25-12-2018, 05:45 PM
Jen grinned and said "So you can watch right?"
Mike felt like Jen had hit him. That's what her words felt like. Yes he loved the game. But not always. Not at that moment. Yeah, Jen was an empathetic person but all her focus was on Ricky right now. She was too distracted to read the signals he was giving out.
"You're sleeping with me tonight," Mike told her. It was an order, not a request. He needed to set boundaries, needing to reassert his rights as her husband.
"Of course baby," Jen assured him, rubbing his arm.
"And I want you to stop calling him baby," Mike told her.
"Oh I ...," Jen sputtered, looking like a child caught doing something wrong, and knowing she was wrong. "Sometimes it comes out. But, when I call you that, it means something. With Ricky it doesn't." Seeing Mike's skeptical look, she said "That probably sounds like bullshit."
Mike couldn't help grinning. "I guess I get it," he said.
Jen grinned back at him. She said "You're the most wonderful man in the world. Do you know that?"
For a moment they smiled at each other. Then Jen whispered "Can you go home? Take care of Maggie? Make sure Anna's okay?"
Mike felt the heartache at being dismissed. The angst of Jen putting another man in front of him. But he knew they had to make sure Anna was sound asleep, and anyway they'd done the exact same thing before when they brought her lovers into their home for sex. "Okay," he said, a forced smile on his face. "You'll follow right after?"
"Definitely," Jen assured him. "We might get another drink. So you can make sure Anna's settled in. And I want to make sure Ricky's really okay. But definitely, we'll be there soon."
At the loft apartment, Mike looked into Anna's bedroom. She was sound asleep. Anna was a deep sleeper and rarely woke up at night. She was likely out until the morning.
Mike paid Maggie and called a taxi for her. Before leaving, she said "Something happened tonight. It's probably nothing."
"What?" Mike asked.
"It's probably nothing," Maggie repeated, looking like it was a subject she didn't want to stick her nose into.
"What?"
"Anna seemed ... upset," Maggie said reluctantly. "After you guys left. With Ricky."
Mike slowly nodded, processing Maggie's words, especially "with Ricky."
"Look, I'm not judging you," Maggie said. "I actually think your lifestyle's wild. I love it. But don't think Anna doesn't notice things because she's only 4. You and Jen are her world. She watches everything you do."
The taxi arrived and Maggie left. Mike poured a Highland Park scotch and sat down, thinking about what Maggie said. He looked at the clock. It was midnight. Then 1230. Then 1am. Where were they?
*****************
"Where's Mike?" Ricky asked as he got back from paying the bill.
"He's making sure Anna's asleep," Jen said.
Ricky got it immediately. "So we're going back to your place?" he asked with a grin.
"In a little while," Jen said. She wanted to give Mike time to settle Anna in for the night. She also wanted some alone time with Ricky, to talk about what happened that day. They went to the bar and ordered drinks.
Sitting on bar stools, Jen leaned her shoulder into Ricky and took his hand. "What you did today was really flattering," she said. "But I don't want you getting into fights over me." She gently touched his lip and cheek. They were still red from getting hit during the fight. She said "I don't want you hurt, or getting in trouble."
"I guess I was pissed," Ricky said sheepishly. "I don't know what I'm doing here. With you."
"We're having fun," Jen said.
"That's easy for you to say," Ricky said. "You're married."
"You can date other girls," Jen told him.
"That won't make you jealous?" Ricky said with a raised eyebrow.
"Probably," Jen admitted with a laugh. "But I can't exactly tell you not to."
"Yes, you can Jen," Ricky told her, taking her hands in his. "Tell me not to see anyone else, and I won't see anyone else."
"God Ricky," Jen sighed. She didn't pull her hands away though.
Ricky wrapped his arm around her. Looking into her eyes, he said "I love you Jen. I loved you before. And I love you now. I've never stopped loving you."
"Ricky stop," Jen lamented. Suddenly feeling tired, she leaned her forehead against his powerful chest. Ricky wrapped his arms around her. She felt the strong muscles of his arms and his chiseled chest. She felt really safe like this, in his arms, pressed against his chest.
"You used to say you loved me too," Ricky reminded her.
Jen pulled away. "Ricky I'm not going there," she said frowning at him. "That was a long time ago."
"Do you still love me?" he asked.
"Fuck Ricky," Jen sighed, not wanting to get into this.
"I think you do," Ricky said looking intently into her eyes. "I can feel it. Especially when I'm inside you. There's a connection. You know I'm right."
