I met Jane during my last year in grad school. We hit it off, and when I graduated, we moved in together.
As a graduate student, I had interned with one of the many research firms in the area and became a full time employee. Jane stayed in grad school while I worked. It was wonderful. Jane was everything I wanted: smart, funny, practical, and beautiful. Long black hair, a petite and fit body. I was serious about her.
She had left her friends whom she had roomed with since they were sophomores. Both were now graduate students, although both were working to pay the bills and only going to school part-time. Her friends were also very beautiful. Amy was the tallest, a curvy, busty brunette with a big smile, still a head shorter than me. Mandy was a slim blonde who was reserved but looked like a model. Mandy always reminded me of an elf, cemented in my mind by her Halloween outfit.
Usually when we all got together, Amy would greet me with a pout and punch me in the arm 'for stealing away Janie'. I think we all understood that Jane and I would be together for a long time, and her friends seemed to like me.
Spring semester started, and then COVID hit. Suddenly, we were locked down for weeks on end; me and Jane in our bubble. For me, I could work from home, and Jane could study and complete her classes from home. Jane facetimed with her friends and commiserated with their boredom. The days blurred into weeks, which blurred into months, with no end in sight. Isolation was the order of the day, and we lived by it.
One day while I was working, Jane burst in, excited.
"The government says you can 'bubble up' with another bubble!" she exclaimed, Amy apparently face timing with her.
We quickly made arrangements, and the next night, Friday, Amy and Mandy came over. The celebration was over the top, with plenty of squeals and hugs as they came in. Amy jumped into my arms for a big hug and then punched my arm 'for stealing Janie'.
We made dinner and got blasted. I, of course, had a much higher alcohol tolerance and was also taking it easy. The three girls huddled on the sofa with Jane in the middle, talking nonstop and catching up. I mostly kept their drinks topped up, happy to see Jane so happy. Finally, she noticed me sitting all alone in the side chair. The girls looked at each other, and then Amy hopped up to sit by me. We talked for hours as we drank. The girls ended back on the couch together, blitzed, and the talk turned to love lives.
Mandy was so jealous of Jane and I, and I gathered that both Amy and Mandy were single and lonely. It was almost as if I wasn't in the room as Mandy described a sex toy she had gotten and how it wasn't good enough. Amy was talking about a sex chat she had with some guy, and how it wasn't good enough, either.
"I need dick," she complained, and then turned to me. "I need dick, yo!" and made an expression like 'what are you going to do about it?'
It was more than a little awkward, and Mandy shoved her to be quiet. I knew girls talked about sex, but never right in front of me, not in such raw terms.
I refilled their drinks again and couldn't help but notice Amy looking me up and down. Drinks were downed, and eventually the girls passed out together on the couch. I put a sheet over them, turned off the TV and carried Jane to bed
Another week passed. Jane had taken to hanging out with her friends at their place during the day while I worked at home. One night in bed after making love, she curled up with me.
"So...Amy was wondering if you would be willing to you know."
I could feel her swallow apprehensively on my chest.
"Jane, you are my one and only. I don't cheat."
"It wouldn't really be cheating, I'd know," she whispered. "She's never gone so long and...I mean, I know how she feels. It's hard being single and not being able to do anything about it."
I thought about it, we discussed it. I relented. A few days later, it was all set. Jane would go over to their place Friday night, Amy would come over here and have sex with me. All Jane asked was that I never talk to her about it. I was deeply conflicted. Relationships generally end for one of two reasons: money or cheating. I had worked really hard to put myself in a position where money wouldn't be a problem. Even though technically this wasn't cheating, it still felt wrong. Or at least weird. Amy was a beauty, but she wasn't my girl. I was no longer a 20-something eager to stuff any warm, wet hole I could find. Jane, however, seemed resolute. She wasn't worried about me leaving her, and she sympathized with Amy, worried that Amy would try something risky if she didn't get her fix. Besides, she rationalized, all guys want a little extra. And so it was all set.
I stewed about it for a couple of days. Amy had really put me in an awkward position. And Jane, too. I understood that dating had changed in the new, COVID world. It would be risky to meet up with someone new, but that wasn't my problem. It just felt like cheating to me. Slowly, however, a plan formed in my head. Jane packed her night bag, kissed me long and deep, and then departed. I knew I would have about twenty minutes and quickly got to work. I watched Amy arrive on the doorbell camera, pleased that her clothes fit my plan. I was ready when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and Amy walked in, a sheepish grin on her face. I leaned back in my chair.
"Miss Jacobs," I said with mild annoyance, hands steepled under my chin. "What can I do for you."
Her eyes darted about the room, flustered at seeing the new arrangement, me seated behind a desk and a lone chair in front of it. I had pushed the sofa off to the side, the TV covered with a sheet.
"I...uh...," she started, clearly off balance. She advanced timidly. "I thought we could...um."
She stopped by the chair and glanced at it.
"You may sit down, Miss Jacobs."
"Thank you," she replied, flashing a brief smile. Clearly, the scowl on my face was working. She placed her bag on the ground and sat down, straightening out her skirt.
"As you were saying?"
"I...ha...I thought you might like to...ah..."
I let the comment hang in the air for a long, silent moment.
"Go on," I finally said. She turned red.
"I thought you might like to have...uh...sex? With me?" she stammered.
I looked at her coldly.
"I like to have sex with my girlfriend. I don't recall ever inquiring about having sex with you." I paused again. "Take off your blouse."
Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry, did I stutter?" I snapped.
"No, it's just...I mean...," she swallowed, looking around. I let the room fill with an awkward silence.
"The door is behind you. Either leave or take off your blouse." She stared at me in shock. "Make up your mind. Now."
"Look, Adam, I don't know what's going on here," she trembled.
I stared at her. "Five."
"Uh...maybe I should..." she said, motioning to the door.
"Four."
She swallowed, wide eyed.
"Three."
"Two."
Her hands flew to the buttons on her blouse and quickly took it off, clutching it to her chest, her eyes downcast. I let the silence fill the room.
"Go hang it up on the hooks behind you."
Amy nodded and got up, walking over to the hooks. She paused for a moment and glanced back at me before hanging it back up. She returned to take a seat, her arms over her chest, worry on her face, eyes on the floor. From what I could see, it was a lacy red bra. I waited until she glanced up at me.
"Now, Miss Jacobs, I asked why you came over. You came up with a cockamamie lie. This time I expect the truth. Why did you come over here?"
She was scarlet, with a blush that ran down chest. When she finally spoke, her voice was higher than usual.
"I want to have sex with you?"
"So you came over here, dressed in red lingerie, planning to seduce me?"
She nodded.
"Well?" I demanded.
"Yes, sir," she whispered. The 'sir' was as delicious as it was unexpected, and she seemed to wince at it. I added it to my plan.