Six Shades of Romance

by Darling, P. K.

  I just nodded to the boys, grabbed my suit and robe, and hurried into the living room before I lost my nerve.

  My chest was heaving as the boys walked in, barely toweling themselves off, and no trunks. They were already almost fully erect again and I marveled how deliciously beautiful they looked. I imagine it’s every girl’s fantasy to be taken by twins; I had just had the next best thing, but I would never admit tonight to anyone (I promised myself) unless it was Jan. She was into that kind of stuff and had dropped hints about a club she was always going to; I bet you she’d have loved to hear about this.

  “My mouth is dry, can you guys grab me a beer real quick?” I asked them…

  The rest of that night left me sore in all the right places, and an itch I never knew I had was scratched, and scratched rather well, but I wanted more. Much more.

  Chapter 9

  It had been over a week since Daniel and Derek left, and they left me a phone number to a satellite phone they shared. To be honest, I’d been moping around. I knew from the beginning that they only had two days and they would be gone for years, maybe forever, so why did I feel so empty, alone? Maybe this is what my mother was talking about, sex without a relationship… tinder without sustenance. A fire that goes out quickly.

  One thing that stayed with me was the memory of them bringing me to the edge of sensory overload and pushing me over, time and time again. I was thankful I had enough batteries to last me this week, and I decided to call Janice.

  “Hey, girl.”

  “Caroline, how are things up there in the desert?”

  “Great. How have you been?”

  “Just wondering when you’re going to be back in town.”

  “Pretty soon. You wouldn’t believe the time I’ve had up here!”

  “You sound pretty excited, want to share?”

  “Oh, I might. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to go see the Grand Canyon for a couple of days and was going to head back towards my parents’ house.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “Probably not, but I overheard Daddy talking to Mom about putting her in the hospice, so I am guessing the cancer is back, and that it’s bad,” I told her, my voice soft.

  “Ouch, I’m sorry, hon; want me to come out when you show up?”

  “Can I head there first? I have a lot to fill you in on,” I gushed, and got all warm thinking about taking the brothers, one at a time. Technically I took both at once for about twenty seconds, but that didn’t count, really.

  “Yeah, just give me a call. I’m going be working at the casino the next couple of nights, anyways,”

  “Tips still going good?”

  “Yeah, it’s Vegas; I just try to get drinks for all the high rollers. I had a guy drop two thousand in chips on me last night for a tip. He was so drunk I don’t think he realized it, but with the pile of chips he had, nobody flinched,” she told me, her voice full of pride.

  “Wow, that’s awesome!”

  “Yeah, and tonight I’m going to the club I told you about,” she said, and I could tell, even without seeing her, that she had a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

  “Well, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I teased and she just laughed at that. If she only knew.

  “Oh, I don’t know, I think I’m going to be doing things I wouldn’t do. I’ve sort of changed, and how do you say it, broadened my horizons? Became less inhibited?”

  “You were never inhibited.”

  “Now I’m an outright slut,” she told me with a chuckle.

  “You’re not the only one,” I quipped and the words were out before I could take them back.

  “Wait, you finally went through with it? Who was it? Was it any good?” she started gushing.

  “They were great, and I’ll tell you about it when I drive over there,”

  “They, they, as in plural? Was it a husband and a wife? Two girls? Oh my God, Caroline, there’s no fucking way. You’re pulling my leg, right? Spill it, girl!”

  I was laughing, and I figured that somehow she knew I wasn’t pulling her leg, and so I cut off any conversation of who, what, when, where, and how, promising to tell her everything in a few days. I hung up the phone with her still prying me for details, and I had my first long loud laugh since the boys had left for the Gulf.

  I was intrigued by this club she kept cryptically mentioning, and if going there made my slutty friend feel even more like a slut, well, it was something that sounded interesting. She’d have to tell me all about it before I filled her in on Derek and Daniel, I promised myself. I was growing up, I realized. I’d had my first fling, and I loved it, and was already looking forward to my next.

