Emily and Jackson just returned home from their day on the job. Both tired and a little distracted, they barely nod at Steve and Cyan as they pass through the kitchen on the way to their room to change out of their work clothes. Emily glances into the other bedroom.
"
SHRIEK! Steven! There's a naked woman on your bed!
"
"
There had better be! Why is that a problem
now
?
"
"
Steven?
" a different voice breaks in. "
You didn't tell her about
me
? You fuck everybody. Why is she surprised?
"
An embarrassed "Oops..." can be heard from the kitchen.
Chased into the back of the house by Cyan's laughter, Steve admits, "Glo? I was thinking you'd have gone home before they got here."
"Not before you give me another orgasm, Steven," the woman deadpans.
Em and Jax start to laugh at this scene. Jax shakes his head for his usual retort in these circumstances, "Steve, you can be
such
a cad sometimes." Jax sticks his head into the room, "Hi. I'm Jackson. This is Emily. You are?"
"Gloria. Gloria Appelbaum. From three doors down."
Still chuckling, Emily confronts her main man, "You never told us you were doing neighbors, Stevie. But she's right! You
do
fuck
everybody
. All the women, at least."
Steve sighs. "You two get your clothes off and come back here, and we'll chat, okay?"
They duck into their room.
Gloria asks Steve, "How come you hadn't told 'em?"
"Didn't think I needed to. You and I haven't done this for nearly two years. Not like either of us don't want to, it just never came up."
"You are going to tell 'em
now
, right? And everything that goes with it?"
"Yep. I'll read them in."
Jax and Em step back into the bedroom and flop down on the big bed. "'Read us in' about
what
, Stevie?" Emily sort of complains.
"Well first, this is all on the QT.
You know
I don't mess with married women if their husbands aren't along for the ride, right?"
"Right. Why's this different?"
"I dunno. It just is. How long we been doin' it, Glo?"
"Eleven or twelve years, I guess."
Cyan walks in to join the conversation, "More like fifteen or sixteen, Glo. But it's been very infrequent. Last time was two years ago. Hmm. Maybe three. Months before you guys got here."
"Why not her husband?" Em inquires.
Gloria is quick to respond, "
Very
traditional ideas about marriage and the woman's place in the relationship. 'Barefoot and pregnant' stuff. Problem was I couldn't get pregnant, and his interest in sex waned since we couldn't have kids. He was, 'What's the point?'"
"No divorce?"
"Nope. We have a good life together, just no sex. Besides, too much time had elapsed and it was impossible to restart my career. Everybody wanted a college degree by that point. Wasn't going to happen."
"Spousal support?"
"Nuh uh. We're of modest means. He could never handle two households. We still love each other, anyway."
"So Stevie here fills the void. How'd you connect that way?"
Cyan answers, "Block party. Steve and I were already hearing wisps of rumors that we held sex parties, which of course was true, but at this normal gathering the drinks were flowing and Glo took me aside."
"Yeah!" Gloria chuckles. "My tongue was maybe a little loose. 'Any chance I can borrow that hunk of a man you have?' is what I recall asking. I really wasn't that drunk. The truth was barely skin deep, so it didn't take much. The funny thing..."
"...is I said 'yes, of course.'"
"I was flabbergasted not expecting
that
at all. But we arranged for a visit, a 'cup of sugar' thing. So here we are. We've been keeping this a secret from Roger the entire time."
"And the rest of the neighborhood," Steve breaks in. "We need to be really careful, guys. When we make a date, she comes in and goes out the back."
"Nice to meet you two, by the way. Steve and Cy have always been a little different to the rest of us, but those of us who have had a chance to get to know them appreciate their alternate approach to life and love, even though it runs counter to everything we've been brought up to believe. Steve? Orgasm? Please?"
Everybody chuckles.
"Guys? This is just for Glo and me. She's not a swinger and certainly isn't looking for an audience."
"Understood," as Emily rolls over to give Steve a kiss. "We'll help Cy work on dinner."
"Thanks."
=====
Gloria is leaning on an elbow for her pillow talk with Steven. He is propped up on the headboard, relaxing in their afterglow.
"They're nice kids, Steve. That whole desert story is pretty amazing, actually."
"Kismet. Divine intervention. The stars aligned. Something like that. We were deeply in love before we even got to Kingman that evening."
