Deleted Scene 002
by Ticklefish
Foreword:
This is set between Best Laid Plans I - The Winged Rat and Best Laid Plans II - An Inferior Moon. It's recommended you read those first so you know what's going on as this story makes reference to events and locations mentioned in them. But it's not essential.
This was taken out of the main storyline for a few reasons. It upsets the continuity of one of my favorite scenes in An Inferior Moon and it's a little more..explicit..than I'm happy with. Plus I'm not entirely happy with some of the themes in it, read and you'll know what I mean.
That said, I had a great time writing it and I hope you'll have a great time reading it.
Please read and review. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or what I'm doing right, unless you tell me so all comments welcome.
Oh, and I should probably stress that this is for ADULTS ONLY. Pretty much the bulk of it is sexual content, so you have been warned.
If you're okay with that, then please...read on..
"So...what are you wearing?"
The words lingered innocently in her ear. The question was simple enough but there were so many different ways she could answer. She bit her lower lip as she considered.
"I'm wearing a black ballgown. It's slit to the hip with a plunging cleavage. Elbow-length, black gloves, long heels...and no bra or panties. They just spoil the lines."
The phone was quiet, the person on the other end of the connection not saying anything. Only the steady glow of the symbol on the phone cradle showed that the line was still open. While she waited, she poured out another glass of wine.
"Oh..my..God...you are just the worst liar ever, girl! Is that really the best you can come up with?"
Seeing in her mind the gray slacks and baggy t-shirt strewn across her bedroom floor, Claire Redfield chuckled to herself. She took a sip from her glass and swapped the phone to her other ear.
"You know me too well, Gems. I'm actually dressed as a chicken. For my new job, I have to spend 4 hours a day on football mascot duty. It's hard work but it's good fun."
"Ha, that's because you're a birdbrain! I bet you're wearing that same old Snoopy t-shirt you had in uni. Skanky.."
Claire looked down at the faded cartoon dog peeking at her from the pile on the floor and smiled ruefully.
"Am I really that predictable?" she laughed.
"No, I can read minds," came the reply, "I'm psychic, didn't you know?"
Before Claire could reply, the person on the other end spoke again.
"So what are you up to this afternoon?"
She frowned.
"It's eight in the evening, Gems. I'm in a different country, remember?
"Yeah, well it's the afternoon here. Back in the real world, we know how to use clocks. So come on, what are you up to?"
Claire grinned.
"I'm sick, got a cold so I'm spending the evening in the apartment."
"You don't sound sick.." the voice on the other end sounded puzzled.
"That's because I'm not." said Claire.
Or at least, not physically, she added mentally. Since she had been pulled from her investigation by her superiors, Claire had spent the last few days having every sort of training course imaginable thrown at her. Tonight, there was a special lecture on the 'bio-typing of enemy contraband' or some such.
Frankly, she couldn't be bothered so she had faked a cold. She'll have had a marvellous recovery by tomorrow, but tonight it was all about herself. She'd had filled the bathtub with so many different potions, creams and ungulants there had been practically nothing in the tub except for bubbles. And she had stayed in that tub for a decadently long time. Not really moving, not really thinking, just relaxing.
Now, after a very satisfying and unhealthy dinner, she was on the telephone to an old friend of hers. The BSAA, the agency she was working with, had provided everything in the apartment and would be picking up the tab. Not that they knew that right now, of course.
"You're kidding me! Claire, little Miss Studious herself, is pulling a sickie! That's hilarious! I bet your brother's pleased!"
"He's not here," said Claire, "he's out with his..a..friend."
"That's an interesting way to put it.."
Claire could just hear her friend smirking down the phone. But she was right, it was an exceptionally interesting way to put it. Her brother, Chris Redfield, had recently hooked up with an old colleague of his, although they were keeping it secret for now. Claire only knew because she had almost walked in on them once. Thankfully they hadn't seen her, but she had seen more than enough to know they had definitely taken their friendship to the next level.
