All Is Well That Ends Well 1

"Ah, there you are. Anne-Marie said I would find you out here tending to the cooking of tonight's New Year's Eve repast."

Chuck watched Renee stride toward him across the back deck of the beach house. She was an elegant and truly beautiful woman; fairly tall, maybe five foot eight or so, with shoulder length, honey-blonde hair and smokey gray-blue eyes. She and her husband, Henri, were a little older than Chuck and his wife, Anne-Marie. Renee and Henri were maybe in their mid thirties.

"Yes indeed," Chuck replied. "I put the prime rib on earlier so it should be ready to come off in about an hour. Dinner will be served about 7:30, right on schedule."

Renee handed Chuck a bourbon and water; its rich mahogany color suggested a stout libation of mostly bourbon. Renee took a sip of her white wine and quipped with a delightful French lilt, "Anne-Marie said you were overdue for a refill and that I should make a whiskey cocktail and then deliver it to you."

Renee's spicy, and slightly earthy perfume wafted pleasantly to Chuck providing a pleasing and exotic tang in his nostrils.

Renee and Henri were from Quebec and spoke with the distinct Québécois French accent. They were part of the annual migration of snow birds to this part of northwest Florida, snow birds being the traditional local term for the Canadians who fled south for part or sometimes all of the winter. The Canadian couple arrived at their rental house next door yesterday after a several-day drive from Quebec. They had spent Christmas with family back home in Canada before departing on their sojourn to warmer climes.

Chuck and Anne-Marie observed the Canadians arrive and unpack their car about noon yesterday. Chuck and Anne-Marie strolled over, and after introducing themselves, they warmly invited their new neighbors to share New Year's Eve dinner with them. Renee and Henri graciously accepted the offer with the proviso they would supply the dessert and wine.

Renee walked over to the grill and sniffed the titillating aromas emanating from there. She bubbled, "It smells divine; can I peek?"

Enchanted by the beautiful woman, Chuck quickly replied, "Certainly, I need to baste the meat again, anyway. I do that every fifteen or twenty minutes just to keep it moist."

After the grill was opened, the meat basted, and the prime rib admired, Renee turned and looked out across the Gulf. The moon had not yet risen, but the clear sky sparkled with a myriad of stars. Few of the adjacent beach houses were occupied at this time of the year, and lights from what passed for the downtown of their beach village a little over a mile to the east twinkled weakly. The deck was subtly accent lighted, providing a pleasant subdued aura.

Renee sighed, "It is so beautiful and relaxing here. And warm. You don't even need a sweater tonight." Renee laughed, "I spoke to my sister in Quebec before we came over, and it is minus eleven degrees there. That is Centigrade, I don't know what that is in your Fahrenheit."

Chuck replied cheerfully, "Well, that means it is mighty cold up there; I know that much. We are having a bit of a warm spell right now. It is usually a little bit cooler than this around New Years."

Chuck waved indicating the deck chair next to him. "Here, sit down and enjoy our delightful evening weather. What are Anne-Marie and Henri doing in there?"

Renee shot Chuck a sideways glance and an enigmatic smile before sitting down and replying, "Oh, they are organizing the rest of the feast for tonight and who knows what. Henri loves to play chef. He will do a magnificent creme brulee for us for desert, so be sure to save room. This morning Anne-Marie told me you two own this house and are not renters. It must be an absolutely delightful place to live."

That morning the couples had bumped into each other while walking on the brilliantly white sand beach alongside the Gulf of Mexico. They decided to continue the mile or so to the seaside village. There they enjoyed a pleasant lunch of the local fish chowder accompanied by a French baguette and a bottle of Sancerre. The weatherbeaten fish house where they ate looked dilapidated but served extraordinary local seafood fare and kept a decent wine list.

Walking to and from the restaurant, the two men strode briskly ahead while they got to know one another. The two women trailed along behind the men, chatting amiably. Chuck noted Henri was tall, a tad over six feet, and his muscular build revealed that he was a gym rat. In fact, both Renee and Henri had the well toned look of serious exercise devotees. Chuck envied Henri his rugged, strong-jawed, Marlborough-cowboy look that was once popularized in old TV cigarette ads.

Henri's manly physique made Chuck reflect unfavorably on the pudginess creeping up on him as he approached thirty. Okay, this new year he swore he really would start a vigorous exercise and weight loss program.

