Change is Mandatory

"Okay then, Friday night at Connelly's and let's say six thirty."

"I'll be there. In fact I wouldn't miss this."

"That's better than Nikki's reaction." He kissed her cheek and added, "Thanks for understanding Margo."

"I didn't say I understood, only that I'm eager to meet her and maybe learn more about you two." At the door, Margo turned to him and smiled, kissed him tenderly and told him, "You're okay Jay. A little mixed up, but I still love you. Oh, and if you're smart, you won't mention about me being topless with you out behind that old man's garage."

"But that was a great time."

"Yes it was, but just as it is with Mia, you can't bring back the past."

"Oh, now that was just too slick. See you Friday night love," and Margo left him standing there in the doorway.

His last call was to Tony. Once that was taken care of he could relax and put everything out of his mind, at least until Friday evening. Tony caught it on the second ring. "Hey Jay, what's up?"

"Do you have plans for Friday night?"

"Not unless I go see my sister, what's going on?"

"We're having dinner with Mia."

"Wait...who is we?"

"Nikki and Margo."

"With Mia you said?"

"Yeah, at Connelly's."

"Then I'm there and my sister can wait until Sunday. What's the story behind this development?" Once again, he told his story sharing the same information as he had with the two women. "You didn't take her to bed? Why not, are you losing your touch?"

"It isn't like she's put herself on the shelf until I reappeared. I can't just go in and take her to bed."

"Too bad."

"So you think it would have been okay for me to bed her again."

"Well hell yeah, why not? Both of you are consenting adults you know. It isn't like you had to get permission from Miss Manners or the Pope or whatever the hell."

"I guess you're right. Okay, so six thirty Friday night at Connelly's."

"Okay, see you there." Jay hung up and just shook his head. He had talked to Nikki, Margo and Tony, and had received three different opinions on what his behavior should have been. It was no surprise that Tony was the only one that sided with what he had actually done with Mia.

As the evening progressed, he decided that Margo and Nikki's opinions were more important to him, because he decided that he shouldn't have taken Mia to bed. Even as he decided that, he smiled as he remembered what it was like to be with her again. He also decided he needed to work on his personal life. He was vulnerable was his diagnosis. He was chronically horny because he didn't really have a woman in his life. At least not a significant other. Of course he had Margo and Nikki, but as much as he loved them, that didn't help his love life at all.

Chapter Ten

Jay was a little nervous by the time he was at Connelly's and waiting near the door for the others to arrive. Nikki was first to arrive and kissed his cheek and that helped him to relax a little. "Okay," Nikki said, "I was a little harsh with you the last time and I'm sorry. It's none of my business whether or not you bedded Mia."

"Your thoughts are still important to me though and I'm glad you were honest with me."

She smiled and said, "But you don't agree with me."

He too smiled and said, "I admit that I didn't at first. The way I saw it was I'm single and so is Mia etc. But that doesn't take into account other facts. Things that you and Margo both reminded me of."

It was then that Margo and Tony arrived together, and they were just saying hi when Mia appeared. Jay smiled and his arms went around her as they shared a light kiss. Then as he made the introductions, each of them smiled as they hastily assessed this older woman that had invaded their world and caused so much debate.

Jay realized his arm was around Mia's waist as they went in, so he made it a point to do the same with Nikki, much to her surprise. She looked up at him and he just smiled at her innocently. He didn't want to have to defend himself to his friends later about Mia and he being more than friends, so with his arm around Nikki, that he figured, diffused that situation. He was wrong of course.

Mia was being checked out by Jay's friends and she knew it, but she had expected that to happen and she understood at least to some extent. She knew they were aware of their earlier trysts, but she didn't know the details and she didn't know about them having made love just days ago. She was smiling, but the others would never know that what she was feeling and thinking went well beyond meeting Jay's friends. Mia was on top of the world because Jay had returned to see her again. Forty one year old Mia attracted a young stud in his sexual prime and they had screwed until they couldn't move. Then again a second time. Now, just days ago, he had come back to her and shared her bed again. She knew that Jay had played a part in her holding back from committing herself to her older friend and lover. He was good, but Jay was so very much better and she wondered if she could attract a younger man for a spouse. Not as young as Jay, but maybe a compromise. That's what she really wanted. She liked Jay a lot, but her goal was marriage to a stud that could keep up with her sexual needs and desires.

