"What. The fuck. Is this?" Lauren asked.

Rachel looked over to where Lauren was looking. The woman who'd just entered the pool area reminded her of Red Sonja, the fictional female barbarian popular in the Seventies and Eighties, counterpart to Conan; her image graced the sides of vans and heavy metal album covers the world over. 

Rachel remembered when she'd played Dungeons and Dragons with her friends at Burnaby South High School; the image of the voluptuous and fierce female, able to swing a sword with size double-Ds covered only by the smallest plates of armour, had been common on the pages of the rule books, the assumption being that young masturbatory men were the only ones playing Dungeons and Dragons. At the time it had amused her, but remembering back she could see why all four of her friends had fallen in love with her, picturing her in that little metal bikini, and she felt offended for her teenage self. The fact that one of them had ended up being her first male sexual partner was incidental; that had been later, once he'd moulted into the image of a man who could have also graced those pages.

The woman walking toward them did not have double-Ds, but her tall, muscular figure and her fiery red hair would not have been out of place on those album covers and vans, and what breasts she did have hid behind just as flimsy armour. Her purple bikini should have gotten her banned for indecency, because she was attracting the eyes of every man, and many women, in the pool. Heck, Rachel was looking at her and feeling things she probably shouldn't have been feeling. First Lauren, then the makeout session with Tej, and now this... God, maybe she was bisexual.

"Fucking Joanie is here?" Lauren said in disbelief.

"It appears so," Rachel said. "Could it be a coincidence?"

"It fucking isn't," Lauren hissed. "And here I thought Joe and I might try to reconnect this weekend, when all along she was coming up here and he never fucking told me about it?"

"No, that is not cool," Rachel said, but she couldn't take her eyes off this warrior goddess, who was now slipping into the deeper end of the pool and dunking herself under, emerging with her hair streaming out behind her. She created a magnetic field wherever she went; people arranged themselves around her like iron filings, pointing in the same direction, and when she swam-walked up to the two of them lounging against the side of the pool, the eyes fell on all three of them. She might have felt flattered or creeped out, but she knew her dark green tankini, a near twin of Lauren's (they'd shopped for them together and had a brief fumble in the change room) wasn't what was attracting their gazes. Why was Joanie coming to them? Was it because if she went up to Joe, who was gaping at her from the other end of the pool where he was frolicking with the kids, she might cause a scandal?

"Hi, Lauren!" Joanie said a little too brightly. "And Rachel, hi! Fancy meeting you here!"

"Really?" Lauren said, eyes wide in barely suppressed rage. "You're really going with the narrative of the chance meeting?"

Rachel suddenly wished she were anywhere else, but she stayed to be there for her best friend and lover. "Wow, Joanie," she said awkwardly. "You look amazing." She didn't know what else to say, and already she felt like a traitor.

Joanie blushed and said, "Oh, thank you. But you two look great, too. I like your suits. Very sleek."

"Uh-huh," Lauren said drily. 

"So, hey, I heard Logan is out of jail and free of any suspicion," Joanie said to Rachel, sensing a more receptive audience. 

Rachel cleared her throat and said, "Yes, we thought this vacation would be a way of celebrating and, you know, we wanted to be with Lauren's family for a fun long weekend; Tosh wanted to see the sand sculpture competition. We saw a little of it on the beach when we pulled in here."

"Oh, yeah, me too! I was wondering what that was about."

"Okay, Joanie?" Lauren said. "Let's cut the crap. Joe invited you along, didn't he."

Joanie's face fell. She nodded, biting her lip.

"Now that we've dispelled all pretence," Lauren continued, "Can you tell me why neither of you told me you'd planned this?"

Joanie looked down and said, "I have no good answer for you. It just sounded nice, going on a little vacation with you guys, even if I have to be with you from a distance."

Lauren harrumphed and said. "Oh yeah? How did that work for you? There's absolutely no way you were going to keep a low profile here. You could have showed up at the pool wearing a garbage bag and still been the hottest person here. Everyone was looking at you. Joe, my kids, Sunny and Tej and their kids. Sunny's probably wondering what the hell is going on right now, because he has absolutely no idea of our arrangement."

