Shifting Gears

"Hands off woman!" Fiona said with a fake scowl.

"Who said anything about using our hands?" Gloria returned as she licked her lips again, shocking laughter and whoops from the group.

Kyle smiled but glanced nervously at Fiona who picked up the message loud and clear. He wasn't up for being eaten alive, even if it was by this bevy of beauties. She put her arm around him protectively.

"Sorry girls, he's not on the menu, tonight," she teased. Eyes flashed in delight that she hadn't forbidden a potential encounter with her lover at a future date.

Kyle heard that message as well and glanced once more at Fiona who was busy trading knowing smiles with her friends. So, she was willing to share her boy toy with her friends. Before he'd ridden down to see her he'd known that she wasn't after a serious relationship. Hell, she'd made that clear in France when she'd happily shared him with the other ladies on the tour. She'd just divorced a bastard and was now looking for a little fun! It just felt a little... off putting to be so blatantly treated like... like... his mind returned to the uncomfortable but seemingly appropriate term, 'man whore'. Wasn't she paying his tab while he was down here? The term fit and his thoughts darkened.

"Table for seven for Albright?"

Monique raised her hand as they turned to see the hostess smiling at them. Gloria cheered.

As they followed the woman to their table on the patio with drinks in their hands, Kyle took some deep breaths of the fresh air and tried to shake off the funk creeping into his mood. Seize the day and all that. He was here to see where life took him and enjoy the company of a lovely woman. He didn't have to be defined by this.

When they reached the table Kyle found himself being positioned at the head of the table with three women on each side.

"Ok, this doesn't feel weird," he said as they all took their seats and looked up the table towards him. "Why am I at the top?"

"You prefer to be a bottom?" Marion asked innocently from his immediate left.

"Definitely a top!" Fiona immediately returned with a wicked smile from his right.

Giggles went down the table and Kyle just smiled at the teasing but he wondered if he was going to be enduring it all night. He was beginning to wish one of their husbands had toughed it out to join them.

As if reading his unease, Marion leaned forward to catch Fiona's attention... and expose her deep cleavage to Kyle who pulled his eyes away once he realized he was staring.

"Time to dish on your vacation!" the redhead begged.

Fiona smiled and nodded, getting cheers from the others. She began with explaining how Kyle's fiancé had eloped at the last second and described her initial disagreement with Kyle. That drew sympathetic sounds from the women.

Then she told them how she spotted him leaving the Livingston's hotel room that first night. Giggles erupted and she continued with the story of the others spotting him making out with one of the guides. This led to more giggles. She next mentioned how Alfred offered Kyle a night with her as the prize for winning a race.

Gasps of outrage burst from the ladies as Kyle's face burned with embarrassment. She was painting a pretty shallow picture of him.

"In Kyle's defence, none of these things were his doing. It was Skye Livingston and her mother who convinced him to spend a little time with them," she explained simply.

"Both of them? At the same time?!?" Gloria exclaimed in shock and delight.

Kyle just nodded slightly with a weak smile. He needed to deflect their erroneous impression of him. "But Dita, the tour guide, was just giving me a kiss to thank me for massaging a cramp out of her calf when Alfred hit her with his bike. She was just being nice."

"That night I found Kyle and I asked him to crush Alfred in the race the following day and he did. By eight minutes!" Fiona cheered.

Kyle breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't mentioned her other activity that night.

Charlize was especially excited about hearing how he'd won. "An eight minute lead! Shit! You must have been flying!"

The waiter arrived and they had to ask for more time to look at the menus. She took their drink orders and Fiona ordered him another drink.

Kyle saw Charlize was still waiting for a response so he smiled to her. "Yeah, he was a strong rider but he was in a rage that day and burned up most of his energy early on. He dominated the climb but I left him in the dust on the descent and sprint for the finish. He had nothing left." He was grinning as he recalled the thrill of that ride.

"Alfred was so spent he toppled over at the end and broke his collarbone," Fiona said with a grin and they cheered once more. "And I made him sign the divorce papers at the hospital!" Cheers erupted again. They were drawing stares from nearby tables.

Fiona's eyes flew wide. "I almost forgot! Your winnings from Alfred's wager!" She dug in her small purse and handed him an envelope. Inside, he saw a check for close to three thousand dollars. He nodded and pocketed the envelope. "Alfred had to pay for all of Kyle's upgrades on the trip," she explained to her friends.

