A House at the Beach

[I posted this story in 2005, then a Lit computer glitch eliminated it and some other stories this summer, so I'm resubmitting it. Maybe there are some folks who missed it the first time.

A lot of this happened, but not the way it's told here. I'm dedicating it to M.D. and R.S., the real-life models for Carmen. I don't think they'd mind.]

***

August, 2005

I was reminded of the Cape again today . . .

It happens every so often. Something I see or hear sets me off, and all of a sudden, it's July of '69 again. Music can do it--an oldies station playing one of the tracks we couldn't get enough of that summer, like "Down So Low", or "Cyprus Avenue", or "Ball and Chain". An evening walk on a beach always works. Even seeing an old VW microbus can take me back, if it's red and white like Rick's was.

This afternoon, though, I was driving by the lake on my way to the hardware store, when I spotted some young people unloading their car at one of the cottages. Two guys and a woman in their early 20's, all of them tanned and attractive, were laughing together as they juggled grocery bags and backpacks. Instantly, time came unstuck, 36 years fell away, and it was 1969 again: NASA was about to try to land some guys on the moon, a big rock festival was supposed to be happening someplace in the Catskills next month, and these kids were Rick and Allie and me unpacking our stuff at my uncle's summer place on the beach in Chatham . . .

July, 1969

It was still in the 90's that Friday afternoon, as the three of us joined the end-of-week bumper-to-bumper traffic crawling out of Boston toward Cape Cod. Did we care? Hell, no. We were 22, and had the loan of a beach house for the weekend! 'BCN was blasting on the radio and the first joint was disappearing. We had provisions that included a ton of munchies, the makings for a dynamite spaghetti sauce, and a jumbo bottle of tequila. We didn't have to be at work again until Monday. How could life be any sweeter?

Of course in those days, we never knew how it was going to go with Rick. Viet Nam had changed my happy-go-lucky childhood pal into a quiet, often moody guy who had trouble sleeping at night, and who was on his third job since leaving the Army the previous fall. Judging from his medals, he'd been some kind of hero, but he never talked about it.

He'd gotten out just in time to be my best man at our wedding--we'd found out how shaky he was when he came apart at the reception, during the toast. He'd started telling about a buddy of his who had been engaged and then had gotten blown away, and he'd broken down crying. Allie and I and his girlfriend Carmen helped him outside and eventually got him cheered up, but in the following months he would often be inconsolably sad, or, more likely, in a rage for no reason that he could explain afterward.

Rick and Carmen were our closest friends, and we saw a lot of them. That winter was rough for them, as they tried to adjust to living together again. Rick had obviously gone through all sorts of changes while he was away, but so had Carmen: they had plenty to figure out. The fact that Allie and I were, by contrast, obnoxiously happy newlyweds couldn't have made the struggle any easier for them, but they didn't seem to hold it against us.

I was sorry Carmen wouldn't be joining us until the next day--she was a nurse and was working the 3:30-to-midnight shift that week. I really liked her. She was a smart, petite, passionate woman whose parents were first-generation Italian, and she'd grown up in a four-room flat over their corner store in Boston's North End. It didn't hurt that she was sexy as hell, with huge brown eyes, a cute ass, and saucy little breasts which surely did more to help the guys on her ward feel better than any medication ever could.

And as we drove along, I was especially sorry that Carmen couldn't see the metamorphosis that was occurring in that funky old bus: Rick, miraculously, was becoming his ebullient pre-Nam self as we talked and sang and munched our way down Rte. 3 and over the bridge. He tapped out a salute on the horn as we rolled onto the Cape, and when we eventually pulled into my uncle's driveway, he announced our arrival to the neighbors by bellowing out the window, "Watch out, you bloody Puritans--the hippies have landed!"

"The hippies landed in Plymouth, not Chatham, fool," I told him. "Didn't you read the sign?"

"What's Chatham?" said Rick.

"God, I'm hot and sticky," Allie said. "Let's go for a swim."

"Let's get the stuff in first," I said. "We have to find our suits anyway." We grabbed bags and headed into the house and up the stairs, Allie and I to the master bedroom, and Rick to the guest room down the hall.

As soon as I closed the door, we began peeling off our clothes. Watching Allie, I marveled, as always, at her dancer's grace and centerfold's body. She was slender and leggy, and at 5'8", was only a few inches shorter than I was. She had soft, hazel eyes, and now that it was summer, her hair and skin and pubic bush were three slightly different shades of pale caramel. Her breasts were high and lush, with prominent nipples that stiffened at the slightest provocation, and she had an ass like a figure skater's. Both out of bed and in it, she was warm, generous, and imaginative.

