The Best Laid Plans

2. Move Day 1: The Packers Arrive

AUTHOR'S NOTES

This is the second part in The Best Laid Plans series.

The story will be easier to understand if you have first read part 1 as it not only contains the background, it also provides a list of all the relevant characters.

All persons depicted in this story are 18 or over.

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CRAIG

The packers weren't scheduled to arrive until about ten, so we had plenty of time to sort ourselves out, especially as for reasons best known only to herself, Maya had decided six was the best time for us to get up. As much as I had tried to resist, she had been adamant, so eventually I had managed to bargain with her; if she got me a drink in bed first, I had promised to be up by seven.

So, it was that I found myself sitting propped up in bed with a cup of tea, watching my wife getting ready. She was naked, apart from her panties which were straining to enclose her perfectly rounded bubble-butt as she carefully wound her mid length black hair into a messy bob. As my gaze wandered from her pretty face, down over her full breasts and still slim waist, I wondered why it was that I had still felt the need to cheat on her. I guess the truth was that for various reasons, our jobs, the pandemic and my need for constant sexual gratification, we had slowly drifted apart and perhaps I'd stopped seeing her as she really was. The Pilates exercises that she regularly did and that until now I didn't understand the point of, had clearly worked for her. Her body movements were lithe, while her flexibility seemed to belong to a twenty something not a middle aged woman.

It got me thinking about my affair with Kirsty, my current flame in a line of lovers, and I started to compare her with my wife. For a start she'd be twenty or more years younger than Maya, but she wasn't as pretty, and her younger body certainly couldn't compete with my wife's incredibly well preserved form. The sex with Kirsty was of course incredible but then I guess any sex would seem great if the last time you had engaged in it with your wife was... was... well, yesterday's fumbling apart, seemingly so very long ago. Then again Kirsty was also great fun to be with, she was lively, very much a fun loving soul, she had a great sense of humour and most importantly a seemingly insatiable appetite for sex.

However, I had to admit that since I'd confessed to her about Maya and me moving away, things had become a bit tense between us, despite my reassurances that nothing between her and me would really change. I guess that was part of why I'd started wondering if all the intrigue and potential danger of being 'found out' is really worth it. Perhaps yesterday had been the first tentative step towards some kind of reconciliation between Maya and me? Maybe if I just keep gently nudging her to continue being flirty, like she'd been the previous night with Pietro, then we'd end up together and perhaps I'd be able to forget Kirsty.

My train of thought was suddenly broken by Maya's voice. I looked up to see her standing in front of the full length mirror. "What should I wear I wonder" she'd asked her reflection, while making those miniscule adjustments to bits of her hair that she always seemingly did. She was now wearing a pair of old skintight grey leggings that stretched invitingly across her butt-cheeks and a bright pink crop-top T.

I knew she was talking to herself, but I answered her just the same. "You look fine in what you're wearing."

She turned her head to me, her body rotating over 90 degrees to look back over her shoulder, face painted with painful frustration. "I don't mean now you idiot. I mean later! You know? When the packers are here."

Usually, I would have given up at this point but the thought of a group of removal men seeing my wife dressed like she currently was, especially after the previous evening's episode with Pietro, started to sound strangely intoxicating, so I decided to press on. "It'll be fine Maya. Just stay in what you're wearing..." I replied trying as best I could to sound nonchalant "... why not give the lads a treat!" I don't know exactly why I added that last sentence. I think I meant it as an albeit clumsy compliment, but I also realised that part of it must have been a transparent reflection of my memories of her flirting with Pietro.

She stared wide-eyed, straight back at me, as she mulled over what I had just said; what I had just implied. "Well, I'm not having a bunch of old men ogling me all afternoon if that's what you think," she had finally answered, clearly not ready to engage in what I realised was starting to become a bit of a fantasy for me.