Gemma had never met Chris or Jill, the woman he was seeing and whom he had taken out to dinner and it didn't really matter if she knew what they were up to. Still, Claire was so used to covering for her brother that it was a hard habit to break.
Besides, there was something about knowing the two of them were together that still bothered her.
"So, he's finally got a girlfriend?" Gemma's voice cut into Claire's thoughts. "I'm impressed. Now you have no excuse for being single anymore."
"I don't need a girlfriend." replied Claire, hoping to pull the conversation onto a different track.
Gemma had known her friend for too long.
"Oh no, you don't. You always try to change the subject on me. C'mon, tell me, who have you got lined up?"
Claire felt her cheeks redden. Gemma had always seen it her duty to get her friend married to someone. She had never come close to succeeding, but that just seemed to spur her on even more.
"I haven't got anyone 'lined up'. I'm far too busy for that sort of thing. Maybe when I'm back in the States.."
"Oh really? So who do you talk about in your sleep, then?"
Claire's eyes grew wide.
"How do you know that?"
"Hon, we were roomies for three years. How could I not know? Every night, you'd wake me up moaning about Professor Harrison or that quarterback whose name you didn't know. Freud would have had a field day with you."
"Oh yeah?" Claire felt a little defensive and tried to regain some ground. "How d'you know I was dreaming about a quarterback if I didn't know his name?"
"Oh, I suppose it was someone else who had 'quarterback guy' written on her mirror in lipstick for two years, then?"
"Huh. Well, he was a good football player. We wouldn't have done so well in the league if it wasn't for him, I'm sure of it."
Gemma laughed down the line.
"Oh sure," she said sarcastically, "it was his athletic prowess you were after. You weren't interested in the fact that he was gorgeous or he had muscles like a Greek god or anything like that at all."
Claire closed her eyes and let her mind drift back through the years. Back to a summer spent sitting on the bleachers, pretending to study but all the while watching the tall, broad young men running sweatily up and down.
"Hmm, he was pretty well built, wasn't he?" she murmurred softly.
"And pretty well hung too, you'll be pleased to know."
Claire started with surprise.
"Gemma! How do you...what do you do...wait, I don't want to know, I'm sure I don't."
"Oh, sure you do. I can just hear you begging for details. You want to know all about how long it was, how thick it was, how good he was at using it..." Gemma purred.
"Gemma, please.."
"Oh, Claire. You need to loosen up a little! What happened to the girl I used to know? You used to be so much less uptight. You used to be so much more FUN! What happend to the old Claire Redfield, hmm?"
She sighed.
"I grew up, Gems. Uni was a long time ago and a lot's happened since then."
"Hmm."
The two women were quiet for a while, Claire thinking back over all that had happened to her over the years. Somewhere down the line, something had changed and she stopped finding life as much fun as she used to. Shaking her head, she reached for her wine glass.
"Wait a minute," her friend's voice was thick with suspicion, "are you in the bath?"
Claire put her glass, now empty, back on the side of the tub.
"Maybe.." she replied.
"I take it back, you're a good liar after all. I had no idea. So you're naked, wet and you thought you'd talk to me. I'm flattered, but I don't really swing that way."
"Gemma.."
She froze. There had been a sound, just on the edge of hearing. It was indistinct but something about it had her reflexes all tense.
The sound came again. Now she was concentrating, she could hear it better. It was the sound of a key in the lock. And there was another sound to go with it. Her brothers voice.
Claire surged out of the bathtub, covered the distance to the bathroom door in 2 long strides and pulled on the light cord as quickly as she could.
The room was flooded in darkness with just a small line of light showing between the door and the frame. She was about to close the door when she heard the apartment door open and Chris walk in. He was not alone and Claire held herself as still as possible, her heart pounding.
She didn't need to be a genius to work out who the other person with Chris was and when she heard their voice, she was certain. It was Jill Valentine, once Chris's teammate and now his lover. And also, still officially Claire's mentor in the BSAA. Not that she had been doing much mentoring lately.
