"Archie?"
They lay in bed, the darkness settling around them, the quiet hum of the night signaling it was time to sleep.
"Yes?"
Linda hesitated.
"Um... what do you think about... being with another woman?"
Archie knew the safe answer.
"A nice thought, but you're all I want."
She let out a soft giggle.
"I'm serious! What would you think about being with Barbara?"
Well, well, well. That was unexpected. Definitely not their usual bedtime conversation. Archie wasn't sure whether he liked it or if it made him nervous. Maybe both. One thing was certain -- he had no idea what Linda wanted to hear or how she expected him to react.
"Come on! I know you think she's attractive."
Yes, Barbara was attractive.
Archie exhaled. "What's all this about?"
"Can't you just answer a simple question?"
"Not fair, messing with me like this," he muttered.
She paused, then her voice softened.
"Sorry. Actually... I'm serious."
Archie didn't respond right away. He needed to understand what was going on. Sometimes, Linda's thoughts were a mystery to him.
Then she spoke again.
"Ken's going out of town, and... well, we could invite her over."
His mind reeled. She was serious. But why? What was she really asking?
"Are you attracted to her?" he asked carefully.
"No!" She giggled again. "I just... I'd like to see you with her. So? Are you up for it?"
Archie lay there, his mind spinning. "Linda... this is weird."
She didn't reply.
He struggled to piece it together.
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"It would... affect our relationship. It's dangerous."
She let out a mock sigh.
"A million men would jump at the chance, and I marry the one who doesn't want to."
She didn't say another word, and neither did he.
But it was a long time before he fell asleep, his thoughts looping over and over.
*****
When Archie got home from work, Barbara was sitting in the kitchen, wine glass in hand, while Linda busied herself at the stove. Three place settings were laid out.
"I invited Barbara to join us," Linda said. "Ken was busy tonight."
Then she flashed him a look while Barbara was turned away.
Archie took her in -- party dress, low neckline, jewelry. She looked like she was dressed for a night out, not just dinner at home. And the food... a fancy beef marinade? When had she even had time to put all this together?
He managed to pull Linda aside.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"Nothing's happening tonight, so don't get yourself in a tizzy. I just wanted to soften her up, see if you'd change your mind."
And that was all she gave him.
Dinner was pleasant.
Linda was going out of her way to be charming, and Barbara, as always, was good company.
And undeniably attractive, even if she wasn't as dressed up as Linda.
At one point, when Linda was in the kitchen, Barbara cornered him.
"What's with Linda?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Archie played dumb. "What do you mean?"
"The way she's acting. I feel like she's coming on to me."
They didn't have a chance to continue the conversation. But that question -- What is Linda up to? -- kept gnawing at him.
They drank a little more wine, chatted some more, and eventually, Barbara left.
As soon as the door closed, Linda turned to him. "Well?"
Archie narrowed his eyes. "Well, what?"
"You want to change your mind? I think she'd do it."
"Linda, I don't like this."
"Come on! Ken will be gone for five days. We could have her in bed with us..."
Linda fell silent, something told her that he was not on board.
"Why do you want this?" he asked.
He wasn't convinced she'd told him everything.
She hesitated, then gave a small shrug, too casual.
"It would be fun. And besides... she's nice. She'll be lonely."
That night, Archie lay awake, turning it over in his mind. It wasn't just a suggestion -- it had felt like the order. His thoughts circled back to Barbara, to Linda, to the weight of possibility. He lay there for a long time before sleep finally took him.
The next evening at dinner, Linda casually dropped the update.
"Barbara's going with Ken."
She watched him as she said it.
"So you can relax," she added.
And Archie did -- at least, that's what he told himself.
What would it have been like? If things had played out differently, would he really have objected?
Barbara and Ken were leaving that very night, and right after dinner, Linda went over to their house to pick up their key and go over the usual things -- mail, plants, and so on.
A little while later, Archie thought he heard her returning.
"Hello?" came a voice.
He turned toward the door -- Barbara was standing there.
"Hi... what's up?" he asked, noticing she looked a little uneasy.
"Uh... we're leaving now. And Linda is coming with us."
"What!?" Archie blinked. This was too weird.
"Listen, please don't worry about it. I'll..." She hesitated.
Archie's mind raced. What the hell is going on?
"Why?" he finally asked.
"Well... we persuaded her," Barbara said carefully. "Look, we're leaving now..."
"What about her luggage? Her clothes?"
Barbara hesitated again.
"She... won't need any. We'll be keeping her in the hotel room."
Archie just stared, speechless.
Finally, Barbara spoke again, her voice softer.
"Listen, it's okay, really. I'll make it worth your while."
She immediately got down on her knees in front of him and started undoing his pants.
She looked up at him and smiled.
"I can be good."
Archie backed up just a little, unconsciously.
"Please!" she said.
Archie just stared at her, kneeling there, pleading.
"I'll come over again when we get back. I'll be real nice. You'll like it."
Archie didn't say anything, but just looked at her, on her knees.
"I could stay here with you. I don't have to go with them," Barbara said.
Archie took another step back.
"You don't mind that she's going?" she asked, looking concerned.
"It's a free country," Archie said, though he felt a little unsteady.
Barbara hesitated, then walked back toward the door.
"Can't I stay?" she asked again, her voice almost pleading.
The look on his face must have given her the answer -- No -- because she turned and left.
Archie heard voices outside. He glanced out the window, careful not to be seen. They were loading luggage into the car.
He sat there for a long time, thinking about Linda. Flying off with them on a whim. He should have gone over there, demanded answers.
Why was she doing this?
What did she really want?
His mind drifted to Barbara. Kneeling on the floor, begging him to let her give him a blow job.
Archie had never seen anything like it.
Linda was right about one thing -- Barbara definitely had an effect on him.
Archie should have let her stay.
If Linda was going to act that way, he should have chosen Barbara instead of sitting there alone, brooding.
"It's been nice, just the two of us. The way she kneels for me."
The way she sucks for him is as good as Archie imagined.
Archie sat motionless, listening to the hum of the car engine outside.
The headlights flashed across the window as Ken backed out of the driveway.
He could just make out Linda in the passenger seat, her face turned away. Then, just like that, they were gone.
He exhaled, trying to shake the strange, hollow feeling in his chest.
A car door slammed outside. A moment later, the front door opened.
He turned. Barbara stood there.
"I... decided to stay," Barbara said.
Archie blinked. "But -- you just left with them."
Barbara tilted her head. "No, I didn't."
Archie glanced at the window. The driveway was empty. The car was gone.
***
His pulse thudded in his ears. He could have sworn she had just gotten in.
Barbara smiled.
"You okay, Archie?" she asked, stepping closer.
He took a step back, his chair scraping against the floor. "What's going on?"
Barbara's expression didn't change. "I could ask you the same thing."
A chill crawled up his spine. Something was off. The way she stood there, too still. The way the air felt thicker somehow.
The clock on the wall ticked too slow.
The glass of wine on the table -- he was sure he had emptied it earlier -- was full again.
"Do you want me to go?" Barbara asked.
Her voice was soft, almost hypnotic.
Archie swallowed. "I -- "
A gust of wind rattled the window.
From somewhere deep in the house, a floorboard creaked.
Barbara was still watching him, her lips curling into something not quite a smile.
