“Next week. Global warming fucked everythingup.”
“How so? I mean, I know, but howspecifically?”
“When we were kids, things didn’t kick off until September, but it feels like every year the harvest gets moved up more and more. Then the winters have been shorter. Our trees need a real hibernation period to produce the best fruit. There are farms in the last ten years—their whole harvest failed. We had to send apples down to a farm in Vermont to sell at their country mart just so they would have something forcustomers.
“Hmm,” Isay.
“What?”
“I just never considered how stressful this all must be. It seems to be going so well and everyone here seems sohappy.”
He tilts his head, pursing his lips. “So far, so good. We’ve beenlucky.”
I almost ask him something heavy. I almost ask him what he really wishes he was doing, but it doesn’t seem fair, especially with the family related drama we still have looming over everything. He wants a romantic evening, I want a romantic evening. No reason to fuck that up with more intenseconversation.
“Well, sir. You’ve taken me on a lovely drive to the East orchard, fed me a delicious meal and distracted me from all the crap going on in my life. I think you mentioned something about a grandseduction?”
He reaches up and toys with my bangs a bit. “I changed mymind.”
“You changed yourmind?”
“I had a plan, but I think you wereright.”
“Aboutwhat?”
“I like it when you’re incharge.”
“Oh youdo?”
He nods. “It’s… what’s the word I’m looking for. Liberating. It’s nice not having to think so hard. Especially when I’m withyou.”
“See? When you have a smart, sexy, capable woman on your hands, sometimes it’s better to let her do thethinking.”
“Iagree.”
“So I’m in charge. I can handle that. Hmm, let me think. If I had known this was my party, what would I have done differently?” I look around. It’s probably best to leave the fire bucket alone. “You brought condomsright?”
He leans back and reaches behind the picnic basket and pulls out the box and that same tiny bottle of lube. I suppress another snort and take the lube out of hishand.
“Do you have something specific in mind you want to do with the lube?” Iask.
“You want me to narrow it down to onething?”
I look at him, shocked. “See, there’s a low key freak in that head of yours. Should have known. Okay, tell me one thing you want to use the lubefor.”
“If I have to pick one thing, I’ll go with analsex.”
“Oh? Really going for it, huh?” I say like it’s something I’ll deny him, but I absolutely will not. Just the thought of it makes mewet.
“You made it sound like I should take advantage of this situation and dream big. From what you’ve told me, it doesn’t sound like you usually let guyschoose.”
“No, I don’t. I have to say it’s been a while forme—”
“When was the last time?” he asksunexpectedly.
“The last time I had anal intercourse?” A scene immediately pops into my head. An investment banker named Richard, who spent years earning it, but Silas doesn’t need all thosedetails.
“More than three years ago. Let’s just saythat.”
