Betsy - Reawakened Ch. 03

Betsy ran her hand along his leg, turning in her seat to face him directly. In her mind, it was just the two of them there, alone. "I want to, Darren. I meant what I said before. I'm not going to divulge the things I did in college. That's between me and my sorority sisters. And I don't want you to feel compelled to tell me about things you did before we got together. I think we're both wise enough to know how each of us were when we met. I obviously wasn't a virgin and neither were you. All I'm trying to say is that while I'm still that same girl you fell in love with, I've grown. I'm a woman now."

"So, you're different."

"Of course I'm different. How could I not be different? That doesn't mean the person I was then isn't still a part of me. I still love sex. But I also love you and the kids, and that's a factor in all of this. I want to talk about us and what we want out of our marriage going forward. You were pretty clear today when you had me trying on dresses that you want me to be someone else."

"No, I want you to be you, Bets. I just want... more."

"Well good news. So do I. I want to be someone else for you right now. We just have to figure out what that means. I feel like that sexual part of who I was in college has been dormant for too long, and I've tried a couple of times to get some of that fun and excitement back, but it's been hard. Now that I've listened to Paula and Rob, I can see it's possible. We can reinvent our marriage if we want. We just have to talk about it."

"So have you been unhappy all this time?"

"Have you?"

"Well, no. Not really. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want... well, more."

"And that's exactly how I've felt, until now. All I can see now are wonderful possibilities in front of us."

"So what is this then?"

She reflected for moment, pausing to think of all that was going on in her head. Finally coming to terms with how she was feeling, she attempted to verbalize it so he might understand. "I think the best way to put it right now is to think of me as Betsy reawakened," she smiled.

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

They sat at the table for another half-hour, the six of them still simmering on the edge. It was obvious the subject they'd been talking about had a profound impact, not only on what they learned about each other, but on the idea that the week was now very unpredictable.

What was also clear was that Betsy had no intentions of shying away from the gauntlet she'd just thrown down for herself. She might end up having to revert again back to her simpler life as a housewife and mother at the end of the week once they returned to pick up their kids. But until then, she had that week in front of her, and she intended to live every second of it like she'd just proclaimed. And she hoped she'd find a way to carry it further, all the way back to Virginia with her.

All she knew for certain was that indeed, the sexual fire inside of her had been reawakened. She may no longer have been that young college girl, living life carefree and uninhibited, but seeing her two best friends brought back too many memories of the naughty sexual things they did while they were there. She suddenly began looking at Chicago similar to the way she looked at that sprawling campus in Indiana. It was her playground away from home, and she wanted to play right now.

It was in that mind frame that she suddenly announced, "I'm invoking party protocol three."

"What?" Paula laughed, having not heard that expression since she left school.

"Party protocol three," she nodded, before wiggling in her seat. In a couple of seconds her dress had been moved up her thighs, exposing more of her legs, albeit underneath the tablecloth. Reaching underneath, she trailed her fingers along the outside of her thighs.

"You're doing it here?" Carrie said with an astonished gape.

"You know the rules. Wherever we are when it's put into play, that's where we do it."

"You're joking, right?"

A few seconds later, Betsy was sliding her underwear down her slender, toned legs, using the toe of her left heel to bring it to her hand after she extricated her right foot from the garment. Holding it out for the rest of the table to see, she glanced at her two friends, daring them with her eyes to follow suit.

"No, I'm not joking," she winked. Handing the frilly white undies to her husband, she cooed, "Be a lamb and put these in your jacket pocket."

"I'll do you one better," he said as he neatly folded them, putting it in his breast pocket like a pocket square, the silky end sticking out stylishly.

"Now you two," she nodded, motioning at her cohorts.

"I'm game," Paula said as she started wigging in her seat much like Betsy had.

Carrie was much more indignant as she attempted to remove hers. "I knew this dress was too damn long to wear tonight," she griped. "And I'm only going to be able to do protocol two."

"Bullshit. I said three. I meant three. Off with them."

