Unconventional Friendship

*** Introduction ***

Thank you for following these characters as they navigate their new relationship and desires. This series is firmly rooted in factual happenings and relationships, with some creative license used to expand on the overall story theme and make it a more fun experience for you, the reader. You're here for sexual adventures, but I hope you relate to the characters and their story. Who knows? Maybe the events of this series can help you navigate or start an unconventional friendship of your own.

As stated in Ch. 01, if it is partner shaming, cuckolding, or cheating you want to read - you won't find it anywhere in this series.

***

"Just to be clear," I prodded with a touch of sarcasm, "you're definitely having sex with him tonight?"

I shot a playful glance at Lauren as we cruised down the highway. Before our last meet-up with Tristen and Vanessa, she had firmly and repeatedly declared she would not have sex with Tristen. Within a few hours of those words leaving her lips, Vanessa and I watched her orgasm on top of him. It had been a running joke between us ever since. She smirked momentarily and flipped her brown curls over her shoulder as she turned to me.

"Mmm - with both of you." Her voice was sultry with promise. She leaned over the center console and ran her hand up my thigh to find the growing response in my shorts. Using the tip of one slender finger, she lightly traced the outline straining against the material. "As long as you both make good on your many and repeated promises to me, I'll make sure both of you get the attention you want, babe," she continued playfully.

"We will make sure you are well taken care of, my love," I said. Over the last few weeks, Tristen and I may or may not have dug ourselves a hole talking a big game during all the conversations leading up to today. Now, it was almost time to make good on our words and I was beginning to suspect we might have underestimated the other side.

Lauren stopped her lazy teasing, grasped me through my shorts, and squeezed my cock firmly. "Are you leaking yet?"

"You know I am," I said softly confirming her suspicion. "I just felt some leak out of me as you squeezed."

"That's what I like to hear."

"I'm going to like hearing you cum for us later." Her fingers absent-mindedly continued their slow torture. I ached to be free.

"Promises, promises..." she shook her head with a laugh.

***

"Hey, man. It's good to see you. Come on in." I shook Tristen's outstretched hand and gestured for him to come through the door.

"Good to see you, too." He surveyed the room, then grinned as he spotted the king bed. "Oh, yeah. That's going to do just fine," he said clapping me on the shoulder. There was no doubt about where his mind and expectations for the evening were parked - right next to mine. It had been the topic of discussion amongst the four of us since our tryst a month ago when we swapped partners for the first time. It was a defining moment for all of us. Our friendships and relationships had shifted that day, and we were on new - albeit thrilling - and unfamiliar ground. We intended to find our footing and see just where this would go.

"Where's Lauren?" he asked energetically.

"In here," her voice trailed in from the bathroom.

"She's just about ready," I reported. "I might have been somewhat distracting her earlier," I grinned. "How's that new project at work going?" He had mentioned it a few weeks ago and we needed to kill time until she was ready.

The company he worked for was exploring expansion into a new market and it had been keeping him fairly busy lately. Not too busy to flirt with Lauren over text, though. I had been chatting with Vanessa steadily about that evening and future events. He launched into explaining some of the difficulties his team was experiencing but sounded hopeful they would surmount them. We both held leadership positions in our respective fields and were soon caught up in discussing team management principles and tactics.

Lauren popped around the corner a few minutes later, her shoulder-length hair swept back behind one ear as she fastened an earring. She had styled her hair with loose curls, and it framed her face perfectly. "How do I look?" Her green-gold eyes flashed with mischief - she knew I loved this look on her. I smiled broadly, completely enamored with her. She must have seen it on my face because she grinned back at me like a schoolgirl getting a smile from her crush.

"Phenomenal," Tristen declared before I had a chance to form the words. His voice was rich with excitement as he looked her up and down appreciatively. "I'm not going to be able to keep my eyes off those legs."

"You liked the shorts so much last time, I had to wear some again." She cocked her hips to the side, so the material pulled tighter to her curves.

"Especially since I know what's under them now."

Finally finding my verbal footing, I said, "He's right. You look great, babe." Stepping in close, I pulled her hips to mine. Her smile was wide and genuine as she reached up to let her lips tell me she was feeling as good as she looked. As we embraced, I cupped the bottom of her cute, round ass cheeks, lifted them, and let them drop. Tristen gave a low whistle of appreciation as gravity reasserted itself.

