Ann: The Married Years Ch. 07

"Maybe you should sit down and think things through first," Barry offered, looking at the girls.

"I'm more of a 'make it up as we go' kind of girl," Ann said.

Neil blanched at that notion, saying "No you're not. You plan everything. The only one that makes things up as they go in our house is me."

"Well, that's true. But I've been with you long enough to know when that works and when it doesn't. And I think this will evolve however it's supposed to. Call it... fate," she smiled, knowing he'd appreciate that particular view on the subject. "Besides, we may all decide nothing should happen and we should just watch the game."

"I don't think anyone here is thinking that, babe. Not now," he winked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They weren't. What had gone unspoken, or even thought about for so long, was suddenly on everyone's mind. They didn't make any plans, other than to wait for the rest of the guests arrived and see how things played out. But Ann would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit that she hoped something similar would happen. In fact, that was the sentiment of all three couples, but none of them were going to be the first to admit it.

It turned out things began to take shape rather quickly, starting with when Ben and Olivia showed up. They were the last to arrive, one of the two new couples Carol had invited, the other being Phil and Stacy. Carol had said that she'd been very up front with both of the new couples about what had happened at the previous party before inviting them, wanting to know ahead of time if they were going to be offended in any way if something similar would happen this year. Being assured they wouldn't, she asked them to come, sending the formal invitations out a couple of weeks before the party as a reminder.

She said she really had to feel out Phil and Stacy, because while she felt she had a good read on them as a couple, she didn't know them quite as well. Unlike them, she was certain before she asked Ben and Olivia that they would be on board. She said Ben was very laid back and seemed open to most things, while Olivia had a wild side to her.

Olivia had gone to college with Carol, where they'd been roommates for a year. She'd been one of Carol's closest friends since, being there for her during the turbulent storm that was her divorce. So had Ben, standing guard on several occasions when her ex had to come by to get his personal possessions.

When asked why they weren't invited the previous year, Carol said that they were, but they couldn't make it because Ben had already committed to another party... a decision he later regretted when Olivia told him what Carol had shared about the events of the one they had missed.

Ben was big, about 6'3" with a stocky, muscular build, and while he seemed gentle enough, it was easy to see he could take care of himself if he had to. He had disheveled brownish-blond hair, and a disarming smile as he walked into the room with his arm draped around his wife's shoulder.

Olivia was alarmingly beautiful, her light tan playing perfectly against her long, jet black hair. It was shiny and straight, coming down to the middle of her back. She was on the short side, maybe 5'5". Then again, it was hard to judge because she was wearing 4-inch heels with her tight denim shorts. Still, Ben dwarfed her as they stood next to each other. What wasn't as hard to judge was her body; her legs were magnificent, while her breasts looked to be huge, what with her slender build.

She was decked out in Giants garb, obviously rooting for them in the game against another New York team, that being Buffalo. She still had a hint of a Brooklyn accent from her early youth, now faded from years of living the majority of her life in the South. And she was excited, her bubbly personality showing instantly.

"So... when do we start stripping!" she announced, followed by some nervous laughter, along with several hoots and hollers.

Carol held up her hand, the sudden concern etched on her face. "Now that Olivia has scared the elephant in the room, I would really like to say a few things before we officially start the party, if that's all right."

A hush came over the room, Barry slipping up next to her silently in a loving show of support.

"I was just going to kind of let things play out tonight, but now, I think we need to discuss what happened last year. First, I know for most of you what happened must have been a bit of a surprise... trust me, it wasn't planned. And I'm sure some of you are aware that a couple of people were put off by what some of us did. For those that aren't aware, well, those people aren't here tonight. The bottom line is that I don't want to lose any more friends, so we need to get this out in the open."

There was an audible gasp, and Suzanne, one of the wives actually stated, "You lost friends"; the shock evident in her voice.

