And He Called It Research

"I'm doing fine love."

"Can I ask a personal question?"

"Sure."

"Because of your swinging, does it...do you think you're a better lover for having been with several other women?"

"I don't know. I don't consciously do anything different from one woman to the next so I guess you'd have to ask them if I'm a good lover."

"Well you must be pretty good or you probably wouldn't be very popular with that group."

"My turn for an intimate question. I'll assume that you and your husband have been faithful to each other and..."

"We have been."

"Okay, so how were you two able to talk each other and yourselves into spending two weeks in this tropical sexual temptation?"

She smiled and turned slightly onto her hip to face him and said, "That took us a whole night of discussion. Well most of the night because we managed to excite each other so we had to make love."

"Good for you. So the idea of just perhaps one or both of you might stray, only in fantasy of course, maybe could have urged you two into lovemaking."

"That had to play a part in it I'm sure. So tell me about your wife."

"Beth is shorter than you by quite a bit. She's a great woman of course, just as you are, and she's fun. You know, after living together for so long, she knows how to embarrass me or how to make me smile."

"Walt is like that. He has some devil in him for sure, but he's loving and devoted to me."

"I'm jealous."

She smiled and touched his arm and said, "You are not."

"I could be. He has you for years and I can only hope to be with you for two weeks. Good reason for feeling jealousy I say."

Beth and Walt were doing the very same thing only on The Corals beach. Two lounges positioned right against each other and Beth ended up sitting on her left hip so she could look at him as they talked. "Beth would you mind if I made a personal comment or two?"

"Of course not Walt, we better get used to being totally open and honest with each other."

"When I started my journal last night I decided to write it to Rita. She knows what it's like here so I was able to dispense with all of the describing of the island. But smart or not, I described you to her. I said you are shorter than her, and you have a great shape and a heart stealing smile. I also told her that you are sweet and a pleasure to be with."

"Thank you very much Walt, but I hope that doesn't get you into trouble."

"I should think it wouldn't. You were going to tell me something after breakfast but I derailed the conversation and I apologize."

"Oh that. I was going to tell you that Al, my husband, and I are swingers."

His face split with a smile as he said, "Are you really? I've never known a swinger before. Do you do that often?"

"We're slowing down with it, but once or twice a month we still go out to Marlene's. She's like a hostess. She has a very large home and we give her generous donations. In return she keeps beverages and finger food on hand and frequently is even invited to join one of the couples. She makes enough money to make it worth her while and we have very pleasant surroundings. Not exactly legal, but as long as nobody talks about it there's no need to worry."

"This is so wild."

"I take it you and...Rita was it?"

"Yes, Rita."

"I take it you nor Rita have ever strayed."

"We never have. Oh I look at and fully appreciate other women on the street or at work, but I've kept my hands to myself."

"Did you two talk about what would happen if either of you strayed on the vacation?"

"A lot actually, and we never did come up with any solid declaration. Just we'll handle what happens and that was it. If, for example, both of us strayed, I don't think it would be an issue at all as long as we didn't continue that at home."

"One would cancel out the other."

"Right."

"So jealousy doesn't really enter into it."

"I used to be a very jealous person, but you know, I've about decided that having total trust in your mate should cancel the issue of jealousy. If she does make love to her roommate then it's reasonable to assume that the situation for her was just too overwhelming to resist."

"That's a very healthy way to look at it."

Charlie and Alana were at the Tropic Treat beach, but she was struggling with the nudity issue. It was bad enough that anybody walking up and down the beach could ogle her naked body, but the stress of sitting there with Charlie was spoiling the experience so she said, "Charlie, I'm sorry for being such poor company, but I just...I mean when I look at you to say something my eyes go where they shouldn't."

"Alana, look at me or not, I don't mind. Well okay, stand up I have an idea." He moved the lounges so that he was facing down the beach and right next to his lounge he placed her facing the opposite direction. By lying back they could look at each other and talk and not see the other person below their waist unless they made a point of seeing more. "There, now we can both still look toward the ocean if we choose to or we can look at each other or down the beach."

