Before the film had finished, Nicola had fallen asleep with her head in my lap and after laughing to myself, I fell asleep stroking her hair. The only thing that was stiff when I woke up was my neck. The following morning over breakfast I told Nicola about the new employee.

“Yes, he must be six-four, six-five and not skinny with it,” I told her.

Nicola put on a mock swoon and said, “Sigh, if only my husband had managed an extra inch… It must be nice being with a six-footer.” She chuckled when she’d finished.

“Oh, aren’t you the witty one?”

“Yes, I am and my husband loves me for it.”

“Anyway, apart from being a monster, he seemed like a nice guy. You’ll never guess his name though.”

“Jake, you already told me.”

I put on an exaggerated eye roll. "His surname."

“How would I know? Smith?”

“Not far out, Small."

Nicola nearly choked on her cereal. “Fuck off!”

“Mum!” Olivia chided her mother as she walked into the kitchen.

“Sorry, Liv.” Then she turned back to me, “Maybe there’s a reason for it,” she said and waggled her little finger at me.

“Mum!”

“There are certain universal absolutes, Liv. Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of the speed at which your mother’s mind can get into the sewer. That obeys its own special laws.”

Turning back to Nicola, I continued, “Besides, if the urban myths hold any water, that will not be the reason for his surname.”

She looked confused but I left it at that, especially with Liv still in the room. After what I had just said, I did not want her knowing that no matter how fast her mother’s mind moved, her father would be in the sewer waiting.

~~~~~

Nicola's second year at university was preceded by helping her move into a flat near to, but separate from her college building. It was a three-bedroom place that she was going to share with two others. I was not overly keen on either of the people she mentioned. There was Steph and while I quite liked her, I knew that she could be trouble. My opinion of Steph was that she was fun so long as you did not let her out of sight. After all, it was her that suggested Nicola should tie me up. On second thoughts, maybe she was not so bad.

My bigger concern was Alex. I had not met him and his addition to the trio was quite last minute. Originally, Nicola and Steph were going to be with another girl but she had not passed her first-year exams and had decided that law was not for her. It was while Nicola and I were in France that Steph met up with Alex and agreed that he could have the third room. I was under orders to be on my best behaviour but my opinion of him went through the floor when I saw that he had got a girl doing his moving for him.

When we had got all of Nicola’s boxes in, I left her to it and offered to help out Alex’s friend.

“Oh, yes, thanks,” she said. “That’ll be a great help.”

It only took us a few more trips to the car and back until we were finished.

“Drinks in the kitchen!” Steph called.

Nicola was already in the kitchen when we got there and she handed me a bottle of beer. Steph offered a beer to the other girl.

“You've got a lovely man there, Nicola," the girl said and went up on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "Thank you."

“I have, thank you.” Nicola blushed.

I wanted to address the elephant in the room. “Am I the only one to think that this Alex is some sort of wanker?”

Nicola and Steph both coughed but the other girl asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, it’s one thing asking you to help but to leave you to shift all his boxes and not even bother showing his face…” I ran out of steam.

All three girls were laughing, Nicola was holding onto my arm and tried to speak between chuckles.

“Oh, sweetie! Let me introduce you to Alex.”

I looked over my shoulder to the kitchen door and then back at Nicola. Next, I looked at Steph who motioned her head to the other girl.

“Alex,” she said and held out her hand. “Short for Alexandria.”

“Fuck! I am so sorry,” I said as I took her hand and felt my face start to burn up.

This only started the three of them laughing even harder.

“You helped a lady in need, that was sweet of you. Maybe you’ve learnt a lesson about making assumptions?” Alex said when she had calmed down.

“It wasn’t just because he thought you had been dumped on, he would have helped anyway. Though he would have been less angry about it,” said Nicola.

“Should I check my breakables?” Alex asked, which made them chuckle.

“No, but check your knickers, he has a growing collection of mine.”

I smiled but it was a forced one, as the girls all laughed. Nicola caught the look on my face and squeezed my arm as if to say sorry. The conversation drifted across other topics like holidays and what they were planning for their second year. Thankfully Nicola did not mention all of what we got up to in France.

When we retired to her room later, Nicola immediately pulled me into a hug. I had noticed as the afternoon progressed that her mind was not completely with us.

“Sorry,” the first word out of her mouth as she rested her head on my chest.

“For?”

“Oh, god! Both, I suppose. I didn't even think about Alex being a man, because I know her. I could be a bit of a failure as a solicitor if I don't take into consideration what angles others will look from."

I squeezed her and kissed the top of her head.

“The knickers were just a bit of fun and I engaged mouth before brain…”

“On the bright side, you’ve still got two years to get your head around all the law stuff, so don’t fret too much there. You’ll be fine.

“I guess I was angry about Steph letting a guy move into the flat without even consulting you. When we got back from France, it was already a done deal. The fact that you knew him wasn’t much solace.”

“You could have raised your concerns, I would have instantly put your mind at ease.”

