“No.” Ellie shook her head emphatically. “Just that I need to be able to picture myself in your place. Maybe have my own rapport with the woman. Is that ok?”
“Very. Very ok. It makes sense.”
They sat with that for a while, sipping their drinks.
"So we learned something tonight," Becca said.
"We learned a lot. We learned that I need the plausible-rival dynamic, not just hot sex to watch. We learned that you have a type-fantasy that's separate from our dynamic and that's completely fine but it's different, we should aim for someone who is both of our type and we’re both into. And we learned that I can tell the difference and will call it, which is super-important."
"What about Cass as a person? Could we see her again and work on it with a different context?"
Ellie thought about it. "No. Because you'd always respond to her as your fantasy, not as a genuine connection. She activates something in you that's pre-existing and private, the whole dominant-woman thing, and that's always going to override the shared dynamic. It's not her fault and it's not your fault. It's just the wrong chemistry for what we need." Ellie paused. “But… I’d watch you two again one day, don’t get me wrong. Just with our eyes open on what that would be doing.”
“Interesting…” Becca picked up her drink again and took a sip. “Sounds to me like we need another Kelly.”
"We need another Kelly… feminine, friendly, relaxed, ideally hot, someone we could both genuinely fall for. Someone who makes me afraid, in the best possible way."
"The danger, held safely."
"The danger, held safely."
They were quiet for a while, thinking.
"You know who we should message," Becca said.
"I know."
"The group chat has been quiet for a few days."
"It has."
"Your move, I think. You're the one in charge of the story."
Ellie smiled, remembering Becca saying those words back when all of this was just a fantasy they whispered to each other in the dark. She didn't need to say Kelly's name. They both knew.
"Tomorrow," she said. "I'll message her tomorrow."
Becca held out her hand. “Let’s get into bed.”
“Is that into bed to sleep? Or into bed, into bed?”
Laughing, Becca replied, “Oh, very much the latter. I need my wife to remind me exactly why our reality is a thousand times better than my fantasy hookup…”
Ellie took her hand. “Only a thousand times?”
“Ok, you got me. A million. Is that better?”
“Much.” She hesitated and smiled. “Wait, one thing first.”
Becca looked curious. “What?”
“Downstairs in the bar earlier. What did Cass whisper to you before you came upstairs?”
Ellie’s smile broadened as she watched Becca go bright pink. “You really want to know?”
“If you’re happy to tell.”
Becca took a deep breath. “She said…” Becca’s voice dropped to a whisper, and Ellie could see her reliving it, her eyes bright, her cheeks still very pink. “‘I’m going to tell you to follow me upstairs in a moment, will you do what I tell you?’”
