Chloe, Rachel and Max had gone out to eat dinner at a small pizza restaurant not far from their apartment that served some of the best pizza the girls had ever eaten and always tried to find the faintest of excuses to visit. Tonight wasn’t any different as no one was in the mood to cook and it really didn’t take a lot of convincing.

Rachel and Chloe were almost finished with their food when they noticed Max was frowning at her half-finished pizza, which was a crime really, and chewing the inside of her mouth.

“Earth to Max. I’m sure that you won’t find the answers to the universe’s mysteries no matter how intensely you stare at that pepperoni.” Chloe joked.

“Yeah sweetheart. You stare at it a bit more and you’re probably going to burrow a hole through the table.” Rachel said as she tried to read Max. “What’s on your mind?”

Max sighed in resignation. For the last two days she had been contemplating if she should enter a photography competition organised by a very renowned magazine. Anybody who entered would have to submit three pictures under the theme of “cityscape” and then the top ten photographers picked from the magazine’s artistic directors would have to display ten new photos under the same theme in a gallery with the rest of the contestants. The winner would get a two-page spread in the magazine. Something like this would mean huge exposure and new career opportunities. Max really wanted to enter but a little voice in her head whispered that she wasn’t good enough, that this was for the big players not small hipster photographers still wet behind the ear.

“There is this competition…I really want to enter but..” she hesitated before explaining to them what it was all about and voicing her insecurities. “I don’t know if I am ready for something this big. There are so many talented photographers here in L.A. This is not a Blackwell competition. This is career-changing stuff.” She knew she was blabbering but couldn’t stop the words from rolling out.

“Which is why you should enter it. Max, don’t think too little of yourself. You have a gift. And I know you will kick some ass because you’re amazing.” Chloe said while placing her hand on Max’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“I don’t know…” she averted her gaze, never one to deal with compliments well.

“Chloe is right. You are seriously skilled Max. Trust me on this. I’ve seen a lot of the photos some so-called professionals take whilst in the studio and believe me, you have nothing to be jealous of.”

Max gave Rachel her Really? look before adding “Even if what you say is true, it’s still a different type of photography.”

“Look, I understand, I do. I was uncertain at first, still am sometimes. L.A is huge and swarming with talented people but you can’t let it stop you. How many people here do you think want to become models and actors? Thousands. But it didn’t stop me from trying. And you Max? You are no fluke.”

Max didn’t know what to say. She listened attentively to both her girlfriends words. She felt empowered by their encouragement. There was no harm in entering right?

“Alright, I’ll do it.” She finally said after some contemplation.

“Hell yeah!” Chloe exclaimed as both she and Rachel leaned in to give a kiss on Max’s cheeks who smiled at all the affection.

The next day, Max dedicated it to figuring out what pictures she would submit. After going through her hard drive, she found only one she was pleased with which meant she had two more to go and so, after work, she set out in the city to wander around in search of them.

A bit more than an hour into her search and Max had come up empty handed. She felt frustrated. Most of the times she simply took the shot without much thought and without needing to look for it. Today however, nothing felt right. The one time she desperately needed a photograph, was the one time that inspiration had flown out the window. All the pictures she had taken from the moment she had left work seemed lifeless, ordinary and Max could feel her irritation growing by the minute. As if to taunt her and make things all the more complicated, the moment she was getting ready to take a picture of a man yelling in his phone, the skies opened up and a heavy rainfall had people running for shelter and soaking Max to the bone, making the green plaid shirt she was wearing cling to her skin in the most annoying and uncomfortable way.

Max cursed the Gods for her bad luck and hurried to put away her camera before it was irreversibly damaged, a thought that had the photographer grimacing at the potential loss of her child.

It seemed that the decision had been made for her and so Max called it a day and made a run for the bus stop which thankfully wasn’t very far from where she stood.

By the time Max made it to the bus stop, she could feel the water gushing out of her converse every time she took a step. Her feet felt cold and her mood was as dark as the clouds above. Could this day get any worse? Max thought to herself before realising the mistake she made. Right on cue, a car sped up as it passed next to the stop and splashed all the water that had accumulated in a muddy puddle on Max.

