Ann: The Married Years Ch. 17

He went around the house one night picking them all up while the girls were showering to get ready for bed. He could hear them laughing and giggling as they played under the water.

"It's like having a couple of kids in the house," he chucked as he shook his head, smiling as he walked around gathering up vibrators and anal beads and dildos and butt plugs and such, putting them in a basket, carrying them all back to the chest in the bedroom like he was putting away toys in a toy box. Actually, that was what he was doing, since he and Ann called it their toy chest for a reason.

It did surprise him that while most of the items in the big, ornate chest had been used, none of the bondage gear had been touched so far. He knew that Tina had become enamored with that sexual bent and while she didn't delve into it often, it was an area of sexual interest she and Ann shared.

Then again, it was something he and Ann shared, at least at one time. He was having trouble remembering the last time they'd done it. From what he could recall, it had actually been over a couple of years. To his knowledge the only time since then that any of their bondage gear had gotten some use was the Friday Tina has showed up, and then it was used to tie him up.

He still didn't know that some of it had been used on Felicia as well that day, but that didn't change the fact that it had been a very long time since Annabelle had made an appearance. He suddenly wondered if Ann had decided to cross her off their list and just hadn't bothered to tell him.

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

Annabelle had crossed Ann's mind from time to time. She'd pop into her mind occasionally. She was still there, lurking beneath the surface. Yet there was no burning desire at the moment to be used like that.

Tina actually brought it up Monday morning after Neil had left for work, seeing all the bondage stuff in the bottom of the trunk when Ann opened it up so show her all of the things they had at their disposal to play with. She was wondering if they might be using any of it during the week. After all, she'd seen what Ann had done to Felicia.

"I don't think so," Ann replied with a warm smile. "I'm not really in that frame of mind right now. Besides, I already told Neil we wouldn't be using our safe word this week. He knows I'm not thinking that way."

"Are you sure? It sure looked like it, at least based on what you did to Felicia."

"That was different. It's not the same mindset when you're the top."

"The... top?"

"That's what the person in the dominant role is called."

"Ha! What do they call the other one? The bottom?"

"Yes, actually. Or the sub."

"Like... submissive?"

"Uh huh."

"And you're saying the mindset is different between the two."

"Of course it is. They're totally different roles. It takes me a while to get myself in the frame of mind to submit to Neil. I haven't done it in forever," she admitted.

"But not when you're on top?"

"Ha! Not on top. I'm the top. And when I do that, while I have to work myself into it to some degree, it just kind of happens for me."

"I don't get it. I've only been a bottom, I guess. How the hell can you be both?"

"I'm kind of a switch," Ann shrugged.

"What the hell is that?"

"A switch is someone that switches back and forth. They like being either one. They just aren't generally doing each at the same time."

"How do you know this stuff?"

"Research. Read it in a couple of books I had Missy send me on the lifestyle a few years back. I wanted to learn more about some of the things I was feeling inside when Neil and I did it. The truth is we only dabble in it. It's not really a lifestyle for us or we'd be doing it all the time. It's kind of a disservice to couples that live that way every day to say otherwise. But it helped me to understand how my brain was reacting to what he would do to me. The emotions can be so powerful it becomes difficult to process. And I needed to figure out why I needed treated in such a way. I thought I knew, but in reading about it I learned some things about myself."

"So, is Neil a switch too?"

"Oh God no," she laughed, "He lets me tie him up every once in a while, just so we can have some fun. The truth is he's incredible as my... well, my Master. I'm more of a bottom than I'll ever be a top. I love the tranquility that comes over me when I give myself totally to him. I just don't want to spoil what we're doing with you this week, and becoming Annabelle would do that. She commands all of Neil's attention."

"Oh... okay. I just figured as long as I'm here, if you wanted -"

She actually did want. At least, she thought she did. She wasn't certain, other than she'd gotten wet just talking about it. What she did know was that if she wanted it, she wanted it to be with Neil. In truth she still wasn't quite ready in her head. Besides, if it was like the last couple of years, whenever the thought of becoming Annabelle popped into her head the feeling would end up passing rather quickly.

