A Highway 61 Moment

Annette said, "Paul, baby, we all see that, if she was left alone with you, she'd hop right into bed with you. He sees that, too. He won't stand for it, Paul. How do we know he doesn't have a gun?"

Nathan said, "We don't. He does have pistols at home. I doubt that he has one here. Does anyone?" No answer.

Nisi said, "Look at us. This was supposed to be Nathan's fun birthday party. Now we're contemplating shooting each other. It's crazy."

Paul said, "Not me who's threatening violence."

Annette said, "Oh, no. You're openly trying to seduce the wife of a jealous guy. Fuck it, Paul. Lay off, or I'll take the car and go."

"Okay, okay. Shit."

Bella said, "I believe you should apologize to him. For the kiss, at least."

"Fuck that."

"It was wrong of you, Paul, and you know it. We all promised them we wouldn't mess with them. Then we broke that promise. Some of us did."

Annette said, "I did. I shouldn't have."

Nathan said, "Can we agree that we'll try to be circumspect, and Paul will lay off Gail?"

They agreed. Then, they went to bed - with the previously assigned spouses, for another round of exciting adultery.

In the morning, Gail woke Abe with blow job. Another pleasant apology.

They started packing, but then went down to breakfast early, on the theory that that would avoid further unpleasant interaction.

Abe had full English, and Gail oatmeal with honey. They were about halfway through when the others came down, almost all at once.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Then Paul said, "Abe, I apologize for the kiss, and all. Nothing like that will happen again."

Abe said, "That's true. We're outta here."

That provoked a small earthquake of protest. The gist was that they could be adults, and have a good time.

Abe said, "This is a reprise of our conversation before, when you convinced me that this would be a fun week. So far......"

Gail said, "I also made a promise, and I was having a difficult time keeping it. So, proximity has to be eliminated."

Nathan said, "We - some of us -tried. But you were spot on in your analysis from last week. I hope this whole thing can be overcome back home."

Abe and Gail drove away that day before lunch, back down Highway 61 and on home. They had a nice week, but one tinged with regret and some recrimination. Gail felt quite guilty for failing to keep her Paul thing at bay.

The summer moved on, and there were no more get-togethers of the eight. Gail still socialized with the other women, especially Annette. But Abe saw only Grant, because they were on the same baseball team. They became quite close. One day in August, after a particularly hot double header, Grant asked Abe about how things went between him and Gail after the Sixty-One fiasco.

Abe said, "We gradually settled back. I haven't seen Paul at all. Annette sometimes comes over to see Gail. Gail and I are mostly back to normal. How....I mean...after the orgy, what has happened?"

Grant laughed. "With me and Bella, we keep to our own beds. I think Annette and Paul and Nathan and Nisi sometimes switch. But I asked them not to speak about it."

"Do you wish that the entire thing hadn't happened?"

"Yes. I had sex fun. But both of us felt guilty about having that fun. We talked and decided that we'd never do it again."

"Makes sense. You still socialize with the other four?"

"Some. Not as much as before. We miss you guys - Bella and I do."

"I miss all of you. Except Paul. He pushed all my buttons."

"You know, Nathan and Nisi are having a Labor Day bash. It's back at Sixty-One. Maybe we could reconnect?"

"Oh, I don't think so, Grant. Paul would be there."

"Yeah. Well....."

Grant dropped him off, and he forgot about it. Until Gail brought up the Labor Day thing the next week - a party two weeks away.

Abe said, "After the last time? No way."

"But, Abe, that's water under the bridge. Nisi promised me there would be no swapping. You know, only Nathan and Paul do it now. Grant and Bella are out."

"So he told me. I believe they had a hard time coping - after."

Gail gave up on the Labor Day party. But two days after their conversation, Abe saw Annette at a coffee shop downtown. He waved to her, and they sat down at a table.

Abe said, "How have you guys been?"

"We're okay, Abe. I miss you. Paul, maybe not so much. But he's truly a nice guy, and sorry for what happened."

"I couldn't understand, you know. Him or Gail."

"Lust. They have mutual lust. He had it bad. I was hoping the switch thing, if you did it, would get it over with between them."

"Oh."

"Don't fool yourself, Abe. I would have been.....well, being with you would have been great."

"Yeah. For my part, I would have been wracked with guilt. No fun. You wouldn't?"

"Under the circumstances, no. People have different attitudes toward sex. I promised Paul I'd be true to him. But then he released me from that promise. I had a good time. But, the real reason we did it was to swap with you and Gail."

"How is it now? Recriminations?"

