Testing The Limits 2

"...it's very different nowadays," Marisa heard John say from out on the porch.

Her husband and his friend Oliver were drinking beer, overlooking the backyard. She thought briefly about how there just never seemed to be any time for gardening. Her husband didn't seem to care that much, and in all fairness, Oliver probably didn't mind the mess either. She was pleased to see that her husband had at least cut the grass like she had asked him.

She shook these considerations out of her head as she joined them, holding three beers. "What's different honey?"

"Ah, perfect timing," John said, ignoring her question. He put down his empty bottle on the table and accepted a new one from his wife. "That's my dream girl, bringing fresh drinks just in time."

"You make me feel so appreciated," Marisa retorted sarcastically. Her husband grinned and blew her a kiss. Oliver was more formal, getting up to greet her by kissing her on the cheek.

"Nice to see you."

He was one of John's oldest friends, and she had known him almost as long as she had known her husband. He had come to stay with them several times before, usually after breaking up with the latest girlfriend. His relationships rarely passed the one year mark, and the pattern was repeating itself yet again.

"Thanks for dropping the kids off," her husband said as she took her seat next to him. This time his appreciation sounded more sincere. "Any problems?"

"No, not really. They seemed excited to stay with their grandparents."

"You didn't vacate the house of kids on my behalf, did you?" Oliver asked.

"The idea was to cheer you up - not scare you away from the idea of family life by exposing you to screaming kids all night," John said and chuckled.

"And to tell you the truth, it's nice to slip out of the whole mum role from time to time," Marisa added. "I was actually planning to go out with my girlfriends tonight, but several of them had sick kids so we decided to cancel."

"That's a pity," Oliver commented ruefully.

"It's OK," she said. "It just means you boys won't have the house to yourself tonight. I can act like I'm one of the guys though."

To emphasize her point, she took a swig from her bottle. A bit too eager, the beer overflowed in her mouth as the foam expanded. The guys laughed at her as she drooled onto her t-shirt.

"Very classy, honey! Shall I get you a bib?"

"Shit..." Marisa muttered as she tried to wipe the beer off her chest with her hand. The only effect was that she was making her breasts wiggle, and she stopped as she noticed both guys watching her. So much for being one of the guys.

"So, what were you talking about when I came?" Marisa said, changing the subject away from her clumsiness.

"We were just talking about my inability to hold down a steady girlfriend," Oliver moped. "It's starting to get a bit pathetic."

He paused and took a big gulp, finishing his beer.

"So, what was the problem with...?" Marisa paused as she realized she couldn't remember the name of Oliver's most recent girlfriend. "Sorry, was it Karen?"

"Kate," Oliver corrected her. "Not sure exactly what the problem was, but we ended up just having stupid arguments all the time. I think the age gap became a bit of a problem."

"Yeah, you need to stop robbing the cradle," John teased him. "What was she? 22?"

"24 actually. Twelve years apart isn't that huge, but I can't really say that she was mature for her age to be honest."

"How so?" Marisa asked.

"Well, like I was telling John just before you came, she was always ridiculously jealous. It just got too much after a while."

"Yeah, and I was just arguing that people get less jealous as they get older," John added.

Marisa stared at her husband with raised eyebrows. "People? What people?"

John rolled his eyes. "OK, OK. I have gotten less jealous with age."

Marisa smirked. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I think so," John said defensively. "Don't you agree?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Marisa took a sip from her bottle, more careful this time.

"Come on, give me some credit!" John demanded. "Like tonight, I didn't object at all when you said you were going out partying with your girlfriends. If anything, I encouraged it, right?"

Marisa didn't reply. It was entertaining to watch her husband getting worked up. She could tell he was a bit tipsy and was kind of hoping he would say something stupid she could pick on him for. She loved him, but he could be a bit full of himself sometimes. She took pride in pointing it out to him.

"And I never protest when you dress up all sexy when you go out," he continued.

"Oh, you're such a noble man, aren't you?" she mocked him. "Do you want a medal for not being a possessive jerk?"

"No, honey, I'm just saying that I'm not jealous anymore," John said after a moment of silence, making an effort to halt the argument rather than escalate it.