"Don't leave a guy out over here," Tristen held out his arms invitingly.

"Come and get a little then," I told him and released my wife from my arms.

Still facing me, Lauren stuck out her ass and gave it a slight wiggle. Taking the hint, he came forward and ran his hands up her smooth legs and to her ass. He massaged her for a few seconds before pressing the bulge in his pants in between her soft curves with a soft exhale. Lauren rotated her hips, slowly rolling her ass around and over his rapidly hardening cock.

"Fuck... " he muttered.

"Oh, don't you worry - you'll get more later," Lauren promised. Her eyes were intently watching the reaction on my face. She knew I was enjoying the show being put on and I knew she was reveling in the exertion of her sexual power over the both of us.

Smiling wickedly, she abruptly stood up and declared, "I'm famished. Time to eat?" Tristen stood frozen for a moment, the words not reaching his brain as it rebooted.

"Get your stuff! We gotta go," he half-yelled with a start. Frantically he handed me my wallet and phone and turned to Lauren. "C'mon, c'mon - move it, sexy lady," he said as he waved his arms to herd us towards the door.

***

"This is a really pretty drive," Lauren exclaimed. Tristen steered us down the scenic route along the river bluffs on our way to the restaurant. The late afternoon sun was bright on the water as we cruised the highway parallel to its shimmering path. The summer was in the last weeks of its prime and the leaves along the rocky bluffs had not yet started to turn colors. Mercifully, the oppressive heat of August had finally started to fade.

"This is the perfect time of the year to check this place out," Tristen said as he changed lanes. "They shut down the outdoor seating just off of the water once it starts getting colder. It's a fun place, but in the middle of the summer, it can be a bit too hot. I bet they have a band playing, too."

"I could go for some music while we eat," I said as I watched the bluffs go by in a blur. "Hopefully, a good band." Tristen and I had played in a band together during college and were sometimes overly critical when we saw house bands playing.

"Too bad Vanessa can't join us." Lauren's face showed her disappointment. She was flying solo for dinner.

"Believe me, she wishes she was here," Tristen agreed. "Unfortunately, she RSVP'd for her cousin's bachelorette party months ago and is committed to it now. It's a big group of women and they all paid a joint fee for the trip. We would not have gotten a refund if she backed out." He paused as we approached a four-way intersection and rolled to a stop.

"Clear on this side," I said, still enjoying the landscape on my side of the car.

Tristen continued. "Twenty-something women are going on this thing to Nashville. She knows she will have fun but feels really bad about not being able to come with us." He winked at Lauren in the rearview mirror. "I guess that just leaves more of us for you."

"Lucky me," she said brightly. "She told me she is extremely jealous I get you boys to myself for the evening. Tristen, she specifically said to remind you to be on your best behavior and show me a good time."

"Yes, ma'am. She was extremely clear to me on that point as well. I think we can handle both of those demands," he replied. He gave me a good-natured grin and cuffed my shoulder. "Think we can handle that?"

"I don't know..." I trailed off, my voice full of doubt. I turned to him and held my hand up to the side of my mouth in mock secrecy. "She can be a real handful sometimes," I said in an overly loud whisper. "She's kinda feisty."

"There's a few handfuls I can think of, but between the two of us - we got this," he said determinedly as he steered the car through a curve in the road.

"You two are something else and -" She was cut off by Tristen's phone ringing through the car speakers.

"Hey, it's Vanessa," Tristen grinned as her name flashed onto the dashboard display and he thumbed a button to accept the call. "Hey, hon! How's Nashville?"

"Hot and sweaty, but good so far," her voice came back slightly distorted, but the hint of annoyance came through clearly enough. Cell signal was not always the best along the river. "Did you meet up with them yet?"

"Vanessa, you owe me big-time for leaving me alone with these two!" Lauren leaned forward as she shouted.

"Hey, girl!" Vanessa's tone immediately brightened in response. "Trust me, I didn't want to leave you without any back-up. Those two are ridiculous."

"We're right here, V," I piped up in self-defense.