"Dammit!" she bitched, all the while working to gain access to the hem of her dress.

"You want help?" Darren smiled wickedly.

Her return gaze was at first awkward, but it revealed a subtle hint of excitement underneath, as if she was considering his offer. But Mack ruined whatever might become of the moment when he wondered aloud, "What the hell is a party protocol?"

"It's how we'd dress for parties," Carrie offered, finally getting the hem past her knees, allowing her more room. She carefully worked to join Paula, who had just handed her underwear to her husband Rob. She was concentrating on what she was doing, hoping not to make a scene, but her erratic movements were making her breasts wiggle like they were filled with Jell-O, drawing attention to them. Smiling at Darren as she remained bent slightly over the table, she acknowledged his gesture. "I think I can manage now, Darren. Perhaps I'll take a rain check."

It was the first hint that she was open to something more. Yes, Betsy stating that she was willing to examine the sexual state of her marriage to Darren was a bit of a shock. But that was nothing like the minor earthquake that was Paula and Rob's big reveal. That her two best friends were either looking at or had already implements changes in their relationships with their respective husbands had Carrie suddenly thinking along the same lines. It helped that Betsy had quickly latched onto something from their shared past that brought to mind many nights of unadulterated sexual bliss.

"You got it," Darren replied, taking the quick squeeze of Betsy's hand on his growing cock as a sign that he hadn't gone too far with his playful banter.

However, Mack was somehow still solely focused on whatever it was the women were currently doing. Ignoring the fact that his wife had dropped her panties on his lap, and was now reaching into the cavernous space that was her cleavage to unclasp the bra she was wearing, he forged ahead with his singular thoughts.

Puzzled, he asked, "Well what does three mean? And two? Is there a one?"

Paula's eyes were on Carrie as she struggled to figure out a way to do what she'd been challenged to do, while attempting to explain why she was doing it.

Paula tried to explain a bit for him. "Party protocol was something we did in college. Like Betsy said, we're not going to tell you about all of it, because frankly it's none of your business. But I will tell you it started with what we called 'invoking' the protocols. And the rule was, if one of us did that, if we said we were invoking it, whatever it was, we all had to follow it for the rest of the night. There were circumstances that I won't go into that had to be met to invoke anything, but Betsy's right in that we would fall under them right now... so, here we are."

"I kind of got the gist of that. But what's with the numbering?" Mack asked.

"Protocol one is we have to go without a bra that night."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, basically. But keep in mind that was a long time ago. The girls we went to school with weren't burning their bras like they are today. Going without one was a big deal."

"Especially for me," Carrie added, finally getting one of the straps over a hand so she could start to actually remove it. "These big things are a load when they're not supported."

"Keep crying," Betsy scoffed. "You didn't even have to work to get a look from a guy. All you had to do was jut those things in their face and they'd drool all over you."

"It was still a pain. That's why whenever it was my turn to invoke the damn clause in our agreement, I always chose number two."

Mack rolled his hand, asking his wife to be more forthcoming. "And two would be?"

"Going without panties, but leaving the bra on."

"Oh... so three is wearing nothing underneath."

"My favorite," Betsy admitted with a naughty laugh.

"That would explain that Christmas Eve," Darren chuckled, referring to Betsy admitting she hadn't worn anything under her dress to the evening church service the night they conceived Neil.

"That it would," she winked.

Mack did a double-take when Carrie dropped her bra on his lap, the huge article of clothing landing on top of her panties. "What the hell am I supposed to do with these?"

She was attempting to adjust her tits in the front of her dress, having to move them obscenely to get them to look right without the support. "Do whatever you want with it, dear. My job was to live up to the challenge, which I've done. Your job is to take advantage of me like this."

She kissed his cheek, chortling when he yelled, "CHECK PLEASE!"