“True. I was miffed about the knickers comment mainly because it felt a little like you were humiliating me. I know that wasn’t your intention but it was my instant reaction. I know you girls have and will gossip, that’s what got me the last set of knickers. I only ask that our games aren’t treated as a joke or something that will have others laughing at us. Please make sure Steph and Alex know that I’ll be majorly pissed if they start spreading stories around.”

Nicola squeezed even tighter and said, “Sorry,” again.

Nothing more was said, it was often the way we dealt with misunderstandings; both said our piece, apologised where needed and then put them away. Not forgotten but only used to make sure we did not repeat our mistakes.

The afternoon was spent unpacking Nicola’s boxes and then making sure all our connections were still solid. We spent a couple of hours naked, just stroking and touching as we kissed and looked into each other’s eyes. Watching for reactions, the little smiles and sighs that said we were on target. All of this finished by just holding Nicola after she had a small orgasm.

The evening was spent with the other girls, some pizza, beers and a film. Afterwards, Nicola and I retired to her room and made love before falling asleep. We had breakfast at a local cafe and I set out for home soon after. I had to pack my own bags as I was heading up to Scotland for my next placement. Due to the distance, I had agreed with Mr Armstrong that instead of two weekends of three days, I would be able to work six days a week and have a week in the middle plus an extra week over Christmas and Easter.

Nicola was back over Christmas and again she accompanied me to the company Christmas party. Some things were the same as the previous year. We were seated with other junior staff, though one was newer than me this time. If anything, Nicola attracted even more admiring looks than before. She just seemed to revel in the attention but was not pretentious about it. When it came to Mr and Mrs Armstrong, she was charm personified. The talk at the table revolved around us quite a bit, with Nicola being asked about her course and ambitions and me about my in-branch training.

When the dancing started, Nicola could have spent the whole evening dancing with other people if she had accepted all the requests to dance. As usual, we did not worry about dancing with others, other than my first prom, it had always been the same. As the night progressed, hands started to get more mobile and it did make me smile again how proficient Nicola was at deflecting them. That is until one of the women that had danced with her last year was dancing.

She pulled Nicola into a tight clinch in one move. Her hand slipped quickly down her back and over her bum, before spinning her away. Next, she was pulled in close from behind, holding one hand out to the side the other was placed on Nicola's belly. I noticed it move down but was stopped. They spun apart again and back, this time there were hands-on hands, Nicola's on top. Sliding up her sides, from hips to ribs before they moved across the front, moving higher. My mouth fell open as her hands slid over Nicola's boobs, without any objection. With that done, they spun out and back into a more conventional grip, once more a hand was on Nicola’s bum. When the song ended Nicola was thanked with a kiss on the lips.

I was confused. I knew Nicola had drawn attention from women in the past but this was the first time I had seen them not rebuffed. Was she drunk? Was it just the atmosphere? Or was there more that I did not know about? Had Nicola discovered something? Could I no longer compete? Then it struck me the most terrifying question, was I going to lose her? Butterflies were swarming in my stomach and I felt an ache in my chest.

“You okay, sweetie?”

All this had rushed through my head in the time it had taken for her to walk from the dance floor and sit on my lap.

“Yeah, no, I’m not sure.”

She pulled my face around and looked me in the face studying me. I could see that she was not drunk. Nicola spent just a moment like this before she leant in to kiss me.

“Excuse me, can I ask for a dance?”

Nicola turned to her latest suitor before responding to him, “I’m sorry, does it look like I’m open to proposals? What part of kissing my boyfriend gave it away?”

This surprised me too, she was never normally so blunt, even her rejections were usually the height of tact. She took my hand and stood up, pulling me after her. When we got outside, she put her arm through mine and we started to walk around the grounds. Nothing was said and when she shivered, I slipped my jacket off and put it around her shoulders.

“Well, you pulled me out here for a reason."

“You’re upset about something. It was during that last dance, wasn’t it?”

“Uhuh. Though, I don’t know about upset. That’s part of it, I’m sure, but it’s more.” I stopped and turned to face her. “Fear is another factor.”

“Fear? Fear of what?”

“That I’ll lose you.”

“Why would you think that? I was having a dance, sorry if it was a bit more flirty than normal. That’s all it was though, a dance. Then, back to you, just like every other dance. I have absolutely no plans on losing you, tonight, this holiday or really ever.”

I pulled her into a crushing hug and kissed her hard before lifting her and spinning her around.

“I’m still confused though. All that on the dance floor was new. Last year, whoever got handsy with you, you stopped them dead. Whoever, men and women. When she started touching and groping, the only place I saw you push her away was when she went for your pussy.

“Through all the confusion, all I could see was that something had changed, that you were enjoying what she was doing and how the hell could I compete with that?”

Nicola took my arm again and walked me over to a bench where she got me to sit down and sat on my lap. When she was seated, she pulled my jacket around both of us, as much as she could. This forced her to be as tight to me as she could get.

