On Christmas Eve, I felt the absence of these two women the most, because some of the happiest holidays I'd ever know had been spent in their company. Haunted by a spectre of depression, I knew I couldn't go on like this, and resolved that with the arrival of the New Year, I would make myself move on with my life. Whether or not I would have succeeded I shall never know, because at twenty minutes before six on that cold, wet afternoon, the doorbell chimed, and on answering it, I found Julia standing on the door step. She was huddled up inside a sage green coat, her eyes peering at me over its seventies-style collar.

      The sight of her was so completely unexpected that, for a few seconds, I stared at her without speaking. My mouth might even have been hanging open. My expression must certainly have been comical, because she chuckled at me, her eyes sparkling with mirth the way I'd seen them do so many times in the past.

      "Would you like me to stand out here like an oversized garden gnome for the rest of the evening," she asked finally, a tremble in her voice, "or are you going to invite me in?"

      She shifted her stance, an abrupt movement as if she had just bent one knee for a moment. I was reasonably sure, as anyone who pays attention to women who are desperate to pee, that she needed to visit the loo. The quiver when she spoke may have been solely due to the cold, or may have owed more to strain where she was fighting the urge to empty a full bladder.

      "Oh God. Sorry. Yes, come in," I stammered, wondering why the sight of her still had the power to reduce my I.Q. to single digits. No doubt, my inference regarding her condition had something to do with it. "Can I take your coat?" I asked as she stepped into the hall. She nodded and began to unbutton it with gloved fingers. A small gasp escaped her as she fumbled with the final button. Freeing it after a few more seconds, she shrugged the coat from her shoulders, at which point I seized the lapels and peeled the sleeves from her arms.

      I glanced down to see that she was wearing tight jeans, the calves of which were tucked inside a pair of black boots. On her top, she wore a black sweater with a big, folded collar that pushed her blonde hair away from her neck, giving it a voluminous look.

      She shivered. "God, it's cold out there." "Go through to the living room," I urged her. "The fire's alight."

      "I thought I could smell wood smoke," she said as she followed my suggestion.

      I joined her after hanging her coat, and found her sitting in one of the fireside armchairs, knees pressed together and leaning forward with her hands outstretched towards the flames.

      "So how are you?" I asked as I took the chair on the opposite side of the fireplace.

      "Okay," she replied without looking at me, and I guessed she had come to say something momentous, and was not anxious to move into small-talk. I knew Julia Hayward well - she hated prevarication.

      "Can I get you something to drink?" I asked.

      "Dave," she said, glancing across at me and then away again, almost as if she were starting to regret coming here at all. I decided to remain silent and let her take the floor.

      After a long silence, she spoke again, the firelight dancing in her blue eyes as she stared into the flames, ad if hypnotized by them. "I've done some really stupid things over the past couple of years," she declared, crossing her legs and closing her hands over the uppermost knee. "I thought you were just drifting aimlessly through life and dragging me along with you, so I left for a man who seemed to have his shit together." She paused to sigh heavily, then she resumed, "I thought I needed to prove something I suppose. My father was always pushing me to achieve more, holding himself up as a shining example of what one can do with one's life." She issued a soft, derisive snort. "Considering what he did to my mother, I should have know better."

      The mention of her mother, Amanda, caused me to tense. I wondered if Julia might be setting the stage for another tirade like the one she had delivered last Christmas. Jealousy had reared its ugly head in a big way, and while it must have been difficult to have her ex-fianc� dating her own mother, she had been the one to end our relationship. Such a turn of events should not have come as a total shock to her either, since Jooles had always encouraged me to be nice to her mother after her father broke up the marriage for another woman, especially given the fact that Amanda's aberrations were closely aligned with my own.

      I made myself relax. Given the self-deprecating start to her speech, it didn't seem likely that Jooles had come here with the intention of making a scene. Whatever she was trying to say, however, it was clearly hard for her. The pause this time was at least a minute before she resumed once more.

      "The thing is, Dave, I made a big mistake, and I really miss having you in my life. I know I have no right to even ask after the things I've done, but...?"