  Falling in love and getting married wasn’t anything that was on my radar, though. I’d decided this week that I’d go back, try to mend things with my mother, and go to graduate school. I had a lot of forms to start filling out, and being a cocktail waitress in Vegas pays well, but not well enough, so I had student loan paperwork to complete as well.

  I was going to spend a couple of days at the Grand Canyon, but after doing it again for the twentieth time or so, I decided to spend the second day packing up and getting ready to go back. I had a couple of phone calls to make, though, before I just showed back up.

  I debated calling the house phone, but decided to call Daddy’s cell instead.

  “Hey, little girl, I was hoping you’d call someday,” he told me, and for once I could tell he genuinely meant it.

  “I miss you guys too; how is Mom doing?”

  “That’s part of why I wanted to talk to you, hon, they say the cancer is back.”

  “I kind of thought so. How bad is it this time?”

  “Getting the doctor to give you a straight answer is like the weatherman being accurate; they always talk about percentages, then hedge it with ‘what if’s,’ as if that helps anything.”

  “You’re thinking it’s pretty bad then?”

  “Yeah, I do. She’s got a while, but this time it’s more aggressive, faster.”

  My heart was heavy, and I knew that I’d need to definitely mend things with my mother. My dad wholeheartedly agreed.

  “I really wish you would. I’ve done a lot of thinking in this past week and a half, even spoken with our minister and laid it out for him. He said that I’ve probably been a bit too overbearing, and your mother…”

  “Is off her rocker?” I tried to lighten the mood.

  “Yeah, something like that,” he chuckled, “but if there’s any chance of you two finally coming to an understanding… I don’t think she has much time, Caroline.”

  “I’ll try, Daddy, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try. She’s just so… hateful at times; I don’t know if it’ll ever work, but I want it to work.”

  “I hear you. Are you coming home soon?”

  “Tomorrow, or the day after, if that’s OK?”

  “Sure it is,” he told me.

  “And what about Mom, am I still welcome there?” I asked, because honestly, this might be a real possibility. Daddy had stood up for me, and stood up to Mom, threatening to dump her in what amounted to a nursing home. She might resent the wedge I had driven between them, and that had been a constant worry of mine for the past couple of days.

  “You’re welcome here. Either your mother will keep a civil tongue, or we’ll figure something else out,”

  “Janice has offered to let me borrow a couch at her place,” I said timidly, knowing he would hate the idea.

  “That might work also,” he told me, and I just shook my head. Life, and these things in it, change so rapidly. It made me feel like anything was possible, anything at all.

  “OK, I’ll call you when I get close; is any particular time better than another?”

  “No, I’ll be here all day. I took this week off because of appointments.”

  “OK, Daddy, I’ll see you tomorrow, love you,” I told him, feeling guilty. Should that have been me taking her?

  “
Love you too, sweetie. Bye now.”

  “Bye,” I told him hanging up, a quick stab of guilt going through me, and sadness, knowing that my mother didn’t have long.

  I knew we’d always had our differences, but suddenly confronted with the knowledge that the end might be near, it was frightening to me. How many times I’d wished she’d just leave us. I was determined to make things right.

  Chapter 10

  I called Jan on my drive home, and she was sleeping off another night of drinking and the debauchery of Sin City. I told her I was heading to my parents’ house a day early, and to stash a key just in case things didn’t go so well and she was stuck at work. She readily agreed, and I called the house to let them know they’d be seeing me in a couple of hours.

  “Hello?” my mom answered.

  “Hi, Mom, how are you feeling?” I asked, trying to keep things on neutral territory.

  “Better than usual, Caroline, are you coming home?” she asked, and I could hear the hopeful tone she was using.

  “Yes, Mom, is that OK with you?”

  “Yes, dear, I want to talk to you; I want to apologize, but not here, not on the phone.”

