The Warmest Winter, Day 04

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the previous chapters, with a special thank-you to my real-life editor. Remaining errors, if any, are mine. Reading the chapters of this story in order is highly recommended. All geek culture references are properties of their original copyright holders, obviously.

*****

Cassie's cell phone woke her up from its charger on the nightstand. There was no reception out here, but the rest of her phone's functions worked just fine. Reaching over, she pressed the "Dismiss" button and turned on the lamp.

Then she stretched, relishing in the comfort of the bed. Mike had not scrimped on his guest accommodations – this was more restful than her own bed at home. But as warm as the blanket was, she did agree to make breakfast. Not that she minded.

Before flinging off her blanket and exposing her naked body to the cool bedroom air, she reached down and began to touch herself. Cassie had never been so turned on for so long before, and it was days now. Usually life would get in the way, but isolated by snow far from home, her thoughts had plenty of time to wander.

So then there was Mike. He was friendly, and had charm in his own way. He was obviously quite intelligent but didn't rub it in. And he genuinely cared about things- that was something she very much liked about him.

He wasn't hard on the eyes, either. A little over six feet, she guessed, from her five-foot-even vantage point. And he was strong, top to bottom. The man worked out, and it showed. She rubbed herself gently at the memory.

Cassie had seen him naked, two days before, when she went to check on him after he worked on the roof. What she found was that Mike had stripped completely and fallen asleep on his bed, over the covers. He must have been exhausted.

So she decided to be bold and make a move. She'd caught him looking at her and her friends all day, although she was sure he didn't know he had been caught. But he didn't make a single move, or indicate directly he was attracted to any of them in that way.

Cassie always reasoned that those who do something not for the reward are exactly the people that deserve one. By this logic, she felt Mike had earned a little naughtiness, precisely because he wanted it and didn't pursue it.

Now, two days later, Cassie groaned in bed as she recalled what had come next. Specifically,shehad. And then, she remembered his mouth on her pussy, the delicate motions of his tongue inflaming her, and then his climax, tasting his load as he fired it down her throat.

With one of her fingers in her pussy and sucking on another in her mouth, Cassie bucked in her bed, climaxing at both the memory of her mutual orgasm with Mike, and at the fantasy of doing it again.

Not for the first time, her orgasm only made her hornier. But this time, it also made her hungrier. She finally got out of bed for the day, her vigorous reminiscence taking a little longer than she would have liked.

Still feeling an afterglow, she imagined that Mike was watching her from behind her closet door. They had slats in them presumably for air flow and safety, that were perfect for doing just that. She went over to the smallish dresser that was part of the guest room furnishings, where she had put most of her daywear.

Cassie bent over, and selected her panties for the day: a white string thong that left barely enough to the imagination. And to make sure Mike would see it, she went to a lower drawer, bending lower, and pulled out a white pleated skirt, like a cheerleader's. She'd have liked to hang it up, but the closet lacked the right kind of hanger.

Then came thepièce de résistance: a simple white undershirt. With this outfit, all of her curves would be visible for the looking, without being too forward. This included her nipples, but Cassie wasn't worried. If Jenny or Ronni made any comments, she could say she was just trying to feel comfortable.

She shimmied her thong and skirt up her legs and over her round, smooth buttocks, and smiled as she thought of how mindless she could render a man with her hips. Cassie unthinkingly cupped a breast, pinching a nipple, but resisted the urge to masturbate again. Looking at her bedside clock, she reminded herself to get moving. Once the rest of her morning routine was done, she'd only have time for something simple. She hurried to the bathroom, eager to be done before the other two woke up.

*****

The kitchen was filling with the smell of bacon and hash browns as Jenny and Veronica came downstairs. Without missing a beat, Cassie turned on the coffeemaker, which started filling up the pot.

"Mmm, smells good, Cass," said Veronica.

"Are those homefries?" Jenny asked, walking over. Cassie gently swatted her hand with a spatula when she tried to pinch a bit of it.

"They will be," Cassie said, "if you let me cook. Shoo."

She finally got them out of her hair, so to speak, when the coffee came up. Jenny and Veronica nursed their mugs at the breakfast nook while Cassie worked her kitchen magic.

