After our office exploits nearly got entirely out of hand, there were a number of ways that things could have gone. We could have called it quits after seeing quite clearly that our games could very well lead to our destruction. We could have toned things down, promising to keep things close to home and behind closed, locked, and non-public doors. It could even have meant the end of our relationship if we asked ourselves who we were fooling. That the only thing that seemed to be keeping us together was something that had us on the road to personal destruction.
We had quite a few long discussions and surprisingly they were not about the negative aspects of what happened. Granted, it was discussed that we came awfully close to ending up in an awkward or dangerous situation. Neither of us had any illusions that Gerald could have made things most unpleasant for both of us. Although it would have most probably cost me my job, Katie was definitely the one with more to lose. Even if she gave in to his sexual advances not only would he end up telling anyway, but I doubt that he would be either gentle or kind. From all that Katie had been through earlier in her life, I knew the toll that would take on her.
Other than that aspect, which was actually discussed very little, our discussions were mostly positive. We both reaffirmed that this was to be a shared pastime, not something where Katie went off on her own and then shared her exploits with me later. It also was not about swinging or free, wild sex.
Looking back on our conversations, we are both sort of surprised that one or the other or both of us did not suggest calling an end to our little games at this point. When I finally admitted to Katie some time later that I was more than ready to call it quits with our games or tone things back severely but had decided to leave the decision up to her and follow her lead, she laughingly admitted that she had been in exactly the same position. She was about ready to give in and call it quits, but did not want to bring things to an end over her insecurities and that she had come to trust me enough that she left it in my hands. As time went on, though, she began to think more about the good parts of our games and put that one incident behind her. I agreed that my experience in the weeks after the incident had been about the same. But these revelations came months later for us.
The more immediate discussions started out with being more aware of our situation when we were playing. We had been lulled into a false sense of security in the office after nothing had happened for so long. We talked about what risks we were willing to take and what to do when someone stumbled across us. Accepting that there was a real chance of being found out actually put us in a more secure position because we would not be caught entirely off guard. Talking about these possibilities eventually was what led us to more discussion about purposefully exposing Katie to people.
We discussed the times that other people had become included in our games from the very first incident at the restaurant, to Greg encountering us out at the park and then the "planned" incidents at the car dealership and with the fishermen. Of these incidents, Katie had better feelings about the restaurant incident and the episode with the fishermen. At first she had a bit of a time explaining her reasons even to herself, but she finally agreed that it had a lot to do with the attitude of acceptance that she got in those incidents.
Her least favorite of the episodes was the one at the car dealership. Even though she ended up showing the least there, it was the most "stereotypically sexual" of the displays as she put it. Although she felt a certain power in her sexuality and had the salesmen bumbling around like morons, she had no doubt about the "locker room talk" that had followed between them once we had left.
In contrast, the couple at the restaurant had been very appreciative for being included into our private moment. Katie says that she gets a warm feeling when she thinks about the two of them, although we have never seen them since. Likewise, with the older fishermen, she feels that they appreciated her for adding a little spice to an otherwise normal day for them. They were courteous and charming she explains.