All the characters depicted in this story are 18 years old or older.
*
In hind sight Dave figured the Bar-B-Q / Pool Party at John and Ingrid's was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
In fact it was just the last in a series of minor transgressions, none of which he felt were hanging offences. But apparently his wife Marion felt differently.
They had been married for almost six years now and Dave thought they were getting along pretty well considering all the stresses of his new job and relocating and all.
If he happened to find another woman attractive he couldn't help checking her out. But it seemed Marion had some kind of 'built in' radar about that kind of thing and anytime he looked twice at another woman when he was with her you can be sure she was on his case about it.
'Did he have to ogle every woman that went by?...Was he going to be an oversexed teenager forever?...Did he not realize how demeaning it was to objectify every woman he saw like she was a piece of meat?...Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...'
And if he happened to have said something a couple of times about how there were other ways to make love besides her lying lifeless on her back, sneaking peeks at the ten o'clock news while he toiled away between her thighs, well that was just him being totally insensitive all over again.
In fact Marion was an extremely attractive woman. In college she had been a cheerleader as well as having a 3.8 grade average. She had a great body, big chest, narrow waist and a heart shaped ass to die for. She was always getting asked out. But Dave was the one she had her sights set on. And six months after they graduated they were married. During that time Dave was surprised to find that someone who looked so sexy could be so prim and proper. He thought she had just been putting on that 'I don't think a girl should give up her virginity too soon' thing to land herself a husband. It was only after they'd been married for a year that he realized that, though he thought he was marrying Miss 'Hottie', who he really got was Miss 'Don't! I don't like that!', or Miss 'Stop it. You're messing up my hair!'
Two years ago they had moved from Portland to San Francisco when Dave landed a good job with an international shipping company. But since they had settled into the City by the Bay the romance seemed to have disappeared from their marriage.
Their lovemaking got more and more infrequent and Dave would have been lying if he didn't admit that he was getting more than a little sick of the missionary position. It hadn't helped matters when Marion asked him if he ever fantasized about other women and her admitted that he sometimes did. He wished he could take that one back.
Then there was the Pool Party. John and Ingrid had been there neighbors since they arrived in their new home. They were the same age as Dave and Marion and had similar interests so it wasn't surprising that they soon became friends.
It was great to have good neighbors. The one down side, if you could call it that, was that Ingrid happened to be a gorgeous blonde with an incredible body. She was definitely a consistent target of Dave's leering glances.
The night of the Pool Party there were probably thirty people there enjoying the burgers and wine and beer. It was a warm evening and after the sun set more and more people put on swimsuits and started fooling around in the pool and in the hot tub.
Ingrid put on a tiny white bikini that would have been illegal in some mid-western states. All the guys were tagging her with their eyes, Dave as much as anyone. At one point late in the evening she slipped into the hot tub. By that time Dave had his swimsuit on and she beckoned him to join her in the bubbling water.
By then Dave had had enough wine that he stepped down into the steamy water without a second thought.
The next thing he knew Ingrid was pressing warmly against his side, her hand resting high up on his inner thigh.
Dave wasn't really paying much attention to what she was saying. It was taking all his concentration to keep from turning towards her and hunching up against her thigh like at dog in heat.
He did hear her clearly however when she whispered something in his ear like...'John and I wondered if you and Marion might ever have thought about swapping, with us...just for an evening...just for fun?'
Dave was so overwhelmed by this proposal that he totally lost his cool. He stammered something about how...' it sounded great but that he didn't know if Marion would be comfortable doing something like that. But he would ask her if he could find the right moment and he was really honoured that she and John were that comfortable with them etc., etc.' God! Had he really said 'honoured!'
Ingrid listened to his nervous stammering and smiled indulgently. Finally she said with a breezy wave of her hand...'Well, just think about it..."
And then she gracefully got up and left the hot tub. Dave watched her go with his mouth open in amazement.
Later that night as they were going to bed, Marion was complaining about being dog-tired and how dreadful the Watson's had been and what a headache she had. Dave picked that moment to mention that someone at the party, he didn't want to say who, had wondered if they might want to swap with them.
Marion, who had just sat down on the side of the bed with her back to Dave, went rigid and didn't say anything.
Dave wasn't too encouraged by this initial response but he plowed on.
These were friends who they were both quite comfortable with and he knew it was a 'kind of out there' suggestion but maybe it was worth considering.
Marion continued to say nothing but Dave could feel the temperature dropping dramatically in the room.
Then, in a very steady voice Marion said..."And I take it that if this...this suggestion is alright with me that you are in favour of this...this... of doing this?..."
And Dave said 'well of course he didn't want her to do anything she was uncomfortable with but if she felt she was ready for a bit of an adventure then he figured he could be up for it too.'
And that was when the shit really hit the fan.
What kind of a deviant was he? Didn't he have any idea how depraved, how immoral his suggestion was. This was probably all his idea wasn't it? Not some phantom friend of theirs. She couldn't believe the shameful depths of his imagination. And on, and on, and on.
And so it was that when Marion suggested that they go to couples counselling he ultimately agreed.
Oh his knee jerk reaction was 'No Way! There's nothing wrong with me.'
Which only made his wife more adamant that they should go. And when Dave thought about it, he figured that if maybe some shrink told Marion she should loosen up a little, maybe things might get a little more interesting around the bedroom.
So in the end he agreed. Marion had a therapist in mind that had been recommended to her by one of her gym buddies. Dave was fine with whatever she wanted.
So Marion made the first visit. She went by herself, which was what the therapist recommended. It was a two-hour session and when Dave got home from work that night he definitely noticed a change in his wife.
She seemed to be kind of glowing like she had experienced some kind of revelation. When Dave asked her how the therapy went she told him the doctor, Dr. Von Stramm, had told her not to discuss her treatment with him. Dave thought that was kind of odd but didn't pursue it.
Later that night when he snuggled up to Marion she immediately pulled away from him.
"Don't!..." she said firmly.