The three women were early risers; seven or seven-thirty was about the latest they got up. This worked out well for Mike, as breakfast tended to be ready when he finally dragged his butt downstairs. Not that any of them had seen anything wrong with his butt...

"Good morning," he said as he came into the kitchen. The ladies all gave him a cheerful greeting. For Veronica, this included a cup of black coffee, and for Cassie, this included the first plate of bacon and homefries. Jenny, seeing this, got him his flatware. Mike looked a little uncomfortable at this display.

"You guys really don't have to do that," he assured them, "For the next week and a half, you basically live here."

"Right," said Jenny, "We're roommates. And we like to do little things for our roommates."

Seeing the pointlessness of arguing with all three of them at once, if they'd set their mind to something, he relaxed and enjoyed his unhealthy but scrumptious breakfast.

"You ladies are models of healthy living habits," Mike said, "Explain the bacon."

"If you cook it right," said Cassie, "Most of the grease stays behind. It helps if you get the good stuff, with little fat to begin with. Like the stuff you have. Plus, it's not just diet. It's exercise. Jenny and I are today; Veronica was yesterday and tomorrow."

Mike nodded. He knew very well about Veronica's workout yesterday. In three days, he had been in a sexual encounter with each of the three women now calmly sitting around his table, as if nothing had happened. Yesterday was actually quite nice; Veronica and he flirted openly and their romp was mutually satisfying and acknowledged as an isolated incident. Cassie was a bit different. Without a word, she had sent him spiraling into a pool of sensations he still felt echoes from.

But what Jenny did was in a class by itself. A handjob combined with a mindfuck like that? Hellfuckingno. Okay, the orgasm was incredible, but under the circumstances, he'd have still passed. Mike had yet to fully work out what she had been trying to do, but he already had the beginnings of a plan to get back on even ground.

"You okay, Mike?" Jenny asked. She looked genuinely concerned. To her credit, she did seem to be sincerely contrite about her actions. Mike would have to wait and see.

"Yeah," he said, taking a swig of coffee to wash down the last of his breakfast. "This was great, Cassie, thank you. Anyway... I'm still a fair bit behind on my consultations, and my major deadlines are within forty-eight hours. What I am going to do is hole up in my office until it's time for me to go to sleep again. Cassie, do you still insist on making lunch and dinner?"

"Of course!" Cassie said, "Got a request?"

"I won't be on a schedule today. At all. I'll come out for food, so I'd appreciate that if you make anything for me, just label it with my name so I know it's for me, whether it's for lunch or dinner, and how long it gets in the microwave."

"Do you like your food hot or just warmed up?"

"Hot's fine. I'll take a while eating it anyway."

"Can do."

"Last thing," Mike said, "We've been over this before, but I'll repeat it: unless it's an emergency, do not interrupt me. I really do have to get as much work done as I can today. Don't worry about noise; the office was designed to be a quiet spot despite large numbers of houseguests. Questions?"

"Where do you keep your snow shovels and stuff?" Veronica asked.

"The garage."

"You have a garage? Since when?"

"It had to be built separate from the house to minimize the impact on the land, a condition of being here. From the front door, it's to the right of the house. The only accessible snow supplies are the ones by the front door. Good luck, and may the Force be with you." With that, Mike drained the last of his coffee, and went into the office for the day.

"Why did you ask about the snow stuff?" Jenny asked Veronica once the door was closed.

"I figured, since the snow has started to melt and we need something to do today, we could shovel out the car, maybe even get a start on Mike's driveway. Even when the road is clear, the driveway needs to be. Besides, it'll be a nice surprise for Mike."

Jenny sat thoughtfully, then said, "That sounds like a great idea. Cassie?"

"I have kitchen duty and exercise to schedule around, but I'll pitch in, no problem," Cassie said. "In fact, let me get my exercise out of the way early, and then I'll shower and make lunch. I'll shovel right after that so I can get in with enough time to make dinner."

Veronica and Jenny agreed to the plan. Veronica took the first shift of shoveling, and Jenny went out with her to keep her company.

*****

Cassie's exercise routine typically consisted of dancing as long as she could, and then switching to a stationary bike for the rest of her lower-body workout. She would do upper-body training during the summers, and with her dancing, her abs took care of themselves.

