Come Home with Us

"Ho ho ho, you naughty heathens!" Ben bellowed as he entered the conference room. Maria, about to take a bite out of a cocktail meatball on the end of a toothpick, was glad she didn't have a mouthful because surely she would have choked on it. The goof said he had a surprise for the office's big Christmas in July potluck, and he hadn't been lying.

Instead of the traditional Santa outfit, Ben wore red basketball shorts. In place of Santa's coat was a red muscle shirt with white cotton balls sewed or glued on so poorly one fell off as he preened. He did have a big plastic Santa belt, a white beard, and a Santa cap, but the best part of the outfit, the part that would send Maria into giggling fits for a week after whenever she thought about it, was the black cowboy boots with little gold-foil wrapped chocolates carefully glued on to look like buckles.

"Well, we know Maria loves it," Ben's girlfriend Catrin said from behind him. When she managed to push her boyfriend inside to the party, Maria's laughter redoubled. Catrin had duplicated Ben's outfit, only in green, like an elf, complete with cheap plastic ears poking up through her fair red hair. Much like Ben, the best part was what was on her feet, a pair of fluffy reindeer slippers.

Laughing harder and harder, Maria had to get up and walk out for fear of peeing herself at the sight of the pair of them. Her coworkers laughed too, more due to Maria's reaction than the pair of goofy lovers. She didn't mind. Though she had only worked with Mata Mata Entertainment the last six months, from the first day, they made her feel welcome and she knew their laughter came from a good place.

To calm herself, she took a quick cruise through the spacious office and came back to a smiling Catrin outside the door. "You all right, hon?" she asked.

Catrin was a stunning woman with an almost otherworldly etherealness to her finely featured face. It was her body most guys looked at, her curves all natural and her hard work at the gym leaving her with a mouthwatering figure. But Maria was always entranced by Catrin's face, the intelligent dark eyes, the wide easy smile that always seemed like she had a secret and she was so amused by it. She and Ben were the most beautiful couple Maria had ever met, without question, and the fact that they wanted to be her friends never ceased to astonish her.

"I'm fine. Those outfits... oh my God."

Catrin's smile widened. "My idea. Don't let Ben tell you otherwise."

"The boots were my idea!" Ben called from the conference room.

"Well, you did perfect. Both of you," Maria said.

They rejoined the party. Mata Mata's owner and lead creative guru Jeff Prosser came up with the idea to throw the company's annual Christmas party in July when half the staff had to beg off a similar party in December due to personal obligations. He paid for booze, great gifts, and Uber rides, so the staff was more than agreeable, especially since there were two professional chefs in their lineup who ensured at least some of the potluck-styled meal was divine.

Everyone in the room save for Maria was part of Mata Mata's talented experts on a variety of topics, namely cooking, movies, gaming, and culture. Prosser -- everyone referred to him that way -- himself was a legend in the movie critiquing field, having once been the editor-in-chief of a popular movie magazine and website before he decided he wanted to branch off on his own. His best friend was a chef for a legendary D.C. restaurant who took a massive pay cut to move and hang out with Prosser all day. The group slowly grew from there as they both had contacts in the media world who were interested in something small and fun. Thus, Mata Mata was born, and grew into a happy, hearty crew of online miscreants.

Maria herself was a video editor and far too painfully shy to stand on the other side of a camera, despite encouragement from half the staff. Besides, she didn't know as much about any of the topics as the other crew, her own interests leaning more towards reading and music, and even those she'd never attempted any critical thought over. However, she was a fantastic video editor, even to her own self-critical eye, and her demo reel had impressed Prosser into hiring her.

Big staff lunches -- parties, really -- were a near-monthly thing, a way to blow off some steam for the crew. There was one for Valentine's Day, one for Easter, one for even May Day. This was the silliest yet, and the most delicious. Everyone brought something good to eat, from Christmas cookies to a buffalo chicken dip that Maria loved.

"I love this garlic bread," Ben said next to her, loading half a slice up with cheese from someone's platter.

"It's just crescent rolls and butter and stuff, basically," Maria said.

"Doesn't mean they're not amazing," Ben said. "Take the compliment."

"I will then," Maria said.

