Many thanks to ChancesAre for editing the story and providing feedback and suggestions for improvement. The final story is immeasurably enhanced as a result.
* * * * *
Yasmin assessed herself in the full-length mirror one last time. The woman staring back laughed and shook her head.
Really
, she thought to herself,
how did Tony ever talk me into coming to this party?
Smoothing the ruby red dress over her thighs, she deftly adjusted the hijab, taking care to ensure her hair was fully covered. Her tall, slim figure combined with her olive complexion and large brown eyes, made her a striking, somewhat exotic woman. Especially when she chose to wear heels as she had tonight. Over time she had grown accustomed to the looks she drew from men she passed on the street or who sat opposite her on the tube. However, her faith dictated that she present a chaste and virtuous profile in public and she tried hard to comply. Though thirty-one, she was still, at her core, a woman who had been raised in a conservative Muslim family and whose faith continued to have a central role in her life.
In truth, her faith was one of the reasons why it was so hard for Tony to persuade her to attend his birthday party. Knowing Tony, alcohol would be flowing freely. As a practicing Muslim, she tried to stay away from such events. The other reason for her reluctance was, however, much harder for her to admit...a small, but rapidly growing, physical attraction to Tony.
Though she and Tony had worked together, on and off, for almost nine years it was only in the past six months, since starting work at his successful IT company, that she had begun to think of him sexually. For some strange reason her mind, and body, now responded to his presence in a way that it never had in the past. It wasn't as if Tony had changed; he'd always been the tall, urbane gentleman, quick to witticisms and owner of a dazzling smile. It was just that she'd apparently never taken note of just how attractive and charming he was.
This attraction was at the root of a deep conflict which had taken hold of her over the past months. Her husband Yousuf was a kind and loving man who certainly didn't deserve a wife who had the kind of thoughts that were constantly crowding her brain these days. The problem was that Yousuf saw her as a wife rather than as a woman... or a lover. Never once in the five years they had been married had he made love to her. Instead, when they had sex it was as if he was following a script; a script solely designed around his pleasure. She yearned for him to just once allow his lust and desire to take over. For him to demand she suck his cock or bend over the kitchen counter so he could sink himself, groaning, into her wet pussy. Yousuf was, however, a traditional Muslim male for whom activities such as oral sex are
haram
, leaving Yasmin sexually frustrated and fantasizing about others, such as Tony, who, in her mind were more than able to give her all she desired.
The party was for Tony's fortieth, and only the fact that he had limited the party to a small group of his closest friends finally persuaded Yasmin to attend. Her relationship with Tony had grown after she joined his company and she often found herself sharing intimate details of her life with him long after everyone else had left the office. While she was well aware of the dangers that their friendship posed, both to her marriage and her career, she nonetheless enjoyed the insights into the "real" Tony that these conversations afforded. It was through these interactions that she came to understand that Tony was, in reality, a very different individual from that which he portrayed in his day-to-day life at the office.
The party was in full swing when she arrived at the restaurant a little later than she had planned. She found an empty spot at a table where a couple, who looked to be roughly the same age as Tony, were already seated. Diana and David turned out to be old friends of Tony's from his college days and she enjoyed listening to the two of them recount some hilarious stories of Tony and his escapades as they ate.
After dessert, Yasmin excused herself to freshen up. As she walked back to the table she decided it was time to call an Uber and head home to Yousuf. Her plan however was thwarted by David.
"Good, you're back," David announced. "Just in time for the fun." He was clearly a little worse for wear, having consumed multiple glasses of the excellent after-dinner Scotch.
"Oh, darling, I'm sure Yasmin doesn't want to get involved in all that nonsense," Diana, quickly interjected.
Yasmin looked from one to the other as she attempted to figure out the subject of this conversation. Diana, sensing that Yasmin was a little lost, was the first to speak up.
"Oh, ever since their Cambridge days, Tony and David and their idiotic male friends have had a stupid and, quite frankly, misogynistic tradition that the 'Birthday Boy' gets to kiss all the women at the party. David is just about to embarrass everyone by getting it under way."
Yasmin looked at the two of them incredulously. "No way. You're kidding me, right?"
