BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE (Chapter 117)


"He really wants to get back together with me?" Jessie asked incredulously.

"That's what he said," Warren confirmed. They were sitting at the table in Sophia and Warren's basement apartment. "Oh, this ought to be an interesting conversation. 'Sorry, Crash, I can't help you get back together with Jessie because Sophie and I are doing her.'"

"Tell him he can have me back when he starts lactating," Jessie giggled. "Seriously, Warren, I'm upset that you're in the middle of this, but I'm not going back with him."

"I'm just surprised that he's that vehement about getting you back," Warren said. "From what you told me, Jessie, I didn't think he'd care."

"Me either," Jessie said. She noticed Warren looking at her. She smiled at him. "Go ahead, you can ask it, I won't be offended."

"You didn't embellish how he was treating you to make us more sympathetic."

"No," Jessie smiled. "Look, it's my side of the story, and I know you need to hear his, and that's fine. But I don't think I embellished anything. If at all, I left stuff out. More background stuff, but still....."

"What do you mean?" Sophia asked.

"Well," Jessie started, "remember, freshman  year I was at Umass. I didn't like classes there-too big and impersonal-but I had a fairly decent social life. Plenty of kids from Oceanview out there, and they introduced me to other people. I went to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and I didn't know anyone. The classes are better, and that's good, but...." She sighed. "I don't know anyone. I've had trouble making friends. I'm very isolated, and my social life has boiled down to waiting for the one or two weekends every month I was going to see my boyfriend. Now I don't have a boyfriend. And the only reason I'm out there a thousand miles away from home is because of the boyfriend!" 

"So, I have no friends out there, and the boyfriend who was the reason I went out there in the first place abandoned me. You know what? 'Lonely' would be too mild a word to describe how I've felt the last four months. 'Shattered' would be more accurate."

"Oh, Jess," Sophia said. 

"You two are my rock, you really are," Jessie said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there for me yesterday. I've been so depressed." Warren was just staring at her. "What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I'm just amazed at how different you are. And a little bit upset by it, too. Needy and vulnerable is new for you."

"Tell me about it," Jessie said, summoning up a wry grin. "Look, I'm still the same ol' Jess, mostly, and most of the time. I just get these weepy moments far more often than I used to. One thing I've realized is that I rely on my friends more than I ever knew. Which is a good thing-except when I can't find a friend. Believe me, it is very hard for me, Jessica the She-Devil Reidel, to admit that there are days where I just want to be taken care of. And that those days, lately, come more and more frequently."

"We'll take care of you as much as we can," Sophia smiled at her.

"I know you will," Jessie smiled. "Anyhow, I'm going to leave. Crash will be here soon. Besides which, I have to let my parents know I'm still around." She got up, gave Warren a nice long kiss, gave Sophie a nice long kiss, and headed for the door. "Call me when Crash leaves, OK?"

"Will do," Sophia told her. She left.

Sophia and Warren looked at each other for a minute after she left. Then Sophia said, "So, what are you going to do?"

"Try to talk him out of going back after her, without quite telling him why." 

 "Ah," Sophia said. "Do you want me here when you talk to him?"

"Completely up to you, Pookie."

"I don't know. I might kill him." Sophia sighed. "Warren, Jessie's in rough shape."

"I know."

"I think I understand the whole lactation fetish thing," Sophia said. Warren looked at her. "Well, you know, it is a turn-on, and I think that goes for both of us. But, even to me, it's very warm and comforting. Imagine how she feels." 

"When she first did it, I was a little busy," Warren said with a smirk, making Sophia giggle, "but, when she did it in the middle of the night last night, I watched you guys. It was the most stunningly intimate thing I've ever seen."

"That's how it feels, too," Sophia said. "I have to tell you, if you had told me that this was going to happen, my first reaction would've been, 'eeew, that's too weird!' Especially last night, when we weren't in the middle of sex when she did it. But, somehow, it's not weird at all. If it was anyone other than Jess-or you, of course-it would be. But it's not."

Warren looked at Sophia and decided to ask it. "How long have you been sexually interested in Jess?"

