by Kizzie Hayes
"Damn," Kenny said. "Monet doesn't have any idea what she missed."
"Yeah, definitely not," Thomas said.
Kenny ran a finger down Janelle's cheek, "I knew from the first time I saw you at the clinic that we would eventually get together."
"That makes two of us," Thomas said, without a hint of jealousy, just enjoying the moment.
Janelle smiled widely. It felt good, so damn good to be appreciated by two men who were so accomplished and sexy. And it didn't bother her one bit that they were both packing the two biggest cocks that she'd ever had in either her mouth or pussy. That didn't bother her at all.
The next morning, as they were leaving the hotel, Thomas turned towards Kenny with a big smile on his face.
"Good luck next week against the eagles," he said. "I'll be rooting for you. Sort of. But not really."
Kenny chuckled. "Don't worry about it."
They smiled at each other, then they each came over and hugged Janelle. It was such a strange situation. One that she would never have imagined.
*****
The next Sunday Janelle invited Uncle Johnny over for dinner. That had been their ritual for the last five months. She'd grown tired of hearing him complain about the plain and flavorless meals that his doctors were restricting him to because of the stroke. He also hated all the pills that he had to take. He was a fighter, a stubborn man who didn't like to show emotion but she saw that things were really getting to him.
She decided that every Sunday she would have him over to her apartment. It wasn't easy to cook meals for him. There were so many things that she had to measure precisely. He was on a pretty strict low-sodium diet.
But she still tried her hardest to make the meals as delicious as possible. That night she was making curry chicken breasts with basmati rice. It was a little something different for him. He wasn't the type of guy that tried a lot of different ethnic foods, besides Chinese and Italian.
He usually kept it simple. That might've been the problem. All that fast American food, high sodium, high in sugar, high in just about everything that wasn't good for you. And the way people ate that stuff, the way Americans craved it day after day no matter what it was doing to their bodies in the short or long-term, it was like they were really getting high from it.
The chicken was almost done. Its aroma filled the kitchen with a wonderful scent. Uncle Johnny was on the couch, flipping through channels. When she heard him get up off, she turned around to see where he was going. He paused in front of the kitchen table, looked down.
"What are all these books here?" He asked. “It's a mess."
Janelle smiled and tried to ignore the question. She was doing it again. She was really doing it again and this time, she wouldn't let anything get in her way. February 6. 185 West Broadway NY, NY. New York law School.
"I was just doing a little studying," she said, not sure how else to explain herself to Uncle Johnny.
Johnny began flipping through one of the books, then he held it up in front of his face and frowned.
"LSAT preparation, 2016," he read out loud. "Seems like you're doing a lot more than a little studying.”
Janelle stepped away from the oven, sighed and turned towards Johnny. For a few moments, they stared at each other in silence. Janelle could've sworn that she saw tears welling up in his eyes. He smiled, squeezed his head in his hands. His lips began quivering. Janelle's eyes open wide with fear. She rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Is everything okay?" She asked him in a panicked voice. "Do you need me to call the doctor? An ambulance?"
"Oh stop it," he said. "Get away from me with all that crap."
Janelle took a step back, startled by the sudden change of his mood. But not even the harshness of his voice could mask the streams of tears that began to run down his cheeks. She smiled at him lovingly, then wrapped her arms around him again. This time, he didn't push her away. Instead he pulled her tighter to him.
"She would be very proud," he said. "Very proud."
That was all Janelle could take. She had to go to the bathroom for tissues. That image, the last image she had of her mother, tubes coming out of her body, her soul slowly drifting from her, as she floated to another realm where she would no longer have to endure the agonies of chemotherapy, the misery of seeing her life slowly and inexorably reduced to nothing.
After the meal, Janelle and Uncle Johnny sat down on the couch. As usual, Uncle Johnny grabbed the remote control. But instead of turning to football, he went directly to Janelle's favorite network, Bravo. And landed on her favorite show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Janelle didn't know what to say. He had never done that before.
"There's no football on tonight?" She asked, confused.
"No football?" he said. "Hardly. The Giants are playing the Eagles. But I want you to watch what you—"
"What?" Janelle screeched, nearly jumping off the couch. "That's tonight?"
But she didn't give him a chance answer, quickly snatching the remote from his hands. Uncle Johnny stared at her as if he thought she'd lost her damn mind, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath.
"Yes, get him!" Janelle said, jumping happily off the couch and clapping her hands loudly in the middle of the living room.
"Will you sit down?" Uncle Johnny said. "It's only the first play the game."
Janelle sat back down on the couch, her face beaming with excitement. Seconds later she was clapping her hands again. Kenny had run the ball for 15 yards. First down Giants.
Uncle Johnny began clapping as well, hooting and howling excitement.
"I don't know what's gotten into you," he said. But whatever it is, I hope you get more of it."
Janelle blushed and covered her mouth to hide her giggling, a mix of excitement and embarrassment. Her whole body felt hot. She knew exactly what had gotten into her. And she was definitely looking forward to getting more it.
