So Sweet a Changeling: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 6)

Chapter Nineteen: Lauren, Wednesday

After all their friends left, Al taking the kids to a movie to give them some fun after the disaster of the funeral reception (more than a few people had witnessed Johnny and Val's argument on the lawn, with Lauren as referee), and after Joe's mom's surprising acceptance of the other parents' invitation to go out for a drink (she was already feeling her freedom, Lauren surmised), and after all the guests left, she found herself alone with her husband, and Joanie still happened to be there. She'd taken a vacation day to attend the funeral, even though she hadn't made it to the mass, which was probably for the best.

The three of them looked at each other, Lauren, her husband and his lover, and Lauren said, "You know what I'd like to do?"

"What's that?" Joe asked.

"I'd like to forget about cleaning all this up until tomorrow. Joe, you and I haven't made love since your dad passed away, and I want to cap off this night with an affirmation that we're still alive."

Joe stared at her for a moment, then looked at Joanie.

"Should I go?" Joanie asked. "I'll understand if you want me to go, I mean, it was enough for me to come today and support you all."

To everyone's surprise, Lauren's most of all, she said, "No. Stay. I want him to make love to you too, and I want to watch."

"What?!" Joe exclaimed, eyes wide.

Lauren shrugged. "It's not that crazy, is it? I already let you two see each other, and I've always wondered what you two do together. This way I'll finally get to see."

Joanie gaped at her for a moment, then said, "Lauren, I don't want to break the rules of our arrangement. You said never in your house."

"Oh, fuck the arrangement," Lauren said, aroused and irritated at the same time. "We've all broken it so many times already, I'm surprised we're still paying lip service to it. We have probably two hours before the kids come back, why don't we just throw caution to the wind tonight? After all this talk of death I want to live a little."

Joanie looked at Joe, eyes wide, cheeks suddenly flushed with desire. "I would like to have you tonight," she said. "If the condition for doing it in your bed is that Lauren's with us, I don't mind."

Joe's breathing grew heavy, but he turned to Lauren and asked, "Are you sure, babe?" 

Lauren nodded, suddenly feeling really excited about this. "Let's go upstairs. Right now."

She led the way up, tugging Joe's arm behind her. In their room, she stripped out of her own clothes as quickly as possible, to dispel any hesitation, but also because she felt like they were burning her skin. Joanie stared at her body with both surprise and, Lauren wasn't surprised to see, assessment; she must have wondered how such a large man like Joe could find himself smitten with such a comparatively small woman, and here was her chance to find out.

Lauren raised her arms and did a twirl for her. "What do you think?"

"I love your tattoo," Joanie breathed. "I think I'm comfortable enough with my sexuality to say it's sexy."

"Thank you, and you'd better be comfortable, because you'll need to get naked too."

Joe took care of his own clothes, and husband and wife, now both naked, slowly, gently, removed Joanie's clothes. Lauren knew the woman was still a little uptight about this, wanting Joe but unsure where this was going and yet, with each layer peeled away, she seemed to loosen, and by the time she was out of her bra and panties, she melted into Joe and began kissing him hungrily, as if she'd been starving and Joe was a feast laid out in front of her.

Now Lauren took the time to assess Joanie's body. It was so muscular, so taut, with barely an ounce of fat; the woman must work out constantly. In fact, from behind, the V-shape of her shoulders, back and ass looked almost... masculine. It was interesting to Lauren that Joe found this body desirable, but she surmised it must be Joanie's height he wanted most of all, a woman who could take him on without inhibition, without breaking.