Claire swore under her breath.
A tinny voice rang out.
"Wow..someone's learnt some new words."
Hurriedly, she rose the phone she was still clutching in one hand and dialled the volume down. She held it to her ear.
"It's Chris," she hissed, "he's come home early!"
"So?"
"So he thinks I'm at work. He'll go crazy if he finds me here."
"So?" Gemma repeated, sounding puzzled, "Just go hide in your bedroom."
"I can't, he's in the lounge and my room's on the other side. I'll have to sneak out when he's not looking."
"Hmm..tricky."
"Oh, but there's more. He's with Jill."
"That's his girlfriend, right? Well, there you go. Easy!"
Claire furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Easy?" she said, "How do you work that one out?"
"He's only brought her back for one reason. They'll be far too busy with each other to even notice you."
She peeked through the door. Her brother had gone into the kitchen and, from the sound of the clinking noises, was putting some drinks together. Jill was sitting on the apartments sofa. The bathroom door was at the back of the lounge with the sofa being side-on and Jill was facing away from her. If Claire crawled behind the sofa and then hid behind the bookcase, she should be able to get away with it. There was a problem though.
"There's a problem," she said, "I'm not wearing anything."
"Well, put some clothes on then."
"They're all in my room." She shivered, her body protesting against the relatively cold air.
"Well, then put on a towel. Jeez!"
Claire looked around the bathroom and felt her throat go dry.
"Erm..there aren't any here. There's only a hand-towel. They must all be in our bedrooms."
Gemma was quiet. No, if Claire listened closely, she could hear something that sounded almost exactly like her friend trying very hard not to laugh.
"It's not funny!" she said, trying to keep her voice low.
"Of course, it isn't, I agree completely." replied Gemma between chuckles.
"Look.." Claire started and then was quiet.
"Yes?" Gemma asked after a few moments when it became apparent that her friend wasn't going to say anything more.
"Chris came back from the kitchen with a bottle and some glasses." Claire replied in a stunned tone.
"And?"
"He's only wearing his boxers."
"Oh." said Gemma.
"OH!" she said again when Claire's words had sunk in.
"And what's she wearing?" she added.
Claire watched as the woman in the lounge stood up, unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor.
"Not a lot, really." she replied.
"Claire, are they doing what I think they're doing?" Even Gemma sounded a little startled.
Chris put his items down onto a small table, approached Jill and drew her close in a passionate embrace, his arms wrapped around her and his hands caressing her back.
"I don't think there's much doubt." said Claire.
"Geez.. Still, this could be your opportunity. If they're busy doing that, now's your chance to sneak past."
"Are you nuts? Have you forgetten just what I'm wearing here? Just how embarrassed do you want me to be?"
"Okay, okay..so what are you going to do? They're bound to want to use the head eventually. Or maybe they'll want to take a shower together or something."
"I don't know! I'll deal with that when I have to." said Claire, desperately trying, and failing, not to picture her brother in the shower.
There was a groan from the other room.
"What was that?" asked Gemma.
Claire put her eye back to the crack in the doorframe.
"Her bra's off. He's..er..he's..well...he's licking her nipples." Claire felt herself blush.
"Oh really..?" Gemma sounded amused.
No, more than amused.
Another groan came from Jill and Claire was startled to realise just how much the woman was enjoying what was being done to her. She was even more startled to find that her own nipples were starting to harden in response.
"I shouldn't be watching this." she murmurred, half to herself.
"Yes, you should." Gemma's voice broke in on her thoughts. "You need to keep an eye on them just in case they're coming to you. Anyway, it's not like they can see you, right?"
Claire was silent. She didn't know what to say, but she continued to watch.
"Describe her breasts to me." continued Gemma.
"What?"
"Do it. Tell me what you see." Gemma's voice was full of mischief.
Not quite knowing why, Claire obeyed.
"They're...well, they're pretty good really."
"Pretty good? You can do better than that."
