A Demanding Woman

Day Thirteen was not a sexy day. Skye and María glowed at brunch, while Cesc's charm was decidedly pasted on. When Skye and I took a bathroom break, she told me she and María rather pointedly didn't invite him to have a threesome and spent most of the night making love.

"God, this is fucking fantastic rebound," she said with a laugh.

The rest of brunch, I escaped from my emotional brain into my scientist brain and talked to Tala about the project I'd start when I got home. I suspected Cesc wouldn't be able to keep up with the technical bits, nor be interested. It was cruel—I suspected he was close to finding out if he loved María—but I was overwhelmed. I have no idea if Tala went with the conversation because she was genuinely interested, realized I needed a break from everything else, or maybe wanted to punish Cesc for not fucking me.

Cesc invited me to take a boat out to a semi-submerged temple, but I begged off, claiming exhaustion. Tala stopped talking to me. I napped, then found Lucia and convinced her and Nikka to go snorkeling with me. "No games, I promise."

That night, Skye left the resort with María to eat at a local place and didn't come home. I called Blake and told him about Skye deciding not to kiss or touch me anymore.

"You know, I'll miss our threesomes, but I'm really happy for her. It's such a healthy step for her."

"Yeah, I'm kinda sad, though."

"We can find somebody else to play with."

"No, it's not that. Its ... I don't know. Its like I always had two spouses. The sex just made that more real. What if she falls in love? She won't be mine anymore." I sighed and blew my nose. "I know I'm just being a selfish asshole, but I want to keep her just for me."

"Does this mean I have to quit my job and devote myself full-time to your needs?"

God, I love him. I laughed. "No. We'll wait until we have a baby for you to be my live-in help."

"You know, babe, the way your career is going, that might be our smart option. In a couple of years, you'll be making triple what I do."

We talked about the baby we wanted to have, careers, and other completely domestic and wonderful things until eventually we were talking about the dishwasher repair he'd just arranged for.

"Sweetie, tomorrow is the end of my no-come days. If I were there, what would you do?"

He laughed. "Nice transition. But, seriously, nice transition. I've been thinking about what I'll do to you when you get home every night. I don't think we should wait any longer with your ass. I don't think I could hold off, even. The second you came through the door, I'd drag you to the bedroom. Fuck, I'd drag you by the hair if I had to. And I'd tear your clothes off. Take them off, Madeline."

I described it to him as I took them off, one by one. "I'm all naked for you, lover."

"Good. Take a picture. I want to see my sexy wife."

"Really?" We'd never shared nude selfies and had been a little judgmental about celebrities who were 'so stupid they had naked pics to get stolen.'

"Yeah, I know, but yes. I need to see you."

"Okay, but send me a dick pic."

We exchanged photos.

"God, you'e so gorgeous. Aren't there men there bugging the shit out of you, trying to get into your bikini?"

I bit my lip. I still hadn't told him about Cesc. And I couldn't. "When I went snorkeling without Skye today, the dive guide stared at me. I'm sure he wanted to fuck me. And Lucia, the masseuse I took with me."

"Did you jerk him off?"

I laughed. "You want me to?"

"No ... maybe a little bit? I definitely wouldn't want you to have sex with a guy, but, God, I hate to say this, but it turned me on knowing how excited you got with that Tom guy."

"You like your slutty wife, don't you?"

"God, I do."

"Is that what you want to do to me? Make me suck cock, suck cocks?"

"Yeah. And I want to fuck your ass. Get some lube or lotion or something and finger your ass. I want to see your fingers in your ass."

"God, that's so nasty. It's a good thing you married a dirty slut." I did a scan for lube, but I didn't bring any. I know—Cesc was right, I came on this vacation entirely for sex, but I didn't bring lube? But I didn't. So I resorted to sunscreen and hoped it wouldn't do something weird put up my ass.

I laughed as I took a picture of three fingers, dripping with sunscreen. They looked delightfully indecent. "I'm going to ruin my phone by getting this all over it."

Blake didn't laugh. "Fuck that's hot. Baby, put them in your ass. Can you put your phone on speaker and FaceTime me? I want to watch you fuck yourself."

"Really."

"Oh God, yeah. Please."

"Okay, but you have delete it immediately. I'd die if this got out."

"Of course. Just do it."

So I turned on FaceTime and kneeled over the phone. "Is the view okay?"

