Chapter One

“I’m done with men.  I just have no luck with them at all,” Goldie Dawson confided to her friend Greta over drinks at The Pavilion, a local watering hole that they frequented.

“You’re just a bit jaded for now.  You’ll come around,” Greta laughed, sipping her martini and eyeing a hunky guy at a table across the room.  No matter where they went, Greta was always on the lookout for someone to fill her bed.  She never wanted them to hang around, never seemed to need them for more than getting laid.  It was a trait that Goldie envied in some ways.

“No.  I don’t think so.  Maybe I’ll just become a lesbian or perhaps a nun,” she said dryly.

“First of all, you aren’t into women and secondly, you love sex way too much to become a nun.  Unless you find a wayward priest to fool around with in the convent, you’d never survive a vow of chastity,” Greta told her, her attention returning to the table as a woman joined the brief object of her affection at his table.

“That’s probably true.  I’m just so tired of getting screwed over,” she groaned.  “I’m either too big or not big enough.  When did everyone become a size zero or concave, if there is such a thing?”

“Blame fucking Twiggy.  She started all this skinny bitch nonsense.  It’s insane for men to expect women to be so thin.  I’m a size eight and you’d think I were a whale according to some folks.  Fuck them.  I like to eat.”

“Me too.  Of course, I’m a bit thicker than you, but still, a size sixteen isn’t a crime.  Wasn’t Marilyn Monroe this size and she fucked a president!”

“You’re beautiful.  I don’t know how anyone could look at you and not think so.  You have curves in all the right places.  There was a time when women would kill for your hourglass figure.”

“You’d be surprised.  Of course, there are some out there that find it a huge turn on that I have some curves.  I had one guy that wanted to coat me in butter and lick me from head to toe.  They take it too far.  It’s more of a fetish than a preference.  Quite disturbing is what it is.”

“You are fucking kidding me?!  Butter?  Sounds like a real nut-job, if you ask me.  What happened to the Roberts guy, the producer you were seeing?”

“He was a climber.  When we met, he seemed to be really into me, but then I caught him with someone else, someone who could do more for his career.”

“What?  No way?  Who?”

“Well, you know he is a producer and script writer, but he hasn’t really had anything big.  Even though I just do costume design for City in Siege, I know a lot of people.  I introduced him to some of them, sort of got him in the loop and off the ground.  He repaid me by hooking up with one of the producers on my TV series.”

“You’re kidding me!  When did that happen?”

“Last weekend.  I invited him to a wrap party we were having at the end of shooting.  It’s a pretty popular show, so I knew there would be a lot of people there who could help him out and sort of get his foot in the door.  I introduced him to Amelda Harmon, one of the primary producers of the show and they were chatting for a bit.  Perhaps I should have seen what was happening between them but I didn’t. I stepped away to speak to someone and those two disappeared.  I found them in a back room, making out pretty hot and heavy like two horny teens.”

“Oh, my fucking God!  What did you do?”

“I shut the door and left him there with her.  I wanted to throw things at him and call him names, but instead, I just felt horrified and ran.”

“That’s it?  You didn’t say anything to him?  No confrontation?”

“Nope.  Nothing.  He hasn’t even bothered to call and I haven’t bothered to try to contact him.  I guess he got what he wanted.  She will be able to introduce him to people I can’t and, at some point, he will probably meet someone with even more pull in the industry and abandon her for them.  All I know is it isn’t my problem.  Whatever he wanted, it wasn’t me, it was just what I could do to help him.”

“That sucks.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.  It’s disappointing, but I wasn’t that hung up on him.  I mean, I thought we had a good thing.  He’s gorgeous, hot as fuck in bed, motivated . . . you know, the total package.  Turns out it was all for show though.  He didn’t mean any of it.  People like him know how to play the game to get what they want.  I should have known better.”

“Men are pigs.”

“I know, right?  I swear there is something wrong with all of them.  They are too pushy or too wimpy.  Great to look at, but shit in bed.  Gorgeous, but unemployed or live with their mom.  It’s always something.  Then, there is Greg Roberts, who seems to have it all, but is only after what he can get from you.  He’ll do the same to her and then be on to the next one that can help his career.  Fuck him.”

“I’ll toast to that.  Fuck him.  Fuck them all!” Greta laughed raising her glass in salute.

“You know, I honestly think that is the answer.”

“What is the answer?” Greta asked, looking both amused and confused.

“To just fuck them all.  Do what I want and have fun.  If men can run around and just fuck indiscriminately, why can’t I?”

“Very true.  Men do that and they are playboys.  We do it and we are sluts.  Here’s another toast to being a common whore!” Greta laughed, raising her glass once more.

“To whores!  Fuck yeah!” Goldie cheered.

The two women giggled playfully and continued their drinking, chatting until it was closing time and things began to wind down around them.  Catching a cab back to Goldie’s place, they sat in her living room and talked some more.  It was one of those rare nights that they hadn’t had in a while.  Goldie had missed their girl time.

“Maybe you just need a break.  Why not get out of LA and take it easy for a bit while the show is on hiatus for the season?  You could go up to Big Bear Lake.  Ian and Randy still have a cabin up there.  They have plenty of room and they love visitors.”

“Hmm.  I don’t know.  I don’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, please.  You know how those two are.  They live to entertain.  Call them up and ask them if you can come up for a week or even a couple of weeks.  You deserve a little down time.”

“It’s three a.m.,” Goldie laughed.

“Okay, perhaps wait until tomorrow, but you knew that I didn’t mean right this second,” she replied, rolling her eyes playfully.

“I’ll think about it.”

“You do that.  In the meantime, I’m going to crash in your spare bedroom. I’m wiped!”

“Make yourself at home.  I think I’m going to call it a day, as well.”

The two women hugged one another and headed to bed, where they fell fast asleep.  When Goldie woke up the next morning, Greta was already gone, having an early call at the magazine where she worked as a photographer.  Sitting at the kitchen table with a bit of a hangover, Goldie waited for her coffee and aspirin to kick in.  An hour later, she found herself feeling more human, showered and wondering what she should do now that she was free for at least six weeks.  She sighed and picked up the phone.  Ian answered on the first ring with an inviting hello that instantly put her at ease.

Chapter Two

“You have no idea how much I appreciate you letting me stay on such short notice,” she told Ian and Randy over breakfast the following morning.  It had been a long drive, but after talking to Ian, she had headed out as soon as she could pack, arriving late in the afternoon. They already had plans and were heading out upon her arrival, leaving her to her own devices for the evening.

Deciding to take Greta’s advice, she had taken the rest of the day to make arrangements for a house sitter and get packed for an extended visit to Big Bear Lake.  The fresh air would hopefully be enough to clear her head and give her a fresh perspective on things.  She had told Ian and Randy all about Greg Roberts over bacon, eggs, and toast.

“No problem, honey.  We’re glad to have you.  Now, listen, we’re having a party later and there will be loads of straight men there for you to meet.  You just shake that piece of shit Greg Roberts off your mind and we’ll find you someone way better!  We are geniuses at matching up like minds!”

“Oh, no, no, no.  The last thing I want is a new man.  I’m in for some “me” time.  Let’s just let things be, shall we?” she said.

“Fair enough.  You’re beautiful.  They’ll flock to you anyway.  It’s up to you whether you give them the time of day or send them away.”

Getting dressed for the party later, Goldie considered her options.  Why not play this game the same way men did?  Fuck relationships.  She could stage her own sexual revolution.  No games, no expectations, no disappointments.  There had already been too many men that she had found herself settling for.  From now on, she’d just do what she wanted and walk away like so many of them did with her.  That was the key to future happiness, as far as she was concerned.  It was time to just have fun and the rest of it be damned.

“Wow.  That dress is stunning,” Ian told her as she stepped out of her room and into the kitchen where he and Randy were preparing food and drink for the masses they were expecting.

“You like it?” she asked, doing a mock twirl.  The summer dress did suit her quite nicely.  It clung in all the right places and flowed in a way that flattered the less flattering.  A simple pair of wedges and a loose ponytail that hung in long curls down her back finished off what she felt was a casual but sexy look.

“Absolutely!  And that color brings out the fantastic hazel specks in your eyes.  Perfection!” Randy added.

“What can I help you with?”

“Oh, no, darling.  You just go right over there and man the door.  Guests will be arriving in a bit and we’re behind on the party dishes.  We know you are just as charming as you are beautiful, so you just got nominated as the party greeter.”

“But it isn’t my party,” Goldie laughed.

“It is now.  You are our guest, so it is your party too.  Welcome to our world,” Ian joked.

“Help yourself to the wet bar.  There is plenty of everything to be had over there,” Randy told her.

Goldie wandered to the living room and poured herself a glass of Merlot, flipping through a fashion magazine while she waited.  Ian and Randy chatted brightly in the kitchen, sometimes feeding one another bites of the food they were making.  It must be nice to find such a love, she marveled with a sigh.  Too bad it just wasn’t in the cards for her.  A few moments later, the doorbell rang and she went to answer it.  After that, it began to get really crowded with people from all over the lakefront village where her friends lived.

Chapter Three

“What do you say we skip out on this party for a while and go down to my lake house?  I’m only a little way down,” an attractive guy named Joshua asked her as he leaned into her on the sofa.

She had been talking to him earlier and found him quite intriguing.  It seemed the feeling was mutual and she couldn’t be happier about that.  He was certainly the best looking thing at the party.

“Sounds like fun.  Let me just let Ian and Randy know I’m going,” she told him.

“I suppose I should say my goodbyes, as well,” he agreed, standing to help her up from the sofa.

Ian and Randy gave her a knowing look as she told them she was going to walk down to Joshua’s place with him.  Ordinarily, she wouldn’t broadcast her naughty behavior, but she couldn’t let her libido get ahead of her good sense.  Joshua was definitely a bad boy, tall and powerful looking with numerous tattoos.  She had noticed the bear paw on the back on one hand almost instantly and he had told her it was a local brotherhood he belonged to, but didn’t seem to want to elaborate further. 

Since Ian and Randy didn’t caution her in any way about him, she felt pretty good about going home with him.  In fact, she felt even better about it once he got her alone.  Not wasting any time on further formalities, he pushed her against a wall and began kissing her heatedly.  Things quickly progressed as he peeled away her dress and kissed her breasts.  Giving in to him, she leaned in, moaning against him.

Goldie caught her breath as he bit into her neck, sending shards of electricity through her veins.  There was something about him that clouded her thoughts, she couldn’t think about anything but what he was doing to her.  She could hear his heartbeat and her own, pounding loudly against one another as he bit into her flesh, holding her hands up against the wall behind her.  His breath was heavy, sounding almost as if he were panting like some sort of wild animal.  It only turned her on that much more.

“God, that feels good,” she moaned as his fingers dug into her ass cheeks hard enough to leave bruises behind.  She felt her body being lifted, her back slipping roughly along the wall as he raised her upward, focusing on her full breasts.  She let out a loud cry of ecstasy as his teeth sank into one nipple, pulling it outward and sucking at it fiercely.  He was rough in all the best ways and she was loving every moment of it.

“You taste delicious.  Good enough to eat,” he growled, suddenly wrapping her legs around his waist and walking with her toward his bedroom as if she weighed nothing.

Goldie found herself being tossed across the bed as he grabbed her feet and pulled her toward the edge, spreading her legs wide and kneeling by the edge of the bed.  Shockwaves ran through her as he bit into her left thigh and then trailed upward toward her pussy.  His bites weren’t quite as soft as nibbles, but not so much that they were unbearable.  If anything, they were only making her want more of the delicious pains he was imparting across her skin.

“Yum,” he breathed as his lips found her center.  His tongue slowly lapped back and forth across her clit for a moment before sucking it into his mouth, tugging at it with his teeth until she thought she might scream.  Pushing his mouth further into her, he began sucking and licking at her wet folds as she moaned incoherently beneath him.  She was already on the edge of climax when he slipped his fingers inside of her, using them to fuck her deeply as she writhed beneath him.

“Yes, yes, please,” she moaned, reaching downward to tangle her fingers in his hair and pull him further into her.  It was crazy how much she wanted him, her desire seeming to be in hypermode as he ate her out like no one ever had.  It was if he instinctively knew exactly what to do and how to do it.  Before long, he had her in spasms beneath him, her hips bucking forward as she sprayed her ecstasy into his hot mouth.

“That a girl.  Give me all you’ve got,” he breathed against her soaked cunt.  He paused to breathe and then returned to lapping at her dripping pussy until she thought she might pass out.  His fingers took over again as he moved downward to once again bite his way up and down her thighs.  Goldie thought she had cum as much as she possibly could and was surprised to find it was only the tip of the iceberg, her body jerking with the force of another violent climax that left her feeling light headed.

“Jesus,” was all she managed to say.

“No, just me.  I love the way you taste and watching you cum is beautiful,” he told her, his cum-slicked lips dragging upward through her tender folds and across her stomach as he moved on top of her. 

She groaned loudly as he began biting his way upward, hesitating once more at her breasts.  Pulling each nipple into his mouth one by one, he sucked at them as if attempting to nurse.  To her surprise, she felt a tiny bit of moisture forming as he forced a tiny bit of fluid to be expelled.  Pulling away, he used his finger to wipe it away from one nipple and rubbed it across her lips before leaning in to kiss her, the taste of her pussy on his lips.

“I’m going to fuck you like no one has ever fucked you in your life,” he told her, looking into her eyes.

Goldie didn’t have a chance to respond, though she had no idea what she would have said to that anyway.  She felt the words more than hearing them.  Though he had more than satisfied any longings with the extended oral session, she found that she only wanted more.  She wanted him inside her desperately.  There was something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on, but it was if she was drawn to him in some way she couldn’t resist.

A loud cry escaped her lips as he entered her, his enormous cock filling her, pushing her already tender pussy outward as he filled her with his incredible girth.  He seemed to be insatiable as he fucked her with deep, hard strokes, sending her into a fit of involuntarily cries originating from a mix of pain and pleasure.  Each stroke brought her closer to yet another orgasm that she couldn’t believe she still had in her until she was just a huge puddle of wetness beneath him.