"No. We still do it with Nathan and Nisi. It's okay, but getting old."

"Well, I have the attitude that I have. Cannot help it, really. I tried thinking about the swap stuff, because of you. But, I couldn't get past the idea that married folks are only for each other."

"Plenty of married people agree to....go outside, sometimes."

"Yeah. I read up on it. The divorce rate goes way up."

"None of the three couples have divorced, though."

"True."

"Abe, can you and Gail come to the Labor Day bash? I'll keep Paul on a leash. And you probably have scared the shit out of Gail."

"But why would I risk that? I mean, if Paul acts out again, that would be very dangerous."

"You'd risk it to see if we - the eight of us - can get back somewhere like we were."

"I do recall how close we all were. What happened? The whole swap thing. How did it come up at all?"

Annette blushed. "It was originally Nathan's idea. But I confess that I pushed it along."

"Why?"

"You. And I thought it would bring us all closer. That sure went south."

"I don't see how we get back to the halcyon days."

"No. But we could get to somewhere better than now. Now, even Grant and Bella are pulling away. I can promise you that the swap thing is over. How's that?"

"Okay. How would you make that promise?"

"Silly! It's only four of us now. If I don't agree, it disappears."

"Ahhh. I'll talk it over with Gail."

"Oh, I know what she'll say, Abe."

They left it at that. Annette gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek as they parted. She smelled good to Abe, and felt good, too.

That evening, Abe said nothing to Gail about rethinking the Labor Day bash. He noticed that she kept glancing at him. When they dinner dishes were cleared, and food stowed, Gail asked, "Abe, Annette said she saw you today downtown."

Abe laughed at her. He said, "I wondered how long you could wait to bring that up. We only had a small hug and kiss."

Gail said, "Abe, don't be patronizing. You know we talk."

"Sure. How much talking did you do before hand?" But Abe didn't think it was pre-planned - his meeting with Annette. Because, he didn't know he was going to stop at the coffee shop. So how could they know?

Gail deadpanned, "We communicate by telepathy."

Abe smiled. "I see. Or, rather, you guys see."

Gail said, "Seriously, Abe, can't we go? I miss them."

"You have to make a solemn promise to avoid any close contact with Paul."

"I solemnly swear I'll stay away from Paul and his big.....well."

"That's so reassuring, Gail. Don't play."

Gail said, "Can we? Can we? Please."

"I'll think about it." But that meant she won. She was on the phone to Annette thirty minutes later.

HIGHWAY 61, REVISITED

They left early Saturday morning. Abe was still wildly nervous about the entire thing. However, he did miss the camaraderie with the others. As for Paul, Abe knew that Gail was a looker, in her understated way. But, it seemed to him, Paul was way out of line as to her. That was something he'd never seen from Paul before. There was the flirting. But....

It never occurred to Abe that Paul was unsure of himself. Although a big ex-athlete, Paul was bothered by the 'ex' part. He wasn't making a lot of money. Not like Nathan or Abe. He knew that Annette had a thing for Abe. He couldn't understand that. Abe was average. Except, Abe played baseball, and did well. Abe could win at tennis, and golf, when he played. And Paul's wife was interested in Abe.

What Paul didn't see was that the women talked to each other about the most intimate things. Especially Gail and Annette. Gail knew that Paul was well endowed, and super strong. Annette knew that Abe was very erotically inventive, as well as being much stronger than he looked.

Abe thought Paul was somewhat crazy. He had a beautiful wife, a decent job, and a nice life. Why push so hard for Gail?

So, Abe was nervous, mostly because he felt he could not trust Paul to behave rationally. But they had been okay until the last Sixty-One incident. He thought he'd give it a chance.

When they arrived, all the others were there. Saturday lunch was a nice affair, with a lot of catching up. Then Abe and Gail played tennis against Grant and Bella. Bella was pretty good at it, but Grant not so much. Grant could pitch in baseball. In basketball, he was tall. But otherwise, he was a liability. Abe and Gail won the match, taking it easy in doing that.

After that they all went to the pool, to cool off. Abe was relaxing. He and Paul had been okay at lunch. Annette stayed right by Paul. Once, when she believed no one was looking, she winked at Abe. But Paul did see that. He said nothing, though.

Snack hour went smoothly. It was chips and dips, cheese, crackers, wine or beer. Abe ate lightly and didn't drink.

Dinner at Sixty-One was always good. This time they had a barbeque. Ribs, potato salad, slaw, biscuits. After that, they all separated. Abe and Gail went for a walk in the twilight. When they reached the natural pool, no one was there having sex. A relief. A disappointment, too.

