Author's Note: All errors are strictly mine.
* * *
Summer had turned into autumn when Aiko and Gerald invited Bill and Wei-ling to their home. As was their custom they spent a good part of the day socializing. But on this particular Saturday Aiko and Gerald learned more about the more exotic side of swinging.
During dinner Aiko and Gerald learned more about 'the lifestyle' and its many variations. Bill told them about clubs that catered to people with fetishes and other unusual sexual desires. They were not surprised. When they first looked into swinging on the Internet, they found the spectrum of ranged from the possible to the impossible, from the real to the fantastic.
"Have you done anything really different?" Gerald asked.
Both Bill and Wei-ling looked embarrassed. They looked at each other. Wei-ling nodded.
"We once went to a bondage club just to take a look. We got roped into it so to speak," Bill conceded.
He glanced at his wife.
"Tell them. It's okay," Wei-ling said.
"Wei-ling was really curious," Bill continued. "She wanted to try out some mild bondage. After we agreed on a safe word, Wei-ling allowed herself to be hoisted on a rope-net swing. She was naked. Her legs were wide open, each leg going through a net opening. She was totally exposed and totally helpless."
"I asked him to take me first," she said. "He adjusted the swing to the right height and then he made love to me until we both came."
"First?" Aiko said taking particular note of that word.
Wei-ling blushed. "After Bill took me, two more men took me."
"For the record, they wore condoms," Bill added. "I didn't."
Aiko shrugged her shoulders. "You're consenting adults," she said.
But there was something about their story that excited her. Gerald could tell from the look in her eyes that their story appealed to his wife's submissive streak.
For a while, the conversation turned to more mundane matters until dinner was served. Then Gerald saw Wei-ling gesturing to Bill with her head as if urging him to say something more.
"Have you guys got any plans for the Christmas and New Year's holidays?" Bill asked.
"Yes," Gerald answered. "Our girls plan to spend the holidays in Florida with their friends. We intend to catch up with them for a day or two, probably around Christmas, and then do our own thing. We're thinking of driving back because we like to see a little of the States."
"Well, I have a proposition for you," Bill continued. "We've got swinger friends in Buffalo. They've invited our entire group to their New Year's party. We plan to go. Emma and Norman declined because they're entertaining family. Binal and Rajiv also declined. They've heard about our winters; they prefer to stay close to home."
"Have you swung with them?" Gerald asked.
"Only with the one couple," he replied. "But don't worry. We used safes. We found out later that they, and the group they belong to, have rules very similar to ours."
"There are others? Tell us more," Aiko urged.
"The couple we met are part of a neighbourhood group that includes four other couples. Their group has been around for a few years now. We found Sarah and Malcolm, the couple we swung with, through they Internet. They were actually looking for another couple to join them. When they found out we had our own group, they became even more interested because the idea of linking with another group of four couples had intriguing possibilities."
"We arranged to meet them in Niagara Falls," Wei-ling said. "Firstly to determine whether we, as two couples were compatible. We were. And secondly, to rent a couple of hotel rooms for the night. We switched spouses for the night. In the morning we agreed to see how we could bring our two groups together once in a while to exchange spouses, subject of course to the approval of the participating couples."
"Have you got a picture of this couple?" Aiko asked.
"Sure," Wei-ling said." Let me use your computer to get to my email."
A few minutes, Aiko and Gerald were looking at the picture of a middle-aged couple. The man and his wife were both dark-haired. They were typical of their age group in size, weight and appearance. They were just your average looking couple.
"Malcolm and Sarah are their names," Bill said. "Don't let their ordinary looks fool you. They are delightful and fun to be with."
"I suppose you don't have any pictures of the other couples, do you?" Gerald asked.
"No, of course not. They would have to get the other couples' permission first. We'd do the same. We'd never show a picture of you to them unless you gave us permission."
"Perfectly understandable," Gerald agreed.
Bill hesitated for a moment. "One more thing about this party, no use of safes. Although their rules are similar to ours, we agreed to take no chances at the first meeting between couples of the two groups. If you decide you want to go, you have to get yourself tested. The test results is your ticket into the party. So take them with you. Without it, you're out of luck. Whoever attends the party from their group also have to prove they are clean."
"Let Aiko and me think about," Gerald said. "We'll let you know."
* * *
Three months later Aiko and Gerald flew to sunny Florida. The reunion with their twin daughters was a happy one. The parents had not seen them since mid-September when they returned to university. Even though Aiko frequently called her daughters on the when they were away, meeting them in person again was a joyful occasion. It was obvious that Aiko and her daughters were close.
Gerald was content to his family together to see his family together again even for a brief period of time. They were the most precious persons in his life.
Although Aiko and Gerald had flown to Florida, they had decided drive to drive back to see various sites along the eastern seaboard. To break the monotony of travelling by car, they made several overnight stops.
As they travelled further north, the weather got colder and damper. What they didn't know was that a major snowstorm was about to hit Buffalo. A wind from the west was blowing over Lake Erie. It would pick a lot of moisture off the lake and dump it as soon as it hit land. Buffalo, and the surrounding Niagara region, would suffer the biggest burden.
The travelling couple also didn't know that Wei-ling and Bill had cancelled their plans to go to the swingers' party because of the storm. Bill had left a message on Gerald's cell phone, but Gerald had left it at home. He and Aiko were already on the flight to Florida when he remembered that he had forgotten it.
The snow was already deep and winter's early night had already set in when Aiko and Gerald pulled into the motel parking lot.
"We have a two-night reservation," Gerald told the hotelier.
He looked surprised. "You do. I didn't think you'd make it. How did you manage to get here through all that snow?" he asked. "I heard you folks on the other side of the river got hit just as hard as us."
"We drove from Florida," Gerald explained. "The weather for most of the trip was actually pretty good. So it didn't occur to us that the weather might suddenly turn bad once we got here."
Gerald suddenly realized the implications of what he said.
"We were expecting friends of ours to be here. Have they arrived?" Gerald asked. "I forgot my cell phone. So we've been out of touch with them."
"No, they aren't here. But it was a good thing you told them about your plan to drive here. Since they couldn't reach you, they left a message with me just in case you arrived. They stayed home because it was too dangerous to drive."
"I guess we're stuck here until this storm blows over," Gerald sighed unhappily.
