked toward the closed bathroom door and then back at her. "Thomas does not know, but already I have passed up three transports."
" What? "
"Once I go, Thomas will lose this apartment, and he will have no one. Without him I will also be quite alone, but at least I will live, I will have a purpose. Therefore, I will remain as long as possible."
Her heart broke, not only for the dying planet but for two friends who would both lose something important in life.
"I care for your welfare, also, Barbara. I am not unfeeling."
She stroked his cheek. "I'm sorry, Roland. I didn't understand the situation. I misjudged you." His thick penis, stiff before he approached her, now stood like a club.
"I would like to have sex with you, Barbara."
By way of apology and also to work off the sensual tension of the pain killer, she nodded.
Wordlessly, he led her to the foot of the bed and bent her over the footboard. She remembered last night when Thomas stood behind and she'd sucked Roland to climax. She could almost taste his cum in her mouth. Her juices flowed. She was so ready for Roland's cock.
Instead of entering her, however, he smacked her butt with the flat of his hand. Hard.
"Ouch!"
"Hold still, Barbara, I am not finished." His hand came down again. The sting on her ass merged with the aching need in her pussy, creating unexpected pleasure.
Something cold hit where her cheeks stung, and she detected a familiar scent. Chocolate! Roland licked the sweet syrup off her bottom. Then he spanked her again, this time combining the strikes with forays between her legs. In moments she squirmed to be entered.
"Roland, I want you inside me."
"It is what I want, also." Even his accent set her on fire.
He stroked her pussy with his cock, dipping inside where Thomas had just come. Then he rubbed her rosebud with the wet head of his penis and eased his girth into her ass. She felt no pain, just a stretching of her body with each gentle thrust.
He reached around to squeeze her nipple and rub her clit. It took next to no time for her to come, but Roland didn't relent. He spread her legs farther apart, bending one knee and lifting her foot to the edge of the footboard. He pinched her butt cheek and fondled her clit from behind, a whole different sensation. Different, but equally mind-blowing.
She came a second time and then a third before Roland pulled her tightly against him and came hard and long. Barb collapsed over the footboard, her breathing labored. Roland p
ulled out, but his hand rested on her back.
"Look. Look at this." He must have been talking to Thomas, because he held her so that she couldn't move. "This is you dripping from her pussy." Roland skimmed his fingertips along the inside of her thigh. "And this is me, running from her ass."
Cum dribbled down the crease of her butt. One of the two planted a kiss on her cheek.
"This is our woman," Roland whispered, and there was awe in his voice.
Strangely, his words brought her a sense of comfort. If she was their woman, then for as long as it lasted, they were her men.
Chapter 5
"What kind of wine is this again?" Thomas took another gulp, and then sat back with an appreciative look at the nearly empty glass.
"Chardonnay." Barb took her own look, at a nearly empty bottle. "If I never get back home, I'm going to miss wine."
"It is miraculous," pronounced Roland, holding his glass up to allow light from the overhead fixture to shine through the liquid. "Just as I'd read."
"It's good all right," Barb agreed, "But nothing comes close to that elixir of yours for its sheer, mind-altering capability."
"That still amazes me," Thomas said. "It has only minor effects on us. I wonder why it changes you so much."
"I wonder also, but not as much as I enjoy the changes." Roland raised his brow and smiled.
Barb divided the rest of the wine among their glasses. "Truth be told, I've never done this kind of thing before. Have sex with two men, I mean. It's an experience I could never imagine. You two are incredible."
Roland regarded her quizzically. "Do you not have a man in your time, Barbara?"
"No. I have a very good friend, but we've never taken our relationship further." She thought of Tommy and wondered what he had made of her disappearance. Did he miss her? Like her, did he now wish they'd carried their feelings beyond mere friendship?
Thomas finished off his wine and set the glass in the steamer, a machine that sterilized glasses after use. Since they didn't eat in the usual sense, there was no need for any other type of cleaner. There was still a small sink, because in this brave, new world they hadn't found a way to deprive the body of water.
Thomas regarded her. "Is Tommy your friend?"
Surprised, Barb cocked her head and studied him. "How did you know?"
"You called me Tommy when we first found you. And, Barb, you talk sometimes in your sleep."
Heat flushed her cheeks. "I didn't know."
"Do many of your people go without sex?" Roland wanted to know.
"Not so many. But most people get married and have sex with the same partner. It's not that common for people to be with two lovers at once."
"But why not? Is it not more pleasurable?"
"Much more pleasurable." She shrugged. "But it's just not accepted. Do you two always visit the House of Women together?"
"Yes. For the hours we are there we share everything. It heightens everyone's enjoyment."
"I would find sharing you enjoyable right now," Thomas said, sounding a little shy. His cheeks held color that hadn't been there before they'd drunk the alcohol.
"Are you free from pain, Barbara? Can I give you some elixir?" Even Roland's eyes held a spark she hadn't seen before. She kept her smile private. All from two small glasses of wine.
"I don't feel bad." With boldness she hadn't shown before, she leaned across the table corner and kissed Roland, teasing his lips with her tongue.
He welcomed her gentle invasion, pulling her from her chair and onto his lap. Thomas moved beside Roland's chair and in front of her. Roland separated himself long enough to undress her, then he leaned her back and took immediate control, tongue fucking her while rubbing her nipples in tight circles.
Thomas positioned one of her feet on the table. Dropping to his knees, he quickly spread her pussy lips and explored her wet folds with his tongue. Barb whimpered. The men should have been given Academy Awards for Best Use of Tongues. Her sanity teetered on the edge.
