Seduction At The Deja Vu Dinner

"Do you like her?" Linda asked her husband.

They had just returned from their neighbor Barbara Smith's house.

Barbara worked at the library, and all the local kids adored her. Lately, Linda had grown close to her -- they often visited each other and went shopping together. Barbara's husband was a pilot who frequently traveled to distant countries -- Indonesia, Australia. They had two children and a large, cozy house.

Now, with her husband away again, Barbara had insisted that Linda and Archie visit to keep her company.

Though Archie hadn't noticed a trace of sadness in her. She was cheerful, smiling, and very talkative.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Well... of course, I like Barbara. She's nice."

"That's not what I meant. Does she turn you on?"

Archie hesitated.

Under his gaze, Linda waited, not knowing exactly what she wanted to see in him -- an answer, or perhaps silence.

Everything felt a little too... tense.

"Well... I'd say she's an attractive woman."

"So she does turn you on?"

"Not like you, darling..."

Linda laughed. "Don't be afraid, this isn't a trap. I'm just curious if you find her attractive. She's very feminine."

"Linda..."

"And of course, you think I don't want an honest answer. I saw the way you looked at her."

Archie studied his wife carefully. She didn't seem angry. More like... intrigued.

"Listen," Linda continued. "I want you to do something for me."

"What exactly?"

"I want you to sleep with her."

Archie stared at her, not believing his ears.

"You're in a strange mood today," he finally said.

"You don't believe me?" She laughed again.

He was silent. He simply didn't know what to say.

Finally, Linda looked at him seriously. "I'm not joking, Archie. I really want you to do it."

"But... why?"

"I have my reasons."

Archie shook his head, trying to process what was happening. "Did she ask you for this?"

"No... she didn't. You'll have to seduce her. But don't worry... I'll teach you."

"So I'm supposed to approach a respectable woman, a mother of two, and seduce her?" Archie asked in disbelief.

"I'll make sure she comes to our house."

Archie suddenly wondered how well he really knew his wife.

"Do it for me. I need your help. I think you might even enjoy it," Linda continued.

"You want me to convince her to sleep with me?"

"I told you -- I'll guide you."

She gave him an appraising look, as if checking how willing he was.

"I'll invite Barbara over and make sure I have to leave for a long time," Linda said.

"That'll look too obvious if I start hitting on her right away. She'll be offended."

"I can stay, then. Just come and go. We'll have to move the dinner earlier -- maybe 7 or 8 PM. Putting the kids to bed and all that..."

"Alright, let's say I agree. What next?"

"It's simple. Compliment her."

"A compliment?"

"Yes. Praise her dress."

"Her dress?"

"Exactly. Tell her it's stylish and highlights her beauty."

"A compliment about her dress!? And that's supposed to seduce her?"

"Men... You really don't understand women. But yes, it will."

Archie shook his head in bewilderment.

"A compliment about her dress..."

Linda smiled. "It gets even more interesting. The key is to be sincere. Then step closer, say her name... and hug her."

"What if she's sitting?"

"Find a way to make her stand up. Remember: name first, then hug. And when you hold her, tell her she drives you crazy and that you want her."

"And she'll slap me, remind me she's married, and tell you everything."

"Maybe. But just say you can't help yourself. Then don't touch her -- act as if you don't know what to do next. Seriously. Oh, and before I leave, make sure she notices you."

"How?"

"Offer her a drink."

Archie listened carefully.

"And this will work?"

"Yes! But only if you do everything right. After confessing your crazy attraction, open your arms for another hug. Let her come to you. Got it?"

"So I compliment her dress, say her name, hug her, tell her she drives me crazy..."

"You're starting to get it. But first, make sure she notices you."

"Offer her a drink! Drink, dress compliment..."

"Yes, yes. And when she accepts your hug, hold her tighter, press against her, and tell her her body drives you insane. Then kiss her."

"Hug, press, kiss..."

"Exactly. And kiss her for at least five minutes. By then, she'll be ready, but you'll still need her consent..."

"For sex. And all in your presence."