An evening swim found all eight at the pool. The women wore modest suits, and the men regular trunks. No French thongs. Abe loved swimming. He did a number of laps, making racing turns. When he finished, he found that the others were all looking at him. He got a round of applause. He climbed out and took a bow, provoking laughter. Except for Paul. Paul didn't laugh.

Abe and Gail went to their room, and Gail jumped him when he came out of the shower. She was very aggressive, and rode him for quite some time. He lasted, because the swim had tired him. In the end, he rallied.

After, as they snuggled, Gail said, "Abe, I think that went well. I mean the day. Don't you?"

"I'm not completely comfortable around Paul. I sense some....rancor. Something. Not like before."

"He'll be all right. He hasn't said one word to me after the initial lunch."

"Okay. I did like being back together with all of them."

Sunday morning, Abe went for a run. Gail stayed at the pool. They met back up at the room, where Abe showered again. And, again, Gail had him as he emerged from the bathroom. Abe began to wonder a little.

Lunch was again pleasant. But Abe noted that Paul was silent, mostly. After lunch everyone was at the pool. Abe walked away, and Annette caught up to him on a path to the tennis courts. She said, "Are you guys having a good time?"

"Sure. You?"

"Okay. Paul seems subdued. I wonder if he isn't feeling left out."

Abe asked, "Should I, maybe, try to talk to him?"

"That might be nice. Kind of bury the hatchet. Not literally, of course."

Abe laughed and they walked back.

Paul was lounging by the pool, talking to Grant and Bella. Nisi and Nathan were nearby. Abe walked up and said, "Hey guys. Where's Gail?"

Nathan said, "She went upstairs, I think. To get her suit."

Just then Gail came out in a bikini that sure flattered her. She waved at the group and dove into the pool. Abe noticed that Paul noticed.

Gail swam for a while, and Nathan helped her out of the pool. She went and sat near Abe. Abe turned and spoke to Paul. "Paul, let's take a short hike."

Paul looked at him, nodded, and got up. The two walked away.

The others looked at each other.

When they got down the path a way, Abe said, "Paul, I'm willing to let bygones go, if you can keep a safe distance from Gail."

Paul said, "What does that mean, really? I know I was out of line the last time we were here. Well, we were out of line. What does 'keep a distance' mean?"

Abe said, "Stop trying to fuck her. And, since you tried it before, don't do stuff that might make me believe you're still trying."

Paul looked at him. He smiled. He said, "Okay."

They continued walking for a while, speaking about the baseball season. Then they got back to the group. Abe went inside, and Gail followed.

She asked, "Well? What happened? I see no one got hurt."

"I told him I could let it go, if he avoided situations that might provoke me. I might say the same to you."

"Done. I hope he follows through, though."

"I have a feeling that he....I don't know....he has something a little wrong with him. About you, a least. Please be careful, eh?"

"Sure. Let's play some ping-pong."

Snack time and dinner went well. Paul was laughing with the rest of them. But he stayed away from Gail.

The evening found all eight watching a thriller movie in the main room. Paul and Annette were next to Abe and Gail on the couch. That is, Abe and Annette were next to each other, their spouses on the other side of each. Annette did tease Abe a bit, their thighs, in shorts, were touching, and moving. Abe thought no one noticed. It wasn't much. But Paul noticed. Once again, he thought Abe was getting the upper hand. That wasn't acceptable to him.

After the flick, Paul wandered over to the drinks table. He poured three whiskeys. The kind he knew Abe and Gail sometimes drank. He walked over to them, with a small tray. He said, "I bring a nice peace offering."

He handed Gail one drink, and Abe another. Then he picked up his own and sipped it.

Abe was not comfortable about the situation. But he took a sip of the whiskey, and watched as Gail did the same. Then Paul proposed a toast, "To good times." They clinked glasses, and each drank. Abe didn't drink much. He had a nagging suspicion about the scene. He got up and walked toward the kitchen, saying that he needed a snack. He found some pretzels, and dumped the rest of his drink.

When he returned, only Gail and Paul remained in the big room.

He asked, "Where is everyone?"

Paul said, "All gone up. I'll be going soon. I wanted to stay and say that I'm pleased things are going well for us." He finished up his drink. Gail's was already empty.

Gail giggled. She said, "You mean us three?"

"Yeah. Well, it really affects all of us. But us three most."

