Font of Fertility Ch. 05

Annalise blushed and pulled back her hand from me before shrugging.

"OK then," I said, shaking my head. "You two are a little crazy when you get together."

"Good crazy," Lauren smiled at me.

"Sure," I replied, "How about you help me with some last minute Christmas presents though?"

*** 2 - A Date***

We dropped off Annalise first, Lauren and I both getting out of the car to see her off. Lauren got a hug and a whispered thank you from the brunette, while I got a shy and very brief kiss on the lips.

"What you said earlier," Lauren said once we were back in the car. "It was right."

"What do you mean?"

"Your apology to Annalise. I- You were right. About all of it."

We could have gone deeper, but neither of us needed to. I just reached out and held Lauren's hand as she drove. We talked about more inane things, realizing we should probably find out what our friends Jay and Benji had been getting up to since the break started. Leaving them alone for too long spawned odd, and often slightly dangerous, ideas between the two of them.

"Clean yourself up though," Lauren said as she pulled into my driveway. "I got a little bit out of Lindsey this morning. Jer, she really needs this to go right."

"I know, I've been having this feeling something was going on with her."

"Well, just do it right, OK? Hell, what am I saying, just be yourself. Your lovable, understanding, sexy ass self."

I smiled and squeezed her hand. "Will do. Is it OK I'm going on a fancy date with her before you? No matter what, you are the one I'm in love with the most."

"Ugh," Lauren said exasperatedly, letting go of my hand and wiping under her eyes. "Be lovable-understanding-sexy with her, doofus, not with me. I need to drive home."

I laughed and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you when I come by to pick up your sister?" I paused for a moment. "OK, that still sounds as weird and skeezy as I thought it would."

Lauren snorted and pushed me out as I was leaving, "Yeah, well, let's see how skeezy it is tonight, alright?"

I napped, I shaved and showered, hell I even put on some cologne. I don't know if I was thankful Stacey was out, so that she wouldn't see me getting ready and ask questions, or if I wished she was there to help me pick out what I should wear. The one thing that did work in my favour was that my parents were going out for the evening and were letting me borrow the other family car.

Mom, of course, started asking questions immediately. Where was I going, why so many dates with Lauren so fast? When was I going to bring Lauren over, now that she was my girlfriend and not just my friend? There should be a joint family dinner - that was the last straw, and I had left my mother still yammering after me as I went to get ready.

I went for a dress shirt, no tie, and some decent pants. I wasn't sure what kind of impression I had left Lindsey with, let alone what Lauren was cooking up. Hopefully I was dressed up enough to match whatever Lindsey was wearing.

Almost, almost, I jerked off. In all honesty, from the way the last few days were going I was feeling pent up because it was nearly dinner time and I hadn't come once yet. That both made me a little worried for my health, and also my state of mind. In the end it was the idea of Adama showing up that stopped me; I was about to go on a date and needed to be focused on that, not on what I might need to do tomorrow for Annalise's judgement.

I got to the Baxley's right around six, silently thanking whatever thing had given me my powers that Lauren and Lindsey's parents weren't home yet. Wouldn't that have been a fantastic way to start the night. 'Oh hi Jeremiah, here to pick up Lauren?' 'No sir, I'm here to pick up your other daughter.'

Yeah, I probably had some figuring to do on how this was all going to work out.

I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell like I had hundreds of times before. Hundreds of times and I'd only ever felt like this once before, standing there with my palms feeling clammy and a bit of a flutter in my gut, and just a little tinge of 'Oh god I've made a mistake and should run away.' I was going on a first date again, and even though I'd already had my dick between Lindsey's legs, albeit not inside her, I still had the first date jitters.

Lauren answered the door and gave me a wolf whistle. "Hey, hot stuff. How mucha for you?"

I smiled and entered the house, Lauren falling into my arms and kissing me.

"Thanks for doing this, Jer."

"I feel like I should really, really be thanking you, Lauren. She's your sister, and you're my girlfriend."

"It's a little weird, right?" I nodded and she grinned. "Well imagine what it must be like for her; she doesn't know the big secret."

I hadn't thought of that, the fact that Lindsey seemed to be going along with this fairly well despite not knowing the trigger behind it all.

