Compare Three Envelopes

Greta goes to a little writing desk in the next room, pushes back the slats of the roll-back top, and gets some paper and pencils and a ruler, plus a straight double-edged knife made of some highly polished black material.

"Is that wood?" Dot asks.

"Yes," Greta says. "It's ebony, like black keys on a piano. An ebony letter opener."

She lets you and Dot handle it. It's very smooth, with definite but not sharp edges and a slightly sharp point. Dot giggles. Perhaps she is imagining it as a sensation toy? That smooth length along the flat of the blade, cool but not metal-cold, the edges, the point. You hand it back to Greta.

"First Anna's," Greta says. She works the tip of the letter opener under the corner of the envelope flap and cuts it open at the fold, leaving a neat slit on one long edge. She takes out your answer sheet, reads the note you added, smiles, and opens the sheet fully, smoothing it in place on the table. Your picture from the session at DeLoria Cutler's falls out. Greta centers it above your answers, face down, the blank back of the picture showing an image only faintly through the heavy paper Dr. Cutler printed it on. Greta places the empty envelope along the length of your answer sheet and nods. "Now Dot's," she says. She goes through the same procedure, almost like a ritual, slitting the envelope open and arranging paper, envelope, and picture just the same way as yours. "Anna, would you hand me my answers?" Greta puts her answer sheet in a row with yours and Dot's, without an envelope or picture. "Now let's see how these add up. Ah, and the extra paper and pencils here are if you want to write anything down." She looks straight at you and smiles. "Especially Anna. You impressed me with how well you took notes and ran the question stack at the mobile clinic incident meeting."

Your face and ears go warm. You shift uncomfortably in your seat.

Dot giggles at you. "Your face is so pink, Anna," she says. She leans over and kisses your cheek.

A laugh bursts from your lips. You feel more comfortable.

"I'm getting better at taking compliments," you say.

Greta starts a fresh sheet of paper and makes four columns, adding vertical and horizontal dividing lines by tracing along the length of the ruler. She takes a breath, lets out a sigh of satisfaction, and nods again. The column headings are:

ALL
ANNA + GRETA
ANNA + DOT
DOT + GRETA.

Greta runs her finger down the questionnaire answers, comparing the sheets for you, Dot, and herself. She hums and sighs happily as she turns the messy impulses of human desire into an orderly table of compatibilities. Dot watches in fascination. Perhaps she had had occasion to do some such comparison when she was a peer sex educator, or for herself and a potential connection through the Women's Literature Club that was actually her covert lesbian sorority without a real name or a proud and open residence. But Dot had said that there was an open lesbian sorority at her campus. Perhaps the difference was wealthy graduate sponsors.

Like Brenda Box. You sigh and look back at Greta's worksheet. She's making quick work of filling out the lists of compatible activities.

All three of you like: female sexual partners, sleeping nude, being nude at home, non-romantic sex with housemates, going out to breakfast or brunch with friends or partners, lip kissing, tongue kissing, hugging, fingers on your breasts, belly, and legs, massages and caresses, baths and showers with a partner with sexual touching, using your fingers and mouth on your partner's vulva, having your partner use their fingers and mouth on your vulva, masturbating in front of a partner, using vibrators on yourselves, using sex toys for penetrating yourselves.

You and Greta like: walking in nature, walking nude out of doors, stroking and kissing feet and toes, nibbling and lightly biting on ears, nipples, lips, and fingers, using sex toys in strap-on harnesses to penetrate and be penetrated, a variety of anal sex practices, watching each other urinate, watching others have sex together, sexual friendships, male sexual partners, non-exclusive partners, sex with risk of getting caught, sex in semi-public places, group sex, sexual variety, erotic play-wrestling, using physical strength in a sexual way.

You and Dot like: sexual gossip, talking about sexual experiences you've had with other people, talking about sexual fantasies together, masturbation as self-care and comfort, partner sex as kindness or mutual comfort.

