Ann: The Married Years Ch. 32

She grabbed her purse and the diaper bag and threw them in the car. Then she strapped Owen in his car seat and picked up the travel bag she used for work. While she didn't plan on anything happening, she'd learned her lesson the night her son spilled her drink all over her at Sherry's house. Not only did she always have a change of clothes or two for her son, she always brought one for herself as well.

"Okay, sweetie, let's go see Cynthia," she said as she started the car, laughing as she heard his excited response.

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

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Thelma?" Neil asked again, yet already shutting down his computer just a few hours into his shift.

"As long as you return the favor someday," she winked.

"Uh... excuse me?" he said with a start, his head snapping in her direction.

"Oh my God, Neil! Not with me! That's silly. I meant covering for me... so I can run off to fuck Vaughn."

Relieved he'd misunderstood, he asked, "What makes you think I'm running off to fuck Anna?"

"Well the first indication is that you've been calling her Anna all night, and I've known you both long enough to know what that means by now. The second is that big thing you've had growing in your pants ever since I told you to go," she smiled.

Looking at his crotch, he flashed a goofy smile. "Oh... that. Sorry."

"Don't be. And don't report me to HR for saying it, but seeing your cock when you get excited gets is one of the best fringe benefits of my job."

"Glad I can provide some occasional entertainment for you," he chuckled.

"Look, joking aside, I think it's great you want to be with her so bad. But like I said, I expect you to do the same for me."

"Okay... just name the night, and -"

Thelma cut him off, quickly blurting out, "Tomorrow!"

Neil burst out laughing at the eagerness in her voice. "Wow. You had that locked and loaded. Are you sure?"

"Very. In fact, it'll work out perfect. Believe it or not, I already have a plan. Listen to me... I sound like you. My god, you and Anna have really rubbed off on me."

"I don't know about that. If I was so good at this I'd feel more confident right now. I have no clue if this idea is even going to work."

"It's the thought that counts, Neil. Either way, I'm sure you'll be doing something kinky to her before the night is over!"

"I wouldn't say kinky. That was last night... and earlier today," he laughed.

"That doesn't surprise me either. My point is that whatever happens tonight, at some point we both know you'll be doing something exciting together. But I do hope whatever you're planning works out."

"That's just it. Anna's the one that plans things out. I always seem to make things up along the way. This whole thing was kind of just thrown together."

"So you approach things differently than she does. So what? It's the end result that matters. You should know that, after working here for so long. Besides, isn't it enough that you're putting the effort in?"

"I suppose. I love surprising her. But I'm just not sure she's going to see it that way. There's a chance this is going to blow up in my face."

"Trust me... she'll be surprised one way or another. You're just worried you won't get laid until later."

"Ha! You're probably right. Thanks again for letting me do this, Thel. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Well, for a few hours, at least. Then I get to go out and have my fun!"

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

"This is delicious Brenda," Ann said as she took another bite of her tender pot roast, smothered in gravy. Then she took a spoonful of gravy covered mashed potatoes and fed it to Owen, who slammed his hands on the high chair he was sitting in. "He loves it too."

"Thanks," she said as she spoon-fed Cynthia some corn. "I love cooking, but it's a lot harder with Eddie being gone."

Ann had danced around the question for over an hour, not wanting to upset her friend, thinking she was there as a diversion to keep her mind off of him. But that was at least the fifth time she'd mentioned his absence. To continue to ignore the subject at that point just seemed rude.

"How are you managing with him being gone?"

"Oh, pretty good for the most part. It took a couple of days to get used to it, but I'm figuring it out. I think it has affected Cynthia a lot. She's been really cranky."

"What about you? Are you stressed about him being where he's at?"

"Not really. There's no action to speak of, and even if there were, he's at an air base in friendly territory. I mean, his job with his unit can be dangerous, so that's always somewhere in the back of my mind. But it's not much different than him being here when he's doing training, except he's not coming home every night right now. Any stress I have is in dealing with this one," she said as she fed her another spoonful.

"I'm sure you miss him more than you're letting on."

"Well, I am going through a lot of batteries," she joked.