"Really? And what do you think you could potentially be jealous about? What exactly do you think I do when I go out without you?"

John glanced at his friend. "Maybe we should talk about this some other time."

"Are you suddenly shy? Minutes ago you were bragging to your friend about how you're not jealous."

"Well, OK then" John said. "I think you dance and flirt with other guys. I think you like the attention and that it makes you feel sexy. And I'm OK with that. How is that suddenly not a good thing?"

"Oh no, I guess it's a good thing," Marisa replied. "I just don't think I give you any reasons to be jealous, so don't pat yourself too hard on the back."

"Are you saying that you never act flirtatious?" John asked, switching from defense to offense.

Marisa just shrugged her shoulders, not feeling like getting into details. Even though she always kept it at an innocent level, she certainly enjoyed the attention of other men from time to time. Hearing her husband calling her out on it made her feel mad, but at the same time oddly a bit turned on. She decided to let the argument die down for now and instead pressure her husband more on it later.

But after a moment of silence, John threw more fuel on the fire.

"You certainly seem to be pretty damn horny when you come home after a night out," he said, and she could tell he regretted it the moment his words left his mouth. Still, she wasn't going to let a comment like that fly by unnoticed.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she spat at him.

"Sorry, nothing... I didn't mean..."

"Are you implying I go out and have some sort of foreplay with other men, and then come home to you for the grand finale?"

Her husband stared at her with open mouth, unable to find any suitable words.

"Is that what you think?" she continued to press him. "Do you think I go out and act like some sort of slut? And are you saying it's all OK as long as I come home to the only cock in the world that could possibly satisfy me?"

John still didn't say anything. He looked confused and regretful, but also somewhat fascinated. In honesty, she was sure he wasn't actually assuming that she did anything particularly raunchy behind his back, but his words implied that she somehow might be acting slutty with her husband's blessing. It struck a chord inside her, and sparks of lust mixed with her anger.

"Sorry honey," John began his defense. "I wasn't suggesting..."

"I think I'll go inside and let you guys sort this out," Oliver interrupted him.

"No, don't bother," Marisa said. "I'm going to take a bath and calm down. And since you guys obviously are such modern men, why don't you prepare dinner in the meantime?"

"Of course, honey," John said, glad to be off the hook for the moment.

As she walked inside, she heard her husband apologizing to Oliver about putting him in the middle of it.

"Don't worry about it," Oliver said and chuckled. "Hearing couples argue kind of makes me feel good to be single"

Marisa headed upstairs to run her bath, and undressed in the bedroom while the tub was filling up. She looked herself over in the full length mirror, pleased with what she saw. She had the body of a 34 year old mother of two, but damn, she was still a sexy one. Sure, her tits weren't as high as they had been before the kids, but they were still good in her opinion. She had gained a cup size, and was now bordering between C and D. They were a source of pleasure for both herself and John, and they also seemed to get attention from other men. Again, the quarrel with her husband started running through her head, this time leaving her more turned on than angry.

She felt like taking advantage of the night without the kids, allowing her to slip out of the mum role. She decided to pamper herself and picked out some suiting bath foam with essential oils. Pouring it into the bath, she watched it turning into inviting bubbles. Before getting in, she brought out her kit and proceeded to trim her pubes. It was always part of her preparations when she was going out with her friends. Even though no one except her husband got to see the result in the end, it still made her feel sexy. She was just staying home tonight, but the ritual signified the demarcation between the stressful duties of a working mother and a woman allowing herself to let loose for the evening.

She slipped into the bath with an unwinding exhale. The warm water was suiting, and she soon started exploring her body. She was in a sexy mood, and was sure it was partly due to of the conversation with her husband. Did he really not mind at all if she flirted with other guys? And what if she went beyond just flirting? Her mind started playing naughty scenarios in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.

"Yes?" she said, and hid her body under the bubbles as the door opened. She was surprised to see Oliver entering, covering his eyes with one hand and holding a glass of red wine in the other.

"Are you covered?" he asked.

Marisa quickly made sure that nothing inappropriate was showing. "I am."

"John asked me to bring you this," Oliver said and handed her the wine glass. "He was busy with the food so couldn't do it himself."

