The Dance

There had been a little rearrangement of the seating while I'd been gone, so Mary Beth was then sat beside me. As the four of us talked -- the conversation being carefully steered away from the subject of Beth and I -- I realised that Beth had both of her arms entwined around my left arm. I have no idea how long she'd been doing it, but it was something she'd done many times in the past.

Throwing caution - and possibly all rational thought to the wind -- I extracted my arm from her grasp and placed it around her shoulder. Mary Beth's chair screeched on the floor as she scooted it closer to mine.

I know it sounds stupid considering that there was so much we really should have talked - and even possibly argued about -- first, but at that moment I knew that Mary Beth and I were going to be back together.

Sometime during the night, I'd had to get up and relieve myself. When I returned to the bedroom, lit as it was only by moonlight, I found myself standing there gazing down at Mary Beth's beautiful -- and very naked -- body. "What the hell went wrong, why did we waste all those years?" I asked myself quietly.

"We didn't waste them, we found out what a horrible place this world is if we haven't got each other." Mary Beth replied. And, I'll add, taking me completely by surprise.

"So what now?" I asked her, sitting on the bed and looking into her eyes.

"Children would be nice, but we need to get a move on, the old biological clock is ticking you know." She replied.

"Not a bad idea, three we said didn't we?" I said remembering our discussions when we were young.

"That was the plan, but if more happen to come along I won't complain. Shall we make a start now?" She giggled. I could just make the smile on her face in the moonlight.

"I thought we already did!"

"No, that was just the warm-up, now's the big event." She said as she dragged me down onto her.

Several things jumped into my disorientated mind at the same instant as I awoke. Firstly - and I think of most importance to me at the time - was that something was tickling my nose. Secondly, I was aware there was a weight on my chest that also appeared to be pinning my right side and shoulder down on the bed. Thirdly, the light was so bright that I dared not open my eyes to see what the weight was, and fourthly, I could hear several people talking in the other room.

Lifting my left arm to wipe away whatever was tickling my nose, I discovered that the offending item was Mary Beth's ginger locks, at that instant just about everything made sense again. Mary was obviously draped over me, where she'd collapsed from exhaustion after our very energetic dawn session. No, I won't go into that because I would never finish telling you this story.

Having figured out what was tickling my nose and pinning me to the bed, I turned my attention to the muffled voices I could hear. There appeared to be four people in the other room, I figured one female and three men. The female voice I deduced had to belong to Louise, I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying, but I would know the... nuances of her accent anywhere. That lead me to conclude that one of the male voices belonged to Dan, but I could not fathom who the other two men could possibly be.

Then my thoughts were disturbed, by someone tapping on the bedroom door. Almost without waiting for a reply the door opened slightly and Louise's voice asked. "Are you two still alive?"

"Just a minute, Louise." I was about to reply, when I became aware that either my movement or Louise's call had aroused Mary Beth, who called out. "Come in Louise, we're fine!"

I frantically tried to slide out from under Mary Beth so that I could find something to cover my embarrassment with, but Mary Beth had me well and truly pinned down. Actually, she prevented me from speaking by locking her mouth over mine for a few seconds.

When she finally allowed me to breathe -- and move -- again, I made a grab for the bed sheet to cover myself with.

"Jesus Mary Beth, I'm naked!" I blurted when I saw Louise standing at the foot of the bed grinning down at me.

"Oh don't worry about me, Tony; you ain't got anything I haven't seen before." Louise replied apparently glorying in my embarrassment. "I don't know though?" she went on "with tackle like that you could get a job as a male exotic dancer. I've been wondering what it looked like ever since I felt it against my stomach the first time we danced together."

"I apologised for that, Louise!" I spluttered in my embarrassment.

"Oh don't worry about it, Tony. I told you at the time, I took it as a compliment! Anyway if you two have finished trying to destroy that bed your breakfast is out here; Dan and I had it sent over. You do realise that it's nearly lunch time."

"Is it? Oh my we sort-of got carried away." Mary Beth replied. "Um... I'd better have a shower and I'll have to look through Tony's stuff to find something to wear."

"No you won't, your bags are out here; Dan and I had them brought over from the other place this morning. Dan settled your bill there."

"Um..." I think I said, to prove that I was still there I believe.

"Don't fret, Tony. We realise that you two have a lot to talk about today. But if push does come to shove, Mary Beth can use the spare room in our Lodge."

"That just ain't going to happen, Louise!" I replied decisively.

"Thank you darling." Mary Beth said and then she tried to smother me again.

"Shower, Children!" Louise said, in a commanding tone "And you better take them one at a time or this breakfast will be stone cold before you get near it. Besides Dan and I can't sit out here all day." She added as she closed the door.

Mary Beth released me, then jumped up and headed for the shower room. I tried to follow, but she pushed me again asking me, "Please bring my suitcases in?" Which I did after wrapping myself in the bed sheet again. Louise giggled and Dan who had made himself at home and was sitting there drinking coffee just made the statement. "Heavy night lad?"

