My Sister's Wife

People wonder what it's like growing up as a twin. I wonder what it's like growing up as a singleton. In fact, I wonder what it's like when both twins are the same sex. Because Cindy and I had each other, I was always comfortable around girls and she was always comfortable around boys. After all the "playing doctor" when we were little and other late-night exchanges when were in our early teens, we each had a pretty good idea about how the other sex's body looked and worked.

As it turned out, Cindy's interest in male bodies was mostly intellectual. She dated boys, early on, but found it frustrating or just annoying. She always had better relationships with her female friends. So, when she confided to me that she thought she was lesbian, it wasn't much of a surprise. I think the idea upset her more than it did me, until she had some time to get used to the idea.

We stayed close through college. Even though we went to school in different states, we weren't too far for weekend visits. Fairly often, she or I would bring a girlfriend along for the weekend. Most of her girlfriends seemed shy around me, and one had a real snarling allergy to men. Laura lasted, though. She was good-looking, in the way that just about every woman in her twenties is, and the two made a great couple. Best of all, Laura got along with me from the start. I wasn't surprised, in fact I was honored to be invited to their wedding, a state or two away where they could legally marry. It made me happy to see them happy.

We kept exchanging visits after she graduated and I went to grad school. Even though Laura was always welcome in my place, I rarely brought anyone when I visited in those days. My program was pretty intense, so I dated only occasionally and casually. Meeting the family can be kind of a big step, not one for any of the relationships I had back then.

After a couple of years, Laura meshed well with the twin closeness between Cindy and me. The three of us spent lots of late nights, drinking too much wine, solving the world's problems and sharing our visions of our futures.

In talking about the future, kids came up more than once. We usually let it go with some glowing (and wildly inaccurate) predictions about parenthood, brushed away with "but that's for later." Over time, though, Cindy and Laura got into those discussions a lot more, and with realistic details like kid-care arrangements, school, and interrupted careers. I just listened. I got the feeling that something more important lay under the surface than either would come out and admit.

I'm wrong a lot. They knew just how serious their discussion of raising children had become, even if I didn't. As a result, one of our late-night talks startled me when Cindy said, "Laura and I want to start a family." She was looking at Laura when she said it. Even though the words were for me, something big and warm passed between them.

After coughing on a half-swallowed gulp of wine, I said, "That's wonderful!" I meant it, too. I imagined that they'd make great parents. "Are you going to adopt?"

"Only if we have to. We'd really like to have children of our own, though."

This raised an obvious problem. I answered noncommittally, trying to prod a little more information out of them "Okay, ..."

Laura sat up at that point with a serious look on her face. "We've looked into sperm banks. They're pretty good about screening donors and matching the donor's appearance to the mother's." She held Cindy's hand at this point. "But that seems so impersonal. I want my baby to be Cindy's, not some stranger's. Your genes are the closest to hers. And you're family."

I set my wine glass down, not quite trusting my hand. "You want me to be the father."

"Yes." Cindy and Laura glanced at each other with a nervous smile, and I saw their hands tighten together.

"I'm honored, really, but ..."

Laura cut me off with fast, nervous chatter. "We know your medical history -- it's as good as any around. You're smart and in good shape, your genes are just fine. And we won't hit you for child support either. This is going to be our family, our responsibility. We just need help with one little thing, Alex, and that's getting a baby started."

I stood up, walked over took her face in my hands, and kissed her forehead. "Laura, and you too Cindy, this is the biggest compliment I've ever had. It's kind of a big thing, though. Can I think about it?"

The look in their faces turned ambiguous, as if they weren't sure whether to be disappointed or not. Laura spoke: "Sure, Alex. Take all the time you need. If you aren't completely comfortable with the idea, we'll find another way."

"Thanks. And what about you, Cindy?"'

She answered warily, "It's your right to say no, of course."

"Fair enough. It's late, and I want to think this through. Goodnight, ladies. Let's talk in the morning."

I retreated to their guest room and closed the door.