Sophia looked up at him in surprise. Then she smiled. "For quite a while. Even before I ever experimented with girls, I felt something for her. I just never thought she'd go for it, so I put it out of my mind." She looked at Warren. "What would've happened yesterday if I hadn't come in the door?"

"Well, OK, I admit it," Warren said. "I gave in a little on the kiss. But it would not have gone any further than that, I promise you."

"I believe you," Sophia smiled. "How long have you known that you were, you know, in love with her? Since the cabin?"

"If not before that," Warren admitted. "It was easier when she was with Crash. And you know you're number one and I'd never do anything to jeopardize that. And I struggled for a long time with the thought of being in love with two people at the same time. But it's been there for quite a while."

Sophia looked at him. "You feel closer to her than you do to Crash, don't you?" Warren nodded. "And you have for a while."  

"That's the thing that's killing me," Warren admitted. "I've always called Crash my best friend. But I've been closer to Jessie for some time."

"I'd actually noticed that," Sophia said. "Look, I'll stay here when he gets here. You're going to need the help. And I won't kill him."


Crash showed up about an hour later.

"She talked to you?" Crash asked Sophia.

"Actually, she talked to both of us," Warren admitted. "She was here most of yesterday."

"OK. So, tell me. What do I have to do to get her back?" Crash asked.

"I don't think you can," Warren admitted. "Crash, she's pretty much done with it. I don't think you have a chance."

"That's ridiculous!" Crash said. "Look, you should know that! You broke up with Sophie, but you got back together."

"I just think this is different," Warren told him. 

"We broke up because I wasn't in my right mind," Sophia said. "I don't think that's the case with Jessie."

"Look, Jay," Warren said, "she told us some pretty bad things about how you've been treating her lately."

"Oh, great," Crash said. "Did she also tell you she shut me off?"

"You mean from sex?" Warren said. "Yeah, she told us that. But she also said that there was a reason for it."

"Yeah, girls and their little games, that was the reason," Crash said. "She was trying to prove something, to someone-don't ask me to understand it." 

"Jay, she was having a problem with your sex life," Warren told him. "She was trying to find out if that was the only problem. That's what she was doing. She also said you went along with it."

"Yeah, because I figured she wouldn't be able to do it for long," Crash said. "Unless she had someone on the side at school."

"She didn't, I know that for a fact," Sophia said.

"She thinks you did, by the way," Warren said. "Though that's not why she broke up with you."

"I did. What do you expect me to do?" Crash asked.

"Try to patch things up with her?" Warren asked. "I mean Jesus, Crash. You keep going on about how you wanted to fix things, and how you still want to be with her, and you were fucking around on her?" 

"Look, we were at separate schools, OK? It's not like trying to patch things up with her was 24/7. When I was with her, I did try to patch things up with her."

"That's not the way she tells it," Warren says.

"I can believe it," Crash agreed, "but that's because her idea of trying to patch things up was trying to make me someone that I'm not."

"Someone who loves her?" Sophia snorted. " That is what she was trying to make you into."

"Bullshit," Crash snorted back. "She knows I love her. The problem was, she wanted me to run through all kinds of tests and games and shit to prove it. Jessie doesn't love unconditionally. She constantly wants reassurance."

"Everybody needs reassurance," Sophia told him.

"She didn't used to!" Crash asserted. "She used to be as cool about this as I was." He turned to Warren with a murderous glare in his eye. "Until that night in the fucking cabin."

"What?" Warren said.

"I thought we had fixed that, you know, for about a year after. But it keeps coming back to haunt me. Oh, she doesn't come right out and say 'make love to me the way Warren did,' she just hints."

"Jay," Sophia said, "I thought that that night had affected you, too. You k now, when you were with me."

"It did, to a point," Crash admitted. "But only to a point. Hey, great sex is great sex. I'm not going to deny for a second that I learned a lot from you that night, Soph. But I don't want Jessie to be you."

"And you think Jessie wants you to be me," Warren said.

"Exactly right. And I refuse to give her the fucking satisfaction."

"Then why do you want to try to get back with her?" Warren asked.

"Because I still love her!"

"No, you don't," Sophia said. "You love someone that doesn't exist any more. She's changed."