"Well, Cindy for sure... the jury is still out on Beth. We'll have to see how that plays out. The point is, what happened that night happened, and they reacted the way they felt they had to. I don't begrudge them their feelings, and I give them credit for having the courage to tell me. That said I don't apologize for what I did.

I've talked to Ann and Martina, and none of us are ashamed that it happened. And, to be blunt about it, it's my house and my party. If I want to strut around topless again, or if Ann and Martina want to, then so be it. But, I guess I want to just kind of throw it out there that while we didn't plan last year and there are no actual plans this year, something could happen. And if it does, I want to make sure that everyone that's here is okay with it."

"Wait... so there aren't plans to strip?" Olivia asked with a fake pout on her face. "Then why the hell did you invite me?"

The group laughed, which lightened the mood a bit. But it got a bit serious again when Suzanne said, "So, are we all expected to do this... if it happens?"

Carol's expression softened hearing the trepidation in her friends voice. "What... strip?"

"Well, that or whatever else might happen. You just said you didn't have a problem if Ann and Martina do it, whatever it is. I can only presume we're talking about stripping. But Olivia makes it sound like we ALL are going to."

"I... I don't have a rule that says you have to strip, Suzanne. I just don't want to hear you or anyone else complain if someone else does."

"Look Carol, I don't want you to think Brian and I are prudes. Far from it, to be honest. And I'm sure he'd love it if I started taking my clothes off right now."

"We all would," Alphonso kidded, only to get an icy stare from Martina, who knew Suzanne was struggling to come to grips with what Carol was sort of suggesting.

"Thank you, Al," Suzanne blushed, unsure of what to make of his comment. Regardless, she simply stated her position. "Like I said, I'm no prude. I had a great time last year. But I'm not sure if I'm comfortable being naked in front of all these people. It's something I'd have to really think about."

"You don't have to, Suzanne. If you don't want to do anything, then don't. That's perfectly fine. But I don't want you to be uncomfortable if others do. You all came here to eat, to drink, to watch the game and to have a good time. It's that 'good time' part that can trip people up."

"Yeah, but if I'm the only one, I'm going to feel..."

"You're not going to be the only one," Stacy admitted. "Carol told me about what happened before she invited us to join, and we wanted to come. Well... Phil really wanted to come. I'm here for the other things, but I'm also curious. I want to see how this works. If some of you want to run around naked, then have at it."

"Same for me," Yvonne, another wife called out.

In fact, it became pretty evident that most of the women weren't going to do anything. Yet for some odd reason, they were not only okay if others did, they were in a way looking forward to it. Probably because it was something out of character for them, even if they were just there to witness it. It was something raw and unbridled, and it appealed to the naughty side of their brain. It made going to an adults only party seem much more adult. And the unspoken truth was, while they didn't want to necessarily participate, their husbands or boyfriends would get turned on, and they'd most certainly reap the benefits at home afterward.

Carol smiled and said, "Well, like I said, Barry and I just want everyone to have fun. And as long as we all know what that might be, then I'll feel better. I love each of you dearly, and I'd hate to think that what I want to be an annual event might kind of fizzle out after just two years."

"I think everyone's on board," Barry said as he scanned the eyes of the room. Putting his arm around her, he kissed her on the temple. "I keep telling you, sweetie. If they didn't like what happened last year, they wouldn't come back... and everyone we invited is here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was an inauspicious start to the game, other than a moving rendition of The Star Spangled Banner by Whitney Houston. Even with it being a lip-synced performance, the backdrop of Gulf War was heavy on the nation's mind. The flyover of fighter jets over the stadium in Tampa at the end of the anthem was particularly stirring.

At kickoff the room became transfixed on the action. They were looking forward to another high scoring affair, wondering what might transpire in Carol's living room. But going into the second quarter, it was looking like it was going to be a defensive battle, with the two teams tied at three.

The group was pretty much rooting for the Giants, going once again with the NFC allegiance like they had the year before. Yes, that game had started with Ann cheering for the 49ers because that was her team, but with most of the people in the room being fans of the more local Washington Redskins, they cheered along with her because both were from the NFC.

