Emily Mitchell leaned back against the wall of the sauna, closing her eyes and lifting her lips into a smile. Sweat trickled down her forehead, catching in her eyebrows, but she didn’t bother to wipe it away. On the bench across from her sat Tiffany Logan, another member of the club who’s husband also happened to be Emily’s husband’s boss.
“And you wouldn’t believe what happened next,” Tiffany giggled, brushing the dark, damp curls away from her eyes. On the bench next to her sat two of the other female members of the club. The group would often sit in the sauna and tell stories about their latest affair. Tiffany’s were always the best and most fun to hear.
“I can make a wild guess!” Laura Nelson laughed loudly. The rest of the women burst into similar laughter, including Emily. Emily cracked her eyes open slightly to look at Tiffany, looking smug as always.
“It was so amazing, girls,” sighed Tiffany. “I can’t even describe it.”
Reaching down, Emily pulled the towel around her body, securing the cloth under her armpit. Even after all of the stories she’d heard the other women tell, she had never come close to fooling around on her Joe. Not that in the six years they’d been married she hadn’t wanted to. There were some things she was dying to try. It was, perhaps, cowardice, or that the right opportunity had never come along.
“...And I’m afraid I nearly passed out, afterwards. When I woke up, he was gone” Tiffany finished, and the group of women let out a collective sigh.
“I wish I had your guts, Tiff,” Laura sighed. “I would never make a move on one of my gardeners.”
“I might,” laughed a woman named Lindsey Reynolds. The group laughed again. Emily chuckled softly to herself. “I’m afraid, however, that I need to get going. Jake will be home soon and I’m afraid I’m rather ready for anyone, even my husband!”
There were a few murmurs of goodbye, and soon nearly all the women had departed. The hot, humid room was nearly silent, with only the sound of Emily’s heavy breaths and Tiffany’s lighter ones.
The heat seemed to penetrate Emily’s body to the core, her flesh growing almost thick with the dampness of it and the sweat pouring out of it. It was a good feeling, though, and Emily let out a sigh of contentment.
“I never hear any of your stories,” a voice said. Emily recognized it as Tiffany’s. “Why is that?”
It was a moment or two before Emily realized that the older woman was talking to her. Opening her eyes in surprise, Emily looked at Tiffany.
“I guess its because I don’t have any stories,” she said, sheepishly. Trying to smile, Emily felt her face turning even redder than the heat had made it.
“That’s a shame,” Tiffany said, sincerity in her voice. “I imagine that Joe isn’t that great in bed.”
Emily’s eyes widened, feeling a bit of shock that Tiffany knew who her husband was.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked, a little bit nervous.
“No offense, I mean,” Tiffany said, reaching her hand out a bit defensively. “I mean, I know Joe from way back, he and my husband have been working together for years. He’s not the most attentive man, is he?”
“I don’t know,” Emily said, evading the question. “He’s rather attentive.”
“Mmm hmm...” Tiffany murmured, nodding knowingly.
Emily blushed, not knowing what else to say. She looked down at her thighs, moist with perspiration.
“In order to truly enjoy life,” Tiffany said, musingly, “I think one needs to explore everything it has to offer. A little variety, you could say.”
Still tongue tied and honestly a little bit puzzled, Emily didn’t respond. It felt as though her inexperience was written clearly on her face and she was ashamed that the other woman could read it. She stared at her legs, seemingly fascinated by the smooth, pale skin, but all her attention was still on Tiffany. The words Tiffany spoke excited Emily. Emily’s heart fluttered a little bit, her stomach twisted a little bit, and her loins warmed a little bit as Tiffany sat, still, across the room.
“Are we having dinner tomorrow night?” Tiffany asked, suddenly changing the direction the conversation was headed.
Emily finally looked up at her, meeting Tiffany’s sparkling blue eyes with her own dark brown ones.
“Eh, yes, I think so,” she sputtered. Joe had been dreading this night for months, a casual meeting with his boss. Emily didn’t know why the man had invited them, but had feigned excitement for Joe’s sake.
“Excellent,” Tiffany said. Slowly and gracefully Tiffany stood, holding the towel around her tall, lithe body. She stretched a bit and smiled down at Emily in a sort of strange way, a half smile half smirk on her generous lips. “I will see you then.” With that, Tiffany winked, and left the sauna.
Unable to help herself, Emily watched Tiffany’s hips as she sauntered out of the room. Those legs, those thighs, that buttocks...Emily thought to herself that if her body looked more like Tiffany’s and less like a stick she wouldn’t have any trouble finding men to ‘fool around’ with.
Lying back again, Emily closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the thick air and picturing the other woman in her eyes. For some reason, the mental picture made her smile, and with a slight shiver, she began to relax again.
***
“No, not that one!” Joe practically shouted, putting his hands over his face and wiping them down in an exasperated way. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes bright red, and his manner much different than the mild temper Emily was used to. “Wear that one,” he suggested, pulling out a dress from Emily’s side of the closet. He held it up, proudly, over her body, admiring the dark green color against his wife’s pale tone. “You’ll look good in this one.”
With a heavy sigh Emily took the hanger in her hand and went back to the bathroom to change for the third time that evening. Joe didn’t seem to think that anything looked quite good enough on her, that nothing she wore was good enough for this night.
“This could be my big break,” he kept repeating. “If we make a good impression on Mr. Logan tonight I could get a promotion, do you realize that? It’s all about who you know, in this world, and I’ll know David Logan.”