“Oh, you fucking asshole!” Max shouted to the driver of the speeding car, the fact that he couldn’t hear her not deterring her from expressing her anger. Now, not only was she as wet as a drowned rat but also had mud all over her clean clothes.

“You had to ask, didn’t you?” she mumbled to herself as she tried to get some of the stains off but to no avail.

The bus arrived a few minutes later and the photographer hopped on, going all the way to the back and sitting next to the widow, on the seat that was above the radiator to warm up. Max was rubbing her hands together to try and get some feeling back to them when she looked up.

A few seats in front of her sat a young man with his head resting against the window, listening to music from his wireless earphones. He had his eyes closed but was smiling, fingers drumming against his legs to the rhythm of the music. Condensation had accumulated on the window he was leaning on, cutting off the world outside. The lights from the traffic lights outside barely reaching the inside of the bus, their light distorted as they hit the foggy window.

Max immediately knew that this was the shot she had been searching for all day and so, hastily took out her Canon, capturing the moment. She smiled when she saw the result. This is what she loved. Yes, going out and wandering could lead to some amazing pictures but for her nothing could compare to these impromptu moments. Now all she needed was one more photograph.

As the bus came to a halt at Max’s stop, the young photographer’s mood had lifted only slightly as she walked the rest of the way home, grateful the rain had stopped. She was fishing for her keys as she passed in front of a small convenient store at the corner of her street when she noticed a squirrel sitting on the lid of a trash can. The neon lights from the store shone down on it and cast its shadow on the concrete floor, splitting it in three, giving the illusion that there was more than one animal.

“The Council of Three shall decide your fate.” Max said in the deepest voice she could master as she took out her camera one last time. She kneeled on one leg and angled herself in a way that she would be able to capture the squirrel and its three shadows. “Perfect.” She said out loud. In the end the day had not been a complete waste.

“Goodbye my furry friend.” Max said her goodbye and finally made her way home.

“There you are! We were starting to get worried.” Rachel greeted Max from where she stood in the kitchen without turning to look at the brunette when she entered their apartment.

“What she means to say is that she was worried cause it’s getting close to dinner time and you had told her you’d cook for us.” Chloe turned to face her, from where she sat on the couch, eyes widening when she saw Max. “Dude! What the hell? Did you go for an early swim? You’re drenched!” the punk asked as her eyes landed on her girlfriend who was looking a bit blue and Chloe was sure that was only a colour her hair should have and not Max’s lips. She quickly got up and went to hug Max whose teeth were chattering, trying to warm her up a bit as the other explained to them what had happened.

“Did you get the fuckers plate? I’ll dismantle that piece of junk.” Chloe said angrily, eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

“No Chloe, I didn’t get his licence plate.” Max giggled despite loving how overprotective Chloe could get. “But thanks for offering anyway.” She finished and kissed Chloe, making her relax into the kiss and forget her annoyance.

“We should get you out of these clothes and into a warm bath.” Rachel offered when Max went to kiss her hello as well and she felt how cold the brunette was against her.

Max hummed in agreement, not wanting to stay a minute longer in the wet and muddied clothes.

“I’ll go and get the bath ready and Chloe can make dinner.” Rachel suggested and left before the punk could protest.

“So, either we die from food poisoning or the place burns to the ground. In any case, I don’t think our insurance covers it.” Max joked.

“This is how you repay me? I offer you my warmth and you insult my cooking?!” Chloe feigned offence. “You do remember I worked at the Two Whale dinner, right?”

“As a waitress sweetie. Joyce knew better than to let you in the kitchen!” Max continued her teasing as she removed her plaid shirt, not being able to stand any longer how cold it made her feel. It wasn’t a surprise that even her bra under her T-shirt was damp too.

“No-I-…” Chloe grumbled and crossed her arms, having come up with nothing better to say.