“You’re right, something has changed,” she put a hand on my chest when she felt me tense. “Shh. I was going to talk to you about this over the holidays, but having a few drinks and relaxing a little has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons and forced my hand. The first thing I want you to understand, if that was all of me dancing, if I was totally into women, I wouldn’t be sat here with you. If ever and I pray there never does come a time I need to go in a different direction, you will be the first to know. We’re young still, like you said, we may burn out naturally. But I promise I will tell you straight if I think we are there or even look like we might be headed there.

“What you saw was not me, not all of me. You have nothing to compete with. You to me are like Kong, we sit at the top of the Empire State building. The people on the ground can’t touch us and there’s not a bi-plane in sight.”

“And look how that turned out.” I was still feeling confused and defensive.

“Yes, she loved him even after he died. Now you listen, you have nothing to compete with. I’m going to tell you something, you may not like some of it but I want you to understand that you are the most important person to me, other than maybe my parents. In my dreams, as years pass, that changes and you surpass even them.”

Suddenly bashful, Nicola looked away.

“I hope I can still say that when I’ve finished telling you this.”

“Maybe if you stopped beating around the bush.” I heard the edge to my voice and was not very proud of myself.

Nicola took a deep breath and began. “You know you thought Alex was a man?” I nodded.

“Your fear was a man, a potential predator, competition wheedling his way into my life?" Again, I nodded, this time Nicola gave me a light slap on the chest.

“That was for thinking that I wouldn’t see through such a ruse and if not kick him out, at least kick all those thoughts into touch. However, Alex isn’t a complete non-threat.” Her hand went flat on my chest. “Alex is gay and I found out that Steph is bi-sexual.”

“Fuck, you’re in a nest of vipers!”

Nicola looked at me, obviously considering what I had said and my tone. She then put a hand on one cheek and kissed the other.

“Sweetie, you do know you're going out with a mongoose, right?" She chuckled at her own joke and I felt myself relax and smile a little too.

“A mongoose crossed with a tigress. Anyway, you digress…"

“Sorry. You know I miss you when we’re not together.”

“I know, I feel exactly the same.”

“Did you know the French say, ‘Tu me manques?' It literally means you are lacking in me or you are missing from me. That's how it feels. When we're apart there's a Dave shaped hole in my life."

I nodded as I felt similar, it was one of the reasons I was happy to work so many hours.

“Well, what with you being in Scotland and your visits being less, that hole ached a whole lot more." Before I could object, she put a finger on my lips and continued. "Please don't think I'm blaming you or making it an excuse, I just want you to understand how I've been feeling this term. I know you have your work to do but it doesn't stop me from missing you."

Tears were running down her cheeks, though she was not sobbing. I scooped a few up and licked them off my fingers. Which made her smile, for a second.

“This is the hard bit. There was one night and only the one, that we all had a little bit too much to drink. Okay, that’s not strictly true, there was more than one night that we had too much to drink…”

I coughed.

“Sorry. I know, I’m waffling.”

“Listen, it will be as bad as it will be. Your delay is conjuring all sorts of images and letting me come to conclusions that aren’t there.”

“Okay, sorry… again. So, this particular night we got to playing a game of truth or consequences, it started as a getting to know you game but went downhill from there. If we weren't comfortable then we had to have a drink. The more risqué the questions, the more we drank and the more we drank the looser our tongues got.

“It started simply, where we were brought up, where we went to school, why we were doing our course and so on. As the game progressed it got onto boyfriends. Well, Steph’s just a bit of a slut. She’s had a dozen boyfriends and slept with at least half, plus a bunch of one-night stands. Alex had only had one, like me. Where I couldn’t be happier about my experience, Alex’s was a disaster. She told us that she had been unsure, but went along with what was expected and it all went to shit. He was a twat, he pushed and pushed and when she reflected on it after they broke up, she realised it wasn’t just him, it was all men.

“After telling them some about you, not the nitty-gritty details, but how you treat me, how you let me set the pace when we're exploring, that sort of thing. And after how you had been about 'her friend' Alex said that although she's in no way bi, in the couple of times she's met you, you have softened her feelings about men.

“It was after Alex’s revelation, that Steph said some of her one-nighters had been with women. She's just awful though, to quote her, she likes a good cock, but a change of scenery is good too." We both chuckled at this.

“So, how does this relate to you, to us?”

“Of course, I hadn't ever done anything with a woman and Alex said that if ever I wanted to try, she'd be happy to take that cherry. Steph offered too. They asked about kissing and that too was a no. Then they offered if I'd like to try. What with the drinks and everything…"

When she stopped, I pulled her face around to look at me and I am not sure I had seen Nicola so sad, other than the time she tried to dump me before going to university. Those feelings of confusion were building again. What had she done? Why was she so hesitant to tell me? Where would this leave us?

