Now that her children had left home, Elyse was free to go nude about the house just about any time she wanted, though she rarely did. It wasn't the same as being outdoors with Connor, in the free air, in a place where they theoretically could be seen but wouldn't be. Those places were becoming harder to find all the time.
The larger problem was what to do with each other now that they were "just" a couple again. It seemed strange to have their evenings and weekends unstructured after more than twenty years of a dependable routine, punctuated by moments of panic when one emergency or another threatened to engulf young Ben or Julia.
Their love was still there—the legacy of years spent building a home and a family together. They just needed to re-energize it now that the big shared effort was done.
"Maybe we should travel," Elyse said one night as they cleared their supper plates. "I've always wanted to see Europe or Asia, haven't you?"
"Sure, let's look into it," replied Connor.
They studied travel guides, gazing at color illustrations of different worlds, places that seemed much more alive than their dull little Midwestern city. Places that held exciting adventure for a middle-aged but still young-at-heart pair of lovers.
But they weren't quite that pair yet, and there was no guarantee that travel would convert them.
In the end, they decided that they should achieve their marriage renewal first; their adventures after that would be all the sweeter.
_______________
"Look at this!" said Connor, passing the ad pullout to his wife.
"Couples Retreat at Five Palms Spa," she read. "A full, relaxing day in total comfort, as you both are cared for together by our highly trained, compassionate staff, all in the soothing, peaceful atmosphere Five Palms is known for. Have your hair and nails impeccably groomed in a meditative setting, bathe in our temperature-controlled pool, and have your remaining tensions relieved with a couples massage from our expert therapists. A perfect opportunity to reconnect with your partner."
"This sounds wonderful," she said. "Hmm...Five Palms, isn't that where Stephanie and Ronaldo work?"
"That's right. They even brag on them, farther down in the copy. Here: 'Now featuring the latest addition to our staff, a husband and wife team of massage therapists who bring special sensitivity to the needs of couples.'"
"Wow. That's pretty good for them having learned massage only a year ago. They must really have made an impression."
"Or, you know, they're being used as a gimmick for the ad."
"Well, either way, they must be good. We should have had them practice on us before they hit the big time." She smiled slyly.
"Even better, we can have them massage us now that they're fully trained. I'm interested. Let's give them a call and ask them if they think this retreat package is a good deal. We haven't been in touch with them enough anyway."
_______________
"Oh, it's worth it if you're into the esthetic angle," said Ronaldo. "I mean, it's all standard spa services, but they go all out on the atmospherics. Hell, I practically trip out every time I go into the mani-pedi salon, and I'm not talking about nail polish fumes."
"I've never had a manicure," said Connor. He and Elyse were listening on speaker to his phone, and the other couple was no doubt doing the same.
"You might like it," broke in Stephanie. "Lots of guys get them. Pedicures, too. And not just the kind of guy you might be thinking of. They all say it makes them feel good, and they enjoy having someone help them to look their best. You know, lots of you guys don't take proper care of your hands and feet anyway."
"Okay, Steph, you're selling me," Connor chuckled.
"We're not just saying this because it's our employer," Ronaldo went on. "We wouldn't steer you wrong, you know that."
"No, of course we trust you," said Elyse. "Tell us how your couples massage works."
"It is just like a regular massage except it's both of you in the room, being massaged at the same time. Your tables are close enough that you can see each other being worked on, and each other's facial expressions."
"Would we be nude?" Elyse asked.
"You
would
ask that, Elyse! Generally you are nude for a massage, so yes. Confining underclothes that pinch detract from the massage experience, which is supposed to be about total body relaxation. We use sheets for modesty and don't uncover any part that's not going to be worked on. And of course, you know that licensed massage therapists are complete professionals."
"Yes, we know that."
Connor wondered if she sounded a little disappointed.
He asked, "So, would we each be paired with an opposite-sex therapist?"
"That's entirely up to the clients," Stephanie answered. "Usually that is what is requested, but we will work in any combination."
"Sorry to have so many questions."
"Not at all, this is good! Sometimes we have to explain all this at the start of the session, and it takes away from productive time. We want to give you full value, well, that is, if you sign up."
There was a pause and Ronaldo's phone seemed to mute as they were perhaps having a quick side conversation.