"I didn't know Sunny was coming," Joanie said weakly. "I'm sorry."

As if things couldn't get any more awkward, Al swam up to them and said, "Oh! Joanie! I was wondering who that was talking to my two favourite women."

Joanie's eyes widened at something he'd said. She tried to cover by chuckling unconvincingly. "Oh, hello, Al. Yes, it's me. How are you?"

Al noticed the looks she and Lauren were giving him and cleared his throat. "Good, good, having a nice time in this lovely outdoor pool. I actually enjoy swimming in this."

"Yes, it's like bath water, isn't it."

He nodded and cleared his throat again. "Well, I should go check on Emma and Logan."

"I'm happy Logan's okay, and free."

"Thank you. So are we. I guess we'll see you around the resort?"

Joanie nodded with a stiff smile. "Yes, maybe. Nice seeing you again."

With a final nod, Al swam away. Lauren turned to Joanie and said, "Well, since you're here, we need to set ground rules if we don't want to make this weekend a dumpster fire."

She nodded. "Okay. Look, Joe and I didn't arrange this so we could be together."

Rachel felt herself blushing. They were going there, right in the open.

Lauren laughed bitterly. "Right. Well, the joke's on you, then, because Joe's sleeping in your bed tonight; I don't want him anywhere near me."

Joanie's mouth dropped open. "Oh, Lauren, no, please, that's not what I want. I'll go. I'll leave and go home. I never wanted to come between you two."

Lauren furiously wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head. Rachel's heart broke for her, and she put a hand on her shoulder, but Lauren shook it off. "No," she said. "You paid for your room, you should be able to enjoy this vacation every bit as much as we will. Look, I don't blame you... well, maybe a little... but this is Joe's football to fumble. You know what I actually think? I think he did this on purpose because we've been going through a rough patch lately. How does it feel to be a pawn in his fucked up mind games?"

Joanie's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"I'm going to enjoy watching Joe try to explain your presence to everyone," Lauren said spitefully. "But if he can swing getting a little from you up here, let him, because he's not getting it from me."

Joanie flinched, and Rachel actually felt a little sorry for her. She said, "Look, why don't I just go back to my room. I don't have to interact with any of you. If you want Joe to come to my room tonight, maybe that will be the best way to have him meet me without raising any suspicions."

"Where are you staying?" Lauren asked, suddenly businesslike, which frightened Rachel more than her anger.

Joanie pointed up at the building in front of them. "Here at the West Tower." She gave them the room number.

Lauren nodded. "Good. It's better you're in the West Tower. Less chance anyone will see you. I'll give him the room number and he can knock on your door."

"Okay," Joanie said weakly, but before she could leave, the kids swam back up to them, dragging a gut-punched Joe behind them. In fact, everyone was coalescing around them. Sunny, in a sky blue turban he wasn't getting wet, but wearing only trunks otherwise, revealing a surprisingly toned body, and Tej, wearing the same sexy one-piece she'd worn the other time. Their kids began interacting with Lauren's and with Emma. Where was Logan? Rachel looked around, as much to take her mind off this festival of awkwardness as to make sure he was safe.

Well, well, well. There he was, chatting with a group of teenage girls of all different shapes, sizes and swimsuit types. They might have been tourists, because their accents put them from a different country. Maybe Germany? He made quite a dashing figure now, bulked up and toned a little from working with his hands. Jesus, she might have to buy the boy some condoms. What a thought. She could only imagine the conversation she'd have with him, Logan shrinking into himself like a turtle, wishing he were anywhere but there with her, getting a lecture about the birds and the bees. The girls were certainly giving him glances that suggested he could get lucky if he felt brave enough to try, so that conversation might have to come sooner rather than later.

Now that she felt confident the boy wasn't in danger (the opposite, actually), she turned back to the suddenly big group congregating around Joanie.

"You're the girl with the nice hair!" Emma said in delight. She was wearing her prescription goggles; they'd remembered to bring them this time, luckily.

"You're Dad's cop friend!" Naomi said, with a little less delight.

"Naomi, again, they don't like that word," Joe said, as if the choice of word were the real cause of offence in this situation. Poor Joe. He looked like he was going to faint.

