Freedom Without Consequence

It was beginning to get dark out, these days the sun seemed to go down sooner than ever. Richard turned his car into a quiet street, seeing rows on rows of houses, where the lights behind the windows were already burning. Slowly he drove on, until his eyes fell on a thin, blue house squished in-between houses that looked identical. Richard drove past, going on further down the rode until he got to a small intersection. There he parked his car alongside the street, still keeping a distant view of the front door. He checked his watch, 7pm, right on time. Richard hopped out of the car and saw the front door of the house already opening. Seeing Jean Haas step out into the dimming light, a formfitting red dress hugging her slender curves, he became stuck where he was. As Jean turned around to close her front door, Richards eyes fell on her behind, where they had fallen plenty of times before. The way her butt looked in the dress was something else though, a sight he had never seen before. God she looked good, even her dark hair, which seemed to flow in waves across her shoulders, looked different than it normally did. Suddenly Richard felt self-conscious, readjusting his black tie and straightening the shirt he had stuffed into his pants.

Jean crossed the street, looking left to right, her eyes noticing him standing there. She looked over her shoulder nervously, but hurried over to him all the same. Richard smiled, watching the way her hips swayed with every step. When she was in ear shot of him he could no longer contain himself, "you look beautiful!" Jean giggled, giving Richard a quick little twirl, her red dress dancing around her. "Absolutely beautiful..." Finally Jean stood in front of him, looking over her shoulder towards her home one more time.

"D'you think we're far enough away?" Richard peered back at the house as well, but saw no one through the window, looking at them.

"I don't see your wife, come here." Richard took Jean into his arms, who finally relaxed and let herself go in his embrace. Her hand slid up from his chest towards his neck, but even with the heels she was wearing, Jean could barely reach her lips to his. Richard leaned down to meet her and kissed her passionately. He wrapped his hand across the small of her back, hugging her closer to him, while the two of them made out like they were teenagers all over again.

When eventually they managed to let one another go, they sighed and giggled in unison. "Come here, I got lipstick all over you." Jean wiped red lipstick off his lips with her thumb, Richards hands still holding on to her side. "Where did you tell Lisa you were going?" When Jean seemed satisfied with her work Richard opened the car door for her, helping her step inside with her clumsy, yet gorgeous looking heels. Richard quickly walked around the car and sat beside her, turning the car on and making his way towards the restaurant where they had made their reservation.

"I told her I was going to watch the game at a bar with some guys from work, she didn't seem too worried." Richard took a right turn, noticing how quiet the streets were, especially for a Saturday night.

"You told her you were going to watch the game at a bar and left the house wearing a suit?" Richard smiled, feeling Jeans eyes look him up and down.

"No, I changed in the car after I left. You would've been surprised by how nimble I still am, kicking my pants off in the back seat." Jean laughed, her pretty, addictive laugh. Richard had a hard time focusing on his driving and not admiring her sitting next to him the whole time.

"Well I wouldn't be too surprised to see you take your pants off back there..." Delicious memories came flooding back of the two of them spending their lunch brake as if they were care free students. Richard even felt himself hardening while he drove, and knew the pants he wore did not leave much up to the imagination.

"What did you tell your lady? Can't imagine you told Amy you were going out with me?" Jean and Amy had been married for around eight years now, but had been dating each other on and off for well over a decade. Much like the relationship between Lisa and Jean, Amy did not really enjoy Richards presence, which to be fair, he could not blame either of them for. He knew that neither of their partners truly knew what was going on between them, but to say that they were completely clueless would have been a lie as well.

"I told her my sister was in town and she was coming with me instead of Melissa. Honestly, she already wasn't thrilled that I was going with another woman, so I don't think it would've mattered much."

As Richard drove on towards the restaurant, noticing a few familiar faces here and there, he thought about how him and Jean might be pushing it a little tonight. Their secret had always been kept close to their chest and if they ever went on a date, it was usually when they were out of town, on a school seminar. But as he moved his hand from the stick shift, down to his colleagues inner thigh, Richard felt those worries wash away just as quickly as they had popped up. Jean hugged his arm against her, as Richard squeezed her thigh and slowly he saw the restaurant appear in the distance.

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Sitting across from her was torture, for all Richard wanted to do was get his hands all over her. Feel her curves beneath his fingers, her olive skin brush against his lips and her strong thighs squeeze him as they did when she got excited. The restaurant was busier than he had expected, but luckily he had been smart enough to make a reservation. The waiter had given them a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant, dimly lit by a candle on their table, away from most of the noise. Richard sat back in his chair, sipping on his drink and admiring the way Jean looked as she leaned forward on the table. When she peered over her shoulder her dress lowered slightly and he got a wonderful view of her deep cleavage. Of all the presents a person could buy their partner, Amy had perhaps made the best long-term investment. For Jeans birthday, about five years ago, she had bought her breast implants, something Jean had always wanted. The psychology teacher had always had a small B-cup, which in Richards eyes was more than enough to do the trick, he had never been too picky. But Jean wanted more and looking at her now, the D-cup she had received were a gift from the Gods.

