Game of Phones

Some of you may recognize this as one of my older stories, one I'd had removed from literotica for publication. Long story short, the world of self-publishing wasn't to my liking. As such, I'm returning this work where it belongs, edited and free of charge for any to enjoy. If you feel differently, and choose to reflect this in comments or rating, I certainly won't argue.

For those of you reading this for the first time, you're in for a real treat. Please enjoy!

This is a work of fiction and all characters are unrelated to real individuals

*****

Sawyer couldn't wipe the grin from his face, not that he truly wanted to. Anyone watching from the street might find his behavior odd, the way he slowly slid the key into the lock, turning the knob quietly and creeping into what was clearly his own house. He found the living room empty though the TV was on. Perfect.

Using the background noise of whatever silly program Charlotte had left playing, Sawyer slipped down the hall, flowers in hand and ready to surprise his fiancée. It wasn't often he was sent home early from work. He saw the bathroom door was open and the light was on, and the grin intensified as he imagined sneaking in to find her soaking in the tub, her naked body dripping in suds.

He froze just outside the door and his smile disappeared. Charlotte was laughing, and he could make out her voice. Perhaps she was simply talking to herself, but curiosity and worry took hold of him. There was another voice now and more laughter, and for a moment he worried he would be walking in on his lover with another man.

Then he realized that the voice was almost certainly female, and though he wasn't quite sure if he knew exactly to whom it belonged, it did sound familiar. Still, creeping silently, Sawyer peeked around the edge of the door. Charlotte was in the bath as he suspected, sitting up but facing away from him. The other voice had indeed been another woman, and he could see enough of her face to identify her.

Megan was a close friend of Charlotte's, and also the recent wife of Sawyer's best friend James. The two girls were sharing a bath and laughing over glasses of wine, but unfortunately for Sawyer, Megan was participating via Skype. Charlotte had purchased a wooden platform that functioned as a table across the tub so that she could work while she relaxed. He now saw just how much work she actually achieved.

He hadn't been spotted yet, so he decided to do what any curious man would do when confronted with a situation like this: he eavesdropped. He couldn't see enough of the screen to determine if Megan was also taking a bath on the other side of the conversation, but he had to assume that she was. Charlotte wasn't covered above her navel, the bubbles fizzing gently below her breasts. Megan would probably see more of his fiancée than most people could ever dream of.

More important than the visual was the conversation itself. Sawyer hadn't paid much attention at first, focusing more on what he might see of Charlotte and her companion. They were giggling about something though, and he wanted to hear more. Charlotte wasn't whispering, believing herself to be alone in the house. Megan was harder to hear, the volume barely loud enough to make out actual words. He listened, and after a few minutes the grin was back in place.

Sawyer made his way stealthily back to the front door, flowers still in hand as he opened and closed it as he normally would. It was loud enough for Charlotte to hear, and sure enough when he stepped into the bathroom with her flowers in hand, Charlotte had replaced her video chat with homework.

"Hey sweetie! You're home early!" She noticed the roses by his side. "Oh lovely! Are those for me?"

Sawyer bent down to give her a quick kiss. "Well, they aren't for the cat, though she'll probably end up eating them anyway. Thought you might like a surprise visit."

She leaned back, letting him enjoy the view a bit. "Are you home for good?"

Sawyer wasn't fond of lying to his fiancée, but after hearing her conversation it was clear she had a few secrets of her own. "No, I'm just passing through. I had to meet a client out in Greer and I'm on my way back to the office to finish up some stuff. But I won't be late for dinner, I promise."

Charlotte gave him one last kiss as she stood, letting him wrap a fresh towel around her before heading back out to the car. Sawyer pulled over a few minutes into his drive and found James' number in his phone. He wasn't going back to the office today.

ONE HOUR LATER

James wasn't a huge fan of ambiguity, and so when he received a vague text from his best friend requesting his presence at their favorite bar, with strict instructions not to tell Megan, James began to feel a bit irritated. In the year he had been married he had never had to lie to Megan about his whereabouts, and doing so now felt criminal. Sawyer had insisted that whatever excuse he made up, it would pay off for everyone involved.