"Sergeant Mara, isn't it?" Sunny asked, his polite use of her title hiding his dismay. He knew something was going on here; Rachel could read it on his face.

"Yes. Hi," Joanie said, offering her hand to Sunny. "I don't think I've seen you since that time on the highway."

Sunny shook her hand and said, "Yes, but I hear you and Lauren have reconnected. Did she invite you here too?"

Here was the out Rachel prayed for, and they'd be fools not to take it.

Joanie, no fool, nodded and said, "Yes. That's right. As a way of saying thanks for helping to look for Logan when we all thought he was missing."

"That was very nice of you," Sunny said, but he didn't look convinced.

"She's your friend too, Mom?" Naomi asked. 

"Naomi," Lauren said sternly, "I know I've told you about Joanie before. She was the maid of honour at my wedding to Dad. Remember? She was in the pictures in our wedding album. She was there because Auntie Rachel moved away and we didn't know where she was, remember?"

Realization dawned on Naomi. "Ohhhhh," she said. "I get it now."

"Wanna do underdunks?" Emma suddenly asked Joanie.

"Sorry?" Joanie said, reeling from all the attention.

"Can you carry me piggy back and dunk under water with me on you?"

"Emma," Rachel said, "How about I do it? I'm worried Joanie's poor bikini might come off if you're on her back fiddling around."

Lauren barked a laugh and put a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. Rachel bit down on her lips to stop herself from smiling. Joanie blushed furiously, and Rachel felt bad, but not enough to apologize.

Emma, completely ignorant of the tension that was thick enough to cut with a knife, happily went with Rachel, who was more confident in the power of nylon and lycra to hold her together. Rachel stayed within earshot as she did her dunks, but couldn't interpret much more of their conversation, having to contend with the sloshing of the water and the voices of all the other guests around them.

By the time Emma tired of the game and wanted to play with the other kids, Rachel brought her back to find Joanie gone and the rest of the LSDC standing there, Al and Sunny looking uncomfortable, Joe looking sick, Lauren furious, Tej trying to talk to her.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Lauren turned to her and said, "Want to come back to my room, you and Tej? Let's leave the men to look after the kids for a while." She began walking to the other end of the pool and the door back into the hotel. She turned back and said to Joe, "Don't come back up for another hour."

"An hour? But I'm already pruned!" Joe said.

Lauren fixed him with a withering gaze. "Dry out in the bar, then, but leave us alone for an hour."

"The bar? With the kids?"

"The lounge near the East Tower will let them in as long as they don't drink. Do I have to think of everything for you?"

She turned back around and left before Joe could protest further. Rachel shared a look with Al, who nodded and gestured with his head that she should follow her. Grateful for her husband's intuition, she looked at Tej and said, "Coming?"

"Will you be okay here if I do?" Tej asked Sunny.

"Of course I will," Sunny said, with his trademark grin. "Now, where are my kids again?" He mimed looking around and spotted Ajit and Harpreet with the other children; Logan was still chatting up the tourist girls. "Ah, there they are!"

"Make sure Logan doesn't wander off," Rachel told Al. "He looks like he's having a good time over there."

"He's doing a better job than I ever did at his age," Al said, looking impressed as he watched Logan.

Wordlessly, Rachel and Tej grabbed their robes and sandals and followed Lauren, who held the door for them. They didn't say anything until they reached Lauren and Joe's room.

"What was that all about?" Tej asked.

"Oh, you know," Lauren said breezily as she locked the connecting door to their kids' room, "my hot friend showed up at the pool nearly naked and made all of our husbands forget their marriage vows for a minute."

"I'm not worried about Sunny," Tej said. "He's not attracted to white girls."

Lauren raised her eyebrows. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yeah..." Tej said slowly.

"He's probably lying," Rachel said, "at least when it came to Joanie. Even my heart was aflutter at the sight of her, and I'm the same sex as she is."

"But as we all know," Tej said with a satisfied smile, "we have the capacity to appreciate beauty in all its forms."

"We?" Lauren asked. "Do you mean the three of us?"

Tej shrugged and blushed. "I can't stop thinking about that time in the movie theatre."