"You could say that." I replied whilst attempting to pick up two suitcases and hold the sheet around me at the same time. I'm not sure that I was completely successful in the latter, because as I went back into the bedroom I heard Louise comment to Dan. "Told you, impressive!" Dan chuckled and then said something to her that I couldn't quite make out.

"You're more than enough for me, lover!" Louise replied and giggled again.

For some reason that I couldn't understand at first, Mary Beth chose to wear that little black bikini again. I noted Dan cast a couple of admiring glances her way as we ate and I noticed Louise dig him in the ribs with her elbow.

To which he replied. "What? We're here to appreciate the scenery aren't we?"

Which led to both Louise and Beth giggling again.

As Mary Beth and I finished eating, Louise produced a notepad from somewhere and appeared to switch into what I can only describe as "efficient secretary mode!" She reminded me so much of how my secretary used to look when I arrived in the office in the mornings and she was about to reel off what I had on for the day.

"Right while you two were... er, appreciating the sunrise this morning. I was making a few notes." Louise informed us.

"God, could you hear us?" Mary Beth asked.

"I should imagine the whole damned Island heard you." Dan grinned back.

"Don't exaggerate, Dan; they weren't making that much noise." Louise chastised him, and then went on. "Anyway, Mary Beth, Tony and I have talked a lot over the last few days. And, I've learnt that there are certain things that have been playing on his mind over the years. I'm not sure that Tony really understood what was going on, but I believe I do; especially since I met you. So, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea if we went through them one at a time and got them out into the open. You know, clear the air a bit so there aren't any skeletons in the cupboard."

"Hang on girl. This is Mary Beth and Tony's..."

"Quiet please, Dan; mother knows best!" Louise interrupted him.

"I bloody hope so!" Dan mumbled.

"Right first, Mary Beth. When you turned down Tony's proposal of marriage, he got the impression that you wanted to... try other men in bed!"

"Louise!" Dan interrupted.

"Dan, please be quiet or go take a walk or something." She chastised him again.

"True and not true at the same time!" Mary Beth replied without flinching. However, she did slip her arm around me and squeeze my waist. "Several things were happening at the same time. Tony was struggling with his course; he'd started drinking a little too much. Well I thought anyway! And, without telling me he'd rented a flat in our hometown. I had trouble understanding why he hadn't told me about it. My friend had labelled it a bachelor flat, and maybe I read more than I should have into that?"

"You knew about the flat?" I asked in surprise.

"Stephanie Carter worked in the one of the estate agents you wrote to Tony. You didn't rent the flat through them, but Steph heard that you'd signed a lease with another firm."

"Oh!" I replied.

"Then after being together for god knows how long Tony suddenly asked me if I wanted to marry him. You know I'd never thought about when we'd get married, I'd just been blissfully going along enjoying each day as it came. Suddenly, and without any warning, Tony asked me to marry him. I'm afraid I panicked a little and really didn't know what to say. I should have said yes right away but instead I sort-of waffled around and said nothing coherent really. To be honest I can't recall exactly what I said, but it must have been something about Tony being the only man I'd really got to know.

"Anyway, Tony must have misunderstood and he got it into his head that... Well you know don't you? To put it bluntly, Tony got it into his head that I wanted to sleep with other men before I said yes, so that I could see how he measured up! Which was completely untrue, because the idea had never crossed my mind. He made me feel good and as far as I was concerned that's all that counted.

"I'm afraid to say that when he accused me of wanting to try other men in bed, I was hurt and I got angry, very angry! Remember that at this time, I knew about the bachelor flat and he'd said nothing to me about it. Anyway, in my anger I got to thinking, that actually I'd never even kissed another man, romantically that is. We had plenty of male friends and I got on pretty well with most of them, but before Tony any boy who tried to chat me up got short shrift. So, up to a point, I did wonder what it would be like to go out on a date with someone other than Tony.

"We argued about it for weeks. Although I should have realised that Tony was on edge because his final exams were coming up. But the more we argued, the more I wondered what I had missed. Consequently, when at three in the morning he came into our bedroom, he'd been drinking nearly all night, and demanded that I either put up i.e. set a date for the wedding or get out of his life. Well... I blew my top. Tony slept in the lounge I think, and had gone to back to the college before I woke the next day. I called my father intending to cry on his shoulder over the phone and the next thing I know, my parents had driven down and we are packing my stuff in the car.

"You know I didn't even wait to find out how Tony had got on with his exam. My parents took me home and I cried for the next couple of weeks. Daddy said that if Tony really wanted me, then he'd show up and claim me; but he didn't!

"Eventually I called his mother and she told me Tony was living in a flat in town somewhere, she couldn't even tell me his address. I asked her to please get Tony to call me, but he didn't do that either.

"The next thing I know, some of my friends are reporting back to me that Tony is out dating local girl; girls who I had thought were my friends! So, I said well two can play at that game and... well, there were a whole string of guys who'd asked me out in the past. So, I had the word put out that I was ready to date.

