A New Way of Seeing Things

(This story takes place in a fictional world with fictional people. Any similarities to people or things in the world we actually live in is coincidental.)

*****

A hectic schedule and pangs of remorse allowed the Lady to re-establish a modicum of decency to Gwen's life the week following her adventure. Clothes stayed on and toys remained in the closet as Tim worked late three of the nights, and she was leaving for a Chamber of Commerce meeting the only evening his truck rolled in on time. Even the one lunchtime swim she took featured her bikini.

Still, as she sat in the Chamber's conference room and listened to Gloria Parker discuss the details of the upcoming membership drive, Gwen could not help but look about at the other attendees and wonder what they would think if they knew what she had done just a couple of days earlier. What a scandal that would be!

And what secrets did her fellow Chamber members have, the Slut asked? Had Gloria ever posed for naked pictures? And what about the nice young man across the table from her, Nick Menounos? Had he ever done something others might find shocking? What exactly did she find shocking nowadays? A quick recounting of her mental list, started at her mother's urging so long ago and carefully tended to over the years, showed many attitudes and activities that no longer evoked the same levels of discomfort they had a short time ago. Many of the things she had imagined as decadent or disgusting now had a certain allure to them—for other people, of course, not for her, she quickly reminded herself.

A mental image of the young mechanic across from her, naked and wet as he emerged from the pool like in those cologne ads, drew the Lady's wrath. You. Married. Him. Young enough to be your son. Gwen smiled to herself and did her best to concentrate on Gloria's plan for the booth at the upcoming downtown festival.

The dream returned that night for the first time in a long time. Again she was naked and bound on the now familiar mall center stage, the focal point of the crowd of men and women all about her. This time, her keeper made herself known. Natalie stood to her side, dressed in a slutty mockery of the grooms she had seen tending horses at auctions, tight jeans and a flannel shirt tied shut about her midsection. Unlike those grooms, her sister-in-law held a riding crop to remind her charge of the need for posture, as Miss Ritter had all those years ago. Below her, between the platform and the throng of onlookers, stood Liz, dressed in the same business suit she had been wearing when she left the condo the morning of Gwen's photo shoot. The tall redhead eyed her thoughtfully, hand to chin, examining the naked woman critically. At length, she spoke.

"You say she's already been broken?"

"She was trained when she was younger, but as I'm sure you know, once broken, always broken."

"I do like them obedient..." She began to ascend the stairs. "Alright, I'll take her."

Gwen awoke with a start as Liz reached to pet her cheek. The task of separating reality from dream was not filled with the same dread as her first episodes when she had feared mental illness, but there it still brought concerns that perhaps her more relaxed attitudes might not be healthy. Perhaps a return to decency was overdue, the ever-alert Lady reminded her. Sleep returned without Gwen having to make that commitment.

The dream was still fresh in her mind when Natalie called the next morning. Due to its perverted nature and her sister-in-law's co-starring role, Gwen did not bring it up as they talked for nearly a half-hour before they said their goodbyes, Natalie voicing her excitement over the likelihood the photos would be ready for viewing by the time she returned from vacation.

Tim was surprised to see Gwen putting on her one-piece for their after-work swim Friday evening. Concerns quickly filled his mind as he reviewed their conversation from a few nights previous, wondering if he had somehow frightened or angered her into some sort of attitude regression. Nonetheless, he reluctantly grabbed for his own suit and led the way up the hill.

The pleasant, relaxed attitude she displayed at the pool and during dinner further confused him. She didn't seem upset, just more like she had been before things had started getting...interesting. It was not a topic he dared broach however, and let it lie. Their lovemaking that night was also a throwback to the old days, under the covers, in the dark, methodical and to the point. Oh well, Tim sighed, it was fun while it lasted.

Gwen awoke the next morning at her usual time, a little edgy and frustrated. This return to decency might be making the Lady happier, but it certainly was less fun than what she had been experiencing the last few weeks. Their lovemaking the night before had left her both wanting more and an appropriate finish to what it had started, and she wondered if another session with Tim might be permissible. Instead, she made breakfast.