I tried to keep my voice as measured as possible, “Look, you’re going to have to tell me. Just rip off the plaster.”

“It started with a tentative peck. Alex leant over to kiss Steph, they met halfway and just pecked on the lips. 'See,' they said, 'it's easy.' So, I closed my eyes and pursed my lips and they each took a turn and yes, it was easy. They suggested keeping my eyes open and I did and then Alex licked my lips. Well, I didn’t even think, I opened my mouth a little and her tongue entered, just for a second.

“She asked what I thought and it was fine. It wasn’t like kissing you. When I kiss you, there’s our complete history behind it and they would have to maul me to get me as wet as you do from just licking my lips. Of course, Steph wanted a try and with the booze, it was an easy decision to make. She pushed it further and…”

More tears ran down Nicola’s cheek. I did not say anything, just held her gaze.

“We made out, French kissed. Alex complained that she didn’t get a go, but she then put her hand on my tit and started to grope me. This woke me up, sobered me up some too. I broke off and said sorry before scuttling to my room.”

“Okay. Technically we can say you cheated, but it’s not the end of the world, yet. How long ago was this and what happened next?”

“I’m sorry, Dave.”

“Will you please stop apologising and…”

“Happy Chrishmash,” a drunken slur cut across me. “No need to be angry, pal.”

Before I could speak, Nicola was off my lap, “Yes there is, he has every right to be angry…”

“Hello beautiful, if he don’t want ooo, I’ll take ooo home.”

“Oh, fuck off, we just want some privacy.” Nicola was not taking prisoners that night.

“Oi! There’sh no need…" I was in front of Nicola as he took a step toward her, I recognised him from accounts.

“Don’t, Paul, just go back inside. One more step and you’re so drunk you’ll end up on your arse.”

“Inshide… yesh…” he muttered as he turned and walked away.

“How drunk were you?”

“Not quite that drunk,” Nicola slipped her arm through mine. “This all happened on Halloween. The party we were going to go to was rumoured to be full of drugs and shit, so we stayed at the flat. A good job, sort of, as the party ended up getting closed by the police and loads arrested. Anyway, after, about an hour later, Steph came into my room and sat on the edge of my bed to check that I was okay. Alex was at the door too. They left me when I assured them that I was.

“We talked about it the next day and they had not meant for it to get out of hand, just some fun kissing as they put it. That was the last it was mentioned, though I know Alex and Steph have bed hopped a couple of times since."

“So, that got the grey matter ticking and that led to tonight?”

“Yeah. I guess. You see, you’ve always been fine with me flirting a little and always watched but let me deal with people getting handsy. The thing is with you about, I know I’m safe, you’ll step in if I can’t handle something. I think it’s that feeling of safety that emboldened me tonight when she started.”

“How do you feel? Where do you want to go from here?”

Nicola stopped and put her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss. When we broke off, she held me an inch from her nose.

“I'm curious, that doesn't mean I have to try something, but of course it got me thinking. I don't want to do anything that damages us, it's as simple as that. So, it's a non-starter. I want to go to our room and wreck your cock with my pussy, that's where I want to go from here. If that doesn't work, I've got two more holes to try it with. Let's go and grab the last dances and we can talk more tomorrow and before I go back and for however long we need to."

“Now that sounds like some plans… dance, nuke the planet after Saturn and talk.”

Nicola laughed as she tried to skip ahead of me, “Nerd! I just want to wash my face first.”

We danced and Nicola rebuffed the couple of advances she had and the one I had, without even lifting her head off my chest. When we got back to the room, I found her pussy was not enough to wreck me. Thankfully she had the foresight to pack some lube and after some hard fucking in all three holes, where she fucked me back with equal aggression, we worked out the frustration of the night. We then made love, ensuring we were properly connected again. When finished, I rolled over, still inside Nicola and we fell asleep with her lying on my chest.

The next few days were spent with each other visiting friends and family. We talked more about what had happened at college and the party. Nicola admitted she had an itch, but acknowledged that it is sometimes better to leave them alone. She assured me that my touch was needed, she likened it to a drink. We all need to drink, to her, I was the never-ending fountain that would keep her sated. Having said that, even when you are not thirsty, you wonder what those other drinks taste like.

Most of the conversations we had ended with entreaties of love and loyalty, Nicola even made offers to try to reassure me.

“I love you, Dave DeCosta and I hate that a couple of times now I have put that into doubt. If you asked me to get a new flat or transfer to another uni, I would.”

“I’d never ask that and you know it.”

“Which is all the reason to love you more.”

“Apart from anything else, I’m still afraid of your old man.”

In my head, I was no longer insecure about her love and was as certain as I could be that she would either remain faithful or break up with me. The big question for me was how to handle her curiosity, should I give her the go-ahead to explore it or refuse point-blank. This left me with a coin of unanswerable questions.

I concluded that ultimately, I had no control and I had to respect Nicola's freedom to choose. So, I sat her down the day before she returned to discuss it.

“I’ve been thinking long and hard about what you’ve told me, what I’ve seen and what we’ve talked about.”