"I know you are. Listen - both of you - you better treat my girl right. I know how you two get when you're together. You better be absolute, and I mean, absolute gentlemen and show her a good time." There was zero room for debate in her voice. finished dressing us down and her tone softened considerably as she continued to Lauren. "Besides, I think you're getting the better end of this deal."

"Yeah, I feel bad you're not here." Lauren meant it. She had brought it up several times over the last week. We all started this journey together and to her, it was better when we were all involved.

"Don't be silly. Enjoy those two wonderful cocks for me!"

"I'll do my best," she smiled at Vanessa's bluntness.

"Oh," I suddenly remembered a thought I had been kicking around. "V, did you want us to send you any - documentation - of this evening?"

"Uh, yeah!" she exclaimed after a slight hesitation, making us all laugh. "That sounds like a great idea."

"That will be fun - or torture for you, babe." Tristen's reply was laced with mischief.

"I'm sure it will be a bit of both," she agreed firmly. "It sucks I can't be there. I know we've been looking forward to getting together since our last outing. Actually, we've talked about it a lot and I bet you guys have, too." She hesitated before asking, "How have things been between you guys since the hotel?"

I looked over my shoulder and locked eyes with Lauren. An unmistakably genuine smile parted her lips, wide enough to make slight creases in the skin at the corners of her eyes. They sparkled back at me, and her expression urged me to go ahead. I held her gaze, flashed a lop-sided smile back at her, and replied.

"Honestly - they've been amazing." I turned back to the front of the car. "The more we talk about it, the more reasons we come up with why it's been so good. We've come to realize the real win here isn't just getting to have sex with someone new. Don't get me wrong - that's pretty damned awesome."

"Couldn't agree more," Tristen nodded.

"Right? Seriously - let's take a moment to appreciate that fact." I paused dramatically and Lauren sighed in exasperation. "Ok, now that we've done that, let's move on."

"You're an idiot." Vanessa groaned over the phone.

"Agreed," I said matter of fact and pressed on. "Things have been super-charged between us lately. Like a spark has been ignited and not just sexually. We have had some seriously awesome conversations about it. I mean, we had to have some intimate discussions beforehand to even get to this point, but they've been even better now. There is something erotic about talking with your spouse, your partner, about how turned on you are by someone else. Someone society says you shouldn't be aroused by, but you are anyway. Especially when that person is your best friend's wife." Tristen smiled and nodded in agreement at this.

Vanessa piped in. "Yes! We feel the same way. That night we talked about everything, I mean everything, in detail. It felt so good to talk about, which is something I did not expect. The only way I could describe it is..." she trailed off.

"Freeing," Lauren finished for her.

"Exactly," Vanessa confirmed. "You know what I mean, then!"

"I do. When we started talking about messing around with you guys, it felt erotic but also guilty - shameful even. So, we tried to figure out why it felt that way, especially since the idea of it was so fun and arousing. The thought of someone new after sixteen years was naughty in a powerful way. This is only working because we have been open and honest with each other. For example -" I glanced back at Lauren again before continuing. "- I did not want to tell Lauren I was legitimately attracted to you, V. Not in the "Oh, yeah. She's hot," casual observation kind of way. That's easy and playful. Admitting to my wife I was attracted to another woman was scary. It challenged things." I cleared my throat and continued. "Turns out, she knew exactly what I meant and had been thinking the same thing for a long time. All of us have been raised to think there is only one person out there for you. It's wrong to think sexually of another person; you can only think of your spouse like that."

"If that's true, then I'm wrong every day," Tristen said with a derisive snort. I nodded emphatically in agreement.

"I know. But if Colton and I agree on something and we both feel the same way - why is it so wrong?" Lauren paused. "Think about the night we went to the concert. What felt wrong about that night?"

"Absolutely nothing," Vanessa said. Tristen and I exchanged a look that said we could not agree more with her. Lauren caught his face in the rearview mirror and smiled.

"Precisely. It was so much fun and more than a little naughty. We all agreed to it for the same reasons, for honestly shared reasons. It went great and we all felt good about it afterward. What makes that so wrong?" Lauren asked.