Max laughed in satisfaction as she made her way to the kitchen where Chloe had gone to gather ingredients from the fridge and cupboards, determined to cook them the meanest burgers they had ever eaten. The brunette came and stood in front of Chloe, wrapping her arms around Chloe’s waist and forcing the punk to stop mid track from where she had been moving between the kitchen island and the counters, prepping everything. Max tilted her head back and stood on the tip of her toes and leaned in for a kiss.

The punk was caught off guard momentarily, arms in the air while holding bread in one hand and tomatoes in the other. The moment however Chloe felt the brunette’s arms around her, she tossed the food items on the counter of the kitchen island so she could hold Max who was kissing her with vigour.

“Mm forgiven.” Chloe sighed after parting.

“I didn’t know I needed forgiveness.” Max replied but was quickly cut off when the punk bit her lower lip, seizing the opportunity to slip her tongue past Max’s lips, swiping over the roof of her mouth, tasting her.

Max moaned into the kiss and pressed herself harder against the punk who pulled her in, hand sliding under the wet T-shirt to caress along the dip of her spine causing a new wave of shivers to coarse through Max’s body. Her hand travelled further down as she brought it in between their bodies, sliding past the waistband of Max’s jeans, all the way down to cup her. The photographer breathed out hard through her nose, trying to bite down a moan when a hot pang shot straight to her core, making her want to open her legs wider and give Chloe more access.

“Babe…” Chloe whispered against Max’s lips as she moved her fingers purposely slow before running them over a particularly sensitive spot.  “You’re wetter than an otters’ pocket.”

Max couldn’t maintain the kiss this time. She pulled back and rested her head on Chloe’s shoulder, letting out a deep groan not just because that had felt incredibly good and she needed more but also because of what Chloe had said. Truly a master at seduction…

“Jesus Christ.” Max sighed in resignation as she wiggled her hips trying to get any sort of friction again.

Chloe chuckled at seeing how needy Max was. “Chloe will do.” The punk answered, knowing exactly how much this would annoy Max. And she was right because the minute those words left her mouth, the brunette shot her a murderous look. However, before Max could say anything, Chloe pressed her palm against Max’s clit again and smashed their lips together erasing all coherent thoughts from the photographer’s mind.

“Babe, your bath is ready…” Rachel trailed off when she saw her two girlfriends making out with Chloe’s hand in Max’s pants, clearly not noticing her.

Rachel smirked and moved quietly behind Max, looking at Chloe who briefly opened her eyes to hungrily stare at the blonde. The model leaned in and pushed aside Max’s damp hair, revealing the nape of her neck which she sank her teeth in and sucked hard.

Max broke the kiss and gasped, her hand automatically flying out to hold Rachel’s head. Pressed between two warm bodies, Max suddenly didn’t feel as cold anymore with hands roaming all over her body. Her head was swimming in bliss.

Chloe took advantage of the situation to run her tongue along the brunette’s neck, catching along the way a few raindrops that hadn’t dried and quickening the pace her hand was working between Max’s legs.

“Ah! Fuck.” Max cried out in pleasure, her orgasm in sight. She didn’t know if she wanted to push further into Chloe or Rachel as both women continued to kiss her and run their lips down her neck. Max shivered again but this time it wasn’t because of her girlfriends; despite feeling her skin on fire, the wet clothes still stuck on to her, making her tremble.

“I think we should continue this later, before you catch a cold.” Chloe said in a raspy voice, even though she really, really didn’t want to stop but still withdrew her hand slowly from the other’s pants.

“Oh God. No! Please don’t stop, I-I’m fine.” Max objected but failed to hide the tremble of her voice.

“Don’t worry baby, we won’t leave you like this. For now, go and take a bath. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re shaking like a leaf.” Rachel whispered against her ear before stepping back.

It was then, when Max was no longer in between the heat of two bodies that she realised just how cold she was. A warm bath didn’t sound half as bad, but she also desperately needed to come. Life was truly filled with difficult decisions.

“Alright, I’ll go take the bath.” Max finally caved in, not wanting to let the effort Rachel put in preparing one for her go to waste.