Jean must've caught him looking, as she smiled coyly, adjusting her dress a little. "Richard, why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me..." jean was way too good at her job, which was probably why she started teaching. Richard put his glass down nervously, trying his best to convey some sort a of suave nature.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He did his best to seem confused, but Jean always saw right through him. She gave him a stern look, knowing he was lying.

"We agreed darling, years ago, no secrets between us, now fess up." Richard sighed, wondering why he had even attempted to keep anything a secret from her. There was never any point, he knew and honestly, it was kind of a relief that he had someone to talk to about it.

"Remember like two years ago, when you told me about that student you were sleeping with, what was her name again?" Jean looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation.

"Eliza, she was a senior at the time, the things she could do with her fingers could've ended wars." Richard just had to smile as he saw his friend reminiscing shortly.

"Yes, Eliza, well remember how I gave you a bunch of shit for sleeping with a student? How it was unprofessional and really, really bad..?" Jean and Richard had always had a certain understanding about their relationship, they'd keep one another a secret from their partners, but keep no secrets from each other. They weren't exclusive, being free to 'explore' as they saw fit, to put it simply, they were 'friends with benefits.'

Jean gave him a knowing look, confusion appearing across her face. "Well, for the past two months I might have been sleeping with a student of mine and it has been great. It's hot, it's bad in the best way possible and I feel as though I owe you a massive apology." Jeans jaw dropped, her brow furrowed, yet a small smile was clearly on her lips. She shook her head, as Richard scratched his, he wasn't really sure how she would react, but nothing had been thrown at him just yet.

"I can't believe it, you dirty old man!" Jean laughed aloud now, garnering a few looks from other patrons in the restaurant. "I can't believe it, after all the lectures you gave me! God Richard, I though you were hiding something bad from me, this is hilarious!" Richard laughed as well, very surprised by Jeans reaction, but quite happy that she wasn't angry at him. "Well, what's the little bunnies name?" Richard slowly leaned forward on the table, as did Jean, they were close enough now that he could see the light of the candle flickering in her eyes.

"Brianna, she's a junior, I don't think you're teaching her. She's great Jean, pretty, exciting, she makes me feel young." Jeans hand moved forward, gently stroking his cheek and resting on his chin. Richard met her in the middle of the table and they kissed, a short kiss, yet full of love and understanding. Leaning back again, Jean wiped lipstick of his lips once more, but all Richard could think about was kissing her again and again.

"I'm happy for you darling, but please be careful, Eliza nearly cost me my job." Richard remembered, there had been a threat of blackmail, back then. Something about Eliza wanting Jean all to herself, telling her she'd reveal their secret to the world. Luckily nothing had come of it, but Richard knew that he could not let it get that close with Brianna. He'd made some clear boundaries before, but perhaps he had to remind her of them again soon. "Is she any better than me?" Richard grabbed Jeans hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly and keeping hold of it. It seemed like all the women in his life were wondering the same thing... With her hand in his Richard enjoyed the quiet ambiance of the restaurant and this special night that he got to spend with the person he considered his closest friend. Seeing her sitting there he thought about how lucky he must be, to have someone like her to laugh about his life with.

"You have no idea how funny that question is."

------

Richard wasn't the kind of man that frequented theaters, though he tried to be more culturally diverse and spend less time doing, what his wife described as: 'Dude stuff,' he still had a hard time understanding the play him and Jean went to see. It was a nice spectacle though, the singing seemed a bit random at times and the way the actors spoke was very dramatic, but nonetheless beautiful. Richard couldn't really follow the story, but dozing off for a few minutes halfway through definitely didn't help. Jean had a great time however, as they were walking back to the car, her arm clutched around his, she was still buzzing.

"God that was wonderful! The way they moved on that stage, wow!" She was practically skipping, Richard nodding along with what she said. He was delighted to see his friend this happy, at work she was usually buried in stress and responsibility, it was a good thing that she'd gotten this kind of relief.

"I'm glad you had a nice night, thank you for inviting me." Richard opened the car door for her, helping her step inside. "We should do this more often." Richard walked around the car, sighing as he lowered himself into the drivers seat.