"But you and Cy were experienced swingers and knew not to let things happen that way."
"This was completely different. The logical me tried really hard to push back against Emily's obvious pull towards me, but there was something magical there. I love Cy, always have and always will, but Em and I were puzzle pieces looking for our mates, apparently. And of course there was the energy 'tween Cy and Jax."
"You said they couldn't keep their hands off each other."
"For the four days driving home, the times they
weren't
fucking could have been measured in minutes."
Glo chuckles.
"Hey, Steve. You know I see you just for the sex and don't expect anything else, but..."
"'But'
what
, Gloria?"
"I'm thinking about branching out a little here given the circumstances."
"Okay..."
"Since they know and know why, and share in our need for discretion..."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'd like to have Jackson, that's what. I just saw him naked, and he appeals to me."
"You could have asked that four questions ago." Sitting up and shouting out the door,
"
Jackson?
"
Footsteps can be heard in the hallway, followed by a growly, "You rang?"
"Very funny, Jax. Glo here wants to fuck you. You okay with that?"
"Sure! Did he?" asking Gloria.
"He did."
"Shower first, if you don't mind."
Steve chuckles, "Sloppy seconds. In the beginning I kept doing it to him with Cy and Em."
"Sloppy seconds?"
"Sticking it in right after another guy has cum in you."
Gloria laughs, "You said you four are married to each other. Sure sounds like it. Jax? You can assist."
"My pleasure."
"I'll leave you two to it." Steve excuses himself from the bed and bedroom.
=====
Steve grabs a sitting towel and settles into his place at the kitchen table. He's amused in having caught the tail end of an incriminating chat between Cyan and Emily.
"So evidently Cy has been telling tales of my exploits with other women in the neighborhood."
Emily giggles, "She sure has!"
Cyan laughs.
"Has she got to the big one yet?"
"You mean you and Davenport?"
"So she has."
"Uh huh. That it explains why she's constantly on our case about the parties."
"And that she was in love with me?"
"That, too."
"Cy, did you bother to mention that Gary Davenport walked in on me in bed with Rosalyn? She was on top, by the way, grinding on me in cowgirl. Gawd that woman could fuck."
"Didn't get to that little detail, Steven. Just told 'er you were responsible for their divorce.
Emily snickers, "I thought you didn't mess with marrieds."
"I sure didn't after that. He pulled a gun out of the nightstand. Thankfully it wasn't loaded, and while he was looking for the clip, he broke down sobbing in the realization that it was over between them, anyway."
"Close call."
"Not really. Gary was a nice, well-meaning guy. There was no way he had the mettle to pull the trigger. Roz could be a bit of a shrew, which is one reason I broke it off with her after that. I especially didn't want to be around and in an ongoing relationship with her during the divorce proceedings. Nate read me the riot act about letting it get that far. He was on the bench at the time and lectured me, 'You're too smart for that shit!' were his exact words."
"And she didn't take it well, kicking her husband out and then
not
getting
you
in the bargain."
"Duh."
"Don't know what to think, Stevie. That sure isn't the Steven
I
know."
"Jax is right when he ribs me about being 'a cad'. You know I love the ladies, and the letting them love me back sure carried risks."
"What's funny -- interesting funny -- is that Cyan stuck with you the entire way."
Cyan starts laughing so hard she had to grab the counter.
"What did I say?"
"Oh, she was a busy girl herself back then. You've seen how she can get."
"Oh? In what way?"
"You're walking in her footsteps, sweetheart. Your hotel bar adventures, for instance. Doesn't it make you think it's weird that I rarely get upset when you go out for the notch count?"
"A little. But I know where the unconditional love is, Steven. And the mind-blowing sex, too, not to mention my best friend and partner in crime. And I'm still really, really sorry that it got out of hand with Nick. I still hurt from your hurt."
"Thank you, sweetie. I love you, too. We recovered pretty well, I think, and made some really good friends in the end. Anyway, Cyan was unstoppable when she was your age. I would figure on at least two nights a week when she wouldn't be home until the middle of the next day."
"Emily? I was scoring three or four men when I went out like that."
"And Steve had no problem with this because he would be entertaining another woman at home."
He answers, "Yep. Sometimes two. Cy had her fun, I had mine, and on the weekends we'd play together with lifestyle friends."
"Still crazy after all these years."
