The Usual Disclaimer: This is a work of fantasy. All characters featured in sexual situations are over 18. The characters in these stories are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead or undead is purely coincidental. Do not try this at home.
Before I go on, I want to sincerely thank all of you who have reached out to me with feedback. For all of you who squirmed uncomfortably through parts of Chapter 3, I am sorry. Hopefully this will get better for you.
*****
I was a little annoyed when my alarm woke me up the next morning. I had been having a really good dream, although the details were fuzzy by the time I rolled out of bed and turned off the alarm clock. It was still dark outside, but the first hint of dawn was evident on the horizon when I peeked out through my blinds. I had set the alarm an hour earlier than normal so I could get up and work out before school. I had been too tired last night to do it.
Since I had slept in my workout shorts, it took just a moment to find a tank top and shrug it on. I tried to be quiet with my exercises and kept the door to the home gym closed while I worked the weights. Fortunately, it was a 'back and biceps' day, so I didn't need a spotter. At first, I seriously considered skipping the workout entirely. As I got into it, though, I was glad I had decided to do this. It really helped me wake up and allowed me to work through some things in my head.
By the time I finished that workout and took my shower, I felt great. My body was invigorated, and my mind felt surprisingly clear and alert. I went to the kitchen and started coffee for my folks, and started making omelettes and hash browns for breakfast. I took my vitamins and supplements as the food started to cook.
My parents emerged blearily from their bedroom just after I finished cooking everything. I smiled at them and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek when they passed me to fix their coffee.
"You're awfully chipper this morning," my dad noted with raised eyebrows.
I grinned at him and handed him a plate with his omelette. I had timed the breakfast perfectly and was a little pleased with myself.
"I got up early and hit the gym first thing," I said, "That really helped me clear my head."
We sat at the table and enjoyed that family breakfast together. Once the coffee got them going, my parents both brightened considerably.
"Thanks for fixing breakfast," Mom said.
She smiled at me and reached over to give my thigh a light squeeze.
"You're quite welcome," I smiled back.
I knew exactly what they liked in their omelettes, and that hadn't changed. Bacon, cheese and grilled mushrooms for dad; light cheese, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes for mom. Beth would have taken a ham and cheese omelette if she had been with us. It was reassuring to fix breakfast. Unlike so much else that had changed, that felt familiar and comfortable.
I sighed and took a deep breath. It was time to get potentially uncomfortable.
"Dad," I said, "When we were talking yesterday, you said we would talk later. I don't want to ruin breakfast, so if you don't want to talk about it now, I understand."
He looked at me, then at Mom. He spoke to her.
"Josh asked me if we had ever fooled around with other people before he went into the hospital," he explained.
"Oh," she replied, after swallowing the bite in her mouth, "What did you tell him?"
"I hadn't told him anything, yet," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you first, to make sure you were okay with it."
She shrugged. She took another bite of her breakfast and chewed it thoughtfully before answering.
"It's not like we were that crazy," she said, "When your father and I were dating, back in college, we were not in an exclusive relationship. We both dated and fooled around with other people. Sometimes we had threesomes." She looked over at my father. "What was that, four times? Five?"
"Five," he replied.
"We got married right after college," she went on, "and when your dad went into the army, we had some friends who—"
"You were in the army?" I blurted out.
This was news to me. Seriously, it was something my parents had never, ever discussed. Dad looked a little uncomfortable and shifted in his seat.
"I wasn't in the army very long," he said softly. "That was back in the early nineties, right after the Gulf War. We got sent into Somalia. It was a mess. Clinton sent us in there with both hands tied around our nuts, and it cost a lot of lives."
He had spat out the name 'Clinton' like it was a curse word. I knew my parents weren't fans of the Clintons, but I hadn't ever known that it was this personal for my father. I also realized that I had stopped eating with two bites left on my plate. I nodded at my father in acknowledgement and scarfed down those last two bites.
"Anyway," he blew out with a heavy sigh, "After that, I was working at Langley even though I was technically still in the army. That work led to what I'm doing now. That doesn't really answer your question, though. Early on in our marriage, your mother and I fooled around with two other married couples. After Jim died in Somalia, though, it was just too painful for all of us. We agreed we wouldn't do that anymore. Also, we wanted to start having kids."
He turned and looked at me with a grin on his face.
"It wasn't that hard for us to give up that lifestyle, you know," he said. "We love you and Beth so much. I never felt like I was missing anything."
My mother looked at him and then at me. She looked a little guilty.
"You both know what I was missing," she said softly, "but it wasn't that big a deal, really. It wasn't until Jeannie and I started talking about it all the time that I thought about...doing anything."
She reached across the table to grab my dad's hand and squeeze it fiercely. Her eyes held a loving expression.
"I love you so much," she said to my father, "Thank you for being so understanding."
He smiled back and squeezed her hand in return. It warmed my heart to see my parents like this. My mother released Dad's hand after a minute and she turned back to me.
"I admit I should have shown more restraint," she said, "Once you and I started fooling around, I really let myself go crazy. I don't think I have ever been so constantly turned on in my life. It terrified me when your father confronted me, but it didn't slow down my libido one bit."
She shook her head ruefully.
"Quite honestly," she said, looking at my dad, "I think our sex life only got hotter after that happened. What do you think, baby?"
My dad's eyes blazed as he looked at her and nodded. He was still eating his breakfast, so he didn't speak. Mom smiled at him and then she continued.
"When Lisa came over this weekend..." she bit her lip and her eyes glazed a bit, "she was just irresistible, Joshua. I'm sorry, but—oh, who am I kidding. I'm not really sorry, and Lisa isn't either. Sure, what we did was completely inappropriate, but how have we been appropriate lately? I love all of this amazing sex we've been having. The only thing I'm sorry about is that it has made you so uncomfortable."
I nodded at that, looking back and forth between my parents. Clearly, their love and their marriage were as strong as ever. I just needed to figure out how I fit in to this new dynamic. I smiled at them, rising with my dishes in my hands. I gave my dad a kiss on the top of his head and walked in to the kitchen to rinse my plate and glass before putting them into the dishwasher.
"Thanks for telling me everything," I said. "I really appreciate it. I love you guys so much."