"Was that the extent of Kyle's reward?" Marion asked with a coy smile once the table was quiet again.

Fiona looked at Kyle with heat in her eyes. "Oh no, it was a very rewarding night in so many ways," she purred as his face felt like it might ignite.

"I suppose that answers the question about your stamina," Charlize said with a wink.

Kyle just smiled at her and looked down to straighten his napkin on his lap.

"Yes, the women certainly enjoyed the remaining days of the trip," Fiona nodded to her friends.

Kyle was getting a little desperate to clear up the misconception. "Again, in my defense, I was just trying to enjoy the cycling in France. I wasn't there looking for a... booty call!"

Fiona nodded in agreement. "It's true and that's what made it all the more delicious. Kyle isn't a player and I'm sorry if I'm giving everyone that impression. He was always so sweet, discreet, and conscientious! Being fabulous in bed is a wonderful bonus."

Kyle looked at her in surprise. So much for being discreet!

He was prevented from responding when the waitress returned only to be once more sent away for more time. Finally, they picked up their menus to choose.

Then he felt it. A bare foot slipped under his right pant leg to stroke the skin of his shin. Fiona.

He froze when he felt a second bare foot duck under his left pant leg to run up the back of his calf. Marion. Both women were enjoying a feel. Likely oblivious to the other's flirting. His legs were trapped between theirs and he was feeling tingles running up and down his spine.

The third time was the charm for the waitress as she arrived to take their orders. Kyle chose a filet of sole over a bed of rice. He wasn't that hungry for some reason. The leg massage continued. He glanced at the two women and saw their subtle smiles.

Suddenly the foot rubbing his calf pulled away as Fiona's foot paused. The blond cast a suspicious look across the table to the redhead who was looking down and across the table towards Charlize.

Fiona pulled her foot back and reached out to touch his hand. He took hers in his and rubbed his thumb over the back of it soothingly. She relaxed and smiled at him.

Kyle leaned back and just listened to Fiona interacting with her friends and smiled. These were the people she felt most at ease with, aside from Marion, but there was always one in the group with a conflicting agenda.

His attention was pulled back to the present as he heard a question directed to him from Phoebe who had been quiet up to this point. He'd noticed she was drinking sparkling water. Keeping her body pure.

"What happened to your fiancé?"

"Gwen? She, uh, she showed up near the end of the tour and tried to reconcile, but for me it was too late. She was too controlling and I needed to live my own life." He looked at Fiona who was smiling and nodding to him. "I should bring you up to speed on this too. Gwen was on my flight home and assaulted me while I was sleeping. I stopped her and told her it was over between us. Then she went after a flight attendant and assaulted an Air Marshal. I saw her once more in court. She finally understood that no meant no. She's finally out of my life."

Fiona gasped. "She assaulted you on the plane?" She reached up to turn his chin so she could look for injuries.

He gently took her hand from his chin and glanced down the table. "Uh yes. Sexually."

Eyes widened then laughter burst out.

"I've never heard of a man claiming sexual assault," Gloria guffawed.

Kyle frowned at her. "So a man can't say no but a woman can?"

Gloria's laughter petered out. "Ah, I didn't say that. It's just so rare it sounds ridiculous!"

"Being rare doesn't make it less repugnant. I woke up with... an intimate part of me in the mouth of a woman I was trying to escape from. Don't you think I'd find that upsetting?" He was beginning to get cross.

"Yes, I can see you're still upset. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything," Gloria said backpedalling.

Kyle took a breath to settle his nerves. It was true. He was still a little sensitive about Gwen's interference in his life. He sighed and gave himself a little shake. "I'm sorry if I overreacted. She had a rather severe impact on my life and I'm still trying to get a handle on it."

"No, it's fine. You were put through something unwanted. I get it," Gloria acknowledged. Then her crooked smile returned. "Of course, for me, waking up to find a mouth on my intimate part would be heaven on earth! Roger's never done that for me and none of the boyfriends I had before him even thought to ask!"

Her friends made sympathetic noises then burst into giggles.

"Yeah yeah, fuck you too," Gloria said with a grin.