  “OK, Mom, I’m looking forward to it,” I told her and we said our goodbyes.

  My heart was soaring; after twenty-five years of tension and misery, my mother was finally trying to communicate with me, not preach to me. I hoped this worked out; I really, really did, especially if what Dad had told me was true. I didn’t know if I could live with myself otherwise.

  Pulling into my parent’s driveway, I stretched a moment, giving my cramped muscles a chance to unwind. The door opened and both of my parents were standing there; my father had his arms around Mom, and she held her arms out for a hug. I ran up, and suddenly everything was all right in the world. A mother’s hug when it’s truly meant is always warm and welcoming. That’s how it felt that day.

  Later on that evening, as we were eating dinner, we finally broached the subject of our argument the previous week. Mother agreed that she had been out of line, and I apologized for being disrespectful and cussing her out. I did point out I felt justified for standing up for myself and my beliefs. Before my mom could object to that, Dad said the matter was put to rest. I just nodded and we finished dinner.

  As my mom was heading to bed my cell phone buzzed, and I checked it to see what it was. A text message from Janice.

  WTF? Everything ok?

  Yes, we all apologized, mom has chilled out

  How is she?

  Dad says her cancer’s back. Sucks

  Ya, it does. I got home and you weren’t here so I wanted to check in with you.

  Things are good here, mom is going to bed, and I think dad is too.

  Want to go out and blow off some steam?

  Yes, that sounds great, and I haven’t heard from you in forever!

  Great! Should I invite some male type company?

  You can invite your boyfriend.

  I meant for you silly, Caroline, I have a hot friend I want you to meet.

  How hot?

  HAWT

  ??

  Hugh Jackman hot!

  What should I wear?

  Anything, meet me here and we’ll figure out where to meet him.

  K!

  I laughed and headed to my bedroom, a smile on my face.

  “Who was that, baby?” my dad asked, seeing me walk by with a grin.

  “Janice; I’m going to go over to her house, she has a guy friend she wants me to meet, so it’ll be like a double date, but it’ll be a blind one for me,” I told him.

  “Are you sure that’s how you want the world to see you?” he asked me and my heart dropped.

  “You and Mom had an arranged marriage, Daddy, it worked out for you,” I pointed out and he grimaced for a moment.

  “Yeah, but things with the church were different back then, and this has nothing to do with the church,” he said.

  “Daddy… you promised this stuff was over,” I told him, starting to get pissed.

  He held his hands up, palms out. “Sorry, sorry, old habits. It makes me feel old to think of you dating; pretty soon we’ll be grandparents,” he said ,and I laughed out loud.

  “Grandpa Smith, I kind of like the sound of that. Someday when I find Mr. Right and settle down, we’ll worry about grandkids. OK, Dad?”

  “Just make sure that when you do settle down, you bring him here to meet us before you tie the knot,” he said simply.

  “Daddy, you know I would,” I told him, confused slightly.

  “A week ago, I never could have imagined that we’d drive you away, possibly forever. I’ve been dealing with that reality shift, and I’m an old man; change is hard, and I’ve done a lot of soul searching. We’re part of the reason you’ve been unhappy over the years.”

  I threw my arms around him in a hug, trying not to cry, “You’re not old, Daddy.” And I left the rest of it unsaid. If Mom went back to the way she had been, I would leave again, in all probability. With nothing else to say, I let him go and ran to my room to look for something to wear.

  Slutty or classy? I pulled out my cell phone after looking through the clothing I had unpacked.

  “Caroline, please don’t tell me you are backing out on tonight already?” she asked me with a smile in her voice.

  “Oh hell, no! I have a wardrobe question.” I was slightly miffed she’d even think I was going to flake out on her.

  “Clothing? Oh, shoot!”

  “OK, so I know we’re meeting at your house, where are we going from there?”

  “Does it matter?” she asked me.

  “I want to know, slutty or classy?”

  “OMG, what’s gotten into you?” she gushed.