"Yes, thank you so much Charlie. I'm sorry I'm not adjusting to all of this better, but I am making progress."

"I'm glad it's getting easier for you, but only you know how you can handle this craziness."

Now she made no effort not to get a good long look at her roommate. "I felt us touch during the night when you turned over. I thought my heart was going to stop for a second, but then I decided it was okay and I even liked knowing that you were right there. None of that makes sense even to me, but that's how it was. I'm glad we're together today too. I was afraid that you would want to take off on your own and go exploring."

"I do want to go exploring, but I want to share it with you if I can, and I'm willing to wait until it's easier for you."

"Thank you. I like being able to look at you all the way down and not feel...sorry, not all the way down but...oh you know what I mean," and she smiled at him.

"What about seeing me naked bothers you? Do you feel guilty for seeing my pelvic area for example?"

"I don't feel right studying your anatomy for some reason. I don't want to appear crude or something."

"So you don't see it like a mortal sin then?"

"Not that. Of course I've looked at my Richard and it isn't like I've never seen other men...less than clothed."

"Okay, want to get this settled once and for all so we can truly relax and enjoy our vacation?"

"I would yes."

"Then stand up again for a second." She did and he moved the chairs again. Pretty much the same but one chair up the beach about three feet so that now when they leaned back they could see pretty much all of each other. "We're going to sit down and stare at each other until we start to get bored with it. Then it's over and we can talk or do whatever totally comfortable with each other."

"But I'm still embarrassed."

"That will pass in minutes. I want to stare at you too Alana. I have to try and get past your beauty so I'll quit staring. Now the rule is we don't look at each other's face. We focus on the parts that embarrass us or make us uncomfortable."

"I agree, this is the thing to do, but I'm still embarrassed." Then she smiled and her eyes moved down his torso until she came to his manhood just as he turned toward her and moved his top leg away. His cock and balls were in plain view for her, and after studying him for several seconds she couldn't have made herself look away if she wanted to, and that was something she did not want to do.

His eyes were on her lower lips. Her mound was shaved to a small patch of very shortly trimmed hair so her lips were easy to see. Slightly puffy outer lips but brownish pink inner lips reaching out just far enough to be seen, touched and tasted if he was to have that honor. Because of her slight build, her hip bones were more prominent than he was used to, but that also meant that her pubic mound was more prominent and he loved how inviting and tempting that looked.

Alana was putting all of her attention to his tightly wrinkled and pink scrotum. Large enough but not all that pendulous. His cock looked strong in it's half flaccid condition and his cock head made her want to reach out and touch him. But as she studied him, his cock grew. Her heart was racing and forbidden thoughts were racing through her mind unchecked. She hardly blinked as he seemed to grow even larger or maybe bigger around. She forced herself to continue focusing her world on her roommates most intimate parts. His upper thighs were completely devoid of any hair, and in fact his leg hair didn't begin until down below his knees. She knew he had the slightest of excess belly, but lying on his back that was gone and he looked almost thin to her. Again not a lot of hair, but he did have a nice dark patch on his chest between his breasts. Without saying anything, her eyes went back to his hardness as she shifted and opened her legs more. She wanted him to see all of her that he could, and the briefest of glances up to his face confirmed that he was staring between her legs. Knowing that he was looking at her in a way that no man other than her husband had ever seen her, excited her and her passions grew even more. Voluntary or otherwise she shifted her hips a little until she could move her upper leg back enough to hopefully open her lips for him.

She saw a clear drop of fluid form on the tip of his cock and she wanted to put her finger to that before it slipped down and out of her sight. She wanted to do that and in fact she felt that she needed to do that. Her hand took over and automatically fulfilled her wish. She touched the head of his cock and it jumped. He closed his eyes and waited for the next touch, but it didn't come. It didn't come until she tasted that drop from him and then very timidly put her hand around his cock. She'd forgotten that they were wide open to view by anybody walking by.

