Flirting with Fire: A Summer Camp Swingers novel

“So?” Madison said.

Allie started to react, but I stopped her with a slight headshake.

“Be nice,” Emily said to her friend. “We can watch it later. Why don’t we watch The Sorcerer’s Stone instead. How about that, Suse?”

“Ooh, I like that one!”

Carly nodded agreement.

Madison sulked, “Babies.”

Emily cleared her throat with a warning, and Madison reacted as if she’d been slapped. Allie had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.

“Yeah, all right,” Madison said. “I guess we can watch whatever.”

Emily nodded. As far as she was concerned, she was the only one who could fight with Susie. Anyone else would have to go through her first, and my money was on her. My little princess was small, but she was tougher than anyone I knew, including her uncle Rich. (Yes, that Uncle Rich, former Navy SEAL and all-around badass. She put him to shame for pure stubbornness, and he’d be the first to say so.)

“Oh, that reminds me!” Allie said out of the blue. “Maddy, do you wanna tell Em about the book?”

“Oh, yeah! We brought Order of the Phoenix. I got three for my birthday. You can have one.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you,” Emily said.

“I started reading it last night,” Madison gushed. “It’s a-mazing! You aren’t gonna believe what happens. Harry and Dudley get attacked by dementors—”

“Seriously? Where?”

“At home. In Little Whinging. Harry has to…”

I nodded to Allie, and we returned to the cool of the house.

“Thanks for the book,” I said. “I promised Emily we’d buy it today.”

“Well, now you don’t have to.”

“Good, ’cause our plans changed.” I shot her a grin. “Definitely for the better.”

“Definitely.”

“So… what do I owe you?” I asked, and she quirked an eyebrow. “For the book! Sorry. Not for the other.”

“I wouldn’t know what to charge. I mean, what’s the going rate for a blowjob these days?”

“How should I know!” I laughed. “Besides, I’ll pay you back a different way for that. Lemme grab my wallet first.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “You bought the pizza last night.”

“No, I insist.”

She shook her head. Then she looked into my eyes, and the temperature in the room went from parental to carnal. Even the air seemed to crackle with sexual tension.

Allie moistened her lips. I stepped close and slid my hand over her hip. She didn’t move away, so I leaned in for a kiss. I pulled her toward me, and she sighed into my mouth, although she pushed me away almost as quickly. She stepped back, lowered her eyes, and dried her lips.

“Oh, crap,” I said. “Sorry. Did I misread things again?”

“No! No. It— It isn’t that.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “Then… what?”

She winced when she couldn’t explain, and I didn’t press her. I looked around the kitchen instead and found the distraction I was looking for.

“Let’s just make lunch. Then we can relax, no strings attached. Sound good?”

“Thank you. And… I’m sorry. That’s it. Just… thank you.”

* * *

The girls moved to the pool house after they finished their sandwiches, and I went to check on them when Allie and I finished ours. The older girls lay at opposite ends of the couch, while the younger ones stretched in front of it with their heads propped on pillows. They all had their towels wrapped around them and looked like colorful little sausages.

“Allie and I are gonna hang out,” I said to Emily, who nodded. “You need anything before then?”

“No, thank you.”

“All right. Enjoy.”

I left them to the movie and gathered their plates and cups on the way back to the main house. Allie had already cleaned up our mess.

“We really are a good team,” I said as I handed her the dishes. She put them in the sink with the others.

“Were the girls okay? Everyone getting along?”

“Like pigs in a blanket.”

“What?” she laughed.

“Sorry, it was a visual.”

“Ah, right. I think I know what you mean.”

“Yeah. So… what do you want to do? I mean, the girls’ll be occupied for a couple of hours. We can watch a movie ourselves. Or…?”

“Or… what?”

I glanced at her cleavage.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t try to put me off.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” I said unapologetically. “I’m a guy. I’m impressed by visuals.”

“I’m not that impressive. Not anymore, at least.”

I cocked my head and considered her for a moment. She tried not to fidget, but she wasn’t entirely successful.

“You’re worried about a mom body?” I said.

“That’s a polite way to put it.”

“Is that all?”

“It’s a lot. I mean—”

“You’re very sexy. Your body, for sure, but your mind too.”

She lowered her eyes. “Thank you.”

“And you know I want to have sex with you.”

“I do too. But… I mean… I’m not exactly…”

“Not exactly what?” I ducked to look into her eyes and sighed at what I saw. “Ah. Now I get it. Ken?”

“Who else?”

I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but I could imagine. Men liked women who were young and firm and bouncy, but a lot of them never saw beyond that. I felt sorry for them, and especially the ones like Ken, who blew up their marriages because their wives’ bodies changed. They never figured out that a woman’s sex drive changed along with her looks.