“You feel fucking fantastic,” he breathed, suddenly pulling free of her long enough to flip her over and put her on all fours.  She tangled her fingers into the sheets beneath them in an effort to brace herself against his heavy strokes as he entered her from behind, pounding into her fiercely.

“Yes, fuck me.  God.  Fuck me harder,” she found herself begging him.

He was only too happy to accommodate her, his body slamming against her rounded backside, pushing her forward with his powerful thrusts while his hands grasped her waist to pull her right back onto him again.  She wasn’t sure how much more she could take and yet, didn’t want it to stop.  It was pretty certain to her that she would be content for him to fuck her until she couldn’t move anymore.  No one had ever been so rough with her and she loved every moment of it.

“You like that?” he breathed against her back, leaning forward as he slowed his strokes for a moment, pushing deep inside of her until she felt him all the way into what must certainly be her very center.

“Yes, don’t stop.  I love the way you are fucking me,” she panted, no longer in control of herself. 

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to get enough of you,” he groaned.  Goldie could feel his rock hard cock pulsating inside of her, breathing a strange sort of life into her from the inside.  She felt like she had been tenderized and thus, more sensitive to every stroke as he fucked her with wild abandon.  He seemed to last forever, longer than she could have ever dreamed of.

Their bodies rocked back and forth as he continued fucking her, encouraging the way she cried out and begged him for more.  Just when it seemed he might last forever, she felt his body begin to convulse, an odd sort of growl coming up from his core as he flooded her sore inner walls with hot, sticky cum.  He collapsed against her for a moment before pulling free and falling over to one side of her.

“I can’t tell you how incredible that felt,” he said as he lay on the pillow beside her.

“You don’t have to.  That was amazing,” she agreed, snuggling into the pillow beside him.

There was something odd about him.  His eyes had looked very blue when they were at the party, but now, they appeared almost black, very dark and fierce looking.  Thinking perhaps it was just the light, she dismissed it and settled into her pillow, a content smile on her face.

Moments later, he was asleep, sated and content.  Goldie lay in the near darkness, looking at his outline on the bed beside her.  So much for after sex cuddling or conversation.  While the sex had been off the charts, it was always a letdown when the person you were with just rolled over and went to sleep.  She guessed it had been too much to hope for that he might be the total package, but she supposed she could forgive him for his post-coital shortcomings considering how good he was at the act itself.

It took a while for her to come down from the high of such intense sex and fall asleep.  Her mind raced with thoughts about where this might lead and she cautioned herself not to let it go there.  It wasn’t in her nature to have one night stands, but she had decided that was what was best for her and she needed to stick with that attitude.  Getting too attached to a man she would be leaving behind in less than a week was a bad idea.  Even if he was interested in something beyond what they had just shared, long-distance relationships were too hard, especially for someone like her who didn’t seem to be able to even maintain one in the same town.

Goldie finally fell asleep after chiding herself for trying to make too much out of this and also for not being more careful.  She wasn’t on the pill, as she hadn’t needed to be with Greg and had been on a streak of abstinence for a bit before he came along.  It had been nice to give her body a break from the chemicals.  Not only was there pregnancy to consider, but also other things that could be equally as devastating.  She definitely needed to not repeat tonight and get back on birth control before she decided to have another one-night stand.

“Goodnight,” she said to the sleeping man beside her, knowing that he couldn’t hear her but somehow feeling like she should say something as she drifted off into a mostly peaceful sleep.  She awoke later in the night, feeling out of breath, fresh from a dream in which she was running through the forest, but she hadn’t been human and neither had the others that had been running with her.  There was no fear, just pure exhilaration.

“Bad dream?” Joshua said sleepily from beside her.

“No, just odd.  Go back to sleep.  I didn’t mean to wake you,” she told him.

“Who can sleep?” he replied, smiling at her as shadows fell across them on the bed.  He reached for her pulling her to him and sinking his teeth into her neck provocatively.  She whimpered as she felt his hard cock pressing into her and then he was inside of her again, fucking her until she shuddered with orgasm after orgasm.  He pulled her back against him, pushing deeper inside her as she cried out.  Then he came inside of her once again before kissing her softly on the shoulder and falling back asleep, on his own side of the bed.

This time, Goldie didn’t over think it all.  Instead, she rolled over and fell back asleep, content and grateful for at least once incredible night with the fantastic creature that lay beside her.  He might not be Mr. Right, but he certainly was someone she would remember fondly for years to come.  A smile crossed her face as she drifted back off into dreamland for the few remaining hours until daylight.  When she awoke, she got dressed quietly and made her way back to the lake house, slipping in and climbing into her bed there for a while longer.

Chapter Four

Still coming down from the incredible night of sex with hunky Joshua, Goldie reminded herself to keep it casual.  He could be her boy toy while she was here at the lake and then she could put him behind her when she went home.  It was just sex and she refused to even try to make it any more than that, though he seemed like a nice enough guy.

“So, you had a good night then?” Ian said with a smile as she walked into the kitchen the following morning. 

“I did,” she said, blushing a little.

“Of course we want all the details, but we won’t ask,” Randy added, with a laugh.  “Sit down and have some breakfast with us.”

“No thanks.  I didn’t get much sleep.  I’m going to go lie back down for a while I think,” she admitted, her face still flushed.

“I’ll bet,” Ian said as they both laughed and returned to their conversation.  “Listen, we won’t lecture you.  You’re a grown woman, after all, but be careful with Joshua.  He belongs to a sort of gang.  There are a lot of rumors about them.”

“What kind of rumors?” she asked.

“Now, Ian.  Just let the girl have her fun.  You know those are just wild stories,” Randy said, turning back to Goldie.  “Don’t even worry about it.  It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” she said, not so sure.

“Positive.  We have to get going anyway.  No time for fairy tales,” Randy said.

When Goldie awoke several hours later they were gone, leaving her a note that they were in the village doing a bit of shopping if she wanted to come in and join them.  Goldie grabbed a quick shower and tossed on some jeans and a t-shirt, slipping into her sandals.  Settling for another loose ponytail, a hint of mascara and lip gloss, she headed out the door and walked toward the main hub that began at the end of the street leading into the lakeside cabin area.  She met them coming back just as she reached the corner.

“Oh, honey.  You should have given us a ring and we’d have waited for you.  Oh, never mind.  We’ll just go back with you then for a bit,” Ian told her.

“No, no.  Go on back.  You both have your hands full of bags.  I can roam around by myself.  It’s not like it’s a very big place.”

“Not at all.  It is a rather quaint little area, isn’t it?  That’s why we love it so much!” he replied.

“I’ll check it out a bit and be back a little while later.”

“Sounds good.  Don’t be too late.  We’re making fajitas and margaritas for dinner!” Ian told her.

“That does sound delicious!” Goldie replied, realizing that she hadn’t eaten anything since last night. Perhaps she’d grab a bite to eat at one of the local places while she was out and about.

Instead, she found herself attracted to a place that advertised itself as a general store, but it wasn’t like the cheap dollar stores that usually referenced themselves with that name.  This was more like an old style mercantile you’d find in a small town.  Stepping inside was like going back in time.  There was everything from fishing tackle to groceries to be had here.

“Wow, this is fantastic,” she said aloud, running her hand over a wooden rocker that sat among a section of furniture on one side of the large barnlike building.

“Thank you.  I made it by hand.  Solid oak,” a voice nearby replied, catching her off guard.

“Impressive,” she replied. 

It was as much a statement about the appearance of the rocking chair as it was about the man claiming to have made it.  He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.  His rugged good looks were punctuated by a shock of wavy black hair and neatly trimmed beard.  His blue eyes flashed with mischief as he reached up to lean on a nearby counter.  It was then that she noted the paw tattoo on his hand, the same one that last night’s lover had on his.  Obviously, they were a part of the same group.

“Thank you, um, Miss . . .?”

“Miss Dawson, but you can call me Goldie.”

“Good to meet you, Goldie.  I’m John Sebastian.  You must be new in town.  I haven’t seen you in before.”

“I’m just visiting friends over on the lake.  Ian and Randy Keller,” she offered.

“Ah, yeah.  I live just across the water from them.  Good guys.”

“Yes, they’re the best.  You weren’t at their party last night though. I thought the whole neighborhood was invited.”

“Ah, yeah. I was working on a piece and got pretty tied up with it.  I can get into my work at times,” he told her. There was something that said he was not quite telling the truth, but she hardly knew him so had no reason to question it.

“Well, the dedication shows.”

“I like to think so.”

“Very much.  Anyway, I have to get going.  It’s past time to find a bite to eat somewhere.  Any recommendations?”

“Well, I was actually about to go grab something myself.  There is a little café not far from here.  They have some amazing shrimp lime and cilantro tacos.  I’ve been craving them all morning.”

“Oh, that does sound delicious.  I don’t want to impose though.”

“No imposition at all.  Come on and we’ll go.  It’s just about three blocks up by the edge of the water.”

Goldie smiled at him, following him past the front counter, where he told the clerk there that he was out to lunch for a while.  She nodded, barely even acknowledging him before resuming her texting.  Goldie noticed an odd familiarity about the girl that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but John seemed to read her mind as her gaze lingered on the girl.

“Kid sister,” he told her.  “We favor quite a bit, huh?”

“Yes, you do,” Goldie laughed.

“Our folks left me this place when they died.  It’s been in the family for generations.  She’s a senior over at the local high school and itching to get as far away from the watchful eye of big brother as soon as possible.  Got herself a scholarship to UCLA so she can be California dreamin’ by fall.”

“This place will be a handful by yourself.”

“Nah.  I’ll just have to shell out a little more to hire someone to help and the guys in my group will help me out, if I need them.”

“Your group?” she asked, though she already had a good idea of who he was referring to.

“Yeah.  We watch each other’s backs,” he said with a slow smile that just melted her.

“Always good to have people like that in your life,” she replied.

“It is.  Here we are,” he told her, waving his hand toward the small grill to their right, along the edge of the water.

“Great.  I’m looking forward to this already,” she said as they stepped inside. 

Though he was handsome and flirtatious, Goldie had already made up her mind that this couldn’t go past a friendly lunch.  She was just up for having fun, she really didn’t want to sleep with more than one guy at a time.  It was best just to have her fun with Joshua while she was here and let that be the extent of it.  Plus, it was a bad idea to see both of them with their being a part of the same brotherhood or whatever it was.

“You weren’t kidding!  These are delicious!” she told him as they finished off the last of their shrimp tacos.

“I know.  Best in town.  Listen I’m going to have to get back to the store, but I’d really like to see you again if that’s okay.”

“I appreciate it, but I am only here for a short time and think that maybe it just would be best not to.  I hope you understand,” she said.

“Come on.  Call it a casual fling,” he said with a sultry smile.

“That sounds a bit forward,” she countered playfully.

“That is because it is a bit forward.  I know what I like when I see it.  Let me buy you a drink later.”

“Well, I suppose a drink can’t do any harm.”

“I suppose that is exactly right.  I’ll swing by and pick you up around eight, if that’s good for you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” she told him as he paid their bill and dropped a tip on the table, walking her out.

Outside, they went their separate ways on the sidewalk.  Visiting a few more shops before returning to Ian and Randy’s place, she found herself a sensational little skirt and top to wear on her night out with John.  She still considered that it wasn’t really like her to sleep with two men at once and told herself that she would not cross that line with him, no matter how attracted to him she might be.

Chapter Five

“Well, now . . . where is our girl headed out to tonight?” Ian asked as she came out of her room later that night, dressed to go out.

“I got invited out for drinks while I was in town today.  I thought I mentioned it at dinner.”

“You most certainly did not.  We would have remembered.  Who is the lucky guy?”

“Someone I met at the general store today.  John Sebastian is his name.”

The two men exchanged smiles and looked at her knowingly.  She wondered what secret they were keeping that caused their bemusement and whether it was good or bad.

“What?  Spill it.”

“Nothing honey.  Only one of the biggest hunks in town.  Half the girls here would kill to be asked out by him and the other half just can’t hope because they settled for less,” Randy said.

“Oh, come on.  He’s not all that.”

“Please.  He’s gorgeous and a business owner.  Down to earth, friendly.  He’s the total package.”

“I guess he is kind of hot.”

“Yeah, you guess,” Ian laughed with Randy quickly joining in.

“Just be careful.  There’s a full moon out tonight,” Randy joked.

Goldie was happy to be saved by a knock on the door.  Randy waved her toward it as if to say it was for her and she walked over, opening it to the smiling face of John. 

“You look gorgeous.  Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“I am,” she told him, turning to say her goodbyes to Ian and Randy. 

John stuck his head inside the door and greeted them as well before taking her arm and walking down the sidewalk toward a bar and grill called Dockside.  It was well lit with strings of lights that hung along the wooden beams that made up the back patio that jutted slightly out onto the lake.

“Have you been here before?” he asked.

“No.  I’ve only been in town for a couple of days now.  This is my first trip up to visit Ian and Randy since they bought the lake house.”

“I see.  So, what brought you up here now?”

“Just a vacation.  I’m a costume designer and my show is on break until filming starts again in a few weeks.  I thought I’d get out and enjoy a change of scenery.”

“Wow, a costume designer, huh?  That sounds far more interesting than running a general store.  Which show do you work on?”

“Stygian Stories,” she told him.

“Really?  I love that show.  You design those really creepy costumes they wear?”

“Not all of them, but quite a few, yes.”

“I’m fascinated,” he told her just as they made their way into the front of the restaurant.

It was hard to miss how the hostess fretted over him and the waitress wasn’t much better.  Both of them flirted outrageously, despite his being there with an apparent date.  Goldie couldn’t help but note how he was polite to them, but never took his eyes off of her, sending a clear message.  He grabbed a seat for them outside on the deck where they could enjoy the water and the stars beginning to form in the darkening sky above them.

“I wish I had gone to college.  I wanted to, but after mom and dad died, I had my sister to take care of and the business to run.  Life takes you where it will, I suppose.”

“That it does, but it’s not too late.  You could always go now that your sister is leaving the nest,” she replied.