"Honestly, guys -" I said, "- as weird as it sounds, it feels like it brought us closer together. Not just as a couple, but as friends with you both. This isn't something every group of friends shares," I laughed. "We spent a lot of time discussing our insecurities before we started this. Insecurities about ourselves; about sex with you guys. I know it sounds backward -- "my voice was thick with sarcasm "- but communicating helped us understand one another, and ourselves, on a much deeper level." We all chuckled a little at this. "Telling Lauren I was attracted to Vanessa was difficult at first, but she understood. Telling her the thought of her with Tristen was erotic was more difficult. I've spent years bragging to him in detail about Lauren, her body, and her sexual talents. He's done the same thing about you Vanessa. There was a big part of me that wanted him to experience her like I had and vice versa."

Lauren interjected. "I was surprised when he said he liked the idea of me with Tristen, but after explaining it, it made sense. I liked the idea of it, too. The allure of having him under my control was undeniable. It made me feel sexy and kind of powerful to know I could have that effect on him. Colton is supposed to be attracted to me -- we're married. Having someone new was energizing." She paused as Tristen navigated a shaper turn, then continued. "I knew Colton wouldn't be jealous after we talked about it and I wasn't going to be jealous of him with you, Vanessa. We knew it was just for fun, for variety. No one was going to catch any feelings."

"I know what he means about seeing you with me because I found it extremely arousing to watch them together. Obviously, we've talked about it, but I've always thought the idea of someone getting to share Vanessa's talents would be insanely sexy. Turns out I was right," he joked. "What's cool is most couples worry about affairs and we don't have to. We find variety with people we trust, and our spouse trusts us with them. We know no one is leaving each other for a different partner to start a new life or something drastic like that."

"You better not, boy!" Vanessa joked. "Seriously, though. I've built a life with Tristen. We've been through a lot, and it has made us who we are. I know you guys have, too. Neither one of us is giving up what we've struggled to build and to keep. None of this changes that. Besides, Colt and I would be a train wreck of a couple - we were barely friends through college!"

"That's the truth," I chuckled. We had not gotten along in high school. College had been thinly veiled tolerance of each other for Tristen's sake. "Now look at us!"

"Oh, how things change, but I think for the better," Vanessa agreed. Someone in the background started talking to her on the other end of the call. "Sorry, guys. It's time for me to go join the girls. We are going to a piano bar downtown or something like that."

"Sounds fun, babe. We're almost to the restaurant anyway," Tristen replied.

"Ok. I'm still jealous Lauren. Have fun and -- "her tone sharpened again "- you boys be gentlemen!"

***

"I thought the drive was gorgeous, but this beats it," I said. Lauren took a sip of her bright blue and green drink before responding.

"I know you said it was right on the water, but this is great. Nice pick, Tristen," she agreed.

The three of us sat at a table enjoying our drinks after a delicious meal. The debris from our dinner of fish tacos, hot wings, and a burger was neatly piled on the table in front of where Vanessa would have sat if she had been with us. Lauren had been waitstaff in high school, and we always cleaned and stacked up our dinnerware to make life easier on a server.

I sipped my beer and ran my eyes around the venue again. It was quite literally riverfront property and boasted a dock where patrons could pull up, tie off, and walk up to get seating. It was a seasonal venue and most of the seating was outside with picnic-style tables. The breeze coming off the river ruffled the umbrella over our table slightly. The same breeze ruffled the skirt our waitress was wearing as she passed by on her way to retrieve more drinks from the indoor seating where the bar service was located.

"I'm glad I didn't have to wear anything like that when I was a waitress," Lauren stated.

"I'm certain the skirts and matching uniforms pull in more tips," Tristen said. "I bet you could have pulled it off. The scenery around here is nice, but I'm really looking forward to the view at the hotel." Lauren took another sip of her sweet tea, but I caught a shy, albeit sly smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm looking forward to all of the attention," she replied. "I've been promised quite the full body rub."

"Indeed you have. I've been waiting for another chance to appreciate your body since the concert night."

"Oh, great," I moaned. "The band is back." As we had predicted, there was live music -- of a sort. Two men in their fifties, maybe even early sixties, made their way up to the small platform located between the river wall and an open area for dancing. One settled down behind a keyboard and started a pre-recorded track that sounded like something from an early ninety's synth band -- one that did not make it. He started playing along with it after a few bars.