Rose & Thorn: Renee/Seth

Chapter 3

"She likes him now, though. That's what counts." Seth tried not to down his beer in one gulp. He wasn't exactly nervous, but it was times like this when his small-town mentality was a detriment. Hook-up culture was vastly different in a place where you knew the names of everyone's parents, grandparents, and pets. "I only had one condom with me and I honestly don't know how long it's been in my wallet," he admitted, "so I'll get some at the store."

Nodding, Renee set her purse on the table and took her membership card out again. "I was going to bring some just in case, but I know guys can be... particular about them. Brand loyalty and all that. So, right now our shopping list has condoms and a strap-on. What else? Anything you want to try?"

Seth leaned back against the booth, trying to get a read on Renee. She looked like her normal self, at least, and she didn't sound stressed. "Out of curiosity, how is this going to work? I mean... how much will you be telling Jon?"

"Just that we went to Rose & Thorn. I don't think he wants to know details. I mean, if something funny happens, I might want to tell him, but I would ask you for permission first, obviously. Is that okay?" When Seth nodded, Renee took a deep breath and continued. "Okay, good. So condoms, strap-on—and lube, of course, and you can get final say on both of those." Then she chuckled a bit. "I was going to suggest a blindfold if you were nervous about fucking your friend's wife, but...."

"We could. I mean, they're not super expensive. And Jon wanted a souvenir, right? We could just buy one and you could take it back. If anyone else sees it," Seth added, "you can just say it's for sleeping on the plane."

Renee burst out laughing. "As long as we don't get one with... like Spank me, daddy or something embroidered on it." She started to reach across the table but stopped halfway when she noticed someone approaching. Then the person noticed that both she and Seth were wearing yellow bracelets and they abruptly turned. "We need a system like this out in the real world," Renee remarked dryly. "It might help keep some of the creeps away from the girls in the hotels."

"I think it would take a lot more than a bracelet to stop some of those creeps." Seth took another gulp of beer and adjusted his bracelet so it was more visible. The traffic-light system—green for up for anything, yellow for caution and red for not participating—seemed overly simplistic to him, but he knew there was no way to cover every possible answer on the spectrum.

"Absolutely." Then Renee started toying with the straw in her drink. "So... um, what are your thoughts on hair pulling?"

Seth thought for a moment. Jon hadn't had really long hair for a while, but he'd definitely had it shaggier than it was now and Seth wondered if Renee missed it. "Giving or receiving?"

"Both. I mean, I'm fine either way, but I definitely like pulling. If you're not into it, I won't," Renee replied, "but I would need to know—"

"Nah, go ahead. I like it. As long as you aren't pulling hair out of my head, I'm fine." Seth finished his beer and set the glass aside, away from the edge of the table so none of the servers might think he wanted a refill. "Anything you absolutely don't want?"

They spent the next few minutes going over likes and dislikes and things that fell somewhere in the middle, up for negotiation. When it got to the topic of lingerie, Renee laughed so hard she nearly fell off her seat. "If you want to get some fancy panties while we're at the store, be my guest. Jon's made it clear he doesn't give a fuck, so I haven't bothered with anything fancy unless I have a special dress that needs a certain cut."

"So I should expect granny panties and a boxed bra from the department store?" Seth quipped. "Well, at least I'm prepared."

Renee suddenly popped to her feet and reached for his hand. "So we're good now? Good. Let's shop."