"Well, I guess we all do that sometimes."
Linda just asked Barbara if she felt stuck in a rut in her life.
"No, I'm serious, Barbara. You don't seem to get excited about anything anymore."
Barbara sighed. "Life is... comfortable with Ken."
Excitement sounded nice, but not too much. Real excitement usually meant real trouble. "I mean, we're getting along really well."
Linda tilted her head, studying her. "You've got to think about this, Barbara. Really think."
Barbara stayed quiet, the familiar hum of routine settling in her chest. That was the problem, wasn't it? Too much routine. Too little... something.
"So, did you think about shaking things up?"
Barbara rolled her eyes. "Oh, Linda, you always exaggerate. But... yeah, I thought about it a little."
"But you don't know what to do, do you?"
Barbara hesitated. "Well, I haven't really thought that much about it yet."
Linda's eyes suddenly lit up. "I know! Come with me!"
Before Barbara could react, Linda was on her feet, grabbing her jacket and motioning for her to follow.
"Come where?" Barbara asked warily.
"Just come along. You're being stodgy again." Linda laughed, tossing a jacket at Barbara, practically dragging her toward the door.
Once they were in Linda's car and heading across town, Barbara finally voiced her concerns.
"Where are we going?"
Linda shot her a grin. "I know just the thing to spice up your life."
Barbara immediately stiffened. "And what exactly is that?"
"I know this guy -- "
Barbara cut her off. "A guy!? Turn this car around!"
"No, listen! I swear this is exactly what you need!"
Barbara's heart pounded. "What are you even talking about? You want me to cheat on Ken?"
Linda laughed. "Oh, Barbara, don't be so uptight. We'll just see him. Ken never has to know. Just wait till you meet him!"
Barbara shook her head, her pulse still racing. "Linda, please turn the car around. Do you... do you sleep with this guy?"
Linda smirked. "Ah-ha! Barbara gets curious!"
"That is not what I meant!"
"I swear, he's exactly what you need. He's different from Ken."
Barbara frowned. "What's wrong with Ken?"
"Nothing, honey. But this guy will do things to you that Ken would never do. And you'll let him, because you won't have to see him every day."
A cold shiver ran through Barbara's spine. "Things?"
Linda grinned wickedly. "Oh, you'll find out... With your rear."
Barbara gasped. "Linda!"
Linda just laughed. "Trust me, darling. He'll make you love it. Just wait and see."
Barbara's breath came short. This had to be a joke. Linda had a twisted sense of humor, but this was taking things too far.
"Linda, I swear -- if you don't turn this car around -- "
Linda didn't even flinch. "Or what? You'll jump out while we're going 60?"
Barbara glared at her. "I might!"
Linda chuckled, completely unfazed. "Oh, stop being dramatic. We're just going to meet him, that's all. No one's forcing you to do anything. But if you're honest with yourself, you're a little curious, aren't you?"
Barbara folded her arms, jaw tight. "No."
Linda glanced at her, amused. "Liar."
Barbara hated that smirk -- the way Linda always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
But she couldn't possibly know, could she? That tiny, treacherous voice in her mind whispered: What if?
Her pulse hammered as the car turned, not onto some busy street where she could easily make an excuse to leave, but into a driveway. They were here.
Barbara forced herself to take a deep breath. It's fine. I'll just say no. No one's going to force me into anything... right? But the flicker of doubt twisted in her gut, cold and unwelcome.
They pulled up in front of a townhouse -- dark shutters, a small lantern glowing by the door. Too elegant, too composed, like it belonged to someone who never made mistakes.
Barbara's stomach tightened. Who the hell lives here?
"Who is this guy?" she managed to ask.
Linda unbuckled her seatbelt, her grin widening. "A professional."
Barbara's breath hitched. "A what?"
Linda reached for the door handle. "Relax. He's discreet. He knows exactly how to treat a lady like you."
Barbara shook her head, heat rising to her face. "Linda, I swear -- "
But Linda was already out of the car, walking up to the door. She rang the bell, then turned back, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you coming?"
Barbara sat frozen, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She could still say no. Demand Linda take her home.
But then the door opened.
A woman stood in the doorway -- tall, elegant, perfectly composed. Her gaze settled on Barbara, sharp and assessing. Then, just the hint of a smirk.
Barbara shivered. She had expected a man. But somehow, this unnerved her more.
Linda didn't hesitate, stepping inside as if she owned the place. She glanced past the woman, craning her neck to look into the other rooms.
"Is your husband here?"
The woman's lips curved slightly. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Barbara," Linda said.
The woman's expression didn't change. "And you brought her so James could do her ass?"