Ben was seated beside her at the big table, and it was hard not to stare at his muscular arms. He was really fit, and had once done some modeling before transitioning into a role as a gaming personality. Some of his pictures were very racy, with him only in his underwear. One of them featured Ben with a thumb to his lips like he was tasting something on them and his other hand tugging down a pair of white briefs to reveal the vee of muscle over his groin. Maria fingered herself to that one once or twice a month, usually followed by a silent internal plea for Catrin to forgive her. She had a hell of a guilty conscience.

Catrin wasn't part of the company. Significant others were always invited to the monthly-ish parties and she always tried to attend. She managed an indoor playpark where Ben and another member of the Mata Mata crew went to do research on "alternative means of fun." All in the name of YouTube science, of course. Ben and Catrin hit it off and now she was a regular around the building, even taking part in a few videos now and then. A DIY makeup playlist she did with one of the staff was a huge hit among the tween demographic.

Once the initial flurry over the food was finished, Prosser broke out into a cheerful and blessedly short speech about how he appreciated everyone and really felt like they were coming together like a family. He singled out Maria and two of the other new hires that year and told them he hoped they enjoyed themselves. After that, he passed out gifts, handpicked for each person. There would be Christmas bonuses later in the year, but the company was doing well and he liked to spoil his employees, as strange as that sounded to Maria, who came from a long line of jobs where the employers felt more like hostile entities.

She opened up her gift, a pair of cat-ear headphones she mentioned she was eyeballing one day. That Prosser had remembered was astonishing. "I didn't realize you even overheard me," she said, holding the box to her breasts and wiggling back and forth.

"I didn't," he said. "I wish I could take the credit but that idea was all Ben."

"Aw, Ben!" Maria said, and reached across to rub his back in thanks. To Catrin, "You snatched up the best one, you know that?"

"I really did," Catrin said.

"Yes she did," Ben agreed, and his girlfriend elbowed him.

Talk shifted towards Christmas traditions and plans for that holiday season. Being that early in the year, few people knew what they were going to be doing. Doug and Darcy, the two chefs, were taking a vacation to Spain, where they had a taste-testing whirlwind planned for content and for pleasure. Prosser would be flying down to California to see family and get in some sun before the inevitable New Bainbridge subzero temperatures of January or February.

Maria, a Florida native, asked, "It really gets that cold here?"

A chorus of affirmatives rang out, most everyone looking sour at the prospect. "What about you?" Catrin asked Maria. "Going home for the holidays?"

Maria thought of the previous Christmas, about her father's drunken tirade at their annual family gathering, about her brothers getting up and walking out with their families. About his non-stop attack on her decision to try to move to New Bainbridge and her choice in career, about his political and religious opinions and her lack of morals, about the plane ride when she shook from trying not to cry the entire time they were in the air. Even now, the sting seven months gone, she still cringed, and Catrin must have noticed it.

"I'm sorry. If it's a sensitive subject..."

"No, it's okay," Maria said, uncomfortably aware of everyone's eyes on her. "I'm, uh, probably going home."

Catrin let it go. The party went on for another hour. Drinks flowed freely, laughter rang out, and a few party games were played. It was a good time but the ghost of Maria's father haunted her throughout it. Catrin and Ben eventually got her alone out in the main office, away from everyone else.

Catrin took her hand, and squeezed. "Maria, if I touched a nerve, I'm sorry. I truly am."

Maria looked around and said softly, "Christmas with my family is... it's complicated."

"I understand," she said, and squeezed again. "Ben and I, we're planning on spending the week in my hometown. It's not far from here, just an hour or so. If you'd like, you have an open invitation to come with us."

Ben nodded. Maria smiled wide, fighting the heat of tears in her eyes. Good tears this time. Such good friends, and she said as much. She hugged them both, and they returned to the party, the conversation not to be thought of again until November.

* * *

Ben loved nothing so much as the duality of the woman in bed with him. Catrin on the street was most certainly not Catrin between the sheets. The sweet, soft-spoken woman became a needing sexual goddess, a wailing, sucking, fucking carnal beast, a lover unlike any other he ever had before.

The mountain of their comforter and blankets had been shoved aside and she now rested with her cheek against the cotton sheets, her ass high in the air as he drove into her again and again. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!" she cried out. "Harder!"