"I know. It's incredibly juvenile and you'd think that they would have grown out of it by now. But every year we dutifully line up and kiss the Birthday Boy."
David responded loudly, "Oh, come on Diana, it's just some good clean fun. Never done anyone any harm!"
Yasmin looked at Diana pleadingly.
"Ummmmm, we're talking about a kiss on the cheek, aren't we?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm Muslim, married, and well... really, it doesn't fit with my beliefs."
"Don't be such a prude, Yasmin," David said, raising his voice even further, "Of course it's not a kiss on the cheek. Got to give the Birthday Boy a little fun, after all. Just slip him a little tongue!"
Yasmin was horrified and more than a little panic-stricken. What could she do? She didn't want to cause a scene by refusing to participate, however, both her faith and her upbringing were screaming loud warnings at her.
Thankfully, Diana sensed the dilemma Yasmin faced and came to her rescue.
"Quiet, you old goat! Can't you see that Yasmin is Muslim? I'm sure that even thinking about kissing a man other than her husband is embarrassing, never mind the thought of doing it in public, in a room full of strangers!"
Diana was right. Inside Yasmin was dying at the thought of kissing Tony, even as the warm, pleasurable feelings generated by those very thoughts were coursing through her body. She flashed a look of gratitude towards Diana.
"Look," said Diana, "why don't you join the end of the line, beside me. I'll have a word with Tony and make sure he understands the situation. You can just hug him or shake hands or whatever."
"Thanks. You are a lifesaver," Yasmin replied softly as David abruptly stood up and weaved his way to the front of the room.
Ten minutes later he had rounded up every woman in the room and had them standing in a line while he rambled on about how the tradition had started. Yasmin's heart raced and a million thoughts crowded her brain. Were all of these women really going to kiss Tony? Not just a peck on the cheek or even their lips but a full-on, no holds barred, passionate kiss? Surely they couldn't be so brazen, especially since so many seemed to be here with their husbands. She could only imagine Yousuf's reaction if she kissed Tony in such a fashion. What was Diana going to do? By the sounds of it, she had partaken in this ritual for a long, long time. But would she have the courage to allow Tony to kiss her openly in front of all of her friends? Then again, it sounded like all of her friends would be doing the same thing and that it would actually be Yasmin who would be the odd one out.
For a moment she considered yielding to peer pressure and allowing Tony to kiss her when it was her turn. After all, hadn't she, in her most private moments, thought about just how hot and sexy it would be to experience this very thing? Hadn't she reached down and fingered her moist pussy as she imagined being held tightly in Tony's muscular arms, his hard throbbing member rubbing against her?
But no! Much as she had imagined and fantasized about Tony taking her, she just couldn't be as brazen and slutty to kiss him in front of all these people.
Her body shook as Tony slowly made his way down the line. The tall, blonde woman three places up laughed and giggled with him for a few moments before stepping forward and draping her arms languidly around his neck. Yasmin watched in a mixture of fascination and shock as their lips met and Tony's hand slid down her back and onto her ass. They kissed for no more than twenty seconds, yet Yasmin easily felt the heat and ardor from where she stood, mesmerized.
A few moments later Tony was in front of Diana, taking her hands in his as he looked down at her. Despite her heels, she was a good five inches shorter than Tony and Yasmin giggled inwardly as she wondered just how they would ever manage to kiss.
"Happy birthday, Tony," Diana said, smiling up at him softly. "How many years have we been doing this now?"
"Oh, I'm not sure," Tony replied, "but I know I look forward to it every year."
He leaned forward as Diana stretched upwards, her head tilting to accept his kiss, lips parting to accommodate the tongue that snaked softly between. She emitted a low, soft moan as Tony drew her closer, crushing her against his chest. It was obvious this wasn't the first time they had shared such a passionate kiss, since their bodies melted into the others with an almost effortless ease.
Finally, Tony stood in front of Yasmin. Her knees were weak as she nervously contemplated what was about to happen. She sighed with relief when Tony was a perfect gentleman.
"Yasmin, I'm so glad you decided to come tonight." He leaned forward, kissing her gently on the cheek. "Thank you for playing along. I know this whole shenanigan must be difficult for you. Let me give you a lift home in a few minutes. That'll allow us to catch up a little."
