Sandy and Fran

So, the preparations began. Clothes were selected and packed, cash for the kitty and other expenses was collected and, on Friday before taking off, Ruth, Judy, Claire and Sandy met in the office to arrange any last second issues that might come up. Totally unexpectedly, one of Sandy's questions about the trip was to be answered. Ruth arrived with several 3 x 5 cards with colored marks on them, one color per card. She explained their purpose: "Bob and I will be staying in my grandparents' room, leaving the other three. The other bedrooms are the same except for cosmetic differences, and are named according to their color. So there is the Green Room, the Blue Room and the Red Room. Rather than getting there and deciding who goes where, you can each draw a card and your room will match the color on the back. Ok?"

That sounded like a perfect way to avoid fumbling around in making choices later. Sandy turned over the Blue Room card, Judy the Red and Claire the Green, seemingly concluding the question of rooms. However, Sandy decided that that was as good a time as ever to face that "elephant in the room," her relationship with Frank.

"All right, Frank and I have the Blue Room, which is fine. However, I have a very strong feeling that my three closest friends have set me up!" Her statement was met with surprised and questioning looks - with a bit of guilt showing through. "When you proposed that I go with you, my only concern was whether, as a married woman, a happily married woman, I could share a room with another man for a week at the beach. I thought about it and discussed it with Mack and he agreed with Frank that this was too good an offer to pass up, so I accepted. I looked at your brochure, Ruth, and I saw a picture of, I think, the Green Room. Now, I'm informed that all of the rooms are the same, so, unless I have missed some critical bit of information, I have gone from sharing a room with Frank, to sharing a bed with Frank! Am I, a married woman, expected to sleep with Frank for, as I count them, eight nights?"

As Sandy described the scene, all three faces had guilt written all over them and, after there was a period of looking at each other and making incoherent and sputtering efforts to decide what to say, Judy finally took the lead. "Oh, Sandy, I'm so sorry and we didn't want to put you in a difficult place, but we all so badly wanted you with us. The only reason that we didn't invite you immediately was Mack. We like him and you two are a perfect couple, but he just isn't part of our group. This is probably the last time all of us will be together, just the eight of us, and we just hoped that it will work out. Don't be too mad at us!"

"Ruth finally was able to get her thoughts together and added, "We really don't think that Frank really is into women, for whatever reason. And, in any case, you could put something between you like bundling. They are queen-sized beds, so there should be room. Or" she added with a rather timid, smile, "You could wear blue jeans to bed like you did in Spain."

"So, I'm to rely on Frank not being into women - or into me. I'm either to build a fortress between us or wear jeans, or both!" Reaching behind her to a shopping bag, she pulled out a sheer shorty nightgown that would tempt a man, not hide her body. "This is what I bought this morning and I thought that I might wear it to bed when we are in Virginia!"

Ruth stared with eyes wide with shock, "My god, Sandy, that's beautiful but it won't hide anything!"

Judy was more explicit, "If you wear that to bed, Frank really will be into you, literally!"

"You're probably right and I could leave this at home and wear a more prosaic nightgown, but, you all know perfectly well that if we sleep together for eight nights, it doesn't matter what I wear unless I do go for the jeans - which I'm not going to do. There will be eight of us there and I'm the only one that is married. If I end up with a scarlet A, you three are equally responsible and I had better never hear a word about it!"

"It was Claire that finally spoke up as she said, "Sandy, dear, we all love you and anything you do is absolutely ok with us. Unless you say different, we're going to act as if we have four unmarried couples staying together and making love. Take off your rings or leave them on, you and Frank are a couple this week. Of course, that's assuming that Frank plays his role and cooperates!"

"Sandy replied with a knowing smile, "I don't think that there is going to be a problem with that!"

Ruth looked at her with a quizzical smile, commenting wryly, "You know, I wonder if Frank turned Sarah and the others girls down because he already had a better deal working! I'm also wondering if we're the ones that have been had, not you!"

