Lakeside Cougars - The Complete Trilogy, page 19
“Getting older isn’t something you should be ashamed of,” Colleen said quietly after a moment.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Edith replied.
“Why?”
“Oh come on, Colleen. You know why.”
Atticus glanced at Colleen. He thought that he knew why. Or, more specifically, he knew what Edith was thinking when she said that. But Colleen looked genuinely lost.
“I don’t,” she said. “I’m clearly missing something here.”
“Jesus, Colleen! You’re going to make me say it? Really?!”
“Apparently, because I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about!”
“Maybe we should calm down before–” Atticus began, but Edith rolled right over the words.
“You were always the pretty one and you never had kids and you had fucking millions of dollars to stay pretty forever and you fucking know it!”
Atticus looked at Colleen, now feeling almost completely adrift, socially speaking. Colleen looked about the same. She looked thunderstruck and confused.
“I’m sorry,” Edith said suddenly, a lot of her anger suddenly vanishing. “I’m sorry, that was stupid and I’m being a raging bitch-I should go.”
“Wait,” Colleen said. “Don’t go, please.”
“You seriously want me to stay after all that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I give a shit about you! Because I’ve written about this shit a million times and I know that if you walk out now, and we don’t at least try to fix this here and now, something will be permanently damaged between us, and I don’t want that. I really don’t want that. And I don’t know how I know, but I do, okay? I just-I know. Please talk to me.”
Edith looked at Colleen for a long moment, then at Atticus, then suddenly seemed tired. She sighed heavily and sat down on the couch again. “How did we get here? We were going to go upstairs and I was going to watch you two have sex and now this is happening.”
“We need to face this,” Colleen replied, sitting down next to her, “and also the sex stuff doesn’t have to be off the table. I think.” She glanced at Atticus. “Right? Or is the mood ruined?”
“I mean I’m pretty easy to make horny, so I’m fine,” he replied.
Edith began laughing suddenly. She kept at it for a few seconds, paused, began to say something, then devolved into further, harder laughter. Colleen tried to say something but instead joined her in her laughing fit. Atticus felt a lot of relief hit him as he sat down in a nearby recliner. He hadn’t quite planned for that to break the tension, but he’d hoped it would right after it had slipped out.
The two women laughed for another good minute, and when Edith finally sat back up and got control of herself again, she was wiping at her eyes.
“Oh lord,” she whispered, then chuckled again. “That was...very nice. Thank you, Atticus.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. “And I did mean that.”
“That’s good, I suppose…” She lost her smile completely. “Shit. I am sorry. I feel like we had this great day and I fucked it up.”
“You had a deep nerve touched, it’s understandable,” Colleen replied, growing more serious again. Edith sighed in irritation. “What?”
“I hate when you get like this.” She began saying something else, then shook her head. “Fuck, I’m still doing it.”
“No,” Colleen said firmly, “we’re not doing this anymore, Edith. Tell me. Whatever it is, whatever’s bothering you, just tell me. To my face.”
“Fine,” she replied after some measure of hesitation. “You get like this now, you get all...condescending. And I do actually believe that you aren’t trying to be, but I just can’t help it. It just feels like you’re talking down to me, like I’m a raging kid or something. It’s whenever you start trying to get me to open up, or you’re being all ‘understanding’ after I have an emotional outburst...that is such a bad thing to say. This is exactly why I didn’t want to do this! I just open my mouth and more bullshit spills out.”
“I think I can help,” Atticus said. Both women looked at him immediately and, just as immediately, he regretted that he’d opened his mouth at all. But he ignored it. “With what’s specifically happening right here. I think. Maybe.”
“Shoot, because this is basically a free-for-all right now,” Edith replied, and Colleen nodded.
“Okay,” he continued, “I think you have trouble talking about your emotions because the people in your life, namely your family and very likely your ex-husband, told you to put a cork in it and stop being hysterical every time you took issue with something. I think that you have an undiagnosed mental condition, probably bipolar, and that has caused you a shitload of suffering because the people in your life not only were unequipped to help you with it, they were unwilling to even acknowledge it. I imagine they actively tried to suppress it. I could be wrong, though. And this isn’t an attack or insult, I want to be really clear on that.”
Colleen slowly looked back to Edith with the expression of someone who has just been informed a bomb might or might not go off in their general vicinity in the next thirty seconds. Shit. Maybe he’d fumbled that one really hard. He knew there was a strong chance that talk of either of those subjects, her family or mental illness, would be hard triggers, but as Edith had rightly pointed out: this was basically a social free-for-all now.
Edith didn’t look angry, and he was deeply grateful to see that she wasn’t wearing the expression of rage so cold it erased all emotions from your face. She looked thoughtful. Pensive, but thoughtful. She was silent for what felt like a really long time.
“Maybe you might have something there,” she said, at last, looking back up at him. She then looked over at Colleen. “Do you think that’s true?”
“I think that’s true, Edith, yes. And…” She hesitated.
“You might as well take your own medicine,” Edith said.