As she leaned over the suitcase, rummaging around for her bathing suit, I tiptoed up behind her. Cupping her heavy breasts in my hands, I pressed my growing erection against her bare bottom. She wiggled her ass playfully, then straightened up and removed my hands. "Not now, my love," she said firmly. "The ocean is calling. Later, though . . ."

"You promise?"

She gave me that lazy smile of hers, then dropped to her knees and swirled her tongue around the tip of my cock for just an instant. The next instant, she was up again and stepping into her bikini bottom. "You'd better believe it, sailor," she said. "Sea air makes this girl hungryand horny. Now tuck that thing into a bathing suit, and let's go swimming!"

We barely touched the sand as we raced across the beach and plunged into the water. The three of us were like kids, splashing and fooling around in the waves, but I guess it wasn't really as innocent as it seemed, considering what was about to happen. Allie--gorgeously wet and hard-nippled in her tiny bikini--was a magnet for our horseplay, and as we cavorted, Rick's hands were on her almost as much as mine were, albeit somewhat less lasciviously. With Rick's demons at least temporarily in remission, and being such old friends, we all were feeling so goddamned happy and close.

During a wild round of Killer Shark Attack, Rick suddenly turned traitor and scooped Allie out of the water, thwarting my fiendish plans to swim up under her and be Groping Squid instead.

"My hero!" said Allie, perched comfortably in his arms--Rick was a big guy. She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" I whined at Rick. "We're supposed to be Killer Sharks."

"Please, Tony," said Rick. "We aren't playing childish shark games anymore. We're playing Fishing For Mermaids, and check out this fine, big one I've caught. I think she likes me."

"Oh, Ido," Allie said. "And if you kiss me, I turn into Faye Dunaway." Her brow wrinkled. "Or Michael J. Pollard, I forget which."

"I'll risk it," said Rick, and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss lasted about five seconds longer than it should have, and when they separated, Rick gently let her down. Allie gave me a funny little smile and a shrug; Rick looked as if he'd been whacked upside the head. I was in shock--I felt as though I'd been punched in the stomach. Allie and Rick? What the fuck? What did it mean? And--most disorienting of all--why was a big part of me wishing they'd do it again?

"Who's hungry?" asked Allie brightly, putting her arm around my waist. "I'm starving. Let's go make dinner." The world began to turn again.

We all pitched in to get dinner ready, the way we'd done so often before, but now there was an extra current in the air that had nothing to do with the margaritas we were sipping, or the reefer we were passing around. That kiss had done something major to the vibe between us. A previously locked door had blown open, unleashing a crazy, scary, yet oh-so-provocative possibility involving the three of us.

It was obvious that we all felt it hanging there, and at dinner, it made our interaction softer and more caring, without the usual silliness and joshing back and forth. From time to time we ran out of words; then the conversation would continue in glances and smiles. And all the while, I was seeing images of Allie and me earlier in our room, taking off our clothes. But now there was a difference: Rick was in there, too.

When we'd finished eating, we washed up quickly, and while Allie looked for a candle, Rick and I settled ourselves on the ancient davenport on the screen porch. When Allie came out, she plunked herself down between us. We'd all changed into shorts after our swim, and she adjusted her smooth legs so they were against us both. Rick and I snuggled in closer. It felt strange, but good.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the ocean. It was Allie, finally, who forced us to acknowledge the elephant in the room. "What about Carmen?" she said.

"I've been thinking about that," said Rick, "but first I have to tell you guys how much I love you and how close I feel to you right now. You've hung in there with me over this past year when I've been so fucked up, and you've helped Carmen and me keep it together. She and I would have split up by now if it weren't for the two of you. Whatever does or doesn't happen tonight isn't going to change that."

"And whatarewe thinking might happen tonight?" I said hesitantly. "It sure seems like maybe we're thinking about climbing into bed together."

Allie took my hand and looked at me searchingly. "Yes, I think we are. If we did, Tony, how would that be? Would that be all right, seeing Rick and me make love?"

My stomach flipped over again; I gave her a soft kiss. "If it's anything like what I've been imagining for the last hour, baby, it would be mind-blowing." Her expression relaxed into a loving smile, and she squeezed my hand. "But there's still Carmen," I said.

