A Little Help From My Friends Ch. 01

In the past, commenters have encouraged me to start a serialized story. I think I finally stumbled on the right characters to do that with. One pair is quite experienced and another is just beginning their journey. I thought up the general outlines of the characters on my commute home on a Friday and wrote the story over the weekend. I have a few ideas for different directions to take the story in the future. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Brandon and Cassandra have been married for about 10 years. They are both professionals in their early thirties. Brandon is a data analyst for the state government while Cassandra works in pharmaceuticals. Brandon is of average height, about 5'7", with a slight build. He has a lithe figure from regularly riding his bike to stay in shape and the relatively pale complexion that comes from riding a desk for the bulk of daylight hours. Cassandra is only slightly shorter at 5'6", but often appears taller when she wears heels. She keeps in great shape by running regularly and has a fuller, voluptuous figure.

They were preparing for company to come over for dinner. They were relatively experienced in a long-term femdom dynamic. To that end, Brandon was preparing dinner wearing only an apron, while Cassandra was finishing up the living room fully dressed. Cassandra lit a candle on the table near the couch and walked into the kitchen. She pinched Brandon's exposed ass as he leaned over the simmering pot on the stove.

"Jo just texted. They'll be over in 10. Why don't you go get dressed?"

"Yes, ma'am," he responded as he took off the apron and gave Cassandra a quick kiss.

Brandon was just finishing the last buttons on his shirt when Cassandra walked in. She whistled. "You look great, but you're missing just one thing."

He raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down. She looked great in a smart, sleeveless dress. A necklace with a single key dangled between her breasts. She opened her small handbag and took out a medium steel buttplug. She smiled, while he just groaned. "Really?"

"Yup. Assume the position."

Brandon undid his belt, unbuttoned his slacks, and bent over the side of the bed.

"Good boy," Cassandra said, tugging down his pants. "Excellent. You didn't wear any underwear, just like I instructed. Was going to have to punish you if you forgot."

Brandon joked that it definitely was cutting down on laundry, when he was cut off by the click of a bottle of lube. Pegging was a regular part of their sex lives, and he wasn't new to anal plugs, but he still bit his lip when he felt the cold, wet steel press against him. Cassandra slid the plug in and out a few times, just until Brandon started moaning from the sensations. Finally, she pushed the plug all the way in until just the jewel at the end sparkled and playfully smacked his ass.

"They'll be here soon," she said, using a hand towel to clean the lube off her hands. "We don't have time to play right now, so you should finish getting dressed."

"Yes, ma'am. Have you thought about what happens if I start leaking precum from the plug? I'm so turned on - and the plug isn't helping there - I'm not sure that I can control it."

She laughed. "Poor baby. I've thought of everything. I won't be embarrassed at all. I think I hear them pulling in. Why don't you go get the door? Try not to think about there just being a little layer of cotton between them and your cage and plug."

"You're evil," he said, with a twinkle in his eye and without any malice. He was as hooked on their games as she was. "But we probably shouldn't scare off the most normal people we know."

"I know," she said, as she pushed the plug through his slacks to nudge him towards the door.

* * *

Jackson and Joanne are a much newer couple. They are in their early thirties and have been married for only 2 years. While the honeymoon period is definitely over, they do love each other fiercely. Joanne's family immigrated from Japan when she was 1. She has a slight build at only 5'1" and is very thin; she often tries to wear heels to compensate. She is a programmer, but is in a local running club with Cassandra. She and Jackson make a very handsome couple; he is a very dark complected, coming from a black background. He was only a little taller than Brandon at 5'8", but had a more muscular build from a youth playing team sports.

He is a data scientist with Brandon, though he works in a different division. They met at an office party and hit it off by sharing a mutual language. Each department only has 1 of their position, so they often bounce ideas off of each other. The friendship developed into occasionally getting drinks and then, on the spur of the moment, Brandon suggested that they bring their wives for a double date at a local restaurant. Due to a happy coincidence, Cassandra and Joanne were friendly, though not necessarily close at the time, from their running group. The friendship between all involved grew organically until they got together about once a week, trading off on cooking at each other's home or going to a restaurant.