"Is that so?" Marisa said as she contemplated the accuracy of the statement. John might have been busy, but that was probably not the only reason. Perhaps he was afraid that she was still mad, or maybe he was trying to make a point about not being jealous by having another guy join her in the bathroom while she was naked. Or was there something else going on?

As she reached for the wine, she felt her breasts rising up from the covering foam. She was quick to cover them with her arm, but the motion made the bubbles clear away from her chest. Looking down, she could see she was creating quite the view of her pushed up chest, her arm and hand just barely covering her nipples. With the wine glass in her other hand, there wasn't much else she could do without exposing more of her tits. At least that's what she convinced herself. She was still feeling quite naughty, and she undeniably enjoyed the decadence of sitting there naked and increasingly exposed before her husband's friend. She felt very sexy.

As Marisa turned her gaze up to meet Oliver's, he reluctantly diverted his attention from her chest. She knew he was staring at her tits, hoping that she would lower her arm to reveal even more.

"I should leave," he said, realizing that there was no real reason for him to linger, other than the fact that he was enjoying the view. "John said to tell you that dinner will be ready in 15 minutes."

"I'll be down soon," she replied, and felt a bit disappointed as he left and closed the door behind him. Oliver was a sexy man and she could tell he kept himself in good shape. He was physically quite similar to her husband, both of them slightly taller than average, and with nice, broad shoulders. She loved her husband and had never really considered being unfaithful, but Oliver had occasionally entered her erotic fantasies. She smirked, wondering how this would fly with her husband's alleged lack jealousness if she would have told him.

This brought her thoughts back to this topic. Was her husband actually being sincere? Sure, there was no reason he would object to the innocent flirting she did sometimes, but where was the limit? And was he implying he wouldn't mind if she did it right there in front of him? She was getting curious to find out, if nothing else to call her husband on his smug bluff.

It took her more than 30 minutes before she was ready to head downstairs to join them. John was obviously aiming to get back on his wife's good side and had set the kitchen table nicely with lighted candles. There was also some jazz lounge music playing, something he knew she liked. He had even put on a nice shirt and pants, and Oliver had followed suit. She heard them talking as she entered, the topic back to Oliver's failed relationships.

Their conversation however stopped mid-sentence as she made her appearance. The casual clothes she had worn before were long gone. To test her husband's claim, she had deliberately dressed provocative with her tightest red dress. It didn't even reach halfway down her thighs, and with a pair of high heels, her well-toned legs looked absolutely stunning. Inspired by the way Oliver had leered at her tits in the bath, she had picked out a strapless push-up bra. With the low-cut design of her dress, her cleavage was overflowing. Her hair was up to expose her slender neck, and she was wearing more makeup than usual to emphasize her facial features, matching her dress with a rich red lipstick.

"Wow honey," John said. "You look great."

"Yeah, no kids at home means I get to dress up and feel sexy," she replied, and giggled as she realized what she was admitting. She felt even sexier as both men unabashedly eyed her up and down, taking in what she was flaunting.

"Too much?" she asked, looking at her husband with a crooked smile. She defiantly put her hands on her hips.

"No..." he said vaguely as if his mind was trying to catch up. "No, not at all..."

He looked confused, but his face transformed into an expression she couldn't quite read. He wasn't showing disapproval or embarrassment though. If anything, he seemed pleased. Perhaps there was some truth to his claim. Then again, he might just be acting cool to make a point. She knew she would have to push him a bit further.

She took her seat at the short end of the table with her husband and Oliver on either side of her. They constantly kept peaking at her cleavage. She made no attempt to dissuade them. Instead, she made an effort to lean over to give them a good view. She smiled as she noticed how Oliver tried to be discreet about leering at her tits. She couldn't tell if his attempts to restrain himself were out of respect for her husband or herself. Either way, it was admittedly gratifying to see that he couldn't help himself. She looked at her husband, who still showed no sign of disapproval.

Oliver seemed to be enjoying himself, and Marisa was sure she was part of the reason. Still, he was naturally a bit down because of his recent break-up.

