The Games People Play

"Lauren, is there anything wrong?" Amy asked as she pulled her shopping cart up behind me. I knew she was in the store and I tried to deliberately 'not notice' her. But seeing Amy this close was uncomfortable. And that was a new thing for me. We were best of friends, or at least I thought we were before the previous Saturday night. After that, I wasn't so sure.

"No, not at all," I replied in a higher pitched tone than I was shooting for. "What makes you think that?"

"Well for starters you haven't replied to my texts about coffee. You're kids haven't come over to play since last week. I don't know, it just feels like something is different." There was something different but it all seemed so petty now. Yes, I was hurt, but mostly confused. Amy and Tom had hosted what seemed to be a pretty big and boisterous party last Saturday with lots of cars up and down the street and people coming and going with laughter and loud music. I had thought we were close enough friends to be invited. Amy hadn't even mentioned it on the Friday when the kids were playing in their back yard pool. We would have needed time to arrange a sitter but there was no mention. I just felt Dave and I had been left out for some reason and I didn't know why.

Amy looked at me closely for a few seconds and then asked, "Lets finish groceries and would you then come over for a coffee? We can talk. The kids won't have to be picked up from school for a couple of hours."

"Are you sure you want me there?" I replied, stupidly I might add. Amy was really my best friend in this new neighbourhood and for what ever reason we didn't make the guest list of their party it was not my business. Still, I couldn't hide my hurt.

She looked at me hard and spoke slowly, "This is about last Saturday night isn't it. You're wondering why you and Dave weren't invited. Believe me it had nothing to do with you or him. Lets hold this conversation until coffee. One hour, okay?" I nodded my head and we parted.

****

"I hadn't said much since sitting down in Amy's kitchen, a place that had seemed so familiar and friendly before the weekend. I knew I was being difficult but I couldn't shake the feeling of rejection.

Amy took a deep breath and started, "Look, it wasn't anything you did. Tom and I love you two and wouldn't do anything to hurt you. We've only been friends for a few months since you moved onto the street but we really do value and love your friendship. I wasn't planning on going into this as... well, it can be a bit awkward but here goes. Tom and I belong to a club, well sort of a club. It was our turn to host and yeah, a party ensues and it can get a bit raucous. This club - and I know this sounds a bit... well pretentious may be the word - but new members have to be vetted by a committee of sorts. So we couldn't just invite you or any of the other neighbours."

"Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand but, please forgive my curiosity, it does sound a bit mysterious."

"That it does, but really, we're just out to have fun. We're not a bunch of witches or weird cult crazies."

"Good to hear that. My kids and cats are safe it seems," I replied a bit sarcastically but also a bit relieved.

"So let's plan for you and Dave to fire up the BBQ here next Friday?"

"Great idea, lets do it but I have to tell you I'm a bit curious about your 'club.'" I actually used air quotes.

Amy sighed, "It's really nothing just a bunch of people getting together for... well, for fun."

More curious than ever, I probed, "Well Dave and I like fun. What do we have to do to join."

Amy stirred her coffee a bit nervously, "Not everyone likes this sort of fun. We're not sure you and Dave would be up for this and well, we don't usually have close neighbours participate. It could get awkward."

"Hmm.... now I'm really curious. Are you sure you don't sacrifice miscreants or commune with aliens."

"Ha! No, nothing quite so exotic. Trust me, no one is sacrificed to the evil gods."

"Well, even if you do dance naked around a stone effigy Dave and I wouldn't report you to the Taliban." Her eyes widened for a sec and I realized it was at the 'dance naked' part of my joke. Whoa, what's really going on in this corner of suburbia? We were both quiet for a few minutes drinking our coffee.

Then she looked hard at me and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Well not if you have to kill me after."

Amy laughed. "No worries there, but you might want to kill me,"

"Okay, here goes. It's a sex club. Couples get together and have sex with each other. That's all, nothing really much to it," Amy said quickly while looking at her coffee and stirring it again.

So really nothing at all. Really?? My sweet adorable PTA attending, church going, beacon of responsibility and good judgment is a sex club member?? Perhaps she just hosts and hands out drinks and ensures everyone is enjoying the party. My mind just simply blanked at the thought of Amy having sex with other guys. No, that really couldn't happen, could it?

