Page 129 of The Plus One Pact

"Please, you'd eat up every word."

"I would. But that doesn't mean I want them."

She laughs. "Well, I'm about to be a married woman. You know what that means? One dick, for the rest of my life. So, I want details. I want dirty stories. Whatever you've got."

How can I be honest without sharing everything? "There was a woman. Before Ivy. A regular."

Her brow furrows in confusion.

Right. That's not how we refer to people in our lives. "In my rotation."

"You had a harem?" she asks.

I suppose that's one way to put it. "Women who enjoy my company, who's company I enjoy, without any expectations of the future from either of us."

She nods uh-huh, sure.

"They would come and go." That is true. "But I saw this woman every month. She was a little older. A widow. Lonely. Not ready to fall in love again, but ready to fill other needs."

"Get to the dirty part," she says.

So, I share a story. The night we tried all the things she always wanted to do with her husband. Well, the first one. Then the second.

It was all normal stuff. Sixty-nine. Light bondage. Role play. Wax.

I even brought her to a club once. At her request. She didn't want to play with anyone there, but she did want to watch, to see the action.

Cynthia listens with rapt attention. She's so struck by my story she nearly falls down the stairs. Then almost walks into the sliding glass door to the backyard.

By the time Ivy arrives in the backyard, Cynthia's jaw is just about on the floor. Even so, she snaps right back to concerned de facto sibling mode right away.

She looks at Ivy carefully, assessing her latest business casual outfit (another monochrome teal and slacks).

Ivy smiles back at her.

Cynthia forces her expression into something neutral. "Who were you talking to?" she asks.

"Meredith," she says. "She said you look fantastic in the dress by the way."

Cynthia beams.

"Cynthia thinks you were talking about me," I say. "Laughing over my belief I'm a superior lover."

"I did not say that." Cynthia slips further into her teenage older sister mode. "He said that."

"It's good he can laugh at himself." Ivy smiles. "What's our torture today?"

"Doctor Vaughn, are you suggesting my mother arranged this week to cause us pain rather than strengthen our bonds?" I tease her.

"I suppose I should be on the side of team-building games," she says. "Professionally."

"Are you not?" Cynthia asks, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"They can help," Ivy says. "And people underestimate how much a few positive interactions can change your feelings towards a person. Sometimes, a few games help get people to a place where they can open up. Sometimes, they distract from the deeper problems. It's like anything, really. It depends on the people. The circumstances."

Cynthia nods in understanding.

"Have you found these exercises helpful?" Ivy asks. "In getting you ready for marriage?"