A New Way Of Seeing Things Pt 03 Ch 12

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.

*****

"Did you bring it?"

Natalie smiled. "Yes, I did. It's in the car. I'll get it for you after we're done shopping." Gwen had waited patiently for her sister-in-law to hand the contract over, almost fifteen minutes after they had met in the mall's center court, but had begun to worry it had been forgotten. She had asked for Adam to courier it over, not wanting to take a chance on being spotted by her father if she stopped by the firm to pick it up, but Natalie had volunteered to deliver it in person. "C'mon, we both need dresses for the dinner next week," she said, leading Gwen away from the central seating area.

"I'm sure I've already got something," she answered, following the blonde nonetheless. Something safe and proper, she thought sourly, not that the idea appealed to her. Gwen's parents were going to be there, and her mother would be quick to judge should her daughter's attire be anything less than respectable. The Currans had appearances to keep up, and if her daughter-in-law or grandchildren were likely to be found lacking, Gwen would not be.

"There are little black dresses that don't look slutty," Natalie said mischievously.

"To you maybe, but to my mother, they all show too much skin. Even the ones I already have." Gwen replied with a shake of her head.

"A circus tent shows too much skin for her," the blonde said with a laugh. "She'll just have to deal with it. So, you're going to do it?" There was a look of confusion on her sister-in-law's face. "The modeling? The contract?" she prodded.

"I'm not sure, maybe," Gwen fibbed. Her mind was made up, she reluctantly admitted, Tim's enthusiastic go-ahead had made the decision easier, but there was still time to say no, the contract wasn't signed and delivered yet..."do you think I should?"

Natalie smiled. "Remember what Liz and I posed for? This sounds tame by comparison. It IS tame, by comparison, right? Nothing you're not telling me? Nothing kinkier?"

Gwen looked around nervously, checking to see how close the other shoppers were. "No!" she exclaimed, adding in a softer tone, "at least, it didn't sound like that. Mrs. Danning said it would be artistic."

"Then yeah, do it. Sounds like fun while making a rich and powerful friend."

"I seriously doubt she thinks of me as a friend," Gwen replied truthfully.

"Here," her sister-in-law said, pulling her into a women's clothing store. She selected several dresses and a couple of pairs of heels, presenting them to the clerk at dressing room desk. "Be right back," Natalie said with a mischievous grin, disappearing down the corridor. She returned a few moments later, now dressed in one of the pair of heels and a red dress that, while it seemed a respectable length, at least for Natalie, featured a V-neck that put a significant amount of the cleft between her breasts on display. The way they bounced as she returned told Gwen her sister-in-law had taken off her bra to try this on, and her mounds threatened to spill out the cut between them.

"It's, uhh, pretty low cut," Gwen told her. "You're going to have to be careful not to fall out of it, even with a good bra. Might be embarrassing, and even if you don't, my mother will definitely not approve."

"Nuts to your mother," Natalie said with a smile. "Your brother is the only Curran I'm trying to impress. Well, him and you. Whattya say? Would you like to see them get loose?" She shook her torso suggestively, her breasts threatening to do just that.

"Stop that," Gwen said, looking around. "What if someone sees?"

"What if?" Natalie took a step back into the corridor, out of sight from the rest of the shop, and shook again. On cue, first one breast, then the other, escaped their restraint, the dress sliding under and around the swaying mounds to push them out even further.

"You're crazy," Gwen said with a laugh, and the blonde retreated to the dressing room. She returned a moment later, this time in the other set of heels and a black dress that while shorter than the first, was not as low cut and managed to do a better job of containing her breasts, although there was still a decent amount of cleavage on display. "I like that one better," Gwen told her. "I like your hair color against the black."

"More boring," Natalie sighed, "but I think you're right. I'll just have to find other ways of getting Adam's attention. Speaking of which, come with me please."

Gwen's expression turned to quizzical as she followed the woman to her dressing cubicle, ducking inside after Natalie. Her sister-in-law casually pulled the dress over her head, confirming her missing bra and panties, then turned her back to her sister-in-law. "Can you take a picture of my heels?"

"What for?"

"I want to see what they look like. Please? Be sure to get my whole body in the shot."