“I know, sweetie and I wish I’d not said anything, but that would have been even worse. I couldn't lie or hide stuff from you. Christmas and birthday surprises, excluded,” she finished with a smile.

“I have learnt that. I've learnt a lot these last couple of weeks. It's confused the fuck out of me if truth be told. The big questions I've been coming back to are; on one side, what would happen if I let you indulge? On the other, what would happen if I didn't let you?

“Either way could lead to a break-up. Either your curiosity becomes so great, but you won't cheat, so you break up to try. Or, I agree and you find the grass is greener and so…" I trailed off.

“Dave, sweetie, I could tell you I love you until I’m blue in the face but I know that things happen. Life moves on and directions change. All I can assure you is it’s you I need and want, it’s you I see in my future, not Alex or Steph or anyone else.”

“After thinking long and hard, I’ve come to a decision.”

“There’s no decision to make, sweetie. We are us.” I saw panic fill her face and then some anger seeped in. “Don’t you dare! When I tried this, you asked if you should get a say. Well, what about me?”

I was a bit confused at the panic and anger but understood when she said what she needed to. I put my arm around her and pulled her to me.

“Stop jumping to conclusions. You broke off from Alex and Steph and I appreciate your loyalty, I really do. What I've decided is that if a similar situation occurs, then you are free to indulge yourself. I know you're free to anyway, but this is a one-time pass to indulge guilt-free and let the night play out how it will, without fear of me breaking up with you.”

Nicola’s mouth dropped open and she just stared at me. “Sweetie, you don’t…” she started but I stopped her.

“Let me finish. This is not a pass to go to them and say, ‘Dave’s let me play.’ This is not a pass for more than one night. It’s only a pass for if that situation arises again, but not to engineer the situation. Finally, if anything happens, I want to know as soon as you can after. Then we sit down and discuss it, how you feel, how I feel, what you want and where we go; the next time we’re together. If it happens, I also want you to make absolutely clear to them that it is one time and not to push it or I will get pissy about them.”

Nicola threw her arms around my neck and buried her head into my shoulder and I could feel that she was crying. I let her get it out and settle down before speaking again.

“What was that all about?”

“I didn’t think I could love you more. I don’t know how you could be so generous, giving me that freedom. But I do know how much you love and trust me, even if nothing more happens.”

“Actually, it’s a selfish move by me. It makes me look wonderful and allows you the freedom to do what you want with your body without the fear of you breaking up with me.”

“You’re a dope, you know that? I tore breaking up out of my dictionary when we were camping. Though, I get what you’re saying. I know it’s my body and I can do what I like with it. However… it's our relationship and I'm not free to damage that."

In some ways I was rewarded by my decision, Nicola mauled me for the rest of the day and night. She held nothing back and if I had been able to, she would have worn me down to a stump. We were a little late getting up the following day, which delayed leaving, but I could think of worse reasons.

When I visited Nicola around halfway through the term, I sensed that Alex and Steph were a little awkward around me and so I guessed that something had happened. I did not prompt Nicola and nothing was said during the week. When they had lectures, Nicola left me her key and I surprised them all on Friday when I had dinner waiting. It was only a simple chilli con carne with rice and bread, but I had paid for all the food and put it all together, giving something precious to them all; time and money.

When I was putting the final touches to it, I heard, “Okay, I still wouldn’t cross the floor for him, but if he asked nicely, he’s one of the few guys I’d have a dance with.”

“Fuck that, sorry Nicola, but if you ever want to let him out to play…” The short exchange descended into giggles.

After that, the conversation over dinner was very conservative and they all seemed to enjoy it. That night we went to a club and I did ask Alex for a dance and she said yes. When Steph and Alex danced with Nicola there were no overt signs it was anything but platonic. Some guys chanced their arm with all three of the women; to no avail. One did look like he was about to get mouthy when Alex all but laughed at him but backed off when I moved to stand up.

“Perhaps a little more tact when jumping all over their poor egos would be a reasonable course,” I suggested.

Alex nodded and replied, “Remind me to look that up when I get home.”

At one point Alex and Nicola were dancing and Steph asked, “Don’t you get jealous?”

“What? Of Alex?”

“Well, yeah, now. Nicola’s said that you both dance with others and not always people you know. Doesn’t it bother you other men and women letching over her?”

“First, at the end of the day, it's her call. I will watch in case they get a bit touchy-feely and Nic can't deal with it. I enjoy seeing her having a good time, I mean, look at her now. How can I not love to see that look on her face?"

“Yes, but that’s Alex giving her that look.”

“Nope, it’s the dancing and the freedom to enjoy herself without me getting all green-eyed monster on her. Ultimately, I’m confident in us and Nic having a great evening will benefit us.”

Steph laughed, “What about when you’re not about?”

“Here’s two little secrets,” I leant over conspiratorially. “One, we talk. She might tell you a lot, she tells me everything.”

“Are you sure?”

“That brings us to two, I trust her implicitly. Yes, I'm sure. We had a very long talk over Christmas."