Luckily James didn't have to get creative with his lie. Megan was going out with Charlotte to look at more dresses for the wedding ahead. He told her not to worry about making anything for lunch, and that he would go out and grab something fast and easy instead.

James found his friend sitting alone in the corner booth. If this place had any privacy, this was about as much as they would find. He took a seat and ordered a beer from a passing waitress. Sawyer waited for her to leave before speaking.

"Thanks for coming, and sorry for asking you to keep it a secret."

James shrugged it off. It was hard to be irritated with Sawyer for long. They had history. "No problem man. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I got out early today. That project we were working on is a finished deal as of this afternoon."

"Fair enough. Why the secrecy though? I'm sure Charlotte doesn't mind if you grab a drink with me every now and then. You don't give up your balls for another few months," James joked.

Sawyer laughed. "Yeah, I know. I probably could have just told her the truth, but I really needed to talk to you today, in private, and I didn't want to risk her suggesting that we all meet up for a drink since they're going out to do their own thing. I'm not good at making up excuses on the fly."

"I see." James said, though he truthfully did not see what Sawyer was getting at just yet, but he took a sip of his drink and waited for him to elaborate.

"Look, we've known each other for a long time. We've had some interesting conversations. Sometimes...weird conversations." He took a breath. "Let me just ask you this. Have you ever had a dream about Charlotte? Like, a sexual dream?" Sawyer seemed nervous.

James' eyes grew wide. He hadn't known what to expect, of course, but now he was even less certain. Sawyer was his best friend, and had been since grade school. When James and Megan became a couple it had been difficult trying to balance his friendship with his relationship, but Sawyer had been completely understanding. Then Megan moved in with Charlotte and they were introduced. After that things seemed so much easier.

James thought of Charlotte now. Megan was his goddess, a stunning brunette with chocolate eyes and the most adorable freckles he'd ever seen. She was tall, not quite his height, but her love for high heels often made up the difference. Her voice was sweet, and while her hair had been short when they first met it was now long and straight, though James enjoyed her locks no matter what style she fancied.

Charlotte, by contrast, was much shorter, barely coming up to his chest. Her eyes were blue, and her chestnut hair was a bit wavy, though almost as long as Megan's was now. Both women were slim with curves in only the right places. Megan had the most amazing legs and an incredible ass to top them off. While Megan filled out the jeans, Charlotte's breasts were what grabbed his attention when she wasn't dazzling him with her smile.

The biggest differences weren't physical, however, but rather in personality. Megan was quiet and reserved, more interested in listening than talking. She wasn't exactly shy, but James had been attracted to the way she would sit quietly for hours, book in hand and sunshine on her features. Then there was Charlotte, almost a polar opposite to Megan. Charlotte craved adventure, and while she refused to admit that she was a hipster, she fit the bill. Her personality could only be described as "bubbly," and when the two girls got together Charlotte had a way of bringing out the adventurous side of Megan that James adored so much.

His mind had been wandering and Sawyer was still waiting for an answer. Truthfully, yes, he could recall a handful of dreams in which he and Charlotte had discovered intimacy with one another. The first had occurred after their first meeting, and the last one had caused him to wake with a throbbing erection only a few weeks ago. Megan had noticed his arousal and, assuming it was her own body in his dream, had generously relieved him of any remaining sexual frustration. He had felt slightly guilty as her lips caressed an erection not intended for her.

But was this something that he should really confess to Sawyer? His friend was now grinning across the table, already knowing the answer. James might not be sure of where this talk was heading, but in Sawyer's friendship he could be certain. He nodded.

"Yeah, a few times. I'm not going to go into details of course, but you know I'd be lying if I said otherwise." James took a quick sip of his beer. The two of them had shared so much in the past. James knew as much about Sawyer's sex life as Sawyer knew of his. They had broached every topic imaginable, and thanks to a drunken night of card games back in college they had all seen each other naked. This, however, was a subject that hadn't been discussed, though James knew he shouldn't feel so nervous about it.

