and the just past humour had faded totally. Monica stood up.
“Di, clear the table hon will you, and you and I will adjoin to the lounge” she indicated to Steven to bring his drink.
“Not until I know what the fuck you two are talking about”. Steven barely had control of his temper now, and his words were harsh. Monica moved around the table and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Just come with me Steven and use the patience I see you use for other things for this right now” she said softly. Her placating voice and the continued pressure of her hand on his shoulder calmed Steven almost immediately, but Monica still recognized the tinge of venom in his reply.
“Ok, ok, I don’t know which one of you is worse yet”. He was trying to show some humour, somehow trying to recreate the hilarity of a couple of minutes previously but it fell flat, the sarcasm was too thinly veiled and he knew it. “I’m sorry alright, let’s go”.
Monica brought the bottle with her, even though it was almost empty. She emptied it now, sharing the contents between her own and Stevens’ glass. She sat down in the middle of the lounge room floor.
“Bring the other bottle with you Hon” she called out to Di in the kitchen.
Steven sat on the floor without being directed, his legs at right angles to Monicas’, feet nearly touching. Heleaned back onto the chair behind him.
“Sorry Mon, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, but you do have nice legs.”
“Ok already” she said.
As she spoke, she leaned over and cuffed him softly on the shoulder. Her blush was evident but dissipating rapidly, then reinstated again when Di walked in and sat down opposite Steven. She sat cross legged on the floor with her dress stretched across her thighs and made no effort to cover herself, obviously comfortable with being in her own home and with Stevens’ presence as well now he thought. Steven noted the black knickers stretched across her crotch and realized that not only was Diane beautiful but incredibly desirable as well. He was becoming uncomfortable with this situation and the silence and managed to show it by looking everywhere except at Diane.
“You can look all you want Steven, just don’t touch”.
The shock of the words made Stevens’ slightly intoxicated brain begin to swoon – he couldn’t even tell who had said it.
“What, look at, touch what?” The confusion once more in his voice was joined by an almost sheer terror, terror that these two knew exactly what he was thinking and exactly how he wanted to react but couldn’t. Diane said nothing but ran her fingers softly up between her legs. Steven was transfixed, watching her index finger pressing lightly, touching herself through the filmy material of her panties. He realized with a start that he was sitting there wide eyed and that it had been Monica telling him to look only. He tore his eyes away and looked at the amusement in Diane’s face (or was it pleasure he thought). The anger and frustration welled up once more, and he started to get up, his eyes still staring at Dianes face. “I have no idea what you two are up to, but I’ve had enough of your prick teasing and I’m out of here”.
The anger was evident in his voice but the only reaction from either girl was a soft “don’t go” from Monica. He looked at her and realized that since Diane’s arrival back in the lounge room he had not even as much as given her a sideways glance, even though she had been the only one to have actually spoken to him. He recognized even through his anger, that Monica was sincere and also saw this in her face, as well as something else, something he couldn’t quite identify.
“What the fuck are you doing to me?” He tried to sound angry still, but it came out almost pleading. “What do you want, if I don’t start getting straight answers I will Mon, I’ll go and you and I somehow will have to face each other in the morning at work, and it won’t be me that is embarrassed or stressed, it will be you, I just want you two to top playing games and come clean, just what the fuck do you want from me?”
Monica sat looking at him, almost sad, he swiveled his head slightly to look at Diane, and was relieved to see that she had covered herself and was also looking at least a bit concerned. That was it he thought, the look on Mons’ face was one of concern, but for who he thought, for him, or for herself, or for Diane?
“Sit down please Steven and we’ll tell you, well, try to explain it to you anyway, please?” she pleaded.
Diane also now. “Yes, please sit Steven, I’m sorry, Mon keeps telling me I’m such a bitch sometimes, and maybe I went to far.”
“Christ, if I hear one more please I will go” he tried jokingly. “So, what is it you want?” He sat as he spoke and then looked at the pair of them and added, “Are you trying to get to know me before a menage-au-trois or what, aargh… sorry”. He realized it was definitely the wrong thing to say when both girls looked at each other and then at him, plain and utter contempt at his words on their faces. “Look I’m sorry, I said that much earlier and I meant it, I still do, I just want to know what you want. I find you both desirable, Mon you know you perplex me like no woman I have ever met before in my life and you are cute as well and that combination attracts me to you, and Diane, well you are just the most beautiful woman I have ever met and I think you are both extremely lucky to have each other; I’m extremely envious of you both. If this thing that you are trying to do to me has anything to do with sex or sexuality, then it’s my turn to say please, please let’s stop beating around the bush and get on with it. If it doesn’t have anything to do with sex, then just stop teasing me, the pair of you.”
Steven believed for just about the first time in his life, he had spoken deliberately without stray or ambiguous thoughts crossing his mind to interfere. Trouble was, he now sat there looking at the pair of them wandering what the hell he had said. He realized the frustration of the evening had caused him to lose some of his natural mental agility, and now wondered how much more he was likely to lose as a result of events to come.
Diane leaned forward, her right hand holding her skirt hem down between her thighs. She reached out with her left and grabbed the top of Steven’s right shoe and waggled it back and forth.
“I am sorry Steven, I mean it. Mon has told me so much about you, and I’ve been very unfair to you, and very wicked too”. Her eyes sparkled in jest then returned to being serious. Steven saw that her eyes were a darker blue but just for that moment when she had smiled – they had returned to their lighter shade. She glanced quickly at Monica and continued. “You are the first guy that Monica in her whole life has found attractive, but you are such a prick to women she is having a lot of trouble coming to terms with that attraction.”
Steven stared at Diane, he didn’t dare look at Monica. He was still unsure of where this was going now and wasn’t even sure he wanted to know. Diane took his silence and wide eyed stare to mean he was still confused.
“Steven, I think you’re cute too, in fact under other circumstances I could probably be attracted to you as well, but I see the traits that Mon has told me about, the good and the bad, and understand her confusion. And thank you for telling me I’m beautiful” her eyes lightened and sparkled again “but the reason we asked you over tonight has nothing to do with sex, directly anyway. I am bi, you know, I like men as well as woman, but, let’s just say that previous experiences have made me, for the time being anyway, exclusively homosexual. Meeting you has done nothing but reinforce that, but Mon, she is a lesbian, always has been and always will be, up until you dropped into