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

Nothing really came of the girls being slightly less dressed when they left the table. Mack decided he didn't want to deal with his wife's underwear, and since he'd convinced her she didn't need to drag her purse along to the restaurant, he left them on his seat, pushing it under the table. She chastised him for being a coward, telling him they were one of her favorite sets. He made up for it by promising to take her lingerie shopping sometime that week.

The walk back to the hotel was brisk. It was cooler, a slight breeze blowing in from off Lake Michigan. But it was still a steamy night. The briskness was more in their pace, as they couldn't wait to get back to their rooms. But that's what they did... the three couples adjourning to their own rooms, where they gave in to desire in strictly a matrimonial sense.

The next morning, Darren and Betsy looked at each other, wondering if either of them should bring up what had been hinted at the night before. He decided to let things lie, figuring she'd bring it up if it were really on her mind. She deferred to his lead, as that's the way their marriage worked most of the time. It was how she was raised and it was a role she'd allowed herself to fall into as a wife and mother. It befuddled each of them after a while that they didn't take the opportunity to talk like they'd decided the night before.

Betsy dressed and got ready to go out, the three girls having agreed to meet in the hotel café for brunch. As she rode the elevator downstairs, she was distraught that Darren hadn't said anything. After all, they'd spent a couple of hours destroying the bed sheets the night before, and they'd had another vigorous romp to start their day as soon as they woke up. But he never brought the subject up.

He was equally troubled as he stepped out of the shower. He and the gents were heading off to a country club that Rob's company was a part of, and he'd been excited about playing the course. Now he could have cared less, his mind preoccupied. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Betsy had stated several times during dinner that they should talk, only to have her clam up once they were in the privacy of their room.

It was the age-old quandary... the marital chicken versus the egg scenario. How do you communicate better if you can't figure out how to start the conversation?

Betsy shared her exasperation over shopping later, the three wives looking for another sexy outfit to wear out that night. It was something Darren encouraged her to do, but she couldn't help but wonder why. What was the point if they weren't going to talk to determine where they wanted their marriage to go?

Darren was just as annoyed, taking his aggression out on his golf ball. Mack and Rob had never seen him so careless in his play. There they were on the pristine fairways and greens of an exclusive suburban course, and he was flailing away like it was some run-down municipal track and he'd never picked up a club before. When they finally asked what had gotten into him after he'd frittered away the front nine, he unloaded his troubles.

As good friends do, the girls walked Betsy through the trap she'd basically set for herself. Carrie pointed out her flawed logic of expecting him to know what she wanted. And Paula was quick to mention the unrealistic notion that Darren would know where to start a conversation she had initiated at the table.

"You're the one that kept saying you two needed to talk. That basically infers that you know the agenda of what you want to talk about. Hell, Bets, it practically screams it. Expecting him to ask the right questions or to know where to begin is foolish. You know what you want. Tell him."

"You're right. I don't know why I couldn't just be more direct about it."

"Because you want him to be okay with this... you don't want to hurt his feelings and make him think you've been unhappy. He asked you that last night, and you really didn't answer him. You asked him if he was first. You told him you wanted more, but you didn't say more of what. And you didn't say if you were happy or not. That had to put some doubt in his mind."

"Oh my god, you're right! I have to talk to him... tonight!"

For their part, the guys were doing the same. Rob mentioned that Betsy had always been the more reserved type of wife; even more so now that she'd lived in the south for several years. Mack admonished him for not being man enough to take advantage of the window he'd been given.

"It sounds to me like Rob figured out how he wanted his marriage to be. He brought the magazine home, asked her what she thought about the cartoon in it, and she responded. If he doesn't do that, they're probably divorced right now."

"No doubt in my mind," Rob confirmed.

"Now I'm not saying you and Betsy are in trouble. You're obviously not. But if she's giving you permission to follow your lead, you'd be a damn idiot not to take her where you both want to go. I talked to Carrie last night as soon as we got back to the room. I'm still not sure what it all means, but I at least started the dialog. Look Darren, all I'm saying is you're the man. Act like it."

"You're right. You're right. I'll talk to her... tonight."