Jean looked over at him with a satisfied smile. Leaning back into the chair, she motioned for him to get a little closer. Richard understood what she meant immediately and bent forward to plant a passionate kiss on her lips. Her hand traveled up to the side of his face, Richards hand sliding across her stomach. They held each other for a moment, not needing any more words to be spoken. Jean began kissing him all over, his lips, his chin, his cheeks and his neck. She seemed to moan softly as she did, Richard digging his fingers into her side. Again their mouths met, both of their tongues acquainting themselves with one another.

When finally they managed to release each other, they were both out of breath, an adorable blush covering Jeans cheeks. "I could do this with you all the time darling," Jean whispered, a look of longing in her eyes. "There's another seminar soon, I'm not sure where, we'll take our time then."

Richard turned back, readjusting the growing bulge in his pants before grabbing hold of the steering wheel. "Really? Hmm, maybe we can leave a day early, make it a long weekend." Richard started the car, backing out of his parking spot and getting back on the road. He saw Jean almost everyday at work, but their relationship was different between those walls. They were colleagues first, expected to keep up a manner of professionalism and best friends second, which made being a professional that much harder. They usually ate lunch together, discussed classes, students, went over notes and gossiped like they hadn't left school themselves. But they never showed too much affection, not wanting to arouse any suspicion with their other colleagues. It was on nights like these, where it was just the two of them, that they could really be honest and open with each other. Richard had found himself craving those nights more and more lately and he had a feeling that Jean felt the same way.

As Richard headed towards Jeans house, to drop her off, both of them having agreed that they were too tired to fool around, she turned to tell him something. "You know, Amy said that she'd like go on a little weekend trip soon too, and that we should ask some friends to tag along." Richard rested his hand on his colleagues inner thigh as he drove, only lifting it when he had to change gears.

"Did she have someone specific in mind?" Amy liked to plan these kinds of things, but between Jeans busy schedule and her own, it rarely came to fruition.

"She actually mentioned you and Lisa by name, so what do you think? A little couples retreat?" Now that surprised Richard more than anything had today, Amy wanted him and his wife to join her on a trip? His relationship with his friends partner was cordial at best and he wasn't sure she'd even recognize Lisa if she was standing right in front of her. It seemed like it be pushing his and Jeans luck a little too, though when he looked over and saw that old familiar twinkle in her eyes, he was reminded once more how much she enjoyed living on the edge. It was very likely that Jean had already made up her mind, which meant that Amy had already made up her mind, Richard stood no chance against their united front and unfortunately he had a feeling that his wife would probably say yes to the invitation. She had been talking about going on some sort of couples retreat for a few months now, but every couple she had suggested going with were either boring, creepy, or complete strangers. Though Lisa and Jean weren't exactly friends either, Richard knew that his wife was the kind of person that sought only to make friends with everyone and was desperate solve any issues anybody had with her.

"Does it even matter if I say yes or no?" Jean laughed whilst Richard absentmindedly rubbed her inner thigh, feeling the warmth of her skin against his palm.

"It really doesn't darling, but I thought it might be best if me and Amy asked Lisa directly, instead of you, so shush when you get home." Richard shrugged his shoulders, accepting defeat and deciding to just roll with the punches. He could not imagine that weekend going well, but then again, he had a cynical nature.

As Richard turned the car into Jeans street he saw that lights in her place were already turned off. Jean noticed too and said that Amy was most likely already asleep. Richard parked the car and got out to open his colleagues door, something that had become a habit after dating Lisa since he was in high school. When he helped Jean step out of the car, he got to see how amazing she looked in her red dress again, he would've loved to tear it off of her, but tonight wasn't about some quick hook up, it was about spending time with one of his favorite people in the world. He wrapped Jean in his arms, sliding his hands along her curves and planting one final kiss on her lips. He could feel her smile as he kissed her, his hand finding a suitable place on her ample behind, giving it a playful squeeze. "I had so much fun tonight," he told her again. Jean licked her thumb and once again wiped some lipstick away from his face.

"Me too darling, I'm so happy you joined me." Richard gave her butt another squeeze and then a small slap, as if to send her on her way.

"Now go, wouldn't want to keep the lady of the house waiting." After one more hug for good measure Richard watched his friend walk off into the distance, fumble in her purse for her key and disappear into her house after she had opened the door. He himself got back into the car, reminding himself that he still had to change out of his suit, though he expected that Lisa was probably already asleep as well.

What a successful night it had been, one which saw him confess his sins, only to be met with joyous laughter and understanding. One where he got to spend time with his best friend and watch her be happy. Richard had no clue what was to come, but knew that as long as he got to spend his time with his favorite people, it aught not be so bad.