Colleen laughed, a little bitterly. “Fair. And I think you know that it’s true. I think you know that it’s very true. I’ve been telling you forever that you’d be happier medicated.”
Edith sighed heavily, hugging herself and leaning forward. “Why can’t I just be normal?” she whispered.
“There is no normal,” Atticus replied, “there’s just different shades of fucked up. Some of it is our fault, most of it isn’t.”
“I was going to say something similar, but that sums it up pretty well,” Colleen said.
“You two seemed like you got off kind of easy,” Edith replied, still staring at the floor.
“My parents were pretty shit parents and that definitely fucked me up. I probably have depression,” he replied.
“My divorce...definitely fucked me up,” Colleen said, a little awkwardly. “I know you think I’ve had this perfect life and even now, after a divorce, it’s still perfect, and, I guess...it’s hard to complain. But I have problems. Issues. And I just, I mean…” She paused. “Goddamnit,” she whispered.
“What?” Atticus asked.
“I can’t tell you how many novels I’ve read that have women sitting around complaining about the most fucking banal insecurities, like all they ever talk about is fucking empty-headed concerns about how pretty they are or how fat they’ve gotten, because so many men writing women, and yes, women writing women sometimes, do that, and it’s all they do.
“And yet here I am, telling you that I feel like at this point in my life, you are the one, Edith, who is hotter, because you work hard to stay in shape and I...do not. I’ve gain twenty fucking pounds this year and this is the most cliched fucking thing. I’m sorry, I’m completely derailing this meaningful and important conversation with my own bitchings about writing and my insecurities.”
“I mean...these are genuine concerns,” Atticus replied. “It doesn’t make you a vapid ditz to acknowledge you feel insecure about weight gain.”
“Thank you, and the worst thing is, I know! I know all of this, and it’s just...ugh! Writing about people for thirty fucking years really screws with your perception of...everything. My point was: we’re definitely into our own personal eras where being responsible pays off better. But that isn’t even my point. The fact that, right now, I think you are personally more attractive than I am, doesn’t matter. What matters is that I think...you should allow yourself to feel comfortable in your own skin.”
Edith stared at her in silence, then looked to Atticus. She finally heaved a sigh. “I get the impression that this is the kind of thing that we could easily continue talking about for three hours. And it’s the kind of thing that I can’t just flip a switch and get over. And I’m appreciative that you’re both trying to make me feel better, and I do actually feel better, but...this is all a bit much. If that offer is still on the table, I would actually like to see you two, um...making love.”
Colleen looked over at Atticus, then raised an eyebrow. “You still wanna?”
“As I said, I’m easy. So yes,” he replied.
“Good. I’m...yeah, I’m still wanting that,” she said. “Come on, Edith, let’s do this.”
“Wait,” Edith replied as Colleen got to her feet.
She stood as well, lingered uncertainly for a moment, then hugged Colleen. “Thank you. For helping. And being my best friend. Even now.”
“You’re welcome, Edith,” she murmured, hugging her tightly. “And...I’m sorry that our relationship has gotten...complicated,” she added awkwardly.
Edith laughed as they parted. “It’s, you know, I guess it’s bound to happen sometimes.” She looked at Atticus. “I also wanted to say thank you for helping, and that you’re taking this pretty well. I feel like so many other people would’ve been so uncomfortable and weirded out that they would have just ducked out by now.”
“To be fair, I have a very compelling reason to stay.” He paused. “Two very compelling reasons to stay, depending on how things play out. But I also...I dunno, I guess I’ve been around a lot of emotionally tense and uncomfortable situations in my life that I’m kind of used to it. Although what really kept me from running is that I like both of you and I’d like to help if that help is wanted.”
“All right, bedroom,” Colleen said, taking his hand and then taking Edith’s hand and leading them both towards her bedroom. “Seriously, this got derailed enough as it is, I’m still fucking wet and I’m getting tired of waiting. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it.”
“Is this part of what attracted you to her?” Edith murmured.
“...kinda?” he replied. “Yeah, I’m gonna go with yes. She’s kind of forceful and it’s nice.”
“I can hear you, you know,” Colleen said. “And I spent a long time being more demure, and I’m fucking done with it. I have no problem being polite and respectful, but I’m done shutting up. Now take your damn clothes off.”
“So polite and respectful,” Atticus said as he began pulling his shirt up and off.
“Shut up,” Colleen replied. “Edith, sit down there.”
“Why don’t you make me?” Atticus asked.
Colleen opened her mouth, then a look of surprised amusement and arousal came onto her face like a cloudbank suddenly passing in front of the moon. “You…” She laughed. “You are something else. And I prefer to be made to do things.”
“You really top from the bottom, huh?” he replied.
She laughed louder, fingers undoing her tight jeans now. “Yes.”
“What does that mean?” Edith asked.
“I’m not an expert, but in sex, a bottom is a person who prefers to be dominated. Traditionally speaking, they maintain a...submissive persona while being dominated sexually. But sometimes you’ll get someone who gets all ‘shut your mouth and hold me down and slap me around already’, and that’s called topping from the bottom.”