A long silence ensued. She finally looked up at me very tentative like and raised her eyebrows. Neither of us spoke for a minute or two longer. I was still in a mild state of shock. Finally Amy asked, "Are you disappointed in me?"

"Amy, No! I would never judge you or anyone else who does that, whatever that really is. I'm just processing what you said and yeah, I am a bit taken aback, that's all. But I'm okay really," I babbled out in a long string.

"Good. So you're still okay to be my friend even though I'm a bit of a pervert," she said with a giggle.

"Amy I would never call you that. You're way to sweet and thoughtful and kind to ever be called that."

"But I'm a participant in a sex club. Are you okay that your PTA neighbour is doing it with other people?" she asked looking hard at me.

"Amy, you're my friend and I value our friendship greatly. Would it be too much to ask for just a few more details of what your sex club is all about. I think I get the basic idea but well... for starters, how did you get into this? If anything about this is something you don't want to talk about just say so and we can plan for a Friday BBQ." Frankly, I still couldn't wrap my mind around what I intuitively knew happens in a sex club. But this is dear lovely sweet Amy. It didn't compute.

She took a long sip of her coffee and began, "It started on a vacation to Aruba several years ago. My mom and dad had the kids and we booked into a couples place... you know, lots of sand, sun, alcohol and... well, mostly flirting. Sam and Daniela were in the next cabana. Daniela was a petite gorgeous brunette and Sam was older with a touch of grey around the edges of his hair but a devastatingly handsome guy. To make a long story short we hung out with them for most of the week and on the last night we had a private going away party in their room. And no, I didn't get intimate with Sam but I did dance with them with very few clothes on and we got very close and kissed each other good bye."

"So you spent time dancing with this Sam guy, close I would guess. Wait, did you say you danced with them? Just Sam or..."

"Or Daniela you mean? Yes, both of them. Let me first add a piece of info you need to have for the rest of the story. As you might have guessed Daniela and Sam were swingers, as in members of the club we now belong to. From our experience now with our club we know they were checking us out. Every potential member has to meet some careful qualifications." Amy stopped there and sipped on her coffee and munched on a chocolate chip cookie.

I prompted, "Qualifications?"

"Yeah, to be invited into the Club you have to check some boxes. Firstly, be in or around the target demographic age wise. And the criteria is quite broad. There are some very popular women in their late fifties who get a lot of attention so to speak. Mostly, you have to be attractive in some way which might mean that your personality shines through in lots of fun ways. It's not all about looks. Next you have to have the intelligence to understand the need to be discreet. We all have day jobs to maintain and reputations in the community to uphold. What happens in the Club stays in the Club. Very important. And, lastly, of course, you have to like sex and be flexible with who you do it with and be okay with your partner doing the same."

"Wow! Okay now back to 'dancing with them'?"

"I danced with Sam and Daniela."

"Like fast... or slow?

"Honey, really? These were swingers. Sam and I got close, like, really close and we didn't have a lot on. And then I wrapped my arms around Daniela - hey, I was well into the local rum - and we made out."

"Made out, like with Sam?"

"Not just Sam. Daniela and I also kissed - my first time with a woman so you know. I felt her breasts against mine and I decided I liked the feel."

"Wow, really? Okay, got it, made out with both of them." The temperature in the kitchen was going up. I had to fan my face and then I had to ask, "And then you fucked Sam, right?"

"No. Not then. They had carefully explained to us about only agreeing to have sex with them when all parties aren't too intoxicated. Consent is everything. So Sam and Daniela brought us into the Club."

I digested their meeting up with a couple of swingers and all, but I then had to ask, "Would asking for your first time experience with the Club be too much? This is simple curiosity just so you know. I can't quite picture it."

"Well the first time is easy to describe. It was really just a typical party where you get to know each other. There wasn't really any sex, well, almost no sex. A few couples would quietly go upstairs but they were the exception. Really, the first Club event was just to get to know each other better."

I mulled this over and then probed, "And the second time?"