“No.  The general store does okay, but not well enough to pay two college tuitions.  I do take a class here and there online.  I’m almost a sophomore.  Plus, I have obligation here,” he laughed.

“That’s progress.  What are you studying?”

“Geology.  I’ve always been fascinated with any kind of earth-based science.”

“Not something I know anything about, I’m afraid.”

Their conversation was briefly interrupted as the waitress brought their drinks and they sipped at them for a moment, regrouping the conversation.  It wasn’t as if it was hard to talk to him.  In fact, he might just be the easiest person to talk to on the planet.  She wondered if he knew Joshua, though she didn’t dare bring up his name.  Though they were a part of the same club, they seemed so different.  Joshua was bold, sexual, but not a brilliant conversationalist.  He did his talking with his body, for the most part.

John was more of the guy next door type.  He liked to read and explore the land when he could.  He gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling that didn’t make her want to ravage him across the table at which they sat, but it did make her long to go home with him and make love to him for hours on end.  That was not a good thing considering her admonishments to herself to refrain from just that.  As the hours flew by, she found herself only wanting him more.

“It’s getting pretty crowded here and late.  It might be time to head back toward the house,” he said as the deck around them filled to an uncomfortable capacity.

“I think you’re right,” she said, disappointed to be ending the evening, but tipsy and knowing it was most likely for the best.

John paid their tab and they headed back the way they had come.  Halfway around, he pulled her off to one side and in to him, holding her tightly against his broad chest as he kissed her.  Though her brain told her to resist, her body told it to fuck off, returning his kiss feverishly.

“I don’t suppose you’d consider coming home with me?” he said.

“Wouldn’t that be awkward with your sister there?” she asked.

“She’s sleeping over at a friend’s house tonight,” he said with a smile.

“I could probably come over for a bit,” she said coyly, dismissing all the promises she had made to herself early this morning.

“Good enough.  It’s not far from where you are staying,” he told her.

An awful thought occurred to her that perhaps he lived near, or even with, Joshua, but it fell away as he stopped at a house they had passed on their way to the bar.  Whereas Joshua lived south of Ian and Randy, it appeared that John lived north.  She breathed a silent sigh of relief and went inside with him.  From there, all cautions fell away as she gave in to her own urges.

Unlike Joshua, John went for the lips rather than her neck, kissing her deeply as they lingered just inside the door.  It wasn’t a quick kiss and move on either, he seemed to really enjoy kissing as much as she did, teasing her tongue with his own as he explored her with his hungry mouth. His hands roamed down her body, touching her softly, almost delicately with his big, rough hands.  She felt like she might actually be floating slightly above the floor rather than planted firmly on it.

“You are so beautiful.  I was watching you walk through the store long before you stopped to look at the chair,” he told her, pulling away to look into her eyes.

“You were not,” she said, flushing.

“I was.  The chair only gave me an excuse to talk to you,” he said with a slow smile that made her feel weaker in the knees than the kiss had already made her.

“I’m glad I stopped to admire it then,” she told him, reaching up to touch his handsome face. 

“I’m glad you did too,” he replied, pulling her hand from his face and softly kissing the palm.

Then his lips were on hers again, drinking her in as if they were connected in much more than just the physical sense.  It was amazing how in tune to him she had felt since meeting him only at lunch today.  Once again, she had to caution herself not to make any more of this than it was.  Just fun, nothing but fun.

His hands found their ways to the buttons on her shirt, slowly opening them one by one and peeling it away from her shoulders to slip softly down her body.  She stood there in the see-through lace bra and matching boy shorts she had been wearing beneath her skirt, her three-inch heels pushing her up almost to his height.  She had always been a tall girl and gravitated toward men that were of above average height.  His six-foot-four muscular frame was perfection.

“You’ve an amazing body, curves in all the perfect places,” he told her, kissing his way down her neck.

Goldie had always been a bit sensitive about her size, because the men she had encountered always made such a big deal of it.  It was nice to find someone who seemed to not mind that she was a big taller and thicker, but didn’t seem to be fetishizing it into some form of freaky obsession.  She’d had more than her fill of those types.

“Thank you.  You aren’t so bad yourself,” she replied.

“I’m not very curvy.  All hard angles,” he said playfully.

“Sounds just right to me,” she told him.

His lips fell on hers again, kissing her slowly and softly until her head began to spin.  Pulling away, he took her hand and led her to his bedroom. He sat her on the bed to watch as he undressed.  Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of his sizeable cock.  What were they feeding the men in this area?  She licked her lips seductively as he stood naked in front of her.

“See something you like then?” he asked.

“I certainly do,” she told him, leaning forward and slipping her tongue along the bulbous head.  It jumped against her tongue as she made contact and he moaned a little, which she took as an encouragement to proceed.

Goldie took her time, enjoying the way his cock felt against her tongue and the way he tasted.  Wrapping a single hand around his shaft, she began pumping up and down, meeting her lips as she slowly toured his hardness.  His hands tangled in her hair, watching as the head of his dick disappeared in and out of her mouth.  Moving her hand down toward the base, she began taking more of him in her mouth until she could feel him hitting the back of her throat, tickling her tonsils.

“Oh, God, that feels so good.  You have an incredible mouth,” he moaned.

Goldie responded by picking up the pace, bobbing up and down the length of his cock as he whimpered with pleasure above her.  She felt hungry for his cum, wanted to taste it running down the back of her throat, but her greed was circumvented as he pulled free of her, pushing her back on the bed and slipping her panties off.

“Mmmm,” she moaned as he softly kissed his way up her legs to her thighs, pushing them apart to access her already soaked pussy.  He lapped gently at her juices, his large tongue dipping in and out of her folds and tangling around her clit as he took his time teasing her with his mouth.  Her back arched upwards, pushing against his face, wanting more.

Then he was pulling away, moving upward, his fingers replacing his mouth as he explored her folds with his long, rough fingers.  His mouth covered one of her nipples, causing her to gasp a little as she realized how sore it still was from the night before with Joshua.  It felt soothing to have him take such care licking and sucking at it before moving to the other side.  She could feel herself getting wetter, the more he fingered her and caressed her breasts with his mouth.

“God, you’re incredible,” he told her as he brought her face up to hers, watching her reactions as he fingerfucked her with longer strokes, simultaneously rubbing her clit with his thumb.  She bit her lip as he smiled down at her, bringing her to an explosive orgasm with his talented hands before finally slipping his throbbing cock inside of her.

“Yes.  Perfect,” she managed to say between panting and whimpering.  Though he was extremely gentle, he was also massive.  She felt like he might tear her apart slowly from the inside as he pulsated against her inner walls.  Her fingers dug into his back as he drove into her with slow, heavy strokes, filling her in a way she had never felt before.

“You’re so tight.  It feels like you are squeezing my cock.  God, it feels amazing,” he whispered in her ear, taking his time to let her feel every inch of him as he sank in and out of her.

“Ahhh, I’m cumming,” she almost sighed, her body trembling with the force of the orgasm that seemed to overtake her entire frame.  It was quickly followed by a series of equally powerful explosions that shook her to the very core.  Feeling weak and shattered beneath him, she could see no signs of him stopping anytime soon.  Instead, he bent forward to kiss her deeply.  She felt overwhelmed with emotion, but refused to give into anything she might be feeling in a moment of passion.

“Beautiful,” he mumbled against her hair, pulling her legs upward and over his shoulders as he sank even deeper inside her.  She gasped as he seemed to hit her very womb.  It felt incredible to have someone so gentle inside of her.  He felt like someone in love with her, though she knew that wasn’t true.  Still, it made it all feel even more amazing. 

To her surprise, something that sounded much like the growl of an animal seemed to come from him as his passion rose.  When she looked up into his eyes, she could see that same darkness that she had noted in Joshua’s last night.  Was it possible that there was something to the rumors?  The thought fell away as the sounds began to give way to more of a groan.

His hands cupped the cheeks of her ass as he plunged into her very core until she wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.  As if perfectly in tune with her, his fingers dug into her backside as he erupted into her center, filling her with a heavy load of cum before pulling free and slipping her legs away from his shoulders.  Rather than dropping onto one side of the bed and falling asleep, he curled up next to her, wrapping one arm around her so that she could curl into the crook.

“I’m glad you came home with me.  You’re truly amazing,” he told her, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

“Not nearly as glad as I am,” she told him.

“I hope so.  I know you aren’t here for very long, but I really hope we can spend some more time together, get to know one another more than just sexually.”

Goldie smiled up at him, her emotions running the gamut.  Ordinarily, she would be elated that someone like him wanted to spend more time with her, but that was not at all what she had intended when she came here to Bear Lake.  There was no hope for a relationship and so why start something she couldn’t finish?  Still, she couldn’t bring herself to just shoot him down.

“That would be nice,” she told him, knowing she didn’t mean it.  She’d love to mean it if the circumstances were different, but it was what it was and she wouldn’t be here next week, so why bother?

“I think so,” he told her, kissing her on the cheek.

Goldie thought it might be best to change the subject to something that didn’t concern what they might or might not be come morning.  This might be the only time in her life that she had ever felt awkward with after sex cuddling and she suddenly understood why men like Joshua didn’t like it.  It was intimate.  By cuddling, you were creating an intimate bond with someone you didn’t feel emotionally connected to and that was the very problem.

“So, you grew up here in Bear Lake?” she asked.

“Yes.  I was born here, went to high school here.  Between growing up here, school and the store, I know pretty much everyone in town.  It’s like your friends, Ian and Randy, I meet them when they first came to town.  Randy was fussing over everything in the store and Ian was just watching him fret, smiling and nodding.  I could tell they were a couple and knew they were going to have a hard time fitting in with so many small town, small minded people.”

“I didn’t realize they ever had a problem with that,” Goldie said, feeling saddened that someone might take an unfortunate view of them based on their private preferences when they were such good guys.

“As it turned out, I was completely wrong.  They are such great guys that people seemed to just accept them without issue.  Between Ian’s quick wit and Randy’s sarcastic zingers, they always have people in stitches wherever they go.  Plus, they are the first to jump in to help anyone who seems to be in need.”

“Yes.  They have always been like that.  They are one of the nicest couples I know.  I’ve seen people take advantage of that and find it unfortunate, but they seem to just chalk incidents like that up to poor judgment and move on.”

“That sounds like them.  What about you?  Were you always a big city girl or did you move there later in life?”

“I have always lived in the city.  We sometimes went on road trips to see how other people lived when I was growing up, but the city was home, still is.  I don’t know if I could live in a place like this long term.  It’s nice and quiet when you need that sort of downtime, but I think I would miss the lights and parties.  There is always something to do there.”

“I’m sure there is.  I think that would just make me tired after a while.  I love the outdoors and just sitting under the moon and skies.  Sometimes, the urge to just get out and run through the woods strikes me and I can do that freely here.  I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get by with how I live in a big city anywhere.  Too many people, too many questions, too much noise.”

“I suppose we tend to grow into the places where we grow up.  We become as much a part of it as it does us.”

“I can agree with that,” he said.

They talked into the wee hours, until she fell asleep, still in his arms.  Another odd dream came to her.  This time she was not running, but lying by a river in the sun, enjoying the way it felt beaming down on her face.  Once again, she was startled awake, this time because she was dreaming a storm was afoot.  A loud crack of lightening caused her to bolt upright and John to stir beside her, but he didn’t wake up.  Looking out the window, the night was clear, but morning was breaking.

Chapter Six

Goldie crept into the house and tiptoed to her bedroom early the next morning.  She had slipped out of John’s house with a kiss on the cheek and an excuse that she had an early day planned.  Despite how incredible the night with him had been, she knew it was best to end it before it got to the whole “stay for breakfast” and then “let’s spend the day together” bits that might take it to a level she didn’t want to attempt.  Climbing beneath the covers, she intended to just relax in bed for a while and then maybe get out and do some hiking.

“Oh, bad girl is up,” Ian said playfully as she stepped into the living room much later in the morning.

“Yes, she is.  What are you doing at home?  Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I should be, but I took the day off.  I’m about to head up to Walter’s Bluff to see the doctor.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.”

“No, nothing at all.  Just a routine checkup and an opportunity to do some shopping.  You want to come with me and take a browse about town?”

“I appreciate it, but I think I’m going to head out into the woods and roam around a bit.”

“It’s a lovely place to roam, but I don’t suggest you go too far alone.  There are wild animals out there.”

“I’ll stick to the well-traveled trails.”

“Just be careful.  Promise?”

“I do,” she said with a laugh, feeling a bit like she was talking to her father.

“Good enough then.  I’m off to my appointment.  I think Randy is working late, so you’ll be on your own for dinner.”

“I can probably manage,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.  You don’t seem to have a shortage of pretty men to take you out for a bite.  Perhaps you should call one of them up.”

“I’m pacing myself.  I’ll most likely just grab a sandwich or something.”

“Oh, live a little.  You’ll be gone at the end of the week.  No sense not taking advantage of something that’s right in front of you.”

“I’ll take it under advisement,” she said with a smile.  Ian shrugged and walked out the door.

Goldie changed and threw a few things into her daypack for the impromptu hike.  She was already halfway down the sidewalk when an overwhelming sense of nausea stopped her in her tracks.  The sun suddenly felt unnaturally hot as it bore down upon her from above.  A few more steps and she felt like she might pass out.  Perhaps it was a result of having drank more than usual last night, but she still hadn’t consumed enough to be hungover, especially when she wasn’t this way when she had woken up either time today.

“Fuck this,” she muttered and turned around to return to the house.

Sitting on the sofa, she turned on the television to discover that someone had been attacked by bears only hours ago.  She thought about Randy and Ian’s comments insinuating there were werewolves out and about at the full moon and laughed.  At least it wasn’t a wolf attack!  Then, she felt bad that she was making light of someone having been mauled, but the news continued to say that the man who was killed was a known sexual predator.  Perhaps karma did exist, after all.  Her body began to feel even worse and she decided to go lie down.

She spent the rest of the day alternately curled up in bed and in the bathroom being ill.  Obviously, she had picked up a bug somewhere.  By late afternoon, it seemed to have passed and she was starving.  A sandwich wasn’t going to cut it.  She got dressed again and walked into town to a diner she had seen yesterday.  It advertised home cooking and that was just what she needed right now.