"Your whole body?"

"Yeah, I like to think heels make my legs and butt look less flabby, even if it's not true."

"You're not flabby..."

"And I don't have a tight little booty like yours, either."

Gwen sighed. "Alright, where's your phone?"

"Use yours."

"Really?"

"Really."

She reached into her purse and aimed. Natalie had affected a bit of a pose, one hand on a jutting hip while she looked over her shoulder, her hair partially obscuring her "come and get it" look. "Take a few to make sure you got a good one."

"Let me see," Natalie asked after Gwen had announced her success.

"Ooh, that's a good one." The blonde brought up the keyboard and started typing.

What are you doing?"

"Sending it to Adam to see what he thinks."

"But it's my phone!"

Natalie laughed. "Are you concerned text and data charges may apply?"

"No, but it's my phone," her sister-in-law repeated. "Your..." she lowered her voice, "naked pictures, on my phone."

"He knows you've seen me this way." Message sent, she returned the device. "Okay, your turn. Strip down and get in the other pair of heels. I'll get a shot or two of you."

"Me?"

"You. Tim deserves something nice, don't you think?"

Gwen hesitated. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yup. Out of your clothes and into the shoes lady, or else I keep asking louder and louder until everyone in the mall can hear me."

Gwen shook her head and began unbuttoning her blouse. "I'm not sure about this..." She stopped after reaching her underwear.

"Everything," Natalie insisted. Gwen rolled her eyes and finished undressing, stepping into the shoes. "These are too big," she insisted.

"You're not going dancing in 'em, just stand there and turn your ass to me."

"Don't you need my phone?"

"I've got mine...pose pretty, you supermodel you." Gwen imitated Natalie's head turn, looking back over her shoulder, bowing her head to at least hide some of her features as her hair was tied back in a ponytail. "...and, got it. God, I wish I had an ass and calves like yours." She stood there while her sister-in-law quickly flipped through the results, finally settling on one and beginning to type.

"You're only sending that to Tim, right? And then you'll erase them all?"

"Why? Want me to send one to Liz? Or Adam?"

"No! Please don't!" Liz would be bad, her brother, worse.

"Relax, just Tim, and then erased." She hit send and turned the phone around so Gwen could see the results. The Lady was horrified, the Slut pleased. She was forced to admit, they weren't that bad...you could barely tell who it was.

***

Tim's truck was the second to arrive back at the shop that evening. Gwen was at her desk, nervously awaiting his return, both excited and fearful as to what his reaction might be. The excitement of what she had done in the dressing room had made her feel the need for her vibrator upon her return home "to take the edge off", but she still had not gotten a response from Tim. Had he even seen it yet? What if he was upset it had come from Natalie? What if somebody else had seen them because he didn't know what she was sending? What if somebody did see them, the Slut purred? Besides, it came from somebody else's phone—they probably wouldn't even know it's you. Surprisingly, this possibility caused a tinge of disappointment.

"Good day?" she asked after descending the stairs and chastely kissing his cheek.

"Good day," he said with a disarming smile before bending in to whisper in her ear. "I got distracted this afternoon. Lucky I didn't hurt myself."

"Sorry," she said with a hint of a smile. "It was Natalie's idea."

His own smile remained. "It was Natalie's phone, too." And then he was off, supervising the unloading and reprovisioning of the trucks.

She was at her desk, sorting the collected invoices and requisition forms, when Tim trudged up the stairs after seeing the last employee off, each step sounding like an effort.

"You must be tired," Gwen said, glancing up from the stack of papers at the head bobbing up above the landing.

"Long week," he admitted. "Nice pick me up this afternoon, though. Better than coffee."

"So it was alright she sent it?"

He chuckled. "Better than alright. But it was a surprise, coming from Natalie. I spent all afternoon wondering what you two had been up to." He gently pulled her to her feet and to the side of the desk. "I was also thinking about getting to see the real thing too, after I get cleaned up..." he began, leaning in to kiss her.

Gwen smelled sweat, must and PVC cement, the smell of her husband. She stepped back and reached for the buttons on her shirt for the third time that day. "Would you like to see now?"