When they pulled in, Jackson tried to take Joanne's hand. She seemed to tolerate it more than reciprocate. Jackson sighed and stopped near the car. "Can we just try to have a nice night?"

"Of course, though you making a scene in the driveway makes me wonder about that. C'mon. They're probably watching us on the Ring doorbell."

"I know you're still upset, is all. I get it, really I do. I just don't want to act weird in front of our friends."

"I don't either, but we still need to talk about it tomorrow."

"Deal."

With that, they walked up, arm-in-arm, and rang the doorbell. Brandon opened the door and greeted them warmly. They took their shoes off, following Cassandra's house rules; Joanne was used to and comfortable with the practice from growing up, but she's still always a little annoyed to be so much shorter than everyone else.

Jackson proffered a bottle of rosé to Cassandra that they had stopped and picked up on the way over.

"Thanks. That's perfect. Come on in," she invited and walked to the bar connected to the kitchen. She pulled down a few glasses and opened the wine as Brandon finished putting the final touches on dinner.

They all sat down at the dining room table as Brandon served. Bread and wine were passed around and the atmosphere lightened as they all enjoyed each others' company.

"Thanks for hosting us, Brandon. It all looks lovely" Joanne remarked.

"Of course. It's always fun to have you guys over and it gives me a chance to try new recipes. This is a new blackening spice that I special ordered."

After everyone settled in, enjoying the food and the companionship, Joanne cleared her throat. "Can I ask you a question about work?"

Brandon answered, "Of course. What's up?"

"How stressful is your job? It seems like they just keep piling things on Jackson."

Jackson shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it goes in waves. Every department has slightly different seasons where it's mellow or where it gets crazy. My department is ok for another month or two. His director is a lot newer than mine, though, and doesn't have a great reputation. What are you having trouble with?"

"Nothing too much," Jackson started, but the glare Joanne gave him made him continue. "The TPS reports I have to get done are massive and my boss keeps pressuring me to get it done asap."

"I have some tricks that might speed it up a little. Why don't we talk shop a little later and see if I can help?"

He nodded and Joanne seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"Let me just clean up. Why don't you all go relax in the living room? I'll just be a minute."

He started loading the dishwasher while the other three walked to the couches. After she turned the TV on, Cassandra came back to the kitchen.

She handed him a plate, whispering, "Did you notice that they're fighting?"

He immediately tried to turn and look, but Cassandra guided him back to not be obvious. "I didn't notice anything."

"They are. There's obviously something bugging them. Let's split up and see if we can help."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, smirking. Louder, he called to Jackson. "You want to head down to the basement? We can play a few games of pool and maybe talk about those reports."

* * *

The basement was split; it was half finished with the unfinished side used nominally for storage and other activities that Brandon and Cassie preferred to keep private. The finished half had an entertainment center and couches, a small office area for if either of them needed a quiet work space, and a full-sized pool table. The pool table was Brandon's pride, though he was by no means a pool shark.

Brandon racked the balls for a 9-ball while Jackson grabbed a pair of cues.

"Thanks. You want to break?"

Jackson nodded and they played for a couple minutes, trading a game each.

While Jackson was racking the balls again, Brandon hesitantly asked, "So, do you want to talk about what's really going on?"

Jackson swallowed, then said "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's see. You and Jo have been shooting daggers at each other all night, you haven't once asked about my TPS shortcuts, probably because you know I made that up to cover, and we both know you can do those reports in your sleep."

The color drained from his face. "It's that obvious?"

"Yup. I'm not even that observant. I have been married a long time and I fucked up plenty the first few years. If you don't want to talk about it, no problem. We play a few more games and tell the girls we ironed it out. But if it's something I can help with, I don't mind."

"Alright, but do you have a drink down here?"

"Beer in the mini-fridge over there. Help yourself. Grab me one too?"

Jackson handed the beer over and took a long swallow before starting. "This is a little awkward.... Have you and Cassie ever had a dry spell?"

"In 10 years? Of course. Every relationship has its ups and down. It took us a little while to really get on the same page. Like 4 years ago, I think, we really got into a great dynamic, but before that? Yeah, you could say we had some dry spells."