"Exactly. You want me to stay, don't you? Now, let's think... After the kiss, say that her body drives you crazy."

"This is insane."

"The main thing is to sound sincere. Hug, kiss, then compliment her body. And then suggest sleeping together."

"This is ridiculous."

"Men..." Linda sighed. "You have to make her focus on your body. Make her feel that she has power over you. That she controls your desire."

Archie pondered.

"And this will work?"

"With Barbara -- yes. But that doesn't mean it will work with every woman."

"And with whom wouldn't it work?"

"Someone else. You need to seduce Barbara. Focus."

Archie sighed.

Linda just smiled.

And she made Archie rehearse the plan again and again -- completely and in parts -- until he executed everything exactly as she wanted.

It was madness -- the last thing he had expected in their marriage.

*** Déjà vu Dinner. ***

Finally, the evening arrived. Linda had invited Barbara over for dinner.

Beforehand, she made sure Archie wore his blue shirt -- the one that hugged his frame just right -- and a pair of sharp, well-fitted trousers.

When Barbara arrived, she was radiant as always. She wore elegant slacks and a flowing, airy blouse that caught the light with every movement.

Archie took one look at her and let out a low whistle.

"Barbara, you look absolutely stunning," he said, his voice laced with admiration. "That blouse, those pants... My God, you're breathtaking. I adore you."

Barbara blinked, momentarily taken aback by the intensity of his praise.

Then, a slow, knowing smile spread across her lips.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a sultry whisper.

"Thank you, dear Archie. You always know how to make a woman feel special."

Her eyes flicked over his outfit.

"And you -- my goodness. That shirt, those trousers... You look like Sean Connery himself."

She knew exactly how much Archie loved old James Bond films.

Barbara chuckled at her own comment, sipping the wine Linda had poured for her.

Archie smiled, feeling a strange flutter of excitement and... something else.

A sensation he couldn't quite name, as if the moment had happened before.

Linda sat back, watching them with an unreadable expression.

Barbara turned to her.

"You know, I had the strangest feeling today. Like I had already lived through this evening before. Does that ever happen to you?"

Linda merely tilted her head, amused.

"Déjà vu? That's interesting. Maybe it means this moment is important."

Barbara laughed, brushing off the thought.

"Maybe it's just the wine talking."

She swirled her glass, and for a brief moment, Archie had the uncanny sensation that the liquid inside didn't swirl quite right -- like a fraction of a second had skipped, a frame missing in time. He blinked, and everything seemed normal again.

Linda leaned forward.

"You should dance with Archie."

Barbara raised an eyebrow.

"Dance? Here?"

"Why not? You love dancing, don't you?"

Barbara hesitated, then smiled.

"I suppose I do."

Linda stood and crossed to the stereo, putting on an old jazz record. The warm crackle filled the room as a slow, sultry melody began. Archie hesitated, then extended a hand toward Barbara.

She took it, and as they stepped closer, something shifted in the air.

Touching her felt surreal.

Here he was with Linda, luring this beautiful woman into bed--was it for him, for both of them, or for something else entirely?

Archie couldn't explain it, but for a split second, he could have sworn Barbara's face flickered -- just a tiny bit different. A different tilt to her smile, her hair an inch longer. Then she was back to normal, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Their bodies moved together, and Archie followed Linda's script in his mind: hold her gently, then a little tighter, then...

"Barbara, you're so beautiful..."

Barbara whispered "thanks" in his ear.

He saw the flicker of something in her eyes -- hesitation? Interest? But beneath it, something else: familiarity. As if she had heard these words from him before.

Linda watched, her fingers tapping against her wine glass in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

Barbara exhaled, tilting her head up toward Archie.

"You're very charming when you want to be, Archie."

Her tone was teasing, but her body remained close.

Archie felt the warmth of her, the scent of her perfume.

"Am I?"

"Mmm."

She was close enough now that he could feel the faintest breath against his neck. The moment stretched -- too long, maybe.

Then Linda's voice:

"Kiss her."

Barbara's gaze darted to Linda, then back to Archie, her hesitation deepening.

