The silence that swept our table for six in the posh restaurant was palpable. Larry looked at his Laurie with stunned amazement. Yet, his astonishment was infinitesimal compared to David's.
"Well," Trish asked her husband, "do you?"
"Trish!" David said, staggered by her original question.
"What?" she snapped back at him, her stomach churning with her own outrageous behavior. "Don't you think I'm hot enough for somebody else to want?"
"No," David answered, "I mean, yes. No, I mean, you're not supposed to ask that question!"
"Oh, dear," Kim said, smiling behind her napkin. "I believe you've embarrassed my husband."
She turned toward Ken. "Are you embarrassed dear?"
"Yeah, a little I guess. Shocked, too," her husband mumbled.
"Ken's not used to hearing that women like to fuck," Kim said. "So, David, do you think Ken would like to fuck Trish?"
"I don't have a clue," David answered, reaching for his wine glass.
"Well, I think," Kim suggested, "that he'd be a fool if he didn't. What do you think, Larry?"
Larry considered his options. He was aware that the question was supposed to be originated by his wife and directed to him. Trish had horned in and stolen Laurie's opportunity. Last week, Laurie had asked Larry if he thought David would like to fuck her. This week, Laurie was supposed to ask Larry the same question regarding Ken. Trish's question directed to David had trumped that effort.
Laurie began to giggle. Larry looked strangely at her as he replied, "She's certainly attractive enough," he said. "If Ken chooses not, he'd be making a mistake."
"I think we ought to get out of here before they throw us out," Laurie suggested through her giggles. "If anybody overheard our conversation we'd be asked to leave."
The six friends rose from the table and made their way toward the door.
"We're all meeting at Laurie's in a half-hour, right?" Kim asked.
"That's what I understand," Trish told her. "Birthday cake!"
"And presents," Kim said, grinning widely.
"Games and party favors," Laurie added, with a broad smile on her face.
"What the hell just happened?" Larry asked his wife as they drove away from the restaurant toward their home.
"I don't know," she answered. "Trish just sort of jumped the gun. I thought I was supposed to ask you, you know, like we have in the past."
"Maybe she wants him," Larry offered.
"Could be," his wife said. "Maybe she felt bad about me always being the one to ask. Or, she just could have been trying on the part for size."
"Well, David didn't seem to take it too well," Larry observed. "You'll have to find out what his issue is."
Laurie grinned. "I'm sure that won't be a problem."
Once the six friends reassembled in the den of Laurie and Larry's home, the hostess asked David to help her in the kitchen. She set about positioning candles on the birthday cake as she spoke with him.
"What's going on, David?" she asked.
He seemed genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"
"At the restaurant. You seemed annoyed."
"I was surprised, I suppose," he said. "Trish and I have never talked like that before."
"Well, you heard me ask Larry the same question last week about you, didn't you?"
David nodded.
"You were pleased with the results?"
"Of course," he answered.
"Well?" Laurie encouraged him.
David shrugged. "I don't know. I was sort of shocked."
"Sweetie," Laurie said to him, "if we're going to continue with this, you're going to have to loosen up, some. Trish is going to get some, but so are you. It can't always be a big problem with you."
"I know," he nodded, "and it's not. I just hadn't considered Trish thinking about that. I thought you'd be the one."
Laurie laughed. "And, so I will. But, so will Trish. And, I'll bet, before the night's over, you'll find Kim to be quite accommodating. That's not too horrid to contemplate, is it?"
"No, of course not," he said.
"Good," Laurie told him. "Now, put that green-eyed monster to bed and let's go see how we're all going to get laid tonight."