"So, there's a light at the end of the tunnel? It's not this way forever?"

"It's not if you both want to work at it. But you might have to put yourself out there in a way that's a bit uncomfortable. So might Jo. How long has it been?"

He thought for a moment, trying to remember. "Has to be close to a month."

"Was there an event that caused it or just getting out of sync with each other?"

With a big swig, Jackson polished off the beer. Taking that as a cue, Brandon turned on the radio as insurance that they wouldn't be overheard.

"Thanks. This is embarrassing, but I want to make things work and I'm not going to sign up for Betterhelp, no matter how many podcast ads I have to listen to. Look, the longer we go without, the harder and more awkward it gets. Jo was working late yesterday and I've gotten into the habit of taking care of things myself, do you know what I mean?"

"Haha. Yeah."

"Well, anyway, I took care of myself a couple minutes before she got home. Poor planning, but it's been such a long time and historically, I'm almost always the one to initiate. I'm not sure what changed, but Jo tried to get things started. It was going well, but I was already spent..."

"And you couldn't get it up." Jackson looked mortified but didn't say anything. "Look, I'm not going to say anything to anyone and I might even be able to suggest some things if you're open to it."

"I'm open to pretty much anything."

"You might regret saying. Well, not really, not if things improve. But you know what you did wrong right?"

"The planning didn't help. I thought she'd be later."

"Oooh, that's a terrible excuse. No wonder she's mad at you. No, the problem is that you were spending your energy on yourself, not her. You need to stop jerking off, man, at least for now."

"How? I don't think that's even possible; I think I just need to plan better."

"Really? Look, when you do that, you're only thinking of yourself, not your relationship. It takes a few hours, minimum, before you really recover and are ready to go again. Plus, then you're satisfied and less likely to pay attention to Jo. Let me ask you this, when you were stuck, did you even think that you could still make it a nice night for Joanne? Make her feel wanted?"

"How?"

"With your tongue, for a start. It might have covered things long enough for you to recover, but even if not, you'd be satisfying her and showing her that she's wanted. You made her feel like she's not wanted or that the problem is her."

"Damn. I didn't even think of that. I'm not opposed, but we've never really done that much. Maybe a little bit as foreplay now and then."

"Poor Jo. You should start thinking of that as the main event. You don't finish until after she does. Look, I was in the same boat years ago, but you can fix it."

"So, what changed things for you and Cassie?"

It was Brandon's to drain his drink.

"You really want to know? It's kind of my biggest secret. I've never told anyone outside of Cassie."

"It's a bigger secret than what I just told you?"

"Well, you can judge that. A little over 4 years ago, Cassie and I were fighting a lot. Most of it was about nothing. It was just frustration in the bedroom that boiled over. After a lot of reflection on what I wanted and more than a little perusing on Internet forums, I asked her to take charge in the bedroom and lock me in a chastity cage."

"A what?"

"A chastity cage. It's a small metal prison for my cock. I can't get hard or come without her wanting me to."

"What does that even look like? How does it work?"

"Just Google it, Jackson. I'm not going to whip it out."

Jackson took out his phone. "Holy shit! You're wearing one of these, right now?"

Brandon nodded.

"And you can't take it off?"

"Nope. Well, if I wanted to, I guess I could go buy a Dremel and cut it off, but that would defeat the purpose. We're closer than ever and we have more sex than we ever did. Plus, everytime I get turned on, it's like a game that makes me think of her instead of whatever I happen to be looking at. I've got an idea. Hand me your phone."

Brandon brought up his Literotica profile. "Look, I write adult fiction to blow off steam. A lot of it is stuff Cassie and I are into, some is just things I've thought of that might be fun, and some were writing exercises to see if I could turn crazy ideas into stories. Why don't you read a few when you have time? They're all about guys giving up control and focusing more on their partner's pleasure. I think it could probably work for you, but that's really up to you and Jo. Worst case, just clear your history and pretend you never read it."

"Wow. These must have taken forever to write. I didn't know you were into any of this stuff."