I need new underwear, she decided as she drove into town for groceries that morning. A stop at the mall would definitely be needed before she did the food shopping. You've got plenty of underwear, the Lady argued, but Gwen disagreed. Much of it was old, almost falling apart. The Slut snickered, knowing that to be far short of the truth.

Gwen found herself standing on top of the mall's center stage twenty minutes later, unable to resist the urge to mix reality with her dreams. She allowed herself to tarry a moment, turning slowly. To the passerbys she looked like a woman searching for a planned rendezvous, but in her fantasy, she was turning for inspection. She finally dismissed the thought with a nervous laugh and a shake of her head, and made her way towards her destination.

Gwen found her way to the lingerie section of Crandall's, to the racks and bins she knew held her time-tested preferences. Old habits lingered as she looked about the bustling department nervously, initially unwilling to make it obvious to the other customers what she was looking for, that she might be shopping for garments that would cover her most private parts.

The Slut managed to strike a spark of daring that soon kindled a low flame, and she began to openly browse the familiar no-nonsense pieces, holding them up to examine them, making it clear they were for her. Her attention gradually shifted from the more conservative items to things more daring, low cut-bras and high-cut panties, colors other than her traditional whites. She spent some time deliberating, going so far as to make eye contact and smile at an older man a few feet away while she held a pair of bikini-cut undies up between them. He smiled back with an embarrassed look and averted his eyes, certain he had been caught.

Gwen eventually settled on several items, each more daring than she had ever bought before, and brazenly piled them in front of the cashier while several shoppers behind her waited their turn. Purchases made, the Lady convinced her that she had been wild enough for the day and urged her to head for the grocery store. Gwen complied, smiling at the thought of the contents in her bag, and made for the exit. A display rack just before she reached the mall corridor stopped her. A selection of tennis skirts, shorter than she had ever even considered wearing before, had attracted the attention of the Slut. Try one on, just for fun, she goaded. The Lady did her best to spur her on to the relative safety of the mall, but Gwen just stood and gently lifted the hem of one away from its sisters. She chewed her bottom lip for some time before taking it off the rack. Well, it wouldn't hurt to try it on...she was soon back at the dressing rooms, the memories of her earlier trips vivid. She was surprised by her disappointment in finding the cubicles nearest the waiting area occupied, and briefly considered waiting for one to open before coming to her senses and making her way to a spot near the back of the corridor. Gwen left the curtain open a bit, knowing it unlikely that anyone would see her back here, but not giving up on the possibility.

I could just try it on over my pants, she thought, but quickly dismissed that. No, she decided, she should see just how much leg it would leave bare. Her jeans were quickly discarded but her panties were left in place in a bow to sensibility and modesty, and the skirt was wrapped about her waist. She quickly discovered it ended midway up her thigh, much shorter than anything she had ever worn in public. It wasn't filmy or split, but it showed a lot of leg...middle-aged women shouldn't be seen in such things, the Lady huffed. Most men would disagree, The Slut chuckled.

Gwen modeled for herself in the mirror for some time, turning this way and that. Decision made, she returned to her jeans, paid for the skirt, and confidently marched out of the store and back to her truck.

The packages were placed on the seat beside her as she turned the key to bring the vehicle and its air conditioning to life. Sweat trickled down her chest and into her bra as she sat in the stifling heat, thinking about what she had just done. Gwen found she had no desire to let the excitement of her buying spree go so soon, and continued to glance at the bags as the blowing air turned from hot to tepid. Where would she wear a skirt like that, she mused. Grocery shopping, the Slut replied. Gwen dismissed the idea—she wasn't about to go home to get changed into THAT, and then out again. Maybe she didn't need to go home...an idea began to form as she looked about the parking lot, noting that her truck stood at or above the other vehicles about her. Nervously she pulled out the skirt, examining it for any defects before carefully removing the tags. From the bag of underwear she pulled a pair of cream-colored French cut bikini panties, laying them on the seat before covering them with the bag lest anyone look in and see them lying there. Gwen looked about, checking her mirrors for the approach of an unwary mall patron or worse, before she kicked off her sandals and slouched in the seat to undo the button of her pants. The zipper was pushed down while she did another scan. With a deep breath, her hips came up off the seat just enough to allow her to push the jeans down to her knees before she again slumped into the upholstery and slid them down to her ankles where they were hurriedly kicked off. Gwen knew speed was now of the essence, and her underwear followed her jeans to the floor mat while her heart pounded with the thought that mall security—or the police—would be knocking on her window any second. She couldn't deny the illicit thrill of being naked from the waist down in the middle of a busy mall parking lot, but quickly did her best to thread the pink panties over her ankles and pull them up while keeping her hips below window level. She still did not want to have to explain why she was in her truck in nothing but her underwear and grabbed for the skirt.