It gave me a little boost to see Steph blush a little when I said this. It did not take her long to rally.

“Yes, but you’re so far away…” I stopped her.

“Do you drive?”

“Yes, well I’m learning.”

“You know how to check your oil and water, your tyres and lights, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“What about all the things done during a service? Do you check all of them every time you get in? Would you even know how to?”

She shook her head.

“Nope, nor me. My point is at some level we have to trust certain things. I trust my mechanic, I trust that the car won’t explode on me. I trust Nic. You can’t go through life not trusting anyone. I’m not saying be reckless, but if you never trust anyone, you’ll never have a really fulfilling relationship. I learnt that from Nic. Moving forward, if we’re together in ten years, she’ll be at work or at home or I will be. During those hours both of us could be up to anything. Could you live a life like that? Without trust, I know I couldn’t.”

Steph appeared to be in deep thought when Nicola and Alex got back to the table.

“You okay?” Nicola asked.

“Yes. You’ve got a good man here,” she replied, patting my hand.

After we had got back to the flat, Nicola and I were lying languorously in the afterglow of vigorous love-making when she asked what Steph had meant.

“How much did you tell her about our talk?” Nicola was a bit surprised I had said anything.

“Just that we talked and told each other everything. That’s all, I let her draw her own conclusions.”

“You’re wicked,” she said with a chuckle.

“Well, if she hadn’t made a move on my girl…”

“Your girl? I thought I was free to do what I want with my body.” I could tell by her tone that she was being light-hearted.

“Still my girl though. Not in any ownership way, like I’m your man. We have agreed that we’re a couple.”

“Oh, so you’re a man, but I’m a girl?”

I just grabbed her ribs and tickled and we were shouted at to keep the noise down. This only made us laugh harder.

“There is something you haven’t mentioned.” I just raised an eyebrow. “If anything has happened.”

“You promised to tell me and you haven’t so I presume nothing has happened.”

Nicola snuggled into my neck, “Yep, no moves. I told them I told you, but not what we had decided. That’s why the start of the week was a little awkward. They didn’t know how you were going to react.”

“And you call me wicked?”

“Yep, you are and that’s why we get on so well. Team Wicked!”

We fell asleep and woke up in each other's arms. Shortly after breakfast I bid farewell to my housemates for the week and started out for my next placement. When Easter came around, Nicola had still not said that anything had happened. On one hand, I was glad, however, I was on edge all that term, worried that every phone call from her would be the one to end us.

When I collected her to take her home for the holiday, she seemed a little distant at times on the drive home. She did chat at times and was quiet at others. It was the middle of the day when we arrived at her parents’ house and we had the place to ourselves. We had a bag each and Nicola took my free hand and dragged me up the stairs to her room.

Without preamble, she locked her lips with me and started to pull and tug at my t-shirt. She pulled this off and undid my trousers and as I stepped out of them, she pulled her own t-shirt off. There was no slowing her down and we were naked in moments. I did not need much more help, but Nicola dropped to her knees and took me into her mouth. Like my disrobing, it was short and efficient. As soon as I was fully hard, she turned me and pushed me onto her bed.

“I need you inside me, Dave," she said as she climbed onto me.

A hand on my cock and one on my chest, she lowered herself onto me. When my head was inside, she pushed down, letting out a long low moan. When I was fully embedded, she leant over me and kissed me hard, forcing her tongue into my mouth. She did not move her hips, neither up and down nor grinding. I had my hands on her waist and just enjoyed the feeling, even though I knew something was not quite right.

“Okay, spill,” I told her when she broke for air.

She swallowed hard and it looked like her eyes were filling up. “We need to talk, Dave.”

“No shit,” I chuckled to try and show her I was comfortable with how she had approached this.

“It happened.”

“Oh?” I was confused at first and then the penny dropped. “Oh! Okay, but no phone call?”

“It was last night.”

“Okay. How do you feel?”

“It was good, fun, different. I’m not sure how I feel. I enjoyed it. I also feel pretty tired. They weren’t as gentle as I expected,” she giggled at this. “It wasn’t the same as this though,” she clenched her pussy when she said this.

“I told them last night and again this morning, it was once and that was it and not just because that's what we agreed. I love you, Dave, I really do. I'm not going to deny that I could easily make love and maybe fall in love with a woman if things were different. However, if it were to ever happen again, I want you there with me to share it with you."

“So, what happened?”

“You want details?”

It was my turn to flex and I throbbed inside her, which made her giggle. As she started to talk, I started to move. Very slowly and only a little way out before sliding back in. Making sure our connection remained all the way through her tale.

“A bit like last time, we were having a drink together. This time it was a goodbye for the holidays drink. We were sitting around in sleep t-shirts talking and the more the drinks flowed the lewder and looser our tongues were. Steph brought up your last visit and how she admired our relationship. She even said she was envious of us, of what we had and how we trusted each other. Then she asked if I had really told you about what happened at Halloween. Both of them were surprised that I had and we hadn’t had a big argument about it.

