Homelands Pt. 10 Ch. 02

"...been part of a threesome," Curt said, looking at Kristen.

The little blonde drank, of course. If she didn't, Yvette would have called her out on it. The moment she reached for her shot glass, Curt muttered "Nice" to himself in a way that wasn't at all sleazy or predictable or anything like that. As if that meant he was going to get to sleep with two girls at the same time that very night. If he thought Yvette was going to let him touch her with a ten-foot stick, he was sorely mistaken.

For that reason as much as any other, she considered cheating. Curt had no need to know that she'd checked ventured down that path herself. He was too likely to draw all the wrong conclusions from her tipping her glass back. Especially since none of her experiences with group sex had involved other women.

But she decided things would get more interesting if she was honest. So she too drank, taking a modest sip of her excessively potent screwdriver.

As she did, she spotted Lance tipping his beer back out of the corner of her eye. She almost didn't notice it, he snuck the bottle up to his lips and lowered it back to his lap again so quickly. But the furtive motion didn't quite sneak past her radar.

No one else seemed to notice, though. They were all too preoccupied, for whatever stupid reason, with the fact that she'd drank too. She supposed she should have been thankful that they thought her "above" such behavior, but the attention was unwelcome all the same.

Ignoring their collective gaze, Yvette turned to their guest. "So? Details."

Not only had she never been with another woman, she'd never wanted to either. But if that man asked her to join him and another lover of his choosing, she wouldn't hesitate to agree. She might feel a little ashamed of herself afterwards, potentially, but the answer would be yes. No matter who the other woman was or what she looked like.

"Wait, did he drink too?" Curt asked.

Lance stared back at her with the most breathtaking blue eyes she'd ever seen. They weren't so different from others, really. Yet they were. It made no sense and she didn't care.

"You first," he said.

"For real," Zach said, though he looked away when she turned her eyes towards him. "I mean, it's not like anyone needs to know. You don't have to justify anything to us or anything like that. It's just-"

"Dude. Bro. You're rambling," Curt said.

Yvette tried to hide her amusement.

Were there spots of color in his pale cheeks?

The more she thought about it, the more adorable Yvette found it that Zach was so shy. She could have an awful lot of fun with that, if she was feeling naughty enough. And even if she wasn't, she'd appreciate it for other reasons. That blush suggested that he wasn't quite aware of how desirable he was. Which itself meant that he'd be eager to please and unlikely to stray. Men like Lance, who were completely comfortable with themselves and didn't feel the need either to deflect attention or demand it, absolutely drove her crazy. Bad Yvette especially. But Zach just might be the rare sort of guy she'd actually want to date, rather than one she'd hook up with one night while her dark side was in control and refuse to look in the eye again afterwards. Not that she was getting really good at that or anything.

How did a sweet guy like Zach ever got to be friends with a jackass like Curt?

"No one has to say anything," Kristen said, pulling herself up to her full height. All sixty-three inches of it. "Only when there's just one person drinking."

"Sure, that's a rule we all agreed on," Curt said, flicking her upper arm lightly. "But nothing says you can't satisfy our curiosity."

Kristen gave him a flat look. He didn't really think that she was confused about whether a Penthouse confession would be welcomed, did he? Or was that the best pitch he and his meager powers of persuasion could drum up?

"Maybe later," the little blonde said.

Curt smiled. "That works."

"If you're lucky enough to get me alone," Kristen added.

His smile slipped a bit, then broadened as he presumably remembered what was expected of him. Nothing turned Yvette off quicker than that sort of false confidence, but Kristen had the look of a cat who'd caught a mouse by the tail.

Good for her, Yvette supposed.

"Never have I ever-" Lance began, before the strangest sound cut him off.

It began as howling wind, but grew into a moan and then a blood-curdling scream. A sound so foul, expressing such infinite pain and unfathomable suffering, that she would have gladly resorted to pulling her fingernails out with pliers if a pair had been available so that she might have something to distract her from it. No living being could produce such a sound. But neither could any other force Yvette had ever encountered.

Everyone stared blankly at the far wall of the cabin. Then, one by one, they peeled their eyes away and began to look at one another, each asking the same silent question.

