The Ski Lodge: First Night

"Well, that's what I think, anyway," she said, her voice still bearing a trace of the recent hysteria.

"Yes – I think you're right," responded Mary, solemnly, controlling, with an effort, the temptation to burst out laughing again.

"No – you are right, Janet," she went on. "It's my body – I control who touches it – and, whatever! Mind you, when I'm with Billy, I think it controls me!"

She looked up at the other girl. Janet was watching her with a curious intensity and, again, Mary felt a thrill course through her – a thrill she had previously experienced only when a man looked at her in that way. She wanted to sit up – she felt, somehow, vulnerable and exposed, lying on her back under the other girl's unblinking gaze – but her body was reacting to the expression on Janet's face and, somehow, she didn't want to break the spell…

Dimly, Mary became aware of an unfamiliar sound – tinny, musical – then Janet muttered a low curse and jumped to her feet. She rushed into the kitchen, and Mary heard the sound of her voice, answering the telephone call. As Mary got to her feet, too, she staggered a little, and realised that the wine she had drunk had had more effect than she had been aware of.

"That was Pete," said Janet, appearing in the kitchen doorway, clutching the now silent mobile in her hand. As she spoke, she crossed the room briskly and peered out into the evening. The sky was full of falling snowflakes.

"They're stuck in the town," Janet went on. "The mountain road's closed till the morning, when they can get the snowplough out. They're going to have to spend the night in your hotel room."

Mary couldn't gauge her reaction to the news. In one way, she welcomed the chance to have a long, uninterrupted evening with Janet – but, in another ....

But Janet had something else on her mind. "Pete obviously found a bottle of Highland Park," she remarked, drily.

"Oh," said Mary. "Oh, well – if they're stuck down there ... "

"Mmmm," said Janet, reflectively. "Aye – he had quite a lot to say ... "

Then she metaphorically shook herself and said – "Look, we'd better get ourselves something to eat, before we put away any more of that wine!"

Mary was slightly disappointed that what had been going on before the phone call seemed to have been dismissed from Janet's mind, but recognised the wisdom of having something to eat.

"I'll come and help," she said, following the other girl into the kitchen – and inadvertently admiring the shape of her bottom in the tight jeans.

They started preparing the vegetables, side by side, in silence, then Janet said – "Pete's asked Charlie to move your stuff up here tomorrow – he wants you to stay with us for the rest of the week."

"Oh, Janet, I'm sorry!" cried Mary, stricken with embarrassment. "We can't do that!"

"No – no," rejoined Janet. "It's not that – I was going to ask you, anyway. Although I was going to get Pete's OK, first!" Mary sensed that Janet was annoyed that she hadn't been consulted – come to that, Charlie hadn't thought of clearing it with her first, either!

"No," Janet continued, her voice softening. She turned to look at Mary. "You know I'll love having you around for the rest of the week." She was looking into Mary's eyes. Mary flushed, and nodded. "Me, too," she whispered.

Impulsively, Janet hugged her. It was a friendly gesture, no more, but Mary luxuriated in the feel of Janet's breasts pressed against her own. She wanted to return the hug – to hold Janet tighter – but she had a knife in one hand and a potato in the other, and thought better of it.

Janet released her, with a final squeeze, and turned back to the worktop.

"They've been talking – the two of them," she went on, as her fingers flew and the pile of sliced tomato grew. "I think they've found out what they have in common, too!"

"Oh," said Mary, her cheeks flaming at the thought of Charlie telling Pete about – well ……

"I think they're hatching plans ... ", Janet left her words hanging in the air.

"Oh," Mary said, again, confused and unsure. This was all happening too quickly. First, the strange, magnetic attraction she felt every time her eyes lit on the tall Scottish girl at her side – and, now, the thought that Charlie might be planning – well, what? Wife-swapping?

Janet suddenly flung down her knife.

"Oh, I can't be bothered with all this," she said. "There's a frozen lasagne in the freezer – let's microwave it, and have another drink while we talk about this. You know what's on their minds, don't you?"

She flung this over her shoulder as she strode through to the freezer. Without waiting for a reply, she returned and slid a huge lasagne in to the microwave, quickly punching the buttons. The light came on and the microwave hummed into life.

"You know what they're thinking, Mary?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Well, how do you feel about that?"

