Les Deux Escargots
Ted is both freaked out and turned on by his wife's role-play
Ron Ehrs
WHEN BONNIE SUGGESTED role-playing, I was skeptical.
Although I understood how it could be fun, I was not the most imaginative person. When I heard "role-playing," I thought of some clichΓ©d scenario where I would be a swashbuckling pirate, and she would be the aristocratic young woman captured from some British port whom I would get to ravish. It would all feel totally lame, and even if I could come up with some lines, it certainly would not make me horny. I would just feel stupid, as if I was being transported back to childhood and acting in some elementary school play.
Then Bonnie explained her idea, which was different. Instead of playing stock characters, one or the other of us would pretend to be a person we both knew, and whose personality we were acquainted with. That person would then come on to whoever was the "real" person and we would play it out from there.
Seeing that I looked a bit uncertain, she suggested that we begin by having me play my boss, who happens to "drop by" one morning while I was away. She, of course, would be the housewife doing her normal housewife stuff, and not expecting anyone.
She suggested that we do Saturday morning for our first try.
"But Saturday is my golf day," I said. I wanted to put my foot down about my weekly opportunity to hang out with the guys, but I sensed this was not the time.
"This is important, Ted," she said. "We hardly ever get a chance to do something special together on the weekends. You can skip one Saturday for this. For me?"
She told me to wear my most formal suit and tie, and go off for a 15-minute drive, and then come back and knock on the door.
* * *
Saturday morning, I followed her instructions. She told me to wait for her to go to the kitchen before I put on my suit, and then sneak out the front door without her noticing.
I did so. I put on my black suit (which I usually only wore to funerals and very formal events) and a new dark tie I hadn't worn yet, and headed out. I drove around for more than 15 minutes -- I was still nervous about this whole thing, and by no means convinced it was a good idea. Finally, I had to stop procrastinating and I pulled into our driveway and walked up to the front door.
I had no idea what would happen next. I was kind of afraid that Bonnie would answer the door in some thin bathrobe or something, like one of those pizza delivery porn scripts, and a total turnoff.
I knocked, and when the door opened, there was Bonnie, not wearing a bathrobe, but just a pair of extremely short shorts I had never seen before, and a rather tight T-shirt that did nothing to hide the fact that she was not wearing a bra. I had almost forgotten what an amazing body she had -- and what an amazing rack.
I wasn't expecting this at all. She never dressed like that around me. Seeing her in that outfit surprised me, but it was also a lot sexier than I could've imagined.
"Mr. Madison? Hi. Good morning. Can I help you?"
"Hi, Mrs. Hale. I was looking for Ted. Is he around?"
"Gosh, no Mr. Madison. Ted left about a half hour ago to go golfing with his buddies. He probably won't be back till late afternoon. Would you like to come in for some coffee or something? I just made a fresh pot." She stepped back to let me in.
I walked in, and she led me to the living room and motioned for me to have a seat on the couch.
Was I really supposed to be okay with the idea that my wife was inviting my boss, who she'd only met at one or two office parties, to come into the house while I was away? While she was dressed in those shorts and, well, no bra? I mean I knew this was supposed to be just role-playing, but maybe it would've been better if we had just stuck to pirates and stuff. At least that way there wouldn't be anything to weird me out.
When I sat down on the sofa, Bonnie was still standing. She asked, "I can get you some coffee, Mr. Madison. Or, if you'd prefer, I can get you something a little stronger." She smiled and...
Holy shit. Did she just shimmy her tits at me? It was so quick, I couldn't be sure. It felt like one of those subliminal flashes that advertisers use in movies. I tried to remember if she had ever shimmied her tits at me before. I didn't think so, not even when we were back in college. I probably didn't even know she could do that. Was she doing that because I was my boss? Or maybe just because it wasn't me? I didn't like either of those ideas.
"It's pretty early in the morning for me, Mrs. Hale," I said.
"Please, call me Bonnie. I'm not a very formal person."
"Well, in that case, I guess you should call me Bill."
"Bill? You seem more distinguished than that. Can I call you William instead?"
Jesus. What the hell? She was being awfully damn nice to my boss.
"And as far as what time it is, Ted and his buddies spend hours at the 18th hole as soon as they finish their game of golf. To tell the truth, sometimes he comes home pretty sloshed and falls right over, and it's not even 5 o'clock."
Dammit. That wasn't true at all. Sure, I would have a drink or two with my buddies after playing golf, but it wasn't like that at all. Why was she telling my boss these stories behind my back?
"Well, in that case, I think I wouldn't mind a drink. Heck, go ahead and make it a double. Whatever kind of Scotch you have is fine."
"That sounds good, William. I think I'll have the same."