Author's Note: this story grew from the previous one in the series. It got interesting enough that it got its own submission, but you should refer back to that if you want plot context.
Gloria unloaded the groceries and put them away. One item did not go into its customary location. Instead, she took it to the master bathroom, where she put the red-topped cylinder into the cabinet under the sink. If inanimate objects could be self-conscious, it might have wondered why it was in this dark space occupied by spare toilet rolls, tampons, ancient dried-out sponges, and cleaning products. It was a drastic downfall from the cool, well-lit shelf where it had stood this morning, proudly side by side with its neighboring cans of whipped cream.
She smiled to herself, and went back to preparing her chicken taco casserole. After layering corn tortillas, cheeses, salsa verde, and chicken into a deep glass baking dish, she put it into the oven. It was a fairly easy variation on chicken enchiladas and made excellent leftovers.
While dinner was cooking, Gloria prepared herself for tonight's surprise. In the bedroom, she stripped down, grabbed a scissors, and began trimming her bush as closely as she dared. Standing in front of her full-length mirror, she watched the reflection of the dark brown curls as they floated lazily to the carpet. She squatted to spread her thighs, a little nervous about the sharp scissors so close to her sensitive bits. Recalling a (possibly satirical) piece of advice from the 1950s, purported to be "for the married woman", about doing household chores in the nude to excite your husband, she vacuumed up the pile before putting on her bathrobe.
She took a long and luxurious shower before very carefully shaving herself clean as a baby. She'd read that it was important to moisturize after shaving, especially the first few times, but she wanted to leave herself without anything smelly or greasy. She got out some glycerin they'd experimented with as a massage lubricant and rubbed it into the shaved area. Gloria slid a finger over her now smooth, glycerin-slick mound and into her crevice, promising herself that Dan's hand would be there soon. Given the nature of the area, her body responded with its own slipperiness. There was some stubble around the more convoluted shapes of her folds, but luckily she naturally thinned out before the best parts. Dan would forgive her.
Gloria was dressed again and everything seemed routine by the time Dan got home from work. Outwardly, her surprise was invisible. She smiled to herself. One more treat to come.
~~~
Dan pushed his chair back and began to clear the dishes. "That was tasty." He covered the leftover casserole and put it in the refrigerator as Gloria rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher.
"I've got a special dessert, too, for later." She winked.
Dan was uncertain why a wink would go along with... wait a minute... "Are you talking about something good to eat?"
"I hope so. I've never tried it before. It's sort of Mexican, with a bit of spice."
"Sounds interesting, could go well with the taco casserole. Would you like to have it now, or wait a little so the supper can settle?" Dan tended to have seconds and often thirds when she made that dish, so he felt pretty full.
"If you want to wait, we can watch a movie or something." Gloria headed into the living room. Dan followed, and they settled in to their usual TV-watching positions on the couch.
Gloria futzed around on her iPad for a moment, bringing up the remote for their smart TV. She'd hunted down a particular movie they'd watched when they were dating, and was ready to stream it. On the screen, a tough-looking Japanese man in a cowboy hat was driving a truck through the pouring rain.
A few minutes later, Dan looked over at his wife, who was absorbed in the film. "Is this that noodle-shop movie? The one we were talking about earlier, from school?"
"Yeah. I tracked it down. I've added it to my watch-list so I could find it for tonight."
"And would this be related to our challenge from Dr. Coleman?"
"Did I mention you'd be eating a spicy Mexican?"
"Not exactly in those words. Sounds tasty, though."
Gloria turned off the TV. "Go and get naked. I think it's time for dessert."
As Dan was undressing in the bedroom, Gloria stripped down in the bathroom and got out the whipped cream can she'd stashed earlier. She turned on the fan and ran the sink to cover the
shplplphsh
of the dispenser nozzle, then covered her mound thickly enough that Dan wouldn't know she'd shaved until he licked her. She also coated the tips of her breasts and, giggling at her reflection, filled in some bikini strings up to her shoulders and across her chest.
Satisfied with her work, Gloria opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Dan's jaw dropped, and then he laughed out loud. "Hah! Brilliant. This is going to be a great dessert."