"Now Ruth, I'm a happily married woman who loves her husband. Any speculations about any ongoing affairs are completely unsupported by evidence!"

The group broke up shortly after that with the three women exchanging questioning, but certainly not disapproving, looks. Hearing their conversation as they left undoubtedly would have been quite entertaining.

Sandy hurried into the house, bubbling with the news of her very productive afternoon. She recounted her conversation with her three friends and finished, "Now I won't have to worry about the question of sleeping with Frank - they know about it before we go. Plus, they admitted that they set it up so they are party to it."

"Well, you certainly brought up so there is no need to pretend that nothing is happening. However, what made you change your mind? You were going to pretend that nothing had happened before and that things had developed because you would be sharing a room there. That's a big turnaround!"

"Yeah, I know and it really was on the spur of the moment. When Ruth said that all the rooms were the same so that our blue room was the same as the green one on the brochure, I could hardly be so unobservant that I wouldn't see that there was only one bed in the room that Frank and I would have. So, I just decided to call them on it and blame them if something developed between me and Frank. Then when they suggested bundling and one of them actually suggested wearing jeans to sleep in, I just spontaneously pulled out that little nightgown to shake them up. I just decided to go all the way and admit that I actually planned to sleep with Frank.

"Boy, were they shocked! I even mentioned the scarlet letter and said that would be their fault! It's funny, they were fixing for me to sleep with Frank because they really wanted me with them, which really is touching, while, at the same time, I was planning to sleep with him and worrying about how they would receive it. Now, we both get our wish without being devious!"

"You certainly accomplished that! What do you think about not wearing your rings?"

"Heavens no! I'm proud of those rings and if wearing them makes it seem more like adultery, I just don't care. I'm a married woman and I'm certainly not going to hide that from anyone."

"From Ruth's last comment, it's pretty obvious that she thinks, accurately, that something was going on with Frank before this came up. Are you going there?"

"I haven't thought about that, but, you know, I'm tempted to do so. They're going to assume it anyway and I think that might be fun to admit it. I don't know. I think that I'll wait and see how they react to the reality that I'm actually sleeping with Frank. I'm pretty sure that they will approve, and if they ask or hint broadly about the past, I'll probably tell them. I'll check with Frank of course, but I have a feeling that our...what do they call it...oh yeah, 'street cred' will go up if they know we're having an affair! If I do say anything, I'll definitely let them know that you at least tacitly approve.

"Which reminds me, I have a feeling that I might be better off at this point to say something to Frank - like I think you know, but you look the other way. I don't think that I want to just say that you told me to go ahead or anything like that. Also, I don't want him to realize that you've known all the time and that I still pretended to him that you didn't. In other words, that the precautions I took were phony. It would be as if I had lied to him or, even, that we were laughing at him with the phony security. In any case, I'm afraid that, one of these times, he'll ask me directly if you know about us. We'll really be together a lot in the next week and I think that I need to be prepared so I won't say something stupid that will complicate things. Do you have an opinion?"

"You do what you think is best there. Your instincts have worked well so far, so I will trust them. In reality, it doesn't matter a whole lot to me. I suppose you could handle it the way you did with the girls - say I asked about the sleeping arrangements because I realized, somehow, that there was only one bed in the room. You didn't want to tell me a direct lie, so you confessed, Then, I could have told you I was pretty sure you were having an affair almost from the beginning, but since I wasn't concerned, I turned the traditional blind eye. I do think that it might be unwise to give the girls anything more than a hint unless you tell him first. You wouldn't want for him to hear it by accident from someone else. If you do end up confessing that your secret love affair is not so secret, make sure that he understands that neither he nor I should acknowledge it in any way! We should act exactly the same as we have up to now - friendly and polite, ignoring the fact that we share a lovely woman, my wife and his married mistress, one and the same!

"As far as the others are concerned, tell them whatever you want. As long as it is very secure, I really don't care. If everyone is discreet and trustworthy, my ego will not be impacted in any way, whatever my supposed role is. Just enjoy yourself, enjoy your friends and enjoy your lover. Then come home and tell me all about it! Next year, it will be our time!"