"You know that wedding she and I went to last month down in Connecticut?" Rick asked.

"The one where you got propositioned?" I replied. "Carmen told us about that." She and Rick had gone back to the hotel bar for a nightcap with two older married couples they'd met at the reception. Soon, hints were being dropped by one of the couples about moving the party up to their room and getting more friendly. Carmen and Rick had politely declined.

"Did she by any chance mention what she told me when we'd gotten back to our room?"

"No, I guess not," I said. Allie shook her head.

"Carmen said, and I quote, 'God, we didn't evenknowthose people. It wasn't as if it was people we felt really close to who were suggesting it. You know, like Tony and Allie.'" Rick paused a moment, then went on, "I don't think we'd have a problem getting her to understand. In fact, I bet she'd be sorry she'd missed out on it."

Again, we were quiet as we thought about what we should do. Now, thanks to Rick's revelation, the image that kept racing through my mind was of Carmen: I saw her coming toward me, unbuttoning the last button of her crisp, white uniform. Under it, she was naked. All the boundaries were dissolving that night.

"You know, I think Rick's right," said Allie softly, breaking the silence. "I'd like to do it." It was if she'd made the decision for us all. She stood, and offering us each a hand, pulled us gently to our feet, and into a tight, three-way hug. "My two sweet, sexy men . . ." she purred. "Let's go see if we all fit on that big bed upstairs."

"Just promise me I don't have to kiss Tony," Rick said, as he and I followed Allie toward the stairs. He sounded nervous, but not about that.

"Don't worry," I said, feeling just as nervous. "If we haven't done it by now, there's no point in starting."

"Goody," said Allie over her shoulder. "More for me!" She didn't sound a bit nervous.

***

The half moon hanging outside the bedroom window gave us just enough light. As she led us across the threshold, Allie pulled her t-shirt over her head, and tossed it aside. She had been braless, naturally--she hardly ever wore one. A moment later, the rest of her clothes were lying on the floor beside the t-shirt. It was plain from the sizable wet spot on her discarded panties that she was more than ready for this. She turned, and faced us in the pale moonlight.

I don't know how long Rick and I stood there, hearts racing, transfixed by her loveliness. Allie's eyes were sparkling as her gaze moved from one of us to the other. Her lips were parted slightly and she was breathing as if she'd walked up a bunch of stairs, not just one flight. Her body was all moonlit curves and shadows, and as I watched her breasts rise and fall, her nipples looked as big as cherries. In the dark cleft between her thighs, I thought I could see the tiniest glimmer of moisture reflecting the dim light.

Allie raised her eyebrows questioningly. "So . . .?" she said.

Rick and I hastily pulled off the few clothes we were wearing. We were both spectacularly erect. Allie came up and put her arms around me.

"This is O.K., right? Tonight, I love you both, but tomorrow and every other day, I wake up withyou."

I nodded my agreement and gave her a reassuring kiss, then released her and gently nudged her toward Rick. He reached out and gathered her in.

And there she was, my devoted wife, naked and heart-stoppingly beautiful, with her arms around another man's neck, her tongue in his mouth, her breasts squashed against his chest. I knew he was feeling her swollen nipples pressing into him, and she was feeling his thick cock. I watched his hands slide up and down her back and over the swell of her fine buttocks, grasping them and pulling her even closer.

After a minute or two, she broke away and came back to me, taking my face in her hands, and kissing me hungrily. "Still all right?" she whispered.

"Oh, yes." I slid my hand up the inside of her thigh and cupped her furry pussy. She was so wet. I took my hand away and licked it--she tasted delicious. I smiled at her.

"Go ahead," I said. "Love him. Excite him."

Allie turned to face Rick, and looking into his eyes, circled the head of his straining penis ever-so-lightly with the tip of one finger. He shivered. Just as lightly, she traced his formidable length with her fingertips, down, then back up again, then she wrapped her fingers around him. Rick reached out to touch her breasts, but he was too late: sinking to her knees, Allie took his cock into her mouth.

I watched her greedily fellate him, her lips and tongue busy at the head, while her hands stroked his shaft and caressed his balls. It was such an amazing, dreamlike sight--Allie kneeling in the moonlight, doing this with someone else. I moved up beside him, and rubbed my cock against her cheek. She took it in her hand, gave Rick one more lick, then started sucking me, as she continued to masturbate him with her other hand.