“That was delicious,” she told the waitress, having finished off a large plate of pork roast with potatoes, onions and carrots.  It was a heavy meal, something she didn’t ordinarily allow herself, but even after having eaten the entire thing, she felt like she could still eat.

“Would you like a slice of pie?” the woman asked and Goldie looked at her as if she was an angel, a smile spreading across her face.

“Yes!  Do you have peach?”

“We certainly do.  Ala mode?”

“Absolutely.  Thank you.”

Goldie took her time enjoying the warm gooey pie with the large dollop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side.  She was pretty sure that it was the best thing she had ever tasted.  What she wasn’t sure about was why she was so hungry.  Then it occurred to her that she had eaten nothing today.  Perhaps that was the simple explanation for her hunger.  Her thoughts were disrupted as her cell phone rang.

“Did you make it home okay?” Ian asked.

“Oh, yes.  Well, I never left really.  I felt a little ill and went back to bed for a while.”

“You aren’t here now.”

“No.  I was incredibly hungry when I woke up and decided to come up to the diner for dinner.  I’m sorry.  I should have left a note.”

“Oh, please.  You don’t have to answer to us.  Still, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t lost in the woods somewhere and unable to get back before night falls.  We will see you when you get back.”

“See you soon,” she said, ending the call.

Goldie paid her bill and walked out.  All the shops were beginning to close up.  Bear Lake was one of those small town places that shut down before dark, for the most part.  She ducked into a nearby package store to buy a couple of bottles of wine to take back with her.  Purchase in hand, she headed back to the lake house.

“Would you like a hand with that?” a voice said from nearby.

“Oh, hello!” she said, spotting Joshua as he walked up to her from the sidewalk that joined the large porch of the store.

“Hello yourself.  I wanted to call you, but you didn’t give me your number and I didn’t want to be like some stalker by just showing up at your friends’ house.”

“So, you decided to be a stalker here in town instead?” she said playfully.

“Something like that.  I was actually on my way home from work and spotted you coming out,” he told her.

“I guess that is okay then,” she laughed.

“I hope so,” he replied, reaching for her bags even though she hadn’t answered his question.

They walked back to Ian and Randy’s place and he helped her inside with the bags.  She wasn’t at all surprised to find that they knew him quite well, chatting him up like old friends.  It was a very small community and everyone seemed to know everyone else.  What did surprise her was that he owned the only bank in town.  He hadn’t struck her as the banker type before, but seeing him today in a double breasted suit, it was easy to see it.

“Well, I guess I best be getting back to the house.  Feel free to stop by for a drink later if you get bored hanging out with these two,” he told Goldie playfully, kissing her on the cheek as he left.

“Honey, if you aren’t out the door within the hour to go have drinks with that man, we’re evicting you,” Randy told her.

“Very funny,” she replied.

“I am dead serious,” he told her with a little smile.

“Yes, I can see that you are from the smirk.”

In the end, she decided to throw caution to the wind and wander over to Joshua’s for a drink.  Knocking on the door, it was now she that felt a bit like a stalker just showing up rather than calling, but she realized that they still hadn’t exchanged phone numbers.

“Goldie!  I’m glad you decided to come by,” he said as he opened the door.

“Well, you know, I didn’t have your number and thought I would stop by and get it from you,” she told him.

“Oh, of course.  Come on in and I’ll write it down for you while I pour you a drink.  I’m multitalented like that,” he said.

Inside, he did exactly that, handing her a scrap of paper with his phone number and a glass of wine.  She took a sip of it, but found that it didn’t set well with her stomach after her recent illness.  He didn’t seem to notice, as he clearly had other things on his mind.  Ordinarily, a man pouncing on her without so much as a polite conversation would be a turn off, but her train of thought along those lines had changed since deciding to opt for fun instead of a relationship.

It was quite the change of pace after her night of slow lovemaking with John, as she quickly found herself pinned against Joshua’s sofa with his hand down her pants.  His teeth sank into her shoulder as he massaged her clit, quickly getting her ready for him.  Throwing all caution to the wind despite her lectures to herself, she allowed her body to respond, flooding his hand with the first of what would be numerous orgasms.

“That a girl,” he said, pulling free of her pants and beginning to get undressed. 

“My God, what happened to your chest?” she exclaimed, noting the long jagged cut across it as he peeled away his shirt.

“Just a bit of a scrape this morning on my bike.  Nothing that won’t heal in a day or so,” he told her.

“A day or so?  That looks very bad.  You might even need stitches,” she told him.

“I promise you, it will be just fine.  I’ve had worse.  Now let’s get back to getting you undressed, shall we?” he told her seductively.

She finished peeling off her clothes to stand naked before him.  A lurid smile crossed his face as he whirled her around and pushed her forward across the back of the sofa, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling her head back as his other hand slid between her legs again, stroking her clit until she was moaning loudly.  Her knees felt shaky as another orgasm sent streams of cum flowing across his fingers and down her thighs.

“Fuck me,” she demanded, feeling more assertive than she had ever felt.

“Tell me how,” he said firmly.

“How?” she replied, not following.

“How do you want to be fucked?” he asked.

“Hard, deep.  I want you to fuck me so hard that the neighbors hear my screams,” she told him.

“You can depend on it,” he told her, spreading her legs further apart to enter her with one forceful stroke.  His hands circled either side of her waist as he began ramming into her, causing her to cry out with each plunge.  His hips rocked back and forth against her ass as he gave her every inch.

“Yes, yes, yes.  That’s it.  Fuck me harder,” she spurred him on.

One of his hands moved away from her waist and surrounded her neck, giving her a start, but also a charge of excitement.  He squeezed lightly as he continued to fuck her wildly from behind, seeming to enjoy the way she cooed and squealed as much as she was enjoying being made to do so.  Letting go of her neck, he grabbed the back of her hair, wrapping it around his hand and holding onto it as if it were some sort of rein. 

“Your pussy is so sweet.  I love having my cock buried inside you,” he told her, still plunging into her.

“Then don’t stop.  Keep fucking me,” she demanded, pushing her hips backward to meet his thrusts.

“I bet you have a sweet little asshole too,” he said.

Goldie hesitated for a moment.  She had never done anal, but had always wanted to try it.  As much as men seemed to talk about it, she had never been with one that actually wanted to do it.  She wasn’t sure she would enjoy it, especially with someone so well endowed, but she felt like some sort of animal in heat and saw no better time to give it a go.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” she breathed, looking back over her shoulder at him seductively.

“I will,” he said.

Goldie drew in her breath in anticipation as he slid free of her soaked pussy and slipped the head of his wet cock between her ass cheeks, teasing the rim of her anus with it.  Slowly, he began to push more of the thick head inside her.  It hurt for a moment, but began to ease as she told herself to relax.  He rocked back and forth into her, each time forcing a bit more of his cock into her tiny orifice until he was finally completely inside her.

“Oh, God.  That feels so good,” she groaned, feeling simultaneous pain and pleasure that only made her want it more.

“The best is yet to come,” he told her, pulling almost fully free of her before sliding fully back in.

“Umph,” she gasped as she felt the way his thickness filled her small hole.

“God, that’s tight,” he groaned as he pulled back again, this time slipping back in a bit harder and faster.  His rhythm slowly picked back up until he was fucking her in the ass as enthusiastically as he had been fucking her pussy moments earlier.

To Goldie’s surprise, it wasn’t one of those things that she would endure and vow not to do again.  Instead, she found herself enjoying it, responding to it.  The more he fucked her, the more she wanted.  She found herself wishing she could have him in both holes at once as her own fingers drifted between her legs to massage her clit while he continued to fuck her ass harder.

“I’m going to cum,” she squealed, her body quivering with a massive explosion that ran down her thighs, almost pushing his cock from her ass with the force with which it was expelled.

“Don’t stop. Keep it up.  Cum some more for me,” he encouraged.

Goldie responded by increasing the friction of her fingers on her own clit while he bucked against her ass, sending her into a series of orgasms that caused her to pant and spasm beneath him.

“That’s it.  That’s a good girl, Goldie.  Keep going.  Give me all you’ve got,” he told her, reaching between her legs to finger fuck her.  It quickly sent her back over the edge as she made inarticulate noises, unable to form any actual words.  She was reduced to a quivering, sticky mess by the time he finally shoved forward and flooded her asshole with cum.

“That was off the charts,” she panted as he pulled free of her.

Goldie couldn’t help but note that his eyes were dark again.  She had known other men whose eyes got darker when they were turned on, but not like this.  It was if they were a completely different color.  Something about it was a bit unnerving, but also exciting.  She couldn’t deny that she was drawn to him in a way she couldn’t explain.  Though she knew it sounded campy, it was if some sort of primal scent intoxicated her.  It was the same with John.

“Certainly was.  How about we grab a shower and then watch a movie or something?” he said.

“Sounds good to me,” she replied, following him to the shower and waiting a bit awkwardly as he turned on the water. 

He stepped inside and held a hand out to her, guiding her in under the steamy water.  They made quick work of getting cleaned up before stepping back out to dry off and get dressed.  Though it wasn’t quite cuddling, they settled into the sofa curled against one another and began streaming a movie.  She wasn’t surprised to find that it was an action film rather than anything warm and fuzzy she would have picked out.

Goldie feigned interest in the movie as her thoughts drifted back to the events of the last few days.  It was so unlike her to be having sex with two men in the same period of time.  She enjoyed both of them immensely, but it was like they were two halves of a whole.  Joshua was so commanding.  It was a huge turn on to just be taken and fucked with wild abandon, but she knew that she couldn’t spend her life with someone who didn’t have much to say when he wasn’t inside her.

Then, there was the issue of intimacy.  Contrary to what some people believe, sex is not intimacy.  Sex is a physical event and it can be damned good, like it seemed to be between her and Joshua, but it wasn’t love and it wasn’t necessarily intimate.  She could certainly appreciate the way he reduced her to her most primal elements and made her want to delve even further into the dark recesses that made up that part of her needs, but at the end of the day, she needed to know he thought about more than getting off with her.

“Are you going to sneak away from me again in the morning before I wake up?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts and catching her off guard.

She looked at him, a smile crossing her face.  Normally, this is where she would make some excuse for such behavior, but she didn’t really feel it was necessary with him.

“Most likely,” she replied.

“Okay.  I have to be at work early anyway, so I guess that will work,” he told her with a smirk.

Goldie looked at him with a single eyebrow raised.  She wasn’t sure if she detected a note of hurt or relief in that statement.  Perhaps he did feel offended by her sneaking off while he slept or perhaps he was grateful not to have to deal with any of the morning after awkward bullshit.  She knew that when men had done that to her, she had been left feeling a bit cheap and perhaps even dirty in some way.  It was a bit rude and selfish if you really got down to it, but she was beginning to understand the reality of relationships rather than the fairy tale she had always made them out to be.

“It’s no problem.  I understand.  We’re fuck buddies, right?  I scratch your itch, you scratch mine?” he added, watching her face for clues it seemed.

“Exactly,” she replied.

Something told Goldie that there was a lot more to that statement than the words conveyed.  Was he trying to figure out what she was thinking, feeling?  Perhaps she was making too much of this.  That had always been her problem, overthinking things.  It was weird to be on the other side of the equation though, not knowing how she should respond.

“That’s cool,” he replied, returning to the movie playing on the screen, but something on his face said otherwise and it made her very curious to know what he was thinking.  Still, she knew he wouldn’t ask.

Goldie didn’t reply further, letting the conversation lapse.  Her mind continued to swirl with thoughts about what he might be thinking and whether there was more to him than what she was seeing, but she convinced herself that it didn’t matter.  This was just sex, nothing more and she needed to stop trying to make it something more, especially when that wasn’t even something that she wanted from him or anyone at this point.

That is what she kept telling herself.  Even as the movie ended and they climbed into bed together, Joshua stripping her of her clothes and fucking her once again across the bed before they climbed beneath the covers and settled in for a few hours sleep before morning.  Fortunately, her mind stopped running around in circles trying to make sense of things and she fell asleep quickly.  No dream came tonight.  Instead, she was lost to an endless sea of darkness where she felt nothing and wondered nothing.  It was nice.

At some point, she woke up, hungry for him and rather than turning over to force herself back to sleep like she would have under normal circumstances, she found herself boldly peeling back the covers and teasing his cock with her tongue.  He stirred a bit in his sleep, not waking even as his body reacted to her touch.  His dick grew hard and rose, the moonlight shining upon it from the window as if it was some sort of phallic statue.  She snickered a bit as she raised her body over his and impaled herself upon it.

“Molesting me in my sleep?” he said as he fluttered awake.

“Yes,” she replied.

“You’re a naughty girl,” he told her, pushing her off of him and down onto the bed.  Pulling her ass cheeks apart, he fucked her ass once again.  This time, he wasn’t gentle, letting her cry out in ecstasy as he took her hard and fast until they both came again and collapsed back into the pillows to sleep.

Chapter Seven

Waking up in the wee hours of the morning, Goldie slipped on her clothes and out of Joshua’s house, making her way in the darkness back toward Ian and Randy’s where she climbed into her own bed.  She felt oddly content with the situation.  Perhaps men that just played the field were onto something that women couldn’t quite grasp unless they tried it themselves.  She awoke later in the morning feeling a bit bloated and nauseous.

“Great.  Way to preempt my fun, mother nature,” she muttered, thinking her period had decided to arrive early this month. 

Making her way to the bathroom to shower, she was surprised to find that she was wrong.  Perhaps it was just a warning that it was on the way.  So much for sexy flings the rest of this mini vacation.  Picking up her phone, she found that she had a message from Joshua telling her that he was disappointed to find her gone when he woke up.  She smiled a little and clicked the next message, from John.  He wanted to know if she could come in to town for lunch.  She agreed.

“I didn’t even notice this was here,” she told him.  “The food is delicious.”

“Yes, they still rent rooms here, though there aren’t many available.  Mostly they provide rooms for functions and special events, plus run this restaurant,” he told her of the old hotel that sat in the center of town.