It occurred to me that we probably hadn't had an intimate verbal exchange like this in many a year and I felt keen to keep it going; to see how far I could push things. "Didn't Gary say all the packers were quite young, in their twenties or early thirties I think he said." It was a rhetorical question, but I noticed Maya's thoughtful look, so I decided to press on. "If you remember, he said they were a really nice bunch of lads, always polite and friendly, and they invariably got good reviews from customers."

I continued to watch on as she seemed to be carefully processing my words. Slowly turning her back to the mirror she began studying the clear outline of her thinly covered butt, looking over alternate shoulders, her hips swaying first one way and then the other to accommodate her lengthy examination. My expectation began to grow as I realised she was clearly checking out what she would be putting on display. It felt like I was witnessing an internal battle raging within her as she continued to weigh up the pros and cons of what I had suggested. My chest seemed fit to burst as I watched her careful ruminations and awaited her verdict. "No. I can't wear these leggings. Look they show my panty line" she pronounced with finality, although I couldn't help feeling there was maybe a hint of disappointment in her voice.

I quickly decided that this was not an unconditional ruling, so unwilling to admit defeat I continued down the same line. "You could always wear a thong," I offered, shaking with excitement at the thought of my wife wearing sexy underwear in front of a group of young males. My nerves were tingling with the realisation that Maya was actually considering what I had just suggested. "You know what, I think you quite like the idea of showing off your hot body to a room full of young studs," I continued, barely able to disguise my excitement.

She slowly swivelled her head back to face me, and for a split second I panicked, thinking that perhaps I had gone too far. But then she gave me a wicked smile. "I don't know what on earth you could be talking about Craig Forbes" she purred before giving me a 'butter wouldn't melt in the mouth' pout, sending my blood pressure spiralling.

"You like the idea don't you," I carried on, now unable to let go, although at this point I'm not exactly sure what I 'could be talking about' either. While I was obviously excited at the thought of watching Maya flirting again just like she had the previous evening with Pietro, this time it would be with a group of testosterone-fuelled young men. Yesterday there had been agreed limitations so I could watch on without fear of things getting out of hand. But this time!?

My brain began to feel like it was ready to explode as scenario after scenario began to flash in front of my eyes. I knew I wanted to see her wandering amongst the young lads, watching on as she made sure they all got plenty of views of her scantily clad body. But what if she began to brush sexily against them as she moved from room to room; stopping to chat with them, at first just in passing but maybe after a while in secretive whispers; watching them whispering back in her ear, making her giggle, some of their words causing her to playfully punch them in mock embarrassment? Maybe see her face starting to flush and hear her breath quicken as her arousal grows, the young men now beginning to use their hands on her, maybe softly stroking her arse and cupping her breasts as they continue whispering to her, their hot breath caressing her mind with increasingly lewd comments.

Did I want to hear her panting with desire as they slowly surround her and begin taking turns with her, pulling her into passionate embraces, lips locking together as her tongue starts to seek out theirs, as she lets them slide their hands inside her leggings, her moans increasing in volume as their fingers pull her thong aside and start stroking her wet needy sex? I felt my whole body begin shuddering with my own arousal as these wild thoughts and vivid images swirled around my brain, just as they used to do during our fantasy period almost 20 years ago.

"Maybe Craig, except I don't have the body to wear a thong anymore and anyway there's no way I could wear this, even in front of our best friends, let alone a bunch of young strangers" my wife's voice cutting straight through the heart of my sexual reverie.

MAYA

I had awoken around five in the morning lying on the sofa, with my legs still splayed, a naked soggy mess. I guess my orgasm had been strong enough to knock me out, although as it was the first one I'd had in well over a year maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at how it had affected me. I had quickly slipped back upstairs and jumped into the shower, hoping that Craig hadn't noticed my prolonged absence from our marital bed. Afterwards, I made him his promised cup of tea and fortunately he didn't give any outward sign of anything out of the ordinary. Rather, he seemed to be concentrating all his efforts on trying to encourage me to dress and behave provocatively for the removal men.