"What. The fuck. Was that?" Kristen eventually said aloud.

"I have no idea," Yvette replied.

Yvette turned her attention to Lance, as did everyone else. She wasn't sure why they all expected him to know the answer, but they did. Maybe because he was older and thus presumably wiser. Or because none of the rest of them were from around there and he seemed to know something about the cabin. For her part, at least, it was mostly because she hadn't sensed the least bit of fear or surprise or anything come from his end of the coffee table. There had to be more of a reason for that than steely nerves.

"Just the wind," he said.

Kristen huffed.

As well she should.

A particularly powerful gust might make one want to cover one's ears, but the desire to mutilate oneself was not easily produced. Whatever they'd just heard was not of this world. Superstitious Yvette was not, but she could think of no natural explanation.

"Come on," Zach said. He sounded duly concerned, but nowhere near afraid.

That set Yvette's heart to beating even faster than it already was. What sort of guy got tongue-tied by a freaky girl like her yet barely flinched at a sound that had her ready to throw the scientific method under the bus?

"You trying to tell us---Wait, never have I ever heard a sound like that."

Yvette chuckled at the clever move.

But even after Lance took a gulp of his beer, he offered no further explanation. Despite the fact that he was the only one to drink.

"Come on, man," Curt said. "You had your chance to object to the rule."

Lance regarded him coolly. "Nothing much to say," he said at last. "It was the wind. Doesn't agree with the mountain sometimes. Come here often enough, you're bound to hear it sooner or later." He paused, then added, "I'm surprised your uncle didn't mention it."

If anyone believed that, Yvette had a bridge to sell them. But no one pressed him.

At that point, Kristen stood up. "Okay, fuck this shit," she announced. "I'm going to bed." She grabbed Curt by the hand. "And you're coming with me."

"Um. Okay," he said.

And so, without another word, the former cheerleader marched the onetime quarterback upstairs to hide under the covers with her. Yvette had no doubt where that would lead, but for the moment, they couldn't have looked more childlike. Zach might as well have been a stuffed animal for all the difference it would make to Kristen.

"Well," Zach said, starting to rise. "Guess the party's over."

"Why?" Yvette asked, pulling him back down. She didn't think it too unsportsmanlike to arch her back a bit as she did, making sure her girls strained against the fabric of her lycra camisole. Maybe a little underhanded, but so what? That was no worse than the fact that they too had shed most of their layers after the fire'd had a chance to warm the whole place up. She had to put up with an irresistible amount of muscle and raw sex appeal being on display. They could battle a little boob. "You saying I'm no fun?"

Both guys laughed, if a bit awkwardly. "Not at all," Zach said. "Just figured-"

"This game's stupid," she said, "but I'm not ready for bed. And you need another drink." She looked at Lance's bottle. "And so do you, by the looks of it."

Neither offered any objection.

"And now that they're gone, you're going to tell us what you really think just happened," she added, trying her best to stare him down. Whether a hard man like him would break under a little pressure from a dumb college girl like her, she had her doubts, but Yvette gave it her best. Nonetheless, she allowed some sympathy into her voice as she said, "I understand you didn't want to freak her out." That almost certainly wasn't why he'd bullshitted them, but bullshit them he had. No doubt about it. "But we're made of sterner stuff."

"Speak for yourself," Zach said. "I'm shaking like a leaf."

She smiled. They both knew that wasn't true. Though his initial reaction had been no calmer than hers, the alacrity with which he'd regained his composure had impressed her even before he'd drawn attention to it with a witty remark.

And though he'd probably hoped she wouldn't notice, he'd moved closer and closer to her the longer the scream lasted. His arm had twitched too, like his first instinct was to protect her. She liked that, even if it was a bit patronizing and regressive. A sense of chivalry wasn't high on the list of qualities she looked for in a man, but empathy and concern for others was. As was the ability to keep a level head in stressful situations.

"Well, I suppose it could be a windigo," Lance said casually. Yvette almost couldn't tell if it was a joke or not, though it pretty much had to be.

"You mean wendigo?" Zach asked.

The older man shrugged. "There's a bunch of different ways to say it, and only so much similarity between the various Native American myths and the creature of modern fantasy and horror, but, yeah. You've got the idea."