“It’s very quaint,” she told him.

“If you like, I can take you to see some more of it when we finish lunch.  The owner is an old school friend.”

“Yes, I’d love that.  How old is this place?”

“A bit over two hundred years old.  It was in ruins when he bought it and renovated it, so a lot of the structure is redesigned, but most of the woodwork is the original carvings from when it was built.”

“I bet the rooms are fantastic,” she said offhandedly.

“Well, let’s give you a peek at them so you can see for yourself.”

After they paid for lunch, he excused himself for a moment and went into the kitchen, returning with a frail looking older man, introducing him as the owner.  Goldie was momentarily confused.  Hadn’t he said the owner was an old school friend?  This man had to be at least in his seventies.  Perhaps he had just meant that he had known the man since his school days rather than he was a classmate as she had thought.

“Here are the keys to one of the empty rooms.  Most of the rooms are set up just like this one, so it will give you an idea of what they are like.  The rest of the rooms are all openly available for you to look at.  John knows the place pretty well.  Make yourselves at home,” he told them.

John thanked him and took her on a tour of the place.  It was all quite stunning with a lot of the original design still intact.  Walking into the room they were given a key for was like walking back in time.  The large wrought iron bed stood against one wall opposite a large bay window that looked out over the town and the lake beyond.  She stood looking out over the landscape as John walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him and kissing her softly on the neck.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Very much so.  Thank you so much for bringing me here,” she told him.

“My pleasure,” he replied, turning her around to face him. 

His lips met hers in a soft, sensual kiss and she found herself instantly responding to him, despite trying to hold back.  What was it about him that she found so irresistible?  Somewhere, in the back of her mind, a voice whispered back to her.  “Everything,” it said, but she pulled away anyway.

“John, we can’t,” she said.

“Yes, we can,” he said.

“It’s not our room.  We’re just supposed to be looking at it,” she said.

“Think again.  Trust me, he doesn’t care.  This room is ours until we give him the key back,” he breathed against her neck as he began kissing his way down the length of it.”

Goldie gave in to him, enjoying the way his hot mouth felt on her skin in the cool room.  Under the circumstances, Goldie thought it would be more of a quickie, lest someone come up to see what was taking so long, but John seemed to have no intention of rushing things.  He sat her up on the heavy oak table situated on one side of the room and slipped off her pants and panties, burying his face in her pussy.

“You taste magnificent,” he muttered, the vibrations of his voice causing her clit to throb with anticipation.

His mouth surrounded her clit, pulling it in and sucking at it eagerly as his fingers began to explore her rapidly moistening folds.  There was no rushing him as he feasted on her slickness as if he were enjoying fine cuisine.  Her moans filled the room.  Tangling her hands in his hair, she pulled him in to her, enjoying the way he felt with his tongue and fingers inside of her.

Goldie became aware of the large mirror on the dresser on the opposite side of the room.  The sight of his muscular back as it rippled with his movements and his head buried between her legs was a huge turn on, as she watched him eat her out.

“Yes, there,” she moaned as he hit just the right spot with his finger, rubbing along the inner wall of her wet hole perfectly.  Her legs spasmed as her body gave in to the attention he was lavishing on her dripping pussy and shattered into what felt like an orgasm that might register on the Richter scale if there was such a thing for climaxes.

“Delicious,” he mumbled, standing up to face her as he began to get undressed.

Reaching for her hand, he helped her down from the table and guided her over to a nearby wooden chair that stood to one side of the bed.  Sitting on it to face her, he pulled her down onto him so that she was facing him with his cock buried inside of her.  At first, he didn’t move.  His enormous cock filled her to the brim as he kissed her passionately, his hands buried in her hair.  Moving downward, he turned his attention to her breasts, licking and sucking at her nipples softly as his hips began to grind into hers.

Goldie moaned loudly as his hands drifted down to her hips, lifting her up while still kissing and massaging her breasts with his mouth.  He began to pull her up and down the length of his cock, letting her ride him very slowly.  Wanting him deeper inside of her, Goldie reached out for his shoulders, pulling herself up and then dropping back down on him with a grunt as he seemed to hit bottom.

John let go of her, putting his hands down on the sides of the chair to brace himself as she slipped her body up and down his cock, using his throbbing member to pleasure herself in the most exquisitely slow fashion.  Much to her surprise, she felt something that didn’t seem quite physical.  It was an ache, a need that came from somewhere much different than her hungry pussy.  She recognized it for exactly what it was, a misplaced feeling that she had to quickly squash.

“I love how your cock feels inside of me,” she said, attempting to break free of what she might be feeling and put her feelings back in perspective.  This was sex, just sex.  She needed to focus on the physical and forget the ache that stemmed from a place more north than her clit.

“My cock was made for you,” he told her softly, his eyes never leaving her own.

Damn him, he wasn’t making it easy to keep her perspective.  She firmly believed that she could spend the rest of her life with his cock inside of her, but now there was a part of her that wanted more than just affection.  While she adored his way of making love softly and sweetly, there was also a part of her that appreciated being fucked like Joshua preferred to do.  If somehow she could find a guy that could do both, she might just be in heaven, but she just didn’t see that ever happening. How long could she really carry on with two different guys before it became an issue to someone?

Her thoughts drifted away again as he thrust upward into her deeply, causing her to cry out.  Opening her eyes, she looked down at him and smiled.  His expression softened as he looked back at her, their eyes locked together as she rode him with increasing enthusiasm.  Their bodies were like one as they glided back and forth in perfect unison until she began to quake, flooding his cock with her juices.

“You look so beautiful when you cum.  I love watching you,” he told her.

“You must, you keep making me do it,” she told him, leaning down to kiss him. 

“Turn around,” he told her.

Goldie stood and faced the other direction.  She felt his hands pulling her back downward on him, letting him ride her reverse cowgirl style as he ground his cock further and further into her wet recesses.  His hands locked onto her waist as he guided her up and down, his big cock throbbing inside of her.

“You’re amazing,” she muttered, enjoying their lazy lovemaking.  The fact that they were doing it in a place where there was the potential to be caught only made it that much more exciting to her.

John responded with a series of grunts as his hands faltered on her waist and he buried himself inside of her, sitting her firmly down on his lap as he came inside of her.  They sat there like that for a moment, his hands drifting up to cup her breasts as he kissed her back, his cock still buried inside of her. 

Finally, she pulled free of him, excusing herself to the bathroom to get cleaned up before departing the room.  Goldie tried to pull herself together as much as possible, giggling a bit as they left the room to visit the rest of the hotel.  When they were done, John returned the key to his friend and they left, parting ways for the afternoon so that John could get back to the general store and she could return to the lake house.  Plus, she was beginning to not feel very well again.  By the time she made it back, she had to lie down to keep the room from spinning around her.  She felt exhausted on top of it and was grateful when sleep came so that she could just close out the discomfort she felt for a while.

Chapter Eight

“You don’t look well,” Ian said to her the following morning.  “Do you want me to see if my doctor can see you?”

“I don’t know.  It’s probably just a bug or something,” she replied, now discounting that it was an early period and figuring it was more of a stomach flu.

“Okay, if you are sure, but I don’t mind at all.  Just give me a ring at the office if you start feeling worse,” he told her.

“I will.  Thanks, Ian.”

She watched as he followed Randy out the door and then sat down on the sofa.  She felt incredibly hungry, but wasn’t sure she could keep it down.  After several hours, it hadn’t subsided at all.  Her stomach was puffy and she felt horrid.  Going to a strange doctor was the last thing she wanted to do, but she grew so weak that she felt she had to.  A call to Ian garnered her a visit to his doctor.

While she waited for time to go to the doctor’s office, she sat down to watch the news.  There had been another bear attack, it seemed.  This time it was a man that was found on a trail not far from the lake.  She was surprised to see that he worked at Joshua’s bank and was recently charged with embezzlement.  A search warrant at his home had turned up a large collection of photos of women across the country that he was believed to also be blackmailing.

“Sounds like these bears are purging the area of scum,” she said aloud.

An odd thought suddenly occurred to her and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about it before now.  When she had spent the night with Joshua last night, he had quite a large wound across his chest.  By the time they had gotten into the shower, it had somehow seemed a bit less pronounced.  Then, this morning, when she had glanced at him as he slept, the light had shone on his chest to show that the wound hardly appeared visible at all.  How was that possible?

“Don’t be ridiculous, Goldie.  Men can’t become wolves or bears,” she said aloud with a laugh.

Obviously not feeling well was getting to her.  Rather than dwelling on it further, she began to freshen up for her trip to the doctor.  It was going to be a long drive into the next town feeling like this as it was.

Chapter Nine

“You’re pregnant,” the doctor told her as she sat waiting for a diagnosis after he had run some tests and done a physical exam.

“What?”

“Pregnant.  About four weeks, I’d say.”

“No.  That’s impossible.”

“Well, the tests do sometimes give a false positive, but my physical exam matches up with the findings.  So, I’m afraid it isn’t impossible.”

“Is it possible that I’m not so far along?”

“Yes, I could be off by a week or so, but no more.”

“No way.  I couldn’t possibly be more than a few days,” she said.

“I don’t know what to tell you.  Time will tell a more accurate picture, but I feel pretty confident with my assessment.”

Goldie thanked him and left the office.  There was no way she could be four weeks pregnant.  Greg had not been able to have kids due to a childhood illness that had left him sterile.  Admittedly, she had thrown caution to the wind with her two recent lovers and could have very well have gotten pregnant.  It explained her recent nausea and weakness, but the doctor was way off with his timetable.  It was just as simple as that.

“Fucking great.  Pregnant and don’t know who the father is.  Good job, Goldie,” she muttered to herself as she drove back to Randy and Ian’s.

There was no other answer for her but just to end it with both of them.  Though she liked each one for different reasons, she had never intended for it to be a long-term relationship with either of them and she wasn’t about to go through holding one of them over the fire with paternity tests and the like.  She would raise this baby by herself and neither would ever need to know about it.

“What did the doctor say?” Ian asked as he returned from work shortly after she got back to the lake house.

“Just the stomach flu, after all.  I’ll be fine,” she lied, not ready to tell anyone about her condition until she sorted it all out for herself.

“Well, that sucks, but I suppose it could be worse,” he said. 

“Yes, I imagine it could.  If you don’t mind, I’m going to go lie down a while.”

“Sure honey.  Get some rest.  If you aren’t up for dinner, we’ll bring you some soup.”

“Thanks.  I appreciate that,” she told him, excusing herself to her room.

Closing the door behind her, she lay down on the bed and cried.  What did she know about raising a child?  What was she going to tell her parents?  They would be absolutely horrified that she was a single mother.  For all their good points, they were hopeless society types who cared about what the neighbors thought and who would be whispering about their pregnant out of wedlock daughter.  Even in today’s day and age, they still believed one should be married before having a child.  This was going to be a nightmare.

“How are you feeling?” Randy asked her later on when he came to bring her soup, just as promised by Ian.

“Not very well,” she replied.  “I hate to be such a downer.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.  It happens to the best of us.”

“I’m headed home Friday morning anyway.  Hopefully, I will feel better for the trip.”

“Well, if you don’t, you feel free to extend your stay.  If not, maybe you will feel well enough tomorrow night for us to take you out on your last night here.”

“That would be nice.  I will try to make it.”

“It is what it is.  Enjoy your soup and just yell if you need anything else.  I’ll come back and get your dishes in a bit.”

“Thanks, Randy.  You’ve both been very good to me.”

“We’ve enjoyed having you.  I only wish we hadn’t had to work most of the time and could have shown you around more.”

“You’ve done more than enough.”

By the following morning, Goldie found that she did feel quite a bit better, at least physically.  Mentally, she felt incredibly out of sorts with the entire situation.  Rather than dwell on it too much right now, she decided to enjoy her last night at Bear Lake with her friends. She would worry about how she as going to deal with this when she got back home.  They made plans to go to a local restaurant and have a nice dinner out, along with some other acquaintances.

“This is the best seafood place in Westfall,” Ian told her of the sprawling upscale restaurant situated in the next town, just on the outskirts of Bear Lake.

“It might just be the best seafood anywhere,” Goldie replied enthusiastically as she took another bite of the fish cakes she had ordered.

“Good point.  Certainly among the top ones in the world, I’d guess.  A pity that not more people know about places like this in small towns,” Randy said.

“No, it’s not.  If more people knew, we’d never get a table!” Ian told him.

“Another good point,” Randy laughed.

They finished their meal and were headed toward the door when Goldie spotted Joshua in a nearby corner talking to a group of guys.  She tried to slip out without him seeing her, but failed.

“Goldie!” he said, crossing the room toward her.  “You haven’t returned my messages.  What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.  I just have been a bit under the weather is all,” she told him, it was at least half the truth.

“Are you feeling better now?” he asked, nodding his head toward Ian and Randy in recognition.

“A bit.  The guys were nice enough to take me out for dinner once I made it past the rough part,” she said, antsy to get out of here.  He looked just as delicious as ever and she didn’t want to end up in his bed again on her last night here.

“That is nice of them.  You should come by the house for a drink later,” he offered.

“I appreciate it, but I’m still not one hundred percent.  I think it best that I just call it a day.”

“Well, the offer stands if you change your mind.  You know the way to my doorstep,” he said with a wink, excusing himself with a polite goodbye.  Goldie watched him walk away for a moment before turning to head out the door again.

“Only a foolish woman wouldn’t get in a last night with that man,” Randy joked as he opened the door to exit the building.

“I agree, but here I am, foolish as can be.”

“Perhaps you will wise up before bedtime!” Ian added as he stepped outside.

Goldie laughed and followed them out, not really paying attention to her surroundings as she considered her options and then tried to dismiss them again.  If she had been watching where she was going, she might not have run into someone without seeing them first.  Looking up, she found herself looking into the eyes of John. 

“Fuck!” she thought to herself. 

Was there no getting away from them?  She blushed and apologized, noting that he was alone and not with another woman.  It seemed that Joshua had been too, with a group of guys rather than a date.  Then it hit her.  They were meeting here, meeting with the group of guys she had seen Joshua talking to.  If there had been any doubt as to whether they knew one another, it was certainly put to rest now.

