Cabin Fever (7 page)

***

Sean finished up Sandra’s bedroom and went downstairs. He found the contractor waiting for him in the living area with a big, fat grin. That meant money.

“What’s the damage?” Sean reached out for the pile of papers the little punk contractor was holding.

“For starters, there’s the landscaping. Inside, we have to bring the kitchen up to code, and I see a lot of cosmetic damage. Now the fireplaces…you have eight....”

Sean barely heard him as he rattled off all the repairs needed and cosmetic issues he’d found.

His mind was on his friends on the ski slopes. Had Patrick made any headway? They hadn’t decided on what
he’d
say. That had been the most difficult part. How do you ask someone to participate in a ménage? Sean trusted his buddy. So now he had to sit and wait until they came back.

“So all totaled, my rough estimate is $472,000.”

He shook his head violently and focused on the little man standing next to him. “Excuse me?” He snatched the paper from him.

“Hey, pal, I’m giving you a break here. This joint is over eight-thousand square feet.”

“Jeez.” Sean almost threw the paper back at him.

“Hey, I’m telling ya, you’re not gonna get a better estimate.”

“We’ll see. Thanks for your time, Mister Worm.” Sean gently pushed him toward the door.

“That’s Vorms. It’s Dutch.”

“Whatever.” Sean escorted him out then reached for the phone to call Uncle Travis. The man had some serious explaining to do.

***

“That was da bomb!” Sandra pumped her first in the air.

“You’re still on the slopes, aren’t you?” Patrick chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road. The snow had started out as flurries, but once it became hard to see, she’d stopped skiing.

“I am. Too bad you didn’t join me, even at the bottom of the hill. And I hate that this has happened,” she groused, waving toward the snow.

“It’s nearly nightfall anyway. It might stop by tomorrow. And just think, more for you and your skiing comrades.”

“Yeah.”

“So have you thought about what we discussed earlier?” Patrick hoped she’d calmed down.

“You mean me dating you? You were serious?”

“Of course. We have a lot in common. We get along. We practically finish each other’s sentences. I don’t see why not.”

Sandra gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know. It would strain our relationship with Sean.”

“I told you, he’s okay with it. In fact, he practically insists.”
That’s a real stretch
. But desperate times called for desperate measures. They were almost back at the lodge, and he wasn’t making any headway.

“Insists? How come he’s never talked to me about it?”

“You know Sean. He’s kinda shy. That’s a personal thing, and he didn’t want to be in your personal business.”

“I see. So he recruited you to be all up in my business?”

They stopped at a red light and Patrick looked over at her. Stubborn thing, digging her heels in like that. She was holding back. Somewhere deep down, she had to be thinking about him—both of them. She was too reined in to express it.

Sean had the right idea in coming up here. Maybe, just maybe, Sandra would let her hair down—with a little prodding.

***

Sean heard the car pull up as he fixed dinner, a little of his tension drained. With the snow falling heavier, he’d begun to worry. It hadn’t helped that he’d been unable to reach either of them by cell phone. Then again, reception sucked in the mountains.

He went to the door to greet them. His stomach did back flips. He had no idea how their talk had gone. For all he knew, she’d slapped Patrick and wanted to go home.

Relief washed over him when he heard their laughter coming from the walkway.

“I had a blast!” She said, running into the foyer, knocking Sean on the shoulder.

“I take it the slopes were perfect.” Sean rubbed his shoulder then helped her remove her jacket.

“Fantastic! You should have seen me!” Sandra crouched in skiing position. “I banked to the left, I banked to the right, this hill came up and I leaped and— Ow! Ouch!”

“What’s wrong?” Patrick dropped Sandra’s skis as he entered the house.

Sandra rolled on the floor, wincing. “Charley horse. Help!”

“Patrick, check and see if there’s a first aid kit or some alcohol in one of the medicine cabinets.” Sean kneeled next to her. “An Ace Bandage, too, if there is one. Come here, honey.” He brushed her hand aside before pressing his fingers hard against her calf. All the muscles bunched in a knot. No wonder she’d gone down the way she had. He rhythmically kneaded the resistant flesh then tried to roll up her pant leg without causing any more pain.