Abe said, "I....I...." He was feeling a bit slow. And he realized, too late, that something had been in the drink. Enough to have a bad effect, even though he dumped most of it. He looked at Gail. She was not sleepy. She looked.......high, energetic.

But Abe couldn't move. He tried to say something. Nothing came out. He heard Paul say, "Looks like your husband is out of it for tonight."

Gail giggled again, Abe heard her say, "Yes. That was quick."

Paul sat down next to Gail. Abe could see through slitted eyes, but had no ability to interfere. Paul put his arm around Gail and kissed her with passion. She seemed, to Abe, to return that passion. Abe stirred, but, despite his effort, he passed out completely.

When that happened, Paul broke the kiss with Gail, stood and held out his hand. Gail took it. She said, "I feel giddy, Paul. That was a nice kiss, but....."

Paul pulled her up, put his arm around her and guided her upstairs. Gail did not resist.

Paul took her to her room. Picked her up and carried her through the door. He closed it with his foot. Then he kissed her again, and felt her eager response. The two of them tumbled onto the bed.

Meanwhile, after about twenty minutes, Abe was coming out of his stupor. He opened his eyes, and saw no one. No Gail. No Paul.

He stumbled up from the couch. He went to the kitchen, threw up into the sink. He ran water into a glass and poured it over his head. Then he drank another glass. And he began to become enraged. He went looking for Paul and Gail.

By now, he had regained his full consciousness - at least he thought he had. He went up the stairs two at a time. He went directly to the bedroom he had shared with Gail. The door was closed, but unlocked. He heard sounds of sex from inside. He opened it. By a dim light, he could see Paul, fucking Gail doggy style, on the bed. Paul was grunting as he thrust into her. Gail was pushing back, moaning, "Oh, God.....Oh....Oh..."

Abe acted immediately. He leapt to the bed, and he brought his elbow down on Paul's neck, as hard as he could. There was a big sound, and Paul slumped forward even more. Abe grabbed him by the neck and pulled him out of Gail and off the bed. Paul was not reacting. Abe slung him across the room, into the dresser there. There was a crash. Paul began to sink down. But Abe was on him. He wanted to do a knee to the balls. He grabbed Paul's head and dragged him forward, positioning him for the blow. But Paul's feet slid out from under him as Abe delivered. Instead of hitting Paul in his scrotum, Abe's knee hit him in the chest. Abe let Paul fall. He took a quick look and saw that Paul was unconscious.

Abe turned to Gail. He was about to smack her around, but he saw her whimpering, covering herself with the blanket. She looked completely vacant. Nor scared. Not pleading. Not really there at all. Abe held his fire. He approached Gail, and she did not shrink from him. Nor did she speak. Abe sat on the bed with her. He patted her head. She didn't react. He said, "Gail. Gail?" She looked at him. Some of her was now there in that look. But not much. Abe thought she was in shock, and also that she had been drugged. She was making small keening noises, now.

Abe sat with her for a few minutes. Then he got up to look at Paul, who hadn't moved. Just then, the door opened.

It was Nathan. He peeked in. He said, "I heard Gail. What happened?"

He was looking at Paul. Abe said, "Paul drugged me. He maybe drugged her as well. They were up here fucking. I hit him. I pulled him off."

Nathan was now on his knees examining Paul. He turned Paul over. He felt for a pulse. There was none. Nathan said, "He's gone, Abe. Dead."

Abe was shocked. He hadn't hit Paul very hard. The first elbow, maybe. But the knee missed. He said, "That's impossible."

"No. He's gone. Shit!"

Nathan sat back on his haunches and thought. He said, "Wait here and do not move."

He went to the bathroom and came back with a washcloth, towel, some alcohol wipes and another wet cloth. He wiped Paul's front down with the alcohol wipes. Then he used the wet cloth to wipe off the alcohol. Then he dried Paul. All this was only on the front, paying special attention to the groin.

Abe watched, at first puzzled. But then he caught on. He stood up as Nathan finished. He picked up Paul's boxer underwear. Nathan picked up Paul, over his shoulder. Abe scooted the underwear onto Paul.

Nathan said, "Get the rest of his stuff." He looked over at Gail. She was in shock, eyes unseeing.

Abe picked up shorts, a tee shirt, and flip flops. He followed Nathan out to the stairs. He watched as Nathan poised Paul's body at the top pf the stairs, and allowed it to tumble down. There wasn't much noise. The stairs were carpeted. Paul went all the way down, fetched up on his back at the bottom.

Nathan took the clothes from Abe. He said, "Go back and settle Gail. We'll let the staff find him." Then he disappeared into his room.