The Dueling Duets Series
Dueling Duets (One): Don's Erudition
Dueling Duets (Two): Lisa's Hobby
Dueling Duets (Three): Dave's Education
Dueling Duets (Four): Judy's Revenge
This is the second part of the Dueling Duets Series, telling the same story from four different perspectives. Although you should be able to enjoy this story if you read it first, I recommend that you read the series in the order above.
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A proof of strength she could not publish more,
Unless she said, 'My mind is now turned whore.'
William Shakespere
Troilus and Cressida, Act 5, Scene 2
Let's get this straight right off. I am not a loose woman. Neither am I a slut or a nymphomaniac. Promiscuous, you suggest? Alright, I won't argue with that. A whore? A friend of mine defines a whore as someone who has slept with more than 100 men. I hope to be a whore someday. But I want to be an ethical whore.
What's ethical about being a whore? Well, ethics are simply rules for dealing with other people, right? I have my rules. Here they are:
1) Thou shalt not do anything which might cause harm or pain to thy husband. Robert A. Heinlein defined Love as the condition which exists when another person's happiness in more important than your own. That's how I feel about Don.
2) Thou shalt not have sex with a person who is unable to accept the risks. If they don't know what the risks are, they're immature. If they know, but don't care about them, they're foolish. Either way, they're trouble. If they know the risks, care about them, and are unwilling to accept them, they won't bother with you.
3) Thou shalt not go to bed with people with bad breath. It's likely that other parts will be dirty also.
4) Thou shalt not pursue a man. If he's attractive, I'll let him know I'm available. If he doesn't make an effort to come and get it, it'll wind up that he's got good reasons for passing it by, or he won't be very exciting when he gets there.
5) Thou shalt not have sex with a new lover on the spur of the moment. When you're horny, you'll do anything to get it. So don't.
6) Thou shalt not go to bed with somebody who you don't enjoy being with. Life's too short.
7) Thou shalt not have one-night stands. It's a lot of work to live with these rules; this one is simply about productivity.
8) When the sex starts getting boring, cut off the affair clean. If you leave old lovers lying around, they have a tendency to bite you like a snake.
9) Remember Rule 1.
This story might make a little more sense if I tell you a little of my history. Let me freshen your drink?
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I 'lost' my virginity as a senior in high school. Even then, I realized that sex was not only something to enjoy, but something that was dangerous, too. Used unwisely, it led to pregnancy, disease and hurt feelings, none of which I wished on me or any of my male or female friends. So I waited until I was fairly sure that it wasn't dangerous. I slept with only one other guy before I graduated.
When I got into college in the late 60's, I realized that sex was less dangerous, as many people didn't take it so seriously. Pregnancy and disease were just as problematic however, so I slept around enough to get a reputation as easy, but not enough to get one as a slut. Getting into my pants was considered by the guys to be a prize, not a rite of passage. And I never, ever, got drunk in a fraternity house!
I continued this tradition until I met Ray two years after graduation. I immediately fell for him; he had that puppy-dog aura, and I guess I needed a pet. We had a fun time for a couple of years, but when he found me in bed with another man, he couldn't take it. Look, it's my fault that the marriage failed. I was too young and wasn't committed enough. I'm just sorry that I hurt Ray so bad. And I'm thankful that we never started the family he wanted.
We got divorced in the bicentennial year, and for the next eight years I had a ball. Sex was free and easy back then, as there were no diseases that couldn't be cured with a shot of penicillin. (Not that I had much to worry about, I had learned to follow rule 3; men that taste nice with their clothes on have a tendency to have clean gonads. I only caught the clap once.) Birth control concerned me. The pill put me through hell with it's side effects and concerns about cancer; all the other methods worked, IF you did everything exactly right; finally, in 1982, realizing that children was the last thing I ever wanted, I had my tubes tied. I dabbled in everything that was outside the norms; group sex, S/M, lesbianism, the works. After awhile, I found out that I was interested in only five things:
Cock in Cunt
Cock in Mouth
Cock in Ass
Man's tongue in Cunt
The various kissing, touching, licking and sucking that lead to the above four.
This life-style came to a screeching halt in the mid 80's when first herpes and then AIDS raised their ugly heads. Luckily, just about that time, Don came along. He made me feel just the way I wanted to feel, he was adventurous when it counted, he allowed me the freedom I needed (not just about sex, but with my career and other life choices too.) Fifteen months after I met him, it turned out that we had both been 'faithful' to each other for over eight of them, and we figured that we might as well make it formal. Children? My dear, I'm telling you that Don is perfect; he'd gotten a vasectomy the same year that I got fixed.
I realized that this was going to be a major life-style change. We never mentioned being faithful for the rest of our lives, and I don't think either of us dwelled on it, but for the first two years we were married neither of us made any efforts. We did all the things newly wed couples do: got the china we needed, bought a house, joined a country club, the whole yuppie works. Then we started pillow talk not only about all our old lovers, but about our fantasies for the future, too. It was soon after that I sat down and figured out my ethical rules; if and when Don ever let me loose, I knew I needed a chain to keep me in the neighborhood.
One day we received terrible news. We had some very good friends and next-door neighbors and Fred, Jill's husband, was killed in an auto accident. Jill, of course, was devastated, and relied on us to help her and her two young children after all the relatives had gone home. The three of us became best of friends. She came over whenever she had a moment just to talk to me, and Don was always over there playing with the kids or fixing stuff around her house. One day, Don came back and said to me, "Lisa, Jill just hit on me."
"Did you nail her?" I asked. Nobody's ever accused me of being subtle.
"Lisa! She's going through a real tough time now. The last thing she needs is more complications."
"The last thing she needs is more negative feelings, like being horny and alone. You should give her what he needs."
"But what about you? What about our marriage?"
"Do you think that I'd be upset with you because you choose to be sweet with one of our dearest friends? I think the next time she comes on to you, you should just let her have it."
The next day, when Jill came over I turned the conversation to sex and love, and let her know indirectly that anything she did with Don was okay with me. After a week of the two of them mooning over each other, they still hadn't done anything about it.
One evening, I arranged for a baby-sitter for Jill and told her she was coming over to our house for dinner and relaxation. Over salads and wine, I told them that I thought they were being silly, that I was going to go to a movie, and would be gone for at least two and a half hours. I told them that what they did was their business. And then I left.
When I got back, the downstairs was dark, and I heard noises from the bedroom. I got a drink and a book, and sat down in our rec room. After awhile, Don sauntered nakedly out to get some cold drinks from the refrigerator and found me. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were home."
"Don't sweat it. You look pooped," I remarked, observing his anatomy. "Are you and Jill enjoying yourselves?"
"We sure are. Are you still okay with this?"
"Absolutely. The two of you don't have to rush out on my account. Let her stay in there as long as she wants."
Of course, they were out twenty minutes later. Jill started to be embarrassed, but I just hugged her and let her know that I cared for her, and that anything she needed was fine by me. Soon after that, Don walked her home and came right back. Don was too fatigued that night to get it on with me, but his tongue worked just fine.
For the next eight months, it was a regular menage a tois. Don was with her five or six times a month. Sometimes Jill would farm the kids out to her relatives, and a few times I baby sat for them. After awhile, Jill met a divorced man and Don quickly stepped out of the way. Jill and Bob got married after a few months, and still live next door in a strictly monogamous relationship. They're great friends, but not as close as Jill and Fred were.
Threesomes? Oh, Jill wasn't in it for the sex, she needed companionship. If I had inserted myself into the formula, it might have screwed her up big time. The single time that Don suggested it, I just ignored it. See rule #2.