“As the conversation went on, Alex eventually asked what I felt about the kiss and if I had liked it. I had to admit that I did. Steph asked if I would like to try again and I told her that I wasn’t sure I was comfortable kissing her as we had been friends since the first day really. She was fine with this and just sat back with a smile. Alex shuffled over next to me and leant over and kissed my cheek at first. Then she pulled my face around and kissed my lips. She stopped then and made sure I was okay and I was. ‘Relax a little, at any time you want to stop we will,’ she told me.

“When she kissed me again, her hand stayed on my cheek and I could feel her tongue on my lips… Oh yes, sweetie, nice and slow.”

Nicola leant over and kissed me again. I could feel her tongue on my lips, gently licking side-by-side until I parted my lips and allowed her in. We teased back and forth, Nicola pulled her tongue back and enticed me to follow it into her mouth with my own. When I was in there, she closed her lips around me and slid up and down, humping my tongue with her mouth.

“That's how Alex kissed me and further. This time her hands had not wandered. When we broke off, she checked that I was okay again. She leant in for another kiss, but this time stopped short so I had to meet her halfway. As our kissing became more passionate her hands started to move. First, it was over my arms and then from my shoulders down my back. When she went around my waist and up my back, I started to rub her shoulders and arms.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

I smiled and nodded then paused my movements and throbbed once before continuing my slow in and out. This was enough confirmation for Nicola so, she carried on.

“With her arms around my back, she shuffled around and moved closer. She also pulled me closer. From side-on, we were now kneeling opposite each other. Alex brought her hands around and stroked over the tops of my tits. I noticed she sort of hooked her fingers and plucked at my nipples as she went over them. This sent shudders through me.

“Sorry, sweetie, there's no denying my body responded to her. She was turning me on. I could feel it between my legs. I don't know if you felt me or heard me, but this was the first time I thanked you. Even through all this, you were at the forefront of my mind.

“While I was thinking all of this, Alex had reached the bottom of my t-shirt and she slowly lifted it, drawing it over my head. In that little break, I glanced over at Steph and she was sitting with a hand down her knickers and her t-shirt pulled up, exposing a tit that she was playing with. Seems I wasn’t the only one getting turned on.

“Alex put her hand on my cheek and turned my attention back to her. She told me, asked me to take her top off, which I did. I heard a rustling from where Steph was and though Alex held my attention, I knew that all three of us were in just our knickers.

“You would have loved it, Sweetie. Neither are quite as big as me, even though I’m the shortest. Both of them are extraordinarily pretty, but you know that. They are both fitness freaks and it shows and both have ample chests. A good mix of size and perkiness.”

I throbbed to show Nicola my approval. She giggled before continuing.

“So, Alex moved in to kiss again and when she had run her hands down my arms to my hands, she interlocked her fingers with mine. Then she pulled my hands up and placed them on her tits. She told me to do what I liked and I would probably be close to right. She also said that it would give her an idea of what to do with me.

“I started to stroke and paw at her tits. Running my fingers over them and cupping them with a whole hand, generally playing with them. I was pretty absorbed and hadn’t really noticed that Alex was mirroring me until she stopped. The other thing I hadn’t consciously done was watch in fascination at me playing with another woman’s tits. She lifted my chin and pulled me in to kiss again.

“As we did this our kissing became harder and my hands felt like they were on automatic. We were teasing and pinching and pulling and stroking each other. At one point, Alex rubbed my tits over hers, rubbing our nipples together. By this point, my head was going in a couple of directions. I loved the attention and the feelings this was giving me but almost backed off.  A little corner of my mind, I guess the legal part of it, was working out what this might mean for us. I let out another ‘thank you’ to you that you had let me do this.

“It was also at this time that Alex twisted us and lay me down. She stopped kissing me and stopped me touching her. She put my hands above my head but did not hold them there. Then she started to work her way down my body. She kissed all around my neck and you know how sensitive that is."

I nodded with a grin and when Nicola leant down for another kiss, I darted to the side and kissed, bit and sucked at her neck. With the mood and other sensations, it was enough to trigger a few shudders through her body.

She sat up with a hand on my chest, “Let me finish. I shivered when Alex kissed my neck, I wasn’t anywhere near cumming, not like just then. I started to move my hands, but Steph took hold of them. She stroked some hair from my face and kissed my cheek. It was no more than if she were comforting me. Steph told me to let Alex do her thing. She said, ‘Trust me, you won’t regret it.’ I didn’t. Steph didn’t back away again, she just lay by my head, holding my hand and stroking my hair. Rather than feeling she was getting involved, it felt more like she was looking after me.

“By then, Alex had made a meal of my tits. She complimented them too, saying that she was jealous of them and how she loved the shape and feel. She also seemed to like my nipples a lot as she spent a fair bit of time there.”