Tim held his hands up. "Maybe just look and not touch for now. I'm kinda dirty, see?"

"That's alright," she said, continuing to undress. "We can both clean up after." She kicked off her shoes then shimmied out of her jeans and underwear, standing naked before her husband. "Is this what you wanted to see?"

"Yeah, that, and," he reached for her, firmly yet gently positioning her against the side of her desk, facing away from him, "this." Tim caressed her smooth flank, running his rough palm over her left cheek, admiring. Unbidden, Gwen bent forward, resting her hands on the worn wood, presenting her rear end to him. He took his time, looking her over, appreciating what was being offered to him, stroking here, caressing there while she looked ahead and allowed his close inspection. He slowly sank to his knees with a contented groan to plant a light kiss on one cheek, then the other. His tongue worked lower, looking to find her most intimate spot, and Gwen thrust herself out further to help him. His tongue touched her lips, tasting her wetness and adding to it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him slowly get to his feet and heard the sound of his belt buckle being undone, the soft swish of fabric as his pants dropped about his ankles. He shuffled forward, his erection bumping against her opening, once, twice, as if testing for the right entry, and then split her open. Gwen wiggled her hips in welcome and thrust back. Greasy fingers grasped her by the hips and pulled, leaving dirty stripes on her lightly tanned skin. Tim took her gently yet it was clear to both her was in control, the woman impaled on him happily allowing him to take until he emptied himself inside her. After a shower and dinner, they satisfied each other again before sleep.

***

Even in the shade of the tree-lined trail the air was heavy and humid, the weight of it seeming to muffle the noise of the forest and the hooves thudding up the dirt path. Both riders had lapsed into comfortable silence after their hellos when Cricket had arrived earlier that morning, lost in their thoughts they had saddled their mounts and then as their horses plodded up the first rise.

"I had a drink with a guy last night," Cricket softly volunteered, glancing over at her friend.

The news shook Gwen out of her reverie. "You had a date? Really? Good for you! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I'm not sure it was an official date...there's this guy in Mortgages, he asked me if I wanted to go out for a drink after work yesterday afternoon."

"Is he nice? Did you have a good time?"

Cricket grimaced, looked down at Marvin's neck, and shook her head. "He's got a reputation as a ladies' man...the rumor is he's been with a lot of the women in the office, even some of the married ones. I was going to say no because I was pretty sure he just wanted a one-night stand, but then I got this crazy idea that I did too, and I could get it out of the way."

"Get what out of the way?"

Her friend looked down at the path beneath her. "You know...my first post-marital sex. With a guy, I mean," she quickly added.

Gwen smiled in understanding. "So, how was it?"

The young woman shook her head. "It didn't get that far—I got cold feet. He was pretty full of himself, and the more he talked the more I got the impression he thought I owed him for the drink, so I don't think he was too happy when I didn't go home with him. I couldn't go through with it—definitely not with him, maybe not with anyone. It was a dumb idea."

"Oh. Well, I don't think it was dumb, but it sounds like you made the right choice, then. That's not something you have to rush into. There are plenty of other men..."

"I guess," Cricket sighed. "I think I may be ready, but not that way. I want it to be the right guy, somebody safe. I don't want a relationship necessarily, at least not yet, but I do at least want to maybe be held after, maybe even be asked to stay the night. I always like it when you and I do that...after. I just didn't get the feeling he was the type for that."

"It's nice when you have someone...after," Gwen agreed. "I always feel bad about going back to Tim after you and I...I get someone to hold and to hold me and I feel bad that you don't."

It was the young woman's turn to laugh. "What I do get is still more frequent and far more enjoyable than when I was married."

They rode late into the afternoon, returning in time for a quick swim before dinner. Tim finished up his work in the shop to join them in the pool, the trio slowly but surely becoming accustomed to their shared nakedness. There was an unspoken requirement for at least shorts and t-shirts during dinner, but Tim couldn't help but notice neither woman had felt the need for a bra. He also couldn't help but wonder if they had omitted panties as well...

They sat on the deck after, enjoying the warm evening as the sun sank low in the sky, the mugginess remaining as the shadows grew long. The chirp of the business phone interrupted their quiet conversation, and Tim put a hand on Gwen's shoulder while rising from his chair. "I got it."

