The conversation had been easier than Tanya expected. In truth it had all been a bit of a blur. Dan calmly laid out how the night would go, the way a doctor might outline a procedure. Penny would go back with Fred to his and Tanya's room, and Tanya would with Dan back to his. It all seemed so simple. So natural. She almost felt thankful for Dan being there; the way he reassured them and let them know everything was going to be ok, and that everyone was going to have a really good time. He didn't even leer at her when he said it. He almost seemed... sweet.
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands like a quarterback who had just told his team the game winning play. "Me and Pen will go back to our room and freshen up. You guys do the same. And, I guess, I'll be seeing you later." He looked at Tanya and again, where she expected him to be reveling in this he sounded more like they had just decided who was going to carpool with who.
Tanya and Fred's Room
"'From your friends.'" Tanya placed the card back on the tray after reading it aloud for Fred, then brought the drinks over to where he was getting ready.
"That's nice," Fred said, grabbing two for himself.
Tanya quickly scooped up a shot and took it. That would help, she thought. She picked up another, a mojito she thought, and started to sip when she stopped herself. What if she got drunk? So drunk she couldn't control herself? Getting drunk and fucking your husband was one thing. It'd be fun to get wild, like that. But getting blasted then going to bed with his friend was something else entirely. Fun was fun, but what if she was so drunk she ended up saying something she didn't mean-or worse. Some things were better left unsaid. She took a quick sip then put it back on the tray.
"Not drinking?"
"I don't want to overdo it."
Tanya rushed to the bathroom where she quickly cleaned herself up and got dressed. That's when her mind started racing. If she got ready too quickly would that seem overly eager? What if she went to Dan and Penny's room before Penny even left-wouldn't that seem overly eager? She didn't know who she was more afraid of seeing her that way, her husband or her friends.
A knock at the door sent her jumping into the air. Fred had practically leapt off the bed from the sounds of it. Putting her ear to the door, Tanya listened in on what he said. Why did she feel the need to spy on her husband? They had agreed to this. And yet, the possibility that she might hear him say something she never thought she'd hear him say-and to a different woman-sent a thrill through her.
"Hey."
"Hey." Penny's voice was deep. Deeper than usual. More sultry. The slut, Tanya thought. Putting on this big act. So typical. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah. Sure."
Tanya listened as Penny walked across the room; probably inspecting everything. They were always doing stuff like that, judging other people's homes, cars, and clothes. The only thing more confusing to Tanya than why she was secretly listening in on this conversation was why she had agreed to go along with this in the first place.
"Tanya still here?"
Fred mumbled something that sounded like bathroom followed shortly by a slight squeak-someone had taken a seat on the bed. There was a brief silence then a patting sound, followed by another squeak. Oh my god, Tanya thought, were they going to start right now?
"You excited?" Penny asked. Tanya couldn't hear Fred's answer, but Penny responded with a flirtatious laugh. "Good. Here, relax."
Not being able to take anymore, Tanya took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.
"Hey, Tee."
"Pen! Wow!" Penny was sitting on the bed. Her black dress clung tight to her body, accentuating her curves. One leg dangled off the edge while the other was curled under her. She was barefoot, and her dress was already riding up, revealing her plump thighs. Fred sat next to her, stone still, while Penny's hand rested on his lap. "You look great."
"Thanks," Penny cheered.
An awkward silence passed while Tanya stood there, watching one of her best friends gently stroke her husband's lap. When it became clear that Penny wasn't going to be the one to break the silence-Tanya wondered if she was actually enjoying this, seeing her friend squirm-Tanya decided to speak up.
"Is Dan ready?"
"Yep." Penny said, again with a cheerful little pop. "He can't wait."
"Yeah," Tanya said, hesitantly. "Me neither." Her eyes shot up, caught off guard by her own words. Was she really excited for this? Nervous? She knew going in, there would be nerves, but she also knew she wanted to maintain control. Not just over herself but the whole situation. Being caught off guard this easily was something she would need to correct before heading over to Dan's. She threw back her shoulders, straightened her back, and smiled. "You think Dan's ready for this?"
Penny blurted out a laugh. "Oh, Tee. Believe me he's ready."
Tanya shrugged, struck a seductive pose. "We'll see. Have fun."
"Don't worry," Penny said, rubbing Fred a little harder. "We will."
Dan's Room
Tanya took her time arriving. Dan was expecting her and she wanted to make him sweat a bit. Anything to gain the upper hand. Penny had caught her off guard. Fine. That happens. But now she had the power. She controlled when she got to Dan's, how she looked when he opened the door, and what she was going to say when he invited her in. She had it all planned out. Now she just needed to make it happen.
She knocked on the door and waited. She had hoped Dan would whip the door open in a frenzy, happy to finally see her but he didn't. Instead she heard him shout, "It's open." Not knowing what else to do she put her hand against the door and walked in.
Dan was lying in bed, watching TV, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. So much for getting dressed up. Tanya stood awkwardly just inside the entrance to the room, thumbing the bottom of her shorts. She hadn't known what to wear, but decided to dress on the nicer side. Dan was always criticizing people who "underperformed" in the wardrobe department so she dressed nice, but not fancy. He also criticized people for overcompensating by dressing too nicely.
"Hey," he said, not quite lazily, but without the eager excitement she had expected. "You look nice." He almost sounded surprised.
Tanya considered taking offense and making a big deal about it, but playing it coy would better help achieve her ends-what those ends were, exactly, had not quite dawned on her.
"I know."
"Alright." Dan said, slapping his hands together, again in a far more casual tone than she had expected. Like they had just decided to go for a walk. "You want a drink."
"No thanks."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Alright. It helps if you're a little nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You look nervous."
Typical Dan. This was always what he did-told you how you felt and kept telling you until you believed him.
"I'm excited."
Dan cocked his head. Sizing me up, Tanya thought. His eyes ran up and down her body. When he finally looked away Tanya thought she noticed a change in his posture. Dan always carried himself high, shoulders back, head up, like he was posing for picture day at some prep school. But now he looked looser, more confident-real confident, not what some guy thinks confidence looks like after researching reddit for 2 hours.
Strolling around the bed toward her, Dan walked until his chest was inches from Tanya's face. The proximity-and the earnestness of it-sent a shockwave through her. She had no idea what Dan was going to do. Everything that had defined their friendship until now was gone. This was something new. Reaching back behind her, Dan pushed the door closed, then locked it. Tanya's heart skipped a beat.
"Show me." Dan's breath brushed against her hair, parting it slightly.
Control, Tanya reminded herself. Stay in control.
With that in mind she walked over to the bed and draped herself across it. Not unlike Penny. An image of her husband and Penny writhing together naked flashed through her mind and her body responded, tightening before relaxing again and spreading out across the bed. Sexier than Penny, she hoped.
Calmly, she patted a spot next to her.
Without hesitation, Dan resumed his spot on the bed, his back against the headboard, legs sprawled out before him. In this position his crotch stood level with Tanya's face. Her eyes drifted toward it before snapping back and looking up at him.
Dan just smiled. "You see Penny?"
"Yeah."
"She looked good, right."