. 07

Standard disclaimers.

This is a story about sexual exploration and, open relationships. Open relationships can and do happily exist; but they are not for everyone. If you do not believe it is at all possible for open relationships to exist without damage to any and all involved parties, please do yourself a favor and don't waste your time reading this. . Also, this story takes place in a world where STDs don't exist and only babies planned for and wanted do—in other words, a fantasy world. Any resemblance to real-life people is purely coincidental.

Cricket looked over at her riding companion as Marvin picked his way up the trail in the mid-afternoon heat. "So dinner last night was okay?"

Gwen smiled. "It was better than I expected. I only met them once before—"on a nude beach, the Lady huffed—"but Tim did some work for them and they wanted to get together with us for some reason. They're both very nice people." Bob McCallum's gregariousness had ensured there was no shortage of conversation, and his wife Yvette's easygoing nature had convinced Gwen to temporarily relax her normally guarded nature around strangers. The couples had agreed to get together again for dinner as well as an outing on the lake "sometime soon."

"And Atlanta?"

Gwen looked at the rider to her left. "It was good," she offered, smiling and continuing to look up the trail. She had been deliberately vague about the details of her trip beforehand, only telling Cricket that she was spending the weekend away with a friend. The young woman had rightly guessed it was the "special" friend she had been told about before but had not pressed for any further details, and had not seemed upset that Gwen was spending the weekend with her. Cricket had been more inquisitive when they had talked earlier in the week and had been promised more information when she came to ride on Saturday.

The young rider politely waited for Gwen to add details, but none appeared to be coming and her curiosity would not wait any longer. "So, what did you do there?"

Gwen reined Dart in and studied the young woman, a thoughtful smile on her face. "Cricket, if I tell you, you'll keep it a secret, right? I can trust you?" She knew she could, but it was important she hear it again.

"Of course you can, you know that."

"Alright...have you ever heard of a Naughty Nightie Party?"

"Yeah, one of the girls at the bank invited me to one. I didn't go because I don't have any money to spend on that kind of stuff and nobody to wear it for anyways. Did you go to one?"

"I was a model in one."

The young woman's expression was one of shock. "No way! You modeled lingerie? In front of other people?"

"Complete strangers." Gwen omitted anything more specific about the location and attendees. Cricket knew who Sylvia Danning was, and it had been made very clear that the party's hostess and her guests took their privacy very seriously.

"I can see why they would want you to...did your friend model, too?"

"Yup."

"I can't believe how brave you are!"

"I don't know about brave...I was very nervous, at least at first. It ended up being a lot of fun, though."

"Wow...did you have to wear anything really racy?"

"It was lingerie...and the later it got, the more revealing it got...but I'm sure everybody there had seen a nearly-naked woman before."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal! I would have died of embarrassment!"

"I doubt they even noticed me—there were much more interesting things to look at. One of the other models was a very well-built man—I think he's the one everybody was looking at." Except the ones who preferred something a little more feminine, the Slut reminded her.

"A male model? Really? Did you see, uhh, everything? Did he see you?"

"We were all changing in the same room, so...."

The young woman was shocked, but clearly interested. "When you say well-built, do you mean muscular, or...you know...well built?" She glanced meaningfully down to where her riding breeches met the saddle, then back up again.

"Muscular and big, not that I'm an expert in the sizes they come in." Gwen hesitated, then threw caution to the wind and decided to share a bit more. "They played this silly party game with it--, I mean, him, and, well, they had this thing that looked like a flashlight with a very realistic-looking part of the female anatomy inside—honestly, it reminded me very much of how they collect sperm from stallions—you know, the AV they put in a phantom mare?

"No way! I would have loved to see—" Cricket stopped and blushed at her admission. "Sorry, I mean, I mean I haven't seen many guys naked, and I've definitely never seen one get off like that. One of the guys in college played with himself a little bit when I was getting undressed, but I've never seen a man actually, well, you know. I have this really weird fascination with men's bodies. Maybe it's because I haven't seen many in real life, but they just seem so different, so weird," she sighed. "Sorry, guess I'm just weird little pervert."