"Did Joanie get your motor running too?"

"I don't know her and, frankly, she was too on display, if you know what I mean. You two are far sexier than she is, because you leave a little to the imagination. Hidden depths, you know?"

"You're sweet," Rachel said.

"I'm having a shower," Lauren said, getting up and whipping off her tankini. "I need to wash off the chlorine."

Tej stared openly at Lauren's body. Rachel smiled and said, "Appreciating some more beauty, Tej?"

"I love your tattoo," Tej breathed. "Did you always have that?"

"I got it last year," Lauren said, elongating her back so Tej could appreciate it more. She gestured to the branch and petals on the right. "The blossoms symbolize everyone important to me in my life. These two blossoms symbolize you and Sunny."

Tej looked both touched and aroused at the same time. "It's so beautiful! Did you know she got it?" Tej asked Rachel. "Have you seen it?"

Rachel nodded in answer to both questions. "Yup. You probably know by now that Lauren and I do more than kiss."

"And Joe and Al are really okay with it?" she asked in disbelief.

In answer, Rachel stripped off her own swim suit, feeling goose bumps erupt all over her body. It was thrilling, seeing Tej's shocked reaction, revealing this secret to another in the group besides Al and Joe. She followed Lauren to the shower, and they washed each other while Tej watched, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Don't you need to wash the chlorine off, Tej?" Lauren asked. "There's room for one more in here."

"Oh, boy," Tej said. "I don't know if I can go that far."

"Rather watch than participate?" Rachel asked. "We understand. You can kiss us in here just as easily as in the movie theatre, though."

Rachel and Lauren kissed and pawed at each other's soapy bodies while casting glances at Tej. This was fantastic. Rachel couldn't have guessed she and Lauren would have an opportunity to be together so early in their vacation; she was actually afraid Lauren had hard feelings toward her for turning off the taps, so to speak, when she'd informed her it would be best for everybody if Al and Lauren didn't see each other for a while. She'd been itchy and irritable lately, and Rachel feared she was feeling the lack of Al and would punish Rachel for denying her him, even if it would save his life, literally. But no, Lauren still wanted her as much as she always did, and now they were here with Tej, and Rachel suspected Lauren was doing this as much to punish Joe for Joanie's presence here as for her own pleasure.

Tej was spellbound, her eyes travelling all over them, but she shook her head. "Kissing in a movie theatre is one thing. Getting naked with you two crosses a line, I think."

"We can just wash you," Rachel said. "And you can say no to anything you're not comfortable with."

Tej bit her lip, looked back at the bathroom door. "Do you really think they'll give us an hour?" she asked.

Rachel felt herself getting wet. Tej was coming in, she just knew it. "Why don't you lock the bathroom door if you're worried?"

Tej bolted from the bathroom, and at first Rachel thought they'd lost her, but a second later she was back with their swimsuits, tossing them on the bathroom floor. "Just in case we have to put them back on in a hurry," she said, locking the door. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes as if bracing herself, and peeled off her one piece.

God, she was gorgeous. That chocolate skin, those fabulous breasts. Rachel and Lauren both held out their hands, and Tej took them and stood in between them under the spray. Rachel stood behind her and washed her hair, and Lauren scrubbed her body with a wash cloth and the body wash the hotel provided.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Tej bubbled. "This is so crazy."

"We won't tell if you won't," Lauren said, spending lots of time washing her breasts. "Sunny will be pleased later when you rock his world in bed because we got you primed and ready."

"We're all in the same room," Tej moaned regretfully. "We can't fuck with the kids in the next bed."

"How about we make a deal?" Rachel said as she massaged Tej's scalp. "We all give each other the kids for an hour at least once this weekend so we can all have time with our husbands."

Lauren shook her head, but said nothing.

"Okay," Tej moaned, reacting to Rachel's fingers trailing down her smooth back. Rachel took that as invitation, and slithered her hands around her to cup her breasts. At last, they were in her hands, and she massaged and fondled and pinched, and Tej cried out in pleasure, linked a hand behind Rachel's neck, and bent back to kiss her on the mouth.