Then Nicola seemed to get a laser-like focus on my eyes before she carried on. She first lifted her right boob and pointed out a tiny red mark.

“See this? I nearly stopped everything at that point. I shouted at Alex when I felt her bite a bit too hard. I told her you were the only one allowed to mark me. It was then I told them that you had given me the okay to let things go as far as I wanted. It came with a warning that they better respect you and respect what I said was okay or they'd be finding a new flatmate.

“Both of them assured me that they understood and it took a while to get to where we were before. When Alex got to the bottom of my right tit again, she gently kissed that spot and looked up and said that she was sorry, once more. She then started to kiss over my belly and when she did, I felt her tugging at my knickers so, I lifted my hips a little and there I was naked on the floor between my two friends.

“I suddenly got very self-conscious and pulled my knees together. Steph said I should relax and tried to soothe me, Alex reassured me that she would not hurt me and we could stop at any time. As she said this, she was stroking my thigh and I gradually relaxed. When my legs were flat again, she slowly teased them apart and stroked her hand over my pussy. This caused another shudder, but I was still not building as fast as I do with you.

“Alex checked on me once again and Steph squeezed my hand. I only nodded and Alex kissed me just above my hood. She lifted my knees and pushed them apart, I was now open and vulnerable to her. Then you'll never guess what the bitch did!"

Nicola’s sudden outburst surprised me. I stopped my slow movements until she squeezed my cock inside her. She was smirking and laughed when I throbbed back and then started again.

“No, no idea, sorry, precious.”

“Have you been talking to her?”

“Erm, no.”

“She fucking missed my pussy altogether! She started kissing and nibbling at my thighs. I couldn’t believe it. I knew it wasn't you because if I let you, you'll tease me up and down my legs for ages. Alex let her hand wander to my pussy too soon. Oh, it was nice, she was teasing my clit, squeezing and dragging a nail over my hood. Then she pulled it back and blew over my exposed clit. That's something I want you to try later, oh, my god! Sorry, as she did this, I felt her push into me.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but she pulled out dragging a nail over my g-spot. That was my first orgasm, just a small one, but it was the start. She pushed in again and there was more, I guessed, one then two fingers. She went for a third and then tried a fourth but I wasn't having that."

This confused me a bit. “I’ve used four, didn’t you like it?”

First, she kissed me and then put a hand on my cheek, "I love it. You know just the right way to do it, how hard and how deep. When to twist and curl your hand and fingers. Most of all that is your thing, I decided that I would limit what they did when she tried to give me a love bite. Some things are reserved for you. This was another thing.

“While she was moving her fingers in and out, she moved them individually too. Spreading them and curling them. Her other hand was holding my hood back and she was kissing and licking all around my clit. She kissed and nibbled all around my pussy. I hadn't fallen back too far from my orgasm and I could feel it building fast. It was the first time Steph gripped my hands and whispered that I should just relax and let it happen. So, I did.

“Sweetie, it hit me like a hammer. As my back arched and I pushed my pussy into her face, I grabbed her with my legs and pulled her in. Steph lost her grip on my hands and I grabbed the back of Alex’s head as it rushed through me.”

I gripped Nicola’s hips and rolled her over and pulled her legs up and wide and changed my slow pace to a fast hard fucking. Something surged in me. I was tweaking and squeezing Nicola’s nipple with one hand and then moved it between us and started to stroke her clit. As she started to tense under me, I leant over and started to kiss and bite at her neck. Her free leg curled around my bum.

“Oh, fuck, Dave!”

I moved to her collar bone and bit a little harder and started to fuck her harder.

“Yes, Dave, oh god.”

I felt like a man possessed, images of her cumming to Alex’s ministrations swam before my eyes. Nicola’s leg pushed against my hand and I let it go. That curled around my bum and she pulled me tight against her. I slammed in and I felt her nails dragging down my back. Her back arched and I know a smug smirk crossed my lips. Like Nicola had sent mental ‘thank yous’ to me, I sent a mental ‘fuck you’ to Alex. In turn, I tensed and unloaded into Nicola.

As we were settling, I lowered my mouth over her right boob. Above the nipple, proud and not hidden below her boob. I sucked in some flesh and gave a little bite before sucking harder.

“Dave, sweetie…" I looked up from the love bite I had just made, into Nicola's face. "There's no need to reclaim me. I was never anything but your girlfriend. What happened was nice, there's no denying it was more than nice. Being with you is better."

She pulled my head close and whispered, “Though, you know, you can reclaim me any time you want.” Then she kissed my ear.

We curled into each other’s arms and Nicola held me close.

“Sweetie?”

“Uhuh.”

“That wasn’t the end.”

“Oh?”

“When we settled, Steph asked how it was and I told them both it was fun. Then she asked about the pass and I said it was for one time. I explained what we had discussed. She asked what one time really meant, to me, to you. Steph took my hand and helped me up and said that if I liked we could let the night carry on playing out.”

Thanks to cbears52 for proofreading.

Thank you to the moderators for helping me getting this published.

And thank you to everyone that reads, comments and/or votes.

All feedback is welcome, either in the comments or via a direct message.