Barbara's breath caught. What the hell kind of conversation was this?
The woman's smirk deepened.
"James will be pleased. Yes, indeed."
Linda turned to Barbara, eyes glittering.
"Now, be a good girl and say hello."
Barbara felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. Like she had been here before, though she knew that was impossible.
Something was wrong.
She barely registered the words anymore -- because the woman had reached out, casually, and touched Linda's chest.
Barbara's breath caught. Linda just stood there.
Not laughing. Not teasing.
Just watching her.
"And did you come to take James's cock in your ass too, Linda?"
Barbara barely had time to process the words before the woman's hand slid down Linda's body, fingers skimming over her blouse, tracing the curve of her waist. And Linda -- Linda didn't pull away.
She only glanced at Barbara, something unreadable flickering across her face before she turned back to the woman.
Barbara's stomach twisted.
The woman's hand didn't stop. She reached lower, lifting Linda's skirt, her other hand moving to the buttons of Linda's blouse.
"You want his cock in your ass, don't you, Linda?" The woman's voice was smooth, assured, full of something Barbara couldn't quite name. Amusement? Control?
Linda still hadn't answered.
"You're not answering me, are you?"
Barbara's breath came shallow, uneven.
Say something, Linda.
But Linda just stood there, rooted in place, her lips parting as if to respond -- except no words came out.
"I...," Linda tried, but her voice faltered.
The woman's hand had disappeared under her skirt now, while the other continued unbuttoning her blouse, one button at a time.
And Barbara just stood there, watching.
Something shifted.
It wasn't just shock anymore. It wasn't just disbelief.
It was recognition.
This scene -- wasn't new.
Not for Linda.
Not for the woman.
And maybe... not even for Barbara.
The woman stepped closer, their faces now mere inches apart.
"You're going to let Barbara watch, aren't you, Linda?"
Linda's blouse was already gone, her bra unhooked, her skirt slipping past her hips. She just stood there, lips parted, breath uneven -- stunned into silence.
"Barbara's going to watch you beg him for it," the woman continued. "Beg to suck it. Beg to take it in your ass."
Linda didn't move. Didn't protest.
The woman circled behind her, her hands never losing contact, sliding over Linda's bare skin like she owned it.
"You like it in your ass, don't you, Linda?"
And as she whispered like, her fingers drove into Linda -- sudden, unyielding.
Linda gasped, her entire body jolting forward. But the woman held her there, one hand pressed against her stomach, the other still buried deep.
"Yes," came Linda's reply in a breathy whisper. She no longer met Barbara's eyes.
Barbara couldn't look away. Couldn't breathe. Something about this moment -- the way Linda shuddered, the way she didn't resist, the way the woman seemed to know -- made Barbara realize...
Both of them had been here before. She remembered this.
Barbara's gaze fixed on them, unblinking.
She couldn't look away.
James appeared. An impressive guy - muscular, impeccably dressed. Somehow, he didn't even notice her presence. It was as if she wasn't there.
"You raring to start?" He asked Linda.
Linda didn't respond. She remained silent, still as stone.
Without a word, James grabbed Linda by the neck and pushed her toward a table, forcing her to lean over it.
Barbara's stomach churned. Linda -- Linda -- let him do that? She couldn't believe what she was seeing. This wasn't Linda. Linda never let anyone push her around.
But there she was, bent over the table, completely exposed.
James unzipped his pants.
"You ready, Linda?" he asked.
The woman, who had been watching silently, moved toward them with fluid grace. She grabbed James by the hair, pulling him into a kiss.
Barbara's breath hitched. She could see James's hand on the back of her head now, pulling her closer, and as they kissed, the woman licked his lips, her tongue lingering just a moment too long before she finally pulled away.
She giggled softly, a sound that made Barbara's skin crawl.
"Have fun," the woman said, stepping back. Then, she turned to Linda, grabbing her hair and lifting her head with surprising tenderness.
"You be a good girl, and you'll get what you want," she purred.
Linda's head dropped back down, but the woman held her in place, her hand gently pressing against the back of Linda's neck. They stood there for a moment, silent, before the woman giggled once more, turned, and walked out through the front door.
Everything in Barbara's mind screamed that this was wrong. She already knew. She had to do something about it.
"Okay, Linda, you ready?" James asked the moment the woman was gone.
Linda stayed silent.
Without warning, James slapped her rear. The sharp sound jolted Barbara, her breath catching in her throat.
James leaned over Linda's back, his grip tightening in her hair as he brought his mouth close to her ear.
"I don't hear you," he murmured.
Then he straightened, his hands settling firmly on Linda's hips.
"I said -- are you ready?"
A beat of silence.