“Well, hello there.  I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.  Crashing into me isn’t exactly helping you hide from me, you know.”

“I wasn’t hiding from you.  I’ve just been under the weather.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.  You look well now.  Was it a virus?” he asked, scrutinizing her closely.

“I suppose.  Just a stomach bug.  It seems to have passed.”

“That is good to hear,” he told her before turning toward Randy and Ian, who stood talking to one another at the bottom of the steps she had been headed for when she had run into him.  “I’m sorry, guys.  I didn’t mean to be rude.  I didn’t even say hello.”

“Hello,” they both said, almost in unison, returning to their own conversation as another friend came by and joined them.

Goldie marveled at the small town meetings that seemed to take place all around here.  You really couldn’t go anywhere in a place like this and not run into people you knew.  Even knowing the limited number of people she had met since being here, she thought back on how often she had just run into them here and there.  It was nice, but how long would it take to get bored in a place like this? 

“Well, I guess I best get going,” she told him, trying to avoid making a situation that felt awkward even more so by lingering long enough for Joshua to wander out, as well.

“Yeah, people are waiting for me inside.  I guess I’ll get to it.  I’ll message you when I get home, perhaps you can drop by.”

“I’ve an early morning tomorrow, so I will probably be in bed fairly early.”

“I see,” he said, his face falling. 

Goldie knew that he understood it was just an excuse and felt bad about that.  It was odd having the shoe on the other foot, being the one who was doing the rejecting and it didn’t really give her a sense of power.  It made her feel terrible.  A part of her wondered if the men that had left her felt this way, even for a moment.

“Have a good night,” she said politely, moving quickly away from him toward Randy and Ian.

“You too,’ he called after her as she urged Randy and Ian down the walkway toward the lake house.

“You are a naughty girl!” Randy laughed.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean, you giving both of those gorgeous specimen the brush off like you are the Queen of the Universe.”

“Aren’t I?” she quipped, though she felt nothing at all like that.

The trio laughed as they made their way back home, where Goldie excused herself to pack for her return home tomorrow.  She had thought this little vacation might help her catch her breath, find her bearings.  Instead, she felt almost panic stricken as she anticipated her return.  She would still have a couple of weeks of down time from work to sort things out, but she knew that wasn’t a lot of time under the circumstances.

Chapter Ten

“What was that?” Goldie said, wide eyed, as she made her way from her bedroom to the living room, where Ian and Randy were gathered in front of the news.

“Storm.  I’m afraid you aren’t going anywhere today.  None of us are.  The bridges are already washed out from the rain and it’s not going to stop for quite a while according to the weather report,” Ian told her.

“Will it flood, like into the house?” she asked, fearing the worst.

“No, the house is high enough and the barriers around the lake will push it toward the overflow on the opposite side where there is no housing.”

“Well, at least there is that,” she said, relieved.

“Agreed.  There is coffee and crumb cake in the kitchen if you want.  Help yourself,” Randy told her, tapping away on his computer beside Ian, who was doing the same. 

Goldie guessed that is what people out here did when they were stranded, work from home.  A part of her was envious, as much of her job required she be present on set.  It must be nice to have options like that.  She had considered, at one point during her career, to just consult on design rather than embrace full creation.  It would afford her the same luxury a large part of the time as consultation via webcam and emails would become the norm.

“Sounds good, but I’m not much up for coffee this morning.  Do you have any green tea?” she asked.

“Green tea?” Ian laughed.  “Are you starting a new healthy lifestyle?  I’ve never known you to drink green tea in your life.”

“Just trying to steer clear of the caffeine a bit,” she told him.

The fact was that she knew nothing about being pregnant, but was already appalled that she had been drinking alcohol before finding out she was expecting.  Surely, caffeine wasn’t good for the baby either.  If she was stuck here today, she was going to have to at least do some research on what she should be eating and drinking.  The doctor had given her some pamphlets and some instructions, but she had been in such a state of shock, she had left the papers behind and his words had not even begun to register at the time.

“Well, there is probably some in there somewhere.  Check the cabinet to the left of the stove.  If not, I think there is a jar of instant decaf that my mother bought last time she visited.  It probably takes like pig swill, but you are more than welcome to try it,” Randy told her.

“Thanks,” she replied, heading to the kitchen to look for it.  She was pleased to find a small box of green peppermint tea that would work just fine, though she wasn’t sure how it would pair with crumb cake.  She opted for an apple and the tea, sitting down at the table and opening her phone to see what she could learn about her first trimester.  Instead, she found a message from John that he had sent late last night.

“I’m not sure what I did or said wrong, but I felt really bad that you were in such a hurry to get away from me tonight.  I really enjoyed our time together and would like to see you again.”

Below that was another, sent this morning, just saying he hoped she wasn’t out in the storm.  Goldie sighed as she considered how much she really did like him.  Then again, she also really liked Joshua.  There were far too many reasons to stay clear of both of them.  Choosing between the two of them was an impossibility.  Each of them brought something to the table that really appealed to her.  Both were gorgeous, successful and fantastic in bed, but Joshua was more serious in nature and primal in his sexual urges.  John was fun, outgoing and more sensual.

Of course, the biggest problem is that she was expecting a child from one of them and had no idea which one.  How do you start any relationship off like that?  It wasn’t as if you could say, “Yes, I’d really like to be with you, but I also fucked your friend and one of you got me pregnant.  I’ve no idea which one.  Oops!” 

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud groans from Ian and Randy in the living room, followed by a string of expletives from the former.

“That’s just fucking great!  What the hell do we pay that lazy ass council for if not to make sure everything is working properly.  What a bunch of fucking twats!”

“What’s going on?” Goldie asked, stepping back into the room and looking at the two of them.

“The overflow is backed up.  Water is going to begin spilling over the lake barriers and there is a good chance we will flood, after all.”

“You’re kidding me!” she replied.

“Afraid not, dear,” he said.

“What will we do if that happens?” she asked.

“Oh, honey.  We aren’t waiting for it to happen.  I just booked us two rooms in the old hotel in town while the getting was still good.  It’s out of the flood zone and we can hole up there until this passes.  It’s a good thing you are already packed.  Let us throw a few things in bags and then we will drive into town while we still can.”

“I thought the bridges were out,” she said.

“Only the ones leaving town.  The one between here and there is still fine according to our neighbor that called to tell us that his place is already getting a little leakage.  He’s on his way over to go into town with us.”

“Okay.  I’ll get my things,” she said woefully.  What a downturn this vacation was suddenly taking.

Thirty minutes later, the three of them, along with a neighbor named Hank, were on their way to the hotel.  The roads were incredibly wet and, though not completely flooded, standing water was already visible in places.  She found herself wondering if Joshua and John were okay where they were and if they were at home on the lake or had already left for work before it got too bad.  She suspected that John would have the store open to those in need, but she wasn’t sure about Joshua.

“Get settled in however you like,” Randy told her after they had checked in and were headed to their rooms.  “We are going to do some more work for a while and then we’ll come gather you back up for a nice lunch in the hotel.  They have some amazing food here.”

“Yes.  I ate here with John once.  It was quite good.”

“Of course.  He eats here quite often since it is close to the store and his friend owns it.”

“Yeah.  I met him.  It was odd, because I thought that he said the guy was a friend from school, so I assumed a classmate, but he seemed quite a bit older than John,” she replied.

Ian and Randy exchanged an odd look before changing the subject to announce that they were at her room.  Goldie thought it odd, but turned toward the door Ian was pointing at to let herself in.  She laughed a little as she realized it was the same room she and John had been in while they were here.

“What’s funny?” Ian asked.

“Nothing.  Just a random thought.  I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

“Yes, you will.  We are just down the hall if you need us in the meantime.”

“Thanks.  What a crazy day, huh?”

“Yeah.  I’m not looking forward to going back to a house that is flooded.  Let’s hope it stops before it gets to that point.”

“One can only hope.”

Once inside her room, Goldie opened her tablet and began doing some research on pregnancy, making notes about things she would need to do as hers progressed.  It was her nature to plan everything out, especially with her career being affected by all this.  Hopefully, the birth would fall around the next wrap of the TV show so that she would have the down time after the birth without it interfering with work too much.  As sad as it was that she had to put work above the baby, it was a simple fact that she would have to support herself and the child alone.

For a moment, she considered ending the pregnancy.  She had always been against that sort of thing, but things change a bit when you are the one with your feet squarely in those shoes.  It was something she had to at least consider, though she was immediately certain she couldn’t go through with it.  This baby might have an ambiguous father, but it was also a part of her and she was quickly finding herself in love with the tiny creature she carried.

“Are you moving around?” she asked it, aware of a stirring that seemed to be taking place inside of her.  “Of course not,” she answered herself.  “You aren’t big enough for me to feel you move just yet.”

Time seemed to fly as she jumped from site to site reading tips about pregnancy and parenting written by everyone from pediatricians to first time mothers.  It seemed that everyone had a different opinion on absolutely everything and she wondered how women ever even sorted it all out.  She suspected that, in the end, you just did the best you could and hoped you didn’t fuck your kid up too much.

She jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door, having been completely lost in thought.  Glancing at her phone, she noted that it was already lunchtime.  No doubt that would be the guys coming to fetch her.  Turning off her tablet, she set it aside and answered the door.

“Ready for a bit of lunch, girlie?” Randy said cheerfully.  Ian was all smiles beside them and it was her guess that they had made better use of their room than just for work.

“I am,” she told him picking up her purse and key to the room from the table inside the door and walking down with the two of them.

The hotel restaurant was packed with people.  Outside it was positively dreary, the rain poured down in buckets and the sky was an angry black streak, spouting lightning bolts and obnoxious claps of thunder.  If would have been a beautiful storm under different circumstances, but it was getting ugly with the flooding and influx of people trying to escape it.  They had to wait almost forty-five minutes just to be seated.  They had barely finished ordering their lunch when a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

“What are the odds that you three would take pity on me and let me sit in your extra chair rather than waiting an hour to eat?” Joshua asked.

Ian and Randy looked a bit awkwardly at Goldie.  She feigned a smile despite feeling a bit trapped.  Perhaps it was just an excuse for him to talk to her, but then again, there were a lot of people here so he probably did just need a place to sit.  Of course, it could be that both were the case.

“Of course you can sit with us,” she told him, nodding toward the empty chair on her side of the table.

“Thank you so much!  I am starving to death!  I drove like a bat out of hell to try to get back and check on the house from work before it got too bad, but I was too late.  The roads in are already flooded and the hotel is full.  I’ll most likely be begging friends for a dry sofa before the night is out.”

Goldie supposed this would be an opportunity to invite him to stay with her, but she was really trying to avoid intimacy with anyone else before leaving this place, especially since she already was feeling like a beached whale.  The way her stomach had already started to protrude was insane.  She’d had to put on a dress that was a bit loose around the waist and toss a tissue thin jacket over it to hide the bulge.  Obviously, she was going to be one of those that showed quickly, despite her larger size.

“Already?  I was hoping it would subside rather than getting worse!” Ian shrieked.  “Our poor house is going to be destroyed.  All our houses are going to be soggy, musty messes!”

Goldie was almost grateful for the outburst, as it salvaged what might have otherwise been an awkward moment.  The three men commiserated about their homes while the waiter began placing drinks and salads on the table, noting that someone extra had turned up and taking his order before leaving. 

“Thank God for good insurance is all I can say,” Joshua continued.

“Yes, but insurance isn’t going to replace some of the precious items we’ve collected over the years.  I’ve combed every thrift store and art fair in the country and some overseas locations for some of the things we have,” Randy groaned.

“It’ll be okay,” Ian told him, looking at him softly and patting his hand on the table.

Goldie sometimes envied their relationship.  They were so close to one another, finishing each other’s sentences and always seeming like they were on the same page with just about everything.  She had never seen them have a truly cross moment with one another in all the years since she’d known them.  In fact, she had already decided that when the time came, they would be her child’s godparents.  It might be unorthodox to have two godfathers and no godmother, but she doubted much about her being a mother would be normal.

“You look like you are positively glowing today,” Joshua told her, his eyes roaming across her face and dwelling for just a moment on her cleavage, which, like her stomach, was a bit swollen.  In fact, she was currently wishing she had worn a different bra.  Her nipples felt like they were on fire as they rubbed against the material of the one she had on.

“I’m feeling much better after being sick a few days.  I was actually headed home today, but the storm held me up.  I guess I am stuck here until things subside,” she admitted.

“There are worse places to be stuck, aren’t there?” he asked, his smile melting her like always.

“I suppose there are,” she said, determined not to fall under his spell.

The conversation drifted away as Joshua’s salad arrived and everyone began to eat, the rest of them having waited until he got his food rather than being rude and eating in front of him.  Though they chatted lightly between bites, it seemed everyone was quite hungry and more devoted to eating their meals than being social.  Salads were followed by entrees and a nice bottle of shiraz.

“Let’s order another bottle,” Randy said as they polished the first one off.  “It’s not as if any of us are going to be driving anywhere.’

“How about we migrate to the bar instead?” Ian offered, nodding toward the line of people still waiting for tables.  “It’s a full house and there is no need to hold a table hostage when we could settle in to a nice booth and drink.”

“Sounds good,” Joshua chimed in and Goldie realized that she might be stuck with him for a while this afternoon.

The four of them paid for their meals, Joshua insisting on picking up her bill, despite her protests that she would take care of it.  The bus boys were already cleaning off their table before they walked the few feet to the entrance to the separate bar that adjoined the restaurant.  It was not as crowded in there this time of day, though it was still pretty busy. 

“You aren’t drinking?” Joshua asked as she ordered a glass of sparkling water for herself, something he hadn’t seemed to notice at the lunch table.

“I just still feel a bit dehydrated from being ill.  I’d best stick with water for now,” she told him in an effort to come up with a plausible explanation for not drinking.

Though it had initially felt awkward to be here with him, it quickly faded into a familiar comfort as the four of them laughed and joked.  Ian and Randy told him embarrassing stories about how awkward she was in high school and she returned the favor.

