Chapter 11 The Masked Ball
Author's Note: All errors are strictly mine.
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Spring arrived. It had been a while since all four couples were able to meet together at the same time. Everyone agreed to have Bill and Wei-ling hold the party in their home because it was the only that could accommodate all four couples comfortably. On such occasions, the four couples made an entire day out of it, giving them plenty of time for talk, food and sex.
As they pulled into the driveway, Aiko and Gerald recalled when they first met Bill. He once ran his own successful construction company. He sold his company in favour of early retirement. His Chinese wife, Wei-ling, was of Chinese origin. Bill's was long-time friend of big Hairy Norman, and his little perky Emma. Aiko and Gerald met them on a cruise. By the time the vacation was over, they had what turned out to be a wild experience for a couple who most people saw as fairly proper straight-laced. (See Chapters 4, 6 and 7 - Pimanko) In fact, Aiko and Gerald enjoyed their swinging experience so much that they agreed to continue swinging with the two couples after the cruise.
Aiko and Gerald also recalled the events that led to their initiation of Binal and Rajiv, a couple who originally came from India, into the swinging lifestyle. (See Chapter 8 - Pimanko) They recruited them into their swinging group as the fourth couple.
They knocked on the door. Bill and Wei-ling greeted their opposite number with an intimate hug and lingering kiss. The men shook hands; the women offered each other a peck on the cheek.
On this particular day, the talk among the four couples took on an unusual direction when Bill mentioned he knew of some swingers' parties with special themes. He captured his audience's attention.
"How do they find out about them?" Gerald had asked wondering how Nill knew so, much.
"Well, some of it," Bill explained, "you find on the Internet but most of the really unusual stuff is transmitted by word of mouth. For example, a few weeks ago, Wei-ling and I attended an on-premises club. We used condoms," he added parenthetically. "As we were leaving, our hosts invited us to attend a special event scheduled toward the end of next month. They asked us to tell other couples we thought who might be interested. The cut-off date for accepting the invitation is two weeks before the party scheduled date."
"So what so special about this party?" Gerald asked.
"It's supposed to be a masked ball," Bill replied. "Couples who attend this party are assigned the name of a famous lover. It's arranged in such a way as to prevent your spouse from being the matching lover. For example, if I'm 'Napoleon', Wei-ling won't be given the name 'Josephine'. She might be 'Cleopatra.' In that case, her lover would be whoever is 'Anthony'."
"In other words, sex with a total stranger," Gerald summarized.
"Not necessarily a total stranger, although that's the general idea, but definitely anonymous."
"What you mean?" Gerald prodded.
"If we all went separately," Bill explained, "we could end up with someone from our own swinging group by sheer luck of the draw. We're not strangers to each other," he laughed. "Far from it."
"So how is it anonymous?" Gerald asked.
"I'll explain in a minute," Bill replied. "Let me give you some context first."
"Okay," Gerald agreed.
"There are several rules for this particular party," Bill continued. "Firstly, it's couples only. All couples must be married or in a long-term common-law relationship. Secondly, anonymity is essential. No one can have as their lover the person whose face they saw before they put on their masks. If two or more couples arrived at the same time, whether they know each other or not, none will be given the famous lover's matching partner."
Bill took a sip his drink.
"There's one more stipulation you have to know about. Everyone has to be tested to ensure they have no transmittable disease. The tests will be done privately by medical personnel who are swingers."
"Why?" Aiko interrupted.
"No rubbers," Bill said. "If the idea of having unprotected sex with total strangers is too wild for you, don't go."
Bill, who had helped Gerald set up Aiko's birthday party, was well aware of Aiko's interest in sex with strangers. (See Chapter 9 - Pimanko)
Gerald watched his wife intently to see how she was reacting. Aiko seemed lost in thought.
"What are you thinking, hon?" Gerald asked.
"What if you don't like the look of the person who has the matching name?"
Aiko's question showed her concern, but it also told Gerald she was interested.
"Good question," Bill replied. "The person with the matching name is your first lover of the night. If you go to this party, you're agreeing in advance to have unprotected sex with this person. The whole point of this party is sex with a stranger no matter what they look like. After that, what you do, and with whom, is your business. In other words, if you can't accept this condition, don't go."
"Oh," said Aiko with a lengthened vowel.
Aiko and Gerald glanced at each other, wondering what the other was thinking.
"You can change your mind any time up to the point when you arrive at the party," Bill continued. "I've never heard of anyone changing your mind after they arrived because this kind of party appeals to a particular type of swinger. They go into these parties with open eyes, open minds and, in the case of the women, open legs."
"Don't be crass," Wei-ling chided her husband. She turned to the others. "And if her could go, he'll be open mouthed."
They laughed.
"Please, Bill, don't be like Gerald," Aiko pleaded light-heartedly, "I get enough of that sort of joking at home from Gerald."
Gerald ignored Aiko's comment. "How is this event being paid for?" he asked.
"You have to pay a fee upfront before the deadline," Bill replied. "They're very strict about it. If you miss the deadline, you miss your chance to attend the party. Also, the entry fee is non-refundable. The organizers need to know how many couples are expected to attend, and how much money they have before they can finalize their plans."
"That makes sense," Gerald said. "How do they know when to start the party? Do they wait for everyone to show up?" asked Gerald.
"Everyone who intends to show up must do so no later than 9 o'clock. If you're late, you're out of luck, no admission no refund. As soon as the deadline passes, they will then know exactly how many couples actually arrived. After that, they distribute the names of the famous lovers."
"Are you guys going?" Aiko asked.
"Damn right, we are," said Emma eagerly.
"We like to but we can't," Wei-ling said. "Bill's nephew is getting married on that day."
"We're not going either," added Rajiv. "It sounds too wild for us."
"Obviously, Aiko and I have to talk about it," Gerald said.
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Two weeks later, Aiko and Gerald were sitting on the sofa. They had just finished watching one of their favourite TV shows. There was nothing else worth watching, so they turned on some music and cuddled.
"Have you thought about the masked ball?" Gerald asked.
"Yeah, I have," Aiko said. She seemed shy or embarrassed about something.