"Yeah, and that's all his fault!" he screamed, pointing at Warren. "You motherfucker! You are the one that fucked her up!"

"Be that as it may," Warren said, "it happened, we all agreed to it, and we can't take it back. You have to deal with the now, Crash. She wants more from you. If you're unable to give it, you should just let it be."

"Whose side are you on?" Crash demanded.

"Nobody's," Warren said. 

"Bullshit. Jessie came down here with her little sob story, and now you're all on her side. Shit, I'm surprised she didn't try to get you into bed, so she could relive her wonderful little cabin experience."

"Well, Sophia was here," Warren said, not exactly lying.

"Like that would make a difference," Crash grinned. "Sophie probably would've told you to go for it while she sat on the couch playing with herself. I know Sophie well enough."

Warren tried to hide the flash of astonishment that flitted over his face. He wasn't completely successful.

Crash looked at him in horror. "You didn't. You DID! You fucked my girlfriend!"

"No, I didn't," Warren said. "You don't have a girlfriend. She broke up with you."

"Because of YOU!" Crash howled.

"No, because of you," Warren countered. "You are perfectly capable of treating her the way she deserves to be treated. If you didn't do that, that is not my fault."

"Oh, yeah, right. How can I compete with you? You fucked her up for me, admit it."

Warren was starting to lose his temper. "Listen to me, you unfeeling asshole. Jessie stood in this room yesterday and told me she was in love with me. Do you know how much that cost her? I'm her best friend's fiance, and she knew she was never going to be able to break Sophie and me up. And you could've made all that go away! She'd rather be in love with you! It was a lot easier that way. Even after the events in the cabin, she still wanted to be with you!"

"And you fucking blew it. Don't blame me because you blew it. When she came into this room yesterday, she was pathetic. You have no idea how depressed she is, do you?"

"Oh, she's so full of shit," Crash said. "Whine whine whine, that's all she does lately. Depressed, my ass."

That was the last straw for Warren. "You know what? When she came into this room yesterday afternoon, she was depressed. When she left-which was this morning by the way-she wasn't. Because she was with two people that love her, and want her to be happy."

"Jesus Christ, you stole my fucking girlfriend and you're getting all sanctimonious about it?!?"

"I didn't steal your girlfriend," Warren countered. "I have one of my own. Jessie needed us yesterday. Not the other way around. And we both love her, so we let her have what she needed. And you, who have been with her for all those years, were incapable of letting her have what she needed. And you say you're in love with her? Fuck that. You don't deserve her."

The next thing Warren knew, he was flat on his ass on the floor, bleeding profusely from his mouth. And Crash was on his way out the door. 

"Warren!" Sophia screamed, rushing over to him. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," Warren said. "That went so well, didn't it?" 


About two hours later, Jessie got a phone call from Sophia, telling her to come over. When she got to the basement door, Sophia was waiting for her there, outside the apartment.

"I have to prepare you. Warren looks pretty bad. We just got back from the emergency room. He's got stitches in his lip."

"What happened?"

"Crash slugged him," Sophia said.

"Oh NO!" Jessie wailed, and rushed into the apartment. She ran over to Warren, who was sitting in a chair, an ice bag held to his face in one hand, Betsy in the other. "Warren, I'm so sorry!"

"Why, you didn't hit me," he said bemused.

"No, but I got you into the middle of this."

"Jess. I'm where I want to be. Got that?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thanks. What happened?"

"You tell her, Sophie, my mouth hurts."  Sophia told Jess all that had happened.

"So, he knows," Jess said after Sophia was finished.

"Yeah," Warren said. He had the ice pack off for a minute. Betsy was starting to fuss, so he walked her over to Sophia, who was sitting on the bed. "Here's Momma, sweet thing," he said to Betsy. 

"Warren, I can't help but feel bad. I mean, it sounds like you just lost your best friend," Jessie said.

"Feh. My best friend is over there on the bed, feeding our kid. My second best friend is you. I tried to be calm and rational about this, and keep things sane. But he really pissed me off. I wasn't kidding-he doesn't deserve you." 

"But if I had never come over here yesterday.....," Jess started, and then began sobbing.

