"Seriously? This is the last thing I'd expect you to be OK with. Are you sure?" Stephanie stared close at the screen to make sure she could read every nuance of Rebecca's expression.
"Absolutely," she replied confidently.
"This is so 'not you,' Becky," she laughed.
"That's the point." She flashed a naughty grin. "Surprises are one of the things that's kept our marriage strong. And I'm going to put the 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms—good girl, wife, and mother' myth to bed once and for all. Carl is having a tough time with this birthday. He says a number that big makes him 'old' and 'over the hill.' That means it's time for something dramatic. I'm going to make sure he knows he's got a wife who's not going to let him think like that.
"I'd say this will light his fire for at least the next decade."
"So, are you in? Remember. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"You don't have to ask me twice! I'm counting the days already."
*
Carl looked up from the game. "Stephanie's coming to town?" he grumbled. "She's staying with us? You remember what weekend this is?" His plan was to spend the entire time watching games nonstop and pretend his birthday wasn't happening.
"Don't worry. You said you wanted to spend it hiding in your man cave. The kids will be at my parents so you don't have to worry about them. And Steph and I will be at the spa all day. You can sulk all you want. I promise we'll ignore you. But you know how rare it is that her work brings her here. We've been friends since college, and we don't get to see each other that often."
He murmured something articulate in response.
*
After a spa day of massages, waxing, manis, and pedis, the two women lounged in the hot tub, sipping champagne.
Rebecca winked at her friend. "I'd say it's time." She got out of the tub and put on her robe. She opened the electrical panel and flipped a switch. The waters stopped swirling and the tub's lights extinguished. "Oh my, something's wrong. Whatever will we do?" she smirked. "Be right back."
*
"I know I said we wouldn't bother you, Sweetie, but the hot tub died. Would you be a dear and take a look?"
Her husband sighed. "OK. But if it's not something I can fix quickly, we'll have to call someone tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a great game."
"Agreed."
*
Two seconds after Carl peered into the electrical box, the hot tub sprang back to life. The two women were enveloped by the warm, swirling waters and bathed in the tub's sensual red light.
"That's odd," he furrowed his brow. "The switch wasn't just tripped, it was completely off. I can't imagine how that would happen."
"I'm glad that's all it was. Sorry to bother you," his wife apologized. "Go back to your game. We were just reminiscing about college."
Carl turned and hurried towards the door. The game was a real nail-biter. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he heard his wife say, "I still can't believe I let you seduce me that time." The two women giggled. Carl couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He removed his hand from the handle and listened.
"From what I remember," Stephanie replied, "it didn't take much convincing."
"Yeah. I guess I was at that curious stage."
Carl turned and took a couple steps towards the tub. "Did you just say what I think you said?"
Rebecca winked at Stephanie. "The time the two of us had sex? I'm sure I told you."
His prim and proper wife had had sex with her friend in college! There's no way he would have forgotten that. When he looked at his wife, he saw her in a completely different light. "Trust me. You didn't."
"Sorry. I guess I just forgot," she replied casually. "It was just one of those silly freshman things that didn't mean anything." She waved her hand in the air. "Go back to your game, honey. We've kept you long enough."
Carl took a step towards the door ... turned back ... turned around again. His face showed how much he was struggling.
Stephanie came to his rescue. "I think your hubby is being a gentleman. He wants to respect your privacy about your past, but he's dying to know the details."
"Seriously, it was nothing, Sweetie. Go watch your game. You've been looking forward to it so much."
He frowned ... then raised his eyebrows. "Actually it's half-time. So, if you want to tell me, I suppose I could stay a few minutes."
The girls exchanged a knowing smirk. "OK, but you have to get in with us. I don't want to have to shout over the sound of the tub and entertain the neighbors with details of my escapade."
Carl stripped down to his navy-blue boxer briefs and climbed into the tub. Sinking into the warm waters, he sat on the bench facing the two women.
"It's funny that we're talking about this now," Stephanie noted. "We did the deed in a hot tub."
"Right," Rebecca continued. "We'd partied a lot that year and felt like we were hot, sexy, women of the world. For spring break, we went to your home in Florida. Your parents were away on a cruise, so we had the run of the house."
"You mean the key to my Dad's wine cellar," Stephanie laughed.