Dot and Greta like: working in the garden with a date or partner, dancing, music, **** as a social lubricant, spontaneously hugging, touching, or sexually touching a partner, spanking and being spanked, sexual and sensual play involving food, exchanging sexual photos, watching pornographic videos together, going without underwear when expecting sex, having untrimmed pubic hair, surprising a date or partner with gifts, receiving the same, going out to restaurants for dinner, learning a lot about your partner's special needs and unusual things that they enjoy or that they're uncomfortable with, sexual scenes with role playing and pretend, emotional sex, romantic sex, long-term partners.

Greta raises her head, rolls her shoulders, and puts her arms out high and wide in a stretch.

"What do you think, Anna? Dot?" Greta asks.

You smile. "I think we have a lot in common. In different ways."

Dot says, "I think I'm glad Anna helped me be brave enough to butt in on you with my answers and my picture."

"I think you should look at the pictures now," you tell Greta. "Getting them was a whole adventure itself."

Dot giggles nervously. "It was worth it. I wanted to send you one because I saw the one you sent to Anna. But I wasn't gonna take it with my phone and get it all over the net or something."

"People are terrible that way," you say.

Dot laughs out loud. "So we got a pervy woman doctor to take the pictures and print them out!" she says.

"Of course she kept copies," you say.

Greta laughs. "It says something that I would have five guesses for someone in this town answering that description, and only four of them work at the hospital where you're doing your summer volunteer studies."

"What do you think of our pictures?" you ask Greta.

"Hmm, well, let us see," she says. She turns each picture right-side up and makes happy little noises as each one is revealed. "I think that they are wonderful, personal, generous gifts, and it was a happy surprise that not only did I get your answers, Anna, since we had talked about a date, but your answers, too, Dot, and an intimate picture of each vulva, matching mine." She laughs. "Such beautiful envelopes sealed with flower stamps. I am flattered. I am delighted that you are sharing your private beauties." Greta lifts each picture in turn and kisses the center. "Lovely flowers, my Edelweiss Anna and my Tiger Lily Dot. And I am delighted that you came to deliver them in person and tagged along home with me. I will treasure your pictures and keep them safe."

"What do you think of our answers?" Dot asks. "I did do some of this at college. You know, the yes, no, maybe-so for sex things you like or really don't like, or you're curious about?"

Greta tips back her wine glass and drinks the last ruby-red drops.

"I think, Dot," Greta says. "That you and Anna should decide." She pauses. Decide whether you want to explore any of the things we have in common. That can be tonight or another time. You are welcome to stay the night with me or to leave when you please. I have had a pleasant evening."

Greta moistens her forefinger and thumb with her tongue tip, and pinches out the candle with a sizzle. "Safety first." She stands up, rinses her wine glass, and puts it on the drying rack by the sink. "It is a warm night. I will be in back setting up the hot tub. There is an outdoor shower next to it to wash before and after. Do not worry. Nobody can see into the yard."

Greta leans against the kitchen counter to support herself. She peels off her stockings and drops them on the floor. Then her underwear, satin with a cotton panel. Her skirt. Her blouse. Her bra.

She turns her head and smiles at you, then walks, bare naked, toward the back porch.

There is a tattoo of a daisy above the cleft between her solid, squarish buttocks.

Dot watches her until she hears the back door open and close. She looks at you. "Yes?"

"Yes," you say.

Dot laughs, a lower, deeper belly laugh than her usual giggle. "Yes!" she says. She looks to you, tilts her chin up, and taps her lips. "Kiss."

Dot's lips taste of red wine and blackberries. Her tongue tastes of salty mushroom soup. She squeezes you tightly, then pushes you back.

"Hot tub," she says.

Dot watches you undress and put your clothes on the still-warm seat of the chair you were sitting in. She pushes back her chair and takes her clothes off like Greta, leaning on the table and dropping each piece on the floor. She takes your hand, and the two of you walk together naked toward Greta's back door. Dot giggles, and that sets you off laughing. You recover your composure. Then you laugh, and that sets Dot off. Finally you reach the door and open it to whatever awaits you in Greta's back yard.

I couldn't resist referring to the business management joke "Prepare Three Envelopes". Hopefully this story will be less disappointing for Anna than what happened to the company president in the joke.

You have 2 XP, +1 Hard, -1 Hot, -1 Cool, +2 Control), and know the Character Moves Ass-Licking and Masturbate.