SSMM Ch27

Ava isn’t much of a schemer, but the obvious thing to do is show no weakness.

She leans against Jane. “I want French Toast for breakfast,” she announces.

Jane catches on and squeezes her with an eye roll.

“Sure. I mean, if the house is still standing,” she adds. They all have to speak up a little over the rain drumming the windows.

“So, what do you do?” Ava asks Viv. “Just kick everybody out in the morning or what?”

“Nah,” Jane answers for her with a yawn. She stretches, then a little more possessively wraps her arm around Ava. “There’s still business stuff. The losers spurned by the goddess leave in shame. Everyone else usually stays another night.”

“Who’s the loser tonight?”

“I guess the tennis chicks.” Jane shrugs.

“Can we really say that they lost? I mean, they got to have sex with me,” Ava says, placing one hand on her chest. “They’ll remember this as the best night of their lives.”

“What did my nana always say?” Jane shakes her head. “Don’t let your mouth write checks that you body can’t cash or whatever? Are you writing checks that your tongue can’t cash?”

Ava gasps. “You can’t say that in front of a lady.” She points at Viv, who looks on with a slightly wooden expression. Ava isn’t some psychological mastermind, so doesn’t have any idea what Viv’s specific weaknesses might be. However, Viv came down here with a sense of entitlement and an expectation of seducing or being seduced. Instead, they’re talking as though she’s not there, she’s not the center of attention, and she did just find out that people other than herself are getting laid.

It's working; Viv is an actress, so she doesn’t let on too obviously, but they’re driving her crazy. She doesn’t need Ava and Jane to be on their knees, groveling, but Viv really does seem to unironically believe that she should be the focus of whatever room she’s in.

Ava keeps jabbering every time Viv opens her mouth, hoping to grab to the wheel or insert herself in the conversation.

“Wait,” Ava babbles, cutting her off again. “What about the Swedes? Win or lose?”

“Uh, OK, I don’t know.” Obviously they could just ask Viv, but Jane gets what Ava’s doing and loves it. She loves it to an unseemly degree. It’s like doing this right here is turning her on as much as making out would. “Uh… well, I don’t know. Viv has produced a bunch of movies, but they…” Jane cocks her head. “Have you produced any scary slasher **** movies?”

Viv smiles. “Not yet,” she replies.

“But this one’s a like an obvious slam dunk,” Ava cuts in. “Think of the cast.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s just a movie that’s literally full of hot young women. On the other hand, Ingrid’s not gonna sleep with you,” Jane says to Viv, who arches an eyebrow. “So, which way did you go? Tell them no because the hot Swedish girl wouldn’t bang you or say yes to get that big buffet of young actresses?”

OK, that’s a little more ruthless than Ava had been thinking, but this is Jane’s night.

And Viv is good.

She shrugs at Jane. “Which would you choose?”

Jane frowns and looks thoughtful. “I wouldn’t care about **** because I don’t expect everyone I meet to fuck me. I guess hanging out with a bunch of movie stars would be fun though. Actually, aren’t there grownups?”

“Huh?” Ava frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t read the book, but wasn’t there a teacher or something? When the CCL thing happened?”

“Which time?”

“The time that the Swedish chick was there.”

“I think so. There was a cop too,” Ava adds.

“That’s what I would do. I would get myself cast as the teacher or something. That way it would be totally legit that I’d be in there,” Jane says confidently. Then she sees the look on Viv’s face. “Shut up. Is that the deal you made?”

“I’ll never tell,” Viv says, a little smugly.

“Jesus.”

“Let me clarify,” Ava says, jumping in. “Only adults are allowed in CCL house in the first place, so maybe don’t call the professors grownups, because that implies that we’re children, which we are not.”

“Yes, yes.” Jane pats Ava’s head. “I know you’re legal, Ava. I wouldn’t be trying to get in your pants if you weren’t.”

“I’m not wearing pants.”

“And I’m not making a big deal about having to have Cristy’s sloppy seconds,” Jane replies.

It’s hard not to react to that. Jane is going after Viv so hard, harder than Ava expected. It’s funny; Jane and Viv are so fixated on conquering each other, just in different ways. And neither of them seems to have much self-awareness about it.

“Oh, please. You could’ve come too.”

“Hey, we normally have a cook, a helper, and another maid. I’m doing four people’s jobs,” Jane says defensively.

“God. You’re so hot when you’re being thanklessly crushed under the wheels of capitalism.”

“Yes,” Jane says with a hair toss. “I don’t have time to casually have threesomes with interns and tennis players.”

“I don’t identify as an intern. I’m a woman first. Intern second. A wintern, if you will.”

“Kill me.”

“Uh, actually,” Ava says, straightening slightly. She winces as some especially violent thunder rocks the house. “This weather might actually do that. Are we sure we want to be around all this glass?”

“You’re right. And you’re in luck.” Jane leans her forehead against Ava’s. “My Harry Potter closet that I live in has no windows.”

“That’s romantic,” Ava replies, touching Jane’s chin. “Let’s go.”

They get to their feet, sloshing water.

Viv clears her throat. They turn to look at her, and Ava can’t help but feel a few shameful shots of brain chemistry pleasure at being stared at this way. She and Jane in bikinis, all wet, standing over Viv—well, it’s like something from a movie.

“What’s up, Viv?” Jane asks.

Viv stays where she is, immersed up to her neck. Maybe she knows she can’t compete.

“Are you sure that the two of you shouldn’t be supervised by an adult?” she asks. “You’ve been drinking.”

Ava has to hand it to her; Viv takes an L like a champ. As thought here was any doubt, she really is a very good actress. Nerves of steel.

She wants in, and this is her Hail Mary.

Ava and Jane exchange a look. Viv isn’t getting in; that much is obvious. Jane won’t allow it.

“Do we need supervision?” Jane murmurs. So, she’s leaving it up to Ava.

“Won’t your wife miss you?” Ava asks Viv pointedly.

Viv glances out the window. The other wing of the house is dark.

“She’s sleeping,” Viv replies.

If they allow Viv to tag along, Ava expects Jane to put Viv in a literal cuck chair and make her watch. Ava would just as soon be alone with Jane for the night, but this is an opportunity for Jane to twist the knife.

Allow Viv to tag along?

Or leave her here?