When Charlie felt her hand wrap around him, he put his hand between her legs and caressed her outer lips. She was the one to jump that time, but then she lay still as he carefully explored her with his fingers and eyes. A sigh slipped past her lips and her hand moved up and then down his shaft as she watched the soft pale skin on his cock move along with her hand. She was breathing faster as they slowly touched and teased each other. He slipped a finger inside of her and felt her moist heat. Her hand stopped moving and then in a sudden burst of movement she jumped up and taking a quick deep breath said, "Oh god Charlie, we have to walk or something. Walk and talk or run or something. I can't believe we did what we just did and right out in public."

Chapter Eleven

Martin and Liz were going to have a real struggle, because first thing in the morning while still in bed, they moved close and kissed each other. Good morning," she told him in a half whisper.

And good morning to you. Did you feel me put my arm around you during the night?"

"I wish I had, did you sleep okay?"

"I'm surprised that I slept at all, but I did okay."

"I have to write in my diary after breakfast and before we go do whatever. I want to write about my thoughts. Have you decided if you'll share yours with Allie?"

"I will, what about you and Darren?"

"I will too. But what if you do something she wouldn't approve of? Will you still have her read it?"

"I will, but she and I will have to talk about things first because all of us are in such a foreign environment that anything could happen and just you and me holding each other close last night while we were naked takes us beyond anything we ever shared at home."

"I liked how that felt by the way." They were destined to have a very intimate and rewarding time together which couldn't be said for poor struggling Elise.

Uncomfortable little Elise put Mike out of her mind and forced herself to walk on the beach alone. She was fine with being alone, but she still had to deal with the naked people that she was encountering and trying not to look at. Then she found three chairs but nobody there, and nobody coming behind her or toward her. She lay back and looked at the rise and fall of the slowly undulating water. A slow rise of a smooth silken wave would form and slip silently toward shore. Then at the last possible second it would seem to jump up and the curl over with a soft hiss and spread out across the sand until it was defeated. Then the whole process would begin again, the water persistently trying to overcome gravity and the sand. "Hi." She about jumped out of her skin. Looking up she saw a young looking guy smiling down at her. He didn't look dangerous but she still wasn't comfortable with her situation.

"Hi," she shot back at him.

"Enjoying your day?"

She wanted to tell him that she was until he showed up, but she was civil and said, "It's okay."

"You don't like it here do you." That made her look at him again and with a feeling of defeat she watched him sit down on the end of a lounge chair.

"Not especially. I'll bet my husband is though. I suppose you are having a fantastic time."

"Pretty much, but not until awhile ago."

"What made everything good for you, did a fairy come by and grant you a wish?"

He smiled and studied the water rather than look at her and said, "Nothing like that. I just got tired of having strangers ruin my time here. Or rather by me allowing it to happen. None of those people know me or give a damn about me, so I had to decide to do something about it or have the most miserable two weeks of my life. A dream of a vacation. Two weeks on a tropical island and everything is totally free. Nothing like this is ever going to come my way again and I've been getting beaten down instead of enjoying it. So from now on if somebody wants to stare at me they can, and I'll stare back at them if I choose."

She looked over at him again as she sat up straighter and said, "If only it was that simple."

"It wasn't at first, but it didn't take a lot of effort to make it work. I'm Joey by the way. Joey Lakehurst and yes I know most don't share their last name, but I will."

"I'm Elise."

His eyes stayed on the water even though he wanted to look at her. "Nice to meet you Elise. How do you like your roommate?"

"He's a first class jerk."

"Ooh, sorry to hear that. I'm paired with a pretty nice woman named Linda."

"But you two aren't together now."

"No. We seem to get along okay, but she just isn't somebody I want to spend every day and night with. To me she talks too much. It was funny because she even warned me she was like that. If she knows, then why doesn't she do something to change her ways? Oh well, she went one way and I went another, and here I am talking with you now. Mind if I sit back and enjoy your company for just a little while?"

"No, but Joey I'm not going to be a lot of fun to be around."