She knew it still appealed to her and there were parts of what she did to her neighbor that she would love to have done to her, the feeling fresh in her dirty mind. But timing was everything. All she could think about when it came to Tina's visit was how she wanted the three of them to play nice, in a very naughty way.

Cutting her off, Ann said, "Thanks Tina. Maybe next time you come out. It just doesn't appeal to me right now. I hope you understand."

Tina walked into her arms, kissing her tenderly as they stood next to the open trunk. Reaching inside she picked up a huge wand vibrator, running it along the inside of Ann's thigh. "It's okay. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other things in here we can play with," she said as she turned it on, placing the big bulbous head against Ann's pussy.

"The one that plugs into the wall is even more powerful," Ann whispered as she leaned into her friend, grabbing her ass in the process.

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

When Neil finished his shift on Friday afternoon, he was excited. Not just that he was going home to his wives; he also had good news for the second Friday in a row. His crew had once again saved the week, busting their butts so that they didn't have to work the weekend. That meant that Jeff, his boss, was going to be busy calling all of the third shift people that had dropped the ball the night before, and several nights before that, telling them they didn't have to come in either.

"They're not going to be happy," Neil warned him before he left the plant.

"Why not? It's supposed to be beautiful this weekend," Jeff said as he pulled out the list of employee phone numbers from his desk.

"Uh... isn't it obvious?"

"Well, no. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

Sitting down, Neil shook his head and said, "Man, Jeff, I don't know how to say this without -"

"Neil, it's me. Just say it."

"Conrad is dogging it. Actually, his entire crew is dogging it. He's just letting them."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"The schedule we had this week was ridiculously easy, Jeff. Hell, we should have blown through it by yesterday morning," he said of how things had been set up by the scheduling department. "There was no reason we should have had to scramble like we did today."

"What are you saying... that Conrad's crew isn't trying?"

"They're just like he is. They work hard at not working. It's not like they can't do the job, but they're doing everything they can to find problems."

"Why would they be looking for problems, Neil? That doesn't make any sense."

"Because, whenever they're on third shift, there's no one there to watch over them."

"That's what Conrad is for."

"Yeah. But who's watching over him?"

"Neil, I know the two of you don't get along. But you've won that battle. Your crew is kicking their ass."

"And yet I still almost had to work tomorrow."

"Well, sometimes things happen."

"Bullshit. It's always something with him, Jeff. My shift is better, so that becomes his new excuse? How about being a better supervisor and get your people to step up!"

"Don't you think that's s bit harsh?"

"Harsh? I'm just being honest. His crew has the talent. I made sure of that when I hired them and put his crews together. They have more talent than mine!"

"Okay, I'll grant you that. But don't you think it's unfair to paint everything with such a broad brush? They've had some really good months of late."

"You mean because they've made quota?"

"Of course."

"You can't be serious Jeff. Please tell me you're not serious."

"Neil, the numbers are what they are. You can't deny they've been successful if they hit their target, even if you can't stand the guy."

"I never said I can't stand him, or don't like him, or whatever. Personally, I'm ambivalent about him. He's got some great qualities, to be honest. Never calls off. He actually has a good sense of humor. Has incredible penmanship, which surprises me to be honest. What I've said is I don't respect him, which is worse. And you're dead wrong about what the numbers say."

"How so?"

"When we first started he was first in production out of two shifts. Then mine started catching up and eventually passed them. We were close for a while but we still came out on top. Then that gap started widening right after we started up the third shift. He was quick to pin that on suddenly having to follow Derrick's crew instead of mine. And that made some sense in the beginning. But then Derrick started gaining on them, which he didn't anticipate. When Derrick actually passed them that first time, you were ecstatic."

"Well yeah. I never thought they'd come along so quickly."

"Or was it that Conrad's shift regressed? Hard to tell if you just look at the numbers with making quota as the only goal."

"I'm not following."