"Well, they're round. Firm, smooth, pert..she has a very good bosom."
"And her nipples?"
"I don't know, Gem. My brother's attached to them, remember?"
There was a soft laugh from the woman on the other end.
"Easy, Claire. I remember, I remember. What's happening now?"
"He's kissing her belly, his hands are on her bottom."
With every delicate kiss that Chris placed on his girlfriend's stomach, Claire felt her own stomach churn. This is insane, she thought to herself, this is my brother!
But a thought came straight back at her.
Yes, she thought, but that isn't why you're watching and that isn't why you're excited.
"Inside or out?"
Claire realised she had lost track of the conversation.
"Er...what?"
"His fingers, Claire. Are they in or out of her panties?"
I don't want to know, Claire thought. She didn't want to look at this. She saw them doing it once before, when they first got together. She didn't see any real detail and she didn't need to. She's just going to step away from the door, hang up the phone and sit in the dark until it's all over.
"They're inside. He's stroking her cheek with one hand." she said, unable to obey her own thoughts.
"Is he hard?"
"He's my brother."
"Is he hard, Claire?"
"I dunno, I'm not looking, I..I..no, I can't tell, the fabric's too bunched."
"I bet he is." Gemma purred.
Claire stayed silent. As she watched, Chris began to kiss Jill just above the waistband of her panties, his fingers alternating between caressing and squeezing her buttocks. With a shock, she realised that she was imagining her own bottom being treated like that. Her breaths were coming faster and her heart was continuing to pound in her chest. She knew she should just leave them to it, but she just couldn't turn herself away.
"I can hear you, Claire." Gemma's voice was soft and gentle. "I know exactly what you're thinking. Hold it together for me."
Claire nodded, her mind elsewhere.
"He's got her waistband," she uttered, "he must be about to..."
"Okay, that's good. Describe it for me."
But Claire couldn't speak. She could only watch as Chris, a sly smile on his face, carefully slid Jill's panties down her legs and to the floor. Jill delicately lifted one leg, then the other, gracefully stepping out of her underwear and standing completely nude in the apartment.
As the woman moved, Claire caught a glimpse of dark hair between her legs and a shiver ran up her spine.
"She's naked." she whispered.
"And how does she look?"
"She's beautiful."
"How beautiful?" pressed Gemma.
"She's stunning." replied Claire, unable to stop herself from comparing Jill's body to her own and feeling a little jealous.
"Hey..she's not the only one, you know. You're gorgeous, babe, don't ever think you're not."
Claire closed her eyes and felt old sorrows rising to the surface.
"If I'm so gorgeous," she said, "then how come she has somebody and I don't?"
Gemma's voice was kind and calming.
"Claire..there's always time. Good things will come your way, you're too special for the universe to ignore. Trust me."
Claire sighed.
"Claire," Gemma continued, "don't go down this path. Not now."
She stayed quiet.
"Claire, you know I love you, honey. Pull yourself back."
"Okay, okay." she replied with an effort.
"That's good. Now..tell me what's happening in that lounge."
"Gemma..."
"Do it, Claire. Tell me what's going on."
Claire opened her eyes, winced at the bright light and couldn't help but gasp.
"He's naked. Her hand's on him."
"Is he hard?"
"Gemma, please.."
"Tell me, Claire. Does he have an hard-on?"
There wasn't any doubt. Jill's hand looked tiny against the large erection she was slowly stroking.
"Yes." Claire croaked.
"Excellent." Gemma drawled.
"They're kissing," added Claire, unable to stop herself from watching, "looks like Chris is trying to squeeze her nipples but she's distracting him."
Gemma chuckled in reply.
"Pretty erotic, no?" she asked.
"Very." Claire replied without thinking.
"Hmm." said Gemma and was silent.
Claire continued to watch as her brother reluctantly removed his girlfriend's hand from his manhood and bade her to sit on the sofa. At first, the woman seemed a little confused as to what he wanted but then he seized her by the hips and pulled her forward until her bottom was perched on the edge of the cushion. She lent back and lifted her legs in the air.
