A Compromise

Laurel's eight year old arms slipped around my waist. I was just tasting the spaghetti to see if it was "el dente' or whatever that word is when it is just right. I felt her plant a kiss on my back and then snuggle her head right into the small of my back. She's a great kid, but this was a little unusual at dinner time. She was usually out playing with her friends.

"Hmmmmm, thank you sweetheart. To what do I owe this lovely hug?

"OH, nothing. Just ..."

"Yes? Is it because I make such good spaghetti?"

"No." she giggled. "But you do!"

The spaghetti was not quite there. And I tucked my head down under my bent elbow to see her darling little face smiling up at me, a hint of something else lurking behind the smile.

"I repeat, Hmmmmmm?"

"It's just... Well, I'm just glad you're my Mom."

"Well, thank you again. That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me all week. I'm glad I'm your Mom, too! What do you think of that?"

Her arms tightened around me and she giggled again. "You know, Terry's Mom and Dad are getting divorced. Her Mom keeps telling her that it is not so bad to be divorced. But, .. she cries a lot."

"Oh, so that's bothering you? That's nice of you to be concerned about your friend. She needs you to be her friend right now, I bet."

It was a lovely little moment with my daughter, bitter-sweet, but lovely. A tear slipped down my cheek and I blamed it on the steam from the spaghetti.

Sounds like Grandpa honking for you sweetheart. Is Jimmy ready? Jimmy came bounding down stairs carrying his soccer bag, full, I knew of TV games and a change of underwear.

"Bye, Mom, grandpa's here." He gave me a quick smear of a kiss as I bent over for it and was off, banging the door behind him. Laurel hurried after him.

I blinked away the tears and stared after them, waving to Dad. No sense on cursing the hand that you are dealt in life. That's one of David's lines, not mine. But, it had a lot of truth in it. For example, if I had a serious illness or an injury, I wouldn't just opt out of the rest of life. I would pick myself up and go on with what ever I had. And, I would still make a life out of it. So what sense did it make opt out just because it is legal to get a divorce? It may be the only solution for some people, and I have no quarrel with them.

But for me, I have to work my plan to get on with it in the best way possible under the new circumstances. I've studied a number of characteristics of the life that David seems to think is important, at least from a sensual standpoint. I think I have a loosely defined plan for turning him around. I know, I know, I shouldn't count on it. It is far from a sure thing, but I've given it a lot of time, as you know from the previous chapters.

And so the time has come to start working the plan to see just how glued to an alternative life style David is. Will he change his mind as I take over the initiative? Or will he simply think that at last I have come around to his point of view and leave me stuck with it in the future? Now there's a mind-boggling thought.

I stared out the kitchen window on that one, because I really am not sure what my reaction would be. That's not part of The Plan. I crossed my eyes, stuck out my tongue, and shook the thought out of my mind, just as David appeared outside preparing the grill.

"What's the matter? Is that look for me?"

"Oooof, sorry, just had a strange thought. Well it is sort of for you, now that I think about it." I laughed half-heartedly, my funny face replaced with a sardonic smile. Maybe tonight was the night.

"Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that! Anything wrong? You've been a little quiet lately."

The doorbell interrupted us before I could think of a good answer to that one. Phil and Anne arrived at the same time as Manny and Margaret, probably saw them coming down the street.

Usually there would have been more people for one of these, but I didn't really want too big a group. This needed to be an intimate group.

I greeted each and waited to see if Manny would give his usual robust hug or would he feel he should be a little reserved. I needn't have worried. Manny looked me deep in the eyes, and then got his confidence screwed up and lifted me off the floor with his usual enthusiasm. "Hi, gorgeous, you look even more lovely than usual." I felt the warmth of our bodies as he let me slip slowly down until my toes touched, hitching my skirt up slightly in the process.

"Ohmigod, leave that poor girl alone, Manny! David, we are going to have to throw a pail of water on him before the night's over." Margaret always pretended to side with David in a conspiracy that they must watch the two of us carefully.