"What do you know about Native American myths?" Yvette asked. It didn't surprise her to hear that the figure had been distorted, but she couldn't have begun to describe the ways in which it had. Nor did she know anyone who could.

"Not much," he said.

She waited for the rest, but that was apparently all he intended to say. Cold eyes regarded them silently and his stubbled face was expressionless.

"Has anyone ever told you you talk too much?" she asked. "Cuz if so, they lied."

Zach snickered as he got up to grab a fresh round of drinks.

"Doesn't matter," Lance said. "They're just stories. Whatever's out there, it's not what made the people who lived here hundreds of years ago afraid of Winter."

Had he capitalized the "w" just there? Was that a Native American thing?

The rest of what he'd said sank in. "So something is out there?"

Lance didn't react to her question at all. Not even with a blink of the eye. He just stared at her with those icy blue eyes. A shiver ran down her spine and for whatever reason, Yvette felt hornier than ever before in her life. She'd barely touched her drink, but Bad Yvette was definitely coming out to play. And sooner rather than later. She wanted both men. Preferably at once, though she didn't think they'd go for that. But one way or another, she was going to get laid. And forget all about freaky sounds and mysterious men who might or might not be centuries older than they appeared.

At last, Lance said, "Nah. Like I said, it's just the wind."

"Come on. We're giving you a place to crash for the night. Least you can do is be straight with us," she said, leaning towards him. His eyes found their way to her tattoo. And the cleavage that lay just below it. As they should have. "Please?"

But he either wasn't a big fan of breasts, or a fan of big breasts, or something. Ordinarily, when Yvette went out of her way to draw attention to her twins while wearing something as revealing as her cami, she got whatever she wanted. Almost like magic, though nothing so grandiose was needed to manipulate your average man. This one, though, was different.

If he hadn't confessed to a threesome earlier, she might almost think him asexual. Could he be gay? No, he'd shown even less interest in Zach and Curt than he had her and Kristen. Perhaps she just wasn't up to his usual standards.

The thought tightened her throat and tied her stomach in knots, yet it hardened her nipples and further dampened her panties as well. She hated feeling like she wasn't good-looking enough, but that feeling always got her good and worked up. Made her want to do whatever was necessary to prove that she was plenty capable of showing guys a good time, no matter how experienced or selective they thought were.

"I am being straight with you," he said, ever so convincingly.

"Give him a break," Zach said, returning with two beers. He handed one to Lance before sitting back down, a little further from Yvette than she'd have liked.

Was she not sending the right signals? Did he think her uninterested, despite the way she'd stared right at him while confessing that she'd hooked up with one of her professors? Had he not noticed the way she licked her lips or played with her hair whenever anything sexual came up? Or was he just intimidated by the older man? She supposed she couldn't blame him if that was the case, but she kind of wanted to tell him that he all he had to do was make his move before Lance did and she'd be his.

"What do you think he's hiding, anyway?" Zach asked.

Yvette shrugged. "Flying saucer near the top of the mountain. The cave of an abominable snowman. Headstones with our names on them."

They chuckled as they started in on their beers.

"I don't know," she continued. "But he's keeping something from us."

"Okay, I admit it," Lance said, holding his free hand up in surrender. "My snowmobile's fine. I just needed something to say to get you guys to invite me in."

"Hey, I'd want to crash this party too, if I were you," Zach said. "Guys your age can only expect so many more opportunities to live it up before time runs out."

"Zach!" Yvette said.

Petty jealousy was not going to win the contest for him.

But if the comment bothered Lance in the slightest, he didn't let it show. He stepped right past it, like a pile of animal droppings. "How well do you all know each other?"

Yvette and Zach looked at each other. "Not well," she said.

"Just met, really," he added.

"Kristen and Curt have known each other for...well, I think they've hooked up before." Yvette frowned. She suddenly couldn't remember how the plans for this weekend had come together in the first place. Which should have bothered her more than it did. "Why?"

Lance said nothing.

"Can't remember the last time Curt told me there was a girl he wanted me to meet who actually turned out to be worth talking to for more than two minutes," Zach said, giving her a smile that wasn't quite as charming as he believed it to be.