Patrick returned with the alcohol. He opened the bottle and poured some in his hand. “Flex your foot toward you.”

“Ow!”

“Okay, forget that for a second. Let me massage it. Come, on baby. How’s it feel now?”

“A little better, but not much. Oooh! This is a bad one.”

“We can’t get a good grip on her leg with her pants and boots on,” Sean murmured. “Let’s pull these off.” He removed her boots, unfastened her pants, and slid them down her legs. When he reached her calves, Sean raised his eyebrows. Patrick simply nodded.

Sandra couldn’t believe it. A picture-perfect day spoiled by a damn leg cramp. She rolled around on the floor like a drug addict in a bad movie. It wasn’t until Patrick had her pants at her ankles that she regained her senses. “What are you guys doing?” She tried to sit up straight. “Ow!” Down again.
Not good
.

“We can’t really massage your calf with these in the way,” Sean tossed her pants aside. “Besides, we have to rub this alcohol in. “Okay, I’m going to lift her and put her on the couch.” Patrick moved out of the way.

Sean scooped her up and settled her on the sofa.

“Ouch! The cramp is worse!”

“I know honey, we’re going to take care of that,” Sean said, stroking her face.

Patrick propped her up and leaned her against his chest and shoulder. Sean sat at the other end of the couch, massaging her leg with the alcohol.

“Okay, honey, it’s going to be okay.” He applied more pressure.

“Feel any better?” Patrick stroked her hair.

“Yeah, it’s feeling better. I can’t believe I did that.”

“It’s not like you tried to get one.” He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “The important thing is that we were here to help you.”

The display of tenderness wasn’t new. Although she had never been half-naked and lying on top of one of them before. Sean carefully massaged the charley horse away.

“How is it now?”

“Much better. Thanks, guys.”

“You gave us a little scare there.” Patrick caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

“I…I didn’t, mean to. I guess I got carried away in my reenactment.”

“You have the softest legs. They melt in my hands.” Sean looked up at her and smiled, gaze hooded.

Sandra was about to
melt
in his hands. “Re-really?”

“Uh huh.” He bent over and kissed her calf.

She tried to sit up, but Patrick grabbed her shoulder and gently brought her back down to his chest. “Relax, Sandy.”

Sean kissed her ankle, then her calf again. Moving up to her knee, he gently turned her leg and pressed his lips to the back of it.

When he reached her thigh, the softness of his hair caressed her like a cashmere sweater. She nearly jumped out of her skin. “Sean,” she whispered.

“Shhh,” Patrick nuzzled her cheek, then her neck. “You need to relax. You had a rough time there.”

Relax?
She wanted to catch her breath. She couldn’t see straight. “Um…I um….”

“Mmm, you smell nice. Is that the perfume I bought you for Christmas last year?” Patrick inhaled deeply. He gently nipped and licked her earlobe.

“Yes. Okay, guys, thanks for the help. My leg is better, really.” She tried to sit up again.

“You need to calm down.” Sean returned to massaging her leg. “Why so jumpy?”

Why so…?
She was basically getting her freak on, as Rhonda would put it.

She lay against one man, who kissed her face from eyelids to lips, while another made love to her leg.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Granted, she’d spent a lot of time fantasizing. But the reality was, these were her pals. No matter how horny they were, she couldn’t let it go any further.

Sean caressed and kissed her thigh some more. It was more of a sensuous massage than one to relieve a charley horse, and this time he swirled his tongue.

Oh God, she was gonna come right then and there. “Sean, please!”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Patrick’s mouth found her earlobe again and this time he sucked on the tender flesh.

“Patrick,” she squeaked. “Patrick!”

“Hmm, you want more?”

“Please!”

“Okay, baby.” He continued. She was amazed at how turned on she got. And when did her earlobe become an erogenous zone?

“I mean
no
. Stop! Both of you!”

She slid out of Patrick’s grip, nearly kneeing Sean in the jaw, and tumbled onto the floor. She began to say something, but noticed their eyes focusing downward. She felt a slight breeze, then realized why. She was naked from the waist down, except for a pair of red panties. Lace. Red, see-through lace.