For Jay's part he sat back and as much as possible watched the others interact and talk about anything other than sex or relationships. It was his idea for all of them to meet Mia and that had happened, but what he didn't consider was he had time to sit there and compare Mia to first Nikki and then Margo. The difference in ages was obvious and significant. Not because Mia looked older, though that too became more apparent, but because of the difference in the way that Mia saw things and responded to different comments. Mia was a smart woman and indeed she was young for her years, but more so in looks than outlooks. In fact, the differences were so remarkable that he reached over and took Nikki's hand and she quickly looked at him while Margo was talking to Mia. Jay gave her a quick smile and just squeezed her hand and then let it go. He couldn't tell Nikki what he was thinking, but he wanted her to know what? He wasn't even sure. He just knew that he needed Nikki to know that he wasn't losing touch with his friends.

Nikki returned the squeeze then so he worked to decipher what signal she was sending him, but he just couldn't figure it out. It was just nice to know that she was okay with being there and she wasn't mad at him for anything.

As they left the restaurant later, they stood outside and said their goodbyes and glad to meet you. Nothing was said about repeating the event and Jay didn't see any reason to do that either.

Jay was more than a mile away from the restaurant when he realized that Nikki hadn't turned to go to her apartment, but was instead following him home. His thought was, 'oh shit, she's got something on her mind.' The evening was still young, so if they could talk calmly over wine and act like adults, then that would be okay. He just didn't feel like arguing or getting into deep discussions about morals. He could have kissed her when she got out of her car smiling at him. Now he could relax and maybe they could enjoy each other's company.

He waited until she joined him and she asked him, "Surprised?"

"Very, but this is great. Does wine sound good?"

"Not too much, but yes it does."

"I just happen to have a few splits, so I we're set. I'm not in trouble again am I?"

"You're not in trouble, but you must have a guilty conscience."

"Not at all, but you have to admit this is very unusual."

"I suppose it is unusual, but so what?" He didn't have an answer for that.

Nikki followed him to his little kitchen and watched as he retrieved two splits of Blue Nun wine. "Great, I really like this."

"It's a good Reisling."

Chapter Eleven

Nikki led the way to the living room and sat at the end of the couch and he sat across from her on the loveseat.

"Jay, are you and Mia getting serious about each other?"

"Hell no, of course not, now why would you ask that?"

"Because you're sitting clear over there."

"Well, I didn't want you to think...I mean I didn't want to give you the impression...I'll just move over there."

"Here, sit at the end okay? I think that's kind of a guy thing," she lied. He dropped down and then she sat next to him and said, "That's much better, now we can talk better."

"Are we going to talk about Mia and, or the dinner tonight?"

"Not exactly, unless there's something you feel the need to say?"

"Well, what did you think of her?"

"Just like you said, very nice and very attractive. I agree with your tastes and your assessment of her completely except for one thing. She is forty four and she doesn't look a lot younger than that. She looks good to be sure, but not that good."

"You know, for the most part I have to agree with you now. I saw her in a different way tonight for some reason. I still think she looks young for her age, but not as young as I had in my mind."

"Okay, question. Why were you so quiet through dinner?"

"Well, I wanted the three of you to meet her and I figured that I'd keep quiet and let all of you talk. Besides, I was trying to analyze just what I felt and thought about Mia. I'm a little confused in case you didn't notice. Maybe some of what influenced me was the way she would come on to me."

"Maybe that has something to do with it. That and maybe...I mean I don't know of course, but maybe you're a little sexually frustrated or deprived."

"Thanks, I feel so much more manly now."

"Oh don't take it so hard. We all get that one once in awhile, but I think men get that way more than women. Okay I have another question. Let's make that more questions...plural. What made you put your arm around me when we went into the restaurant?"

"I take it you'd rather I didn't do that."

"Don't jump to conclusions. You aren't in the habit of doing that, so I can't help but be curious."