Ben gripped her waist and plunged into her with even more force. He used to be afraid he would hurt Catrin when she wanted it like this, as rough as he could give it to her, but she took every bit of him and gave it right back.

He loved the sight of her like this, her eyes closed, her lips parted, the fire of her red hair spilling down her shoulders and onto the bed, the taut swells of her ass against his own skin. He spread her ridiculously wide, her pussy tight but taking every bit of him. She had the cutest orgasm tell in the world. When her hands made fists, opening and closing like she was working a stress ball, Ben knew Catrin was close, and she was squeezing the hell out of an imaginary one now.

"Ohhh, ohhhh, ohhnnnngh!" she cried out. Her pussy trembled. "Unnn, ohhhhh!"

Ben thrust hard three, four times, but he wanted to finish in style that morning, and pulled out of her. Catrin collapsed and he was there, flipping her onto her back as she stared up at him, a dopey, pleased grin on her face. He crouched over her chest and drove his cock through her big breasts.

"Fuck my tits, baby, but come on my face, make me drip you..." she said, her voice an almost girlish plea. He loved it, loved her so goddamn much. Catrin helped him, pushing her breasts together around him as he thrust and thrust and thrust, her fingers brushing her big pink nipples so close to the color of her creamy skin. There, there, right there, and he pulled back, his fist on his cock, stroking as he aimed. She closed her eyes, grinning even wider, and he came across her face, so much of him, always so much of him for her.

Still straddling her, he dropped back, careful not to rest his weight on her stomach. Both of them panted and took a minute, then Ben gaped at the mess he left behind on his girlfriend's face. "Jesus. I'm like... like Michelangelo."

"You like marshmallows and anchovies on your pizza and you hang out with a giant rat all day?"

He laughed and collapsed sideways onto the bed. She toyed with the come on her face, rubbing it into her cheeks, her chin, her lips. She caught him watching and brought one last bit to her mouth, sucking her finger, in, out, in, out. If they didn't have to get to work, the sight would have given him some pretty wicked ideas about round two.

"I love you," he said.

"You say that now that I'm rubbing your baby batter all over my face."

He stroked her hip. "Yeah. That's the only reason."

"Goober."

"Dork."

"I love you too."

The alarm on his phone went off and Ben flopped onto his back to grab it, sighing. "We need to make our millions so we can retire young and I can spend all day in bed with you."

"Mm. I like that plan."

He turned off the alarm and reluctantly slid out of bed. Catrin stared at his butt as he bent to grab a pair of jeans he was pretty sure were clean enough for a second day. In a few more seconds, she slipped out of bed too to follow him to the bathroom, her weirdest relationship habit by a mile. She didn't care what he was doing in there. If it was number one, she'd lean against the wall inside. If it was number two, she'd wait outside, all the while talking to him about little things.

While he showered and shaved, she sat on the pot and they talked Thanksgiving dinner, which would be spent at his aunt and uncle's there in New Bainbridge. When he was done and she washed off her face, they kissed and Ben dressed.

"Speaking of the holidays, did we want to invite Maria again to Christmas?" Catrin asked. Ben pursed his lips, trying to remember the context of the conversation. "Remember the July office party?"

"Oh right, right right right. Yeah, I'll ask her. You'd be okay with that?"

"Of course."

"And your parents?"

"I'll ask them just to make sure, but I'm sure they will be."

He threw on a vintage-styled Sega tee shirt, added a sport coat over the top, and grabbed his keys. "I'll ask her."

"Good. I like her."

"So do I."

Catrin grinned. "You like her butt."

"And her boobs."

"And those eyes."

Ben sighed happily. "Those eyes."

Maria was a little hottie, no question. She was short and slim, but had an ass for weeks on end. Her breasts would have been modest on a larger frame, but on hers, they popped. But it was her face that inspired a lot of roleplay between Catrin and Ben. Maria had dreamy eyes, and not just in the sense that they were beautiful. She always looked lost in thought and imagination. They were emphasized by dark brows and a lot of makeup and long lashes. Girlish, though that wasn't quite right. Ageless, maybe.

