Counseling Show Stand-In
A last-minute change leads to unexpected consequences.
This is my first story, so feedback will be greatly appreciated. It is currently a three-part story with follow-ups planned. This part is in the exhibitionist and voyeur category, but it also has aspects of nonconsent/reluctance. Other than nudity, there's no action, but that is coming in the next two parts. The second part moves stronger into the nonconsent/reluctance category. Fair warning: The third part includes infidelity, so if that's a trigger for you, you might not want to continue. Standard Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; all characters, companies, locals, and situations are wholly imaginary.
"God, I'm so nervous! I wish Steve were here."
"Me, too!" Stan agreed.
"You're nervous? Mr. Confident? I didn't expect that." Mary laughed. "Getting naked with Steve for a few hours didn't sound so awful. But he's not here, and I'm shaking like a leaf."
"Look, we'll get through it. You guys need the money, and I'm glad to help. By tonight, it will all be over."
Mary and Stan were about to appear on Intimate Explorations, a show in which they would strip naked as they participated in a conflict-resolution counseling session. Initially, Mary and Steve, her husband of 20+ years, were scheduled to appear, but Steve broke his leg at the last minute. In desperation, Mary had asked Stan, a work colleague she frequently argued with, to substitute.
They were waiting for the show to start in the green room, Mary sipping a bourbon on the rocks and Stan sipping his scotch and soda.
"I'm going to try one of the gummies," Stan announced. "Barb said they would help more than the drinks."
"Me too. As nervous as I am now, I'm not sure I could even talk."
Barb, the show's producer, came in just as they finished their drinks. She announced, "There is one more thing to go over. Other than make-up people, this show has a strict no-touch, no-explicit sex policy. We have an internet subscription show called 'Intimate Explorations In-Depth,' which pays quite well. Touching is allowed only if both parties consent and the show ends when either guest says so."
For example, we usually begin with a question like, "For $100, Stan, is it OK for Mary to massage your upper back? If he says yes, I'll follow up: for $100, Mary, do you consent to massage his upper back? If you both say yes, and Mary gives the massage, you've earned $200. If you finish the first five exercises, you get an additional $10,000; after that, each exercise has its own pricing. If you impress the audience, they can add a bonus. Are you interested?"
Relaxed after their gummies and drinks but still worried about finances, Mary and Stan exchanged looks then Mary said, "As long as we can stop at any time, why not? OK."
Barb smiled, "I think you'll be glad you did. Most of our guests tell us it was the best part of the experience." The 'In-Depth' show begins right after the TV show. Stay on stage when the TV portion ends while we make set changes.
"In both shows, you want to connect with the audience to get good scores. Use plain language, say boobs or tits instead of breasts, or cock or dick instead of penis. It makes you sound more honest and down to earth.
"One last thing, it's OK if Stan gets a hard-on or Mary gets wet. Although you signed releases allowing full nudity, we won't broadcast an erect cock or an aroused pussy on TV. They won't go on the air between camera work and post-production blurring."
What Barb didn't tell the couple was that every aspect of the show was designed to turn them on, hopefully driving one or both to an onscreen orgasm. Not only did the gummies contain more than just pot. Everything that touched them, from shower gel and conditioner to their wardrobe, was infused with tiny amounts of drugs, herbs, pheromones, and hormones that would sensitize their skin, lower their inhibitions, and increase their desires. Individually, each product would meet FDA standards with the 'impurities' below set limits. Repeated exposures from multiple sources had cumulative effects that would make their coming arousal seem natural.
Wardrobe and make-up people arrived to complete the final preparations. A divider was extended to separate Mary and Barb from Stan while they changed. Susan, from wardrobe, directed Mary to strip, "Don't worry honey, we've seen more naked people that A&P has apples."
Susan handed Mary the conservative light blue blouse and matching, darker blue skirt they had selected earlier in the day. Mary asked for a bra and panties.
"There ain't none. They only slow you down when you strip off. Get the skirt and blouse on so the make-up people can do their job." Susan commanded.
Mary slipped on the garments and looked in the mirror. Susan had been correct; the colors set off her tan skin and honey-blond hair. She delighted in the satiny feel of the material on her bare skin. Although the blouse offered no cleavage, its tailored fit emphasized Mary's D-cups. She blushed when she noticed the notable peaks her pert nipples made in the thin material.