"Maybe we should run off together to get even!" She laughed and hugged me in turn, letting David go.

David took drink orders and the rest of us waited while he delivered them and then offered the first toast.

"Here's to all of you, glad to have you!" he mumbled.

I knew that he always fixed the first drink extra strong to get the party off to a relaxed start, but I made sure that I did the refills. I wanted everyone to be relaxed and receptive tonight.

You see, our parties are pretty predictable. At some point, Phil or David will make broad innuendoes that we should go skinny dipping. Everyone laughs and threatens to be first, but no one actually does it. Tonight they were in for a surprise.

I was braless tonight. I knew that the loose silk dress with the low cut neckline and large white buttons down the front would provide a little excitement as I passed the canapé's. At least for the men, it would. I returned from the kitchen with a silver tray, a stack of napkins tucked under the tray. I offered one to Margaret, noticing David turn away from the grill to stare down my dress as she took her time making a selection.

"Oh, Charly, these look wonderful."

"Jeez, they sure do." David chimed in. I could see a look of surprise on his face, mixed with excitement. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him follow me as I leaned deeply in front of Manny who stared with such appreciation I had to move the tray to get one under his blindly groping fingers.

"Oh, great, er.. thanks, Charly." I saw his Adam's apple bob slightly as he gulped in surprise at my breasts, now tanned and free, swayed under his gaze.

"Ouch." I heard David say.

"Keep you eyes on your work over there. We don't want to call 911 and tell them you burned yourself on your grill!" I laughed at his discomfort and he turned back to his work. I continued passing the tray. Phil was always a little more obvious than the others, so I bowed in his direction, the tray in hand. There were only two left on the tray and he couldn't resist.

"Wow, what a pair!" he said exuberantly, his eyes devouring me instead of the food. Anne kicked his ankle sharply with a laugh.

"Behave yourself! Down boy!"

"Well, they are! I mean have you ever seen nicer pair of spring roles?"

"I wish I could go braless and look as pretty as you do, Charly." Anne put her hand on my arm and pulled me close to half whisper it in my ear.

"Oh, come on, Anne. You can do it anytime. I don't know why you are so shy?" Phil said it as if it was something that had come up before between them.

Anne's breasts are really wonderful. They are full and round and large. They always look heavy and opulent in anything she wears. She doesn't exactly flaunt them, but you always know they are there and they are lovely.

"Savage!" she laughed and punched him, her breasts swaying with the punch.

My nipples were hard with the excitement of all this attention. I think even the girls noticed. When I stood up again, the telltale points jutted against the dress. I went out of my way to pass David.

"Want one of my spring roles, David?" I asked innocently.

He looked at me quizzically, his eyes searching mine then dropping to my nipples which taunted him as I thrust them a little higher.

"Just one?" he recovered quickly and brought a laugh from everyone as I swept into the house to bring more.

I brought another tray and asked David to pass it while I brought more drinks. I intended to make the second one myself to further insure that everyone got suitably jolly tonight. They got a double dose of David's patented "Curtain Raiser." I felt someone behind me as I poured and waited in anticipation. It was David.

"Honey, do you know you can see all the way to your panties when you bend over? Sure you shouldn't button one button? Or put on a bra?"

"Do my ears deceive me? Is this David? I thought you liked that view!" I smirked at him in a very smartass way. I think the correct word would be coquettish.

"Well uh, .. just thought, .. uh .. well, never mind." He went on into the kitchen with the empty tray, a perplexed look on his face.

With a little smile of satisfaction at exposing the closet prude in my husband, I rejoined the party looking more than a little bouncy and ready for more. I distributed the drinks and insisted on a kiss in payment. I shivered a little, though, as I felt Manny's tongue dart out and taste my lipstick. He gave me a knowing smile as I moved on, rolling my eyes at him. I may have rolled my hips too. I was really feeling on a roll, I have to tell you.

