“Sounds like a good idea,” Josh and Scott agreed.
“Do you need any help?” Jim asked, moving into the kitchen.
“Can you put on some rice?” Jessica asked.
Ten minutes later, the food was on the table. Jessica was seated and Jim was handing Josh and Scott a beer from the fridge.
“It looks great Jess,” Jim said coming to the table, “You did a great job cooking and a great job with the chores …” he was about to take a swig from his beer, just like Scott and Josh were doing when he realized Jessica had nothing to drink. He looked at his bottle and made up his mind.
“Here Jess,” Jim said handing her a new beer he’d grabbed from the fridge, “you deserve a cold one, just like us.”
“Jim …” Scott said, watching Jessica accept the bottle.
“Go ahead, try it,” Jim encouraged Jessica when she sniffed the opening. Jessica took a sip and her face contorted.
“Do you like it?” he asked with a laugh.
“No!” Jessica replied and pushed the bottle away from her on the table. “That’s vile!”
Despite themselves, Scott and Josh chuckled.
“It takes some getting used to.” Jim agreed. “How ‘bout some wine then … we have some white.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Scott asked quietly, following Jim into the kitchen.
“Not that I know of,” Jim said, opening the bottle and finding a glass.
“Yes you are. You can’t give her alcohol? What if she tells Riley?”
Jim shrugged. He could see Josh eyeing him from the table but Jessica wasn’t paying much attention.
“Things won’t change if we don’t keep moving forward. If she tells Riley, so be it. We’ll deal with it. I mean, you wouldn’t be suggesting that we tell her to not tell Riley?”
“No. I’d be suggesting not giving her any wine.”
“She’s not going to get trashed Scott. But she worked hard, just like we did. What’s wrong with her kicking back with a drink? Just like we are.”
“Where’s that wine?” Josh asked from the table. “The foods getting cold.”
“Do you want to give it to her, or should I?” Jim asked holding the glass out. “Listen,” Jim whispered, leaning closer to Scott when all Scott had done was stare at the glass. “This is the opportunity we’ve needed. She’s been different … you have to admit that. And I for one want it to go all the way. I want a relationship with her Scott and a relationship means that Jessica can help out, she feels free to speak her mind. We have to change the way we deal with her. If she can change then we have to too. And if we want her to change more, then we have to make it possible. Trust me on this, will you?”
Scott took a deep breath.
“Jesus Christ Jim, you’re going to get all of our asses kicked. And in case you’ve gone senile as well as insane, the person whose going to get their ass kicked the most is Jessica. This is more dangerous for her than us.”
“Guys,” Josh said coming up behind them. “Jim’s right, I’m more than willing to get my ass kicked, and I think Jessica would be willing to get her ass kicked, must move forward, now give me the damn wine, and let’s eat!” He grabbed the wine from Jim and spun around, marching back to the table.
“Here you go Jess,” Josh said, “I think you’ll find this tastes way better than beer.”
Jessica took a sip and nodded.
“This is delicious,” Scott said as they ate.
“Thanks,” Jessica said.
“Mmmhhmm” Josh and Jim mumbled in agreement. Unable to stop shoveling the food in their mouths.
“You guys want some coffee?” Jim asked, as Jessica began to clear the table.
“Sure.”
“It’s okay Jess,” Jim said standing and taking the plates from her hand. “You cooked, we’ll clean-up. Why don’t you go relax on the sofa … we’ll play some euchre after, ‘k?”
“Okay,” Jessica said, moving to the sofa, taking her wine with her.
“I think we may need some coffee for Jessica,” Scott said. He’d been watching her for the past twenty minutes as he was drying the dishes that Jim washed. He nodded to the living room as he handed Josh the dry dish to put away. Jessica had made herself comfortable on the sofa, wine glass in hand, but she was sinking lower on the sofa as her eyes began to close.
“Shit!” Josh said moving to the sofa, “Here Jess, better give that to me …” He said taking the wine glass from her hands.
“Hey, how about that euchre!” Scott said, clapping his hands and rousing Jessica as she was about to fall to sleep.
He was still holding out hope for some good sex tonight but given all the work she’d done today, plus the wine, he was beginning to resign himself to that not happening. But there was always the chance that she’d perk up if they played euchre.
Jessica forced herself to sit up.
“Hey, what d’ya say to mixing the teams up a little this time?” Scott asked.
“What do you suggest?” Jim asked.
“Why don’t we see who out of Josh and I get the highest card. Whoever gets the highest card, is Jessica’s partner.
“Josh?” Jim asked.
