"Closing out!" I yelled across the bar, vying to be heard over the percussion from the live band vibrating off the walls and the loud voices around me.
As I waited for the bartender to run my card, I turned back to watch my wife, Ally, flirting with my friend and coworker, Ben. All night, she'd been leaning in close to talk into Ben's ear, which I suppose was necessary in the noisy bar.
But I noticed other things, too. Like the way Ally had pushed her boobs up in her bra to show off her cleavage as soon as Ben met up with us, and the way she rested her hand on his arm as they spoke.
Ben ate it up and flirted right back, complimenting and teasing her a little, finding excuses to touch her, like guiding her out of the way by her hip when someone was trying to squeeze past us in the crowded bar.
Of course, Ben didn't know that Ally wasn't in on our plan. I meant to talk to her about it sooner, before the trip. But the longer I put it off, the more I talked myself into surprising her with it and just waiting to see what might happen.
The bartender handed me back my credit card and a receipt to sign. As soon as I took care of that, we were off to the next bar around the corner, recommended by Ben.
The next place was blissfully calm and significantly quieter. The hostess showed us to a high-top table near the bar, and we ordered our first round.
Before the drinks even arrived, I noticed Ben touching Ally under the table, and felt a tightening in my chest as the jealousy, anxiety, and arousal whirled inside me. Could she really think she was being discreet? Maybe she'd found out about my plans somehow and decided to test me. It was tempting to call her out and call the whole thing off, but the throbbing erection in my jeans convinced me to play dumb and see where it would lead.
Then Ally got up and excused herself to the bathroom.
Ben watched her walk away before turning back to me with a big grin on his face.
"So far, so good, right?" he asked. "She seems down."
"Yeah, she does," I agreed, downing the rest of my drink. "I'm actually surprised she's getting so into it, since I haven't told her what we talked about."
Ben frowned in confusion. "What do you mean you haven't told her?"
Rather than responding, I looked over my shoulder towards the bathrooms where Ally had gone. "You should follow her. See how far she'll go."
Ben scoffed and laughed a little nervously. "I don't know... I don't want to get in the middle of anything. That's not how we discussed it. Maybe it would be better to slow things down. I could always come up to visit you guys sometime soon after you've had more of a chance to talk things through."
I had to give Ben credit for trying to do the right thing. And maybe he was right that holding off would be a smarter way to handle things. But the horny asshole side of me that had evidently taken over all of my decision-making capabilities would not be dissuaded.
"No, it's fine. I mean, if you really don't want to, that's okay. But I'm good. Knowing Ally is doing this all on her own without checking with me is actually kind of exciting in a weird way. I don't know. That probably should be embarrassing to admit."
"No judgement here. And I get you, that would be pretty hot. But you said the threesome thing would be new for you guys, and now you're talking about something completely different. I don't want to be the one to cause any problems."
"You won't," I assured him, with more confidence than I actually felt. "Anything she wants is on the table, but let her lead it. Make sure she makes the first move."
"You're sure about this?" he asked, clearly getting excited despite everything he was saying.
"I'm sure."
"Alright," Ben agreed, unable to hide his own eagerness as he got up to follow Ally. "Just let me know if you change your mind."
Fuck, part of me still thought I probably should change my mind. But after seeing how Ally had responded to Ben all night, I couldn't really imagine a scenario that would make me want to call it off.
Ally and I had talked through so many scenarios and fantasies about threesomes over the years, and when I broached the topic with Ben, I'd convinced myself and him that that was what I was planning. But I had to admit, to myself at least, that part of me wanted things to play out this way all along.
Ally didn't know about the arrangement I'd made with Ben, so, by all intents and purposes, she would be cheating on me if she allowed anything to happen. And for some reason I didn't quite understand, just the thought that she'd hook up with Ben without my permission drove me wild.
I ordered another drink and stared at my phone, scrolling mindlessly as I waited, going crazy with thoughts of what might happen in that bathroom.
With every moment that passed, I became more convinced that Ally had made a move. Maybe she and Ben were making out with hands all over each other. I could practically see it, the image so vivid in my imagination. I wondered if she'd go so far as to suck or fuck him right there. I knew how much the public setting would turn her on.
My cock throbbed in my jeans, begging for attention as I imagined every possibility.
Ally was the first to return to the table a good ten minutes later.
I thought she looked slightly disheveled, her hair a little messier than it had been earlier. Pretending to be absorbed in an article on my phone, I purposely kept our conversation away from whatever had just happened in the bathroom. A twisted part of my mind reasoned that if Ally felt like she'd gotten away with it, she might try to go for more.
Ben was barely suppressing a huge grin when he came back from the restrooms a couple minutes later, making eyes at my wife, and that told me all I needed to know. I was dying to ask him for details, but resisted the urge to text him right then and there from across the table.