The men's conversation revealed Henri was a financial manager for a collection of wealthy Canadian clients that allowed him considerable freedom of time and location in his work. Renee practiced psychology in Quebec for a few years after med school. Today, she still continued some consulting with an old university friend in private practice. However, she devoted increasing amounts of her time to a thriving writing career.

Chuck, in turn, informed Henri that he and Anne-Marie were childhood sweethearts from Milton, Florida, twenty miles or so inland to the north; they both attended Florida State and married as soon as they graduated. He was a financial manager for a technology firm in downtown Pensacola. Anne-Marie taught at the local elementary school in the beach village.

Chuck shifted from his reflections on this morning's walk back to Renee's question on the beach house. "Yes, we are year-round residents. Not too many of us here. During the summer they call this the Redneck Riviera, and we are jammed. In exchange, winter is delightfully tranquil."

Chuck was mesmerized by Renee's beauty and cosmopolitan charm and had been since they met yesterday. He was anxious to keep her attention and stammered on, "The house was left to us by my grandparents when they passed away a few years ago. Grandpa was a paving contractor in Milton and made quite a bit of money when I-10 was built back in the 60s and 70s and then he expanded into building construction. He used his own crews to build this house about fifteen years ago: reinforced concrete, impact resistant glass, reinforced metal roof, whole-house generator, five feet above the hundred-year flood... Grandpa did everything he could think of to make a solid, hurricane-resistant house."

Chuck was delighted to see Renee was paying rapt attention to him. He went on more confidently now, "We were working in Pensacola across the bay when my grandparents died. My sister and her husband live in Galveston, and my brother is in DC." Chuck shrugged and finished with, "So we were the obvious ones to inherit the beach house, but the whole family has a standing invitation to come visit whenever."

Renee smiled graciously, "It sounds like a family treasure. It is certainly a unique and beautiful setting."

Chuck, still ill at ease in the presence of such a stunning woman who seemed to hang on his every word, continued nervously, "Anne-Marie says that you will only be our neighbors for a month and then you are off for another month in St. Augustine. That is very different from here, but a lovely town. I am sure you all will enjoy it."

Renee graced Chuck with a dazzling smile, "Yes, we are looking forward to St. Augustine. We have reserved a cozy cottage in the old city. It should be fascinating."

Renee took a sip of her wine and explained further, "This is only our second year to be Canadian snow birds fleeing to the American South. Last year we tried Marco Island and Boca Raton but found them a little crowded for our tastes. This is much more restful here. Next year we thought about trying Texas, but that's such a long drive. I think we will just stick to this part of Florida."

Chuck wanted to know more about this glamorous woman and plunged on, "Henri told me you are a novelist now. I am afraid I am unfamiliar with your work."

Renee chuckled, "Oh, I write in French so you would not have run into my novels. My fans are in Canada and France primarily. My publisher is after me to do my next book in English for the U.S. and Anglo-Canadian market to make more money. We will see."

Chuck inquired obsequiously, "What do you write about? I might have to give your first book in English a try."

Renee laughed easily and fanned herself in mock embarrassment. "Oh dear, I write sexy thrillers with a psychological twist. The sex sells the books, and psychology is my actual trained profession."

Chuck smiled ingratiatingly and exclaimed loudly, "How intriguing! Well, I most certainly look forward to reading your first English edition."

Renee smiled back politely, "I will send you an autographed copy; when I get it written, that is. Actually, my psychology background really helps with character development, and I still do some consulting with an old friend. She specializes in marriage and couples therapy."

Renee shook her head laughing, "Heaven knows that provides bountiful new material to work with. People are always fascinating, especially when men and women and sex are all intertwined together."

At that moment, a long feminine giggle drifted from the sliding glass door that led back into the house and that Renee had neglected to shut. A woman's voice purred, "Oh yes, honey, oh yeees, that's it."

Chuck sat bolt upright, spilling some of us drink. "That's Anne-Marie! What..."

Renee smirked and put her hand on Chuck's arm to stem his rise. "Oh my! Anne-Marie did not talk to you like she said she would; did she? Goodness, this is awkward."

Chuck looked at Renee in bafflement. "Talked to me? About what? No. What is going on here?"

Renee beamed a warm smile at Chuck cooing, "Now, now, don't get excited. Take a sip of your drink, and I'll explain everything."