“Sounds fair,” Josh said. So Jim turned a King up for Scott, and then an ace for Josh.
“What are we playing for?” Josh asked as he moved to sit opposite Jessica.
“Fun?” Jessica asked when all three men looked at her for an answer.
“Fun is a given.” Jim said while he shuffled the deck of cards, “But what do you want to bet for?”
“Nothing really,” Jessica said.
“Nothing?” Scott asked.
“I can’t think of anything.”
“Really?” Josh asked, “Nothing at all?”
“I’m sure you can come up with something Jess.” Jim said as he dealt out the cards.
“The only thing I can think of, I don’t think you can give me.”
“Try us … “ Scott said feeling insulted, and his tone reflected it. But when Jessica looked at him, with an expression somewhere between defiance and smugness he had the sudden fear that she was going to ask to go home.
“Okay. I want to go horseback riding … and not just in some tiny corral … real horseback riding.”
The men sat in silence.
Scott’s sense of relief was short lived. While not as devastating as if she’d asked to go home, Jessica’s request definitely topped showering alone in magnitude of difficulty.
Jessica had picked up her hand and was organizing it. She held no expectation that she would get what she wanted so she was surprised when she looked up to see that the men seemed to be seriously considering her request.
“Okay,” Scott said, eyeing Jessica as she took a sip of her wine. They had already gone down a dangerous path that day, letting Jessica help with the chores, giving her alcohol, how would horseback riding make things any worse?
“But if Jim and I win, I want to begin showering with you again.” He may as well get something good out of this. Memories of their earlier sex play in the bathroom brought on an erection that he had a hard time hiding from Jim and Josh. From the way Jessica crossed her legs and smiled he could tell she was remembering as well.
“Okay?”
Jessica nodded. She had little doubt that she and Josh would win the game. She had no intention of losing the opportunity to horseback ride.
“Jim?” Scott asked.
Jim leaned back and observed Jessica. Having always been her partner in the past he’d never had the chance to win anything from her. But he knew what he wanted. To know her better. To know something personal about her.
“If Scott and I win, I want Jessica to tell us a secret.”
“A secret?” Jessica croaked, taken by surprise.
“What kind of secrets can Jessica possibly have?” Scott asked, but as Jessica’s expression went from disbelieving to somewhat concerned he looked at her hard.
“Yes Jessica,” Josh asked also noticing the subtle change in her expression. He too pinned her down with his stare.
Jessica looked back and forth between them, she had no idea what to say.
“Guys,” Jim said shaking his head, “I wasn’t implying that Jessica was keeping something from us. Everyone has something private that they keep to themselves. I want Jessica to share something personal and private. That’s all.”
“I guess your mind is the one part of you I haven’t explored yet,” Scott said in a voice thick with meaning as his eyes held Jessica’s and he rubbed his hand over his lips.
Jessica couldn’t catch her breath. When he looked at her like that she felt like his gaze was physically touching her, stroking her.
“What do you say?” Jim asked.
Jessica cleared her throat as she tried to find her voice.
She took a sip from her wine and took the opportunity to slide her eyes away from Scott, looking for reprieve from the urges that were racing through her. Unfortunately she slid them over to Josh whose expression fanned the flame within her even higher. He was leaning back against the chair, head titled to the right, observing her. Just the way he sat there looking like every fiber of his being was less interested in her mind then her body nearly drove her over the edge. She took a big gulp of wine from her glass, and brought her gaze back to Jim. Though softened by a slight smile on Jim’s lips, his expression wasn’t much different than Scott or Josh’s. Suddenly Jessica’s confidence in winning the game faltered. It wasn’t fair … they were distracting her with these overwhelming feelings of pleasure and yearning. How would she win the game in this state? And somehow, she didn’t know how, the hard muscles that had always been bulging on their arms, chest, legs, became more pronounced. Not frightening Jessica as they had in the past when she knew the unavoidable violence that they would be unleashing on her, but luring her, attracting her. She wanted them. Despite this, and the fact that she really couldn’t think of a secret to divulge to them should she have to, she wasn’t sure she could gamble on having to do so. The silence dragged on … the men watching Jessica, Jessica watching the men, and suddenly she realized that she had stopped breathing. Gulping air, she sat up.
“Are you okay?” Jim asked reaching out for her arm. Jessica nodded as she steadied her breathing.
“So?” Scott asked leaning forward in his seat, elbows on his thighs. His lips curled into a knowing smile. Jessica’s feelings were evident. Josh had leaned toward her also, nodding his head toward her when Scott looked over at him, wanting to be sure he wasn’t the only one picking up Jessica’s signals.
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