“And no flossing the otter!” Chloe ordered.

“Classy.” Rachel chuckled followed by Max’s protest.

“Chloe!” The brunette groused but nonetheless pecked both on the lips before heading into the bathroom, leaving Rachel to help Chloe prepare dinner.

About an hour later, all three were sat on the couch with Max wrapped in a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, watching a random reality show and commenting on every contestant and their over-the-top reactions.

At some point, Chloe got up and gathered all the dirty dishes from the coffee table and Max’s empty cup and dropped everything in the sink. No way in hell would she be cleaning tonight.

When the punk returned, Rachel had crawled over Max, blanket thrown on the floor, as the blonde kissed her passionately. Rachel had placed her leg between Max’s so the brunette could blatantly grind against it.

“I see you started without me.” The punk stated with a smirk as she moved and sat behind Max who broke the kiss to make space for her.

“Who told you to leave?” Rachel quipped, always the rebellious spirit.

Chloe shot Rachel an accusatory look before addressing Max. “Come here.” Chloe motioned Max to sit between her spread legs and rest her back against her chest for support. When the brunette did as instructed, the punk wrapped her arms around Max and kissed her cheek, who hummed in contentment.

Max then turned to face Rachel again. She grabbed hold of the model’s shirt collar and pulled her down, smashing their lips together once more, feeling Rachel’s grin as Max’s lips passed over teeth but were quickly replaced by the swipes of her tongue, asking for permission which Max was more than eager to grant.

Just as Max was about to lose herself in the kiss, she felt another pair of lips planting open mouth kisses on her nape and travelling up until they reached her ear. Chloe nibbled on the lobe before passing her tongue along the brunette’s neck and stopping at the base before sinking her teeth in. The photographer moaned into Rachel’s mouth as heat started to pool between her legs. She squirmed in her spot, wanting more, her hand flying and grabbing Chloe’s leg in a vice grip as she rubbed her thighs together in an attempt to alleviate the burning ache inside her.

Rachel didn’t fail to notice Max’s movement beneath her. She opened her eyes and cast a glance over to Chloe who was observing them and realised Chloe had noticed Max’s discomfort too. As they locked eyes, a mutual understanding and agreement between them was instantly formed. They knew they shouldn’t but where was the fun without a little bit of teasing?

The model backed up a bit to allow Max to spread her legs apart so Rachel could move forward and be closer to the photographer. In the meantime, Chloe let her left leg hang on the side of the couch to make more space for Max. It wasn’t the most relaxing of positions for the punk but she didn’t mind. She just wanted to make Max feel comfortable.

Once they had settled into their spots, Chloe snuck her hand under the brunette’s hoodie and started to caress delicate skin, inching closer to Max’s breast, barely brushing against it. At the same time, Rachel placed her hand on Max’s sex over her sweatpants and pressed down lightly.

Max whimpered as her hips snapped forward, pushing down harder and trying to grind against Rachel’s hand, chasing after that sweet sensation.

“Come on! Touch me! Both of you.” Max whined when neither of her girlfriends seemed to be willing to give her more.

“But I am.” Chloe acted like she didn’t understand, nails grazing the underside of Max’s breast.

“You know what I mean.” Max argued back as the need between her legs grew stronger by the second. When she realised Chloe wasn’t going to act on her request, Max took the punk’s left hand and placed it on her breast and gave it a firm squeeze. Chloe smirked at the gesture before finally giving the brunette what she wanted, dragging her hand across soft skin before playing with Max’s nipple with the web of her fingers.

Max arched her back into the touch, a small moan escaping her lips. It felt good but there was one other area that was screaming for attention too and she couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“Rachel…” Max drawled, moving her hips again.

“You’re so cute when you’re desperate.” The model said in a lustful voice.

With determined movements, Rachel’s hand slipped under the waistband of Max’s pants to trail her fingers with the lightest of touches over Max’s underwear, skimming over her clit and outer folds but never really applying any sort of pressure. It was maddening and Max could feel her sanity slowly slip away like water through her fingers.