"Jess. Listen to me," Warren said. "You came over here yesterday because you needed to. I love you, remember?"

"You love Crash, too, though," she sniffled. "I know guys don't admit that because it makes them sound gay or something, but you do."

"Under normal circumstances, I'd admit it just fine," Warren grinned. "But the Crash that was in here this morning? I didn't even like him."

"Yeah, but that's still because of me."

"In a way, but I don't care. Look, Jessie, he was just fine before you dumped him, wasn't he? You were the one that was hurting. In fact, I don't think he's hurting at all-except his ego." Warren sighed. "Look, when you become close with someone, it's because you connect with them on some level, right? And I think that if that happens, you can ignore some of the less savory parts of a person until they directly affect you. Remember when Soph dumped me? I should've seen that coming, because I knew what she was like. But I didn't."

"Crash is selfish. Always has been. The times that he was selfish with me have been few and far between, so I've ignored it, because there were so many other things I liked about the guy. But he's been selfish with you for some time, it seems. I probably should've seen this coming, too."

"There's another problem. You've met Crash's mother. That woman doesn't have a life that doesn't revolve around Crash. That's the way he was raised. The only needs that count are Crash's needs. He expects you to act the same way." 

"Yeah," Jess said sadly.

Jessie was still sobbing-which was bad enough, Jessie was not a crier. "Honey, could you take Betsy?" Sophia asked. "She's all done." Warren grabbed her and put her back in her crib. "Jessie?" Sophia said, patting her lap. Jessie sniffled, sighed, and went over to where Sophia was on the bed. Jess put her head in Sophie's lap and gently began suckling on her boob. In short order, Jessie's sniffling stopped.

After a minute, Jessie unlatched herself, looked up at Sophia, and said, "Soph? Why doesn't this freak you out?"

"I don't know," Sophia said. "It just doesn't." 

"Breastfeeding a grown woman who happens to be your best friend doesn't freak you out," Jessie said in amazement.

"It's exciting. It's warm and comforting. Hey, doing it doesn't freak you out."

"Yes it does," Jessie laughed. "But I also love doing it. But, yes, the fact that I love doing it does freak me out."

"It's OK. Really. It's just the three of us. Don't get freaked out," Sophia said. Jessie smiled at her, and went back to sucking on her boob. Sophie found herself gently stroking Jessie's hair.

"You get all blissed out when she does that, you know," Warren said to Sophia, amused.

"Blissed out and horny," Sophia giggled. 

Jess pulled off and said, " You're horny?" and then went back to it.

"Hmm. I think I have to help somebody out here. But who? Hmmm," Warren teased.

"Well, I'm comfortable, and you can get at her easier than me, so..." Sophia said.

Warren laughed, and headed towards the bed. Jessie was lying on her side, but Warren flipped her over on her back. Sophia put a pillow under Jessie's head so she could still reach Sophia's breasts. Warren took Jessie's pants off.

"Sorry, Jess, I can't use my mouth today," Warren said. He lined his cock up with her pussy, used his cock to spread her wetness around, and entered her. Jessie groaned into Sophie's boob.

Warren was gentle, partially because Jessie needed it that way, but also partially so he wouldn't thrust Jessie's face into Sophie's boob too hard. Sophie took her arms and wrapped them around Jessie's head, snuggling her into her boobs. Jessie moaned into her boobs as Warren plunged in and out of her, gradually picking up the pace. It didn't take too much of that before Jessie came-and Warren followed suit shortly thereafter.

After Warren pulled out, Jessie disengaged from Sophie's boob. Then, almost in a trance, she got off Sophie's lap, turned, and started undoing Sophie's pants. Before Sophie knew it, her pants and panties were off and Jess was crawling up between her legs. "Jess?" she said in surprise, and then, "Oooooh!" when Jessie's tongue lapped the length of her pussy. 

Sophia spread her legs further to give Jess easier access, and Jess dove in, running her tongue up and down the length of Sophie's pussy, experimentally.

Warren saw that there was enough room between the headboard and Sophie for him to squeeze in, so he did, pushing Sophie up to a sitting position and getting in behind her. He pulled her back towards him and she snuggled back into his chest, his arms around her waist, while Jessie went to town on her pussy.