Now, they were pulling for the Giants for similar reasons. They weren't just from the NFC. Like the Skins, they were another Eastern Division team that played the same hard-nosed, smash-mouth style of game. That was in stark contrast to the Bills, who played a wide-open style of offense that many of the knowledgeable football fans in the room found a bit gimmicky. It wasn't that they didn't respect it, but it wasn't NFC East football. Even though the Giants were technically a rival of the Redskins, the group pretty much agreed they'd rather see an NFC team win than one from the AFC.

That tickled Olivia, as she was the only true Giant's fan. In fact, she'd basically taken on the role that Ann had played the year before; being the most vocal when it came to rooting for her team. While the rest of the guests wanted the Giants over the Bills, she was openly cheering for them.

It was because she took on Ann's role that she became part of their smaller group. Like the year before, Ann, Martina and Carol agreed to do shots of Jack Daniels just like they had the year before. Olivia willingly joined in with them, going so far as to up the ante. Insisting that because football was unpredictable and she wanted to have fun, she was drinking one for every score, not just touchdowns. Still, midway thought the second quarter they'd only had the one.

So, with them all still dressed and not nearly inebriated, the only real extracurricular action going on in the room was eating and watching the game. And with the Bills leading 10-3 at that midway point, the interest in the game became focused on the wagering that had taken place during the pre-game.

While Carol had tended to the food and beverages, as well as sending out the invitations, Barry wanted to bring something of his own to the festivities. So once she had talked to the guests before the game started, he addressed them, saying he had put together a game called 'Squares' that had become very popular at Super Bowl parties.

He had attached a big white sheet of paper to an easel he'd placed in the corner of the room. On it, he had created a grid, with ten columns going left to right, and ten rows from top to bottom. The whole thing looked like a giant chess board, but without different color spaces.

He sold each square for ten dollars. With there being a hundred of them, the total pot was going to be a thousand. A guest could buy as many squares as they wanted, and they'd write their names inside one of the empty spaces. Once all the spots were accounted for, Barry randomly drew numbers from zero through nine from a hat, and wrote them from left to right across the paper, one number over each column. Then he put the numbers back into the hat, and drew them again for each of the ten rows.

When he was done, each spot on the board had a number over its column and next to its row. The numbers represented the last digit in score of the game. After that, he drew the two teams from a hat, with the Giants being written over the numbers at the top, and the Bills being written on the side. The idea was that the score at the end of each quarter would create a winner whose name would be in the corresponding square, and that winner would get a portion of the pot.

Barry decided to weight the payouts based on the importance of the score at the time of the game, with logic dictating that the score at the end of the first quarter didn't matter as much as the one at the end of the game. So, he was paying out a hundred for the first quarter, two hundred for the second, three for the third, and the person that had the right space at the end of the game would win four hundred dollars.

With the guests writing their names on the board first, no one would know until the numbers were drawn what the likelihood was of their being in the running. Traditional thinking was that numbers like four and seven were good, because of the number of points touchdowns were worth. But with field goals, or missed extra points, or the unlikely event of a safety, any score was possible. Still, drawing the numbers after the names were written in meant everyone had a shot at the 'good' spaces instead of someone buying all of them ahead of time.

Kenny, one of Barry's friends, won the hundred dollar prize for the 3-3 first quarter score, and with the score standing at 10-3 in favor of the Bills, Stacy was hoping the score would stay that way because she'd be getting the next payout. Instead, the Bills punted the ball deep into Giants territory, and a couple of plays later, the quarterback for New York was tackled in the end zone.

"You're got to be kidding me... a SAFETY!" Barry yelled out. "That's totally going to fuck up everything."

"Not for me," Phil yelled, checking the board to see that he now had the number that would win if the quarter ended with the same 12-3 score.