"Perfect."

I rubbed my fingers around my asshole, spreading the sunscreen about before pushing two fingers in. They went right in, without any difficulty. The only tricky part was getting them all the way in because of my pose.

"Fuck baby, your slut wife is ready for your cock. I want it so bad right now. God, I want to come so bad."

I played with my tits while I fucked my ass. I hadn't lied—I really was ready for him. I was pretty sure I could come from this. I pushed a third finger in. "Ohhhh. Baby, I'm going to come. Come in my ass, quick, come in my ass before I go over."

I stopped talking and just moaned, little squeaky moans that I found hilarious when I watched the video again.

My whole body was trembling. I hadn't come in almost two weeks. This orgasm would be huge. It would be thermonuclear and level the entire resort.

"Fuck, baby, I'm coming," Blake yelled. "Don't come. You gotta stop. Tomorrow's the big day."

"Fuck!" He was right. I'd made it this far. I was so close, but ... I pulled my fingers out.

"I have to get in a cold shower and clean up right now. Call you soon."

I didn't even managed to get FaceTime turned off before rushing to the bathroom. Even in the non-sexy cold water, I had a hard time not finishing. I kept thinking of Blake in my ass for the first time, then Tala handcuffing me to the bed and Cesc fucking my ass. I humped the empty bed, imagining being taken and used. I replayed getting Nikka off, then imagined giving in to Cesc at the grotto while María and Skye watched and called me a dirty whore for cheating on my husband.

The next morning before we left for brunch, I stopped Tala, grinning. "I'm just going to order breakfast in bed. My fourteen days are up and I need some relief. Do you want to join me"

I put my hand on her arm and gently pulled her towards me. She swatted my hand away.

"I'm not a prisoner of my carnal desires," she said, but there was warmth in her voice. "Besides, you're not allowed self-pleasure here. The only orgasms you're allowed here are on a penis."

"What? I never agreed to that. No. I'm not going to cheat on my husband."

"We have a contract, Madeline, and I expect you to adhere to its terms."

"We have a verbal agreement, and that agreement was that I prove I could hold back from orgasming for two weeks. The two weeks are up and, miraculously, I did."

"The agreement was revised when we left before you'd completed your part of the bargain."

"We never discussed that."

"It was implied. The actual contract, if you need a refresher, says that you'll pay for half of this vacation. Would you like to write me a check."

"I can't believe you're doing this. I thought you were my friend. This is blackmail."

"I cherish you, Madeline, even more than Skye, which is why I'm doing this. You need this. It's who you are."

"I'm not going to cheat on him."

She shook her head, as if I was a child pleading not to eat ice cream I was clearly going to eat. But I'd gone two weeks. I'd made it through the previous night, when I'd foolishly gotten right to the edge and still pulled back. There were only two more full days left. If this was to become a battle of the wills, I would win.

At brunch, Skye and María glowed. They couldn't stop touching each other—not sexual touches, just touching each other's hair and holding pinkies. It was adorable. Cesc was charming and gorgeous as always, but I was too upset by Tala's demands to be taken in. Instead, I focused on Skye and how obviously in love she was. I kind of swooned for her. María was so right for her, too. They had the same sense of humor and listening to them talk, I could see how their interests complemented each other.

After we'd finished our eggs, Tala started to talk to Cesc and María in Spanish. She had the same accent as they did—with the lisp-y Cs that come out as TH, like Barthelona. I wondered if she had lived there. I couldn't understand anything she said, since the conversation wasn't about el baño or burritos con carne; but at one point, she said "puta" twice. I knew what puta meant. Cesc and María looked at me, confirming my suspicion that Tala was telling them I couldn't come without a cock in me. No, she said I couldn't come except on a cock. On a cock. I smiled at Cesc, who I'm sure took it as a sign he was going to have me. I laughed to myself. I was going to win.

After brunch, Skye and I begged off a group activity. Tala, of course, protested.

Skye hugged her, enveloping her in her arms. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Tala." She was crying.

Tala was stiff, but tolerated the affection. "For what?"

"For showing me who I am. God..." Skye wiped her eyes. "I was so caught up in what I thought I had to be, I couldn't even see who I really was. When I think about that, I get so angry at what I lost. But you found the way past all of that and made me see the real me. I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome," Tala said and tentatively put a hand up to hug Skye back.