Chris paused for a second, as if savoring the view, before kneeling on the carpet and placing his face between her legs.
Jill closed her eyes, threw her head back and groaned. Her body arched towards the ceiling as Chris's ministrations started to take effect.
Claire realised she was unconsciously biting her bottom lip and massaged some life back into it with her right hand.
"Unbelievable.." she muttered.
With feeling returned to her lip, her hand drifted back to the doorframe. As it moved, the underside of her forearm brushed against the skin of her breast, making her breath catch in her throat. She glanced down to see, in shadow but still clearly visible, her nipples erect and rock-solid. She gently swept the back of a finger against the one on the right, only just touching it. As she did so, Claire couldn't help but let out a small groan.
"Aha." came a soft, quiet voice.
In panic, Claire looked through the gap in the doorframe. If the couple in the lounge had heard her, they gave no sign. Chris's attention was wholly on the task at hand and Jill seemed lost, one hand in her hair, the other clutching the arm of the sofa for dear life.
"Claire..." the voice spoke again.
She realised that she had completely forgotten that she was still holding the telephone in her other hand. She swallowed and raised it to her ear.
"Gemma..I.." she began, not quite knowing what to say.
"I want you to do something for me."
"Okay.." Claire felt stunned as if her mind was behind a veil of cotton wool.
She wanted to end the conversation and hang up but somehow she just couldn't bring herself to move.
"You're still naked, right?"
"Yes."
"Feel your nipples for me."
"Gemma!"
That brought her a little down to earth. But only a little. Even as she was protesting, she found her fingers moving of their own accord, returning to the hard nub and stroking the taut skin.
"You're doing it, aren't you?"
"No." Claire tried.
"Ha, you're still a bad liar. How does it feel?"
"It's nice.." she mumbled.
"Wow..descriptive, aren't ya? So what's going on in the other room? Oh, and keep going. Don't stop until I tell you to."
Hardly daring to, Claire risked another peek into the lounge.
"He's going down on her. It looks like..I can't quite...wait...yes, he's got two fingers inside her."
"What about his dick?"
Claire looked at Chris's naked back and her eyes drifted down to his bottom.
"I don't know."
"Claire, don't back down on me now. Do what I say, tell me about his dick."
"No," Claire protested, "I can't see it from this angle, his leg is in the way."
"Huh."
Gemma sounded disappointed and for a brief moment Claire felt the same and couldn't work out precisely why.
"Well, that's a shame," Gemma went on, "I bet your brother's as hard as a rock. Still, can't be helped. How's she doing?"
With her friend's mention of her brother, Claire felt as though a small voice in the back of her head cried out that she should stop this right now, close the door and forget about what she saw. But if there was such a voice, it drowned in a wave of ever-increasing lust.
She couldn't deny it anymore, she was aroused and becoming more so by the minute. Despite the strangeness of the situation and despite the very real danger that, at any moment, she could be discovered...no, perhaps even because of those things. She didn't know for sure, but she knew that if her nipples grew any harder, they were liable to fly off her body and there was a familiar damp feeling growing down below.
Claire wetted her lips and continued talking to her friend.
"It's hard to see her face but it looks like she's loving it. She's all flushed and she keeps groaning. She..er..looks very..erm..damp."
"Excellent. And how about you?" Gemma asked enticingly.
"Me?"
"You. Are you 'damp'?"
Normally, Claire wouldn't have gone any further. Her friend had always been a little bold and would often go further than Claire was comfortable with.
"Yes. I am."
"Taste it."
"What?"
"Taste it, Claire. Put a finger in yourself and taste it."
"You're insane, Gems."
"Huh-uh. You're doing it though, aren't you?"
"No." said Claire, sliding the ring finger of her right hand inside herself.
"Huh-uh," Gemma repeated, "now put your finger in your mouth and lick it clean."
Before she had time to talk herself out of it, Claire complied. The taste was sweet and strangely bitter at the same time. Her head swam.
