That was the problem with visitors, I reflected. Your secrets aren't ever quite safe.
Taking the wrong door on her way back from the bathroom, Allie had found my binoculars. They were in the spare room, on their tripod, pointed right at the flat behind my house. The kind with an angled eyepiece for comfortable watching.
"So, is your neighbour pretty?" she asked as soon as she walked into the kitchen. Her head cocked to one side, hand on her hip. The years had been very kind to her, and she'd chosen clothes that highlighted her figure. A bronze dress of some soft material with a long row of tiny buttons all the way up the front. It was fitted tight around her body, stitched and embroidered to add stiffness around the boob area, but loose over her hips and thighs. It came to just above her knees, and the heels of her sandals accentuated her legs.
I took all this in while her words made their way from my ears to my brain. My face must have caught her meaning before my mind did, because I felt a rush of heat creep up my cheeks. I considered feigning ignorance while I groped for an answer, but my blush had already given me away.
So I grinned. Allie wasn't a prude. "Not really. But the owners rent out the flat to tourists, and you never know what's going to happen."
I shared some of the stories while we did the dishes. The big one was when two couples were shooting porn: they put up lights and those reflecting sheets, and the men took turns with the camera. But generally it was people too lazy or too unconcerned to close the curtains, even during their lovemaking.
Allie listened with interest. She'd recently returned from several years of travelling the world, and had exchanged her career in law for one in massage therapy. It suited her, and she seemed happier than before. Her skin glowed, too, and there was a vital energy that seemed to radiate from her.
We finished the dishes and I grabbed a new bottle of wine from the fridge. Allie watched while I uncorked it -- one of those modern plastic corks that slid out easily -- but her gaze kept flitting to the window.
"Is there anyone staying there now?"
I paused, bottle in one hand, a pair of glasses in the other. "Yes. A couple arrived this afternoon."
"And?" Allie took the bottle from me and poured. "Did you see anything interesting?"
"Not really. I was busy, but I think they just dropped off their bags and headed out." I took a sip of my wine and stepped into the hall. The front room across from the kitchen was more comfortable.
Allie didn't follow. "There's a light on now. I think they just got back."
I leaned back round the doorpost and glanced outside. Yes, there were lights on, and someone was moving around. "With lots of shopping bags. They must have been busy."
"Is that an en suite?" It was clear that Allie was going to stay and watch. She sipped her wine and raised her eyebrows at me.
"Seems to be. Why?"
"The woman just went in. Probably needed to pee, judging by her hurry."
In the living room, the man had taken off his coat and was placing the bags in neat rows on the low table. "Well, you can't see the bathroom, if that's your thing. Sorry."
She pouted. "No, but it's fun. They're just going on with their day, and they have no clue we're watching."
"You're watching." I took her by the arm and drew her away. "And if you stay here, with the light on, they'll see you. And I'll be labelled a perv when they leave their review."
Her eyebrows shot up, then she smiled. "I suppose." She began to follow me into the hall. "Not everyone needs to know that side of you."
Then she paused, and looked at the door to my spare bedroom. "But that room's dark. And there are binoculars." She pulled away and reached for the handle.
I sighed. Allie usually got her way. "Fine. But wait a moment." I switched off the lights in the kitchen and the hall. "Go on then."
With a delighted squeal she opened the door and tiptoed inside, with me right behind.
The room was in darkness. The binoculars on their tripod were silhouetted against the faint light showing through the crack between the heavy curtains.
Still tiptoeing, as if the holidaymakers could hear her, Allie made her way over. "I see that you've got them all set up already," she said in a whisper.
"Saves time." I felt a grin tug at my lips. "I really ought to remember to put them away when I have guests round, though."
"No! This is fun!" She leaned forward, wine glass held out at an angle as if she was afraid to touch the binoculars. "I see them! They're in the bedroom."
I stood back and sipped my wine as my eyes adjusted. The sight of Allie's arse was always worthwhile. It was fuller than it had been last time I'd seen it up close, filling out the soft material of her dress in a delightful way.
