The following morning, Andrew and Charlotte awoke with their minds buzzing. Their sleep had not been peaceful in the slightest. Images of naked bodies, feelings of embarrassment and arousal, questions about what the next day had in store, all swarmed in their mind and built into a wild energy that made the idea of rest next to impossible.
As the day opened with a series of small, non-threatening exercises, Andrew and Charlotte began to warm back up to the challenges they faced. Mariana turned out to possess a wealth of serious biological, dietary, and psychological knowledge as it related to sex and fertility. She led them through topic after topic, ensuring that they were all equipped with small notebooks to record everything they'd learned. Along the way, she even quizzed them on earlier topics. She was smart and the instruction was sharp.
Andrew even began to feel embarrassed at his early impressions of the retreat when he wondered if it was just a covert excuse for swingers to get together and fuck in a group setting. In fact, each time something explicit occurred, he found himself enriching a whole new perspective on it.
By the time they were invited to undress again, Charlotte discovered that some of the initial shock and novelty had worn off. Though she was still anxious about being seen nude by strangers, she had established sufficient mental preparedness to cope a little more than she had the day before. After the earlier clothed sessions, Charlotte joined the group in a swift removal of their clothes, doing so in a casual manner that provided an emphasis to how far they had come together.
"You should all take a moment and congratulate yourselves," Mariana said. "You've all completed a major step in terms of feeling comfortable with your bodies and exploring acts of intimacy in a group setting. You've also begun to explore the possibility of opening up about your individual sexual interests and fantasies and finding ways to work those into your lovemaking in order to enhance the experience."
Tender smiles were briefly exchanged amongst blushing couples around the room as they recalled the transformative things they had dared to do with one another in public. Charlotte felt a sudden rush from her brave exhibitionism of the day before, as if the person who did those things was someone else entirely — a phantom person who had temporarily inhabited her body and performed all the things she thought about but had never dared to act upon.
"Yesterday we talked about our fantasies and what inspirations we can draw on to fuel our intimacy. Today let's talk about the various approaches we can take to enhance our lovemaking to act on those fantasies. Suffice to say, making love is an art like any other and there are a host of techniques and styles one may bring to the craft, just as a painter chooses a type of paint, a particular canvas, a style of brushstroke, et cetera. For thousands of years instruction has been provided, through many cultural traditions, to detail the many ways to enjoy physical affections."
Mariana proceeded to collect a book from a small shelf nearby and held it open for the room to see its contents.
"Here we have one of the most famous examples: the Kama Sutra. It is an ancient Hindu text, written somewhere around the second century CE, and is a commentary on the nature of erotic love. Its most famous contributions have to do with its theories on sexual desire as well as its illustrated instructions for deploying various sexual positions."
As she flipped through the book, Andrew, Charlotte, and the rest of the workshop participants gazed in wonder at the intricate, colorful illustrations of nude Hindu lovers, still wearing jewelry and elaborate headwear, engaging in a spectrum of erotic play. The images did not hold anything back, replete with graphic depictions of erections, widely gaping fuzzy vaginas, various styles of foreplay, and some perfectly acrobatic means of penetration. At times, they even involved sex with multiple partners, allowing for the woman to be engaged in more than one act at once or to assume positions that would have otherwise been impossible.
"Many of these techniques are advanced and require quite a bit of study and faithful practice or help to master. However, the essential point to learn here today is that successful, fully-realized states of erotic pleasure require hard work and commitment to the development of proper technique."
Mariana set the book down and continued to extoll the virtues of sacred sexuality from the point of several cultures and periods in history. When she finished providing a broad overview, Charlotte's notebook was filled with the names of a great many topics she wished to study further. A whole world of sexual traditions seemed to be out there, virtually unknown to her, their mystery filling her with excitement.
"Now, I would like us to take a look at some of the most basic techniques that most couples either skip right past or otherwise would like to perform with a greater level of skill. - Joe, Rachel? Would you like to join me at the front of the room?"
Mariana turned and signaled to a couple toward the back of the room, motioning them forward. They rose and began to weave through the crowd, clear to all that she had already discussed their involvement at some point, vetting them for the task. All heads turned to watch the couple step forward and navigate the grid of bodies to approach Mariana. She moved her mat aside, allowing them to replace it with their own, then positioned them next to her, facing the group.
"This is Joe and Rachel," Mariana said, introducing the couple. "They have volunteered to help demonstrate some techniques for us today so we can continue to get our toes wet with the idea of developing a deeper sense of physical intimacy together. The rest of you will be able to follow along eventually, at your own pace, so please don't feel intimidated."