"What?" Ann laughed, surprised that her friend had said it so bluntly. Even though they'd shared a bit about their private lives, enough to know that neither one of them were prudes when it came to sex, it was unexpected.

"I'm sorry. Should I not have said that? I thought we could... you know, be open about things like that."

"Oh, Brenda, of course you can. It just caught me off guard, that's all."

"So, you really don't mind?"

"Well, no. It's not what I expected, but you already know I'm not all innocent and pretty."

"Oh, you're more than pretty. Look at you. You're gorgeous. I just meant we haven't shared that much. I just don't want to come across as, you know..."

"You don't have anything to worry about with me, Bren. Whatever you want to talk about will stay here. I promise. And you're pretty hot yourself," she added, not wanting to ignore the compliment she'd been given.

"Well, that's good to know. About being able to talk to you... I already know I'm hot," she teased.

They were silent for a few minutes as they ate and fed their babies, the two women kind of waiting each other out. Brenda's smile brought a smirk to Ann's face. She knew her friend was thinking, and it was rather obvious that whatever it was about, it had something to do with the subject they'd just touched on. Yet she remained patient, watching Brenda, who oddly kept her thoughts to herself.

"Hmm... maybe we're done talking about sex," she surmised as she took another bite of her pot roast.

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

Neil felt guilty about his idea, even as he was coming up with more details earlier that morning. He had already devised one plan, packing her bag as he got ready to go shopping. He was about to execute the first one, the culmination of which would be catching her off guard and fucking her behind her store, if he could pull that off. Yet before he did that, he was already contemplating a second one... a follow up scheme that would transition his wife from Anna Renee back to Anna.

He was excited about it almost as much as the first one. But there were so many favors he'd have to ask just to do it that it made him uncomfortable.

First, it was obvious he'd have to broach the subject with Thelma. But in doing that, it meant he would be going around his boss, Jeff. Not that he'd have a problem with him taking some time off, even if it meant using a half-day of vacation. The idea of just talking to his partner and skipping out early without telling his boss was unsettling. He'd never done it before, and he wasn't sure he wanted to now. Then again, Jeff had done it dozens of times himself, saying that family comes first. Of course, using that axiom just to have some erotic fun with his wife had likely never been factored in.

He knew Thelma wouldn't have a problem with it. Their workload was light, and they'd been on a particularly good streak of production. But he still had to ask the favor.

He also worried about how to care for Owen. He and Ann had started leaning heavily on Felicia to babysit. It was not only once a week; they also used her every now and then just so they could have some alone time. While he was sure she would have done it willingly, he was reluctant to continue going to that well. He didn't want to risk the chance that they would ever be looked at as taking advantage of her generosity.

It didn't help that Felicia was already watching him at that very moment, and would be until Ann picked him up. To ask her to watch him again later that very night seemed a bit much. It also wasn't fair to Owen.

That left him with his second dilemma. Even if he asked Thelma if he could take off early and she said yes, who in the world could he find to watch Owen on such short notice, and have it be somewhere he'd want to go? That's when it hit him.

"This whole thing started with her going and staying out late to be with her friends... that's the answer!"

Rummaging through the drawer, he pulled out Ann's little black book... the one she wrote down addresses and phone numbers in. Pulling it out, he leafed through each page, trying to find the first name he was looking for. It didn't help that he couldn't remember the last name off the top of his head. Finding it under 'J', he kicked himself.

"Jeez... how hard is it to remember Jones?"

Picking up the phone, he took a deep breath before dialing. The butterflies tumbled in his stomach as he waited, listening to the line ringing through the earpiece.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he sighed.

"Hello?"

"Hello... is this Brenda?"

"Yes?"

"Hi Brenda, this is Neil Thomas, Ann's husband."

"Oh, Hi. What's up... is everything okay?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. I was just wondering if I could ask you a favor, that's all."

She let out a laugh, his request seeming a bit strange. "I'm sorry. What have met, twice?"

"Uh, three times, I think. Maybe. Anyway, I know it seems a bit odd for me to be calling like this. I can understand if it makes you uncomfortable, what with your husband being out of the country and all."