Once the chuckles died down Marion touched Kyle's arm to get his attention. "What do you do for work, Kyle?"

He noticed her hand was still on his arm but he pulled his mind back from that distraction. "I was an Investment Manager but I just quit as it wasn't personally fulfilling."

"Were you good at it?" she asked, subtly scratching the back of his wrist with long nails the same shade of deep red as her hair. More sparks shot through his body.

"Yes, I uh, I made good money at it. But being good at something and enjoying it can be two distinct things. The job didn't make me happy. I'm looking for what makes me happy now," he explained, moving his arm to break their link and reset his napkin over his lap as it was beginning to tent.

Marion shared a smile with Fiona. "Your quest for happiness begins in Santa Barbara?"

"It seemed like a good place to start," he said glancing at Fiona with a smile as well.

"He found a little happiness in the journey itself. He rode the motorcycle he inherited from his father down the Pacific Coast Highway. The motorcycle is gorgeous!" she gushed.

Kyle endured more appreciative stares.

"Oh, now we all want Kyle to give us a ride!" Gloria purred then heard her own words. "Oh!" She burst into loud laughter.

Monique snorted into her drink and began coughing. Once she recovered she joined the laughter over Gloria's double entendre.

"When's the food going to get here?" Kyle asked which just increased the giggling.

"Seriously, what do you ride?" Charlize asked.

He saw she was interested so he answered. "It's a 1988 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic."

She nodded. "A cruiser. Nice. I just got myself a Yamaha YZF‑R1 Supersport."

"Get any tickets yet?" Kyle asked and she grinned but shook her head. "Not exactly a comfortable ride for passengers on your bike," he suggested.

"Wait, you can take a second rider on that rocket of yours?" Monique said, turning to her friend in surprise.

Charlize shook her head. "While there is a seat up on the rear fender and foot pegs, as Kyle mentioned, it's not a comfortable position to be in. I won't ride with a passenger as I'm barely large enough to manage the heavy bike without having to deal with the extra weight one of you ladies would add." She was looking at Gloria when she finished.

"Hey!" the larger woman barked.

"No offense," Charlize said with a grin and Gloria snorted at her.

Monique looked to Fiona. "Aside from the obvious, what activities do you have planned for Kyle on his visit." She looked to Kyle quickly. "How long are you going to stay?"

"I don't have a fixed calendar, aside from leaving the States in six months' time," he said.

"But what are you doing for money?" Marion blurted in surprise.

Gloria snorted in amusement.

"Hush you! Dirty mind!" Marion scolded then looked curiously back at Kyle.

"I did mention I'm an Investment Manager. I have my own investments which generate enough income to live on if I stick to a modest budget. Granted, from what I've seen so far, Santa Barbara isn't exactly a place one easily lives modestly."

"Don't you worry about Santa Barbara! I told you, you're my guest." Fiona said with a smile and patted his hand. He opened his mouth to protest and she placed her expensively manicured fingertips across his lips. He closed his mouth and kissed the pad of her finger while holding her eyes and she squirmed with tingles.

"Yes! Mmmm... Now... what was I saying?" She licked her lips absent mindedly as she watched his mouth.

Giggles erupted as they watched the flush on Fiona's cheeks.

"You were going to tell us what you had planned for Kyle... aside from the obvious," Phoebe offered then held two fingers against her face and wiggled her tongue between them.

The table erupted with shocked laughter again and even Kyle joined in this time as he hadn't expected it from the quiet one.

"GAWD! Don't do that, Phoebe! I'm getting all wet and tingly just imagining it!" Gloria begged pitifully. The slim blonde laughed and patted her shoulder.

Fiona held up her hands and they gradually settled down.

Kyle saw they were getting annoyed stares from the surrounding tables.

"I'm going to take him to see a concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl. I thought we'd spend a day at Butterfly Beach too. A trip to Los Angeles and from there over to Las Vegas. I have lots of things planned for Kyle."

"Oh my god! Vegas! I haven't been there in years! Can we come too?!?" Gloria begged.

"I don't know... could Vegas survive this group?" Fiona said as she looked at the others in fake worry.

Giggles erupted but were interrupted by the arrival of their meals.

As they ate Fiona went over the itinerary and the others checked their calendars to see if they could free up some time to join them in Las Vegas. They all settled on a date, a weekend, and a cheer went up.