It was problematic that they didn't get to do that before they met for dinner. The guys were going to stay at the country club, while the girls were going to catch a cab to meet them there; the club having a highly renowned restaurant inside the large clubhouse. It didn't allow them an opportunity alone to discuss their thoughts.

It became pretty clear to him how she was thinking when she got out of the cab though. She was wearing a short suede miniskirt; shorter than anything he'd ever seen her wear, along with a loose tan top that was relatively sheer. He could just make out the hint of her areolas through the material, which left him speechless. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, which she never did. She looked more like a hippie than his wife, and yet somehow that made him hornier than ever.

When Paula announced that it was her turn, and she was again invoking 'Party protocol three' at the table, Betsy proudly replied that she was already complying.

"In that short skirt?" Darren whispered.

Taking his hand, she placed it on her bare thigh. "Go ahead, check for yourself," she whispered with an impish grin.

He didn't get the chance, as Carrie turned in her seat and said, "I'm not complying yet. Darren, I'd like that rain check now, if you don't mind."

"You're kidding," he mouthed, looking at his wife.

She shrugged in response and said, "You're the one that gave it to her. I think that makes you obligated to help her out of them now."

That was the first instance of one of the husbands touching a different wife. It was quick, and oddly discrete, but in just a few seconds he was handing Mack Carrie's panties.

Mack grinned. "I can't believe you didn't try to take a peek!"

"Yeah, well, I've already got my hands full," he retorted, his hand returning to Betsy's leg. She spread her thighs slightly for him, and soon he was fingering her there underneath the red tablecloth.

Nothing else happened that night either. The three couples had to take individual cabs back to the hotel, and because of traffic, they arrived at different times. Betsy and Darren were the last to walk down the hallway they all shared, and they could hear the loud noises coming from behind the doors of both rooms.

"I feel like we're the last to arrive at the party," Betsy said as she leaned against Darren's shoulder while he fumbled for the key.

"What part of the protocol is that?" he asked.

"Again... that's none of your business. But I don't mind showing you what I did one night when I got to a guy's dorm room after one of the parties."

Darren opened the door, and Betsy quickly lifted her top off, dropping it onto the carpet. Slowly unzipping the skirt from behind, she let it fall to her feet, stepping out in just her heels.

"I'm ready," she giggled, kissing him quickly before scampering into the room.

It took all of his strength not to strip off his pants and jump her right in the foyer of their room. Instead, he forced himself to sit down in a chair, watching his wife lounge on the mattress like a goddess.

"Aren't you going to join me?"

"If I join you, we'll never talk about what we want."

"I want you right now, sweetheart."

"And I want you, more than ever. But I've been kicking myself all day for not taking advantage of the conversation you started at the restaurant yesterday. I'm not doing that again. So... let's talk first."

And they did. For the first time, they actually opened up about what made them excited; about what turned them on. Some of it wasn't new. You couldn't be happily married for as long as they had been and not figure out a few things about each other. But there were some revelations and some loosely made plans. While they didn't finalize anything, they certainly came to a few conclusions.

One was that while they were both happy sexually, the culture shift of the country was intriguing enough that they both wanted to be a part of it. Be damned those that might question them as being too old to join the fun. Being off by half a generation didn't mean they should totally miss the boat. A mere decade seemed close enough by their account, and since they didn't look or act old, they felt they should embrace the changes sweeping the nation.

Secondly, Betsy decided to follow her inner muse; that being who she'd been in college. She loved those days, and she wondered often what life would have been like if she were to be of college age now that the world seemed more sexually free. And Darren encouraged her, telling her that she should dress however her mood struck her. He knew she wouldn't do anything that might embarrass their children, but said he wouldn't mind it if she showed more skin. In fact, he hoped she would.

And then there was the idea of involving other people. She gave him a few hints to her former ways, without offering too much information. He did the same and as it turned out, they'd both been in situations where they'd had sex with more than one person at a time. It was a watershed moment, the two of them just staring at each other with goofy, knowing smiles on their faces.