In fairness, Craig had been right about me liking the idea. I had definitely found myself getting quite aroused at the thought of flirting with a group of young men, I think maybe in small part due to the warming of our relationship, but deep down I knew that it was mainly down to Pietro and my flirting, though I hadn't been naive enough to think that everything was as it seemed. It was around the time that we were eating our first course that I had first noticed Pietro and Craig exchanging 'looks,' as if there had been some sort of agreed plan. But in truth, I had been enjoying the attention so much that I'd been happy to go along with it, although I still find it hard to believe that the brief moment of undeniable passion that Pietro and I had shared in the taxi could have been part of some sort of agreed arrangement.

So, as I stood in front of the mirror listening to Craig's continuing encouragement about the removal men, I started to wonder whether this was part of the same plan or another one entirely? Either way I decided I'd just go with the flow, after all it had worked out well for me the previous evening. However, I certainly wasn't willing to go as far as he clearly wanted me to; certainly not as far as wandering around half naked even if it was in my own home. So, in the end I'd settled on a pair of high crotch hippy harem pants, a short sleeved black T and my white trainers. I saw the look of disappointment on Craig's face when he first saw the outfit, although bless him, he still said he thought I looked fabulous.

The lads from the removal company arrived dead on time. I have to say I was surprised at how smart they all looked, dressed in company branded electric blue polo shirts and black shorts. Craig had been doing backups for all of our devices ready for the move, although I wondered whether his absence at the exact time of their arrival might just have been a part of whatever his 'plan' might be. While I showed Jez, who appeared to be the oldest and nominally in charge around the house, the other lads began fetching the boxes and assorted packing materials from their truck. Once I had explained in which order we had wanted the rooms to be packed, the others set to work.

Initially I just walked about amongst them, answering their questions, and chatting to each of them in turn. I quite enjoyed learning bits about their lives and getting to know them, and I soon began to learn a bit about their respective personalities. Perhaps the fact that I found this interesting was simply a reflection of my nursing experiences. Jake for instance was what I guess you might call a 'Jack the lad' and was probably the best looking of the four, whereas Alfie was much quieter but in an attractive way. Jez, as I said, seemed to be the leader and was the most serious, while Simmo seemed to see every situation as a reason to have a laugh. Yet despite all these differences they seemed to be very much a team, mostly arguing about football, but also happy to just be getting along with their work.

As I went from room to room following their progress, I couldn't help but notice them checking me out occasionally, often sharing appreciative looks with one another which I have to admit was quite an unexpected turn on. I hadn't flirted with them, at least not knowingly, although I had chosen to wear my harem pants, aware of how well they accentuated my best feature. I remember one Afro-Caribbean nurse telling me that I had a black girl's arse, and she would often give it a playful slap when she walked past, an act that somehow caught on with other nursing staff.

By mid-afternoon the day had really started to heat up and even though I had resorted to opening all the windows and doors to try to combat the increasing humidity, it was still stiflingly hot in the house. I guess because the lads had got down to business straight away and had been working nonstop, they were all perspiring and even I could feel beads of sweat on my brow. I asked if any of them fancied an ice cold drink, an offer that they all gleefully accepted. However, it wasn't until I got to the kitchen that I realised the freezer had already been defrosted, so rather than let them down I'd decided to walk down to the nearby convenience store to get some ice.

As I walked along the lane in the bright sunshine I again started to wonder what could possibly be at the back of Craig's mind. Why had he suddenly developed this apparent desire to push me into flirting with as many men as possible? Was it part of some cunning plan and if so to what end? Certainly, our relationship was now better than it had been for many years so why did he feel the need to push things? True, flirting with Pietro had been fun, so much so that it had nearly resulted in Craig and I having sex, something I'd never imagined happening ever again, but we still had a lot of obstacles to get over before I'd be able to completely forgive him. But then on the other hand perhaps it was in the hope that I'd actually 'find' somebody else thereby giving him free rein to carry on his sordid little affair?

