Upside Down (29 page)

“To be honest, Carol, I never worked up the courage to talk to you because I was very ashamed of myself. As I grew older, I realized how much I had damaged you. I loved you so much back then and I never intended to hurt you like I did. Forgive me.”

“Hey, hey! I’ve told you already.
It’s water under the bridge,” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He folded his around my waist and embraced me tight. Before we knew it, we kissed. It wasn’t a sensual kiss. It was a tender kiss, a way for me to show Josh I had forgiven him. It was also very brief. We pulled away and looked a little embarrassed.

“Would you like to come up?”

“Thank you. I’ve got to go, actually.”

“It’s OK. Send Meg my best. And bring her down next time you come to New York. I’d love to
get to know her.”

“Not before I secure my future with her, you won’t,” he joked. “If you tell her half of the stories you know about me
, she’ll run for the hills, never to come back.”

“You’re probably right,” I chuckled. “I guess I’ll meet her only at the wedding, then.”

“You bet.”

He left the building and I took the elevator to my apartment.
On my way up, I got a text from Mark and Cindy. It was actually signed by both. They wanted to see me – that night. I looked at my watch. It was almost midnight. I texted them back.

“It’s kind of late, isn’t it?”

“We’re across the street.”

I rolled my eyes. Gosh, they surely saw Josh and me. “Come up.”

Cindy and Mark arrived and we sat down in the living room to talk.

“I’m sure you two saw Josh and
me at the bar. Did you also hear our conversation?”

“Parts
of it. That’s not why we’re here, though,” Mark answered.

“Nevertheless,
I want to say, for the record, that we had a great day together. We talked about old times and set many things straight. I also found out he’s happily in love and hoping to have a long relationship with her. Oh, by the way, why don’t you two like him?”

“You mean, other than the fact he’s a creep?” Cindy offered.

“That he was your master but treated like dirt?” Mark added.

“Or because he used to beat the shit out of you when he felt like it, no reasons
needed. Then, he justified it saying you were thinking about some other guy or something equally stupid?” Cindy suggested.

“Don’t forget that time he sent you to the ER with a cracked skull and tried to convince you it was your fault for having kicked him in the gut. But – and that’s my favorite
part– do you remember why you kicked the son of bitch? He kept you naked and tied up to a bed in his basement for three days straight, fucking you whenever he felt like it and feeding you once a day. Do you remember why he did that? Because he liked to humiliate you. He made you think you deserved it,” his voice sounded raspier than usual and his love shone brightly in his eyes.

I caressed his cheek.
I was astonished at how much of those stories they remembered. I had forgotten some of them myself.

“You’re both right, yes.
However, he has changed. A lot. He is ashamed of himself and apologized to me. I’ve forgiven him, so, let’s leave it at that, OK?”

They nodded and I added one last piece of information.

“I kissed him,” I raised my hands asking them to be quiet. “Let me finish, please. Like I said, he’s changed and he regrets all those stupid things he did. I don’t care about it. Seriously. Don’t make a big deal out of the kiss. It was a chaste kiss, an ‘I-forgive-you’ kiss, nothing more.”

The
y seemed to agree with me and I decided to test the waters a little further.

“Besides, I told him I’m blissfully happy with both of you and I wouldn’t risk our relationship for anything.”

They were sitting on the couch, side by side, so I stood up from my armchair and sat on the coffee table in front of them. I put a hand on Cindy’s and Mark’s thighs for emphasis.

“That is true. I’m sure of that, now. I love you. Both of you. I don’t want to choose, so, please don’t ask that
of me anymore. If I can’t have both of you, I’ll walk away from both of you.”

“That much we’ve got from our conversation at your folks’ house,” Mark put his hands on both of mine. “I was willing t
o agree on the spot, by the way, but you asked us to think it over. I’ve told you a million times already – I want you, anyway I can have you. That means I’m in.”

“I must confess I wasn’t that sure it would work
for me. No offense, Mark, but I had never really noticed you,” Cindy said candidly and I suppressed a smirk. Mark’s expression of indignation was priceless. “On the other hand, Carol, there’s something between us I have never had with another woman and I’m not ready to let go of it just yet. So, I’ve decided to give this idea a try. I’m in, but on a trial basis.”

I hugged them both and ki
ssed them lightly on the lips.

“I’m sure we’ll find a way to make
this work, Cindy. I observed you two together over these past days and I saw a lot of potential.” I winked at them.

“Oh, yeah! You went out of your way to s
how us what we would miss if we said ‘no’ to this arrangement,” Cindy scoffed.

“What do you mean?” Mark asked
her.

“Are you telling me you didn’t notice Carol’s little plots to seduce us? I mean, all that touching
, and rubbing, and parading around her office every time we worked together, Mark. Hello?” she pretended to knock on his forehead.

“
There’s no need to insult me, Cindy,” he swatted her hand away. “I saw that and I found it enticing,” he smiled at me and I almost lost it. I was having the hardest time keeping a straight face watching their argument. It felt like kindergarten all over again.

“That was her plan, moron. You fell for it.”

“Didn’t you do the same, Miss Smarty-Pants?”

The angrier they got, the closer they physically got
to each other. I was enjoying the show so much I squirmed on the tabletop trying to ease the tension building in my lower body.

“And whose idiotic idea was it to follow her today?
Not mine!”

“So, why did you co
me along?”

“I was afraid you’d do something stupid like punch the guy in the nose, Mark. You’re a man. I didn’t have very high expectations at all.”

“So, you think all men are stupid Neanderthal creatures. Is that what you’re saying?”

Their noses were almost touching a
nd the electric sparks cracked around us. I was turned-on at the sight. They had no idea how sexy they looked. So much so I ignored the fact they had followed me around. They had the best intentions at heart as their next words confirmed it.