I was crying with joy, too, but I couldn't help but think about how wrong Tala looked. Like she'd never been hugged, or maybe never been loved. She was such a strange woman, but more than that, I realized, she was somebody with a staggering sorrow buried in her. It shouldn't have made a difference, but seeing that pain in her made my anger over her blackmail fade.

"You won't mind if I borrow Madeline for the rest of the morning? María and I rented a hotel last night and..." She sighed with utter contentment, "I need to tell Madeline about it. You could join us. Sunbathing on the deck?"

"No, you're a dear for asking, and for telling me how much my encouragements have meant to you, but I have a book I want to finish."

I looked at her outfit—mint linen trousers, a white, full sleeved blouse she left only one button undone—and wondered why she decided on a tropical vacation when she clearly had no interest in any of the activities. Then I wondered if Cesc knew Tala was planning on having Skye steal María from him. Because I was pretty sure that we were here so I'd be given to him, while María was for Skye, or Skye for María.

Skye and I sunbathed topless, unselfconsciously. Being embarrassed about it before seemed silly now that I'd been exposed so often.

"When I got to their cabin, María greeted me with a kiss. God, I just swooned. I knew right then, I was in love." She laughed. "We had a really good time at the grotto, but we didn't actually make love."

"Really? Cesc implied..."

She shook her head. "We teased around it, but, I don't know, I guess we wanted it to be like a date, not whatever you'd call what Tala sets up. We didn't say so exactly, but I think we both wanted it to be romantic."

"How does Cesc fit into all of this? They are partners. I got the sense they've been fucking other people, together, for a long time. And Cesc said Tala brings two kinds of women here—those who don't know they're lesbians and those who don't know they're sluts."

"So you think María is my training wheels lesbian experience Tala set up?"

"Oh, God, no, that's not what I meant. The way she was with you at brunch ... if she'd faking, she's an amazing actress. But, anyway, ignore me. What happened after you kissed."

"I asked her to go for a walk!" She laughed. "We're here on this sleazy vacation whose whole point is to get us fucked a lot, and I just asked her to take a walk."

I laughed. "Were you plotting to get in her pants?"

"Not exactly. I just wanted to be with her and not with both of them. So we walked all the way around the lagoon, then climbed up that little basalt wall, near the cave out to the ocean. We talked and talked and talked. God, Madeline, you're the only other person I've ever felt this way about. Remember that first night in our dorm room?"

I smiled and took her hand. We instantly had a connection that made me stop worrying about the friends I'd left at home. "I love you. You're not going to stop being mine because of her?"

"Please don't say that. Not now. It's not fair."

"I'm sorry. María?"

She gave my hand a squeeze and dropped it. "So, we started to kiss, but it was a horrible place to make out. She suggested we go back to her place. I said I just wanted her. That lead to more kissing." Skye was beaming. "She said she knew of a hotel about twenty minutes from the resort. We picked up some beers from the bar and walked there, then made love. Oh, God, it was amazing. Oh, Madeline, I am really in love."

"I'm so happy for you."

"I told her this morning, before we came back."

"Told her what?"

"That I love her!"

"Really?"

She nodded. "She loves me, too. God! Madeline, I have a girlfriend!"

We high-fived, then she told me all about why she loved María and gave me the intimate details. Somehow, I showed her the video. I don't know why I didn't delete it immediately. No, I do. I wanted Skye to see it.

"Wow, that's hot. Fuck, Madeline, that's the best porn I've ever seen. You could definitely take Blake now. Are you going to let Cesc be your first anal?"

"No, God, no. I promised Blake."

"Madeline, sweetheart, you're hanging on by a wire. I know you want to keep your word, but isn't that a silly line to draw? How many guys who you aren't married to have you given a blow job to?"

"After I got married? Two. Just two."

"You didn't give Cesc one?"

I shook my head.

"You know that Tala always gets her way, right? When María and Cesc first met her, María had never been with a woman. She wasn't fucked up about it like me, but she didn't want to do a threesome. Tala got her to confess all of her desires, got her naked in front of strangers, then got her to invite a woman into bed with her and Cesc. I guess telling yourself you won't will make it more exciting when you do, though."

"I won't. I won't. Now, what about you and María, does she want to leave him?"