"Well, when you're inside me, yeah, we're connected," Jen joked, grinning.
"You know what I'm talking about," Ricky said, grinning back at her. "Tell me you love me. Tell me and I can die a happy man."
"God," Jen lamented with a half laugh. "You're impossible." She frowned at him, but he just kept looking at her with that boyish grin. That extremely cute, sexy, adorable boyish grin. "Ricky - god. Okay. I do love you. Like a friend. Not like I love Mike."
"Like a special friend," Ricky pressed, still grinning that boyish grin.
"Okay, yeah, a special friend," Jen said with another half laugh.
"Really?" Ricky asked, looking into her eyes. "You really feel that way? You're not just saying it?"
Jen searched her emotions. Did she love Ricky? She thought about her other relationships. Had she loved Colin? Yes, but that had been little girl love, not real love.
Scott or Tom? No, she liked them a lot but never loved them. Frankie? Definitely not. Clint? Maybe, probably, but that was when she and Mike were apart, and certainly not anymore. Frank? No, although she was fond of him.
Ricky? Before, when they played years ago, she had told Ricky she loved him. But she always chalked that up to Ricky being her first lover in the Game. Did she still love him? She did have feelings for him. And Ricky was right, they definitely had a connection and it was more than just sex. She didn't feel the same way about Ricky as Mike, but there were feelings there. Strong feelings. Was it love?
God, things were going so fast. Atlantic City - where she ran into Ricky (because of Frank) - wasn't too long ago, and here they were already talking about the L word. But was it really fast? Or had it always been there, simmering under the surface?
Finally, Jen looked into Ricky's eyes and said "Yeah, I really mean it." After a moment, she added "Please don't make me say it in front of Mike."
"So say it now," Ricky said.
"Ricky stop," Jen said. "You're pushing too much."
"We're alone. Just you and me," Ricky said, pressing. "I love you Jen. I love you."
Jen hesitated, then said "I love you Ricky. Like a special friend. Not like I love Mike."
"I can live without the caveats," Ricky said grinning.
"Well, too bad, deal with it," Jen told him with a grin back.
"How about, we both know the caveats are there, so you don't need to say them?" Ricky said.
"Fine, whatever," Jen said with another nervous half laugh.
"So, I love you Jen."
"I ... I love you too Ricky," Jen hesitantly said.
Mike felt like Jen had hit him. That's what her words felt like. Yes he loved the game. But not always. Not at that moment. Yeah, Jen was an empathetic person but all her focus was on Ricky right now. She was too distracted to read the signals he was giving out.
"You're sleeping with me tonight," Mike told her. It was an order, not a request. He needed to set boundaries, needing to reassert his rights as her husband.
"Of course baby," Jen assured him, rubbing his arm.
"And I want you to stop calling him baby," Mike told her.
"Oh I ...," Jen sputtered, looking like a child caught doing something wrong, and knowing she was wrong. "Sometimes it comes out. But, when I call you that, it means something. With Ricky it doesn't." Seeing Mike's skeptical look, she said "That probably sounds like bullshit."
Mike couldn't help grinning. "I guess I get it," he said.
Jen grinned back at him. She said "You're the most wonderful man in the world. Do you know that?"
For a moment they smiled at each other. Then Jen whispered "Can you go home? Take care of Maggie? Make sure Anna's okay?"
Mike felt the heartache at being dismissed. The angst of Jen putting another man in front of him. But he knew they had to make sure Anna was sound asleep, and anyway they'd done the exact same thing before when they brought her lovers into their home for sex. "Okay," he said, a forced smile on his face. "You'll follow right after?"
"Definitely," Jen assured him. "We might get another drink. So you can make sure Anna's settled in. And I want to make sure Ricky's really okay. But definitely, we'll be there soon."
At the loft apartment, Mike looked into Anna's bedroom. She was sound asleep. Anna was a deep sleeper and rarely woke up at night. She was likely out until the morning.
Mike paid Maggie and called a taxi for her. Before leaving, she said "Something happened tonight. It's probably nothing."
"What?" Mike asked.
"It's probably nothing," Maggie repeated, looking like it was a subject she didn't want to stick her nose into.
"What?"
"Anna seemed ... upset," Maggie said reluctantly. "After you guys left. With Ricky."
Mike slowly nodded, processing Maggie's words, especially "with Ricky."
"Look, I'm not judging you," Maggie said. "I actually think your lifestyle's wild. I love it. But don't think Anna doesn't notice things because she's only 4. You and Jen are her world. She watches everything you do."