“Not really. You can be quite reasonable when Carol’s not involved. But because of their history together
you thought Josh was a threat.”

“He was! I wouldn’t let him hurt her
again. He’d have to kill me first.”

“
And who’s going to protect her from you, Caveman?”

“She doesn’t need protection from me. I’m not so sure about you, missy
. Who’s to say you’re not in this just for the thrill? Carol has feelings for you, you know.”

“How dare you? I love her!” Cindy shoved Mark hard on the chest.

He held both her hands easily behind her back. I was ready to intervene if they got physical but I got distracted as Cindy struggled to free herself from his grip and half of the buttons in her blouse opened up exposing her beautiful, heaving breasts. Mark and I stared at them. My mouth got dry, then, watered. I cupped the left one, right above her heart, and tried to calm her down.

“Shush, sweetie. Nobody’s going to hurt me. Physically or emotionally.”

Before she could answer, Mark leaned down and kissed her, trapping my hand between their bodies. I took advantage of their distraction and kissed Mark’s cheek as I kneaded her breast. Her hot nipple pierced my palm and I moaned inside Mark’s ear. Cindy broke free from his mouth and found mine. I felt Mark’s hand caressing my inner thighs as she kissed me. His fingers inched up until he found the waistband of my trousers. I opened my eyes and saw he was also kissing Cindy’s soft neck. It was such a steamy sight I felt dampness soaking my panties. Mark opened the button and zipper in my pants and snaked his hand inside them until he found my wet underwear. I hissed at the naughty feeling of his index finger pressing down my throbbing nub and Cindy deepened our kiss, swirling her tongue inside my mouth, sinking her teeth in my lower lip.

“Oh-my-god!” I heard Mark saying. “C
indy, you’re awesome.”

She
was palming his hard member over his jeans. The rough material surely biting into his hot body and adding to the friction while his fingers kept searching inside my underwear, framing my entrance, then, teasing me with his tips. I had dreamed about that moment many times but reality was so much better.

I opened Mark’s shirt, ran a hand over his flat chest and found his hard nipples. I tweaked them, then, mirrored my actions on Cindy’s breasts. She let go of my mouth
for Mark’s chest. She licked and sucked his strong muscles then clasped a pebbled nipple with her mouth and worked it with her tongue and teeth. It was such a hot image I got lost watching them for a while. They took my breath away.

I was brought back to
reality when Mark pulled me to sit across his lap. His erection poked my hip as he kissed me until I saw bright spots behind my closed eyelids because he moved his fingers in and out of me, around my folds, tapping my clitoris, in synch with the stabbing movements of his tongue in my mouth. I whimpered, and panted, and moaned. My hips moved up and down, rubbing him and adding to his pleasure. He also whimpered, and panted, and moaned. So did Cindy. The room was filled with sexy noises as we explored one another.

All of a sudden, I noticed somebody had taken off Cindy’s bra so I grabbed her breasts, as she leaned over my body
to better access and kiss Mark’s hard nipples. I kneaded her soft globes, thumbed her nipples, then, rolled them between my fingers. She arched her back. I broke Mark’s kiss to taste her breasts as he focused on my sweet spot behind my ear. My mouth was so full of Cindy’s flesh but I sighed when he sucked me harder.

“Carol, you’re killing me here,” she said against Mark’s skin.

I divided my attention between her full breasts and her aching sex. I played with her nipples at the same time as I snaked my hand inside her lacy panties and found her wet curls, teasing her with two fingers, at first. I circled her clitoris, then, pressed it between the two fingers just as I rolled a turgid nipple with my tongue. She gasped and bucked, pushing Mark’s body. He fell back on the couch and had to stop kissing my throat. I laughed hard at our situation.

“We are three clumsy
idiots,” I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I have a bed upstairs which is very comfortable and big enough for the three of us. Why are we still here?”

“A spur of the moment thing?” Cindy offered, grinning.

“You two couldn’t wait to taste me.” Mark argued.

I shook my head and stood up. I stretched out both my hands to them. They grabbed them and stood up
, too.

“Come, my loves. We have the whole night to ourselves. There’s no need to rush.”

“We have our whole lives,” Mark corrected me.

“That’s right,” Cindy and I agreed.

We climbed the stairs side by side, holding hands. Once in the bedroom, we took our time getting rid of the rest of our clothes. Helping one another, touching one another, exploring bare skin and toned muscles.

“Tonight is a night of firsts. I’ve dreamed about it many times lately,” I turned to Mark and cupped his cheeks with both my hands. “I want to do something special for you. All this time we’ve been together, I’ve let you play with my backside, use toys and stuff, but I’ve never let you in there.”

“Really? That’s a shame,” Cindy added, caressing the part of my body we were discussing, running a naughty finger between my cheeks. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. She loved that particular feature of my anatomy.

“Are you up for that?” I asked, burying my hands in his hair and pulling him down for a kiss.

The wet tip of his hard erection against my stomach was all the answer I needed. While we kissed, I heard Cindy moving around the room, opening and closing drawers. She knew where I kept all my sex toys. I guided Mark to the bed until he sat on the edge, breaking our contact. I saw Cindy standing beside us, lube and butt plug in her hands.

“I like the way you think,” I smiled at her.

“I’ll get you ready for him while you get him ready,” she grabbed me and kissed me briefly but deeply. I was out of breath and wanting more of her when she released me, but I turned to Mark.

“Sit up against the headboard, honey. Get comfortable.
”

That’s when I noticed Cindy’s strap-on resting at the foot of the bed. I
raised an eyebrow at her and she winked back.