"Good girl," the voice on the phone said, "now tell me about your brother."
It had only been a few minutes since Chris had placed his head between Jill's legs but he clearly knew what he was doing. Claire recognised the signs of a woman on the verge of a powerful orgasm. As she watched, the other woman bucked in her seat, her breathing coming shallower and faster. Chris had her in the palm of his hand and was expertly teasing her to higher and higher peaks of pleasure.
Jill moaned, clutched her breasts, arched her back, held her breath for one precious second and...Chris let go of her legs and stood up.
"Oh, he knows what's he doing, doesn't he?" commented Gemma when Claire told her what had happened.
"Why do you say that?" asked Claire, puzzled.
"Oh, you'll see." came the amused reply. "For now though, I have another task for you. I want your hand between your legs again but this time it has to stay there."
"Stay there?"
"Oh yes. By the time this is over, two women in that apartment will have had an orgasm. You get where I'm coming from?"
Claire grunted in assent and, hardly believing what she was doing, put one foot on the edge of the bathtub. Once comfortable, she put her right hand at her crotch and, with two fingers , sought out the most sensitve part of her body. She wasn't very surprised to find that her clitoris was erect and all but throbbing. Sighing with repressed pleasure, she started to slowly rub herself.
In the lounge, Jill was again kissing Claire's brother. It appeared that she had forgiven him for stopping just as she was about to orgasm. Claire couldn't see why. If she had been in Jill's position, she would have been incredibly annoyed. Whatever Chris had been doing, it looked like it was really doing the trick and Claire couldn't imagine what he must have said for him to get away with stopping early.
In retrospect, she probably should have guessed.
Chris broke away from the kiss, Jill gazing at him hungrily. With a few gentle pushes, he turned her round until she was facing away from him. Another push and Jill climbed onto the sofa and knelt there with her bottom high in the air.
"They doing it yet?" asked Gemma.
"Almost."
Claire's throat was dry and she had to swallow a few times to avoid coughing. Of their own accord, the fingers between her legs had sped up and a ball of pleasure was starting to fill her whole body, making it difficult to concentrate.
But she kept her eyes on the scene in the lounge, determined not to miss a thing.
"Tell me what's happening." urged her friend.
"She's kneeling on the sofa, her legs are spread. I can see her. Chris is behind her."
"Is he inside her?"
"No..he's..he's getting himself ready."
"Ready? You mean he's putting on a condom?"
"No, I mean..well, he's holding himself."
Gemma laughed.
"Is he wanking himself, Claire?"
"Yes."
"Say it. Say your brother's wanking."
"Gems.."
"Say it, Claire."
"My brother's wanking."
"Good girl. Now..can you see his dick?"
"Yes."
"Clearly?"
"Well, kinda. His hand's in the way."
"How does it look?"
"Er..well..big.."
"How does it look, Claire? C'mon."
Claire sighed. Her fingers were doing their work well and she could feel herself surrending, her barriers crumbling in the face of the sheer erotic nature of what was happening. She dipped two fingertips inside herself, feeling the warm, moist centre of her womanhood.
"It looks marvellous." she uttered.
There was a pause.
"That's my girl." said Gemma.
In the lounge, Chris and Jill had had a bit of struggle lining everything up but now they were ready. As Claire watched, her breath coming in short gasps, her brother placed his hand on his girlfriends hip and gently slid inside her. He paused and then started to pump slowly back and forth.
"I can hear your breathing. He's doing her, isn't he?"
"Uh-huh." replied Claire, unable to say anything more, her eyes fixed on the sight of her brother making love a few feet away from her.
She no longer cared that she shouldn't be watching. She no longer cared that she might be caught. A ton of pent-up sexual frustration was being released inside of her and all she could think about was what happening in front of her and what was happening to her. The whole world could be watching and she wouldn't be bothered one little bit.
Jill seemed to be feeling much the same way. She had wriggled so that her hand was between her own legs and, as far as Claire could tell, was rubbing herself frantically.