We sat down at the round, glass-top table for steaks and corn on the cob. The glass was not completely clear. We were all feeling the effects of the drinks now and during dessert, I slipped my feet up into David's lap. It was only a minute until the others noticed. David looked slightly uncomfortable as he stared across at me.

"Hey, look at this. What is it? Two fish swimming in the pond?" Manny laughed and pointed down at my legs.

"Jeez, you two want us to leave you alone?" Phil hooted. This isn't fair, you are the only one across from your husband.

Anne slipped out of her shoes and slipped her toes inquisitively into Manny's lap, lifting mine so she could reach.

"Oh, I don't know Phil, I think this will work out OK. Let's wait and see. I could see his hand curl around Anne's instep. Her skirt parted and we could see a little hint of the color of her panties shimmering as if in a pond.

"Now it is really unfair! No room for more legs!" Margaret moaned.

"Unless, of course, you don't mind sitting on the floor, Phil. Phil slipped to the floor with a clatter and pulled Margaret's feet into his lap. He continued his conversation, only his eyes above table level.

"Yes, OK, this is fine. All fair now. Where were we? The Lions playing the Bears on Monday night?" He laughed.

It was, I admit, kind of sexy. I noticed that David had been struck dumb by the whole episode. That was hard to explain, but I supposed I would understand it with a little analysis. He began to recover and reenter the conversation.

Actually, I can very well understand why this would drive men crazy. The feel of Anne's stockings against my own was quite sensual. I could feel her flexing her muscles slightly as she insinuated her feet a little deeper into Manny's lap.

Taking her example, I stretched out to find David's cock, now very hard, lying along his leg under his pants. It felt nice. It jerked when I touched it. His eyes were as big as dollars.

As time went on, David recovered and was becoming more exuberant. It was only a matter of time before the call went up:

"OK, who's for skinny-dipping? I turned on the pool heater today, so no excuses!"

Everyone, as usual, said "Sure!" "Right" "Yessss!" but, nobody moved.

Nobody, that is, except me. I disentangled myself from the fondling tangle of legs under the table and stood up. Quickly I slipped the buttons of the dress open and dropped it in the chair. My nipples were jutting out from the mounds of my dark nipples. I still had my panties and thigh-high nylons on as I turned and walked to the pool and stepped into a shallow dive. The water was perfect and I rolled on my back and floated across the pool with my breasts above water, nipples like stiff flags flying over me.

"The water's great! Anyone joining me?"

They were all looking at David and laughing loudly, waiting for his reaction.

Rolling his eyes and smiling sheepishly, he made a great fuss of getting out of his chair, throwing his shoes and socks off, stripping out of his shirt, and dropping his pants. Anne and Margaret, whooped good-naturedly at his display.

David slipped out of his briefs at the edge of the pool and dove under me as I raised one nyloned leg high in the air. The dark ring of lace at the top of my stocking was waterlogged but elegant. He came up under me and I felt his hands cover my breasts as his cock prodded my bottom. We floated together that way as the others made comments.

There was a great splash at the other end and we looked up to see the pool deck empty and clothes scattered around the table. Margaret's bra hung from the chair back. The four of them had obviously jumped in all at once. They stood hugging in the water, filling the night air with their laughter.

We all bobbed in the water in a circle. Couples staying pretty much together as we continued the teasingly sexy conversation.

Phil at last got up his nerve and dove across the circle between my legs. The others now had an excuse to do the same with the other girls. The water was roiled as one and then the other was raised up by the man between their legs.

David dove with his nose pinched and twisted upside down to swim under Margaret, eyeing her from below as she giggled self-consciously. He emerged on the other side with a big swirl of splashed water.

"Hey you girls aren't really skinny dipping!" He tugged at Margaret's panties, getting them all the way down to her knees. Margaret stripped her panties off and there was a bright red streak as she tossed them onto the deck. A cheer came from the men. Anne and I followed suit and were honored with their cheers as well.