But that didn't happen either. The Giants ended up scoring a touchdown right at the end of the quarter, and Stacy ended up winning because she had that square too. It was also the first shot of whiskey the four girls got to drink in what seemed like forever. With the score coming just before halftime, and it finally being a touchdown, they got together quickly in a little huddle, discussing whether they were going to do anything more.

"This is such a different game than the one last year," Carol said, almost sounding disappointed.

Ann nodded. "I know... there were so many points being scored in that game we all would have been totally naked if we'd started stripping at the beginning. We almost were as it was, and we didn't take anything off until Martina got drunk in the second half."

"I wasn't drunk. I knew exactly what I was doing," she replied.

Carol scoffed sarcastically. "Yeah, you were hardly drinking."

"I'm just saying I wasn't so out of it that I regret it. I was actually still pretty sober when I took off my top."

Ann got right to the point, as she always seemed to do. "Look, I don't care if we do this or not, but if we are, we need to come up with something soon or we might as well just watch the game. It's halftime as it is."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked, being unaware of how things progressed during the first party. New to the group, she wasn't even sure if she was out of line by simply asking the question.

Ann touched her arm, sensing her uneasiness. "It's okay, Olivia. It's just that last year, Martina started, and then every time the Niners scored a touchdown after that, one of us would take something off. First it was Carol, and then me... and we kept rotating. But they scored 55 points, and over half of them were in the second half. And that's the thing. We didn't start doing anything until the second half. "

"If you remember," Carol interrupted, "that's kind of why it started. The game was becoming a blowout. We were getting bored, and we wanted to keep people interested. Last year we didn't have the game Barry came up with. So when the Niners scored a touchdown sometime in the second half, the three of us took another shot of Jack like we had been, and then for some reason Martina took off her blouse. Then I did after the next one. And then you did the same thing on the next one, but you didn't have a bra on."

"I'm not wearing one now," she winked.

"That's because you're a slut," Carol teased.

Shrugging smugly, she flashed a naughty smile. "Not arguing. What's your point?"

"My point is that after that, there was one more TD, and we all stripped. We took off our bras, and you took off your shorts."

"It was a miniskirt."

"Fine, Ann. It was a miniskirt. Again, my point is we did that last round together. I think we need to consider that now. There's no scoring. We've already started taking shots for field goals. I'm sure we would have drank one for the safety if it had been the Giants that got it. I guess I'm asking are ya'll thinking of doing this or not?"

"Well, I'm willing," Martina quickly chimed in.

"Me too," Olivia said cheerfully.

Ann sighed and said, "So, you're thinking they might not score again, is that it?"

Carol looked around the room, seeing a party that appeared to be stagnating. It wasn't anything like the year before, when you could feel the fun and excitement at every turn, and it had little to do with the game other than rooting for the NFC to score. "I don't know. I just know I was having a much better time last year. I think everybody was. Do you have any other ideas?"

Ann thought for a moment, and said, "Well, one inherent problem is we're all probably wearing a different amount of clothes again. That's why you two just ended up topless, while I only had my thong on."

"You could have taken off a shoe," Martina kidded.

"Be serious, Martina. Who takes off a shoe? We were daring each other to go further, and I did because I didn't have as much on to start. I think if we're going to do this, it ought to be even for all of us across the board so no one feels left out this year. Next year, we can come up with something different if this is going to become a tradition."

Carol nodded and said, "Okay, but how do we do this tonight?"

"Is everyone wearing panties?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Olivia asked.

"Well most of the time I don't. But for some reason tonight I did. Funny, I told Neil I wasn't really thinking about doing this because I wore jeans, but somewhere in my head I must have wanted more to take off, because I never wear panties with jeans."

"Again, that's because you're a slut," Carol joked once more.

"We all are Carol. That's the reason we're even talking about doing this. They might as well call us the Super Bowl sluts."

"Ooohh, I like the sound of that," Martina chuckled.

"You would," Carol laughed again. "So Ann, do you have an idea yet?"