"You're not a pervert, you're just curious. If you want to look, look. I think most men like to show off, so I'm sure there are a lot that would be very happy to show you anything you want. Just ask."

Cricket laughed. "THAT would be a very interesting conversation. Excuse me, sir? Could you take your clothes off? I'd like a closer look at your naughty parts. Daniel definitely didn't like to show off, at least not his body, and the guys in college were in too much of a hurry to get busy to let me see much. I'm really hoping there's a horny guy out there who'll get drunk enough to hop in bed with me and keep coming back for more until I figure out what I'm doing. Don't see that happening, though. Maybe if I put the flag over my face he can tell himself he's doing it for his country."

"Okay, that's it," Gwen said sternly. "No more self-pity. I don't want to hear it. You're smart, you're beautiful, and you're not bad in bed, you're just inexperienced." She smiled to soften her words. "You certainly learned what little I've been able to teach quickly. We're going to do something about that self-confidence of yours. I know it's in there; I see plenty the minute you're around a horse. We're going to bring that out in you when you're not." She smiled "As for your lack of experience, well, if you're really that anxious to get some time in that particular saddle then we're going to have to do something about that, too."

"We?" The young rider asked with a smile. "What are we going to do about it?"

"We," Gwen repeated, her jaw set. "And I'm not sure what, but...something." She smiled to soften her tone. "Maybe find you a riding partner with a different set of equipment..."

Cricket smiled back and the two rode on in silence for a bit. "Speaking of riding partners, did you and, uhh, your friend, do anything else last weekend?" She finally asked.

Gwen guessed what anything meant and decided that most of the truth was safe, although she was not ready to discuss her decadent threesome yet. "If you mean after the show, we were both a little worked up, so yes, we helped each other take the edge off. Is that what you meant?" The young rider blushed and nodded. "Are you alright with that?"

"I'm fine—you two are friends, just like you and me, and like you said, that's what some good friends do. Is she, uhh, better at...that...than me?"

"Better? No!" Gwen quickly replied. "Just a little...different. Note better, not worse, just more experienced I'd guess you'd call it, like I'm a little more experienced than you. She gets me to push myself to do things I never thought I'd do, like model at a naughty nightie party. She has so much confidence about the things she does; I really admire that.

But you're different, too. You're young and willing to trust and take chances, things I wasn't when I was your age and something I admire very much in you."

The young woman snorted. "I don't take chances anything like the one you and Tim on me—I'd like think you trust me, and I hope that means he does too. He's really special—I mean, he puts up with me and Marvin—and, umm, us. I'm really glad that things between you two are still good despite that," Cricket said quietly, looking down at the back of the horse beneath her. "I have to believe most men would not be so understanding."

Gwen smiled. "It took me a long time to get to that point in my life that I would take a chance like that, and yes, we both have complete trust in you. Tim really does like having you around. I was not particularly smart when I was younger, but thankfully I was smart enough to realize that he's not most men. I do think spending time with you and—" Gwen stopped herself from mentioning Natalie by name—"my friend has made me more, well, let's just say open to trying new things, and he seems to be liking that a lot. I'm very lucky," she agreed. "I love being with him now more than I ever have," she said truthfully. "It's really hard to describe the feeling...you'll see what I mean when you find the right guy."

"With enough booze and dim lighting—" The young woman caught her mentor's stern glare and stopped. "Sorry, I hope I get to see what you mean. You and Tim seem so in love; I can only imagine what it must feel like to be with a guy who wants to make you happy. At least, it sounds like he's making you happy..." The young woman gave a bashful grin, remembering the sounds that came from her friends' bedroom. "But it also sounds like you make him happy, too."

Cricket spent the rest of the ride peppering her friend for more details about her weekend, Gwen answering vaguely in some cases, in detail in others. The young woman kept returning to Neal, obviously fascinated with the thought of a naked man being almost close enough to touch.

The late-afternoon sun was still above the trees when they returned to the barn, the muffled sound of metal grinding on metal in the shop competing with the songbirds and cicadas.

"Swim before dinner?"

"Definitely," Cricket groaned. "It was so muggy today! My shirt is soaked!"