"Laur, if it wasn't for you-know-what," I gestured to my crotch, "Would this be happening?"

She kissed me lightly on the chin, "Probably not. At least not so quickly, and not with her. But it's good. I'm good. Are you having second thoughts?"

Lindsey started coming down the stairs and my eyes glued to her. "Nope."

Lauren stood back and watched her sister with me as Lindsey carefully walked down to the front entrance. Her luscious, blonde hair was pulled back into a thick braid hanging over one shoulder and her naturally stunning face had just a touch of makeup, except for the bright red lipstick to match her dress. My eyes didn't know where to look - at her bust sparkling lightly with silvery sequins, or at the flash of leg she showed every time she took a step and the cut running up to her thigh parted. I stepped forward and helped her down the last two steps, taking her hands in mine.

"Wow," I said, dumbfounded.

Lauren and Lindsey both snorted and laughed, making me wonder but ultimately filling me with comfort. Lindsey's laugh was similar to Lauren's, both of which touched a part of me I had grown up with; loving these two sisters in different ways as I grew up with them.

"Lauren knew you would say that," Lindsey told me.

"And now I get first dibs on movie choice next time we go see something," Lauren crowed proudly.

"Not that you watch the movie anyways," Lindsey joked slyly, making both Lauren and I blush.

I turned back to Lindsey, holding both of her hands in mine at the foot of the stairs. "I know this is out of order, but I just have to do something before we leave."

She looked at me quizzically and was obviously startled when I leaned in and kissed her on the mouth, our lips pressing together but without tongue. I lingered, smelling the sweet perfume she was wearing, her hands squeezing mine as she kissed me back. Finally I withdrew and she stayed there for a moment before opening her eyes and smiling at me.

"God, you are just dazzling," I said.

"Well that's a new one," Lauren smirked at me.

"I'm sorry, but have you worn a dress on a date with me yet?"

"She probably never will," Lindsey quipped. "You'll have to marry her to get her in a dress, and even then she'll have pants on underneath."

"You'd be surprised," I whispered conspiratorially to her, "The first day after we had sex, she wore a skirt for me."

Lindsey's jaw dropped and Lauren blushed, giving me an angry look. "You own a skirt?" Lindsey asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, no," Lauren admitted, "It was one of yours. Okbyehavefun," She quickly finished, pulling open the front door.

I took Lindsey by the arm and we went out, Lauren sneaking in a kiss for me as we went. She stood in the doorway, watching as I walked her sister to the car and opened the passengr door for her, helping her in. Once I had closed the door I looked to Lauren, though I couldn't see her face very well because of the light behind her and the early dark of night.

I tapped my dwindling pool of power and reached out to her. I love you.

Lauren visibly jerked for a moment, then turned around and dropped her sweatpants, mooning me in the open doorway. I laughed and stepped around the front of my car, getting in and looking to Lindsey, who was giggling at her sister's antics. I started the car and as I began backing out of the driveway took her hand in mine, lifting it up and kissing her fingers briefly.

We drove for a minute in silence before Lindsey's hand in mine started squirming a bit. I looked over to her and she was looking out the window, her other hand at her lips stifling something.

"Hey, whoa, what's the matter?" I said, pulling the car to the side of the road.

"It's nothing," she replied, "Just keep going, it's fine."

"No, that's not nothing. What's wrong?"

She looked at me and she was on the brink of tears. "Just, I- I don't deserve this, Jerry. You, and Lauren, I don't-"

"Hey, hey, hey," I cooed, pulling her towards me and awkwardly hugging her across the car. "Lindsey, it's OK. I know this is weird but it's OK."

"It's not that," she said, squeezing me tightly. "I know this is weird but that makes it, I don't know, better? I need to tell you some things you need to know about me. I'm not right, Jerry. I'm broken and I'll just hurt you and Lauren."

I shushed her and squeezed her more tightly, holding her for a long moment. "Lindsey, I'll make you a promise and a deal, OK? I promise that if you tell me everything, I will never hold it against you." I felt her nod against my shoulder. "OK, then the deal is we're going to go to the restaurant and we'll get a corner booth and we will have a fantastic time while you tell me, alright?"