CRAIG

I'd been keeping out of the way for as long as possible in the hope that Maya would start behaving the way she had the previous night with Pietro, but from the sounds of things this didn't seem to be happening. So, when she called up to say she was heading out to get some ice, I took the opportunity to try to help things along. I knew the lads were sweating profusely as I'd noticed one of the lads' soaking polo shirt clinging to his body as he cleared some of the office around me. Perhaps if I could get them all to remove their tops, Maya might see them in a slightly different light. I quickly sought out Jez and told him that because it was so hot, if he wanted to take his top off, it wouldn't be a problem.

"We aren't allowed to Mr Forbes, company policy." His answer wasn't what I had hoped for, but I wasn't about to give up.

"It's okay Jez, and please call me Craig. Look, it's probably the hottest day of the year so far and it's ridiculous for you all to have to work in soaking wet tops, company policy or no company policy." I answered unwilling to let 'company policy' get in the way of my plan.

"But what about Mrs Forbes?"

"Jez, Mrs Forbes was a nurse for some 30 years. I think she's seen quite a lot more in that time than four young men's bare torsos, and her name is Maya by the way." So, after promising that this would remain between us, he finally agreed to remove his top and consequently the other lads followed suit. I collected the soaking wet tops and hung them on the washing line before providing a pile of towels for them to use whenever they needed them. Pleased with my work, I returned upstairs to await Maya's return.

MAYA

I admit, it was quite a shock when I got back home with the ice. As I walked along the hallway I happened to glance into the lounge where Alfie was just picking up a box of books. As my eyes drank in his naked sweat covered muscular upper torso, I let out an involuntary gasp, my tongue instinctively licking my lips as I did so. As his eyes locked onto mine, I could only stare back, unable to think clearly, my breathing suddenly reduced to a rapid panting. It seemed like time stood still as we both stared into each other's eyes, and if it hadn't been for Alfie breaking the spell I don't know what I would have done.

"Oh... umm... sorry Maya... err, I mean Mrs Forbes. Craig told... he told us it would be okay to take off our tops," he finally managed to splutter out.

Before I had time to fully engage my rational brain, I heard myself replying, "No Alfie it's okay, you look really nice." We remained motionless continuing to stare at each other, as I reran my reply through my head. 'Why on earth had I just said that? What in heaven's name was I thinking, coming on to Alfie like some predatory cougar. Was it just the result of the seed Craig had sown earlier tempting me to flirt with them? But even as these thoughts percolated through my brain, I was still finding myself fighting an almost overwhelming desire to stare at the impressive bulge in the young man's shorts. "Umm. Well, I... I... I better let you get on," I finally managed to stutter as my rational brain finally came to my rescue, and with that I fled to the relative sanctuary of the kitchen.

It seemed as if my whole being was shaking as I poured out the 4 large glasses of iced squash. I still couldn't work out what had happened for me to react the way I had. I wondered if it was just the stifling heat, but at the same time it really felt that deep down something was changing in me. I knew roughly where each of the lads were, so I loaded up a tray with the drinks and set off to deliver them feeling somewhat safer in the knowledge that at least now I knew they were all now shirtless.

I decided I needed to avoid Alfie for the time being, so I headed upstairs where I knew Jez was working in the games room. Fortunately, our communication was very businesslike, much like when I had first shown him around. He immediately apologised for having his shirt off and continued referring to me as Mrs Forbes, which I think, along with the glinting of his wedding ring as he reached up to accept his drink, helped re-enforce in me the formal nature of our relationship.

Now feeling considerably more grounded I headed towards the second bedroom where I knew Jake and Simmo were working together. However, despite being forewarned I still struggled from the moment I saw them. I kept telling myself that this was nothing compared to what I had seen on the hospital wards but for some reason just the sight of their tight muscular bodies glistening with sweat pushed my arousal level sky high. No sooner had I put the tray down on the small corner table than they converged on me, surrounding me, their musky masculine scent bathing me as they leant over me to take their glasses. It was like an adrenaline shot. All at once my senses came alive as I felt their proximity, my brain now controlled by the endorphins that had quickly flooded it.