"Talk to me Claire. Tell me what's happening as you play with yourself." Gemma spoke softly and seductively.
"He's wet." she managed
"Wet?"
"With her juices."
"Nice. He can't be far off. I take it he's not going to pull out?"
Claire groaned as a mental image flashed inside her head. Chris thrusting into Jill all the way before he exploded deep inside her. She could almost feel the exact same thing happening to her. Not with Chris. At least not exactly, but with Leon or Sven or any of the men in her life.. The vision was confused, but charged with eroticism and she shivered with ecstasy.
"God, can you imagine that?" Gemma went on. "Being filled like that. Being filled to the brim. So warm and gooey.."
Claire was incapable of speech by this point. All she could do was stare at the couple in front of her, her hand a blur.
Gemma knew her friend well and no longer asked her questions but instead continued to talk, her words getting more and more explicit. Every phrase and every line carefully calculated to take Claire closer and closer.
In the lounge, neither Chris nor Jill were capable of saying much either. Chris glowed with sweat as he thrust in and out of the woman on the sofa, his laboured breathing audible even in the bathroom. For her part, Jill looked exactly how Claire felt. Her hair was a mess and her perspiration had ruined her mascara but there was no mistaking the look of sheer joy upon her face.
Suddenly, Chris started to slow. Recognising the signs, Claire sped up. Her hand ached but she only felt the pain through a fog.
With a jerk, her brother stopped. His whole lower body shook as he orgasmed. He was still inside Jill and there was only place he could have...with that thought, Claire reached her own peak.
Her left hand shot out and grasped onto the doorframe as she tried desperately to stay standing as wave after wave of pleasure pounded through her body. Through the gap in the doorframe, she could hear Jill screaming as her feelings finally overtook her. With the sound of Jill's orgasm in her ears, Claire came again, her legs buckled beneath her and her vision disappeared into a haze of stars and lights. Eventually, she couldn't take anymore and let her tired fingers drop.
Exhausted and fighting to get her breath back, she sat down on the floor and rested against the side of the bathtub. It was shockingly cold against her hot skin.
She raised the phone to her ear but couldn't summon enough energy to do more than pant.
"Well, well, well." Gemma sounded pleased.
"Uh-huh." was the best Claire could manage.
In the lounge, Chris had collapsed onto the sofa beside Jill and they were kissing. It was much less passionate than before, they looked absolutely drained.
Her brother ruffled his partner's hair and, groaning all the while, levered himself off his seat.
"I'll be right back." he said and turned to go to the bathroom.
With a shock, Claire realised he was coming straight for her and was only seconds away from seeing her. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. It would be several minutes before she had recovered enough to even get up.
"Chris," called Jill, "not yet. Come into the bedroom and give me a cuddle. I need a cuddle."
"I should really wash my hands.." Chris tried.
"Later, darling, later." Jill commanded. "Take the drinks and go into the bedroom. I'll be right behind you."
"Ladies first, dear." Chris said with a smile, only a few steps away from the bathroom door and his exhausted, naked sister.
"Oh no, it's the modern age. Get in there. Besides.." Jill said with a grin, "I like to watch your butt when you walk."
Chris laughed, turned and walked into his bedroom, collecting the two glasses as he went. After a few seconds, Jill got up and, walking a little stiffly, followed him, closing the door behind her.
Claire sat in the shadows, a little stunned.
"Tell you what, I'll let you get on and come back to Earth." said Gemma in her ear. "I should probably do some housework anyway. Give me a call at some point, yeah?"
"Yeah." Claire managed vaguely.
"Oh, and Claire?" Gemma continued.
"Yeah?" she whispered.
"You can thank me later."
There was a click and the gentle hum of a closed phone line.
Claire put the phone on the floor and sat there for a while in a daze. After a while she had gotten most of her breath back and her heart no longer felt like it was about to explode.
"Did Jill.." she whispered into the darkness, "..did Jill just wink at me?"