"Well to be truthful, I had my other arm around Mia."

"Yes, I noticed that."

"Okay, I didn't realize I was doing that until it was too late. I was afraid that you and the others would make too much out of that."

"So you put your arm around me just so nobody would draw the wrong conclusions."

"That's right."

"That's not very flattering to me, you know. You were using me to throw everybody off of the scent so to speak."

"Well damn, I can't win. Now had I said I had my arm around you because you looked so great and so tempting that I just couldn't resist you, I'd be in trouble because we're all friends and have always avoided that complication."

"Well which is the truth?"

"The first one is the truth, but I want to add that I didn't mind having my arm around you."

"You didn't mind. So had I been your sister it would have meant about the same."

"I didn't say that. Why are you working so hard to start an argument?"

"I'm not, I'm just seeking the truth."

"I gave you the truth and that upset you."

"What about holding my hand and squeezing it? I suppose that was just for show as well and meant nothing to you."

"You even squeezed my hand in return."

"Okay, but you didn't answer my question."

"I squeezed your hand because I wanted to. I was trying to tell you that I was so glad that you were there."

"That's all?"

"Well...what else would it mean?"

"I don't know."

"Then why did you squeeze mine in return?"

"Because I wanted to. Because I thought that gesture was sweet and I was telling you thank you."

"Where is all of this leading us?"

"That was where I was heading. I had another question for you. Are you trying to start something between you and me?"

Jay was getting lost and confused. "Why would I do that?"

"My god Jay, that's about the worst thing you could have said."

"What I said is a good question is what it is. You and I have known each other for twenty some years, along with Margo and Tony. Why all at once do you think I'm hitting on you just because I put my arm around you and squeezed your hand? That's pretty thin reasoning."

"Well I can't help it, all of that was so new that I had to ask that question."

"Do you feel safer now that you know I'm not hitting on you?"

She stopped then and waited a second before she said, "I always feel safe with you and the others. I feel safe and loved and comfortable. Okay so maybe I was overreacting a little."

"I wonder what set that off after all this time?"

"That's my point. After all this time and now those things happened."

"Wait, I just remembered something. When I was telling my story, you put your head on my leg and watched me. Plus I had my hand resting on your belly, do you suppose any of that contributed to this?"

"No of course not. I told you then that I liked it and I felt so loved and comfortable, just like I said a minute ago and that's all. You said you enjoyed that."

"I really did. You looked so nice and so serene lying there. Wait. Lie on the couch with your head on my thigh like you did that night."

She changed her position and then his arm went around and his hand landed onto her belly. "I wanted to see what I missed that night." Her top had pulled up enough that most of his hand was on her warm belly, but neither of them commented on that minor detail. He looked down at her and asked, "Was it sort of like this?"

"Pretty much. Okay, while we're like this, can you think of an old story that you could tell me. Maybe a short one."

Had she been paying closer attention, she would have noticed that his smile had a devilish quality to it as he began his tale. "Do you remember when we were about ten and that Mrs. Dominic that lived in that little white house behind me?"

"I haven't thought of her in years, but I sort of remember her. What about her?"

"Do you remember the Carpenters that lived on the corner?"

"Sure, I used to play with Tracy, their daughter."

"That's the ones. Well, one day when I was playing in the yard, Mr. Carpenter came down the little alley between your house and mine and went toward Mrs. Dominic's and he was carrying a tiny cluster of flowers. That got my curiosity going so I followed him. I didn't know about sex or any of that at that point, so I had no preconceived ideas. I do remember Mom and Dad talking about Mrs. Carpenter being such a sour pussed prude and she never smiled, but that's all I remember about her. Her grumpy face and she was always looking straight ahead. Anyway, Nathan Carpenter went down that alley and right to Mrs. Dominic's house, handed her the flowers and she quickly looked around to see if they had been seen and then pulled him inside and closed the door.

She was looking up at him with a hint of a smile as she asked, "Are you sure you remember this correctly?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay, so what about all of that, what happened?"

"Well, I went around to the side of the house and that turned out to be her bedroom."

