Ascending Lauren Ch. 12

"I'm listening," the 27-year-old clasped her hands on the table.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Lauren offered.

"Me too."

An eerie quiet permeated the house. In the distance a neighbor was mowing their lawn one last time before the winter.

"I can explain."

"So, you are cheating on Dad."

"No, it's not like that."

Caroline folded her arms. "Then, please, tell me what it is."

Over the next few minutes, and for the second time in 24 hours, Lauren explained the couple's recent decision to expand their sexual horizons. She didn't mention all of it, of course, conveniently leaving out the various nuances. Just disclosing their extracurricular activities to her child was difficult enough without going into the details.

"You're swingers then?" Caroline posited.

"Something like that."

"And he is okay with you having sex with other men?"

Lauren nodded.

"And you're cool with him being with other women?"

"He hasn't asked yet. Not sure if he really wants to be. But I guess I'd be okay with it. What's good for the goose..."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Mom, please, don't insult my intelligence by using cliches. So, it's a hotwife thing and he likes to watch, is that it?"

The 48-year-old raised an eyebrow.

"I majored in psychology, remember? All we talked about was Freud."

I can't believe I'm having this conversation with my daughter.

Caroline sat back and considered everything her mother had just told her. If someone would have asked her what the most preposterous talk she'd ever have with her parents would be, this topic would never have made the list. No child wants to think of their parents having sex, let alone with others. If she'd been upset at her mom dressing too risqué and acting weird with Zane, well, this took the prize. And yet, although it was difficult to imagine them as real people with real sexual needs, knowing her father was onboard was some relief. At least technically there was no cheating. They were adults, after all, and polygamy was not a crime. The counselor was torn between the science of hedonistic behavior and knowing the ones exhibiting it were her mother and father. On one hand, it was common for empty nesters, long suppressed by the shackles of parenthood, to experiment. It was certainly their right to do so. On the other, they were still her parents, and they weren't getting off the hook that easy.

"The video. The guy you were...being intimate with. He looked pretty young. And the girl, that was your friend Amy, right? Isn't she my age?"

Lauren nodded again. Hearing it put that way, well, it did seem kind of depraved. "Miami's a younger city and the friends I have now reflect that."

"Friends with benefits I take it. And Zane?"

They both jumped as Corey's truck rattled into the driveway and coughed to a stop, returning from airport run number one.

Caroline looked at her mother with urgency and concern. "Look, we're all adults here. I don't have a silly idyllic view of my parents anymore. You and Dad have the right to do whatever you please, whenever you please, but I don't have to like it. You do know, beyond the obvious risks, non-monogamous marriages can and do end up in disaster. So be careful, Mom."

A truck door slammed outside in the garage. Lauren peered across the table, a worried look on her face.

Caroline shook her head as her eyes went to the kitchen door. "I can't forget what I saw, but I won't mention it to him, or Amelia. She doesn't have my temperament and that conversation will not end anywhere near as civil as this one."

Corey entered the kitchen, shrugging off his jacket, smiling pleasantly. "Hi girls!"

"Hi Daddy," Caroline waved and bolted up the stairs.

It only took one look at his wife's frosty stare to dissipate the Sunday afternoon cheer.

+++++

"Your office. Five minutes," Lauren ordered, marching out of the room.

Bewildered, Corey put away a few things he'd picked up at the grocery store, then made his way to the office. There he found Lauren standing behind the desk with her finger poised above the laptop's spacebar.

"Babe, what's wrong, you look piss...?"

"Do me Tony! Fuck me pleeeeaasssseeee!"

"FUCKIN' WHORE!! Gonna cum! Here it comes!"

"GOD YESSSSS, I want to feel your hot love on my face!"

She paused the video. "Really, Corey? You couldn't have at least asked?"

The color drained from his face. "I, uh, well, it's not like you were in a position to, you know, ask."

The attempt at humor fell flat.

"And that makes it okay, right? You know, it's one thing if we want to risk messing up our lives, but others in that video may very well be embarrassed if it ever got out."

Corey removed his ball cap and ran his fingers through thinning hair. "Well, I wasn't going to upload it or anything. I would never do that. But you're right, I should have asked. I'm sorry. I just..."

"Just what?" Lauren was tapping her toe in that impatient way she has.

"You're so far away and...and those live streams, they're only temporary."

"So?"

"So? At least YOU get the pleasure of getting laid. That's a helluva lot more fun than unloading into a sock every night."

"Jesus Christ! You like fucking a sock while I get laid. Hello? You started this!"

"Yeah," Corey nodded furiously, "and you're finding ways to take it to new heights!"

Her jaw clenched tightly as she rushed brusquely passed him on the way out of the office.

"Don't worry," he muttered, "I'll delete it."

Lauren stopped in the doorway and turned towards him with a scowl.

"Damn it, Corey, just make sure it's not advertised, okay?"

+++++

Rubbing his chin with one hand while using the other to select the video file, the beleaguered husband dragged it to a less visible directory. After a few moments of deep reflection, he sighed, shook his head, and slowly redirected it to the recycle bin.

Leaning back in the leather chair, Corey clasped weathered hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

Shit.