“So, the teacher, who had a bit of a speech impediment was talking about genetics and the probability of certain characteristics of fruit flies.  Goldie kept mumbling to me and I would laugh.  Finally, the teacher overheard her and completely stopped the class,” Randy told him.

“What was she saying?” Joshua laughed.

“She kept muttering “magenta” and making a face.  He stopped and asked her if she was kin to Daniel Webster and she said no.  He asked if she even knew who it was and she guessed that he wrote the dictionary,” Randy continued.

“Not a bad guess, given the name,” Joshua said.

“That’s what he said.  He told her that it was close, but that the more accurate answer was that he was a great orator and expert on pronunciation.  He asked if she was kin to him.”

“Awh, man,” Joshua remarked, smiling over at her.

“Oh, that’s not the end of it.  She tells him no and he tells her that she’s probably not an expert on pronunciation then,” Randy said.

“That’s harsh,” Joshua laughed.

“That’s when it got really funny.  Miss Snarky Pants over there looks at him indignantly and said, ‘Maybe not, but even I know that the word is “magenta” and not “mangled” like you are saying.  Calling them mangled eye fruit flies is ridiculous!’  The entire class just lost it.”

“Oh My God!  She didn’t!” Joshua said, laughing loudly.  “What did he say to that?”

“He sent me to stand in the hallway until his class was over.  He said he didn’t want to look at me anymore that day,” Goldie finished, now laughing herself at the memory of being put out of class for correcting her biology teacher.

They all laughed some more, sharing stories about their respective childhoods and some of the trouble they had gotten into over the years.  Before they knew it, they had been there for hours and it was getting incredibly dark outside, the weather not letting up in the least.  Randy and Ian excused themselves, leaving her there to try to excise herself from Joshua’s company.  Though she was honestly enjoying it, she still knew she should remove herself soon.  She was guessing he sensed it, as he did her work for her.

“Well, it’s been great seeing you, but I guess I better get going.  I need to call up some of the guys and find a place to crash tonight.  Hopefully, this will clear up and you can get out of here tomorrow at some point,” he told her, standing up and tossing some cash on the table with what Ian and Randy had left to cover their drinks.

Incredulously, Goldie heard a voice that she was quite certain couldn’t actually be coming from her asking him if he wanted to stay with her.  He paused, narrowing his eyes at her for a moment before answering.

“Are you sure?  I’ve gotten the impression lately that you were doing your best to avoid me,” he said, a note of sadness but no anger in his voice.

“I am just leaving soon and saw no reason to start anything,” she admitted.  It was partially the truth, but what the hell.  One more night of passion before she left couldn’t hurt.  After all, he knew the score and was willing, so why should she turn down hot sex with a man that knew how to make her beg for more?

“Well, if you are sure, it would be a huge help today.  I will even sleep on the floor or something if you prefer,” he offered.

“Nonsense.  We are adults.  We can both sleep in the bed . . . or not sleep in the bed,” she said, feeling a bit brazen,

“I’m guessing that not sleeping is more likely,” he smiled, reaching for her arm and leading her toward the stairs that led up toward the rooms. 

She pointed him down the hallway toward the one she was staying in and they went inside, already losing their clothes no sooner than the door was shut behind them.

Chapter Eleven

Lying in the aftermath of a rousing session that left them both heaving for breath, Goldie and Joshua drifted off to sleep on their respective sides of the bed. 

His phone, still in the pocket of his pants on the other side of the room, began to ring and he ignored it.  After a moment, it began ringing again.

“Ugh.  Who is that?” he muttered, climbing from the bed and crossing over to retrieve it.  It had stopped ringing, but began to ring again in his hand.  He clicked a key and spoke into the mouthpiece.  “Hello?”

Goldie listened to his side of the conversation, which was obviously with someone else who had gotten stranded in the weather.  She listened to him apologizing to them, telling them that he was staying with a friend and couldn’t really extend an invite.  It was obvious that it was a guy from the way he was addressing him and Goldie felt bad about someone else being stranded out in this mess, so she interrupted.

“Joshua, if they need a place to go and need to stay here, they certainly can.  It’s a big room and there is a roll away cot in the closet that we can set up for them.”

“Are you sure?  I don’t want to turn your room into some sort of refugee shelter,” he said.

“Of course, I’m sure.  It’ll be fine.”

Joshua nodded at her and told the person on the phone to come on up, giving him the room number.  He turned to her once he ended the call and smiled.

“This is very nice of you.  I hate leaving friends out in the cold if I can help them at all, but I didn’t want to disrupt our evening together.”

“It’s a crisis.  I wouldn’t leave a friend of mine out in the mess either,”

“He will be up in a moment.  He was actually down in the lobby trying to get a room and they told him they were all booked up.  Seems I wasn’t the only one who decided their only option was going to be to start calling people until I found a free sofa.”

“Oh, God.  I need to get dressed!” she said, bounding out of bed, grabbing her clothes and running to the bathroom to make herself a little more presentable.

“I suppose I should too,” he said as she retreated.  Someone knocked on the door just a moment later and when she came out, he had only managed to pull on his jeans, standing there shirtless to introduce her to his friend.  Goldie froze in her tracks, her mind racing to consider such ridiculous things as whether she could hide under the rug by the bed.

“Goldie, this is my friend, John Sebastian.  He owns the general store in town,” Joshua said, seemingly oblivious to the looks on both their faces.

“We’ve met,” John said evenly.

“Oh?” Joshua started to say, then looked back and forth between them, the situation seeming to register with him suddenly.  “Oh, you mean you’ve met, as in MET.”

“Exactly what I mean,” John said.  “I guess now I know why you couldn’t return my messages.  You’ve been busy elsewhere.”

It was too much for Goldie.  Though she had never fainted in her life, she suddenly found herself feeling incredibly dizzy.  She reached for the bedpost to steady herself, but it was too late.  Everything went black.  When she came to, she was laying across the bed with both men looking down at her.  She was awake, but she felt incredibly ill.  This was definitely a nightmare.

“I thought we were going to have to try to find a doctor in this mess,” John said to her, stroking her hair softly.

“What happened?” she said in a raspy voice.  Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton and she was grateful to see Joshua walking toward her with a glass of water.

“You blacked out or something.  I guess it is to be expected considering your condition,” Joshua told her.

“My condition?”

“Yes, your condition.  I’m guessing you realize you are pregnant by now?”

“Yes, but how do you know?”

“I’ve known since I saw you downstairs and you confirmed it by drinking just water, but I didn’t realize that it might not be mine.”

“What makes you think it is or isn’t yours?” she asked him wearily.

“Well, while we are nursing you back to wakefulness, John and I had a bit of a discussion and it seems you’ve been with both of us in the past week.  I don’t mean to be indelicate, but are there any others?”

“Joshua, don’t,” John told him, though neither seemed angry about the situation.  In fact, they were oddly calm about it.  It was quite odd.

“I think I have to, John.  I know you won’t ask, but we do need to know if there are other possibilities, don’t you think?” he said, giving John a very stern look.  John dropped his head and nodded in agreement.

“Not that it is really any of your business, but it was definitely one of you two.  Don’t worry, I don’t want anything from you.  I had every intention of leaving here and never telling either of you, but the weather stopped me.”

“Yes, this would definitely explain the sudden onset of a flood,” John said.

“What?  Now I am the cause of the flood?”

“Something like that,” John said with a little smile.

“Look.  I feel better, but this is just awkward.  I tell you what.  You two can have this room and I will go sleep in Randy and Ian’s room for the night,” she said, trying to get up from the bed.

“Oh, no you won’t.  We have a lot to discuss,” John told her, putting his large hand on her arm to stop her from getting out of bed.

“We have nothing to discuss.  This is not your problem, either of you.  I have no intention of you being involved in this child’s life.  I don’t even know which of you is the father, for God’s sake!”

“It doesn’t matter.  We don’t care,” Joshua told her.

“What?  Are the two of you mental or something?”

“Well, you might think that after you hear what we have to tell you, but we really aren’t,” John laughed.

Goldie pulled herself up in the bed and sat there looking back and forth at the two of them as they stood on either side of the bed.  Joshua nodded his head toward John and sat down on one side of the bed as John began to speak.  After a moment, he sat down on the other side, holding her hand as he talked to her.

“First, you need to know what Joshua and I are to one another,” he said.

“Oh, Jesus.  If you tell me you are lovers, I may just lose my own mind,” she told him.

“What?  No.  Of course not, but we are very close.  More like brothers than friends.  We belong to the same club, but it isn’t your ordinary organization.  It’s more of a secret society sort of thing.”

“Like Freemasons?” she smirked.

“Older than that.  This is going to sound crazy to you and you aren’t going to believe it, but we will show you if you need for us to do so.  Joshua and I are bear shifters.”

“Okay.  Now you guys are just fucking with me.  I guess it’s fair to get in a laugh at my expense considering everything, but if you think I’m falling for something as far-fetched as shapeshifting, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“We aren’t joking and we can show you, but only if you tell us you are ready for us to do so.  Given your condition, we won’t risk a shock to your system.”

“Yeah, right.  Okay.  Show me.”

“Are you sure?” John asked.

“Positive,” she replied sarcastically.

Joshua stood up and walked to the end of the bed and then took a few steps away from the bed.  Goldie watched as his shape began to shift into something contorted, his nose pushing forward into a snout and hair sprouting out everywhere on his body.  He dropped down on to his hands as his body quickly morphed into a four-legged animal.  She found herself looking into the large green eyes of a sandy colored bear.  It was much larger than any normal bear would be and she caught her breath as she realized that what she was seeing was real.

“Are you okay?” John asked.

She turned toward him, her eyes wide with amazement and nodded quietly.  When she turned back toward the bear, he had begun to shift back into the man she knew as Joshua, his sandy blonde hair and green eyes shimmering just as they had in bear form.

“Neat trick, eh?  Told you I was an animal,” he joked, causing her to blush and then feel awkward with John sitting there beside her.

“And you can do that too?” she asked him.

“Yes.  My bear form is just better looking and stronger,” he replied, drawing a groan of disagreement from Joshua.

Goldie tried to wrap her head around what she was being told, but even having seen it, she was still having trouble believing it.  Even worse, it occurred to her that this baby was going to be some sort of freak.  Would it be a shifter?  Was she going to be putting a diaper on a baby or putting down newspaper for a bear cub?  She began to feel a bit sick again.

“I know it is a lot to absorb and we wouldn’t even tell you if we had time to break it to you gently, but you need to know something about this baby and it can’t wait.”

“Oh, Jesus.  I won’t have like a whole litter of cubs will I?” Goldie gasped, the realization that it might be a possibility coming over her without warning.

Joshua laughed and then sat back down on the bed beside her, holding her other hand.  It was unusual for him to come across as thoughtful as so it caught her off guard for a moment.  She found herself wondering how much more awkward this could get.  Two men she had slept with on either side of her, fawning over her at the same time and telling her fairy tales that it seemed might just be true was more than a little surreal.

“You won’t have a litter.  You will have one child and it will be a boy.  He will be a shifter like us, not human like you.  We are more than willing to accept responsibility for the baby without haggling over which of us actually fathered him.  In fact, Goldie, we don’t want you to run off and be some sort of single parent.  You didn’t get pregnant alone and you shouldn’t try to raise him alone, especially given his special considerations that will unfold as he grows.

“I appreciate that, but neither of you know me very well.  I came here to get away for a while and things just happened between us, each of us.  I never intended for it to be permanent and I certainly didn’t intend for either of you to be chained to me because of an unwanted child.”

“That’s what you don’t understand, Goldie.  It’s not unwanted.  Neither are you.  Bear shifters are much like normal wolves.  We bond quickly and each of us fell for you immediately.”

“I just really can’t choose.  I find you both interesting in different ways,” she admitted.

“Then don’t choose.  We aren’t asking you to choose, at least not between the two of us.  We would like for you to stay here rather than returning to the city.  We will both sell our lake houses and buy something we can all share as one big family.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see how that works.  We all live together as some open relationship type situation and sleep in separate bedrooms?  That’s going to really cut into your dating lives I think.”

“No, Goldie.  We live together as a monogamous trio.  It would be like having two husbands, both of us completely committed to you.”

“I just don’t really follow how that works.  I just roam from one bedroom to the other depending on who I’m in the mood to be with?  Do you realize how crazy all of this sounds?”

“It’s not crazy at all, Goldie,” Joshua said, finally speaking up though he had allowed John to do much of the talking so far.

“Then you have an odd sense of normal,” she replied.

“Well, that is true.  Both of us do, but we’ve been out of sync with the rest of the world for a very long time.  Our ancestors have always existed in the shadows, knowing that others wouldn’t accept us if they knew what we were.  It’s important that our son be kept safe from those who might not understand him.  It’s even more important that he not be made to feel like he is fucked up in any way.  Living here with us will expose him to other children like himself and to two fathers who will make sure he learns to control how and when he shifts.”

“So, basically, this has nothing to do with me at all.  The two of you just want to raise your baby bear and you’re willing to take me on in order to make that happen?”

“That isn’t what I said at all.  Who did this to you, Goldie?  Who made you feel like you aren’t worthwhile?  Give me their names and I’ll go pay them a visit.  It angers me that you are so down on yourself when you are such an incredible and beautiful woman,” Joshua said, his anger apparent.

Goldie looked at him, surprised.  Not only was she caught off guard by his sentiments, but his anger was reflected in John’s face, as well.  While she deemed herself just having fun with a couple of guys that wanted to get laid, it would seem she had misjudged their intentions completely.  There seemed to be genuine emotion there, though it was hard to accept as being true.  Rather than respond, tears fell down her face.

“Let it out if you need to, Goldie, but you don’t need to cry.  You don’t ever have to cry again.  We promise you that what we feel for you is the real thing and that it will never change.  Not many women can say that she bonded with a bear shifter and I don’t know of any other that can claim she bonded with two in the way you have captured the two with you here in this room tonight,” Joshua finished.