"Well," Mary tried to answer honestly. "To be honest, Janet – on a sexual level, I might actually enjoy it. I know he's your husband, but – well – Pete's rather nice, and, if we all got on as well as we have, so far – well, it could be pretty – exciting! Don't you think so? Don't you enjoy your 'bedtime talks' with Pete – imagining other men, and situations, and – things?"

Janet looked at her in surprise.

"So – you're all for it, then?" she said, opening a fresh bottle of wine, and carrying it back through to the living area.

"I didn't say that," answered Mary, quietly, "but, on a sexual plane, the idea – excites me."

She didn't mention that, for her, part of the excitement would be watching Charlie undress Janet and ...

"But," she carried on, "I would want it to be as much our decision as theirs. And it will be – it can't happen unless we want it to happen. All I'm saying is that – I might want it to happen. How about you?"

Janet chewed her bottom lip, then grinned, mischievously.

"Aye – I might, too!" she responded. "But if it happens – it'll happen when we want it to – both of us – and not before! God, they've got a bloody cheek – the pair of them!"

"Yes, they have," Mary agreed. But, already, her mind was racing ahead, picturing possible scenarios, and her breathing quickened. She took the glass Janet offered her, and sank into her chair again.

"So," said Janet, sitting opposite her, "it looks like Charlie's overcome his reluctance for you to go 'all the way' with another man, then? I mean – they must have more than a bit of 'heavy petting' on their dirty little minds, then!"

Mary laughed, nervously, and took a long sip from her glass. How would she actually feel when – if – the time came when she opened her legs to receive another man's cock? What was Pete's cock like – what if it was a lot bigger than Charlie's? She realised that she could always ask Janet. The thought made her giggle – she would have to have something to eat, soon!

The phone rang, again. Janet had brought it through with her. She picked it up, punched a button, and said "Hello." An expression of surprise flitted across her face.

"Oh, hi," she went on, then listened, her eyes widening – her mind, to the watching Mary, obviously racing. Janet glanced over at Mary, then away again.

"Yeah, well, look, Howie," she said, at last. "It's – well, just give me a second to think." She held the phone against her breast, her eyes turned up to the ceiling. Mary had forgotten about the invitation to Howie, as well, but, if she had thought, would have assumed that Pete would have put him off, too.

Janet put the phone to her mouth again. "No, that'll be fine, Howie. We'll see you in about half an hour – oh, by the way, I'm afraid it's just going to be frozen lasagne out of the microwave – is that OK?" "Fine – we'll see you then." She punched a button and pushed out a deep breath.

"Well!" she said. "We've got company for dinner, after all. That was Howie – asking if he could bring Paul along – remember? – the Australian guy who dropped by just after lunch?"

Mary did remember him – a tall, quiet man – probably in his early forties, like Howie.

"But – didn't Pete tell Howie about ...?"

"Apparently not," said Janet. "It must have slipped his mind – what with the excitement of getting a bottle of Highland Park this far from civilisation! Well, that's up to him ..."

Her mild irritation at her husband was clearly re-surfacing.

"Oh," she went on, "and Howie – and Paul – are leaving later tonight. They have to help out for the rest of the month at another ski-run about sixty miles away, so we won't be seeing Howie again."

"Oh, that's a pity," said Mary, her disappointment genuine. She had been looking forward to Howie's help in her first faltering attempts at skiing.

"Yes, I thought you'd be sorry to hear that," grinned Janet, a mischievous smiile lifting the corners of her mouth, which had turned down when she had been speaking about Pete, earlier.

"Anyway," Janet said, briskly, "we've got half an hour to make ourselves presentable – I don't know about you, but I need a shower!" .................................................

"Well, that was great, girls," said Howie, putting his knife and fork back on his empty plate and draining his glass.

"Yes – terrific," echoed Paul. "Thanks a lot! It was a lovely meal."

"Our pleasure," smiled Janet, warmly. "I'm just glad there was enough to go round."

Privately, Mary reflected that there had only been enough to go round because the two girls had restricted themselves to small helpings, but the men had brought two bottles of wine each and had both been delightful dinner-table companions. They each had a fund of stories about their adventures on the slopes, and there had been a lot of laughter during the meal.