"I..."

This was getting stranger by the second. Barbara. Why had she even danced with him?

"Oh, come on, you said..." Her voice trailed off, uncertainty creeping in.

Archie's thoughts raced.

There was something in her expression--not quite resistance, but a guarded wariness.

Then, just for an instant, her lips parted. He could have sworn she whispered something--too soft to hear, too fleeting to grasp.

And then, just like that, the moment collapsed.

Barbara pulled back slightly, blinking as if waking up.

"I... I should go. It's late. I should go check on the kids."

And she was gone.

Archie stood there, pulse hammering, unsure what had just happened.

*****

The evening arrived, just as it always had.

Linda had invited Barbara over for dinner.

Beforehand, she made sure Archie wore his blue shirt -- the one that fit him perfectly -- and a pair of sharp trousers.

When Barbara arrived, she was radiant.

She wore a flowing white blouse and a dark mini-skirt.

The combination caught Archie's attention, though he wasn't sure why. It reminded him of something, someone, but the thought slipped away before he could catch it.

Barbara stepped inside, pausing for half a second -- just long enough to frown.

Familiar.

The thought unsettled her. She had been here before, of course. Many times. But something about this particular evening felt... rehearsed. As if the moment had already played out, its details preordained. Yet she couldn't remember why.

Linda greeted her with a warm hug, lingering just a second too long.

At the bar, Archie poured drinks. The clink of ice against glass repeated with the precision of a metronome.

"You look stunning tonight," Archie said. "That outfit... Listen. My heart is beating unbelievably fast."

Barbara blinked.

Had he said that before?

A strange déjà vu prickled at the edges of her mind.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice carrying an odd hesitation.

Linda touched Barbara's arm -- lightly, deliberately.

"Relax," she said. "Just enjoy yourself."

Something in her tone made Barbara shiver.

She took a sip of wine. Rich. Velvety. Yet... unfamiliar. Even though she was certain she had tasted it before.

The evening unfolded with unnatural ease, each moment falling into place like a scene from a play. Every laugh, every gesture, too smooth.

Barbara put one foot out in front of her.

It was a purposeful movement and she looked at Archie, significantly.

Archie noticed.

He wondered what Barbara wanted him to do?

Something with her high-heeled foot?

He knew some of what Linda had planned. He knew she was in control.

Archie swallowed hard.

She wanted something.

She wanted his submission.

He got down on his hands and knees, right there. His heart pounded, heat pooling low in his stomach.

He lowered his head and pressed a slow, reverent kiss to Barbara's shoe.

Then he looked up.

Linda was watching, amused. Expectant.

Barbara, however, looked different. Curious. Uncertain.

"Barbara..." Archie's voice was low, compelling.

His hands found her waist -- lightly, hesitantly. The same sequence as before.

Hadn't this happened before?

"You drive me crazy. I can't stop thinking about you."

Barbara inhaled sharply.

The words felt imprinted in her mind, as if whispered to her in another life.

She should resist.

She knew that.

But her body answered differently.

Archie's arms opened slightly -- an unspoken invitation.

And Barbara stepped forward.

Just like before.

Or was it the first time?

The kiss was electric. Time stretched, twisted. Linda's laughter echoed -- everywhere and nowhere.

For a split second, Barbara saw flickers of something impossible.

Herself. Another outfit. Another evening. Another attempt.

And then it was gone.

The three of them stood close, breath mingling, reality settling back into place.

"This feels right," Linda whispered.

Barbara, dazed, nodded.

Then she blinked, as if waking from a dream.

"I... I should go. It's late. I need to check on the kids."

And just like that, she was gone.

Again.

*****

Archie knew the script by now.

The compliments. The drink. The way Linda's eyes gleamed as she watched. But something was off. Or rather -- something was too familiar.

Linda invited Barbara over for dinner.

Beforehand, she insisted that Archie wear his blue shirt -- the one that fit him perfectly -- and stylish trousers.

Barbara arrived, radiant as always.