As she bent forward her hem rode up a bit to expose more of her thighs. I remembered how her skin felt, what her scent was like, how the heat radiated from her body. I confess, those memories hadn't been far from my mind ever since she got in touch to tell me she was back.
They weren't the only reason I'd invited Allie round for dinner, but they'd played a big part. Knowing she was back in the country, and unattached... well, I'd wondered whether we could pick up where we'd left off all those years ago.
A small chuckle brought me back to the present. "What?"
"See those shopping bags? I think someone has plans for tonight."
"What do you mean?" I peered across the dark expanse, but it was too far for me to see any details without the binoculars.
"Champagne." Silence, then: "And a corset. Looks like leather. Ooo, boots!"
I bit back a curse. This was exactly the kind of scene I'd love to watch by myself, gently stroking my cock while I enjoyed a strange couple's kinky lovemaking from afar.
But it didn't seem like Allie was going anywhere. She shifted her weight -- the material of her dress swayed with the movement -- and kicked off her sandals. This meant that her arse wasn't sticking up quite as high, and the muscles of her legs weren't stretched as tightly.
But she planted her feet apart on the carpet, toes wiggling a little, and I imagined running my fingers over the smooth skin on the insides of her thighs.
Again it was her voice that interrupted my thoughts before they could run away.
"She's out of the bathroom. Wearing a dressing gown. Quick kiss... Pick up the corset... They're flirting and laughing. Aaand she's heading back to the bathroom. With the corset and boots, and-- Naughty minx!"
"What?"
"She dropped her dressing gown just before she closed the door. She was naked underneath. Nice arse."
I tried to picture it. As it was, I could see the man, with a happy smile on his face, give himself a quick adjustment. He began to strip, awkwardly kicking off his shoes and clawing at his shirt.
Allie was still talking. "That's right, my friend. Take it all off -- including your socks, good man!"
I remembered Allie was the one who taught me how unsexy it was for a man to leave his socks on. Or even to leave them for last when undressing.
"Now, let's see what else we have in those bags, shall we? What's in that box? Small, shiny -- ah, it's a plug! With a tail." Allie rose slightly and glanced over her shoulder at me. "This is going to get good. Will they close the curtains, do you think?"
"Probably not." My voice sounded a little hoarse. "People on holiday don't seem to care who sees them. Part of the thrill, I suppose. No-one knows them, and it doesn't feel real. A bit like spending foreign money."
In the darkness of the room I could see a smile on Allie's lips, and my heart began to thump. That smile brought back even more memories.
"Lucky us," she murmured and turned back to the binoculars. Her arse swayed slightly, like an invitation.
My cock was trying to burst out of my trousers. I knew where this was going now. Perversely, I decided to let it play out slowly. With the uncertainty removed, this was a journey to be enjoyed to the fullest.
So I sat on the chair behind her, close enough so that I could touch her if I stretched my arm. A glass of wine, a beautiful woman and the air thick with anticipation. Yes, I could enjoy this for a while.
Allie seemed to be enjoying it too. "Well, he's left his shorts on. Black, so I suppose that's acceptable. A nice body for his age. Hmm, what are you going to do while you wait for her to emerge? Ah, champagne! Yes, she'll appreciate that."
My attention was on Allie's form now, and her movements. I noticed the small shifts in her position, the way her hands rested on her thighs and her fingers clenched ever so slightly.
"And here she is! The corset looks good on her. You'd love it." Allie didn't offer to make room for me at the binoculars, though. "Boobs and boots. Very nice. And fake cat ears too. I think we can guess what fantasy they're playing out."
"You mean the butt plug?"
"Hmmm." She shook her arse at me. "First the champagne, though. A toast, a kiss. They must be celebrating something. Ah, that's romantic! He's putting both their glasses away, and they've got their arms around each other. Ooo, this is steamy!"
I'd stopped caring that I couldn't see. I was enjoying the effect on Allie. I was enjoying hearing her relay what she was seeing, listening to her voice in the darkness. Noticing where it caught, where she swallowed, what she chose to tell me.
"He likes her arse. Not surprising, it's a beautiful arse. He's squeezing it. He has nice hands. Slim, with long fingers, but not dainty. Strong."
Allie had always liked hands.