Kyle was watching the friends laughing and talking as they made their plans and he felt good that Fiona had such a great group. Yes, there was still a little tension evident between Fiona and Marion but it didn't seem to be a deal breaker. They almost seemed to enjoy the competition. As long as there was mutual respect in the mix they could probably make it work.

Once they finished up and indulged in a little light dessert, they settled the bill and headed out.

"Are you up for some dancing tonight?" Charlize asked. Eyes lit up.

"Sorry ladies, tonight I'm keeping him all to myself. He's had a long ride to get here and there's more riding to be done."

Her friends cheered with hoots and whoops as Kyle's face warmed up and he shook his head with a wry grin. He raised a brow at Fiona and she mouthed she was sorry but grinned.

He gave them kisses on the cheek and friendly hugs and they took the opportunity to press their tits against him, run their hands over his back, grind pelvises, and in Gloria's case, squeeze his ass. He took it with a good natured smile and was soon back in Fiona's car zipping back through the streets of Santa Barbara towards the hotel.

"I hope they didn't paw you too much," Fiona said apologetically.

"No. Not more than a boy toy should expect," he replied with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

She winced. "Was I pushing it too much?"

"Just a little." He sighed as she pouted. "Listen, I don't mind your enthusiasm and I enjoy how excited you get. Trust me, you make me damn excited too. I just think it might be better if you didn't... oversell the sexual side of our... relationship."

"Are we in a relationship?" she asked and Kyle heard a slight edge to her voice.

"We've both been burned too recently for it to be a good idea to begin a real relationship. Can we agree we're friends with benefits?" She smiled and nodded vigorously. "That seems like a safe place to start. I understand you want to enjoy yourself. So do I but that doesn't mean I'm ready to hire myself out as a stud service."

She snorted and grinned at him. "Ok, I'm sorry for dangling you under their noses so much. It's just... they're so important to me and I'm so excited to have someone to show off that they even like! They couldn't stand Alfred!"

He nodded and rested back in his seat, trying to ignore the ache in his hands as he gripped the door handle and seat so tightly.

Thankfully they quickly arrived at their destination, in one piece, and Fiona parked. They went inside and she quickly gave him a tour of the hotel. He was greatly impressed with the place and let her know. She glowed under his praise. She introduced him to the staff and then they grabbed his stuff from her office and headed outside.

He remounted the bags, pulled on his leather jacket and gloves, and slipped his helmet on. When he started the bike Fiona jumped a little and grinned excitedly. He pushed up his visor.

"I'm going to have to pick up a second helmet before I can take you for a ride on it," he remarked.

"Ooo! I want to pick one out!" she said, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Please drive slower on your way to your place. I don't want to race along unfamiliar windy roads," he said and she nodded as she went back to her car.

She played nice and didn't race along the roads hugging the hillside and soon she pulled up as steep slope towards a development of Mediterranean style townhomes. A garage door automatically opened and she parked on the right side letting him pull into the left side spot. The garage door closed behind them.

He locked up the motorcycle and grabbed his bags. Fiona walked up beside him and he turned to her.

"I have to admit, back in France when you mentioned Alfred had to get his stuff out of the condo I was picturing a tall building with apartments, not a townhome."

She shook her head at him. "Too many earthquakes to make tall buildings a popular option."

"Ah!" he said as he realised the sense in that.

She led him to the inner door and they went inside. The townhome was enormous inside and beautifully decorated. The kitchen was the first room they entered from the garage and he grinned at the state of the art appliances and amenities.

"Do you cook?" he asked, taking it in.

"No, not one of my skills. Alfred did though. You?" she asked.

He shrugged. "A little. Nothing spectacular. Comfort food like chili and meatloaf. I'm good at stuff like that. Nothing complex."

He got the tour and admired the large party patio with its big barbeque and the table and chairs for ten. There was a view of Santa Barbara in the distance and pretty lights hung above the table and lit the area with a warm glow. Very intimate!

"Last but certainly not least, the master bedroom," she purred as she guided him down a hall and through large double doors. The king sized bed dominated the room which was a task as the room was very large. It also looked very inviting.

Kyle smiled at Fiona and walked to stand before her. She smiled up at him. "I've been waiting all night to do this," he said.