And Jess was going to town! She nibbled on Sophie's inner labia, making Sophie jump, then snaked her tongue all up and down. Then she curled her tongue up and thrust it into Sophie's opening, gently pushing it in and out. She took it out, and went up the length of her pussy, using gentle back-and-forth motions. She got to the top, and circled Sophie's clit. She teased it repeatedly with her tongue, then brought her lips down around it and sucked in into her lips.

Sophie jumped. She started quivering in Warren's arms as Jessie sucked on her clit. Then Jess took two fingers and thrust them into Sophia's pussy. She curled them up, looking for that wrinkled pad of skin she knew would drive Sophie wild. She found it easily. Sophie's got a much more prominent G-spot than I do, the lucky dog, she thought. Then she drummed her fingers on the sensitive pad, with her lips still sucking on Sophie's clit.

"Oh, God, she's almost as good as you are," Sophie gasped to Warren. Jessie smiled to herself, knowing what a compliment that was, and kept up her work. She took Sophie's clit into her mouth, and gently flicked it with her tongue, timing the flicks with her fingers drumming on Sophie's G-spot. Sophie bucked and howled, and came all over Jessie's face and hand.

After Sophia came down, she looked and gasped at Jessie, "Oh my God! I never thought you'd ever do that!"

"I'm just full of surprises, ain't I?" Jess grinned-to Warren and Sophia's relief, much more like herself.


Jess left shortly after that, having errands to run. Warren and Sophie had practice that afternoon. Afterwards, they headed home to eat with the family.

Afterwards, they, Betsy, Ellen, Dan, and Kate were all in the family room when there was a knock on the door. Ellen opened it, and in walked a very upset-looking Jess, along with her mother, Corinne.

"Hi, Jess. Hi, Corinne. What's up? Come in, sit down." They did, Jess looking very uncomfortable, and Corinne looking upset. 

"I want to know what's going on over here," Corinne said.

"Excuse me?" Ellen asked.

Corinne sighed. "Look, Jessie's been very upset. The last month she was at school, I was calling her every day just to make sure she wasn't doing something drastic to herself. She came home three days ago, I pick her up at the airport, and she looks like the night of the living dead. She's home that night, doesn't say anything, just mopes. I was worried as can be. I made an appointment for her to see a psychologist, that's how worried I was."

"Then, she comes over here yesterday, stays all day and all night, and comes home today-and it's the old Jess! Talking to me, cracking wise, being her usual self. I want to know what the hell happened here!"

"I keep telling her that just hanging out with you guys cheered me up."

"You haven't needed 'cheering up' for the last month. It went deeper than that."

"Crash was treating her like shit, and then they broke up," Sophia put in.

"I know all that. What I don't know is what changed when she was here."

"Why should that matter?" Jessie asked. "If I'm my old self again, why should you care about the reason?"

"Because  I know what it is, Jess," Corinne said. "There's only one thing that makes you go from suicidal to euphoric overnight. And we've been down this road before with you, and we can't do it again."

" What are you talking about? Jessie asked.

"Drugs, Jessie!" Corinne spat out. "You're taking drugs again, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"The three of you," Corinne maintained.

"Mrs. Reidel," Sophia said, "As far as I know, Jessie hasn't done drugs in a few years. I haven't done drugs in longer than that. Warren has never done them. There were no drugs here."

"There had to be," Corinne maintained.

"Dammit, Mom, there were not!"

"Then what was it?

"Love and support," Jessie maintained.

" I try to give you that, Jess!" Corinne said. "And it hasn't worked."

"It's different."

"Why, Jessie? Love and support is love and support, isn't it? There has to be something else."

"OK, Dammit," Jessie said. "Great sex! Love and support and great sex. Are you happy now?"

"I thought you were here yesterday," Corinne said. Jessie nodded. "Then who could you have great sex with?"

"THEM!" Jessie howled, pointing at Warren and Sophie. "I had sex with them. Both of them. And it was euphoric."

"What?" Corinne choked out, shocked.