We did talk in the morning, and on into the afternoon. I wasn't too concerned about the support issue -- they both had much better incomes than my student stipend, and I believed them when they said I wasn't on the hook for support. Laura was and is one of the most honest people I know, her word was plenty for me, and Cindy wouldn't treat me that badly. My big question was, what would I be toward the child? I couldn't feel right just dumping a semen sample and walking away from the result. They pointed out that I would be an uncle any way, and they'd would love to have me keep up a relationship with the child. It wasn't an easy conversation for any of us, but we all wanted to understand how things would stand between us. Finally I said, "OK. Laura, Cindy, I'll do it, just let me know how you want to go about it."

Cindy piped up, "She'll be at the right part of her cycle in about two weeks. Could you come back then?"

I arrived Friday night, as usual for our weekend visits, with a bottle of wine. Laura greeted me at the door. Like I said, she's a good-looking lady. She and Cindy are well matched physically, but Laura is a bit curvier than Cindy, and a little shorter. Her skin is a half-tone lighter than Cindy's, and her sandy hair is just a bit longer and thicker than Cindy's short, dark shag. Laura offered a warm smile, as always, but with something a little shy and uncertain around the edge. I guess she was thinking about the reason for this weekend's visit, as I was.

I gave her a brief hug, as usual, then held out the bottle of wine. "Where do you want this?"

"It's a white? I'll put it in the fridge." She called upstairs, "Cindy, Alex is here."

"I'll be right down."

Warm scents of Indian spices filled the air, so I follow my nose (and Laura) to the kitchen. She turned to busy herself at the stove, leaving me to admire the way her knee-length skirt swung below that compact, strong hip. The first stirrings of an erection started when I caught myself staring at her butt and thinking about my reason for being here tonight. I shook myself loose from the thoughts and asked, "What can I do?"

"Well, you can start by setting the table."

"I can handle that."

A moment later, I had silverware, napkins, and all the rest set out for three. I looked around to see what I had missed, when Cindy came noisily down the stairs.

"Hi Alex!" She gave me a quick hug and sisterly peck on the cheek. While her lips were close to my ear, she whispered, "Thanks for doing this. It means the world to us."

I don't know who cooked what, but Cindy and Laura put a great meal together. If I had known it would be Indian food, I would have picked a wine with more of a body, but we enjoyed it anyway. When I offered Laura a glass, she thought for a moment, and said, "OK, but this will be the last one for a while." She was really turning her whole self over to the idea of pregnancy.

Dinner finally wound down with little dishes of a cardamom-flavored ice cream. A funny tension built up as we cleared the table, everyone knowing what comes next but not quite sure how to say it. Once the dishwasher was running, they joined me in the living room. I felt my face flush hotly as I said, "Uh, ladies, I'm here to help you with your family. What's your plan?"

Cindy spoke first, saying "Let's go upstairs." That's where their bedroom was, the guest room was on the first floor. We trooped up the stairs. I was behind them, and got to enjoy the sight of the two lovely round bottoms bobbing in front of me.

Once we were in the bedroom, Laura turned away shyly, unzipped her skirt, and started to step out of it. Cindy started unbuttoning her shirt. "You too, get undressed. We'd like you to put your, umm, sample in this." She held out a small glass. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that! This isn't just some gynecological procedure, it's ..."

"It's OK," I answered. "I haven't done this before either. Just let me know how you want to do it."

Laura was undressed and on the bed by this time, unconsciously shielding her breasts with her arm and angling her leg to hide her pubis. I'd seen her in a bathing suit before, but she was so much more beautiful wearing only herself. She looked at Cindy and me with a serious but curious expression.

"Alex," said Cindy, "would you join us on the bed?"

"Sure." I undressed quickly, under Laura's curious gaze. Cindy had told me that Laura didn't have much experience with men, which I took to mean none. Her examination didn't surprise me, especially her frequent glances toward my half-erection, but made me self-conscious. I lay down on the bed, on the side opposite her.

Cindy finished undressing, then told me "Scoot over." That put me closer to Laura, with me between the two of them, trying not to touch too much. I hadn't seen Cindy naked since we lived under our parents' roof. If anything, she looked better than ever with the extra little breadth of a grown woman's shoulder and hip and with a neat pubic patch, a bit larger than I remembered.

Laura reached out with a gentle touch to my shoulder. My erection had been running half to three-quarters all evening in anticipation, and bounced to attention at the touch. Cindy brushed my cheek on the other side and explained. "This first time, I want to put it into her. This is our baby, and I want to feel like I'm involved, too. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so." Clear droplets of pre-come had already started dripping from the tip of my penis.

