12. Henry

Chapter 12

Henry

Saskia and I jump apart at the interruption, even though there was nothing to interrupt.

Yet.

She twists her head to look over the back of the sofa, cheeks turning pink. I’m no mind reader, but from the look on Casper’s face, I have a pretty good idea of what this ‘box of treasures’ might contain.

She ignores him and reaches for her book, so I grab a pen from the coffee table and return to yesterday’s newspaper. Our ignorance only spurs Casper on.

“I think I’ll charge these,” he says, rummaging in the box, then leaning over the sofa cushions to wave a fairly heavy-duty wand in Saskia’s face. “Then later we can show Henry how they all work.”

“I know my way around a vibrator, mate,” I tell him without looking up from my crossword.

At the other end of the sofa, Saskia gasps, then frowns, and I detect a hint of jealousy. There’s nothing to be jealous of. The past is the past, and though there’ve been women along the way, I’m hoping she’ll be my first and last.

Our first time was a pact, two friends giving each other the gift of their virginity without the pressure of throwing it away on someone we didn’t really care about. We both felt confident we’d be able to look each other in the eye the next day without it being awkward. True to our word, we never spoke about it again. Until last night.

I wouldn’t change that experience for the world, but it was the opposite end of the spectrum to the sex I’ve grown to crave since then. We may barely know each other in this department, but I’ve dated a fair bit in New York, and I’m no novice when it comes to the multitude of ways to bring a woman to orgasm.

Saskia and I have talked about plenty in our years of friendship, but our sex lives have always been fairly off-limits. I had no interest in hearing about what she was getting up to with her husband, and telling her about my exploits in New York felt inappropriate when we’d both agreed we were best as friends.

After last night, though, there’s clearly more to Saskia, more to both of them, than meets the eye. And that’s great news for me. I’ve had no doubts about my longing to pursue something with her, but having a partner whose tastes and desires match yours is definitely a bonus.

Knowing Saskia, she’s probably had the same worry herself. Would she be going from a partner like Casper to someone more vanilla? Hopefully, she has her answer.

When I heard him moving around the cottage this morning, I wasn’t sure how to approach the situation. After going round in circles, I slipped out of Saskia’s bed and found him in the kitchen. There was none of the awkwardness you might expect after sleeping with a man’s wife in front of him. Casper even shook my hand and thanked me, for goodness' sake.

Last night took me by surprise, but it all felt natural in the confines of her bedroom. Being trapped by heavy snowfall isn’t going to help us avoid talking about it, but if they're not freaking out, then I don’t see the need to either. All that matters to me is her happiness, and from the way he spoke about hoping to fulfil her wishes, it seems like that’s what matters to Casper, too.

Sure, we could wait out the snowstorm with jigsaw puzzles and crosswords, but if there’s a box of sex toys on the table, I know which games I’d rather play.