“Oh...interesting,” Edith murmured.
“You okay? You sound a little stoned,” Colleen asked, tossing her shirt aside.
“Yeah, I’m great. I’m very turned on. Like...way more than I have been for a long time.”
“When was the last time you watched porn?” Atticus asked.
“That’s a very personal question to ask,” she replied.
“Edith...I’m getting naked in front of you. I’m about to fuck your best friend raw while you watch.”
“...that’s a good point,” she murmured.
“That being said, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“I guess I don’t really have a good reason not to, it was more of a reflexive response...a few years ago. I stopped because it got depressing seeing all the insanely hot twenty two year old women.” She paused as his boxers came down, freeing his erection. “I can see you don’t share this issue.”
“Um, the issue of hot twenty two year old chicks and being jealous of them?” he asked.
“What? No! The guy side of porn. You know, the big dick thing. You don’t have to worry about it because you’re obviously packing.”
“I am definitely suffering from the effects of thinking my dick is too small, for the record, and specifically because of porn,” he replied.
“Are you fucking with me right now?” she asked.
“He’s not,” Colleen said. “Tell him how ridiculous he’s being.”
He sighed. “I don’t want to talk about this. I want to fuck.”
“So forceful,” Colleen murmured, down to her bra and panties now. She unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, freeing her amazing breasts.
“Let’s get on the bed,” he said, heading for it.
“...make me,” Colleen replied.
He stopped mid-stride and looked at her. She had a small but powerfully devious smile on her face. Atticus began walking towards her, grinning broadly.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Atticus closed the gap between them and locked his fingers around her wrist.
He paused, just for a moment. “Are you sure about this, Colleen?”
She looked excited and a little nervous, breathing a bit more quickly now. “Yes.”
“Well, we’ve got a safeword,” he muttered, and then he gave her a good push towards the bed. Colleen let out a little shout of surprise as she stumbled and then fell onto her bed. He took a step towards her, then paused and looked at Edith. “Are you comfortable with this?”
“What?” she murmured distractedly, blinking. “Yes. Yes, I am. I didn’t realize it was going to be...extra spicy.”
Colleen giggled. “Extra spicy, Edith? Really?”
“Shut up,” Atticus replied, walking over to the bed and climbing onto it.
Colleen again got that look on her face that seemed as though it couldn’t decide between surprise and lust. “Make me.”
“You are in some kinda mood, huh?” he muttered as he got closer to her. “Take off your panties. Now.”
For a moment it looked like she was going to challenge him again, but instead she just blushed a bit worse and pulled her panties off. Atticus had a decent idea of how to do this, although he really would have preferred to talk beforehand to figure out what she was into and what was off the table. But he at least knew how to do some vanilla BDSM.
He pushed her back down onto the bed and kissed her firmly on the mouth while he began to grope her a little roughly. She pushed back a little as they kept making out, her own hands gently pushing him away, though it was clear she was more than kind of distracted.
With a sigh, Atticus grabbed one hand and stuffed it under her back, then put a finger in her face. “You be good.”
“Or what?” she asked, staring up at him defiantly.
“Or no orgasm, only creampie.”
She paled, just a little. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
“To your sugar cougar?” she demanded.
“I would,” he repeated, then kissed her again as he started rubbing her clit.
That got her.
He pleasured her right up to the edge of orgasm, then pulled back. She gasped, a look of almost maddened frustration on her face as she locked eyes with him. “I was good!”
“I know,” he replied, then sat up and began straddling her, putting his cock in her face. “It’s my turn. Now open your mouth.” She stared up at him in silence. “Don’t give me attitude, Colleen.”
She glared at him, then opened her mouth. He put his dick in her mouth and let her start sucking on it. Then, slowly, he put his hands on her head, then began fucking her mouth, also slowly, careful to read her body language, to see if this was too far.
But it wasn’t. She just glared up at him defiantly but she didn’t try to stop him or indicate in any way that she didn’t like it. He did it for a bit longer, not much, mostly because it was admittedly a lot to juggle in the moment and he wasn’t willing to make her upset because he wasn’t paying close enough attention. So after about a minute, he pulled his dick out of her mouth and then got in between her legs.
“Wider,” he said.
She crossed her arms and stared at him.
“You know, I can make you in other ways, Colleen,” he said.
Both eyebrows raised and her excitement seemed to increase. “Oh?”
“Oh indeed.”
“Prove it.” He grinned and reached back behind himself, then poked a fingertip against the bottom of her foot. She let out a surprised shriek. “You fucker!”
He laughed. “Told you.”
Colleen looked like she couldn’t decide what to do, and then finally spread her glorious, smooth, soft thighs further apart. He immediately got up to her pussy and as he began to get in, it abruptly occurred to him that she was still bare and smooth down there. Had she shaved again? It seemed unlikely, which meant she probably had that hair removal procedure. He wondered if Edith had gotten it as well.
He hoped not. As much as he enjoyed a bald pussy, he just as much enjoyed a bush.