"Yeah, actually, when you put it like that, it kind of does, Neil."

"Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm so sorry, Brenda. I shouldn't have called. But hey, it was nice chatting with you. Have a nice day."

"WAIT!" she called out, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Yes?"

"You went to all the trouble of calling. I suppose I can at least hear you out."

"Well, it wasn't all that much trouble. I looked up a number and pressed some buttons. Hardly a resume builder."

"God, you're as funny as Ann said you were. Seriously, let me hear you out. What's the favor?"

"If it's any consolation, the favor isn't just for me. I'm trying to surprise Ann and I was hoping you might help."

"Oh, okay, well, tell me what you have in mind and I'll see if there's anything I can do."

"That's just it. I'm really not sure why I called you, other than I know you have Cynthia and I thought it might work. I'm kind of looking for someone to watch Owen."

"You want me to babysit so you and Ann can go out?"

"Something like that?" he chuckled.

She picked up on the inflection in his laugh. "Why do I get the feeling it's something more than that?"

"Uh... good question. Look, Brenda, I'm really sorry I bothered you. I'm beginning to think this was a big mistake."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just, well, you said it yourself. I don't know you very well. Barely at all, actually... that's why you pointed it out. But, more importantly, you don't know Ann and I very well yet, and I guess -"

"Let me get this straight. You just don't want to admit that you want me to watch your son so you can have a couple of hours alone to fuck your wife?" she giggled.

"Picked up on that did you?"

"Yeah. It wasn't all that hard."

"Well, to be honest, it's a bit more complicated than that."

"More complicated?"

"Uh huh. Like I said, there's a lot about us that you don't know. And while I know Ann has shared some things with you, I'm not sure what they were. And I'm not sure if she would be okay if I shared anything. It's really not my place. You're her friend."

"If you're asking me to watch Owen, I'd hope you'd think I'm a friend of both of yours."

"Funny. Now you sound like Ann."

"Well, I'd like to think we're a lot alike."

"Yeah, about that. Exactly how much has she told you? I don't want us to come across as -"

"Ann and I have both shared things, Neil. That's what girlfriends do. And if I weren't like her, I wouldn't have been sharing things in the first place, so relax. I'm comfortable admitting to you that I've done my share of wild things before."

"I'm sure you have, but that didn't answer my question."

"Okay, for starters, I know she's really into exhibitionism. And I know she gets turned on when you make her do things; although I'm not really sure what you've made her do. I just know she likes when you do that. A lot, apparently."

"Does either of those things bother you?"

"No. Why?"

"Because, I was wondering if you'd invite her over for dinner tonight."

"What?"

"Brenda, do you trust Ann?" he asked bluntly.

"Well yeah, of course I do. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I sort of have this idea. But I don't know if it's going to work, and I don't know how much to tell you. I guess I'm kind of hoping you'll just go with the flow. That is if you're really like Ann like you say you are, and you're open-minded."

"Why Mr. Thomas, just what are you asking me to do?" she teased.

"Not what you think. But then again, you never know when it comes to my wife. All I'll say on the matter is we're not swingers. I'm not interested in anything like that."

"That's good, because I'm not that kind of wife. I'd never do that to Eddie. Which makes me wonder if it's not that, what do you want me to do?"

"Like I said, I'd like you to call her up when she gets off of work and invite her over to dinner. I'll pay to reimburse you for the trouble. If she decides to come, just be open with her."

"About what?"

"Sex. Get her to talk about it. I feel guilty asking you to share with her, because what you and Eddie do is none of our business. But... I know you've already shared some things with Ann. Otherwise you wouldn't know about me making her do things, or about her love of exhibitionism. You would have had to have shared something similar with her for her to tell you that much. The fact that I don't know what you've shared with her should tell you something about what kind of friend she is. My hope is you can just kind of get her to talk. And if she does... well, hopefully she'll bring up some of her alter egos."

"Her what?"

He was stumbling on how to tell her more, without confiding anything Ann might not want to share. "Look, can I ask you a question?"

"This is complicated," she giggled again. "I suppose you can ask. I might not answer it though."

"Fair enough. Have you and Eddie ever done any role-playing... in the bedroom?"