She’d already made plans to attend a Giants game with Monet before the end of the season. Monet didn’t quite believe that Janelle actually wanted to go to another game. Janelle wasn’t sure how to explain her change heart, which was really a change of desires. There would be plenty of time for explanations.
She couldn’t wait to get back into both of the teams’ locker room. Many nights, she would touch herself, imagining all the fun she could have in those sacred male spaces. Of course, those were only the nights she didn’t spend with either Thomas, Kenny or sometimes both of them. Oh yeah, all three of them will be getting together for a long time.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 6 of 44
WE WERE THREE
It’s been two years since graduation. Hard to believe the three of us are still going strong. It seems we’ve beat some sort of odds here where so many others have issues with a successful relationship between just two people. Here we’ve made it work for this long with flying colors and are still that fearsome threesome. We’re just awesome like that. I am officially the luckiest girl in the entire world, right here.
If I’m going to tell this story right I’d better start at the beginning and that would definitely be “The Graduation Party”. Cash’s folks really did things up for us that night and the place looked more like a prom than a party. That romantic air though, probably helped nudge along some feelings that had been brewing beneath the surface of our inseparable friendship more and more in that last year. We were happy, the three of us as friends, so none of us wanted to tamper with that tight bond and think outside of our perfectly fine constant party of three.
We were just freed from our four year’s hard work and dues paying in college, and we were shining stars on cloud nine out to enjoy the night meant to celebrate just that. Toasts had been made and cocktails downed, we were well fed on hors d'oeuvres, and were laughing our heads off with all of our favorite people, dancing the night away.
I was out on the patio wi
th my long time friend Charlotta when Andrew asked if he could talk with me for a moment. Immediately I knew something was off and thought maybe a relative was sick or that he was going to spring on me that he was moving away—he was that serious.
*****
Andrew sat me down and seemed to take things in for a moment, catching his breath. My sleeveless metallic and shimmering jacquard frock embellished with beaded flowers near the collarbone, with its princess seams and flared skirt with pleat accents, a Teri Jon by Rickie Freeman, was shining under the lanterns. It helped to keep up my glow and confidence from within. I sat up straight and intently tried to read him caringly, as he seemed to be sweating something.
“Holly, I—” and he rethought for a moment, “I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it.”
“Okay.” I said, my eyebrows raised. I nodded, ready to be there for him.
“I fucking love you Holly.”
“I fucking love you, too, babe!” I smiled back and felt the excitement of the evening, such a glorious time for all of us.
“Look, I want you to know that you can always count on me, like always. But we’ve graduated now—we’re supposed to all be moving on and finding jobs and running off and getting married and starting families and…” We both started laughing, it’s a lot to swallow, but true. We were expected to work on growing up at this point. He went in again to get to a point, and I stared at his blue eyes and cute little stubble mustache look and grinned at the sight of him, just loving this man to the core.
“I want you,” he blurted out.
At that point I remember my heart stopping and my smile faded with pure shock. I almost opened my mouth enough to try and talk him out of it when he interrupted.
“Don’t say anything,” he went on, “I just can’t ever imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else, I love you too much. Please don’t freak out. Don’t tell Cash, just take some time to think about it.”
This was taboo. Our mere existence survived on the friendship between the three of us and I couldn’t imagine tainting that or hurting Cash, ever. I wouldn’t even let my mind wander into that territory. As I steamed up in thought, almost mad at Andy and stuttering, I noticed his eyes dart around the now empty patio and out of nowhere he just leaned over. I got this feeling he was going to kiss me but it wasn’t awkward.
He grabbed my waist and with his lips brushing up against mine he said, “I’m going to fucking kiss you,” and in that moment a rush ran up my spine, tapping into a lust buried so deep under what was right, all the way down to something I must have wanted all along and never knew—and he did. Up to that point it was the hottest kiss of my life.
*****
Frozen in time, Andy had to take my hand and pull me up.
“C’mon, seriously, don’t freak out. Just think about it. Let’s just have a good time,” and then he led me back inside. I could feel myself two shades pinker as I walked in and him giving my hand a squeeze in his made it only a little better. It took a few distractions and laughing fits brought on by my beloved pals, but it wasn’t too long before I was able to shake the whole scenario and try to get back into party mode.
Cash was busy being life of the party for most of the night, but when one of our songs came on we hit the floor. Oh, what a night and the electricity was surging through me. I was in a dreamland and felt like a diva of the night; just having such a good time and then there we were, laughing our heads off and catching our breath to this old slow jazz song.
“It’s the best part of our life,” Cash sang out in sing-song fashion as he twirled me. “The world is our oyster,” he sang teasingly and dramatically pulled me close like we were on some kind of dance show.
“Cynthia and her crew were at it again tonight,” he said with an eye-roll.
Gosh those girls would never stop. For years they seemed to have nothing to talk about to Cash, who they were obviously all obsessed with, except to poke at him with asking when he and I were going to just drop the show and admit we were doing it… annoying! (To say the least.)