The serenity and innocence of her face wasn't just an appearance, either. She was a good person, sweet and kind with a just a hint of naivete. Prosser confessed once that he was worried they might be "too much" for the twenty-two-year-old, so Catrin and Darcy took her out one night for drinks and asked Maria if she felt comfortable around the others. Maria, a lightweight and buzzed on a single Tequila Sunrise, confessed that she'd never felt more at home. That had endeared her not just to Catrin, Darcy, and Ben, but the rest of the crew too.

"Ben?" Catrin asked.

"Hm?"

"If she's... interested, are we?"

"I think you know my answer to that. But yeah. I am." He curled a finger at her and she came to him. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her chin lovingly. "But I don't want to wreck what this is. I know we talked about us wanting a third, but if you ever say it's just you and me..."

"That's just it, though. The way she looks at you, I think we need to be very careful. I'm not letting you go and you're not letting me go. I love us. But whoever we bring into this, if it's Maria or someone else, we have to put them on the same level as us or it won't work. We'd hurt them."

Ben studied her and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"We don't even know she'd be interested."

Maria was, and they were both fairly certain of it. It wasn't just Ben she looked at, but Catrin too. The young video editor's crush was hidden through only the thinnest veneer. Instead, Catrin's words were meant to tamper expectations, to keep their own hopes down. But they both liked Maria so much and they both agreed that what they wanted was a poly relationship with a second woman, it was hard not to want to hope.

"I'll be careful," Ben promised.

He had to go. They kissed one more time, he grabbed an apple and a sleeve of crackers on his way out the door, and Ben drove to work.

The office was busy. It was their podcast day and that meant a lot of people hanging around the office rather than shooting. Three groups of four recorded throughout the day in their audio studio. Ben's group was on first, discussing movie and game news as well as what they'd been playing or watching. He arrived with twenty minutes to spare until recording time. Maria was in the booth, getting everything ready. She looked fantastic that day in slim-fitting white pants and a matching top that emphasized her perky breasts and showed off just enough of her light brown skin to make Ben drunk, Over it was her customary red pullover, left there in the booth because she always got so cold. She had her dark hair pulled back and held in place with a pin with a white flower at its tip, further matching her outfit. When Ben knocked, she looked up and smiled warmly.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Not interrupting, am I?"

"Not anything I can't do while I talk."

"Good." He held out the crackers and she took three. "Catrin and I were talking holiday plans this morning. We wanted to invite you again to come stay with us for Christmas." He took a bite of cracker and said around it. "Well, I say us, but I mean we're renting a place for a week from a family friend of theirs. It'll be pretty nice. And then we'll do the big stuff with her family."

Maria's smile faltered. "I, um..."

"Oh, hey, if you have other plans-"

"No, I don't. Really. I... I'm just..." Maria bit her lip and shook her head. He remembered the way she reacted when they talked about Christmas plans back in July, how wounded she looked then. Without planning it, he stepped into the booth and wrapped her in a hug. She nestled right against him, her cheek to his chest, and sniffed. "Thank you. It was either stay here or go home to Florida."

"I get the feeling you don't really want to go home."

"No," she said and pulled away. "But please, let me help pay for the rental. I've got plenty of money, and-"

"No, hey, we'd be doing it anyways," Ben said. He sensed she was looking to avoid the topic of Florida and family and gamely pivoted with her. "We're looking forward to having you."

"Then let me know if I can contribute or something. Please."

"You make some more of those garlic knot things from July, and I think we can call it square," he said.

She laughed. "Deal."

* * *

The weeks passed, and soon it was time to travel to Pike Bridge with Catrin and Ben. Maria sat right in front of her living room window, trying to read and fight the urge to check herself in her bathroom mirror for the thousandth time that morning. A whole week with Ben and Catrin. She squirmed just thinking about it, so nervous and excited and oh so very turned on. Not that she thought anything would happen, but ever since Ben extended the invitation again, she thought of a thousand different scenarios where she wound up with one of them -- or both.

Fantasies, she knew that. But still... oh gosh, they were so attractive and sweet and funny and wonderful.

"You are going to be cool," she told herself. "You are not going to be a weirdo."

Maria felt like a teenager road tripping with friends again, an experience she hadn't had since her two years at college. She had traveled through Pike Bridge before, but had never stopped in the small town across the Harpy Mountains.