"My god Jay, you were peeping."

"That's right, but at that time and at the age of ten I don't think I would have been sent to jail or to a shrink. I wanted to see why Mr. Carpenter was going to see a neighbor woman when he was already married. Well I got an education for my efforts."

She was smiling up at him now as she imagined him stretching to see over the window sill. "Jay you were being so bad."

"To me, I was being so curious and inquisitive. I didn't realize that I was going to get a visual lesson in procreating."

Again she smiled as she told him, "Thank you for using that word. Sorry, keep going."

"Um...Nikki, I'll do my best to keep it as clean as I can. I watched tall Mr. Carpenter undress the shorter and heavier Mrs. Dominic and she did all she could to make it easy for him."

"Wasn't Mrs. Dominic quite a bit older than he was?"

"Yeah, but I don't know by how much. Anyway, before they got into bed he had his hands all over her and then he...he knelt down in front of her. I guess I'll let you fill in the blanks."

'It's okay, tell me."

"Okay. He went between her legs and ate her until I thought she would be sick, because I heard what were to me at the time, some weird sounds coming from her. She stopped him and undressed him and that's the first time I ever saw an erect adult...penis." Nikki was smiling and no longer interrupting him now as he went on. "Well they screwed, Nikki. Him on top, her on top and him behind her, and then some...I don't remember exactly, but one of the side positions. I really didn't care because in the process, I saw her pus...between her legs and I saw her big pendulous breasts as he buried his face in them. They kissed and to me at the time, it looked like they were trying to swallow each other.

Nikki chuckled at that one but she waited for him to continue. "Nikki...It made me so...well erect that it scared me. I mean I'd had that happen a couple of times before, but this time I didn't think it would ever go away and that scared me until I remembered listening to some of the older boys talking about their cocks...sorry. Well you know."

"That's okay Jay, I know about cocks, but thank you."

"Well I didn't wait for them to dress. I slipped back to the alley and raced home and hid until I was soft again. I was so relieved when that happened, but I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd seen for a couple of days."

"So you really did get an education."

"Oh yes I really did."

"Jay, the reason I wanted you to tell me a story was I wanted to see if you'd caress me again."

He looked down at her hand and her top was pushed up enough that his whole hand was on her belly and even under her top slightly. His first instinct was to jerk it away, but instead, he looked at her and said, "I'm sorry Nikki, why didn't you stop me?"

"It feels good and I wanted to see if you'd realize what you were doing. I didn't put my hand on yours to stop you because I didn't want to draw your attention to it. Jay, it's just my belly. You don't try to move up to my breasts or whatever, so it's just a sweet gesture, just like I said the last time." She didn't move as she smiled up at him and asked, "Now you didn't make that up about Mrs. Dominic did you?"

"I promise I did not. It turned out that she entertained more than one husband in the neighborhood."

"She didn't."

"She did, and I never could understand why. She wasn't great looking and she was overweight."

"She was also willing and I'd even guess pretty good in bed. That was very dangerous for her to do that right in her own neighborhood, but I guess she got away with it."

"I guess she did."

"Okay Jay, now why did you choose that story to tell me?"

"That was what popped into my mind first. That and I considered making up a story, but I liked the idea of one from your childhood better. Besides, I thought that had a touch of romance, a touch of sex and deception and it was short. Not enough to be included in a book of short stories, but not too bad."

She put her hand on his and felt it press against her belly as she looked up at him. Then she pushed his hand away and sat up.

"Okay Nikki so you've proved that I do caress your belly, so does that mean you won't put your head on my thigh again?"

"Of course not, I told you I liked that, and I liked it this time as well. I'll bet Margo would like it too."

"Okay, tomorrow night, while Tony tells his story, I'll ask her to be with me."

"She'll ask questions at the least."

"Maybe I can tell her I'm conducting some research."

"Or you could tell her the truth."

"Maybe that would be the better option."

"Just don't get any wild ideas and do anything funny."

"Funny how?"

"You know, move your hands almost to where they shouldn't be and pretend you're not aware of what you're doing."

"Very funny, had I had that idea it would have happened to you minutes ago."