“I got’em,” he said with this spark in his eye and I could tell he was up to something. I gave the question, do-tell eyebrow raise. “I told them I would ask you out just so they’d back off. I don’t think it was what any of them wanted to hear.”
“Yeah, I bet not!” I laughed. With a quick glance out of our little dancing powwow, I saw the girls eyeing us and fake-slapped Cash on the shoulder. “You’re serious?!” He chuckled with this villain grin. “You’re playing with their fragile hearts,” I reminded him and with that he swung me around again and started back in with the sing-song talking.
“So?” and he looked on with sincerity, I couldn’t tell why he was giving these girls such a show and sensed some kind of game. But Cash wasn’t a game player like that. “With Andrew’s approval, of course.”
Just the mention of Andrew’s name was hard to hear at that point and I wanted to tell Cash everything that had happened but it wasn’t the time. It was only because of what Andy had just told me that I thought nothing could surprise me, and felt way off guard in general. I just stared at him trying to read if he was serious. That was when he looked me in the eyes like he never had before.
For four years I had looked into the eyes of this guy and he had never looked at me like that. Softly, he said, “I thought maybe… we could try it.”
And I nearly passed out. Seriously, I got light headed and flushed and weak and backed away politely letting him lead me off the floor so I could sit down. I totally left him hanging there like a sad puppy and went to the loo, but I just had to go and take a moment to myself.
The bathroom was peaceful, a silver motif in this one and for a moment I just enjoyed the scent of jasmine soap, but then I couldn’t help but notice the woman in the mirror waiting for my attention.
I was thinking, Did this really all just happen? Did my two best friends just come on to me in the same night? Who I adore? Who I love? Who any girl would die to have the attention of for even a moment? I remember feeling tragic. Sick. Torn.Upside-down. I wasn’t prepared for any of this. I sighed out a big sigh and just thought about the two of them, their smiles… And then I had this idea.
I watched a grin form on my face in the in the mirror. “I won’t have one of them,” I said to myself out loud, “unless I can have both of them.”
*****
“Ha!” I felt like I had outsmarted the evening and with my head held high I prepared to re-enter the party. I quickly reasoned that with everything that happened, and once we all had talked about it, that my decision, which at the time was just my way of skirting any decision at all, would be to not choose. Yes, as simple as that, and they would have to figure it out from there with the ball in their court.
I heard laughter as I strolled down the hallway, and headed to the lounge where it was coming from to find a big group of my friends all looking more grown up but only because they were serving up scotch. Andy and Cash were both there.
We lounged with our drinks and I felt like I had something tucked up my sleeve and the only way to clear the air was just to do it. When it was just the three of us in this one area all cozied up and laughing I blurted out, “So…Cash asked me out tonight.”
Cash got white in the face and Andrew looked confused, only I laughed. Cash chimed, “I said with Andy’s approval.”
“Wait, what?” Andy said, honestly dumbfounded, “but…” He looked to me to for some kind of direction, perplexed.
“Yeah, Andrew professed his love for me, too,” I divulged, “out on the patio like, an hour before.” The two of them looked at each other with wasn’t horror or relief but something oddly in between, searching for where this could go.
“Don’t worry,” I broke things up, casually lounging back with my glass and taking another sip, “I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Oh, really?” Andy asked playfully, and we all laughed. Same three. Same laughs. There should have been this awful ten
sion but with us all three there, there just wasn’t.
“Do tell,” Cash inquired so formally.
“I just simply won’t have one of you,” I remarked and it started to sound like a game.
“Princess!” they both said in unison, and we all chuckled. Andy looked a little disappointed really, but Cash was deep in thought. He stood up and looked out in silence.
“Okay, so what if?” he said and we listened. “What if we move forward in life just like everyone expects, just like we’re supposed to, but in our way. What if we reinvent things on our own terms? What if we dare, guys?” And he looked on to us, continuing his speech. “What if we dare to let love in?”
It sounded crazy. I mean in a striking way, like a new business idea that’s so great, but will just die a dream. But then, all of a sudden, Andy spoke.
“I’m in.” Then he looked at me intently, “I love you, Holly, and Cash if you’re serious—I mean, are you saying you love her?”
Cash knelt down on one knee and looked at me, “I’m crazy about her.”
“Then,” Andy said, “unless you’re screwing around I say let’s do it. Not like, ‘it’ I mean, you know, like try this idea.” We all cracked up laughing which was a good thing because that surely was in the back of everyone’s mind on how that whole thing would go.
Now it was my turn, “So, wait, you guys are actually both saying that you love me so much you want to take things to the next level? Like relationship wise? I have to admit it only sounds fun and I can’t bear the thought to lose you guys so making plans together seems perfect. I just… I just can’t believe this is happening.” After a pause, I smirked, “It’s kind of hot,” breaking the ice and we all smiled. “So…what do we do next?”