"Yes, the second time. Everyone knew we were newbies so they all tried to make us feel comfortable and didn't try to push us into anything. Sam and Daniela took us under their wing, so to speak. I'm sure you're curious about what was going on and in truth, I was a bit shocked at first. Two couples were sitting across from each other in the great room - the hosts owned a gorgeous country house complete with two story high stone fireplace and beautiful wooden beams - and they were chatting and laughing. All of a sudden one of the women slipped onto her knees in front of the guy from the other couple and proceeded to unzip his pants, pull his cock out and take it deep into her mouth. The other woman took her top off and straddled the other guy. They began to heavily make out as she dry humped him. I had never really seen anything like it before - newbies remember?"

"Was it a turn on?" I was now spellbound by Amy's narrative.

"I couldn't decide if I wanted to run from it as fast as I could or get really horny and do something crazy."

"And..."

"Well, crazy won out." I gasped.

"Yeah, the four of us took it outside to the pool area where just about everyone was naked except us.

Sam and Daniela ask politely if we minded them taking their clothes off for a swim and invited us to do the same. And you know, up until that point I had never been naked in my adult life in front of anyone except Tom and medical people, of course."

"So you did strip I assume."

"Yeah we all did - the four of us. I kind of went into the shadows a bit to undress and then slipped quickly into the water. We floated around a bit chatting and laughing until I saw a glance from Daniela to Sam and a return nod and she floated over to Tom and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. I just stared at them like a deer caught in the headlights." Amy stopped there and went over to the counter to retrieve another plate of homemade cookies. Returning to the table she set them between us. She took one, bit into it and looked at me. I was spellbound waiting for the rest of the story.

"Amy, you can't leave me there. Please?"

"Okay. As I said I froze at the sight. Then I felt Sam nestle into my back. He asked me if he could put his arms around me. I just nodded my head. Something was happening and I didn't know how to handle it even though we had signed up for a sex club.

"Sam gently wrapped his arms around my waist and began nuzzling my neck and earlobe, which by the way is a huge turn on for me. He was taking control as his hands came up to cup the undersides of my breasts. I was still staring at Tom and Daniela who were now intertwined and kissing wildly. Tom had one hand down below the water on her ass and his other was massaging a breast."

I gasped, "How did that make you feel?"

"Would you think less of me if I told you that seeing my husband, naked, his hands on a naked woman's body that he was passionately kissing was crazily erotic. At that point I was fully into what was going to happen. My body was humming with anticipation of seeing them fuck and being fucked by Sam. Intellectually I knew we were on a path to do just that but now the reality was setting in and I was more turned on than at any time in my life."

"Oh My God. that is so wild. I won't press you for more details but thank-you so much for sharing this with me."

"But aren't you appalled at what we do? Lauren, I'm a total slut. I tell you I can't get enough of what goes on. And I have to be totally honest about that first time. After Sam fucked the living daylights out of me Daniela and I curled up together in bed and I had sex with a woman for the first time in my life. She got me off with her fingers and I totally enjoyed it! If you want to disown me now I wouldn't blame you a bit but please please don't tell anyone else. I think I know you well enough to believe you wouldn't blab this all over the neighbourhood."

"Amy, I would never ever say a word about this to anyone and there is no chance I would disown you as a friend. Okay, its going to take me awhile to process what you've told me but please believe that I don't judge other people for what they do as long as no-one gets hurt."

"Lauren, no-one gets hurt at the Club. There have been couples who leave when they realize its not for them. Usually its because the marriage isn't solid enough to suppress the jealousy which is a natural human reaction. Tom and I talked about what went on that first night and how we felt about each other getting fucked by different people and we eventually agreed it was really just recreation and okay. We did decide that we would talk about who in the Club we weren't crazy about and wouldn't want to hook up with. We developed some signals that tells the other that sex shouldn't happen with the person their hanging out with. That doesn't happen much. We like most of the people except for a couple of really arrogant guys.

"Lauren, in the end its just recreation and fun and we keep it that way. We agree that there is no falling in love with a partner at the Club. We like each other too much. If that danger potentially arose we would quit."