“Oh God!” Max mewled. This was getting too much to handle.

When Rachel finally decided to show her some mercy and press down on her clit while Chloe bit down on her shoulder, Max groaned and she could have sworn that her eyes rolled at the back of her head.

Even over Max’s underwear, Rachel could feel how wet her girlfriend was and it made her heart race. She absolutely loved seeing the effect Chloe and her were having on Max. How the brunette gasped and squirmed under their skilful touches, how her breath caught in her throat whenever Rachel passed over the sensitive bud or whenever Chloe sucked on her pulse point.

“I think we teased her enough. What do you think Chlo?” Rachel asked as she pulled her hand out of Max’s pants, not without protest from the brunette.

The punk moved her right hand to the front and down Max’s sweatpants and underwear, passing her fingers over the other’s entrance and removing them quickly only to have them come back wet.

“Hhmm I think you’re right.” Chloe said in a deep voice as she examined them.

“For fuck’s sake, someone just please fuck me!” Max cried out desperately. Her patience had run dry and she could practically hear her own heartbeat, thrumming in her ears from how worked up she was. It was times like these she was reminded of how devilishly good her girlfriends were at unearthing her uncensored side.

“You heard her Rachel. Why don’t you fuck her?” Chloe said before licking her fingers clean, making sure to lock eyes with the blonde.

“With pleasure.” Rachel bit her lip as her eyes followed Chloe’s tongue, passing over her fingers.

This time the model wasted no time shoving her hand past the brunette’s underwear with a swift move. She ran her fingers along slick folds, coating them in Max’s essence and circling her entrance before pushing her middle finger in. At the same time, Rachel kissed Max again, cutting off her moan and slipping her tongue inside her mouth.

After a few experimental thrusts Rachel pulled out and added a second finger, waiting a bit before moving them again.

Shit thought Max as she rolled her hips as much as the confined space she sat in allowed her, moaning into the kiss at finally getting what she craved for.

Rachel didn’t take it slow this time round, on the contrary she started thrusting her fingers hard and fast into Max who had to break the kiss, gasping for air cause holly fuck this was exactly what she needed. Rachel was the flame and Max was willing to get burned if it meant she got to experience this form of unrestrained bliss.

The pause between the kiss had given the opportunity to Rachel to lean in over the brunette’s shoulder and crash her lips against Chloe’s, battling for dominance as they kissed. Both feeding off Max’s pleasure and the sounds coming from Rachel fucking Max.

The blonde ended the kiss after a while, wanting to concentrate on Max. She resumed passing her thumb over Max’s clit in sync with curling her fingers which had the brunette’s hips buckle because of how sensitive she was. Meanwhile, Chloe held her down with her right arm as the other hand continued to play with her breast.

“Please don’t stop. Please.” Max begged, feeling like she was walking on a tightrope and with just the right push she would tip over.

“We won’t, not this time baby.” Rachel reassured her.

The photographer then turned her head to face Chloe, lifting her left arm up to hold onto blue locks and bring their lips together in a searing kiss. Chloe gladly let Max hold onto her hair even though she was tugging hard. The punk knew her girlfriend was close from the way her body shifted under her and how Max couldn’t maintain a proper rhythm while kissing, feeling her breath on her skin as it came out in short and quick puffs of air. Chest rising and falling fast.

When Rachel curled her fingers in a particular way inside her, Max was unable to hold back a moan while her whole body shivered. She was so close.

“F-fu-mm” Max could barely speak. Brow creasing in an effort to hold on for a bit more even if she didn’t not know why. Maybe because her brain was high on oxytocin and it wanted to stay up there for a while longer.

“Let go babe.” She heard Chloe whisper in her ear with an encouraging voice as she removed her hand from under her girlfriend’s hoodie to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers.

Max held on for dear life as she felt her orgasm approach. All it took were a few more thrust and Rachel’s thumb on her clit for Max to break. Her whole body seized up before her hips trembled. Her eyes closed shut while her head tilted back and rested on Chloe’s shoulder as she came, biting on her bottom lip so only a few moans could escape her and squeezing the punk’s hand, using it like an astronaut’s tether to keep her from drifting too far off into space.