"Don't get mad at me for saying this because I like you and only mean this in the best way. Elise, you're talking yourself into misery. Here you are naked and you don't want to be. You're not with your husband and you don't like that either. Both things I rebelled against too remember? But do you really want to stay like this for two weeks? Alone and increasingly miserable?" Unknown to them two cameras were focused on them and the audio transmission was clear. Earl and company was recording every word.

"Joey you're a nice guy, but I don't think you understand."

"Unless you have a lot more to tell me, I'm pretty sure I do understand. I know my wife, where ever she is, is dealing with this a lot better than I am and that presents some issues too. But again, I can't do a thing to change that either, so I have to put that in the back of my mind to work out later when she and I can talk in the privacy of our home. Now if I confess something to you will you promise not to go tromping off down the beach?"

"Okay, I promise not to go tromping off."

"When I saw you sitting here I confess to stepping off of the beach and found a place where I could just watch you and appreciate you. I know that sounds like I was spying on you, but I didn't think of it like that. You looked unhappy, and the fact that you were alone added to what I thought. I'm sorry if that displeases you, but I just wanted to admire you for a few more minutes before I walked over here."

"You wanted to admire me?"

"Of course."

"But...why?'

"Why? I'm surprised that you would ask that question. Elise, you are a good looking woman."

"You don't even look old enough to qualify for this group."

"Thank you, but I'm thirty three and old enough to know a good looking woman when I see her."

"Thank you."

"Elise, could I talk you into walking with me?"

"You mean now?"

"Why not now? There won't be any more or less people around later, and whatever they think of us if they see us, won't be any different later than now. Please? We don't owe them an explanation of who we are or whether we're sharing a cottage or our bodies. None of that is of anybody's concern except you and me. We can hold hands and be support for each other." Rather than say yes she stood up and with a small smile held out her hand to him and they started a slow walk as they took turns looking at and memorizing each other from head to toe.

"Joey?" He looked at her and smiled as she said, "Thank you spying on me and for stopping to talk to me, and thank you for thinking I'm good looking and for worrying about me."

"You're welcome, and thank you for trusting me and giving us a chance to know each other." He was right. They encountered guests here and there, mostly as couples, but having Joey's hand in hers made a surprising difference to her.

Little by little and guest by guest, pairings were quickly happening. Some, like Kyle and Linda wouldn't last the day, but most would not only survive, they would thrive to the point of jeopardizing marriages after they were all home.

It took less than a day for everybody to figure out, that without exception, spouses were not assigned to the same cottage group, so there was no chance that anybody was going to connect with their husband or wife before the end of the two weeks.

Chapter Twelve

The after dinner questionnaires continued to be fairly straightforward with minimal reference to sex, but it was still very early in the vacation. Monday was much like Sunday had been except for the couples that evolved Sunday. They were quick to either stay with, or eager to get to their new best friend and potential lover. Those that either hadn't found a mate or didn't want one were content to go to the nearest lounges and enjoy the morning there, or a brisk work out running up and down the beach.

Martin's Allie was one of those not in a hurry to find a temporary mate. It wasn't that she didn't check out the guys in their group, but rather Jerry, her cottage partner, nice as he was, didn't grab her in a way that might coax her into misbehaving for the first time in their marriage.

Jerry felt the same way. Allie was sweet and personable and even attractive, but unless some woman grabbed him by the nuts emotionally, he wasn't eager to scour the island for a temporary mate.

Mike and Kyle had their own problems. They were both just too full of themselves to pull any of the other women into their sexual realm and they weren't even close to creating any emotional bond with another woman.

By Tuesday a few guests were sporting tender skins from not using any or enough sun lotion, even though it was provided for them. Each little island of beach lounges had a box mounted on a post nearby that held sun lotion, first aid ointment, packets of wet tissues to clean hands, and refresh faces and other places, plus tissues and condoms.

By mid to late afternoon Tuesday, a few found their way to deeper shade or one dayroom or another to see about watching television and escape the heat and sun on their tender skin and rest their tired eyes. Elise and Joey found Walt and Beth already there and perusing the DVD's on the shelf. Hearing them come in, Beth said, "If you two know what you want to watch let us know because we're just going give it a blind guess."