Laura looked concerned. "Ooh, is that it? Shouldn't we be catching it?" She reached out a fingertip to touch the shining drop, but stopped short.

Cindy had more experience with men, in addition to the 'show and tell' with me when our bodies had started changing as teenagers. "No," she answered, "that's just lubrication. Kind of like when you get excited and wet inside. You'll know when the real thing comes."

I started to stroke my erection -- this wasn't going to take long. Cindy explained what I was doing while Laura watched. Her hand on my shoulder had shifted to my chest, and added a delicious sensation. After a while, my body started to build towards orgasm. Each new wave of tension pulled cords of muscle tight, all through my stomach. Laura touched my cheek then, and turned my face towards her. She stroked me softly while she examined my face, looking for -- well, I'm not sure what. Soon, I was on the edge of eruption. I grunted "here it comes," just as my body arched in orgasm.

That little warning was enough. Cindy held the glass under my spurting erection, and put her hand around mine to guide the white jets. Laura's hand tightened on my cheek. A huge smile came over her face, just as I started to come, and she leaned down for a kiss. It was surprisingly chaste, under the circumstances, just a brush on my lips, but one of the most sensuous kisses I had ever felt.

Waves of tension still wracked me, even after I had finished ejaculating, and the ladies held me until I relaxed. 'Flopped' is probably a better word. I hadn't masturbated in days, wanting to give them as much as I could, so this orgasm took a lot out of me. Cindy held the little glass up to the light and cooed, "Wow, I never realized how much there was."

Laura looked too, then took the glass and sniffed it. I thought she was going to taste it, but she handed it back. Cindy produced a small syringe from somewhere, the kind you use for giving medicine to babies, and filled it from the glass. Then she set it and the glass on the headboard.

A gentle nudge pushed me to the side of the bed, and made room for Cindy between me and Laura. Cindy leaned over and kissed her, nibbled her ear, and whispered things I couldn't make out. She cupped one of Laura's breasts from the side, and held its pale nipple in her mouth. Laura made soft noises in her throat as she stroked Cindy's hair back from her face. I saw Cindy reach down between Laura's legs, and saw Laura open herself to the caress. Cindy's body hid her hand from me so I couldn't make out quite what she was doing. Soon, though, Laura started arching under that caress. Her arm around Cindy's shoulder held tighter, as sleek muscles flexed under milky skin.

Cindy leaned up on one elbow, over Laura, and asked, "Shall we?" Laura smiled and nodded without speaking -- I'm not sure that she trusted her voice through the rasping breath. Cindy reached up to the headboard for the syringe. Then she bent over Laura's pelvis. With both hands in front of her, I couldn't see what she was doing. I imagined one hand opening the petals of Laura's labia, and the other pressing the little tube deep towards her womb.

Laura looked over at me, and reached out with one hand. I reached out to her, too, and held her slim, warm fingers in mine. Still bent over Laura's hips, Cindy looked up at her. One hand reached out to touch Laura's lips. Then there was a small motion. Laura blinked and grasped my hand when it happened, and Cindy said, "It's in."

Cindy turned her attention to removing the syringe and dropping it in the wastebasket next to the bed. While she was doing that, Laura looked at me again, gripped my hand once more, and mouthed "Thank you."

Then Cindy lay down next to her again, and resumed her caresses. After a few minutes, Laura made soft sounds of orgasm. I saw her leg, the one thrown up over Cindy's, tighten and curl, pulling Cindy toward her. Her soft, strong gasping went on and on, until finally I heard, "Enough, just hold, just hold." I had seen lovers of my own reach that point, where almost anything would be too much.

Then Laura relaxed, and Cindy relaxed with her. I heard a whisper of "Cin, cin, cin," and an answer I couldn't quite hear. Even though I had just seen them make love, this post-coital glow seemed even more intimate. For the first time, I felt that I was intruding. I got up quietly, collected my clothes, and headed toward the door. They didn't make any move to stop me. Over her shoulder, though, Cindy said "Thanks, Alex. This means so much to us."

Laura added, "It really does. I don't know how to thank you."