Lauren knelt down before Tej, and Tej grabbed Lauren's hair as she kissed and licked between her legs. Tej was breathing rapidly now, squeaking in pleasure, and not once did she say no to them.

They traded off pleasing each other, and Tej was just as enthusiastic giving as she was taking, and Rachel luxuriated in the feel of both her tongue flicking her clit and Lauren's mouth chewing on her breasts at the same time.

Eventually the water got cold, and Lauren said, "Okay, has everybody come at least once?" They all looked to each other and nodded, Rachel unable to speak because she was exhausted from the body shudders both women gave her.

Lauren grabbed Tej's ass and said, "Now where did you learn to eat pussy like that?"

Tej shrugged. "I might have watched a little porn when no one's around, and I just know how I'd want it done to me." She kissed Lauren on the mouth and said, "And you two definitely did me right."

"You're so fucking sexy, Tej," Rachel said. "Sunny must go crazy if he can't have you every night."

"It's hard," Tej agreed, "living with parents and kids."

"Too bad we don't have that apartment downtown anymore," Rachel said, wrapping her arms around her from behind. Tej burst out laughing, knowing her reference. 

"Is Sunny like a warrior prince when his hair's down?" Lauren asked.

"He is," Tej said dreamily. She kissed Rachel behind her and said, "And neither of you can have him, I know you're thinking about it."

"Come on, we're not a bunch of swingers," Rachel said. "We don't plan these things. Like tonight. This was... just... serendipity."

"Mmmm," Tej said, nodding.

Lauren turned off the water, and they regretfully stepped out and dried each other off. Rachel was glad Tej had brought their swimsuits in here, because she realized she didn't have any other clothes to put on except those flimsy robes that barely covered anything. Before they left the bathroom, they made sure to dry the floor and the tub to erase any evidence of their shenanigans. 

"Now that I've let off some steam," Lauren said, "Do you two want to go find out if our husbands lost our children?"

Rachel chuckled and took a swipe at her ass. "Are you in a forgiving mood, now?"

"Maybe."

The three of them, loose-limbed and feeling just about as fine as they could feel, took the elevator back down and found the men and the kids were indeed in the lounge, having a late night snack of nachos and chicken fingers. Only Joe appeared to be drinking a beer. Al had his Diet Pepsi, as usual, and Sunny appeared to be having sparkling water.

"Have fun up there?" Joe asked them as they approached.

"Oh, did we ever," Rachel said, and Al saw her look and his eyes widened. He remembered Rachel telling him about their time at the movie theatre and was quick to intuit her meaning.

"There's still a little food left if you're hungry," Sunny said, gesturing to the nearly clean plates.

"Suddenly I'm ravenous," Tej said, giving her husband a significant look.

"So, tomorrow?" Lauren asked as they grabbed seats. They were all still in their robes. The resort didn't bat an eye at casual dress in their lounge. "What do you all have planned? The sand sculpture competition?"

"Yes!" Tosh said. "I need to see every one of them."

"We have to go to the pool three times tomorrow!" Emma said.

"I saw there's a gym right next to the pool," Al said. "I might use the treadmill there if they have one."

"You're putting us all to shame," Tej said.

"Actually I haven't run in a while, I need the exercise."

"Why don't we trade off watching the kids," Rachel said to Al. "I'll keep an eye on them while you're at the gym, and you keep an eye on them while I go get a massage at the spa."

"Ooooh, massage," Lauren said. "I might join you if you go."

"I want a massage too!" Naomi said.

"Me too!" Emma said, quick to parrot her best friend.

"Oh, no, sorry kids, this one's just for the mamas," Rachel said. "They're pricey, and we've spent enough on this trip as it is."

"Boooooo!" Al said. "Maybe we can go on the bumper boats on the lake instead."

The girls seemed pleased with that idea, and Rachel squeezed Al's hand and looked into his eyes. She mouthed the words I love you, and considered herself lucky she wasn't Lauren right now, at least where her marriage was concerned.

Thanks for reading this far! Do you have the feeling this vacation's going to crash and burn and no one will admit it? If you like what you just read, hit "Vote" and leave a comment. To see where Joe sleeps that night, hit "Continue reading."