"I'm not really sad that the relationship is over," Oliver told her when she asked him how he was doing. "I'm just fed up with all these short relationships. It's about time I settle down, you know."

"I keep telling him he should focus on women his own age," John added.

"Is that right Oliver?" Marisa asked. "Do you have a thing for younger women?"

"No, no. Not at all," he defended himself. Turning to John he continued. "I would love to find a hot woman our age, but it seems the good ones are already taken." As he spoke, he held out his hand to point to Marisa. Realizing the potential inappropriateness of his remark, he covered his face and shook his head. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out right," he said.

Both John and Marisa laughed at his red face.

"I think it came out just fine," Marisa said. "I'll take it as a compliment, and John doesn't mind, right honey?"

"Of course not," he replied with a knowing smirk on his face. He obviously knew she was testing him again.

"There you go, Oliver," she said. "You can give me as many compliments that you like."

Oliver smiled sheepishly, uncertain what to say or do. He looked to John for guidance.

"Don't worry about him," Marisa said with a pleased grin. "He's not jealous, remember?"

"Indeed I am not," John said, shrugging his shoulders to indicate he didn't care one way or the other. "You can compliment my wife all you like. Won't bother me, and I'm sure she'll like the attention."

"There you go," Marisa said. Her husband's comment made her feel both aggravated and excited. "So, what compliment would you give me if you were trying to pick me up?"

"I don't know," Oliver said tentatively. "Maybe that you look pretty."

"Oh, that's sweet," Marisa said, grabbing his arm. "But a bit lame, don't you think?"

Oliver again looked at John to see his reaction.

"Go on, I honestly don't mind."

"OK, I guess I might say that you look sexy in that dress," Oliver said. He paused and let his eyes travel down over her body before returning to her eyes. "You look really sexy tonight, Marisa. Absolutely stunning."

"Ooo... That's better," Marisa replied and used her hands to fan her face. She was exaggerating the effect his comment had on her, but she wasn't unmoved by the attention. Her husband just seemed to be amused. "And you of course have no problem with your friend saying things like that to me?" she said, studying his face to read his reaction.

"How could I?" John replied and winked at her. "The man is merely speaking the truth."

"Smooth. Very smooth."

"Phew," Oliver exclaimed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand to pretend he was worried.

Marisa smirked at her husband as she tapped her fingers on the table, thinking that she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. She was starting to like this game.

"So, if you saw me out in a bar..." she said, pausing to take a sip from her wine. "What would make you think I was one of the good ones?"

"Jesus, I don't know," Oliver said. He looked at John but his friend showed no sign of dissuading him. "I mean, of course you're one of the good ones. You're funny and smart and all that."

"But if you saw me in a bar you wouldn't know that," Marisa said. "So it would have to be something else."

"OK then. I think your eyes are very beautiful."

Marisa smiled at him. It was not a lie at his behalf. She was proud of her deep brown eyes, and her makeup was bringing them out alluringly. Still, given where Oliver kept peaking at her, she knew there were other attributes he was more attracted to at the moment. She was just about to urge him to be more honest when her husband beat her to it.

"I have to reiterate what my wife said before man. That's a bit lame."

Marisa quizzically looked at him. Was he challenging his friend to flirt with her more explicitly?

"You heard the man," she said.

"Well..." Oliver began. "I always thought your dimples were really cute."

"OK, go on," Marisa encouraged him.

Oliver took a big sip from his wine for support and glanced over to John to make sure he wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

"And you have a really sexy mouth."

"Oh, now we're getting somewhere," Marisa giggled. Her painted lips were probably inspiring for any man's imagination.

"And there is something quite sensuous about your neck," Oliver continued. "And your shoulders are very attractive too. They always look very sexy."

"Well that's nice to hear," Marisa said, realizing she was getting a bit flustered by the attention. She hoped it wouldn't show, but she didn't care enough to change the course of the conversation. She looked at her husband, and he no longer looked as smug. His face was more serious, but there was no sign of disapproval or anger. Admittedly, he didn't actually appear to be jealous. Returning her gaze to Oliver, she noticed that his eyes had traveled down to her chest, and he didn't bother to hide it now. Only slowly did he return his eyes up to hers.