"My plan was simple, it was a small town with not many good places to go. I'd show up with some guy in tow and remind Tony what he was missing. The trouble was he wasn't missing me, he was too wrapped up in the silly tarts he was dating."

"What about you trying other guys?" Louise asked.

"Hell no, I never found one who I even liked, let alone could kiss as good as Tony. Well you know, they never gave me that tingly feeling when they kissed me. I promise you, none got to what the boys refer to as First Base even. Although some took the odd liberty when we were on the dance floor, that I let them get away with up to a point. Tony was supposed to get all-jealous and come racing over and sort them out. Well, that was my plan; but of course the silly bugger never did!"

"Charming!" I dropped in.

"Well you didn't, those guys had their hands all over what was rightfully yours and all you did was turn away and kiss some little tart!"

"Calm down children, I believe that you were both playing silly games, when you should have been talking to each other." Louise chastised us.

"You're so right, Louise, but for an early developer physically, I believe I was a rather late developer in other respects, if you understand me?" Mary Beth explained.

"Sounds to me like you were as well, Tony!" Dan commented. "Now don't go getting all uppity on me and taking offence but... Well shit man, didn't anyone tell you that you have to hang in there and fight for your woman!"

"I'll consider myself suitably chastised, Dan. But at the time I misread the signals." I replied.

"Ah now, there we're getting into a different ball game completely. Understanding what's going on inside the female mind is damn near impossible for any guy most of the time. You just have to be there when they need you and take all the crap at other times."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Louise shot back at him.

"That I love you, sweetheart. Sometimes I don't understand you, or why you bother to put up with and stay with a worn out old wreck like me, but I love you no matter how cranky you get." Dan said throwing a sly wink my way.

"I saw that, Dan! Are you aren't making fun of me again, are you?"

A wicked grin came over Dan's face and he winked at me, then he showed me a little trick that I've made use of many times since. He pulled Louise into his arms and kissed her on the mouth. A minute or so later - after she stopped struggling - he broke the kiss; but because Louise started to continue scolding him, he silenced her again with a kiss. This, they repeated for about ten minutes, until finally Louise lay quietly in his arms when he broke their kiss.

Dan looked across at Mary Beth and me, "The best part about arguing with the wife, is the making up bit. Now I'm sorry but Louise and I need to take this somewhere a little more private. Mind she's going to have to help me up first." He added with that grin again.

"The beds made up in the other room. Saves you walking so far." I grinned at him.

"Thanks, Tony, I think we'll take you up on that offer." Dan replied.

"But my list?" Louise said.

"Bugger the list Louise, we've got more important things to do. Besides look at them, they can't keep their hands off each other; whatever problems they did have, are ancient history now!"

Suddenly I realised that Mary Beth was tugging me to my feet.

"What's-up?" I asked.

"You've fed your belly and you've had plenty of time to recover, now it's baby making time again." She grinned down at me.

Epilogue

Damn near wore me out, Mary Beth did during the rest of that holiday. Although she didn't get pregnant, that was to take another few months. Although I don't think Dan and Louise were planning on anymore children, from the email we received a couple of weeks after we got back to the UK we learnt that three of them must have flown back to the States. Louise was actually showing when she played the part of Mary Beth's maid of honour.

Mary Beth had a job to go back to in the UK but I didn't. I had a good few bob in the bank of course, that had effectively been hush money from Jane and my employers. It had looked like enough for a single man to bum around the world in style for the rest of his life. But, buying a nice house and settling down to raise children with Mary Beth called for me to earn a living again.

For a while, there I thought I would never find a job. There's a distinct drawback to having taken an employer to the cleaners, even if it didn't get into court. Rumours get around and as other employers (in theory) have no idea, why your last employers suddenly almost emptied their bank account into yours. They are a little reluctant to put you on their books.

The job problem was unexpectedly resolved for me when -- scrapping the bottom of the barrel -- I approached one of my former employer's clients. He told me that he farmed out work in my field and pointed out that the company he had been using had gone right down the pan for some inexplicable reason. He suggested that the door was open for any new concern that anyone might decide to set up. I took the hint and became self-employed. Now I've got quite a nice little operation going with our own offices in town.

Mary Beth didn't fall pregnant until a couple of months after we were married; I believe I might have told you that already. Anyway, she then proceeded to drop another one every eighteen months or so, until we decided that four was enough. Mary Beth was forty by then anyway.

We are still in close contact with Louise and Dan; they come over every so often to visit. We plan on taking the children over to the States to visit them next year. We think our youngest is just about old enough to appreciate the trip.

Sally and Jane? Well Jane had to leave town in the end; I had never said anything in public, but you know how the rumour mill works. At least one of those guys must have talked and she had every randy little shit within fifty miles chasing her around. I've have no idea whether Sally is still hooked up with her swinging crowd; but if she is, I assume her new husband is a swinger as well.

That's about it, I think?

Life goes on

*

Note: This story has been submitted for posting on Literotica, with the author's permission. However, Denham Forrest requests that this entry should be considered "hors concours" in the Valentines Day story competition. Scoring and comments have been left switched on for feedback purposes only.