We did all the necessary things such as last minute packing, making sure that she had money and credit cards, charged up her Ipad and the useless (at the beach house) telephone, included the necessary recharging cables, etc. She was also taking a good Nikon camera - set to auto - for higher quality pictures. She was also going to keep a brief journal of events on the Ipad. We assumed, correctly as it turned out, that wifi would be limited or non-existent. Thus, while I could talk with her daily by land line, we would have to discuss her activities in detail when she returned.

There was one other loose end that Sandy took care that evening. She called Frank and filled him in on her conversation with the girls. She definitely wanted him to know that the women, and presumably the fellows, would be expecting them to sleep together. She added that there might be a suspicion about their overall relationship and they should talk about that when they were alone. In any case, she thought that there might be some teasing about their "shacking up" together on this trip. Not surprisingly, Frank was not too concerned and, in fact, was pleased that there would be no pretense necessary.

So, Saturday morning, a little before 6:00 AM, an enormous van pulled into the driveway, I put her suitcase aboard, kissed her very hard, wished her and them a very reluctant "goodbye and have a wonderful trip," and watched that van disappear out of sight. I felt an emptiness inside that would remain until she returned eight days later. The house had never seemed so big. I wanted her to have a marvelous time and have a wonderful experience - but I missed her!

This was made worse by knowing that we wouldn't be able to talk to each other several times a day as we would have if cell phones worked there. We knew from Ruth that the house had a land line with an extension in each room so, as I said before, we could talk each day, but that put severe limits on both the length and privacy of the calls. Of course, this is the way it was for everybody not long ago - I certainly remember it - but new habits are hard to break, too. In any case, we were prepared for, but hating, a real separation, orally as well as physically.

I watched the clock all morning and, finally, about 1:15 PM I got a call. They had stopped for lunch and gotten to the house about 12:30, unloaded the van and had found their rooms. The place is beautiful, the beach is perfect and they were changing into their bathing suits and were going in the water. She was tired and they - she empathized the "they" - probably would take a nap later.

We talked later that day, briefly, and she was running over with news about the place and, the other couples and, of course, discreetly, about her and Frank - which is where the issue of privacy came in. Extensions are prone to accidental problems if someone else picks up. We talked every day, but our conversations were unsatisfying and many activities could only be hinted at. Consequently, not only was I extraordinarily eager to see her return off the van after nine long days and nights because I had missed her, I also was extremely curious about exactly what had gone on at that beach house in Virginia. The phone calls really were just teasers - better than nothing, by far - leaving with information of their mundane activities but only hints of their nefarious fun.

I could hardly contain my joy as she finally stepped out of the van when they returned. Still, as I kissed her, I did so without the wild enthusiasm that I felt, for I found myself conscious of the fact that the other seven people in that van knew that she had been happily committing adultery with one of their number for the last nine days. Since I hadn't really been able to talk with Sandy about that sensitive issue, I had no idea of what they thought my role in her affair had been. Therefore, I waited until the van turned out of the driveway and greeted her the way I wanted to. Oddly enough, she confessed that she had felt that same hesitancy before her friends - greeting her husband in front of their knowing eyes suddenly was embarrassing!

We soon got over that momentary restraint and the next kiss was a true welcome home. Strangely enough, sexual desire had nothing to do with my happiness to have her home - I just wanted her there with me. However, as is usually the case, sex reared its head not too long after we came down from the simple pleasure of being together. Looming in the background, of course, was the account of her week in Virginia and we were eager to get to it. Finally, I broached the subject by asking a ridiculous question, "Has your cunt had a nice workout since you left?"

"If my cunt was a muscle, it would be ready for the Olympics. Are you ready to hear the story? Yeah, I can see you are! The only drawback to the last week has been the inability to talk to you freely several times a day, particularly when something of sexual interest occurred. Let me get my journal so I can keep things in order. I'll start at the beginning with the trip.