Janet had been in particularly good form, weighing in with some good tales of her own about her student days, back-packing in America, and making sure everyone's glass was kept topped up. Mary had noticed that, several times, she had looked directly in Paul's eyes when she was laughing, and, once or twice, had placed her hand over his when talking to him. Mary, herself, had felt more than a little drawn to the laconic Howie and had flushed when she caught him quietly regarding her, with a smile, when one of the others was talking.

Janet cleared the plates away, then lifted the bottle once again and emptied it into the glasses. She shook it, to clear away the last drops, then sat down, still clutching it.

Conversation had momentarily ceased and the others watched as Janet placed the bottle on its side in the middle of the empty table and twirled it. They watched as it spun round, slowly, then stopped, the mouth pointing at Paul.

"Spin the bottle," said Janet, dreamily. "Did you ever play that? When you were kids? Question, truth or dare?"

"Yeah," said Howie, with a slow smile, and Paul nodded his head. "It must be one of those 'international' games," he said. Mary looked at Janet's expression, and her insides tightened. Something was going on in her friend's mind ......

"So, Paul," said Janet, quietly. "It looks like you're 'it'. What do you want – question, truth or dare? You get one refusal – only one, mind."

Paul raised his eyes and looked at her. He took a sip from his glass.

"OK. Try me with a question," he said.

"OK," said Janet, her tongue running round her lips. "You are married, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"So – have you ever cheated on your wife?"

Paul laughed. "That's two questions – it's my turn, now!"

Janet opened her mouth to protest, then laughed, too, as Paul seized the bottle and spun it. They were quiet as the bottle whirled round, then rested, facing Janet. Paul smiled. "Question?" he asked, and Janet nodded.

"So, Janet – have you ever cheated on your husband?" he asked.

"Not – as such," replied the girl, her face a little flushed, but meeting Paul's stare boldly.

"Oh, I don't think that's a good enough answer, Janet." Paul appealed to the others.

"No, that won't do, Janet," said Howie. He looked at Mary for support. Mary took another drink to fortify herself. She was unsure about where this was leading, but she could feel an excitement building up in her. She nodded her head.

"I agree – you've got to explain – more."

"OK," said Janet. "I did let a guy go further than he should have done one New Year, but – he didn't actually – make love to me."

"But not far short of it?" pressed Paul.

"Not very," agreed Janet, "but that's all I'm saying!"

"Lucky guy!" said Paul, and his eyes raked over her upper body in frank admiration. Janet's thin yellow t-shirt was fairly tight and the firm mounds of her breasts were clearly visible. She reached forward and twisted the bottle.

Mary felt her tension rise as it slowed, then stopped – but it was pointing at Howie.

"Question, please," he said, his eyes amused.

Janet looked at him and, once again, her pink tongue moistened her lips.

"Right," she said. "Did you enjoy feeling Mary's breasts when you picked her up today?"

To Janet's delight, Howie's face reddened, and she laughed. Mary felt her own face begin to burn, and hid it behind her glass. Howie blew out his cheeks, then grinned and said – "Well, of course I did! It's a perk of the job!"

He wouldn't look at Mary, though, and, to forestall more questions, he twirled the bottle and they watched as it came to rest, facing Mary. Howie lifted an eyebrow, questioningly, and, on an impulse, Mary said – "I'll take truth."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Howie asked Janet.

"She has to tell the true story of something that's happened to her," replied Janet, then added – "shall I ask Mary this one? I know more about her than you do."

Mary's heart sank, and Howie nodded. The evening had taken an entirely unexpected turn. He had not been disappointed to learn that Pete and Charlie were snowed up, leaving the two wives to entertain him and Paul, but he hadn't expected anything more than a pleasant meal and conversation. This situation was beginning to look – well, promising, at least.

"OK," said Janet. "Tell us about the night on the beach, Mary."

Mary turned fiery red, and shook her head.

"Is that a refusal?" asked Janet. "Remember – you only get one, and we get to choose the next one – question ..." she hesitated "... or dare!"

Having some idea of what Janet might come up with, next, Mary took a deep breath.

"We were at a beach barbecue," she started, in a low voice, her eyes fixed on the motionless bottle in the middle of the table. "There was a bit of – horseplay – and a friend called Billy chased me into some trees and started kissing me. I kissed him back and – and, then, he touched my breasts and, after a while, well, he took off my top and began kissing me – there."

She stopped, and raised her eyes. Her audience was rapt with attention and, although she didn't know it, each of the men was experiencing the beginning of an erection – and was glad of the table to hide it under.