"Breath, buddy, it's all good," said Sawyer. He must have noticed his friend's apprehension.

"I know. I just...it's human nature, right? I mean, Charlotte is a good looking woman, and can you honestly say you haven't done the same with Megan?"

"Of course! I've had dreams too, plenty of times. It's part of being human, seeing someone desirable and thinking of the possibilities."

James wasn't an idiot. Sawyer had to be going somewhere with all of this, and he was fairly certain he knew where. "This isn't about a dream though, is it?"

Sawyer leaned back in his seat. He hadn't truly thought of a good way to bring this up, and now that he was confronted with the question he was even less certain. But honesty had been a defining characteristic of this friendship, and he decided that honesty was probably the best way to continue.

"You're right, it isn't. Look, this is awkward enough, so let me just lay it all out for you. I actually left work much earlier today, and I decided to buy some flowers and surprise Charlotte at home. So I get home, I sneak in all ninja and shit. She has no idea I'm even there. Well, I find her in the bathtub, and I'm about to creep in and surprise her, but I notice she's on her laptop. Turns out she's doing some video chat thing with Megan."

James was already aware that his wife liked to bring her own computer into the bath with her. Charlotte had mentioned the table that Sawyer had bought for her, and Megan didn't waste much time ordering her own. He had always assumed that she did work or listened to music during her soaks, but video chats hadn't crossed his mind.

"You're saying that Megan and Charlotte like to watch each other take baths?"

"I don't know about that. I think they just like to chat, in privacy and whatnot. I try not to bother her too much while she's in there, but then again I always thought she was doing work. Anyway, that's not what matters. I don't care much if she's having a Skype session with your wife even if it is hot. What matters is what I overheard them talking about."

James felt his body grow tense. Sawyer's previous comments about dreams were now forgotten. What could his friend have overheard that would warrant a secret meeting like this? Sawyer must have seen the nervousness in his friend.

"Relax, amigo, you'll like what I have to say." Sawyer leaned in closer and James did the same. "They were talking about us, about what it would be like if, for whatever reason, Charlotte gets to have her way with you and Megan gets the same with me."

It took James a few seconds to register what his friend was saying. "Wait, are you saying that our girls spend these secret bathroom chats talking about swapping guys? Like swingers?"

Sawyer hadn't wanted to use that particular word in regards to this conversation so quickly, but at least James was getting the idea. "More or less. I mean, they're not seriously planning shit from what I can tell, but trust me, I can tell when Charlotte is joking. They were taking the idea somewhat seriously. It's kind of like when you and I talk about our sex lives and stuff, guy talk. But Charlotte and Megan are totally open to the idea, I'd bet my life on it."

This was a lot to take in. The unspoken question was whether or not the two of them could reach the same conclusion as their female companions. There were so many conflicting emotions going through James' mind at that moment. On the one hand, the idea of sleeping with Charlotte had always been a fantasy of his, and to know that he might actually have Sawyer's blessing to do so seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, this would also require him to reciprocate.

Could James actually be okay with the idea of letting Sawyer fuck his wife? And would Megan seriously allow any of this to happen anyway? He looked back at his best friend, who also appeared to be deep in thought. To the first part of his question the answer was yes. Sawyer was probably the only man alive that James would ever allow to touch Megan intimately. This wasn't a friendship that needed to be tested; they had already proven their loyalty to one another time and time again.

As for Megan, James still had his doubts. Regardless of what Sawyer may have heard, there was still the argument that words and actions are often very different in practice. His wife may enjoy sharing fantasies in secret with her best friend during bath time, but when the opportunity actually arises she may not feel so certain. She was, after all, the more conservative of the two.

"I need more information," James said. "Tell me exactly what was said."

Sawyer smiled. He had worried that James would simply get up and walk away, too angry or disgusted by this suggestion to even speak. Though it hadn't officially been declared in words, the two friends had more or less come to a new level of understanding. Should the situation ever present itself, Sawyer and James would have permission from one another to proceed without worry.