She was a little disappointed as she changed into her workout clothes, yogapants and a t-shirt, in the downstairs bathroom. Cassie was hoping Mike would notice her attire for the day, and now the chances of that were slim. Still, she had plenty of other ways of enjoying herself. She pulled the armband for her iPod up her arm and started the playlist.

This playlist had been the product of years of careful song selection and replacement. Some songs Cassie had every move planned, and others were just to cut loose and go wild with. She owed her talents with her hips to this mix. It worked ever muscle south of her breasts, and before too long, Cassie was sweating but overjoyed. Usually she'd have to use the bike on a day like today, but she had enough energy to dance the whole playlist away, with some to spare.

Once her workout was done, Cassie took a short shower to get the sweat off her body. She also touched up the shaving on her legs, and elsewhere. She liked being smooth all over. It made her feel sexy. Besides, with as much physical activity as she typically had, it really cut down on discomfort in an area where she greatly preferred comfort.

Now that she was assured that she was well-shaven again, she stepped out of the shower and dried off.

As Cassie put her outfit for the day back on, she became aware that she was wet again, from still being so turned on. All Mike had to do was give her one sign, she realized, and she would make her move.

Full of energy and confidence from the workout, Cassie went back upstairs.

*****

Mike happened to come out for lunch around the time the ladies were finishing theirs, so he had the still-warm leftovers. He spoke very little, and his brow was in a semi-permanent furrow at the thoughts of the work back in the office. Noticing this, they too kept conversation soft and to a minimum.

After lunch, Mike went back to work, and it was Cassie's turn to shovel. She changed into warmer clothing, then kept on clearing the path to the garage. Veronica and Jenny walked behind her with the salt bag and the three chatted to pass the time.

"So, Veronica," said Jenny, still getting used to using her full name, "How drunk did I get last night?"

"Pretty drunk. You asked us to break the talking rule."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's cool. We didn't answer, so no harm done. But what's eating you, Jen? You don't usually get that drunk."

"Don't remind me. I woke up in the middle of the night with one hell of a hangover. Thankfully I found the bathroom and guzzled enough water to rehydrate. It still took me an hour to get back to sleep."

"...And?"

"And what?"

"And you never said what's got you in a funk."

"Right. Do I have to answer?"

"No."

"Good."

"Because I know the answer anyway."

"Veronica..."

"It's Mike, isn't it?" Veronica challenged. Cassie stopped shoveling and turned around to face them. Jenny sighed.

"Yeah, okay, it is. It's Mike. It's just... he doesn't add up. Big house, just him? Obviously rich, lives like working class. Could consult one day a week and still rake in the bucks, and he puts in a full work week. I don't get him!"

"So?" This came from Cassie. Her tone was not confrontational, but the effect on Jenny was the same.

Jenny looked a little harried. "Well... I... look, I guess it's no secret we all like him?" The other two nodded. "Well, that's my problem. I like him, but I don't really know who it is I'm liking. I've done that before, and you know it. I'm not eager to do it again."

Veronica nodded and Cassie went back to shoveling.

"I get it," said Veronica, "But why let it get to you?"

"I'm not sure yet," Jenny lied. She hated doing it, but otherwise she'd have to tell them everything, and that would break their talking rule. And it wasn't really all a lie; she really wasn't fully sure why she did it in the first place. Maybe that's why she somehow did it wrong.

"Tell you what," said Veronica, "The rest of the day is girl bonding time. No Mike, no Facebook, no nothing. Just us. Sisters before misters." Jenny perked up.

"Sounds great. Cassie?"

"Love to! But wait, won't we be cutting in on your exercise time?"

"Today, I don't mind you guys there," Jenny said, "And we'll help you cook tonight."

"Awesome sauce," said Cassie.

*****

Once they reached the garage door, they pulled it open and looked around. Mike had a full complement of lawn care items stored behind the door they opened, closest to the house. In the other bay was, apparently, his car.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Jenny squealed. Calling it a "car" was stretching it a bit. It was a Humvee. A Gulf War Hummer, the original thing, the closest thing to a tank a consumer could buy. She ran over and started caressing the hood. "Okay, angst over Mike is officially gone. I want to marry him and have his kids. In this Hummer." Veronica and Cassie shared a laugh at this. Jenny was obviously joking.

"No wonder he's not worried about gas for his generators over the winter," said Veronica, "He could power his house for a year, or drive three miles in this junk heap."