"The only reason Derrick hasn't caught my shift yet is because I won't let him. That's my goal. But it's going to happen eventually; he's been nipping at my heels for three straight months. When he does take me down, no one will be prouder of him than me. Conrad will still make quota, and still be in the same third place he's in now. Not only will he never challenge for the top spot; he won't make an effort for second, and it will be okay because he did the bare minimum."

"I understand some of that. All of it really, but someone's going to be top dog, Neil. That's why we have targets."

"Time to change them, then," he shrugged.

"What?"

"Maybe the the goal is too low for all of us."

"You think we should raise it?"

"I think I don't want to lose sight of why we started this conversation. I almost had to work tomorrow because his shift dropped the ball three straight nights. You said it was because I have a better crew, and I've won the battle... apparently referring to him. I never looked at it as a battle. He did. But when he started losing, consistently, he had to come up with valid reasons to take the heat off. He never dreamed he wouldn't have the best shift, so he doesn't know how to handle it. Derrick and his crew coming on board gave him a built-in excuse. And that's all this is now; a revolving series of excuses."

"You seem to be trying to make a big point, Neil. Can you please just cut to the bottom line for me?"

"Okay. Here it is. By accepting the logic that my shift is only better because he fixes the things that Derrick's crew doesn't do right, it makes it that much easier for him to justify why they don't keep up with the rest of us. And I'll give it to him, that is certainly a plausible explanation. Let me ask you this, though. Does it ever make you wonder how Derrick's shift can run all day long on one of the lines, and Conrad's shift shows up and they shut it down to fix something because they say it isn't right? Yet there's nothing wrong with the product Derrick ran on his shift. Both things can't be true, Jeff. If there was something wrong with the line, the product should be bad. Conversely, if the product 2nd shift ran was good last night, what was so wrong with the line that 3rd shift couldn't just run it when they came in?"

Jeff sat back for a moment, thinking of instances where that very thing had happened. "How would you know that? Conrad doesn't follow your shift anymore."

"He used to when there were just two shifts... and because of that I know that's how he operates. Also, Derrick and I talk."

"Why hasn't Derrick said anything to me?"

"He's still the new guy, Jeff. He doesn't want to sound like he's bitching. He just does his job and goes home. And he's doing a damn fine job of it at that."

"Okay, but why on earth would they be... what did you say? Dogging it?"

"It's pretty simple... overtime. Unlike the rest of us, they want to work weekends."

"But Conrad doesn't get overtime. He's management."

"Yeah, keep thinking that," Neil said as he got up to leave.

"But he is. He's on salary, just like you are."

"I know that, and you know that. But I've said it a million times, my friend; he's a glorified operator... always will be. That's the only way he knows how to think. That's the only way he knows how to train his people to think. He's too busy trying to be their friend instead of their boss. He wants to be looked at as one of the guys."

"I'm sorry, Neil. I guess I haven't been looking at it like I should have."

"I'm not mad. I don't have to work the weekend, which was my goal when I came in today. But there's going to come a time when the way that shift operates really costs us, and the person you'll be apologizing to won't be me. It'll be Andy. Anyway, I've gone on long enough. Have a good weekend."

"How the hell can I have a good weekend now? I've got this crap on my mind," he laughed.

"Sorry, buddy. Have fun making those calls."

"Fuck that! I'm, calling Conrad. He can drag his ass back in here and call off his own damn crew!"

"Now that's a great idea. See you Monday!"

He was still chuckling when he pulled into his driveway, thinking about the idea of Conrad having to go back into the plant just to call off his entire crew. But that quickly popped out of his head when he saw the front door of the house open before he even had a chance to turn off the engine. Ann was leaning against the door jam, her left leg bent at the knee; a 4-inch red stiletto placed firmly against the wooden frame as her left arm rose above her head to stretch out her lithe, naked body.

It didn't surprise him that she'd become so brazen around the house that she stood there nude, waiting for him. Whenever she was in a particularly daring mood, she'd take a forbidden chance like that. He was sure by now more than one of the neighbors besides Jason and Felicia had caught a glimpse of her sexy naked body at some point since they moved in. It didn't seem to faze her anymore and he found it thrilling when she'd greet him like that.