I didn't have a clear plan for what I wanted to happen for the rest of the night, but I knew I didn't want it to end just yet, and my slutty wife surely didn't, either. So, as we left the tequila bar, I made my next move.
"Fuck, Uber is saying it's going to be a 25 minute wait," I said, pretending to check the ride share app on my phone. Then I turned to Ben. "Hey, you said you drove here, right?"
"Yeah," he answered.
"Do you think you could give us a ride back to our hotel? Or would that be out of your way?"
"Yeah, sure," Ben offered, glancing at Ally.
She looked surprised when I asked.
I looked away quickly, not wanting to give anything away with my expression.
Then, when we reached Ben's car, I sat in front, leaving Ally to sit alone in the back seat. As much as I wanted to know what she was thinking, I kept chatting away with Ben until he pulled up in front of our hotel.
"Thanks for the ride, man," I said, one foot already out the door.
Sure enough, Ally took the bait.
"Maybe we could get another drink inside at the bar. You should come in, Ben. Unless you need to get home."
"Yeah, I could do that," Ben answered quickly, glancing at me. "Why don't I go park in the garage and meet you guys inside in a few minutes."
I figured he was giving Ally and me a chance to talk and get on the same page. He was a good guy, I couldn't deny that. And one that Ally was clearly attracted to, so I knew I'd made the right choice in asking him to be part of my probably crazy scheme.
"I thought you were tired?" I teased Ally, breaking the ice once we were alone and heading into the hotel.
"I don't feel tired anymore," she answered as I held the door open for her. "And I have an idea I want to run by you."
My cock throbbed in my pants as soon as the words left her mouth, knowing what was coming next.
"What is it?" I asked, feigning disinterest.
"What if we try that thing we've been talking about? With Ben, tonight."
"What thing?" I asked, trying my best to act casual even as it felt like my heart was about to beat out of my chest.
"What if we ask him if he might be interested in a threesome?"
Even though I knew it was coming, nothing could've prepared me for hearing her ask for permission to fuck my coworker. I tried to imagine what it might be like to watch them together and felt my cock stiffen. But despite that temptation, I was in too deep already. Even though I knew I was playing with fire, I just felt like I needed to see how things would play out.
"Seriously?" I asked, feigning surprise. I felt skeptical about my acting skills, but I'd already committed to my plan and there was no turning back.
I watched the flush rise into Ally's cheeks and knew I was being an ass to put her on the spot like that.
"It could be easy," she said, shrugging innocently. "He lives far away from us, so no strings attached, really. And you know each other well enough for him to be pretty trustworthy, but maybe not well enough that it'll be a big awkward thing?"
She had good points. They were part of the same reasoning I'd used when I'd asked Ben in the first place. But I wasn't going to admit that to Ally. Remembering how it felt as I waited for both of them to come back from the bathroom at the bar, I steeled myself to push her further, not sure which of us I was torturing more.
"Sounds like you've really thought this out."
Ally shrugged again, blushing deeper and looking away. Maybe remembering whatever had happened in the bathroom at the bar. At that moment, I felt like I'd give anything to read her mind and her thoughts. But the delayed gratification was a surprisingly powerful turn-on, too.
"I don't know, Ally... I know we've been talking about it, but I don't think I'm ready to pull the trigger yet. I'm still processing how I feel about all of it," I said, struggling to keep a straight face.
"That's fine," she said, the disappointment evident on her face. "It's no big deal. It was just a thought I had. We can just get another drink and call it a night, then."
"Are you sure it's fine?" I asked, feeling desperate to call her out, wondering if she was already planning to go for it with Ben anyway, despite my disapproval.
"Yeah, no worries," Ally said, smiling sweetly and wrapping her arms around me for a hug.
I hugged her back, shifting a little as I tried not to let her feel the pounding in my chest or the throbbing erection in my jeans. My body thrummed with the excitement and thrill of the risk I was taking, and I just hoped I wasn't making a huge mistake.
Ben met us at the bar a few minutes later, looking between Ally and me, trying to read the room to figure out how our conversation had gone.
I wondered what he'd think when Ally told him my response to her proposal. But I hoped that I'd convinced him earlier that he should keep going along with Ally's plans, anyway. Then again, if he'd already gotten a taste at the bar, like I suspected he had, it would be an easy decision for him to make.
We ordered another round of drinks and found a table, somehow maintaining fairly comfortable conversation. But I knew I wanted to give Ally and Ben a chance to talk, to see what plans they might come up with.
Then I spotted a couple of coworkers I recognized and took advantage of the perfect excuse to step away.
"Oh hey, that's Greg and JP from my old team. I'm gonna go say hi," I said, not waiting for Ally or Ben to respond before I got up and walked back to the bar.