Goldie blinked up at him as he pulled her into her arms and held her tightly to his chest.  She was aware of John moving closer to rest his head against the back of hers, sandwiching her between the two of them and things suddenly didn’t seem awkward at all.  In fact, they seemed quite perfect.  Though she didn’t have everything quite sorted out in her head, she at least understood that this might just be exactly what she had needed all along.

Still, something nagged at her.  In her experience, threesomes always ended with someone feeling left out and especially when one of them was the actual father of the child and the other wasn’t.  This seemed doomed to just be another failed relationship episode in her life.  She expressed her concerns to them, apologizing for her inability to just let things fall as they may.

“Don’t worry, Goldie.  It will be just fine,” John told her in his soft way.  Despite his apparent conviction, she wasn’t sure that she could quite believe that. 

In the end, she decided she had nothing to lose.  There was no guarantee that her next relationship would be any better, especially with a child now in the mix and what kind of mother would she be if she was subjecting her child to failed experiences with different men?  If she was going to do this right, then they were perhaps right, this was the path she should take.

She nodded quietly as they kissed her tears away.  Soon, she found herself being undressed by the both of them.  Turning toward John, she curled up to his chest as he kissed her hungrily, drinking her in as if she were the last woman on earth.  Behind her, Joshua reached between her legs, exploring her swollen pussy lips, already seeming to show signs of pregnancy.  She wanted them, both of them.  It had always been somewhat of a fantasy of hers to be with two men at once, but she had always thought it would be some sort of one-night stand.

In her wildest dreams, she had never considered that it could be a constant thing, having two men in her bed every night, taking care of her in very different ways.  John’s lips drifted down to her tits, sucking at her aching nipples.  Thought she was less than a week pregnant, they had already begun to show signs of swelling and had begun to produce drops of milk.  She wasn’t sure if it was a result of the pregnancy alone or if Joshua had caused it with his excessive suckling, but as John’s mouth tugged at them, she could feel milk let down and flow into his mouth.

“Your milk is already coming in.  It’s delicious,” he told her, breaking away from her nipple for a moment to smile up at her.

“I want to taste it,” Joshua said, pulling her toward him so that she now lay flat between the two of them.  She found herself with either man sucking at a single nipple, drinking in her milk as if they were quenching an incredible thirst.  Much to her surprise, she found that it was a huge turn on.

Having drank his fill, John moved up to her lips, letting her taste her milk on his lips as he kissed her with more passion than ever.  Joshua drifted downward, pulling her legs apart and lapping at her dripping pussy.  His tongue felt like velvet against her tender folds.  A part of her was having trouble even grasping what was happening, but her body understood it perfectly and reacted to the attention with much anticipation.

John pulled her back to one side so that she faced him with Joshua moving in behind her, sandwiching her between the two of them once again.  He continued to kiss her as Joshua spread her ass cheeks and began fingering her asshole, getting her ready for the swollen cock she could feel pressing into her backside.  She let out her breath sharply as he wet the tip of his cock with her pussy juices and began slipping it inside her tiny hole.

“Oh yes, that is so tight.  I love feeling your asshole close around my hard cock,” he told her.  John moved into position in front of her, slipping his own hard cock into her pussy.  It was pure ecstasy as they filled her from both sides and began to slowly slip in and out of her in unison.

“Oh, sweet Jesus!” she moaned loudly as they fucked her simultaneously.  John’s motions were slow and deep, matching Joshua’s as she whimpered between the two of them.  John resumed kissing her passionately as Joshua’s teeth sank into her back, making their way across her shoulders as he fucked her deeply in the ass.  His hand found its way to her throat, pressing against it lightly as her sore nipples brushed against the chest hair of John.

Goldie found herself already nearing her first orgasm, her body shaking all over as she exploded over and over, fueled by the way their hard cocks felt inside of her.  She felt like a rag doll between them as they began see sawing in and out of both holes, bouncing her up and down like a between them.  It was the most incredible experience of her life and she knew without a doubt that this was something she could definitely get used to and spend the rest of her life doing with them.

“Yes, fuck me,” she begged as their passion drove them to fuck her harder, deeper, faster.

Joshua came first, filling her ass with his heavy load of cum before pulling free of her and moving to a chair by the bed to watch as John finished her off.  He didn’t seem to mind at all as his friends filled her with yet another sticky load of come and then lay his head on her chest for a moment to catch his breath.

Afterwards, Joshua climbed back into the bed, falling asleep on his own side while she slept curled up in John’s arms.  At some point during the night, he awoke and pulled her on top of him, watching her as she rode him like she was in heat.  Her cries of delight awoke John, who leaned up on one elbow as he watched her take what she wanted from Joshua and then shake all over with a series of orgasms.  He stroked his cock as he got more and more turned on and then pulled her downward to come in her mouth after Joshua was finished with her.

Exhausted, but content, Goldie fell back asleep with her head on John’s chest.  Joshua rested against her back for a while, but eventually crept back to his pillow to sleep.  She knew this was the difference in the two men and that was fine with her.  She definitely had the best of both worlds.

Chapter Twelve

When the morning came, the weather had cleared.  The sun was out and the water had begun to recede.  She, John and Joshua made their way downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast, where they encountered the curious faces of Ian and Randy.

“Did everyone sleep well?” Randy asked suggestively.

“Best night of sleep we’ve had in a very long time,” John told them with a wink, causing Goldie to blush a bit, even though she felt happier than she had in a very long time.

“Well, that’s, um, fantastic,” Randy replied, looking unsure of what to say next.

“We’re headed to pick up a few things at the store.  Is it open today, John?” Ian asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Yes.  My sister was going to open this morning.  It should be up and running.  If not, give me a call so I can coax her out of bed, but she’s usually pretty responsible.”

“Where did she stay last night?” Goldie asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t even thought about where his sister might have been during the flood.

“She was with friends.  She prefers to hang with them rather than be stuck with her straight-laced old brother,” he laughed.

Goldie laughed too.  Randy and Ian said their goodbyes, telling Goldie to call them when she was heading out and taking their leave to see if they could get back to their house and assess the damage after their trip to the store.

Over breakfast, Joshua and John discussed things further with Goldie.  Her eyes grew wide as they informed her of some things she wasn’t aware of.  Things that made a lot of difference in how she handled things with her pregnancy.

“We will take you to one of our doctors.  He understands about the unique nature of this child,” John told her.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, the most important thing you need to know is that bear shifters don’t develop at the same rate as human babies,” he told her.

“What’s the difference?”

“They have a much faster metabolism,” he said.

“How fast?”

“Well, watch this.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a small knife from his pocket.  Before she could comprehend what was happening, he reached across the table and sliced the back of Joshua’s hand.

“What the fuck, man?” Joshua snapped at him.  He had been lost in checking his work email and hadn’t been paying attention until he was cut.  His hand began to bleed on the table.  Goldie looked horrified, but John just laughed and picked up a napkin, dabbing at the blood that flowed.  Right before her eyes, the wound began to seal itself.  Within mere seconds, it was completely healed with no evidence of even a scar.

“Oh, my God,” she muttered.

“You’re a dick,” Joshua told him, returning to his email.

“Now, don’t be upset.  We’re going to be co-mates with this beautiful creature at the table.  We will have to love to learn on another too,” John teased him.

“Fuck you,” Joshua retorted with a laugh.

“Anyway, the baby will grow fast.  You aren’t looking at a nine-month gestation,” John continued.

“How long?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“Four weeks,” he told her.

“Four weeks?  No way.  I can’t have a baby in four weeks!” she said.

“You can.  You will.  It’s just the way it is,” he said. 

Joshua lay his phone to one side and nodded at her as if to confirm it.  He smiled at her in an almost apologetic fashion as if to say they were sorry they were completely fucking up her life.  Goldie wondered if they truly were though.  In one way, maybe they were, but in another, they were freeing her.  This might just be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“Okay.  We have a lot to sort out in short time,” she said, trying to remain calm.

“Yes, we do,” Joshua nodded, leaning forward to look at her.  His eyes grew very serious as he looked into hers and asked his next question.  “But before we begin making formal plans, there is one question you need to answer to yourself, Goldie.  Forget what John and I want.  Is this what you want?”

Goldie looked at him for a moment before glancing over at John, who was looking at her with equal intensity, awaiting her answer.  She thought back to last night, how wonderful it had felt to have them both.  Her mind wandered to consider how nice it would be to live with two men who could provide her with such different emotional and physical experiences.  She couldn’t imagine any single man ever coming along that could make her feel quite as complete as the two of them combined.

“Yes,” she replied simply.

“Are you sure?” Joshua asked, still studying her face.

“I’m very sure,” she replied, not feeling an ounce of reserve.  She really did believe that this could work and she could be happy.

“Well, then I guess we should make plans to move forward then,” John said.

After a hardy breakfast, the trio convened to the back room of John’s store to hash out their plans.  The hardest decision was for Goldie to quit her job on the TV series and relocate to Bear Lake, but the upside to that was it would force her to finally take a chance on becoming more of an entrepreneur and consulting on costume design in her own capacity.  John and Joshua were perfectly willing to support her until after the baby was born and she could focus on setting up her own business.  In fact, they weren’t really concerned with whether she worked at all.

A visit to the doctor the following week made things just a bit more interesting.  John and Joshua had told her she would not have a litter, but they hadn’t counted on what the doctor had to say about her pregnancy.

“Well, Goldie.  I’ve completed my exam and gotten the results back from the tests we did,” he told her on the phone.  “Are you sitting down?”

“Yes.  Why?  What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling an impending sense of doom.

“It looks like you won’t be having just one baby,” he told her.

“What do you mean?” she replied, envisioning quadruplets or some such nonsense.

“Twins.  You are carrying twins.” he told her.

“Really?  Twins?” she repeated.

“Yes.  Two boys,” he told her.

“Thank you doctor.  I appreciate your calling,” she said, feeling a bit speechless.  Even twins were more than she had banked on.

“No problem.  I’ll see you next week for your checkup,” he told her.

Hanging up the phone, Goldie felt like she was in some sort of a daze.  She made her way to the bedroom and lay down on the bed, trying to gather her thoughts.  Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep and was being awakened by John as he came in from work.  Because Joshua worked longer hours, she had been staying at his place while they sold their places and looked for one more suited to their rapidly growing family.

“How do you feel?” he asked, rubbing his large hands across her massively pregnant belly.

“The doctor says we are having twin boys,” she told him.

“Really?  That’s fantastic news!” he replied.

“Is it?  Maybe for you.  You don’t look like you swallowed a beach ball,” she replied.

“Don’t be silly.  You look beautiful.  Joshua and I couldn’t be happier.  We both love you so much,” he told her.

“I love you too, but twins?  How are we ever going to manage that?” she said.

“Just like anyone else that has twins.  Plus, you have two fathers to help you with them,” he reminded her.

“I suppose,” she said.

“Have you told Joshua?” he asked.

“No, not yet.  I was going to call both of you, but I feel asleep.”

“You should call him.  He’s going to be through the roof excited.”

“Are we talking about the same man?  Joshua is the poster child for calm, cool and collected.”

“Trust me, when you get to know him better, you will see so much more of him.  He might be reserved, but he feels just as deeply as the rest of us.  Joshua was raised in an orphanage. He doesn’t express himself like we do, but he is full of a passion that is just as breathtaking as yours and mine,” John told her.

“You know him well,” Goldie replied, wondering how her two loves had become so close and feeling just a tad envious that, in some ways, they were closer to one another than they were to her.

“Yes.  I do.  One day, you will know him just as well.  I’ve just had more time to see behind the walls he puts up.  Don’t underestimate him, Goldie,” John told her, kissing her on the cheek and handing her the cell phone.  “Call him and tell him the exciting news.”

Goldie hit speed dial and waited for Joshua to answer.  He sounded a bit preoccupied with work at first, as if he had picked up his phone without looking at the caller ID, but then looked at it and realized it was her.

“Well, hello gorgeous.  What’s up?” he said after an initial answer that had consisted simply of “Joshua here.”

“I was calling to tell you that we are having twins,” she told him.

“You’re shitting me!”

“I shit you not,” she replied with a laugh.

“That’s fantastic! I’m even more excited now.  I would offer to bring home some champagne to celebrate the good news, but I know you can’t drink.  I’ll buy a bottle for after the birth instead.  Tell John that he and I are having celebratory beers at least,” he told her.

Two weeks later, Goldie gave birth to twins boys.  They were fraternal.  One had a full head of black wavy hair and the other was sandy haired.  Both had the most incredible blue eyes just like their fathers.  Goldie couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible for them to have two different fathers, but as it turned out, she didn’t have to ask.

“Fascinating,” the doctor said as he tended to their new sons.”

“What is fascinating?” she asked, Joshua and John both completely involved in fawning over the boys once they had determined that she was fine.

“It would seem that multiple births born to humans are just the same as those born to bears out in the wild, but I’d need to run tests to be certain,” he told her.

“I don’t understand,” she told him.

“Bears mate with different suitors when they are in heat.  As a result, it is not unusual for them to bear cubs that are the offspring of multiple fathers.  While I can’t be certain just from looking at them, their coloring and facial characteristics reflect that your sons are quite possibly of two different fathers.  In other words, one looks exactly like Joshua and the other looks exactly like John.  Do you care if I do DNA testing to be certain?” he asked

“I appreciate your curiosity, doctor and if you would like to put your theory to rest, then I will allow the testing, but I ask that you keep the results to yourself.  As far as I am concerned, these children belong to both fathers and always will.  I don’t want to differentiate between them in any way,” she said.

“That seems fair to me,” he said with a wink, turning to retrieve the babies from their doting fathers and finish checking up on them before leaving them to start their lives with their parents.

Joshua and John stood on either side of her bed, beaming down at her with pride.

“Aren’t they beautiful boys?” she asked.

“Almost as beautiful as their mother,” Joshua replied, a rare sentimentality from him.  She smiled at him and then over at John before closing her eyes and resting for a while.  This was the beginning of what would be a very long and interesting life with two of the most perfect men she could have ever hoped to find.  Somewhere, her search for what felt good had ended in something that felt just right.

THE END