Of course, my erection hadn't subsided my the time I got down to my room. Seeing those two make love would have gotten a statue hard, and I was right there, holding Laura's hand through so much of it. Even though I had come just a half-hour earlier, I'd never get to sleep with that erection. I masturbated again, wiped up, and fell asleep immediately.

Next day, I woke to the light in the window and the sound of rain. I lay for a moment, enjoying the patter of rain and thinking about last night. I wondered if there would be any awkwardness. It would be very disappointing if this strained the relationship that had been so strong for so long. Well, whatever was going to happen had already happened. I got up, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen.

Quiet voices and a clink of coffee mugs told me that breakfast had started without me. As soon as I turned the corner, I waved and said, "Hi ladies."

Laura was closer to me. She stood up as soon as she saw me, nearly tripping on her long bathrobe. She almost skipped over to me, hugged me, and kissed my cheek warmly. Cindy, also in a warm, fuzzy robe, came over as well and hugged Laura and me together. No, no awkwardness there.

The rest of the day went well, despite the rain. They treated me to theater tickets in the afternoon (they understand my grad-student budget), then dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I suggested a gallery opening in the evening, showing paintings by an artist I knew slightly. It was just a happy, easy-going day off. They're always demonstrative, but I couldn't help notice an extra warmth between them as we wandered the city. I felt like their glow encompassed me, too.

We finally got back to the house around ten. I had a publication deadline coming up, and needed to work on it Sunday. Cindy gave me a hug and sisterly kiss goodbye, as always. Laura did too, but I couldn't help notice that Madonna hand-on-belly gesture as I turned to leave.

About two weeks later, the phone rang. I answered, "Hello?"

"Alex? It's me, Laura." Something had taken the brightness off the cheery tone I usually heard in her voice.

"Hi! How are you doing?"

"OK, I guess. My period just started."

"Oh. Well, at least that much works the way it's supposed to We knew it might not take on the first try."

"No," she laughed, "That only happens when you don't want it. Could you come over again?" She named a weekend about two weeks away.

"Sure. I said I'd do whatever it takes."

"You're a doll, you know that? Unless Cindy has something on her calendar, we'll see you then."

I visited again, once the two weeks had passed. The ladies had both had busy days, so we ate Chinese take-out. The beer I brought went well, but I would have brought Tsingtao or Kirin if I had known the menu in advance. I noticed that Laura limited herself to one, even though Cindy and I had two or three each. Soon, the paper cartons were in the trash and I was washing the plastic chopsticks. I was just drying things when Laura came up behind me, gave a big hug, and put her hand on my crotch. That surprised me. Even when she was being inseminated last time, Laura had never really made a real sexual gesture to me before. My half-erection throbbed under her hand.

Cindy leaned against the kitchen door frame. She watched with a wry smile, and asked, "What do you think?" I wasn't sure whether she was addressing me, but Laura answered.

"I think I'm ready, and I know he is." She clutched a little tighter, but well short of causing any real discomfort.

"And you, Alex?"

I answered, "I'm happy to be of service, ma'am."

We trooped upstairs again, and all undressed a lot more quickly than before. Laura's initial shyness was past. I lay down on the bed like before, erection at the ready, and asked "Where's the cup?"

Laura climbed into bed, and Cindy stood behind her. "We're not going to use the cup this time. Move over, will you?" I backed toward the empty space behind me, and Laura moved to the middle of the bed. Cindy crawled in, sandwiching Laura between the two of us.

"Oh?" I knew that Laura had only ever had sex with other women, or with toys.

"No," Laura spoke this time. "I want you to put it in the regular way. This is breeding, so we'll do it like breeders do. You know, the straight way."

"You're sure?"

"I had a GYN exam last week, and the speculum was cold. At least you're warm." She had her hand around my erection at that point, handling it as gently as eggshells, the way my high school girlfriends did their first few times. "Sorry, Alex, this isn't coming out the way I meant. Yes, I want you inside me. You're a really nice guy, I know you'll be gentle with me, and I don't want to take the chance that the syringe causes some kind of problem. We'll do it the way nature intended. Is that OK with you?"

I'd had fantasies about Laura since the first time I met her, but only as much as any other gorgeous woman that I had no chance with. I'd never admit that out loud, though. "Well, sure. Cindy?"