He disappeared into the house and was gone for some time, finally returning in a Nelson Plumbing t-shirt and work pants. He dropped his boots on the wooden deck with a thud and sat to put them on. "Gotta go," he grumbled. "Backed up toilet in a one-bathroom house."

"Think you'll be long?"

He smiled. "Don't wait up."

Gwen returned his smile. "Don't be out all night. Paperwork," she reminded him needlessly. He rolled his eyes and grunted, then rose, kissed her, and ambled across the yard to his truck. The women watched him go, slowly emptying the shared bottle of wine while the multicolored sunset beyond the trees gave way to darkness. The night was quiet, still enough to hear the horses occasionally shaking off a biting insect in the paddock. They sat there until bedtime in an easy silence, enjoying the cooling air and each other's presence. "Waiting up for Tim?" Cricket finally asked, her soft, almost childlike voice loud in the stillness as she rose and collected her empty glass.

"He told me not to. Going to bed?"

"After I tuck in the horses."

Gwen rose, collecting the bottle and her own glass. "Let me help."

The chores went quickly with two sets of hands, and Cricket said her goodnight back in the kitchen, hugging her friend. Gwen looked at her contemplatively. "Just me in my bed," she offered. "Want to share?"

"Just you for now," Cricket said with a shy smile. "Are you sure you don't mind? I'll go back to my own when Tim comes home."

"Let's see what happens." They slipped under a thin blanket and crisp cotton sheet, their naked embrace remaining innocent for some time, just enjoying the soft warmth each held. Slowly, the feelings of well-being turned into arousal. Lips met and hands began to caress, their kisses becoming more passionate, their touch moving to more intimate areas.

The soft drone of the central air conditioning did not hide the sound of a truck engine pulling into the driveway from ears long accustomed to listening for it. Cricket was not as sure, breaking their kiss and looking at Gwen questioningly. "Is that Tim?"

"I think so, yes."

The young woman hurriedly flipped back the cover. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, then—"

Gwen gently stopped her. "Don't. Stay here. There's room."

Cricket looked back at her friend, wondering if this was some sort of joke—or test. "R-really? Are you sure? What about Tim?"

"I'm sure," Gwen said with a gentle smile. "Unless you'd rather not..."

Cricket glanced nervously at the open bedroom door, expecting him to walk through it any second now. "Are you sure?" She repeated with more urgency.

"I am if you are." The young woman decided quickly, flopping back and pulling the blanket up to her neck, wide eyes peeking over the top and staring at the doorway. Gwen sat against the headboard with knees drawn up against her chest, the sheet covering them, listening for the sound of her husband's boots on the deck. She heard them, then the sound of the kitchen door opening and softly closing, followed by two soft thuds of boots being dropped on the mud mat. There were stocking-padded footsteps and the light from the kitchen was partially blocked by the body coming down the hallway.

"Everything go okay?" Gwen asked softly.

"Yeah," he replied, pulling his shirt over his head as he entered the darkened room. "I can never get over how much fun a three-year old can have flushing stuff down a toilet. I'm ready for bed," he told her, putting his phone on the dresser behind him before turning back. "Just want to shower f—" It was dark, but there was enough light to see his wife sitting in the middle of the bed and the outline of a body under the covers beside her, two faces, one outwardly calm and the other wide-eyed, looking back at him. "Oh, uh, sorry, uh, Cricket, didn't realize you were in here. I'll, uhh, go shower in the other bathroom."

"Don't be silly," Gwen said with a gentle laugh. "Go take your shower, then come to bed. There's plenty of room next to me."

He looked at his wife doubtfully. "You sure?"

"Yes," she answered with more confidence than she felt. "Go take your shower."

Tim hesitated, torn between the door to the left and the one to the right before choosing the master bath, averting his eyes from the bed and its occupants. He hurried through his shower, distractedly washing up while his mind raced. What was Gwen up to? A threesome? No way in Hell! Maybe she's just making so Cricket doesn't have to stand outside the room when we screw. That thought was enough to make the blood surge to his cock. Easy, he reminded himself. It could be she's just letting her sleep with us, as in, just sleep.