I wasn't so sure that the danger she described could be avoided but I said, "Amy, I believe you and Tom are really together and I hope nothing comes between you from all that." I gestured a circle into the air indicating all she had told me. I really did have to process what she narrated because I just wasn't convinced it would be a good idea in the long run.

I had one more request, "Amy, would you mind terribly if I talked to Dave about what you just told me? You can count on us that it won't go any further. He knows I was feeling rejected by not being invited to your party and I have to set him straight on it."

"Okay, but please be kind to us when you tell him. We're not really perverts - at least I hope not - we just have a lot of fun with it."

"Thanks Amy. You are my best friend still. Lets hug and then go get the kids from school."

*****

Dave hadn't said a word while I told him everything Amy had said. I finally stopped and we just stared at each other. I finally cracked, "Dave, talk to me. What are you thinking?"

He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. He nodded his head a few times as if agreeing to some though he had and then he looked at me and said, "If you asked me who on the street would be the last couple to belong to a sex club I would have said Tom and Amy. She seems just so squeaky clean and the perfect mom and Tom is a totally straight up guy. Frankly, I'm shocked that its what they do."

I wanted clarification, "Do you mean shocked its them who do it or shocked by the actual sex stuff?"

"Shocked that its our salt of the earth neighbours doing it. We're both adult enough to know that sex clubs exist and lots of otherwise normal people indulge in it. But this is very close to home literally and figuratively. So how do you really feel about it?"

"Well, first and foremost I want to continue to be their friends and hang out together. We're planning a BBQ for next Friday so we're going to have to put it aside if we can and be normal around them. But I'm not sure how that's going to go for me. So do you think you and Tom can talk hockey or football just like you always do when you now know he fucks other women with Amy doing it with another guy on the same bed? Think about it."

"Well, we have two choices. Drop them as friends or look beyond the sex thing and try to be as normal as possible around them. It could be awkward at first but really, they're just the same great people we've come to know and like and who we now know have a little hidden kink. That's all.

******

The kids finally climbed out of Amy and Tom's pool and disappeared into their basement for yet another screening of the Moana movie. I'll never understand how seven to nine year olds can watch the same movie over and over and never seem to get tired of it.

Now that it was safe to be in the pool without the risk of being hit by a missile fired by an eight year old future MLB pitcher, I floated around enjoying the beautifully warm water. Other than a whispered question from Amy asking if I had told Dave yet about their Club the afternoon and early evening was the picture of suburban normalcy. To my affirmative reply she asked, looking a bit worried, "And you two are still okay with us?" I replied, "We're here aren't we? You guys are are best friends." Amy sighed with visible relief.

Rachel, the oldest, came up once to ask if it was okay to take the big bag of popcorn downstairs. Of course I grimaced at this and said okay. They had barely touched their burgers and veggies and now they wanted more junk food. I reluctantly said yes and we didn't hear from the gaggle of them for over an hour.

And it was an interesting hour. As I floated up to the side, Tom approached and sat on the edge. He had another fizzy drink for me that he sat on the edge beside his. Slipping into the water we began a lovely chat about the neighbourhood, nothing serious at all. During this I noticed Amy sitting on the end of the lounger Dave was on. They too seemed very engaged in conversation.

Was it my imagination or was Tom brushing against me in the water, more than in past pool parties. I didn't really mind though. Suddenly, my feet slipped on the vinyl slope and before I slid into the deeper water while holding a plastic drink glass in one hand Tom caught me with one arm under my legs and the other around my back. I shrieked and exclaimed, "Nice catch Tom. I didn't even spill a drop."

Tom smiled at me and said, "Now that I've got you let me float you around the pool while you finish your drink." With that he held me while floating on his back. We did a slow circle around the deep end. There was some irony in being in the deep end: Tom held me very close and dare I say, intimately. His lower arm was still wrapped around my legs and his hand was gripping the front of my thigh midway up and his upper hand and fingers were pushing into the bikini top covering my left breast. His face was very close to mine. I was enjoying the relaxing float but also a bit sensitive to his closeness and the feel of his hands on my body. I could feel my face flushing but I tried to make light of it.