When Rachel removed her fingers, after trying to prolong Max’s orgasm for as long as she could and before oversensitivity kicked in, Max lay motionless and breathless against the punk, who held her close.

Despite feeling like her legs weighed a ton, Max had a warm fuzzy feeling spreading throughout her entire body. She smiled when Chloe nuzzled the side of her head with her nose, causing her to open her eyes.

Max sat up straight to look at Rachel who smiled back at her. The photographer leaned forward and rested her forehead against the blonde’s before kissing her, trying to relay through that small gesture her gratification.

“Are you both… um… okay?” Max asked her girlfriends when she sat properly on the couch, casting sideway looks at both of them.

“Yeah Max, don’t worry. We wanted to make you feel good.” Chloe answered for herself and Rachel who nodded in agreement.

“Well then I’d say mission accomplished.” Max smiled while stretching, feeling re-energised.

“Ah yes. Another satisfied customer.” Chloe said in a serious tone despite the shit eating grin on her face. Rachel and Max eyed each other before vacantly staring at the punk.

“Aaanyways… I don’t know about you ladies, but I have an early rehearsal tomorrow. And since I recall doing most of the work-“ Rachel darted a look at Chloe. “I’m off to bed to get my beauty sleep.” Rachel declared as she got up.

“I’ll join you. I’m hella beat too.” Chloe added, following close behind. She suddenly felt really tired and her lower back hurt from having to carry heavy parts at the garage all day. She should really remember to lift with her legs.

“Max, love. Are you coming?” Rachel stopped to ask.

Max considered joining them but realised she no longer felt weary or sleepy, on the contrary she was wide awake.

“No, I think I’ll stay up a bit longer.” She finally said and got up to kiss her girlfriends goodnight.

When Chloe and Rachel had gone to bed, Max sat on the couch contemplating. Should she listen to some music and start editing the pictures? The deadline was coming awfully close. But then her eye caught the PlayStation controller sticking out from under the TV stand. Oh she really shouldn’t. It was never just one more game. Never “I will play for a bit” and Max knew it. She also knew she needed to get work done but felt zero motivation at the moment, especially now that she was so relaxed after such a fun time with her partners.

It was then that her phone vibrated on the coffee table, notifying her that she had a new text.

“Summoning Max Power! You up?” Max smiled seeing it was from Warren.

“Hey Warren.”

“She lives! What’re you up to?”

“Nothing really. Trying to decide if I edit pictures or give into the dark side and play a few games.”

To that, Warren texted Max a gif of Darth Sidious laughing maniacally.

“You make a very compelling argument.” Max chuckled as she got up to switch on the PlayStation. She could totally work later.

“Always here to help you out! So, how did it go today? Got those shots you wanted?”

“Actually yes! But not before getting completely soaked by that sudden downpour -.- “

“You were out in that?!”

“Of course. Or else it wouldn’t be fun… At least my camera survived otherwise I’d lose it ಠ _ ಠ ”

“Yeah… I wouldn’t want to be around you if that happened”

“Smart boy”

“You didn’t catch a cold right? You should keep warm!”

“I hope not! I came home completely soaked but Chloe and Rachel made sure I stayed warm.” Max pressed send without putting much thought into the message and only after became aware of what she was implying when she saw Warren’s response.

“Made sure…How?”

“WAIT. Scratch that. I don’t want to know.” Came Warren’s response seconds after his previous text.

“Yeah let’s not. Although it’s not like you don’t know ^.^’ ”

“You know that I know but I don’t want to know. You know?”

Max burst out laughing but immediately bit her lip in an attempt to keep quiet, not wanting to disturb the others.

“He speaks the language of the Gods.” Max replied before putting the phone to the side and taking the console.

The next morning Max deeply rued her life choices. She hadn’t noticed time fly by and had stayed up late playing and chatting with Warren.

And as she would later find out, those choices would morph into regrets… Big regrets…