"It was pretty hot today. Let's go get something to drink and grab some towels." Gwen pulled her own sodden shirt away from her skin in a vain attempt to let the sweat beneath dry. She smiled to herself, remembering the first time Natalie had solved the problem by stripping off both shirt and bra, and how shocked and impressed she had been with the casual self-assuredness her sister-in-law had seemed to exude. Gwen's smile widened, and she unceremoniously pulled off her own sweat-soaked top and jog bra while her young friend watched in amazement. "Much better," Gwen announced, heading off towards the house. "Even a little breeze feels so nice on sweaty skin!"

"Aren't you afraid somebody will see you like that?" Cricket asked breathlessly, hurrying to catch up.

"Nobody here but you, and you've seen my breasts before," Gwen replied. "I hate the feel of wet clothes."

"Isn't Tim in the shop?"

"He's seen them before, too."

Cricket giggled. "If you're the cautious one, I can only imagine how much self-confidence your friend has! Got any you can spare?"

"You have to grow some yourself, just like I've been doing."

Juice and water were more deemed more appropriate than wine for hydration before they retreated to their rooms to change. Gwen stripped off her soaked breeches and stood looking at the bikini on the back of the bathroom door, lost in thought, absentmindedly biting at her lower lip. There was another moment's deliberation before she came to a decision, emphasizing it with a firm nod. She grabbed two towels from the linen closet and knocked on Cricket's door. "Are you decent?"

"You've seen them before," Cricket joked. "Come on in."

Gwen stepped into the room and Cricket froze, her threadbare one-piece bunched around her hips. "Are we going to swim?" the young woman asked in confusion, wondering if her friend's lack of clothing meant she had something else in mind before they went up to the pool. The dangerous excitement of an orgasm here and now, with Tim so close, overrode common sense.

"Uh-huh. I'd rather not wear a suit, if that's alright with you. But only if you don't wear yours, either," she added hurriedly. I don't want to be the only one like this."

"Now? Tim's here! If he comes up while we're swimming he'll see us--me!"

"He's seen naked women before," Gwen reassured her. "I promise he'll be a perfect gentleman."

"I don't want to embarrass him..."

"I really don't think you will, but I understand," Gwen said quietly. "I'll go get my bikini."

"No, don't," Cricket replied. "It's your house. You should be able to swim however you want. Are you sure he really won't mind?"

Tell you what," Gwen said, handing the young woman one of the towels. "I'll go talk to Tim and if he doesn't think it's a good idea then we can come back and get our suits. But I'm sure he'll be fine. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." The Lady snorted derisively.

Cricket took the offered towel. "I don't know..." She took a deep breath and pushed the suit down around her ankles. "God, I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Meet you up there," Gwen said with a smile and headed across the yard.

She waited in the shop doorway until he had turned off the grinder so as not to interrupt his concentration while his fingers were so near the spinning machinery. "Tim?"

The ceiling fans above the bay were turning at full speed but that still not enough to keep the space cool, and his gray shirt was dark with sweat. He continued to scowl at the piece of metal he held, obviously not satisfied with his progress. "Yeah?" Tim turned and froze at the sight of his wife in the doorway, naked save for the towel slung over her shoulder.

"Cricket and I just got back. We're going for a swim."

His eyes widened. "Uhh, okay? Both of you? Like that?"

"Yes. I just wanted to warn you in case you were thinking of joining us—Cricket didn't want to embarrass you."

"Oh, uh thanks, yeah," he mumbled. "So you want me to stay down here then?"

"You look pretty hot," she replied, kissing the cheek of the stunned man before turning away. "Come up and swim with us. Or if Cricket was right you can go up after we come down to make dinner. Up to you."

The young woman was primly sitting on the edge of one of the deck chairs, her towel wrapped about her. "Did you tell him?" She said anxiously, eying the naked woman.

"I did," Gwen replied, tossing her towel on the table, "He might come up after he finishes what he's working on, if that's alright with you." She descended the pool's stairs, finally diving forward when she was waist deep. The young woman stood and looked about anxiously, dropping her towel as she hurried to the water's edge and over the side in on motion. The water would offer at least some concealment if and when Tim did come up, and she alternated between treading water and hanging on the concrete lip should he appear unannounced.