She wore a conservative suit. And a hat. She wore it well -- like someone out of the '30s or '40s, a starlet from a forgotten film.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight," Archie said smoothly. "That suit... gorgeous. This hat... intoxicating."

Yet the moment he saw her, he knew what she would say.

"Thank you, dear Archie. You're the best. By the way, your shirt and trousers... You look like Sean Connery."

Had she said that before?

A flicker of unease passed through him, but he brushed it aside and followed Linda's script. The compliments. The name. The hug.

"You're so sweet," Barbara whispered, her face near his.

His body remembered hers. The shape of her against him. The way she fit. His hand found the back of her head before he could think. His lips grazed her skin, and then they were kissing -- just for a fraction of a second, as if she, too, had remembered something.

Then she melted into him.

The air thickened.

He whispered the words as before, but this time, they came out softer, like echoes from another attempt.

Her body drives him insane.

She controls his desire.

He knew this would work.

It always worked.

Barbara pulled back slightly, searching his face.

There was something in her eyes -- a question, an awareness just beneath the surface.

But before he could decipher it, Linda was behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You're doing so well, darling," she murmured. "Don't stop now."

Barbara shivered, her breath catching.

"It's strange," she whispered. "It feels like we've done this before..."

Linda's smile widened.

"Maybe we have. In another life. Or another dream."

Barbara's lips parted, as if she wanted to protest.

But then Archie kissed her, and the thought dissolved, slipping away like a half-remembered dream.

The candle flames elongated unnaturally. Shadows stretched in ways they shouldn't.

The world tilted, but no one pulled away.

Not this time.

***********

The evening arrived again.

Linda invited Barbara for dinner. Again.

Beforehand, she insisted that Archie wear his blue shirt -- the one that fit him perfectly -- and stylish trousers.

Barbara arrived at their house. Just as she had before.

Or had she?

The details blurred -- her dress seemed familiar, yet different.

The scent of her perfume was both new and deeply ingrained in Archie's memory.

Linda greeted her with a smile.

Barbara hesitated at the doorstep, her eyes flickering with a shadow of recognition, déjà vu just beyond reach.

"You look stunning," Archie said.

The words left his lips before he even thought them, as if preordained.

Barbara's eyes widened, then softened. Lips parting slightly -- she remembered.

Not clearly. Not consciously. But deep in her bones, like a dream she had woken from too soon.

The evening played out like a script written and rewritten.

Linda poured wine, watching closely, correcting the course with gentle nudges -- a touch here, a lingering gaze there.

The seduction algorithm had become seamless, near perfect.

Archie complimented her dress. Again.

Barbara laughed, but there was something searching in her gaze.

"Have we done this before?" she murmured.

Linda leaned in, whispering near her ear, "Would it matter?"

Barbara shivered.

The walls of reality felt thinner tonight, the air heavier with something unseen.

When Archie touched Barbara's hand, warmth coiled through her as if it had happened a thousand times before.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The dinner table felt further away. The candles flickered strangely, casting shadows that moved too fluidly.

Linda placed a hand on Barbara's thigh -- gentle, deliberate.

Barbara inhaled sharply. A memory, just beyond reach, flickered in her mind.

"I shouldn't be here..." she whispered.

"And yet," Linda said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "you are."

The moment stretched.

Barbara could hear the sound of her own pulse -- a rhythm that wasn't entirely hers.

Something was guiding her.

Archie stood, extending his hand. No hesitation this time. Barbara took it.

Her heartbeat skipped.

The hallway stretched longer than it should have.

The bedroom door loomed open -- had it always been open?

They stepped inside.

The room pulsed with warmth. The bed was impossibly soft, waiting, familiar.

Barbara turned to Linda.

"What happens now?"

Linda smiled, her fingers tracing the edge of Barbara's collarbone.

"Now," she whispered, "we stop pretending we don't already know."

Barbara exhaled -- a slow, surrendering sigh.

Archie's lips found hers. Linda's fingers danced along her skin.

And just before everything melted into pleasure, into unity --

Barbara finally remembered.

She gasped.

Laughed.

And gave in.

They were exactly where they were meant to be.