“All the girls, or just Debbie and Beth?” she teased.
“You know. The only two that matter.”
“Will you ask them for me? Please?” she said softly.
“And Joe is cool with this?” I asked, finding that part almost incomprehensible.
“Of course, silly? Who do you think suggested you? I almost creamed my panties, when he told me you’d be the best choice. I immediately knew that was what I wanted. You, and only you.”
“Wow,” I said. “Unbelievable.”
She laughed. “Believe it. You’re gonna fill me with your sweet baby batter and make me a momma, all over again.”
She slid off of me, holding me tenderly. “There’s one last thing I want to talk about, if it’s OK?”
“Of course, sexy baby mama,” I teased.
She wasn’t giggling. “Do you know what we like about you Jack? What makes you so special besides your anaconda?”
“My taste in women?”
“I’m being serious. This is important, OK? You’re sweet, and kind, and funny, and so laid back, and that’s all great. You’re a real man, an Alpha male, who acts like a man. It’s a lot of little things, but there’s one really big thing.”
“What,” I asked, curious about where she was taking this.
“Your confidence and your swagger. You take a woman like it was the most natural thing in the world. When you touch one of us, it’s all so right. We’re women, and you are a man. A real man. Your confidence around women is overwhelming. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s undeniable. Six months ago, could you have nailed that stewardess?”
I laughed, “I couldn’t have talked to her.”
“Your confidence is your power. It’s beyond sexy. It melts my pantyhose. Seeing you look at me, like you do. Feeling your touch. I’m crazy about Joe, you know that. And he’s a real man too. But it doesn’t stop me from creaming when you pay me any attention, any at all.”
“C’mon, you’re laying it on a little thick,” I teased.
“I swear, Jack. Cross my heart. We all feel it. But last night – last night was not good. The girls are worried about you. And that’s one step from feeling sorry for you, which leads to feeling contempt for your weakness. It’s stupid and unfair, but it’s true.”
I still couldn’t see what she was talking about.
She sighed, reaching out and stroking my thigh. “Don’t ever say you don’t deserve any of us. You deserve all this and more. If you said to me, ‘fuck your rules’, and made me watch you fuck a complete stranger, I’d soak my panties and wait my turn. That’s part of who you are. We need a man like you. I’m not saying it’s for everybody, but every woman in this house knows that about you. You are entitled to them.”
“You make me sound like an asshole,” I told her.
“Maybe, just a little, by current standards. Don’t show them weakness. They need your strength, your quiet confidence. If you have to open up to anyone, let it be me. But not to Debbie. She needs the strong Jack, not some pussy whining in her bed.”
“Is it really that bad to be honest with them?”
“Honest is good. Don’t lie to them. But don’t let them see you like that. A man doesn’t cry because he screwed up. He confesses, apologizes, and then reassures his woman. A man who cries is less than a man. The only times I can stand to see a grown man cry is over his parents, and over his children. Maybe his dog. That’s it. Be strong for them.”