"You know, Jess and I really have to stop shooting our mouths off at inopportune moments," Warren said wryly.

"You had sex...with Warren....and Sophie?" Corinne asked, still stupefied.

"We invited her into our bed," Sophia said quietly. "And, by the way, that's an open-ended invitation, and she knows that."

The room went deathly silent. Until the silence was broken up by delighted laughter. It was Kate.

"Oh, I love it!" Kate burst out. "My sister is having a menage a trois with her fiancé and her best friend! How cool is that? You guys are nice and kinky, aren't you?" 

"Excuse me?" Dan said.

"Well, Dad, it is," Kate said, still giggling. "Sounds like fun, actually." 

"Jesus, Kate, I knew being around Sophie was going to give you ideas," Dan grumbled-though not entirely.

"Oh, I've been having that idea since Chad introduced me to his friend Stacy. And she was wearing a skintight halter top and short shorts," Kate giggled. "I'm usually not one for girls, but I took one look at her and went 'hmmmmm'."

"KATHERINE!" Dan yelled-but he couldn't help the grin that was threatening to break out. "Ah, to hell with it," he said. "I give up."

"You gave up a long time ago," Kate grinned, tickling him on the arm. He turned to Sophia. "Do you know that when I first went to bed with Chad, I was actually able to talk to him about it without him taking my head off?"

"You're older," Dan said. "And I know you're responsible. And, I guess, I have changed some of my attitudes." He grinned wryly. "In this house, it was either that, or be completely grey instead of only partially. Not to mention the ulcer I'd develop." He looked at Sophia. "But isn't this a bit, I don't know, dangerous?"

"We don't think so," Sophia said.

"I guess what puzzles me the most," Corinne said, "is this. Look, Jess, you know I try to be open-minded, but I didn't think you had any interest in girls. Are you questioning your sexuality?"

"Nope," Jessie said. "What I've decided is that I'm heterosexual, with a side order of Sophia Daniels." The whole room chuckled at that. "It's just her."

"So, what does this mean?" Ellen asked.

"It means that The Couple is now a threesome. As long as Jess wants it that way," Sophia said.

"And, at least for right now, I want it that way," Jessie said.

"But, the wedding?" Ellen asked.

"This does not affect their wedding," Jessie asserted. 

"Well, yeah, it does. I think I need to find a new best man," Warren said ruefully.

"Why?" Corinne asked.

"Well, this fat lip? Jason's fist."

"Oh, Jeez," Ellen said. "I thought you told me he fell," she said to Sophia.

"Well, we were trying to keep all this under wraps," Sophia said.

"Wait a minute. Jason knows?" Corinne said.

"He figured it out. I don't do a poker face very well," Warren said.

"And then he slugged you?" Corinne said.

"Well, actually, no. He didn't slug me until I told him he didn't deserve Jess." 

Corinne laughed. "You know what? If you two made her this happy, then you were right, Warren."

"We love her," Warren said.

"We both love her," Sophia added. "We just want her to be happy." Jessie was beaming.

"But, I don't know, guys," Ellen added. "What about you two?"

"We're already happy," Sophia pointed out. "With Jess involved, we're just happier."

"This isn't permanent," Jessie said. "This is for now. We all know that. We can handle this."

"If you say so," Corinne said. "Just be careful, OK? Judging by the look of Warren's lip, this little escapade has already ruined one friendship."

"True," Warren said, "but the three of us have talked about this. Besides which, Crash was being an asshole. To Jessie especially."

"Well, that's one problem you might have, Jess," Ellen said. "Your next boyfriend better be a gem. Because I think Warren's about to become more overprotective than Dan used to be about Kate!"

"Nope," Warren said. "She just knows she has someplace else to go, now. He'd better be a gem if he plans on keeping her!"


The next day was Christmas Eve. Warren convinced Sophie to go out and do some last-minute shopping. Sophie and Jessie had always exchanged gifts, but Warren wanted to find something for Jessie from both of them.

They did. And when Jessie opened up the gift that evening, she broke into tears.

They had found a set of earrings. The part in the ear was a diamond stud. Dangling from the stud part were little gold hearts.

Three little gold hearts.



---End of chapter---