She hesitated, but nodded again. I held her for another long moment before she pulled back, sniffing and wiping under her eyes. "Jesus," she laughed grimly at herself, "I'm such a mess."

I smiled and pulled the car back onto the street, taking her hand in mine again and bringing it up to kiss, "Maybe, but you clean up real nice."

She snorted out a laugh.

The little Italian place was buried behind several rows of strip malls, which it predated by probably a dozen years or more. The veneer of the place was fading, the carpet a little worn and the leather seats cracked, but the food was still amazing and the dining room was kept dim. I managed to request a corner booth near the back of the sparsely populated restaurant, away from the other diners. Lindsey and I settled in, but when the waiter came around for our drink orders I asked him to give us some time to talk before we ordered.

I slid over so that I was sitting directly beside Lindsey in the booth and took her hand in mine. "Feeling alright?"

She nodded and looked down at our hands. I let go and dropped my hand to her dress-covered leg. "Lindsey?"

She took in a quick, sharp breath, but then looked at me and slowly released the tension in her body. "I'm sorry, I just- This is really different."

"Different from what?" I prodded.

She looked back up to my face and I got lost for a moment in her eyes, shimmering again with the hint of tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she whispered.

"Absolutely nothing," I whispered back. "Tell me what happened."

She bit her lip for a moment before answering. "It was during that time in high school, I guess." She didn't need to explain; Lindsey had made a drunken mistake in her senior year. The rumours had flown wild, changing over and over, but at the root was that she had fucked three guys at the same time and someone had taken pictures. As a freshman I had watched, unable to do anything for my best friend's sister as she got dragged through the mud over and over "I felt so alone, but there was this part of me that didn't care. I'd- I'd liked that night. It was fun. And that made everything they were saying about me, calling me to my face, so much more real.

"Jerry, I've fucked a lot of guys since then. One night stands at school, mostly, but I haven't been able to keep many friends. All the girls at school think I'm trashy, or get pissed when their boyfriends come on to me or ask them for a threesome. I tried to be decent, but I've broken up a lot of relationships because the guy never told me he was in one, and part of me is scared I'll do that to you and Lauren."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to me. Her far hand reached across and grabbed mine almost painfully tight. "That's not the worst of it though," she continued. "That just makes me a slut."

"I've had... really bad relationships, Jerry. Like really bad. Abusive. Not physical or anything, but a few of the guys I've dated took advantage of how much I liked sex. I've agreed to things, done things. Jerry, I- I don't know how to say no, and it scares me. I wanted to be with someone more than I wanted my dignity."

She was trembling a bit in my arms and I held her tightly. I wasn't dumbfounded or aghast or disgusted, I was just shocked. Lindsey; strong, beautiful, near-genius Lindsey had been hurting for so long and Lauren and I had never known. Her body chemistry betraying her. How many times had I seen her since she graduated from high school? How many times could I have said something to make her feel better about herself? My heart was breaking as she leaned her head into my chest and her body heaved with a silent sob. I wrapped both my arms around her and pulled her tightly into me, leaning my head down and kissing her hair.

"I love you, Lindsey. I've always loved you like a sister, and I always will no matter what."

She pulled back from me, looked up into my eyes and whispered, "I don't want to hurt you or Lauren."

"I love you even more than that though," I continued. "I love you because you are courageous, and talented, and outspoken and goofy and everything Lauren ever needed in a big sister and everything I could have wanted in a crush. I love you now, especially."

She sniffed and took her napkin from the table, wiping at her eyes. "I don't deserve it though."

I took the napkin from her and dabbed at her wet cheeks myself. "We love you, Lindsey. Lauren and I. We love you."

It took several more minutes for Lindsey to manage to get herself together again. Once she was feeling more sure of herself, I motioned the waiter over. I took charge, ordering for both of us as Lindsey held my hand under the table and sat silently. Once the waiter was gone again I shifted so that we were facing each other slightly.

"Lindsey, I want to ask you something that might make you feel strange, OK?" She quirked an eyebrow but nodded cautiously. "How did it feel, me ordering your food for you?"

Lindsey cocked her head, thinking deeply. Her brow furrowed a little bit like Lauren's did and I had to suppress a smile, this wasn't the time.