"They were already talking about this when I started listening, so I can't be sure what all was said beforehand," Sawyer answered. "Charlotte was doing most of the talking, and I believe the exact words she used were 'I swear if I ever find myself alone with James I am going to seduce him, you can't keep teasing me with stories and photos and not expect me to jump him at the first opportunity.' And then Megan laughed and said something like 'I think that would be super hot, sneaking up and watching through a window while you get plowed by my husband. But of course while you're busy with him, I'll be busy distracting Sawyer...with my vagina.' Okay, I added in that last part, but the rest is absolutely legit."

James raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure they weren't joking? Maybe they were just playing around?"

"I thought the same. Then I realized that Charlotte wasn't just sitting there bathing, she had her hand between her legs. She was masturbating to the idea of fucking you, and Megan was watching her. Hell, she may have been doing the same. I couldn't see her on the screen very well, but I could hear them just fine. Megan started going into detail about what she would do to me, and then Charlotte would add in something of her own, back and forth. If this was all jokes, then I really need to tap into her sense of humor more often."

"Holy shit! Are you serious?" James hadn't meant to shout, but nobody paid much attention anyway.

"Dead serious dude! I heard my own fiancée moan your name, fingers in her pussy while your wife watched and laughed. She started to cum and I used the distraction to get out of there, or at least I made it seem like I just got home and hadn't heard anything," Sawyer finished.

"Did she suspect anything?"

"Nah. She didn't expect me, of course, but I gave her a few minutes to calm down before I came in."

James was smiling now. It was still fairly awkward, listening to his best friend talk about this with him so casually, but for the most part he was excited. Even the idea of Megan bringing herself to climax while thinking of Sawyer didn't bother him one bit. Had it been any other man, or even a celebrity crush, he would have found himself jealous. But with Charlotte and Sawyer also in the mix there was a genuine balance to the equation that made it all seem normal.

"Alright buddy. I have to admit, this started out kind of awkward, but now you have me convinced. But that doesn't explain why you couldn't just tell me all of this later?" James asked.

"I suppose it could have waited, really, but I actually have something else in mind, and I needed to know if you were on board first."

"Wait, so you just found out today, like a couple of hours ago, that Megan and Charlotte are okay with swapping, and you've already started coming up with schemes to make it happen?" James asked with raised eyebrows.

Sawyer's grin returned. "We all have our hobbies, and our fantasies. I'd be lying if I said the idea of something like this hasn't come up before. The cool thing is that I actually might be able to make it happen."

"How?" James was a bit skeptical. The four of them spent almost every weekend together in some form or fashion. Usually this meant a movie or game night, with plenty of alcohol to go along. In college the four of them had managed to use a drinking game to get everyone out of their clothing for a few brief minutes, but other than that there had been nothing close to X-rated in their history. James had even brought up the idea of playing strip poker a few times only to receive menacing glares from his companion.

"It's actually really genius if I do say so myself," Sawyer replied. "The company I work for mostly makes software for banking systems, merger stuff specifically, but we also bought this little kick starter company that makes apps for smartphones. Most of the stuff has just been sitting there unused, so a few buddies and I have been looking into a few of the applications in our spare time. One of them is a real simple party game, made for younger people. The idea is simple enough, you answer questions and if you get them wrong you have to do some sort of penalty."

"I don't see how a children's game is going to be much help," said James.

"As it is now, it won't help much at all. The thing is, we both know that we can't just outright say anything to our girls about what we just talked about. Even if we already know what they think about the idea, that's just not how it works. We can't just throw the idea at them and hope they bite," Sawyer explained.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You and I could suggest we play strip poker or skinny dipping this weekend, or something like that maybe, but the last time we did that the girls just laughed."

"Exactly. Charlotte might seem super outgoing and all, but decisions like this will still put her on the fence. Too much pressure up front and they may get nervous and back out. It's understandable. No, what we have to do is find a way to slowly build up the sexual tension until they can't hold it in any longer."