"I've always kept it to myself and my partners, but none have been as open as Cassie. It really opened up an entirely new world and I wouldn't want to go back."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I don't know if I'm ready to jump in fully, but I know this wasn't easy to share and I'm glad to have someone to try to help figure this out."

"Let's head upstairs and tell them we figured out the reports and it should get better soon. I'm all for honesty with your wife, but probably not time for a group chat about all this."

* * *

Upstairs, Cassandra and Joanne were having a similar, if slightly less awkward, conversation. They started trying to catch up on running and how their training for their November marathons was going, but got sidetracked.

At one time, Joanne actually got up and paced back and forth. "What could they be doing down there?" she said and gestured at the door to the basement.

"Look, this might be too forward, but I asked Brandon to try to figure out what's going on with Jackson. He's actually surprisingly good at listening, at least when I remind him to pay attention. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Joanne answered, her voice going up an octave.

"You've been short and tense all night. If I had to guess, you guys had a fight pretty recently and haven't dealt with it yet. Am I in the ballpark?"

Joanne signed. "I guess so. It wasn't exactly a fight. I don't know how to talk about this stuff."

"If it helps, I won't say anything to anyone. If you need to vent, I'm here," she replied and refilled Joanne's glass.

"Alright. Things have been weird for a while in the bedroom. We haven't had sex in close to a month; it's been longer than that since I came. I've just been so tense lately. So last night, I tried to start things. I thought it was going well, but then he couldn't even get hard. I've been so upset about it since and trying to figure out why. I don't want to consider it, but maybe the issue is me."

Cassandra saw that Joanne was on the verge of tears. She put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "I can't tell you what was going on with him, but you're sexy as fuck. The issue is definitely not you."             

Joanne gave a mirthless laugh. "Thanks, but I think I'd be more flattered if you were gay."

Cassandra leaned in and whispered in her ear in a husky voice, "I'm bi."

Joanne drank deeply to cover her surprise, then said, "Wait, really? You're not messing with me?"

"Of course not. I'm in a great relationship, so I'm not going to cheat on Brandon, but that doesn't mean I don't have eyes. If I wasn't in a relationship, I'd definitely be trying to get your pants off."

"I'm flattered. I'm straight though."

"I don't know... I can be pretty convincing, but that's not the point. You want another drink?"

"I shouldn't. I'm on my third glass. I can't handle much more."

"OK. Chocolate cake? We've got the marathon soon; dessert never hurts."

"Sure. Should we invite the guys?"

"Definitely not. Let Brandon work on things."

Cassandra got 2 slices of the prepared cake that they'd picked up at the store earlier. Once they sat down, she said, "Hon, has it really been over a month since you had an orgasm?"

Joanne turned red and answered sadly, "I almost can't remember the last time."

"That's awful. Do you ever take care of things yourself? It can help in a pinch."

"Really? I tried when I was young, but that never really worked well for me and I always felt bad after."

"Why? It's not like you have a limited supply of orgasms. Besides, do you think guys let that stop them?"

"Probably not, but it still hasn't worked for me much."

"Maybe you just haven't had the right tools. What have you tried?"

"Tools? Just my hand. I was always too shy to go to a store to ask for anything."

"The Internet is your friend. Come with me."

Cassandra grabbed her hand and pulled her off her chair, dragging her towards the bedroom by sheer force of will.

Cassandra turned the overhead light on and closed the bedroom door. "I've got a lot of toys and they are all cleaned whenever I'm done."

"Ok...?"

"I think that you might need some more than I do. Brandon went down on me this morning and I'm thinking that I'll have him do it again before bed. You'll get more use out of this than I will."

She pulled a portable Magic Wand massager out of a dresser drawer. She turned it on and enjoyed the familiar buzzing sound.

"What is that?"

"This is your ticket to not feeling so tense. If you don't want to tell Jackson, just say it is a massager. You look tense, so it's believable."

"I guess. Still not sure that it will work."

"$5 says it will. Let me show you on your shoulders, maybe relieve a bit of that tension."

"Alright."

Joanne turned around. Cassandra put her left hand on the smaller woman's waist to steady herself. She told Joanne to close her eyes and relax, then turned the massager on low and put it to her shoulders.