"I... liked it, I guess. You were taking charge, it was attractive," She said. Her eyes were bright again, and I realized that a chance to engage with a part of herself like this, somewhat intellectually, was perking her up.

"And last night. I noticed when Lauren and I specifically told you to do something, you did it."

She nodded, licking her lips. I could see the contrast in her, a light lick of the lips at the heat of the memory but a caution at how it was related to her pain-ridden past.

"Lindsey, I think there's an answer to at least part of what you were explaining earlier. Not being able to say no. I think you have submissive tendencies." I paused, but she only nodded a little bit, her brow furrowing again. "You like being told what to do, at least sexually. You like someone else to take charge, you find it hot when you're told to do something naughty, right?"

"I... do," she said slowly.

"I just wanted to let you know what I was seeing," I said carefully, "Something to think about at least. Maybe, whatever else happens, knowing will help out. But Linds, just because you have submissive tendencies doesn't mean you don't deserve dignity. You shouldn't feel demeaned because of it, or get taken advantage of.

"You deserve love and tenderness."

Lindsey leaned back and looked up at the light, her hands clenching slowly into fists. "You're making a lot of sense right now, Jerry. Sense I should have had a long time ago. When did you get so smart?"

"I blame Lauren." Lindsey's sister had always been the one to make me study. To make me think things through, to stop and consider what I was saying, or feeling.

"I- I think I'm going to need to make some changes when I get back to school," Lindsey said. "Drastic ones. I live with two guys, we have been friends since our freshman year. They've both been, well, fuckbuddies for the past couple of years, and we all happened to need a new place this year so we hooked up as roommates. It started slow but... thinking back on it, I feel dirty and used up, even if I never said no. This past semester, they've just been fucking me whenever and wherever they want.

"And I've been doing it, and I thought I was OK with it. But I'm not. I'm really, really not." Her fists were clenched tightly now, her voice wavering with frustration and hurt.

"We'll fix it," I said, feeling a dark frustration inside of me. Lindsey hadn't just been surrounded by people taking advantage of her, she was dealing with it every day. "We'll figure something out. A new place to live. A new room mate, someone you can trust." I had an inkling of an idea but it was something I would need to incubate a bit. I took Lindsey's fist in both my hands and unfurled her fingers, then bent my neck and kissed her bare shoulder. "For now, I think we're ready to enjoy tonight instead of dwell on things we're going to fix. Agreed?"

She sighed and squeezed the fingers I had intertwined with hers. "OK."

We ate, we told stories and eventually we laughed. Lauren, it turned out, was a fantastic subject to joke over despite the awkwardness of our mixed relationship. Lindsey liked hearing about the messes we had gotten into, or the messes we got Jay and Benji out of. For her part, Lindsey had been to concerts and gone to parties and had lived college life mostly to the fullest, providing dozens of her own stories I had never heard before.

We kept the topics light, and pretty soon we were lightly brushing each other's arms and hands, flirting instead of comforting or seeking emotional support. She gave me the eyes a couple of times, the 'come fuck me' eyes, and I laughed when she didn't even realize she was doing it. Lindsey became much more sure of herself only a few minutes after we left the darker topics behind, preening when I complimented her and taking the initiative in ordering dessert for us to share.

By the end of the night the girl I had been comforting was well and gone, replaced by the Lindsey of my dreams and memories. Beautiful, witty and with a hint of dirty humour to throw you off balance. I paid for the bill, refusing to let her split it with me, and we walked out to the car hand in hand. At the car I opened the door for her again, which she thanked me for with a small kiss. Once we were back at her place I opened the door for her again and walked her to the front steps.

Lindsey stopped and looked at me, and I looked at her and despite everything we had done, or talked about, that nervous edge was there again. This was still a first date, and while this wasn't the first kiss, it was the kiss.

"I want to say thank you for tonight," Lindsey said. "But I don't think that's enough. You- You were perfect, Jeremiah. Everything was perfect and what you said... It means a lot."

"Lindsey, for you? Anything, always, no matter what."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling my lips to hers. My hands circled her waist and our lips locked. Her tongue probed at my lips for a moment before I let her slip past that barrier, and then we were kissing in earnest.