"The van was very comfortable and rode well. We had plenty of room. Frank and I sat together and no one made any comments about us except for when we got on the highway, one of the fellows, and I couldn't tell who, yelled out, "We're on the road, four couples headed for bed and beach in that order - forget breakfast." We made very good time, stopping for lunch and then heading for the house. Fortunately, Ruth knew the way or I'm sure we probably would have been lost. The place was all you could ask, inside and out. We pulled in and the caretaker-maid, Juanita, came out right away - she was very nice and was wonderful in keeping the place neat and clean. She prepared breakfast every day and lunch if we were there! She was worth a lot more than we paid. We went in and went up a long curving staircase and took our suitcases to our room - which gave me a funny feeling, 'our' room not being with you. We all then took a quick tour of the house and you could see that it had been a real mansion when it was built. Big rooms, carved wood trim and molding, high ceilings - beautiful! Not my style, but beautiful.

"After a quick tour, we returned to our rooms and changed into bathing suits - changing with Frank! We all ran out onto the beach, which was white soft sand, and charged into the water. It was warmer than had I feared, it being March, That section of the beach is sheltered by some barrier islands which, apparently helps and the water is shallow pretty far out so it warms from the sun. You can actually walk out twenty yards before it's above your shoulders - considerably further for the taller people - which was everyone else except for Judy. It really was wonderful, especially after that long drive.

"We stayed out for a half hour or forty-five minutes and came in and went to our rooms to unpack and, as Bob said, 'Wink, wink, have a nap!' There was unanimous agreement that a nice long nap would be a good idea! It was, of course, the first time that Frank and I had been alone, so, as you can imagine, there was a great deal of kissing and hugging. We then took a shower together - it was a big shower - and went to bed for the first time in 'our' room. There was no need for much foreplay, and I think that he was in me in two or three minutes. I think the whole situation added to our arousal and we both came after a short time. I started coming before he did and it felt wonderful. Afterwards, we lay together, talking about how good this was and that we had a whole week, actually eight nights together. Then, we actually fell asleep together, so I guess it was a nap.

"When we woke up, almost an hour later, we did unpack and it was fun using the same bureau. He was watching as I put my underwear in the draw and I grinned at him, 'When I go home, I want these panties to go with me!' He laughed at me, leading to another kissing session. Finally, we dressed shorts and a tee shirt for me. That time I wore a bra, but I think that it was the only time at the house. We drove into a nearby town to eat most evenings so I wore it then, but not at home - we called it 'home' for convenience.

"Everyone else was already sitting around the living room when we came down and we were greeted by a number of suggestive comments about our long 'nap'! Frank embarrassed me a bit - in a good way - by saying, "Yes, I love a nice long nap with Sandy! I think that I'll need one every day while we're here!'

"Bob reached over and hugged Ruth and joined in the kidding, 'Yeah, I enjoyed that nice afternoon nab with Ruth on that very comfortable bed that her grandparents had, but I really curious to see what she and it are like all night - will she let me get some sleep?' He received a thump on his arm.

"Ed promptly joined in with, 'Judy has me concerned about that too, but, when you sleep with a woman, you have to take care of her needs as well as your own, I have a feeling that Sandy has a lot of needs, so, Frank, you may not get a lot of sleep at night either!'

"Frank replied, 'You know, I'm afraid you're right. If she's as active at night as she is while napping, I could have a problem!'

"Obviously, they were baiting me, and I know that I was blushing, but I decided to join in and respond to their teasing. 'Ok, wise guys! You and your female co-conspirators have done enough. Here I am, an innocent, respectable married woman lured into a trap in which she is doomed to get Hester's A through no fault of her own - to be condemned by all right-minded people, none of whom, fortunately, are here! There is a vile conspiracy to corrupt me and I think I should sleep right here on this couch to protect my virtue and innocence rather than sleeping with this braggart here!'

"My comments were met with gales of laughter which grew even more raucous as Frank responded, 'After that rather vigorous nap, I'm afraid that there is no virtue or innocence left to save!'