Gwen found the successful arrangement of this piece a bit more difficult as she attempted to get it about her and tuck in her blouse while constantly checking her surroundings, but she eventually completed the task. The chill of the air conditioning struck her bare thighs as she worked her sandals back onto her feet, the act of bending over pulling the skirt dangerously far up her legs and giving her second thoughts about wearing this to the store.

Gwen almost lost her nerve and fully intended to drive by the shopping center before diving into the left-turn lane at the last moment. She faced her first problem after bringing the truck to a halt in the parking lot. How to get down out of the big vehicle without giving everyone a show? She was thankful for the car parked next to her, the sedan offering some protection as she opened her door and swung both legs out before gingerly stepping down onto the running board, then the pavement. Senses on high alert, she checked and rechecked her skirt and blouse from the relative safety between the two vehicles before making her way into the store. A gentle breeze blowing up and tickling her partially covered cheeks reminded her just how short this thing was, and again she almost lost her will before grabbing a cart and pushing on. To her relief, nobody seemed to stare or shake their heads in disgust, although Gwen did catch a couple of men giving her admiring glances when they thought she was not looking.

The shopping list was too extensive for Gwen to act on her impulse to grab a few things and go. She moved carefully, delicately crouching to take items from lower shelves, conscious of cool air against the bottom of her thighs as the skirt rode up her legs. She was sure any glimpse of her flesh-colored underwear would leave the voyeur believing she wore nothing at all. The scenario had a certain perverse thrill to it...She managed to make it to the paper goods aisle, noting she was alone there. Gwen bent at the waist to reach for a roll of paper towels, certain her panty-covered bum would have been visible to everyone else in the aisle had they needed cleaning products at that moment.

The bored teenaged cashier seemed unaffected by her attire, the bagger a little more so, as Gwen checked out. She managed to load the truck with her purchases without any further exposure and climbed back into the cab with as much as care as she had shown getting out. The drive home was without incident, and soon the vehicle was crunching to a stop in the Nelson's gravel driveway. Tim saw her arrival, and wandered over from his workshop to help with the groceries he knew she had gone out to get.

"You were gone a wh—" he stopped as mid-sentence as a pair of bare legs swung out from the open door. A wild thought that she was bottomless struck him before skirt-covered thigh finally appeared, followed by the rest of his wife.

"Sorry, I stopped at the mall for a few things," she replied as sandaled feet found the gravel

"Was that one of the things?"

Gwen followed her husband's stare to her midsection. Umm, yes, yes it was. Is it too short?"

On a lot of middle-aged women, yes, he thought, but not you. "No, no, looks great. I like the color." His attention was still on the skirt.

"I've got groceries in the back. If you bring them in, I'll put them away?"

Tim looked up. "Uh, yeah, sure..." He quickly decided not to ask any more questions and just enjoy the view. Chores filled the afternoon, and he was pleased to see that while Gwen wore her bikini up to the pool for an afternoon swim, it was discarded before it even got wet. Beer and wine on the pool deck was shared without a stitch of clothing on husband or wife.