Mary was pleasantly surprised to discover that Barb was also the MC. When Barb stripped down to change, Mary's eyes widened at the site of Barb's hot Latina body. Mary was quietly proud of how she tightened everything up after the birth of her girls, especially how she had kept her breasts still high and perky. But when she saw Barb's wide hips and even larger tits, she couldn't help but say, "Wow," and feel a little envious.
Barb slipped into a blue-green, wrap-around mid-length A-line dress that complemented her figure. She noticed that Barb had gone commando as well. The dress's V-neck exposed a generous cleavage, enough for any healthy male to wish for more.
Stan wore a pale green short sleeve shirt over dark trousers. The short sleeves showed off his muscular arms, and the color complemented his olive skin and black hair.
Show Time
"Welcome to Intimate Explorations, the show that brings people together! We have a special show tonight!" Barb announced in a rich, contralto voice. "We've brought warring spouses and siblings together. Tonight, we'll find out if our intimate process can resolve workplace conflicts. Welcome, Stan and Mary, who work together at a small company in Florida. Let's give them a big round of applause!"
Mary and Stan sat on two raised, tractor-seat-style stools about 10 feet apart and faced each other. Two counselors sat at an elevated table behind and between the guests. The bright stage lighting made it difficult to see the audience. The lighting emphasized Mary's nipple-tented blouse, and the comfortable stools gently spread their legs.
"Our two counselors for tonight are psychologists with active practices. Although we hope to resolve our guests' conflicts, we emphasize that this is not a formal counseling session. Professional ethics and regulations prohibit such a public session. Along these lines, our counselors will remain anonymous. Please welcome Counselor 1; he's a UC Berkley grad practicing in the Bay Area." After the applause quieted, Barb continued, "And here is Counselor 2; she's a Dartmouth grad practicing in the greater Boston area. Please give her a warm welcome."
"As a reminder of how this works. The counselors and I will ask our guests questions designed to reveal and resolve their conflicts. After each round of questions, the audience will score the guests' responses on a scale of 1 to 5. There are two scores, depth and honesty, which we average to assign a score for the round. The depth score reflects how detailed and in-depth their answers were, and the honesty score reflects how sincere you believe they are. There will be four rounds of questions and responses. Our guests will receive $500 for each point at the show's end. This means our guests could go home $10,000 richer."
"Let's find out more about our guests. Mary, you were initially scheduled to be here with your husband. How did we end up with Stan?
Mary replied, "We ran into unexpected money troubles when we expanded Steve's business, and we started fighting. Once we began to argue, we would fight about everything. A friend suggested this show could help us get along and solve our cash flow problem.
"Then Hurricane Ian hit, and Steve broke his leg while helping a neighbor clear debris. That's when I called you, and you said I needed to find a substitute or be rescheduled. We needed the money now, so in desperation, I asked Stan."
"Stan, how about you? What are you doing here? Barb asked.
"Well, first, I wanted to help Mary. Although we fight a lot, I enjoy working with her. If this show could help us get along and get Mary and Steve out of a hole, I was happy to help." Stan answered.
"Stan, tell us briefly about your background, your age, and how you came to be working with Mary," Barb directed.
"I'm 37 now. I was a city kid; I grew up in Newark, N.J. I worked for a big marketing firm in New York City until our boss Bob recruited me to move to Florida."
"Nicely done. Mary, same question."
Mary replied, "I'm 41 now. I grew up in a small town in North Florida. I met my husband on the college swim team, and we've been together ever since. I finished my degree and then worked for a big firm in Orlando until Bob recruited me for his firm." As Mary spoke, she was surprised to feel relaxed and comfortable -- this isn't so bad, she thought.
"Wow, it may not be Mars and Venus, but you two certainly come from different backgrounds! Stan, I noticed you didn't mention a wife. Is there or was there a special woman or man in your life?"
Stan laughed, "I was married for 10 years, but we grew apart. When it came time to move to Florida, we went our separate ways. We never had children, so it was pretty easy. Since I've been in Florida, I've been dating but don't have anyone special right now."
"Ok. I think we have a general picture. Let's start our 'Intimate Explorations.' Counselor 1, do you have a question to get us started?" Barb prompted.
"Yes, this question is for Mary. Tell us briefly why you don't get along with Stan."
"That's easy, and he's heard me say it to his face. He's an arrogant, rude, misogynistic pig."
"Can you give us a specific example?" the counselor prompted.
"Last week, one of our clients was in the office. After she left, Stan turned to us and said, "Wow, with a rack like that, she's her own advertising." Mary snorted.
"Was the woman provocatively dressed?" Counselor 1 asked.
