[Fiction] A Bundle of Trials

[interesting]

Paola's never been to our place. There's never been any reason to invite her. While we're coming in, I rush to make sure the door to the play room is closed. Somehow, I don't need her to accidentally see the tools we have in there. I'm really nervous and I'm wondering how Claire is keeping her cool.

"So this is your little love nest," Paola says to us.
"Yep... been here for three years now, ever since we left high school," Claire takes charge of answering.
"It's nice. Love the decor."

We have pictures of each other all over the place, and a few of our friends too. Some are a bit racy but none are indecent. I have a few plants which I always forget to take care of. There's also a picture of my childhood cat. Paola peruses through them while Claire goes to the fridge and takes out a bottle of wine already opened. She pours the both of us a glass.

"Want one?" she asks Paola.
"Sure. But just one. I have to drive home later."
"Of course."

I retrieve the flash disk where the video is and return to the living room. Paola sits in our loveseat. I sit beside her and hand the flash disk to Claire. She wields it in front of Paola's eyes.

"Are you certain you want to see it?"
"No... but I'm here. Have you seen it?"
"I have," I reply. "I... needed to know what was on it."
"And you?" she asks Claire.
"Out of respect for you, no, not fully. Only saw the beginning where you still have clothes on."

Now Paola's blushing again. Claire pops the flash disk into the large screen television. I'm not sure what resolution is going to come out of it, given the quality of the spycam I used. She turns on the television and switches to the proper feed, where she starts loading the video. Paola's eyes widen as she spots the dimly lit office where she works on the screen. I think she wasn't certain she believed us until now. Claire forwards the feed up to the point where she enters her office and Kennedy follows her in. Claire presses pause.

"So... we weren't kidding, as you can see."
"Yeah. uh..."

Paola is uneasy. I chime in.

"I can see this is making you uncomfortable... we'll just delete it."
"Maybe you... no..."

Paola is confused. She gulps down her glass of wine. I want to tell her we should abort.

"I'm gonna need more wine," she tells us.
"Are you certain?" I ask.

Claire is back in the kitchen and returns with the bottle, filling up Paola's glass. She takes another long sip, and Claire fills it back again.

"Thanks."
"So you're certain you want to watch it?" I insist.
"Yes. Let's just do it and it will be done."
"Okay."

So Claire presses play. And then, things get really weird and awkward in the room. We are watching Paola and Kennedy have sex in her office. Paola is staring at the screen. Her wine glass is empty within two minutes of the streaming, and Claire finishes the bottle in her glass. There's sound too, so we're treated to the full vocal experience of Paola and her partner. My panties are soaking wet. I'm not even looking at the screen. I can't tear my eyes away from Paola or Claire. My girlfriend is gently kneading her breasts. Paola's hand is subsconsciously caressing along her thighs.

"My god..." I hear her whimper when she watches herself climax on her desk.

Her wine glass is empty again and I can tell she's tipsy. I want to lean in, kiss her, take advantage of that mood, of her... but my body is frozen.

Suddenly, Paola tells us to stop the tape, and Claire is on it like a hawk. It's about fitteen minutes in, and if I remember correctly, Kennedy is about to get his fun out of her. Paola, in the room with us, not on the screen, is breathing heavily. Even though she doesn't have anything restraining her neck, she seems to have a hard time taking in air. I move closer, less aroused, more concerned.

"Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry... I think I'm having a panic attack."
"Lie down."

I pull her down on the love seat, moving off it to give her the space. Claire is back within moments with a wet towel.

"You drank your wine too fast," I tell her.
"Maybe."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah... better."

She is calming down. My heart is still racing. There's so much that can go wrong tonight with all these chances we're taking. She's calmer now, breathing more regularly. I caress her forehead with the damp cloth. I move it away and plant a kiss on her forehead, then return to rubbing it with the cloth.

All of a sudden, there'a ring at the door. I hear Claire move about and I remember about Lavandra. It has to be her. What is Claire thinking asking her to join us on this night?

Paola is calmer now, and she's staring at me with a quiet smile. I want to kiss her. Desperately. Her lips are so inviting, she's tipsy, she would probably respond well to it, even if it lead nowhere else after. I'm biting my lower lip, holding it back.

"What's wrong?" Paola asks me.
"You're... so pretty. I'm sorry."

She smiles.

"Don't apologize for finding me pretty. That's a compliment coming from someone who likes girls, right?"
"Right."

Suddenly, my mind becomes clearer.

"Paola... can I kiss you?"
"Kiss me?"
"Yes. On the lips."

She marks a pause.

"Okay."

I lean in and lock lips. It's a chaste kiss, lip on lip, but it feels amazing. She's my boss. And mMy girlfriend is welcoming our other guest. I'm so confused right now. I pull back.

"You're a good kisser," I tell her.
"So are you..."