      I almost blurted out that I would take her back in an instant, but I caught myself just in time. I sensed that there was still more to come, and decided to be cautious until I found out if there were any strings attached.

      I decided to ask the question that was foremost in my thoughts. "So what happened with the lawyer, exactly?"

      Julia rolled her eyes. "Greg. Oh, it was a culmination of a lot of things. Taken individually, they didn't seem fatal to a relationship, but collectively... Here's a typical example. He took me on holiday to Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. It sounded great. Really romantic."

      "And the kind of thing I didn't do," I interjected.

      She shrugged, and continued, "He booked us into what the brochure called a five star hotel. As soon as we walked into the lobby, it was obviously not all it was cracked up to be, but at least it looked clean. Once I'd seen the state of the room they tried to put us in, I went back down to reception and told them that they'd better scour the hotel grounds, because at least three of their stars must have fallen off." I sniggered, easily able to visualise Jooles doing this. She continued, "I asked Greg to demand another room, or find us another hotel, but of course they were all booked. I tried to get him fired up, but despite his choice of a ruthless and predatory profession, he actually has the backbone of a limp lettuce."

      I nodded, still smiling at her. She smiled back uncertainly, then avoided me gaze again by looking into the fire, seemingly mesmerised by its dancing flames.

      "I also missed being able to be silly, like I could be with you. Greg's just so straight and serious and... ineffectual. In the end, I couldn't stop myself yawning in his company, and I wondered what the hell I ever saw in him in the first place." She sighed again, this time her breath escaping in a long shudder. "I've really missed you," she added finally.

      "I've missed you too," I admitted. She looked at me, her smile tenuous as if she had feared I would rebuff her. "Did you want to give it another try?"

      She nodded. "Oh Dave, I was so afraid you'd slam the door in my face."

      Her body seemed to uncoil as if all the tension were draining out of her. She quickly re-crossed her legs as if she had relaxed a little too much. I felt my penis stiffen, convinced now that she did need to pee. I'm ashamed to admit that I hoped she was deliberately pandering to my desperation fantasy, as a way of breaking down the barriers between us. So carried away did I become by this notion that I fully expected her to suggest some bondage hold-it game, so that the suggestion she did make caught me completely off-guard. "Do you fancy going to the pub?" she asked.

      "The pub?"

      "Yes. I'd like to go to The Wheat Sheaf, where you first told me about your interest in girls who are dying to pee. I assume you remember?"

      "Of course I remember,' I agreed, grinning stupidly. I glanced down at her crossed legs and added, "Do you want to use the loo before we leave?"

      She grinned back, crossing her legs a little tighter. "I didn't think I could hide that from you," she said. "Yes, I do need to go, but I'm not going to give in to the urge."

      "Oh?" I inquired. I swallowed, feeling my temples start to pound with suppressed excitement.

      "I'm going to wait, and you can drive me to the pub like this," she told me.

      I was suddenly in the throes of a full-blown erection. I swallowed again, wondering if I should try to hide this fact. Julia glanced down at my crotch, and then back up at my face with an amused expression. "That didn't take long," she observed drily.

      "I thought you were tired of my hold it games?" I said, wondering why I was trying to burst the bubble.

      "Oh, no. I don't mind them from time to time, just not all the time," she explained.

      "Was I really making that many demands on you?"

      She hesitated. "It felt like it sometimes," she said, her expression growing serious for a moment. "Or perhaps that was just my perception." She paused reflectively, and as the silence lengthened I almost picked up the conversation, but something cautioned me to give her a little more time. At last, she added, "I don't think I really understood it so well back then."

      "And now you do?"

      She nodded. "I think so. My mum and me have had a lot of conversations about it since last Christmas."

      "Really? I take it that you and Amanda are getting along okay again?" I asked.

      "Oh yes, like a house on fire, actually. I couldn't stay angry at her for long, not after all she went through with my dad."

      "Am I permitted to ask what these conversations were about?" I probed, but Julia merely smiled.