"Glad I cleared that bar," she said, holding her hand down low, a few inches off the floor.

He'd been off to such a good start. Why was he working so hard to undo all of that?

"Just sayin' I'm glad you came," he mumbled into his beer.

"Oooh," Yvette said, cooing. Mostly as a joke, but also because it gave her a chance to cop a quick feel, she pressed up against him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. "I'm sowwy. Didn't mean to huwt your feewings."

He pushed her away, but there was a smile on his face as he did. And unlike some people she knew, he found it impossible not to sneak a look down her shirt. And then another, more or less right after the first. A literal double-take.

You go, girl.

"So. Who's going to be missing you tonight?" Yvette asked Lance, turning away from the one she'd already baited and trapped. "Don't tell me there's no lucky lady who's used to having you warm her bed?"

Or lucky guy?

"Pry a little, why don't you," Zach said.

Yvette tossed an elbow at him.

Her usual approach to flirting wasn't quite so bratty. But something about Zach made her feel like a kindergartner. She wasn't about to freeze him out by telling him she saw him more like a brother or anything. No, she was definitely considering sharing a bed with him, and if she did, she didn't expect to do much sleeping. But part of her did see him that way, in both the right ways and the wrong ones. It was like she'd known him forever, and thus felt an abiding affection for him, yet had very little patience for his bullshit. The way she imagined she might feel about a brother, if she actually had one. That made no sense, given that they'd only just met, as he'd pointed out not a moment ago. But there it was. More than anything, she wanted to slap some sense into him. Then cuddle up with him in earnest.

"She didn't come with me," Lance said. "This is just a quick little trip to make sure everything's in order for a little party we're planning." With a faint grimace that carried no real emotion with it, he added, "Probably got some other guy pinch hitting for me tonight."

"That's terrible," Yvette said. "Don't say that."

"You know how women are," he said with a shrug, presumably for Zach's benefit. His eyes didn't leave hers though. And that made it a little harder for Yvette to breathe. "Leave them alone for a few hours and they'll probably cheat. A whole night and you can't even get mad. At that point, it's just a foregone conclusion."

"Can't say I've ever had that problem," Zach said.

"That you know of," Yvette teased.

He frowned. "No, I mean, I was never in a position to be cheated on." Clearing his throat, he added, "So literally never had that problem."

"Wait, really?" Yvette asked. "But you drank when-"

"I just didn't want Curt to make fun of me," he confessed. "He's not under the impression that I'm any sort of pimp, but he doesn't know quite how inexperienced I am." He paused for a moment, then added, "You could count this one girl in high school, I guess. But that only lasted about a week. And we never slept together."

"Wow," Lance said.

"Yeah," Zach said, running a hand through his full head of hair.

How could a guy that hot be a virgin?

Sure, he was shy, but some girls liked that. In fact, he was sitting right next to one who did. And if he got back to playing his cards right, or heck just didn't keep mismanaging them as much as possible, he'd get the chance to go as far as he wanted with her. Could she really be the first to see what he had to offer?

"Don't look now, kid, but I think your luck's about to change," Lance said, as if he'd read Yvette's mind. Or maybe just was written plainly on her face and would have been equally obvious to Zach if he wasn't so hopeless.

With that, the older man held up his beer, apparently deciding he was through with it even though it was far from empty. He placed it on the table then went and sprawled himself out on the couch opposite Zach and Yvette, lying flat on his stomach. "I think maybe it's time for me to get some shut eye anyway," he announced as he settled in. Then, with a grin, he added, "Try not to make too much noise up there, okay?"

Zach looked at Yvette, blushing horribly. She very nearly kissed him, but for some reason hesitated. Though how Bad Yvette let her get away with that, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he'd started acting like a child and thereby thrown a bucket of cold water on the fire he'd spent most of the night building up.

Or maybe because she was afraid that he didn't think her worthy of being his first.

If he was a virgin, did that mean he was the type of guy who looked down his nose at girls who weren't "pure" enough? If her history wasn't a problem, might her image be? It had sounded sincere enough when he'd said that guys suck after she'd called herself a freak. But maybe he'd only been trying to be polite.