Where were her pants? “It’s been a long day, I’m tired from skiing, and I want to rest and recover from this cramp. I just want to grab something to eat and go to bed, okay?”

The men exchanged a glance of unspoken understanding. It’d been like that for the past few weeks.

“I’ll bring your dinner up,” Patrick waved her away. “Go on and prepare for bed.”

Spying her pants, she grabbed them off the floor and limped upstairs. When she opened the door to her room, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Sean! Patrick!”

***

“I take it from her outburst, you did her room while we were out?” Patrick said.

“I did. You have good taste, my friend.”

“Thanks. Now, what’s your assessment of the situation?”

Sean rubbed his chin and placed a bowl of clam chowder on the counter. “I’m not sure. In spite of the many women I’ve dated, I still can’t figure them out.”

“God made it that way. So work with what you can. What do you think?” Patrick retrieved another bowl and helped himself to some chowder.

“It’s obvious she was turned on. If she weren’t, she would have slapped us both and told us to cut it out.”

“Earth to Sean. She did tell us to stop.”

“You know what I mean. She would have been indignant about it, maybe disgusted. She didn’t show any signs of that.”

Patrick scratched the back of his head. “Well, you got me there. But being turned on by two men rubbing your leg does not a ménage à trois make. So what’s our next step?”

“Explaining that room from the sound of it.” Sean chuckled, as he put the last of the meal together and handed Patrick the bed tray. “Take it to her.” He smiled.

“Great. Feed me to the lioness.”

***

Sandra paced around her bedroom. At least, she thought it was her bedroom. She peeked out the door and looked down the hall. Yep, she was in the right room. But now it looked more like a sultan’s retreat. Red velvet drapes, ostrich feathers, incense, soft music. Everything one needed for a….
Oh no
.

She plopped on the edge of the bed and noticed changes there, too—red satin sheets and comforter.

My God. No
. They couldn’t be thinking…. No, she wasn’t going to go there. She
couldn’t
go there.

She went to the bathroom. That had been redone, too. Roses, bath oils, salts, and a bottle of wine transformed the space.

“I can’t, it’s not proper.” She sat on the edge of the tub and ran her hands through the warm, scented water.

But why can’t I?

She never in a million years would have thought of a ménage or a threesome on her own. But after reading that article, she’d had all kinds of fantasies about being with two men. Sean and Patrick being the men in every scenario. What straight woman wouldn’t think of those two?

Her body had given her away downstairs. She’d gotten soaked and been ready to come the second they touched her.

She stood and wrapped her arms around herself. She had to think about this. This wasn’t deciding to date and sleep with her best friend. This was deciding to date and sleep with her best
friends
.

***

Patrick approached Sandra’s bedroom, knocked on the door, and waited. After what seemed like a lifetime, she opened it.

“Your dinner.” He held up the tray.

“Oh. Thanks. Come on in.” Sandra pointed to a large table in the corner.

“Sandra….”

“No, not now. I have to think. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay, but, Sean and I both love you. We want to make you happy any way we can. We only want what’s best for you. If this scares you, tell us.”

“I realize you’re sincere. And knowing Sean, the feeling is mutual there, too. I need to think, okay?”

Patrick went to kiss her on the cheek. She backed up a bit, then stopped when he took her by the chin. “Never be afraid of me. Okay?”

“All right. Thanks and good night. Tell Sean I like the room.”

“I will. I helped pick most of the stuff, by the way. We kinda snuck it in the car.”

“Really?” Her face registered her surprise.

He winked at her and returned to the kitchen.

“Well?” Sean wiped his hands on a dishtowel, then tossed it on the counter.

“She’s thinking it over.”

“Great.”

“Love your optimism,” Patrick said.

“The fact that she’s thinking it over means she wants to. She’s conflicted.”

“I hope we’re not making a mistake.” He threw his hands up.

“You mean our friendship.” Sean nodded. “Like you said, we’ve known each other since high school. We’ve known Sandra for seven years. And we both love her. I think it’s safe to explore other avenues of our relationship.”