Gwen carried the suit with her as she and Tim made their way iback down to the house in the gathering darkness. A robe was all she wore as more chores were completed before bed, her husband not even bothering to make that concession to the state he had left the pool in. She giggled as he clumped out to the barn in his workboots and nothing else to make one last check. What he would do if someone were to pull into the yard right then? Would he scream and run for the house? Hide in the barn? Smile and greet and the visitor as though it were the most natural thing in the world to be completely naked outside? What would she do in those same situations? Her smile disappeared as she realized the scenario was becoming more arousing than embarrassing.

The semi-erection her husband sported as they made their way to the bedroom made Gwen neglect to put on either nightgown or t-shirt after she removed her robe. Tim lay there patiently, encouraged that his wife had come to bed nude, but waiting for her to extinguish the light before he made his opening move. He was somewhat perplexed when she lay back with eyes closed and lamp still lit.

Tentatively he reached for her, unsure of what Gwen could be waiting for. She had never turned him away before, and she had certainly been more receptive lately than she ever had been, but the last week had been more like the old days, and the weekend's lack of attire only added to his confusion.

Their lips met as his hand snaked under the covers to find her bare hip while her arms wrapped around his neck to draw him closer. They took their time, hands and fingers moving over each other's bodies while avoiding the most obvious pleasure points, lips locked while tongues furtively danced together. Tim's kisses slowly began to make their way down her neck and into the valley of her breasts, occasionally climbing up their slopes, then falling back before they reached the stiffening peaks.

Gwen's hands made their way ever closer to her husband's penis before withdrawing again to begin the trek back. The pleasure she was getting from his attention to her breasts did not distract her from the fact that his hips and lower body were doing their best to bring his staff into contact with her teasing fingers. The Lady chided her for teasing him, but the Slut wanted to find out if her teasing might cause him to dispense with the niceties of husband and wife lovemaking and take her roughly.

She smiled as his lips found a turgid nipple while a hand forced itself between her legs and his penis ground against her thigh. Fingers and mouth worked with a growing sense of urgency, sometimes lightly caressing her clitoris, sometimes roughly filling her opening with a thick callused digit while his tongue danced about her areolae. She clung to his muscular body and felt the thickness between his legs slide wetly across her thigh as her orgasm built steam.

She was lifted, finding herself astride him in one fluid motion, looking down in surprise at him as his length made its presence known at her sex. Tim's hands gently but firmly pushed her hips down, his staff parting her lips and filling her. Her clitoris pressed firmly against her husband's pubic bone, Gwen instinctively fell forward and buried her face in his neck while Tim began to thrust. She clung to his neck for dear life as her climax exploded, dimly aware the body beneath her had thankfully stopped moving, saving her from sensory overload. Her own hips began to undulate slightly as the waves lessened, trying to wring little jolts out of every nerve ending in her sex. Spent, she slumped on her husband.

Tim allowed her a moment to recover before rough hands pushed her up the shoulders and put her in a sitting position astride him. His hips began to thrust again, more urgently, more violently, while the hands moved to her tits and began to squeeze. Gwen, still weak from her orgasm, fell forward onto outstretched arms on either side of her husband, not wanting to stop his pounding or the mauling of her breasts. She looked down at her husband through half-open eyes and saw his were squeezed tightly shut, jaw clenched as he worked up to his own climax. Skin slapped against skin as he seemed to increase his efforts. Hands suddenly flew from breasts to hip bone, pushing her down against his midsection while he gave one last violent thrust up into her. Tim grunted and did his best to loosen his grip on her shoulders while he filled his wife with his cum.

She waited until the body between her legs relaxed before falling forward again to bury her face next to her husband's stubbled chin. They lay there for some time, Tim lightly scratching her back while Gwen nearly dozed off. She felt the penis inside her finally soften enough to make its retreat from her sex, and with an effort, she rose to make her way to the bathroom and clean up.

A healthy dollop of Tim's seed fell from her as she lifted a knee from where she straddled his waist, landing with a delicate splat in the nest of hair just above his flaccid length. She quickly looked at him, embarrassment in her eyes. "Stay there, let me go get something to clean you up with," Gwen commanded as she hurried across the bedroom, hand cupped between her legs to prevent any further accidents.