"Go on," insisted Janet. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes," Mary almost whispered. "Then he began to touch me – down below. He put his hand inside my shorts and … and my panties and stroked me until … until ..." her voice trailed away.

"... until you came!" Janet finished for her, and Mary agreed – "Yes." She spoke softly, her voice trembling.

There was a short silence, then Paul said "Wow!"

Janet leaned across the table and covered Mary's hand with hers, squeezing it.

"Well done!" she said. "Right – it's your turn, now." Mary looked up and met the men's eyes. She could see that they both had a mental picture of that night on the beach and, suddenly, seeing the expressions on their faces, her spirits lifted and she chuckled as she gave the bottle a vigorous spin.

She hoped it would point at Janet, but it settled on Paul.

"Question," he said.

"Oh, no," put in Janet. "It's got to be truth or dare, now – you've had your question already."

"OK," replied Paul. "Truth." Mary thought for a second, then said – "OK, tell us about the last time you were unfaithful to your wife!"

A slow reminiscent smile crossed Paul's face. He looked at Janet. "She was Scottish," he said.

"We met at a conference and had dinner together. She was about my age – she came from a place called Tobermory – do you know it?"

"Aye – it's on an island called Mull," said Janet, "but I've never been there."

"Well, she talked a bit like you," said Paul, then laughed.

"What's the joke?" asked Janet.

"Oh, nothing," said Paul. "It's just – oh, I'll explain later. We got on very well during dinner. She seemed quite serious and sober at first, but when she lightened up, she got quite – flirtatious – and, when I walked her back to her hotel, she asked me up to her room for a cup of coffee."

"When we got into her room, there wasn't much doubt about what we were going to do, and she turned out to be very passionate. We were both undressed in no time at all. She had glorious big round breasts and her pussy was completely shaved. You'd never have guessed, seeing her during the day, in her business suit, that there was a shaved pussy lurking underneath ..."

He paused, and drank from his glass. "I brought her off – with my tongue – first of all," he went on. "She was very noisy, and – that's what I was laughing at, Janet. She made noises I had never heard before – sort of 'Unh! Unh! Unh!' – and she said that's what they did, in Scotland!"

He looked straight at her and, for the first time that night, Janet was lost for words. She coloured up, and looked away. Paul's erection stiffened beneath the table, and he wondered …

"What happened then?" asked Mary, her lips parted, eyes bright.

"Well – what you'd expect, I suppose," said Paul, suddenly, it seemed, lost for words himself. "You know – the usual things."

"Did she – you know – go down on you?" asked Mary, and Paul nodded, his eyes flickering towards Janet, who had regained her composure.

"Do you still see her?" Janet enquired.

"No – she went back to the UK," answered Paul. "We agreed we'd only have that week, and that would be it. We're both married and – well, neither of us wanted any – complications."

"OK?" he went on, after a brief silence, in which each of them was busy with their own thoughts. Paul spun the bottle, slowly. Mary's heart raced as it came to rest, pointing at her. Still, she could still get away with just answering a question.

"A question, please, Paul," she said.

"Right," he said. He looked at her and grinned, evilly.

"Honest answer?" he asked. Mary nodded, wondering what was coming – it couldn't be that bad, could it?

"Did you like it when Howie squeezed your tits, today?"

Mary's face flamed, and her mouth dried. She felt her nipples pucker and harden and a rush of moisture lubricated the channel between her tightly-compressed thighs. She wanted to look away, but gathered her courage and returned Paul's level stare.

"Yes," she said, then turned to Howie. "I enjoyed it – quite a lot! I'm sorry you're leaving – I'll miss you."

Howie stretched out a hand and ruffled her short dark hair, then he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll miss you, too, Mary," he said, letting her go.

"Another spin?" suggested Janet, hardly daring to believe the way things were working out. With trembling fingers, Mary twirled the bottle. Howie's mouth on hers had been strong and warm – she remembered the hardness of his erection pressing against her ski pants that afternoon as his hands had gently squeezed her breasts ...

The neck of the bottle was pointing towards Janet. She looked at Mary, trying to figure out what her friend had in mind for her, but Mary looked distracted.

"Truth," Janet said. Mary's mind raced. With a shock, she realised that she was trying to think of something which would push Janet and Paul closer together, so that she and Howie ......