"I don't know. It came up. I said I didn't want to share her. I meant threesomes, but she read it as her being with him. We both decided it was too early to think about. But we only have two more days. We're getting a hotel again tonight, and probably the next one." She shook her head. "Can you believe I'm already thinking about what it would mean to date somebody from another country? Like, can I move to Spain? Can she move here?"

"I'm so happy for you."

María invited me to join Skye and her for dinner in town, sans Cesc and Talla. Neither of them objected, but at brunch the next morning, Talla conspicuously avoided talking to me, while Cesc wouldn't talk to Skye or María. He was still charming in a dangerous way, but he couldn't hide his melancholia.

After brunch, Skye and María went for a hike, so I went swimming again and managed to completely exhaust myself. Once again, I fell asleep during my massage. Oddly, Tala didn't insist that I "tip" Nikka. Was it because the "tips" were really about Skye and Lucia, or because she'd given up on me?

Tala and I ate together, without Skye, who was off with María again, and had a pleasant conversation. Actually, it was one of our best conversations. She asked me about my swim and I told her about all of the amazing sea life I saw, then we talked about the book she was reading, and finally, we talked about Skye and María.

"Cesc was always a transition for her," she said about María. "She needed him to help her find her true self, but it was inevitable she'd outgrow him. Women always outgrow their men."

She looked in my eyes. "Men can't change the way women do. Yes, they grow and mature, but they are always ... men."

I knew she was telling me my marriage couldn't last—that no marriage could—and that was insulting and absurd. Well-educated, moderately affluent couples who marry after twenty-five have low divorce rates. That's Blake and I. But instead of being hurt or angry, I felt a flush of warmth for her. Tala was Tala, and I loved her. Not like I loved Blake and Skye. Cesc was right about the inadequacy of the word. But I didn't just desire her, I loved her greatly.

I reached out and held her hand. She didn't pull away. It was the most affectionate we'd ever been.

"She wasn't even eighteen when they met."

I nodded and she continued to tell me about María and Cesc. As always, even when she told me about first meeting them and arranging for them to be with another woman, she didn't reveal anything about herself. There wasn't a hint as to why she did anything, or of what she wanted from it. The absence of details suggested she hadn't slept with either of them, but perhaps she wouldn't say.

After we finished dinner, I took her hand and pulled her towards me. I was careful not to force her into a hug. I just want to close the space between us to something intimate.

"Let me give you something. Give you pleasure. However you want it, whatever you need. I want to spend the night with you."

We stood, six inches between us, my heart racing. She didn't answer for a minute, then squeezed my hand.

"No. The pleasure you give me is obedience."

"Please, may I kiss you? Please?"

She licked her lips subtly, pulling her lower lip in just slightly. "No."

I closed the space between us, letting my free hand find her waist. "Please."

Her grip on my hand tightened and she swallowed. I tilted my head to kiss her.

She sucked in a breath, then stepped way. "Madeline, no."

She turned away for a moment before facing me again. There was a tear at the corner of her eye. "We can't. Besides, I have plans for your punishment tonight."

"Punishment?"

"You have been completely disobedient and undisciplined, Mrs. St. James." Anger had crept into her voice. "You fell asleep during your massage and did not tip the masseuse, which was rude as well and disobedient. I come to this resort often and you're giving me a bad name among the staff. You and Ms. Martin went galavanting off to dinner last night without inviting me. And now you've tried to force your affections upon me. I think you will agree, you are in dire need of discipline."

"Will that make you happy? Give you joy?"

"This isn't about me."

I felt terribly sad. What happened to her that she couldn't accept affection or intimacy?

"I'll make you a deal. Let me hold you—just hold you—for five minutes and I'll do whatever you want. No limits. You can make me have sex with Cesc or Nikka. I'll do them both."

"No. Go put on the striped dress and get yourself ready. Our guests will arrive in forty minutes. And remember, you are to find release except on a man's penis."

She went into her room and closed the door. I shook my head. On a man's penis. She was so fucked-up and wrong, but I'd give her the obedience she needed ... just within my rules.

Our guests—Skye, María, Cesc, Nikka, and Lucia—all arrived together. Tala brought them to the back deck our our little private villa-on-the-lagoon. She must have prepared it while I was swimming. Chairs were set in a circle, along with Tiki torches. She sat with her back to the railing. I, of course, had to stand in the center.

"Madeline, you know why you are here, don't you?"