I couldn't help noticing that Anne had no visible hair. Her pussy looked very nice that way. I could see that David thought so too. I had never shaved there.

We stood in a circle, arms low on each other's waists and extended our toes in sort of a group grope in the middle of the circle. I felt Phil's hand on one cheek of my bottom and Manny's on the other. David had really recovered from the initial surprise and was his old self again, arms around Anne and Margaret with their bodies pressed close. I noticed that Anne's breast pressed against his chest as she turned slightly to look up at him.

Somehow, I wished that he would go back to his original state of astonished silence. Don't wish for too much on the first step of the plan, I thought.

Margaret proposed that we be blindfolded and see if we could identify our husbands by touch alone. I thought, ironically, that I would be able to identify two of the men in the circles from first hand experience, so to speak. Anne squelched it by saying it would be too easy, now that she had seen the size of Manny and David. Even Phil joined in the laughter. From what I could see of Phil, it looked like he was being wrongfully criticized and I said so.

Phil leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Charly, for defending me. Isn't she a beast?"

The party began breaking up, sodden panties were tucked into purses, stockings tucked away too, and we all dried off with a stack of fluffy towels. I slipped into my dress, my wet stockings outlined against the fabric and my nipples still tenting the fabric.

David and I finished cleaning up and I was in our tiny laundry room. Just as I started the dryer, I screamed with surprise as my dress was thrown up over my hips and David's cock delved between the cheeks of my bottom. My legs were lifted off the floor by the strength of his thrust. Since I had just toweled off, I wasn't wet enough for this immediately, and he could not make it in one thrust. My dry pussy held him back. He pressed against the resistance. Slowly, I felt him fill my vagina, a little at a time, as his blunt, rigid cock spread first my pussy lips then slipped inside.

It felt as if my vagina had to unfold to let him enter a little more. He pressed again and another inch or so of me was filled and spread with the hard roundness of his cock head. I moved a little. He slipped in a little deeper, the forceful pressure of his thrust continuing. I began to become a little wetter and moved one more time until I felt him press all the way into my vagina. I felt his balls slap against my thighs, high up between my legs.

"Oooof!" I couldn't help it. The word slipped out on its own.

David wasn't hearing it anyway. He withdrew until he was completely out of me and then I felt him probing again to find my entrance. Again he pushed against me, going all the way with one powerful thrust as his hands left my hips and reached to grasp my breasts. Again and again I felt his cock extend into me, pushing the folds of my vagina aside and seeking more of my juices from deep inside me. He couldn't last long, I knew. I had teased him all night long and he was bound to be ready to come very quickly.

With one mighty thrust, I felt his body tense, his hands tighten on my breasts and his toes lift me higher off the vibrating dryer under my pubic mound. His sperm was a long, warm, creamy stream. I felt it splash deep inside and then felt his cock pull some of it out so that it dribbled between us. I held on, but it was no use. He had drunk too much and he had satisfied himself. He would be off to bed almost immediately.

David lay on me as the spin dry cycle continued to tickle my stomach. His hands caressed my breasts and I felt his hand slip inside to cup the bareness of my breast, then twist my nipple gently. He kissed me behind my ear and I felt him lighten his load from me, cautiously lower me to the floor and slowly let his dwindling prick slip out of clenched pussy. I felt it clasped lightly by the cheeks of my bottom as my feet touched the floor. A stream of his sperm rolled down my thigh and I pressed my legs together. He massaged the small of my back for a moment, with real tenderness.

"Oh, god, I got to get to bed! You coming?"

"In a minute," I said.

David lumbered up the stairs and I heard him bump along he hall to our room.

I cleaned up a little and then went into the living room to collect my thoughts. Sitting in the bay window, I saw myself staring back. The reflected image mouthed the words:

"So far, so good?"

The person in the window shrugged, unsmiling, and turned off the light.

And many strokes, though with a little axe,

Hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak

--HENRY VI PART III

Continued in Chapter 8