It has to be the wine. I'm not going to push my luck any further. In any case, I hear the footsteps coming in. I help Paola sit back up so we can greet the newcomer. It is Lavandra. My heart skips another beat, like yesterday. She is as gorgeous as in the nightclub. Her red hair towers over her face, a stern gaze in her eyes. She's wearing a one-piece dark blue dress open on each leg, matching stilettos, and a neck line that's almost too indecent to mention.

"Hello," I say.

Claire picks up the conversation.

"Cassie. You remember Leya, right?"
"Of course."

Her real name or the name she's going with tonight? Not that it matters.

"I'm sorry," Leya says, "I didn't know you had company or I would have called ahead."
"It's all right," Paola says, "I'm..."

As she tries to stand, she almost topples over. I'm there to catch her.

"...not going anywhere, apparently."

Her words cause giggles across the room.

"What brings you here?" Claire asks her.
"Well, I was actually hoping you two were available tonight, since I wasn't busy and in the neighborhood but... I see you were already involved in something."

She points to the television screen. The image is still frozen. We see Kennedy's backside as he's putting it inside Paola whose face, thanks to the angle, is not shown. I freak out and turn off the television screen. Suddenly, Claire bursts out in laughter, and Paola emulates her. Pretty soon, I'm laughing too, and only Leya seems lost.

"It's a complicated story," I tell her.
"Well, I have no plans... Should I go?" Leya asks us.
"No, you can stay... if it's all right with you, Paola?"
"Sure. No problem."

We have a relaxed atmosphere, everyone seems to be in good spirits. This is really nice. We shuffle about so everyone can sit down. Claire rushes to the pantry to open another bottle and she starts pouring. When I see Paola offering her glass for another refill, I have to step in.

"Paola, there's no way we can let you drive home if you keep drinking like this..."
"That's fine," she tells us. "I'm having a blast. Besides, I see you have a spare bedroom?"

I have to prevent myself from laughing. She would probably be mortified if she knew what was in that spare bedroom. Claire says nothing so I remain quiet too. Leya chimes into the conversation.

"So what's going on?"

I'm going to answer but Paola, whose inhibitions are now greatly lowered, spills the beans, and she tells most of it to Leya. Her husband's infindelity, their upcoming divorce, the situation with the kids... then, she moves on to her affair with Kennedy, how she tried to break it up, the almost-blackmail and how he finally let her go today, so she's celebrating the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Leya is too smart not to add up the equation.

"So that's me... on the television..." Paola finally admits.
"And you were watching it together?"
"I know!" Paola replies. "Crazy, huh!"
"Not so much," Leya says.

She suddenly seems to ponder all that's been said.

"Kennedy... Ken!"
"What?"
"I met him..."

Suddenly, Paola is exremely interested.

"Really? Where?"
"At this bar I go to... The Caress..."
"Never heard of it."
"It's for pick-ups," Leya admits.
"Oh!"
"Yeah, he's there every night of the week..."
"What? Picking up women?"
"Absolutely..."
"Oh my god that cheating bastard!"

With the alcohol helping, Paola is suddenly coming to grips with all the manipulation she's been under. She doesn't seem sad or angry about it, though. It looks more like a revelation that opens her eyes to things she couldn't articulate before.

"I'm sorry to say... I was with him last week. Didn't know he was stringing someone along," Leya admits.
"When?"
"Wednesday?"
"Shit!" Paola exclaims. "That's the same night as..."
"I'm so sorry," Leya says.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. You didn't know. God! Are all men pigs?"

I am doing my best ot stay quiet and not intrude. Paola is letting all this new information sink in and, in her inebriated state, it makes the processing and acceptance of the facts presented easier. I should feel bad for manipulating her as well, but aren't all relationships a form of manipulation? We are being sincere, as sincere as we can be, I feel. But how does that make us any different than Kennedy, in this case? The silence lingers on.

"So," Leya cuts back in, "it's good you're moving on."
"Thanks..."

Now, things are stalling. Claire chimes in to move the conversation along.

"So... what did you have in mind coming here?" Claire asks Leya.
"Well, to be honest... can I say it in front of her?"

She's looking at me. I need to answer. Paola's still paying attention to everything right now.

"Yeah," I reply. "I... have no secrets from Paola. I hope."
"Secrets?" Paola whispers. "Oooh..."
"Well," Leya continues, "I was hoping for some play..."
"Some play?" Paola chimes in.

She is getting very comfortable in this setting I find, and it's quite a turn-on, to be honest.

"Does she know about you two?" Leya asks us.
"Know what specifically?" I reply.
"No, she doesn't," Claire answers on our behalf. "Perhaps... we should tell her, just so she knows what we're talking about."

And then Claire looks at me and I realize, I'm going to be the one to explain it. And I have no idea where to start!