      "I think we should get going," she said, "before I give in and run to the loo."

      "Say no more,' I said, jumping up and extending a hand to raise her from her seat. She took my hand and rose, her expression a little pained as she straightened up.

      I led her back into the hall, helped her on with her coat, donned my own leather jacket, and checked the pockets for my keys and wallet. "Who's driving?" I asked.

      "You," she informed me. "I'd like to be able to cross my legs in the car."

      Julia pulled out her mobile. I wondered who she was calling, but didn't feel I had the right to be that inquisitive. She had, after all, only just walked back into my life.

      "We're on the way," she said. She listened for a moment then added, "Okay. See you soon"

      "Who was that?" I asked when she had broken the connection.

      "My mother," she said.

      "Oh. What's she up to? Are you spending Christmas together?"

      "Yes," Julia admitted, but did not elaborate. Instead, she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, making a noise that suggested she was shivering "God, it's cold."

      I cranked up the heater, but the air coming in through the vents was barely warm. "I imagine the cold is not helping your situation," I remarked.

      "You imagine correctly. I'm getting desperate to go." I was not sure that I should ask the question, but part of me was longing to know. "So what happens when we get to the pub? Are you going to rush off to the loo?"

      Julia reached out a hand and rested it on my left thigh. She squeezed for a moment, then began to rub my leg, her hand sliding up and down, passing within two inches of my erection. "I'm going to take a seat in one of the window snugs, if there are any free, and you are going to go and buy me a pint of shandy."

      My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and for a moment I didn't breathe. Then I said, "Are you really going to do that?"

      "M-mm," she responded, the sound very much in the affirmative.

      "But... you'll be climbing the wall."

      "M-mm," she repeated, in exactly the same tone.

      "Jooles, are you sure. What if you... you know, lose control?"

      Her answer stunned me. "Then I'll have to just sit in it until my jeans dry out enough for me to get up."

      Another lump had formed in my throat and I forced yet another swallow in an effort to clear it. I shook my head slowly, seriously distracted by the rubbing motion of her hand on my thigh. There were moments when I couldn't even see the road ahead properly.

      "You will be pushing a lot of buttons," I warned her at last. "I'm not going to answer for my actions if you do it."

      "I know," she said, a faintly playful inflection in her voice, finally removing her hand from my leg as we approached The Wheat Sheaf.

      As I slowed to turn into the car park, Julia released a soft gasp that I only just caught. I glanced across at her silhouetted form to find her staring straight ahead, clearly concentrating on something. I guessed that she was fighting a wave of desperation as we drew close to the possibility of a ladies loo.

      Maneuvering into a parking space, I glimpsed a figure in white climbing out of a car a few slots away from us. I could not see her properly, but I was fairly certain from the way she moved that it was Amanda, Julia's mother. I opened the door and stepped out. Before I could even straighten up properly, Amanda had her arms around me.

      "Dave," she said, sounding genuinely delighted. "It's lovely to see you again." After the merest pause, she added in a low voice, "I'm standing here with the fullest bladder you can imagine."

      I stiffened again, becoming so hard now that I didn't even know how I was going to put one foot in front of the other. "Lovely to see you too, Amanda," I said, embracing her in return.

      Amanda gasped, her mouth close to my ear. "Oh my. You really are pleased to see me."

      Julia joined us, and stood there hopping from foot to foot as she said, "Hello mum."

      "Hello, daughter of mine," Amanda responded. "It looks like you let yourself get into a serious condition too."

      Julia nodded. "We'd better get inside before I start to piss my jeans where I'm standing."

      Amanda smiled at her daughter. "I was just telling Dave, I'm about to burst a blood vessel."

      I shook my head, happy but a little confused. "What are you two up to? I mean, don't get me wrong, this is great. But... both of you?"

      "We'll tell you about it later," Julia informed me, looping her right arm through my left. "Right now, we have to walk or I'm going to pee in my knickers."

