Fortune Annabel Joseph (life books to read .TXT) 📖

“Um… I don’t… I mean…in what way?”

“In any way.”

Kat thought about gangbangs, group sex, orgies. Then she imagined herself participating in something like that and her mind rebelled. “I don’t know.”

“Well, don’t worry about it right now. If things happen, they happen. If they don’t I won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t even going to bring it up.”

“You were just going to spring it on me?”

“No. There are really no plans at all. Dave and I have never been planners. And like I said, I haven’t seen them in a while. I don’t know if he even still shares her. You’re still pretty new to this so I’m not going to force anything on you that you don’t want.”

“But will you…if I don’t… Will you still sleep with her? Without me?”

Kat’s throat felt tight and her face felt hot as she asked it. This is just more kinky weirdness, she told herself. Like the spanking and the hardware and the shibari. Like the hummus and haricots verts, the twisted stuff she put up with in order to be with him.

He caught her hand again and brought it to his lips. “I won’t sleep with her unless you’re with me. No.”

She let out her breath in relief, hoping he didn’t hear it, hoping he didn’t realize how jealous she felt and how much she really cared.

* * * * *

They had takeout pizza for dinner with their guests, a special treat. Kat liked the pizza she and Ryan made from scratch with whole-grain crust, organic sauce and low-fat cheese, but she’d forgotten how greasy and downright delicious real New York-style pizza was. They’d ordered it because the baby liked pizza. Little Hunter, who was not really a baby anymore but a headstrong toddler of one and a half. He chomped on his cheesy slice with his little toddler teeth and gums while Ryan, Kat, Dave and Sophie chatted and caught up. Conversation came easily. Before an hour passed, Kat’s face ached from laughing at Dave and Ryan’s interplay and their reminiscences about their boyhood craziness. Kat had been prepared not to like Dave, and especially Sophie, but she found them impossibly friendly. As a couple they were completely loved-up and connected, and they were wonderful, doting parents. When Sophie teased Ryan it just seemed fond, not flirty. When Dave talked to Kat she felt at ease.

She found herself, against all odds, thinking seriously about Ryan’s suggestion that they might share a more decadent intimacy. There was no pressure and no expectation, just as he’d promised, but Kat found herself more and more attracted to Dave—and shockingly, Sophie too. Perhaps it was only because Dave was so much like Ryan. Not in appearance—Dave had longer hair and light hazel eyes that were nothing like Ryan’s dark brown ones. No, it was Dave’s secure, caring demeanor, his intelligence and humor that reminded her so much of Ryan. And Sophie was, really, so much like her. Quiet, dark-haired, with a tendency to introspection that Kat recognized in herself.

By the time Sophie left to settle the baby in his portable crib in the bonus room, Kat was nearly to the point of fearing something wouldn’t happen. Ryan passed around beers, another rare treat for a special occasion, although he warned her with a wink that she would only get one. Kat barely drank it. She didn’t care for beer. She just drank a few sips to take the edge off her nerves. Ryan and Dave seemed to be suffering from no such anxiety. They were working together to clear the living room, pushing the furniture to the walls and putting away the few breakable knickknacks. By the time Sophie came back down the men were sparring, facing each other across the cleared space with their legs braced apart. Both men balanced practically on their toes, light stalking menaces as they lunged for each other. They deflected blows so lightning-quick Kat didn’t even notice them until one or the other had repelled it. Sophie returned to sit by Kat on the couch, leaning close to her with a chuckle.

“They’re already at it, huh?”

“Do they do this often?”

“Every time,” Sophie said. “They met in a karate class as kids. They’ve got some weird ‘wax on, wax off’ thing going on.”

Kat erupted in laughter. Ryan looked over, momentarily distracted, and Dave capitalized by taking Ryan down to the floor in some kind of awkward grapple. The men struggled, hissing good-natured insults at each other. Kat had no idea who was winning, although Sophie whooped when the men flipped over in a convulsive explosion of movement. “Get him. Get him!”

“Why don’t you come help me, O faithless one?” Dave gasped. “Instead of sitting there gabbing?”

Sophie laughed and crossed to the men and then Kat’s mouth fell open as Sophie did a move with her leg that flipped Ryan over. He protested indignantly. “Double-teamed! No fair.”

With a wicked grin, Dave rolled away and then Sophie—slight, submissive Sophie—actually put Ryan in a submission hold.

“Totally owned. Owned by my girl,” Dave taunted. “Hell yeah!”

“Oh please,” Ryan gasped, his face reddening from Sophie’s chokehold. “I’m letting her win for a minute so her feelings don’t get hurt.”

“Lies—” Sophie yelled, just before Ryan broke her hold and flipped her over into an entirely different position of submission. Kat snorted, suppressing a laugh.

“Mercy,” yelped Sophie. “Your elbow’s on my hair.”

“‘Your elbow’s on my hair,’” Ryan mimicked in a high-pitched voice, releasing her with pretended disgust. “Girls. Can’t live with ’em, can’t put ’em in an ultimate death hold.”

“You can shove your ultimate death hold where the sun doesn’t shine,” said Sophie, stepping away and combing her straight black hair back to rights with her fingers, all feminine subby again. “We girls will watch from over here while you guys strangle each other, thank you very much.”

The men went back to wrestling while Sophie picked up her beer again. Kat stared at her in awe. “Where did