It wasn't like she paraded around outside without her clothes on, although she was on the deck sunbathing that way a lot. The partitions Neil built took care of a lot of that. The south side of the house next to the garage was in view, but there were no windows to the house there. The back of the house was too high for anyone to see in, and there were no windows to the north where the master and guest bedrooms were, although they also would have been too high with the way the house was positioned over the tallest part of the crawl space. It was almost like a two-story house at that end with the way it was built into the hill.

That left the yard on the north side. Jason and Felicia could see that from their deck. The windows to the two front bedrooms were blocked by the Wallace home. And they had no windows on that side of their house.

With the way the Thomas home was built on the lot in relation to all the other residences, there weren't a lot of places for anyone to see inside. The only voyeuristic views would be peering into the one of the two front windows of the great room, or the front doorway.

Ann just happened to be standing in one of the few spots where a neighbor might see her. And that made Neil's cock rise just looking at where she was and how she was standing there.

"Do you have good news?" she asked as he approached slowly, drinking in her body with his lust-thirsty eyes.

"Are you going to fuck me here?" he replied as he put his lunch cooler on the front porch.

Draping her arms over his strong shoulders, she nuzzled his neck, feeling his hands roam over her lower back, moving toward her perfect ass. "Hmm... maybe. Soooo?"

"You've got me for the weekend," he grinned, lifting her up and twirling her around, making her squeal in delight.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT TINA! HE'S ALL OURS!"

Tina walked in from the garage, carrying a mop and a bucket. "Aw... I wanted to be the one to greet him when he came home tomorrow," she whined playfully.

"You're just mad because you won't get any alone time with Anna," he said as he carried her into the house.

"I'm sure we'll find some time to ourselves," Tina responded. "You can't fuck us for two days straight." Then she looked at Ann, who had a wicked smile on her face. "Can he?"

Neil was the one that answered. "Probably not, but I'm going to try. Starting with wife number one... where do you want me to ravage you, babe?"

"Where?" she teased, arching an eyebrow.

"Where in the house? Not where on you... I'm taking whatever hole I want today."

"God, I love a man that knows how to properly ravage his wives when he comes home. Let me see then... we've fucked almost everywhere."

Lifting her legs to cradle her in his arms, he nodded toward the front door. "Front porch then?"

"HA... no. Actually, take me on the island. We need to move it anyway so Tina can mop. She's going to do that, and then she's going to mop and clean the bathrooms."

"I HATE cleaning bathrooms. Especially toilets!" she groaned, and not in a mocking tone.

"You could have done the laundry. I offered to clean the bathrooms yesterday."

Waving her hand, she just shrugged. "Ah, it's just as well. I hate ironing even more."

"Well, there are no chores to do after this," Ann said excitedly. "Our job for the weekend is to take care of our husband."

"There's one more," Neil said as he carried Ann over toward the movable island. "Could you grab my cooler off the porch since we're not fucking there?"

Tina casually strolled outside in the buff, taking her time in picking up his cooler. She didn't care if anyone saw her. After all, she didn't live there. Meanwhile Neil placed Ann on the countertop before sliding the unit gently across the floor. Picking up first one end and then the other, he carefully put it on the carpet so Tina could start mopping. While she put her bucket underneath the faucet in the kitchen sink, Neil pulled up a barstool and spread Ann's legs, beginning what would be a long evening of sexual adventures for all of them.

"You're going to eat me like that later, right?" Tina asked as she worked the mop back and forth over the linoleum, keeping a watchful eye on the action on the bar.

"Mmm... sure," he said as he pulled his head up for just a moment. "I'll want another snack later."

Ann grabbed him by the hair, pressing his face back where it had been. "Stop it Tina! I don't interrupt your time with him!"

"Yes you do... you stopped us to see if it was okay if you could deepthroat a UPS man!"

It was all lighthearted fun to start, but things got serious a minute or so later when Ann grabbed the edge of the bar and arched her back.

"FUCK! I'MMMMMMM CUMMMMIIIINNNNNGGG!" she howled, her legs shaking violently as her first orgasm ravaged her body.