The taxi arrived and Maggie left. Mike poured a Highland Park scotch and sat down, thinking about what Maggie said. He looked at the clock. It was midnight. Then 1230. Then 1am. Where were they?
*****************
"Where's Mike?" Ricky asked as he got back from paying the bill.
"He's making sure Anna's asleep," Jen said.
Ricky got it immediately. "So we're going back to your place?" he asked with a grin.
"In a little while," Jen said. She wanted to give Mike time to settle Anna in for the night. She also wanted some alone time with Ricky, to talk about what happened that day. They went to the bar and ordered drinks.
Sitting on bar stools, Jen leaned her shoulder into Ricky and took his hand. "What you did today was really flattering," she said. "But I don't want you getting into fights over me." She gently touched his lip and cheek. They were still red from getting hit during the fight. She said "I don't want you hurt, or getting in trouble."
"I guess I was pissed," Ricky said sheepishly. "I don't know what I'm doing here. With you."
"We're having fun," Jen said.
"That's easy for you to say," Ricky said. "You're married."
"You can date other girls," Jen told him.
"That won't make you jealous?" Ricky said with a raised eyebrow.
"Probably," Jen admitted with a laugh. "But I can't exactly tell you not to."
"Yes, you can Jen," Ricky told her, taking her hands in his. "Tell me not to see anyone else, and I won't see anyone else."
"God Ricky," Jen sighed. She didn't pull her hands away though.
Ricky wrapped his arm around her. Looking into her eyes, he said "I love you Jen. I loved you before. And I love you now. I've never stopped loving you."
"Ricky stop," Jen lamented. Suddenly feeling tired, she leaned her forehead against his powerful chest. Ricky wrapped his arms around her. She felt the strong muscles of his arms and his chiseled chest. She felt really safe like this, in his arms, pressed against his chest.
"You used to say you loved me too," Ricky reminded her.
Jen pulled away. "Ricky I'm not going there," she said frowning at him. "That was a long time ago."
"Do you still love me?" he asked.
"Fuck Ricky," Jen sighed, not wanting to get into this.
"I think you do," Ricky said looking intently into her eyes. "I can feel it. Especially when I'm inside you. There's a connection. You know I'm right."
"Well, when you're inside me, yeah, we're connected," Jen joked, grinning.
"You know what I'm talking about," Ricky said, grinning back at her. "Tell me you love me. Tell me and I can die a happy man."
"God," Jen lamented with a half laugh. "You're impossible." She frowned at him, but he just kept looking at her with that boyish grin. That extremely cute, sexy, adorable boyish grin. "Ricky - god. Okay. I do love you. Like a friend. Not like I love Mike."
"Like a special friend," Ricky pressed, still grinning that boyish grin.
"Okay, yeah, a special friend," Jen said with another half laugh.
"Really?" Ricky asked, looking into her eyes. "You really feel that way? You're not just saying it?"
Jen searched her emotions. Did she love Ricky? She thought about her other relationships. Had she loved Colin? Yes, but that had been little girl love, not real love.
Scott or Tom? No, she liked them a lot but never loved them. Frankie? Definitely not. Clint? Maybe, probably, but that was when she and Mike were apart, and certainly not anymore. Frank? No, although she was fond of him.
Ricky? Before, when they played years ago, she had told Ricky she loved him. But she always chalked that up to Ricky being her first lover in the Game. Did she still love him? She did have feelings for him. And Ricky was right, they definitely had a connection and it was more than just sex. She didn't feel the same way about Ricky as Mike, but there were feelings there. Strong feelings. Was it love?
God, things were going so fast. Atlantic City - where she ran into Ricky (because of Frank) - wasn't too long ago, and here they were already talking about the L word. But was it really fast? Or had it always been there, simmering under the surface?
Finally, Jen looked into Ricky's eyes and said "Yeah, I really mean it." After a moment, she added "Please don't make me say it in front of Mike."
"So say it now," Ricky said.
"Ricky stop," Jen said. "You're pushing too much."
"We're alone. Just you and me," Ricky said, pressing. "I love you Jen. I love you."
Jen hesitated, then said "I love you Ricky. Like a special friend. Not like I love Mike."
"I can live without the caveats," Ricky said grinning.
"Well, too bad, deal with it," Jen told him with a grin back.
"How about, we both know the caveats are there, so you don't need to say them?" Ricky said.
"Fine, whatever," Jen said with another nervous half laugh.
"So, I love you Jen."
"I ... I love you too Ricky," Jen hesitantly said.
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