Renee set the example with a sip of her wine. Chuck looked at the beautiful woman suspiciously but followed suit with a hefty slug of his drink. The burning bite of the bourbon seared his senses as he tried to rationalize the enchanting Renee's calmness that starkly contrasted with his wife's symphony of happy, carnal cries emanating from inside the house.

Renee swished her blonde hair while leaning toward Chuck keeping her hand intimately resting on his arm. "Now dear, Anne-Marie and I got to talking pretty candidly on our walk this morning. You see... Oh goodness this is so embarrassing." Renee took a deep breath and continued in a sensual, conspiratorial whisper, "You see, when Henri and I meet a compatible couple with whom we really click, and we are far from home where nobody knows us... well, Henri and I like to... you know, kinda swap partners for a little fun. Some naughty fun to be sure."

Renee watched Chuck very intensely, gauging his reaction to her announcement.

Chuck stared slack jawed without a sound for several seconds. Then he blew out a long breath, and muttered a slow, noncommittal, "Okay."

Renee smiled brightly at Chuck patting his arm while continuing to explain with feigned nervousness, "Anne-Marie and I were, you know, talking about this, uhm swapping partners. And, well, she was really excited about the idea. Said you two had thought about it too. You never have tried it though. So she said you two would finally give it a whirl. Said she would talk to you and be ready this evening. Sorta a New Year's Eve adventure to start the year with a bang, so to speak. So, well..." Renee waved her hand vaguely toward the house where Anne-Marie was producing a steady chorus of happy groans, yelps, and moans.

Chuck felt like he had just been sucker punched. The ground was tilting, and he felt on the verge of falling. He and Anne-Marie had talked about sexual fantasies, certainly. Anne-Marie was a fun, unabashed bedroom partner to be sure. Somewhere along the way, they probably talked about other partners - as a vague fantasy, not for real. Obviously Anne-Marie had thought about it mre than she had spoken about it. Certainly, she had said nothing resembling what the racket from inside his house implied was happening to his wife in there.

Chuck stuttered, "I didn't know anything; she never said..." He stopped in abject confusion and embarrassment.

Renee shifted her chair closer and patted Chuck's leg consolingly. Chuck noted the maneuver shifted her blouse to reveal more of the luscious swell of her unfettered breasts. Her perfume swirled around him in a tantalizing cloud.

"Now, now," Renee comforted, "If you didn't know, it must be a shock. Take another drink of your whiskey and take some deep breaths."

Chuck did as she directed and in a minute recovered his composure.

Renee beamed at him, "There, there, that is better, much better. Now let's consider this realistically like grown adults. We are only talking about a little fun, some recreational sex here among friends. Nothing serious."

She waved toward the house from whence Anne-Marie's ongoing lusty vocalizations flowed without pause. "Anyway, I am afraid that it is too late to change your wife's mind at this point."

Renee punched him lightly in the arm and teased, "Come on, don't you want me? You are going to hurt my feelings."

Chuck's mind was working sluggishly trying to comprehend all he had learned in the last few minutes. God, Renee was a magnificent creature, finer than any woman he had ever been with, not that he had ever been with many. Of course he wanted to screw her. As Renee said, it was obviously too late to change Anne-Marie's mind about sex with Henri.

Chuck smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said decisively, "Sure, Why not? So now you and I, uhm," Chuck waved his hand around in a vague circle.

Renee gave a delighted little laugh and bubbled, "Absolutely! Yes my dear, you get to fuck me to your heart's content, just as Henri is doing with your wife right now."

She went on briskly, "However, we have found it is particularly fun, and it increases the fire, if you catch my drift, when only one couple at a time has sex. The anticipation and stimulation of having to just sit and listen while your spouse is having really intense sex makes your own follow-on twice as exciting. You'll see."

Chuck looked at her doubtfully, "Really?"

Renee chuckled, "Oh yes, trust me. I have been down this road before. Anyway, I am a professional psychologist trained in such things. You will love it. We get to be second which is always best."

Chuck laughed doubtfully, "Okay, if you say so. So when do we, you know."

Renee simpered teasingly, "Oh, so now you can't wait to get into my pants. We'll let Henri and Anne-Marie have their fun before supper while we enjoy this delightful evening weather and eavesdrop. Everyone will be too full after this feast you and Anne-Marie are putting on to do anything robust afterwards tonight. Instead you come over to my place tomorrow at 10:00 am. I'll send Henri to Anne-Marie at your house. Then it will be our turn to fuck like rabbits, and theirs to contemplate! It will be great. Just wait and see."