"Junk heap?!Junk heap?!"

"Hey, Jenny?" called Cassie.

"You know how you're reacting to the car right now?"

"Yeah..."

"There's a word for it."

"What?"

"It's called, 'Geeking out'."

"Okay, yeah, fine, I'm a geek, whatever, but it's... a ...Hummer!"

"Cass, come on, let's go before she decides to sleep with it tonight. I mean in it, of course," smirked Veronica.

"I heard that!" said Jenny, "And don't leave me in here; I'm coming"

"You know, I always suspected you had a thing for cars."

Jenny paused for a second, and then realized what Veronica was implying. "Hey, no! When I said I was coming, I didn't mean that-" Cassie and Veronica were laughing so hard by this point they didn't hear the rest of Jenny's protestations.

They composed themselves by the time they got to the front door again, so that they wouldn't disturb Mike, and then went to their rooms to change again. When they met downstairs, they were dressed even more lax than before. Cassie was barefoot on the lush carpeting, and Jenny had her pink fuzzy slippers on again, having felt her body complain and decided that her shoveling shifts earlier counted for exercise for the day.

They pulled the sofa bed out for Jenny and Cassie to lay on, and popped inThe Princess Bride.

"Oh, come on!" said Veronica from her chair, shortly after the movie started. "Nobody falls in love with a girl just because she's beautiful, despite the fact that all she does is boss him around! Oh, wait, guys do that all the time." They shared a giggle. Then, a short time later:

"I'm gonna use 'As you wish' on all my boyfriends from now on," Cassie declared. "If they don't know what it means, I'm breaking up with them."

"Seems kinda harsh," Jenny said, "At least show them the movie first."

By the time the credits started rolling, they were arguing over which one they would more like to have sex with, Wesley or Inigo, and which one would be better boyfriend material. Veronica went for Inigo on both counts, no contest. Cassie decided on Wesley for both. Jenny wanted to date Wesley after sleeping with Inigo, earning herself being outnumbered in the subsequent pillow fight.

Still laughing, Jenny commented, "Oh, we needed this."

"Darn right," chorused her friends.

"Hey, Cassie, what's for dinner?" Veronica asked. The evening was starting to wear on. Cassie smiled.

The ladies talked and laughed all through the meal, having all but forgotten Mike in his office. The whole point of their trip that led them to this house was their friendship, and it was nice to get back to that.

After dinner, they got a deck of cards out and played betless poker, just for fun. At last, Veronica and Jenny both decided to turn in for the night, and Cassie stayed back, reminding them that the few dinner dishes still needed doing. It was the truth, of course, but not the whole truth.

*****

Mike jerked his head up in surprise when his office door opened. His brow furrowed when he saw that it was Cassie, holding a plate of food and a cup.

Mike sighed. "I said only for emergencies."

"I'm preventing one," Cassie asserted. "You need to eat."

"I'm fine."

"Bull. Here." Cassie handed him the plate, which he took. "It was cold cuts, so you wouldn't have to heat it up. We also made fruit punch Kool-Aid, and here's a glass of it for you to wash down dinner with."

Mike cleared a space on his desk to put the plate on and reluctantly started to eat. "I'll say this, Cassie, you'll make a great mom someday."

Cassie looked slightly shocked when he said that, as the realization hit her.

"Oh," she said, sinking into the other office chair, "That's right. You're totally not used to this, are you? No, wait, of course you're not. You live by yourself back in Denver, too, am I right?"

"Yup."

"For the last four years."

"Two for two."

"And we came in with all our house rules, and while you're okay with it overall, the drawbacks accumulate over time, and they've started sinking in."

"I didn't exactly think of it like that, but you're not wrong."

"I'm so sorry, Mike," Cassie said, leaning in. "We're being selfish. You opened up your home to us, and we took it from you."

"Now, hold on, I didn't say-"

"You didn't even think it, I know," said Cassie, "And that's one of the wonderful things about you. But come on, it's true."

"...I... can see... where that perspective would have merit."

"Spoken with expert diplomacy," Cassie said proudly, "Don't go into business; you'll ruin everyone else's chances."

"But on the other hand, Cassie," said Mike, "You, Veronica, and Jenny are stuck here for at least another week. It's not fair to you to feel cooped up or confined or-"

"Or snowed in?"