Thomas changed his focus to her clit, sucking the sensitive nub into his mouth and laving it. She came in a burst of light, her senses in overload.
Thomas flicked his tongue back inside her pussy, mining her cream while his thumb continued caressing her clit. Roland abandoned her mouth in favor of her breast. He lightly scraped her nipple with his teeth and then held the peak in his hot mouth, bringing pain and a pleasure so exquisite she'd previously had no reference for the feeling.
Without even a grunt of effort, Roland lifted her to the table. He yanked her butt to the edge and probed her pussy with his rigid staff.
Her head reached the opposite side of the table. Without opening her eyes, she knew Thomas stood there. She turned her head and opened her mouth. His sigh told her she'd made the right gesture. His hand found her breast at the same time he slid his cock between her lips.
Even though the men worked at different ends of her body, they found their synchronicity. Roland pressed forward as Thomas surged to the back of her throat. Tension coiled deep in her belly. Her hands fisted and then opened, fingers fluttering, straining for something unknown.
Roland pulled out, letting the crown of his penis tease her clit. Thomas palmed her nipple and painted her lips with a drop of pre-cum before sliding back into her mouth. Her heart skipped. Breath hitched, she gasped and reached over her head, brushing Thomas's hip with her fingers.
His skin was hot and smooth, except for a tiny ridge. Nuzzling his rod with her lips, she rubbed the half-inch length of puckered skin on his hip. Tommy had the same kind of scar on his upper thigh. Missing Tommy, she groaned. Thomas answered with a groan of his own, increasing the pace and pressure of his thrusts.
Roland placed one hand on her hip and the other beneath, where his middle finger teased her rim. Yes! Pressure built within. She squirmed against his finger. He pushed, stroking her rosebud, rocking her body across the surface of the tabletop. A tiny squeak punctuated each thrust. Roland wiggled his finger; Thomas squeezed her nipple. Warmth washed over her. She wanted more, faster, deeper, harder.
Thomas came, sending spurts of cum down her throat. She drank greedily, ready to find her own release. It wasn't long before Roland's breath rasped. Thomas withdrew his penis and bent over her to suckle her breast.
Too much, too much. She came, with no thought, no fear, no awareness of time, only pure, unrelenting sensation. She reveled in the moment and only reluctantly came back to the world.
"Shall we go to bed?" Roland asked, pulling up his plain-colored pants.
"Go ahead," Thomas replied. "We'll be right there." When Roland left them, Thomas leaned close. "I don't want you to leave me, Barb," he whispered against her lips.
Later, an instant before dropping into oblivion, spooned to Roland's back and with Thomas spooned to hers, she heard a whisper close to her ear. "Please don't leave me, Barbie doll."
How could that be? Barbie doll was Tommy's way of making fun when she made a fuss over how she looked. No one else dared use the nickname because it irritated her so. She'd respond with a punch to the shoulder, in sisterly fashion. The thought that he'd never tease her again now brought tears to her eyes.
* * * *
Three days later, Barb sat on Thomas's bed, munching slowly on her final waffle drizzled with chocolate syrup. The guys had left for work about an hour before, Roland with his usual reserved, "Goodbye, Barbara," and Thomas with his normal goodbyehe smoothed back her hair and smiled before brushing her lips with a tender kiss. The men were so different, she wondered how they managed to live together with seemingly no conflict. Even more, she marveled at how they shared her without a single shred of jealousy or possessiveness.
Not that she thought she was the world's greatest prize, but she'd always imagined men wanted ownership of their women. "Of course, men in 2836 are far different than anyone I know at home," she said to the empty room, while lounging on stacked pillows.
The thought of home stirred only a general longing on her part now.
Whenever she tried to reason how she could return to the time she knew, her head began pounding and she needed the elixir just to make it through the rest of the day. Not that she objected to using the fantastic concoction, but lately she'd become more aware of how regimented life was for Thomas and Roland. If she used all they had of the liquid, nothing would be available until the government issued the next ration, more than a week away. Besides, it seemed to please her guys when she welcomed them without benefit of the liquid.
Fortunately, she was mostly free from pain these days, and God knew, she didn't need it to ready her for sex. The two men might be different in personality, but each knew the right place to touch or the right thing to say to turn her on in no time. Had she been that easy before? She hadn't considered herself loose or so in love with sex, but since she'd lived with Thomas and Roland, all of those evaluations had been proven false. Wonderfully so.
She stretched and grinned, remembering being that morning's sex sandwich between the two men. Shortly after wakening, Roland had pulled her on top. She rode him for only a few moments before the mattress dipped and Thomas, straddling Roland's legs, entered her from behind. She positioned her knees high on Roland's sides and tucked her head on his wide chest, letting the men find their uncanny rhythm that catapulted all of them from the plain bedroom into a distant universe of feeling.
As usual, they left Barb breathless and satisfied, yet shortly able and willing to lay with either of them again. Since waking in the year 2836, she'd become a wanton sex machine. And she loved it.
She rose from the bed to clean up. She'd no sooner entered the bathroom when the front door flew open.
"Barb!" Thomas cleared the doorway at a run.
Her palms turned clammy. "What's wrong?"
"They came for Roland." Thomas bent over, hands on his knees and breathing deeply. The tips of his hair and his shirt were damp with sweat. "For someone in his position to be arrested is highly unusual. They must know about you."
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