He did appear five minutes later, cautiously climbing the hill, carefully looking about as his eyes came even with the pool deck. Cricket saw the top of his head bob into view and dropped lower in the water, her chin just above the surface, as the bare chest beneath the head appeared. Another few steps and his waist and the blue swim shorts he wore were now visible. The young woman was disappointed that he was wearing a suit, not wanting to admit that she had hoped for just a peek of him, just a peek—anything more would be rude—but the thought of seeing what Gwen got to play with every night had her interest. Her own body was not much to look at, but it was all she had to offer in return for seeing a naked man up close and now it seemed he was not going to fulfill his part of the imagined deal.

Tim willed himself to concentrate on Gwen as he stepped through the gate. "I, uhh, wasn't sure what the dress code was..."

"Your choice, right Cricket?"

Tim used this excuse to look to the young woman for confirmation, struggling not to appear as though he was staring. The fading light and rippling water made seeing what was below the surface difficult, but it was clear enough for his active imagination to be convinced that she was nude.

"You shouldn't have to be the only one wearing something," she said with as much calm as she could muster. "It's your pool." He looks as nervous as I am. I don't know how Gwen can be so calm.

Tim hesitated, looking at his wife one more time, Gwen just looking back and smiling patiently. Cricket's nerve failed her at the last moment and she averted her stare in a reflexive nod to his modesty as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts. Tim was somewhat relieved by the young woman's sudden interest in the fence to her left as he pushed them down and dove into the pool in one motion, hugging the bottom before surfacing next to Gwen.

There was awkward silence as the trio did their best to appear nonchalant while treading water, Cricket and Tim both concentrating on keeping their sneak peeks at each other to a minimum. Tim failed at this more often, and he occasionally caught glimpses of little bullseyes atop pert mounds of flesh and a dark smudge between kicking legs. The head bobbing between his own legs has no such concerns and fought to come up for a better look, and its owner was thankful for the cool water both aiding and hiding his battle to restrain it. Tim clearly saw Cricket's bare back and pale buttocks break the surface as she kicked off one end of the pool and the battle was renewed. You saw all those naked women on the beach last year—hell, you saw Yvette jerk Bob off— and managed not to get a hard on, why is this so different, he admonished himself. Because you've jacked off imagining that naked woman sixty-nining with your naked wife, he answered truthfully.

Gwen was more nervous than her friend had assumed, but she was still the most relaxed of the trio. She watched both her husband and friend sneaking glances at the other before studying the deck furniture intently when they had to surface for breath or ran out of pool to swim away in. "I was thinking steaks and a salad for dinner," Gwen announced, and the others, each at opposite edges of the pool, quickly gave her their complete attention. "Tim, could you go start the grill? We'll be down in a couple of minutes and we can do the rest."

"Uhh, sure," he said, thankful his cock had taken a short break from its efforts become the center of attention. He pushed himself up from the water and on to the pool deck in one fluid motion. Cricket could not resist watching his muscular legs and buttocks emerge, thighs spreading as he put a knee on the warm concrete to climb out before standing, and she was rewarded with a glimpse of the backside of his drawn-up testicles. He hurried to his towel and wrapped it about him, grinned sheepishly at Gwen after another surreptitious glance at Cricket, then disappeared through the gate.

"Hungry?" Gwen asked, making her way to the pool steps.

"Very."

The pair stood on the deck, drying themselves. "If we keep going without suits," Gwen said casually as she toweled her hair, "you're going to have to look at him sometime."

"What? I wasn't—"

The older woman laughed softly. "I know. You both were doing everything you could to avoid looking at each other. It's alright to look—it's just Tim. I thought you wanted to see what men looked like without so many clothes?"

"I do, but that's your husband!"

"Yes, he's my husband, but I trust you and he's still a naked man. Not a bad looking one if I say so myself, although I'm a bit prejudiced." Gwen smiled innocently and wrapped the towel about her, a blushing Cricket doing the same. Smoke was already wafting from the grill by the time they got to the deck, and glasses of wine were sitting on the kitchen table for them.