It all sounded pretty crazy to Chuck, but he was on the verge of getting laid by the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on outside of the movies and Playboy magazine. He was hypnotized by this beguiling siren. Oh, what the heck? Chuck blurted, "Alright, I will put myself totally in your hands."

Renee smiled smugly, "Good, Good."

Anne-Marie's medley of happy sounds shifted to a staccato, "Oh, oh, oh" culminating in a squeal of orgasmic delight.

Renee and Chuck looked at each other in embarrassment and then giggles convulsed them.

Renee caught her breath first and gasped out, "Oh my, somebody is certainly having fun in there!"

Chuck could only nod his head as he wiped tears of amusement from his eyes. He hoped they were tears of amusement and not something else.

Renee watched Chuck shrewdly. She thought things were going quite well. She had correctly judged Chuck as an amiable man who could be manipulated. Anne-Marie was the social dynamo of the couple and key to their behavior.

Renee had lied to Chuck. She had thoroughly researched Chuck and Anne-Marie long before leaving Quebec and developed a detailed psychological profile of each one.

Renee and Anne-Marie had not discussed swapping mates on their walk. However, Renee had observed that Anne-Marie was thoroughly captivated by Henri, as were most women. Anne-Marie kept slipping sly, lascivious glances at Henri as they all strode to and from the restaurant today. She was all but drooling over Henri at lunch but trying to be discrete about it. Neither man noticed, but Renee certainly did.

Renee surmised that since Chuck and Anne-Marie had been high school sweethearts and attended college together with quick, post-graduation nuptials, Anne-Marie's experience with men was likely very limited. She had been married long enough now that the traditional marital seven-year itch was probably in full bloom. Teaching at an elementary school in a predominately female adult environment further limited her exposure to men. Oh yes, this girl was a plum ripe for the picking, and Henri was just the man to harvest her.

Women were fascinated by Henri and couldn't keep their hands off of him. He was definitely male eye candy for the girls. In exchange for occasional indiscretions by Henri, Renee got to enjoy her own dalliances when she wished also. They didn't over do it, just enough to spice things up.

Tonight when Henri and Renee first arrived at Chuck and Anne-Marie's, they reversed the story that Renee told Chuck and tailored a different story for Anne-Marie's consumption. While Chuck was isolated and alone on the back porch, the pitch to Anne-Marie was that Henri and Chuck had discussed swapping partners. Chuck was the one that agreed enthusiastically to the proposition.

Anne-Marie bought the tale hook, line, and sinker. After all, getting laid by Henri was what she had been fantasizing about all day. And then it turns out that her husband said it was okay. It was all just too good to be true!

Anne-Marie's response to the mate swapping proposition had been a quick and enthusiastic, "Sure, if it's okay with Chuck, absolutely yes!"

As Anne-Marie and Henri began to get aquatinted on the couch in the den, an amused Renee watched while she fixed Chuck's drink. Things were heating up nicely on the couch when she exited to deliver Chuck's drink on the deck. Now twenty minutes later, Renee and Chuck sat in the pleasant evening air smiling and giggling at each other as they listened to the amorous pair inside.

Anne-Mare was enthusiastically purring, 'Oh yes, baby. Oh yes. Come on. That's it. Oh God, that's good."

The night air began to reverberate with the rhythmic slap of flesh on flesh. Henri was grunting with effort as he enthusiastically plied Chuck's wife, and she responded with matching passionate effusions.

Chuck's attention was riveted on the open door from which his wife's lusty cries wafted. Renee watched him intently, in a manner somewhat akin to a cat watching a mouse trapped in its paws.

Renee whispered silkily, "When Henri studied economics at the Sorbonne in Paris, he supported himself back then as a male fashion model and popular gigolo to the elite. He was quite popular with actresses and rich trophy wives of Parisian society. Your wife is getting the fucking of a lifetime in there by a consummate professional."

Chuck did not respond, but Renee knew her verbal barb sank deep into sensitive male flesh.

Finally, after what seemed an interminable period of steadily escalating passion from inside the house, Henri gave a bellow as he came inside Anne-Marie. She answered with her own primeval cry of pleasure.