Steph's voice came back on the connection. "And on that subject, we can't do anything about what the spa charges you, but if you go there and ask for us for your massage, we'll give you back the amount we receive from it. It just doesn't feel right to take money from friends."
"Well, we might want to discuss that again later," said Elyse. "Tell us about how couples react to the experience."
Ronaldo spoke this time. "We've seen many different reactions. Some people don't react much, but some do in profound ways. Many couples maintain eye contact right through our work. Sometimes they weep. Touching is allowed if it doesn't interfere, and many couples hold hands. Speaking is not encouraged because it can so easily break the mood, but it does happen, and we've heard some things that, while we are prohibited by professionalism from repeating them, were so tender and revelatory that we feel that what we do is truly a therapy in more than a physical sense. It is humbling."
"I think we'll be seeing you very soon," said Elyse. Connor nodded.
_______________
That night, Elyse dreamed of them. The dream was real. It was the four of them, when they were young, impetuous, and immortal, the summer after high school graduation. The four of them on the far shore of the lake, a small sandy spot no one else knew and few would try to reach. Elyse's dream body was her real body from that time: lithe and sensual, her breasts proud and high, brushed by her long blonde hair, belly flat and smooth as sunshine, buttocks plump but taut. She was nude, of course, as were the others: Stephanie, darker in hair and complexion, with deeper curves; dark-haired Aldo, with the beginnings of a bronzed bodybuilder's frame, yet still shy enough to try to hide his goodies from the girls; and Connor, towheaded and just beginning to tan, and not at all shy. They splashed in water so clear that the noonday sun penetrated straight to the bottom.
They had paired off into teams and were passing a volleyball back and forth, waist deep in the water: Elyse and Aldo against Steph and Connor. The play was casual, no one counting the number of passes within a team before a volley was complete. The boys obviously enjoyed the bounce of a girl's breasts when she jumped to return a ball that was flying almost out of reach, cheering whether she made the save or not.
Then the girls draped their legs over Aldo's and Connor's chests from behind as the boys crouched in the water, then slowly lifted them up for a game of 'chicken'. Elyse felt the insistent tingling in her virginal pussy as it pressed against the back of Aldo's broad, muscled neck. She felt like she might almost be able to get off this way like she did when she touched herself at night. But then she was sparring with Stephanie, who was mounted on Connor. They slapped and pushed at each other as their mounts drew them closer together. Finally, she delivered a mighty shove to Steph, making her lose her balance and fall from Connor's shoulders as he let go of her ankles. Steph tumbled into the water to everyone's laughter, including hers when she surfaced. Elyse jumped down off Aldo and the four waded out onto the tiny beach for some sunbathing.
The scene changed: it was later that day, and they were in Steph's parents' house; the parents were away for the weekend. They had had a cookout and some beers, now legal for all of them in their state. Sitting in the living room afterward, Steph gravitated to Connor, and Elyse to Aldo. They started making out. This was a new thing for them; while the attraction among them had been under the surface for months, this exhilarating summer day after the end of school brought it out.
Aldo's kisses were tender but assertive, and she felt the tingling that she had while straddling his neck earlier returning. She put a hand on that special spot behind his head and pulled him in tighter as he fondled her breasts through her thin t-shirt.
"You've wanted my titties all day, haven't you, big man?" she whispered between kisses.
"Of course I have, I'm not blind," he replied.
"Be patient. I don't think we have long to wait." And she returned her mouth to his.
Soon enough, Steph and Connor excused themselves and disappeared in the direction of her bedroom. "Don't wait up for us," Steph told them with a wink.
Less than a minute later, her t-shirt was off and his mouth was on her hardening pink nipple, sucking and nibbling at it while his hand was busy on the other. Elyse felt her pussy start to brim over with her slick juice. She reached down and grasped the bulge of his erection through his shorts. He groaned with pleasure and need. He matched her move, going with his free hand from her breast to the crotch of her shorts, pressing two fingers into the warmth there and feeling her shudder.
"Go ahead, baby, take my pants off," she told him.
It didn't take long for him to get them down and discover the wet spot on her panties. He put his fingers right there and rubbed, gently at first. Oh, it was even better than when she touched herself! There, with his arm around her, holding her close to his warm body. He alternated between kissing her mouth and her breast while stroking her wet pussy through the fabric. She was going to explode.