  “I want to know if I should wear some ‘Fuck Me’ clothing, or are we going somewhere classy, say a piano bar,” I told her with a grin.

  “Wear the ‘Fuck Me’ clothes. Oh my God, you have to fill me in on what happened.”

  “I will. Talk to you later, babe.”

  “Bye, hon,” she told me and we both hung up.

  Chapter 11

  I checked myself out in Janice’s mirror. My blouse top was low-cut, showing off enough cleavage that even I was impressed, and the skirt I put on wasn’t a little short leather mini like I’d wanted, but it was tight and came down mid-thigh, showing off my trim waist and hips. If I was a guy, I’d want to fuck me, just saying!

  “Girl, I don’t know what’s gotten into you!” Janice told me after I’d filled her in on the past week.

  “Well, it was two fat cocks, about this big,” I told her, holding my hands apart to what I figured was about a foot. She was taking a sip of a hastily made martini and rewarded my response by blowing it out of her nose and mouth at the same time, coughing.

  “Damn, Jan, you should really be careful with your drinking,” I told her, pounding her on the back. Damn, the gin must have burned getting blown out of her nose.

  “Fuck you, slut,” she told me, and I privately was thrilled with the label.

  “Fuck you, you wish you had two hot brothers doing you at once,” I told her with a leer.

  “For two hot brothers, I would fuck you,” she told me and laughed when I sputtered, out of quick retorts for once.

  “But you don’t do girls?” I said, half question, half statement.

  “Don’t knock it till you try it,” she said whispering into my ear, squeezing my tit as she walked out of the bathroom. Good thing, because it caused a shiver that left me in goose bumps. I’d been friends with her forever, but how much did I really know about her? Part of me started tingling with that touch, and I fought the urge.

  “What do you have to drink around here?” I asked her when I finally got the courage to leave the bathroom and confront her. Her squeeze, her hand, had felt like the first domino being flicked over, in an intricate pattern that I couldn’t quite make out yet.

  “Tequila, here, have a shot,” she said, pulling two shot glasses out of t
he cupboard. She pulled a bottle of Cuervo from the cupboard over the fridge and poured two shots.

  “To a crazy night,” she said, handing me one of them.

  “To getting laid,” I told her, clinking her shot glass and grinning at her shocked expression.

  “Michael thinks that… Wow. He thinks you are still… uh, not you,” she told me, trying not to crack up.

  “You told him I’m a proper, Catholic school girl?”

  “Something like that, but I know you’re not Catholic, and he isn’t going to be expecting all this!” she said, motioning to my outfit.

  I downed the shot, trying not to sputter and cough. It wasn’t that it was bad, but straight-up hard alcohol wasn’t something I’d ever gotten used to. My eyes watered as I swallowed it.

  “Damn,” I told her, wiping my arm across my mouth. “So how did you meet Michael, and why did you think to set him up with me?”

  “I ran across him a long time ago back at the casino. He was playing blackjack, and I thought he was cute, and had the potential to give me lots of dirty sex.”

  “Uh-huh, go on?”

  “So I slid him my phone number and before he left that night he stopped me and asked me my name. I told him, and he said, ‘Janice, you seem like a nice girl, you don’t have to look for love this way’ or something like that. I told him I wasn’t looking for love; I was looking for a fireman’s pole to slide down later on.”

  “Noooo…”

  “Um, yeah, I know, I’m bad… He told me he wasn’t all that huge into anonymous sex, and hoped I wasn’t offended, but he wouldn’t mind getting to know me better.”

  “So you stayed in touch?”

  “Yeah, and the other day he was talking to me about something that happened in his church, and I realized that he was looking for someone more like you. Well, maybe the old you,” she told me with a grin.

  I punched her in the arm, called her a slut, and poured two more shots.

  “So, Jan, who’s coming out for you?” I asked her, and I was curious because it wasn’t something she’d mentioned yet.