Allie went back and forth from one of us to the other, eagerly stroking and licking and sucking. Sometimes my arm or hip would brush against Rick's, skin against skin. It felt weirdly pleasant--not sexual at all, more like companionable. All our sexual energy, his and mine, was focused on Allie and her warm, talented mouth.

"Let's get into bed," I said eventually. I wanted to taste her again; I wanted Rick to taste her.

Allie rose to her feet, and hugged us both, the way she had downstairs, but this time, Rick and I took turns giving her intense, messy kisses, while our hands were all over her--me fondling her breasts, and Rick exploring between her legs.

"Oh Jesus, you guys," she moaned, "this is incredible!"

We went at it a little longer, then Allie pulled away and sat at the end of the bed. I gently pushed her knees apart and knelt on the floor between them. We exchanged carnal looks.

"Time for a snack," I explained.

She giggled. "Be my guest."

"Rick, too."

"God, yes!" she said.

Lifting her ankles to my shoulders, Allie lay back on the bed, putting all of her ripe, moist vulva on magnificent display. I gave it a lingering kiss, then licked it from bottom to top, savoring her sweet pungency. I parted the fuzzy, swollen, outer lips and began to tease her engorged little clit with my tongue, as I slid a finger into her slippery vagina. She gasped, and opened her legs wider, pushing her pelvis up to meet me.

The bed rocked as Rick climbed on and nestled in beside her. He put his hand on her cheek and turned her face to his. They kissed deeply for a moment, then he broke it off, and began to nuzzle his way down to her throat, and further on, to her breasts. His lips closed over one nipple as he took the other between his fingers. With her free hand, Allie groped for his cock.

I was tonguing her clit faster now as Rick ministered to her sensitive nipples. Allie started to moan softly. She was juicier than ever. Knowing she was getting close, I slid a second finger into her and found the magic spot she'd guided me to the first time we slept together. Her legs tightened around my neck, and her back arched. "Ahhhh . . . yes, that's it . . .do it," she panted. I took her clit between my lips and sucked hard. "YES!" she cried, and the first orgasm of the evening swept over her. For a long minute, her thighs clenched my face in rhythm with her spasms, then she gradually relaxed.

"Wow!" Allie said, as she tried to catch her breath. "I mean,wow. I think I need to cool it for a second." Rick raised his head from her breast and she gave him a peck on the nose. She lifted her legs off me and scooted up in the bed. Rick moved up with her and began to stroke her belly. He was still rock-hard, as was I. Allie looked down at me mischievously. "Hey, husband, what are you doing on the floor? Why don't you come get comfortable with me and my lover?"

I stood, peered at them lying there, and clutched my chest. "Oh god, no!" I exclaimed. "My wife! My best friend!"

"Asshole," chuckled Rick. "Get up here."

I climbed onto the bed next to Allie and leaned back against the headboard. A few strands of her hair were sticking to her damp forehead; I reached down and brushed them away. She grabbed my hand and kissed each of my fingers, spending a little extra time on the ones that had been in her--some nights, she loved to taste herself.

"Pretty nice so far, right?" I said.

"Very, very nice," agreed Rick.

"And we're just getting started," said Allie.

Rick had gone from stroking her belly to playing with her pubic curls. As his fingers approached her pussy, her legs opened invitingly--rest time was apparently over. He slipped his middle finger between the lips, and began to slide it back and forth over her clit and the snug entrance below. Her hips twitched.

Rick looked at me. "So you think I should have an appetizer before the main course?"

"You'll never regret it," I said. "But wait." I put my hands under Allie's shoulders and helped her sit up, then slid behind her, with my legs straddling her. "Lie back against me," I whispered. "I want to hold you while you guys do this." She wiggled her hips back so that we were spooned together, half-reclining against the headboard. I nuzzled her ear, and cupped her breasts in my hands. "All set," I said to Rick.

Allie pulled her knees up and parted them, giving Rick the same wondrous view of her pussy that she'd given me earlier. "Oh, Allie . . ." he said; lowering his face to her crotch, he began to work on her with his lips and tongue. Meanwhile, I was caressing her breasts, moving from the soft smoothness of her skin over her rough areolae to the hard peaks of her nipples, then back again. She was starting to writhe in my arms. It was even more of a turn-on than I'd imagined to have her lying against me--I was actuallyfeelingher pleasure as Rick and I made love to her.