"I think this night just got really interesting."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"It is. I got pregnant that way. I hope my daughter never finds out I was a sexy wench being held captive by a pirate when we conceived her," she laughed.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. We love role-playing. I thought it was only us."

"Wait, if you don't want Cynthia to find out, why would you tell me something like that?" he wondered.

"Trust is a two-way street, Neil. If you're asking me to help you, I think it only fair that we both know we can trust each other. You asked if I trusted Ann, and I do. I trust you with what I just told you. Why? Because you're married to Ann, just like I'm married to Eddie. We're going to tell our spouses things eventually, because that's what women do. But we're all in that circle of trust. If that wasn't the case, I don't believe for a second you wouldn't have called me in the first place."

"Wow. I really can't argue that point."

"Right. Besides, there might be a time I'm asking you and Ann to do something to help me surprise Eddie. Like I said, we love role-playing. I take it that's what you're trying to do."

"Hopefully. It depends on what kind of mood she's in and if I can lead her where I want her to go."

"Well, now I'm really intrigued. Count me in Neil. I'll call Ann this afternoon."

"You don't even really know what this is all about."

"No need. I'm interested enough now that I want to see how it ends now."

"Yeah... be careful what you wish for."

"I'll take my chances. Is there anything else I need to do? I mean, besides invite her over, hope she comes, and then talk about sex when she does?"

"No. I don't think so."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Well, for starters, I'm going to pack Ann's bag."

"Say what?"

"Oh, nothing... I'm going to go see her in a little while at work. I have to pack a bag."

"So that's it then. I just call her."

"Yep. I just need to get her to come to your house, if you're okay with that."

"So, you're planning on doing whatever it is you're going to do right here in my house?"

"Actually, outside. I didn't want to presume anything. It's a bit much for me to just think I can call you up and invite myself and my wife over to, you know..."

"Fuck?"

"You keep going back to that, don't you?" he chuckled again.

"Sorry. I've pretty much got a one-track mind at the moment. And if you're going to do this, it's probably safer inside. We live on a mountain. There are bears around from time to time."

"Really?"

"Yeah... that's why we have motion sensor lights, which I'm pretty sure you won't want on if you going to be doing your wife out there."

"Great. Now I feel like I'm imposing."

She burst out laughing "Really? You want me invite your wife and son over and make them dinner. I would think that would have been the first imposition."

"Oh... wow! That sounds so awful when you put it like that. I never even asked you if you have plans tonight. This really is rude of me."

"Nonsense, Neil. I'm just playing with you. I'd love the company, no matter what happens. And you don't have to worry about reimbursing me, or however you said it. It's my pleasure. Cynthia loves Owen. That alone is worth it to have them over."

"Well good, but there's no guarantee anything will happen if they come over. I'm pretty much playing this by ear."

"Not really. You sort of have a plan. You want me to call her and invite her over, and you want me to bring up sex. By the way, is there anything in particular I should be talking about, or asking about?"

"Well, now that you mention it, there is one thing, but I'm not sure how you'd even bring it up. It has to do with the role-playing we were talking about. I'm just worried Ann will be mad if I share it with you."

"It's up to you. Ann doesn't know I was tied to a hammock that was transformed into a cargo net on Pirate Eddie's ship so he could have his way with me. Eddie doesn't know I shared that with you. The way I see it, you could just trust me, tell me what it is, and I'll see if I can work it into the conversation."

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

Ann and Brenda were sitting in the living room of Brenda's beautiful rustic home. The fire was roaring in front of them, creating a warm, friendly mood. It wasn't cold outside during the day, what with it being mid-September, but there was a nip in the air at night, especially with the higher altitude. It surprised Ann that Brenda started making one in the first place, but she soon realized how nice it was as she relaxed in her chair.

They were having a drink, Brenda having gotten out a couple of wine glasses, pouring apple juice into them. It was silly, but since they were both still breastfeeding, they were abstaining from alcohol. She kidded that the glasses helped her feel more adult. Yet all the while, they were talking about being mothers as they watched the babies play on the floor in front of them. That is until she drastically changed the subject again.