      Amanda fell into step on my right, also looping an arm through mine, so that I approached the door to the lounge bar with a women on either arm, and from the stiff-legged way they were walking, I was clearly flanked by two very full bladders. There was nothing I could do to conceal my erection, so I decided to brazen it out. If anyone noticed, then what the hell: What did they expect from a man caught between two stunning blondes?

      The bar was not particularly crowded, and we were able to get a snug which gave us a little bit of privacy. Both women hurried to seat themselves, and I saw Amanda immediately cross her legs. She was all in white, as was her custom, looking a lot like she did the first time I met her - white boots, white skirt, and a white sweater. On a lot of women, this ensemble might have looked a bit overdone, but Amanda carried it off to perfection.

      "Can I get you ladies a drink?" I offered with mock gallantry. They both smiled.

      "A pint of shandy for me," Julia said, repeating her instruction from the drive here.

      Amanda considered for a moment. "I would normally say gin and orange, but I suppose I should match my daughter's intake." She looked up at me enquiringly, so I nodded my approval at this arrangement. "Go on then," she added. I departed at once before she could change her mind.

      I was back in under three minutes, two pints of bitter shandy and one pint of Old Peculiar. I placed the girls' drinks in front of them, and Amanda eyed hers apprehensively. "Oh my God," she said, loudly enough for me to hear but not so loud that people at nearby tables would hear her. "I don't think I have enough room in me for another pint of liquid. I drank a bottle of Perrier water on the way here, and I haven't seen the inside of a loo since three this afternoon."

      "It's too late to back out now," Julia told her as she took a sip from her own drink.

      I sat down, trying not to do myself a mischief, and looked from one to the other of them. "Alright, so what is going on?"

      Both women remained silent for a few seconds, then Julia said, "This is going to sound a bit strange..." she began hesitantly.

      "I'm no stranger to strange," I said, smiling to reassure her. She smiled back and nodded.

      "The thing is, David," Amanda took over, "Julia and I have had a serious discussion about our futures. I'm going to be candid with you because I not sure she has the nerve-"

      "Mum," Julia said, a warning edge to her voice.

      "There's no point in beating about the bush," Amanda said to her, then she met my eyes with a steady gaze. "She hasn't found anyone she'd rather be with than you, and she knows she made a stupid mistake by leaving. And as for that fiasco last Christmas-"

      "You promised not to-"

      "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Amanda took a deep breath, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs as she did so. "Look Dave, Julia wants you in her life, and so do I."

      They both watched me, Julia over the rim of her glass as she took another sip, Amanda still gazing straight at me, her blue eyes unwavering. I tried to interpret what Amanda was saying, but I just couldn't get my head around it.

      "Don't you see?" Amanda went on. "We want to share you."

      I was glad not to have a mouthful of beer at that moment. My mouth flapped a few times before any sound emerged, and when it finally did, all I could manage was: "What?"

      Julia took over. "Isn't that what you've always wanted? Both of us?"

      I was on the verge of protesting my innocence, then caught myself before I put my foot in it. She was right. I did care for both of them; I did love both of them. This was surreal. Every man's wildest dream handed to him on a plate? There simply had to be a catch.

      They both watched me intently, waiting for me to react. Julia sat slightly bent forward with her legs crossed, the forefinger of her left hand tracing circles around the rim of her beer glass; Amanda was obviously tapping her foot under the table because her body was bouncing ever so slightly in time to it. There they were, both sitting there with excruciatingly-full bladders, their bodies screaming at them to run to the loo and relieve themselves of the tremendous pressure they were both under, and they were just waiting for me.

      "I don't think I've ever known you quite this speechless Dave," Amanda said, and I caught the break in her voice as she said the word speechless. She had to be absolutely bursting to pee.

      "I don't think I've ever had an offer quite like this before," I answered at last. "Are you two having some kind of joke at my expense?"

      "Hear that, mum?" Julia said. "He doesn't believe us."

      Amanda smiled weakly, but it did nothing to banish the strain from her features. "We're completely serious," she told me, and I could see she meant it. "The thing is, Dave," she continued, lowering her voice so that I had to lean in closer to catch what she was saying, "you've got to make up your mind pretty quickly, because I'm about two minutes away from pissing like a racehorse, and I need to either run into the loo or get outside."

      Julia nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, her brow puckering. "Me too. I've been holding it much too long. I've got to go now!"

      "So what do you say, Dave? Want to give it a try?" Amanda asked, recrossing her legs and almost going cross-eyed as she fought a fresh wave of desperation.

      "Where would we--?" I began.

      "Winchester. The house is big enough for the three of us to function without falling over one another. Now yes or no, before I disgrace myself on this seat!"

      I swallowed hard and nodded. Both women sighed audibly, and Amanda made to get up.

      "Wait," I arrested her motion.

      "I'm trying to," she whispered sharply.

      "You two haven't finished your drinks yet."

      "Oh my God," Amanda whispered, and sat back down. She took up the glass, still a third full, and drank rapidly.

      "You're going to make me wet myself," Julia said to me in an accusing tone, just before the rim of her own glass made contact with her parted lips.

      They both finished their drinks in record time. As soon as the glasses were back on the beer mats, the two of them rose in unison and began working their way around the table to get out.

      "Hurry up!" Julia said to me as I rose and pushed back my chair. "I'm losing it."

      I glanced at Amanda who practically fell over her own feet in her rush to clamber out.

      Then we were all heading towards the door, me just ahead of the girls. I pushed it open and stood aside to let me exist. They were both taking small, rapid steps, and they both had their mouths hanging slightly open in a silent scream of agony.

      "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," Amanda said as she hobbled across the car park towards out vehicles, the words tumbling over one another to get out.

      "It's too late," Julia said at my side. "My knickers are already wet. There must be a patch on the back of my jeans."

      I grabbed her hand and pulled her forward to catch up with Amanda, now moving ahead of us in a shuffling trot. We caught up to her just as she reached the back of her vehicle.

      "Quick!" she barked at Julia and I. "Between the cars. Hurry! Oh!"

      As we reached her, Amanda closed in on my left side, wrapped her arms around me and raised her left her up in front of my body, her thigh making contact with my penis. To my right, Julia did the same thing in reverse, so that I was sandwiched between the two of them.

      I heard both of them start to pee with a vengeance. One of them alone would, at this desperate stage, have created a loud hissing sound as the urine forced its way through her urethra, but the sound was augments by having both of them let go simultaneously. It really was the sound of fierce pissing in stereo.

      Both women released gasp after gasp of relief as they emptied their tortured bladders. I stood there feeling the warmth of the streams pouring down both my thighs, my nostrils assailed by the pungent smell of urine. I admit that I have never especially enjoyed the smell of pee, and I held my breath as the torrents continued to rush down my legs, soaking into my jeans and finding their ways into my shoes. It soon became apparent that I was getting a lot wetter than either of them. I don't know how long we stood there like that, the girls flanking me, embracing me, Amanda with a knee bent across my front, Julia with a knee bent across the back of my legs. It felt like a long time, and even when the flood was over, they didn't release their holds or move in any way. It might hand been two minutes before Amanda finally lowered her leg and placed her left foot back on the ground. Moments later, Julia lowered hers, and we just stood there, close together, each of them with a brow resting against my neck.

      "Did you enjoy that?" Amanda asked very quietly.

      I simply nodded, not sure if any sound would get past my constricted throat if I attempted to speak.

      In my right ear, Julia said, "So, was that a yes to our proposal to share you?"

      "Oh yes," I said, and they both squeezed me a little tighter.

      My legs were getting cold by the time we returned to our respective vehicles. Julia went with her mother after we had made arrangements to talk the next day to make arrangements. For some time after they had departed, I sat in my car and stared through the windscreen without saying anything. I seemed to have suddenly moved to a different planet, and I was having trouble acclimatizing.

      I didn't mind. How could I possibly mind?

      And even if I had, how could any man stand up to the combined forces of Julia and Amanda Haywood? I wouldn't have stood a choir boy's chance in Winchester!