Carlene Ups the Ante

Carlene and her husband, Tom, were sitting around the dining room table discussing their financial situation.

"Carlene," said Tom, "we have enough income between us to pay all the bills; mortgage, utilities, food and auto loans with little left over for other things, like medical bills or household emergencies. What we don't have is any money to contribute to our retirement savings, like our companies' 401(k)'s. We're losing the companies' contributions and we have nothing for entertainment, eating out or vacations. We're basically living paycheck to paycheck and it's damned uncomfortable."

"I understand," said Carlene. "Do you have any suggestions to help?"

"Not really," contributed Tom. "I've been thinking about it for some time and I've not found a solution that works well. For example," he continued, "we could get second jobs. That would produce more income but after we consider the low wages we might have and deduct the increase in expenses to commute and the extra taxes, I don't think we'd actually significantly ease our situation. We'd also have even less time for things like eating out and vacations and I can't imagine coordinating between four jobs to get vacation time."

"I agree," said Carlene. "How about a blog or website where we can monetize visitors?"

"I hadn't thought much about that. My impression is that very few individual web sites actually make money. You'd have to have something to offer that attracts visitors and I think it would be a lot of work. I know I'm not very interested in knowing what anyone eats for dinner or how cute their cat is. Do you have any ideas that might produce significant income without demanding all our time? I mean, once you have followers you have an obligation to keep feeding them something new to keep them."

"Yeah, I think you're right. How about something sexual?" suggested Carlene.

Tom seemed stunned for a second. "Are you suggesting porn?" he asked.

"I guess I am," replied Carlene.

"Who could we get to perform?" he asked.

Carlene's body language disturbed him.

"Are you suggesting you would be the star? You're the hottest woman I know but would you would be willing to strip naked and perform sexually in front of a camera for perverts on the internet? Would you perform solo or would you have a partner? I'm not up to being naked on camera and screwing you in a public setting and I'm even less inclined to let you do it with someone else."

Carlene looked down at the floor. "I hadn't given it any thought. It just popped out." She had a slight smile on her face as she said, "I have to admit I had a slight tingle when I said it."

"Damn," thought Tom as the image of Carlene naked in front of a camera danced in his head. He twisted in his chair as his erection at the illusion was making him a trifle uncomfortable. "Hang on a second. Let me check something," he said.

Tom picked up his phone and did an internet search for "porn."

He showed the result to Carlene. "Look. I searched for 'porn' and I got 480 million results. Let me try something else. I just tried 'sex webcams' and I got over 31 million hits. The competition is pretty stiff, pardon the pun."

"You're right and I'd still have to be in front of the camera often enough to keep followers and that comes back to the time factor. Anyway, would you actually be comfortable with me parading around naked in front of an unknown number of slobbering perverts?"

"Not if you put it that way, and even if I was, would you be audacious enough to actually do it?"

"I've never thought about it before," Carlene said, "but I had a funny feeling when I suggested it. The thought actually made me a little wet. And, if I'm not mistaken, you had a physical reaction as well," she added as she pointed to the bulge in his pants.

"I think," she continued, "if we ignore the inclination to say the socially correct thing and listen to our bodies, I'd say we both would find the idea stimulating and acceptable."

"I have to admit you're right and we're probably on to something. I'd need to sleep on it."

"How about we fuck on it? Right now!"

Later, as they lay alongside each other Carlene asked, "That was energetic. What were you thinking while trying to push me through the mattress?"

"Honestly, the thought of other men watching you naked made me feel superior somehow. I mean, with the thought of everyone watching, I wanted them to know you were mine. I could touch and fuck you and they could only watch. By the way, what were you thinking when you turned us over and you got on top? I thought you were going to kill me."

"I was ecstatic that I was with you while thinking how impotent those guys watching were. I wanted an orgasm so bad. I was determined to do everything I could to get it. I built up the intensity until I thought I was going to explode and then I did."

"You certainly did. I've never heard you scream like that."

"I screamed?"

"Oh yeah, you screamed. I glad the neighbors houses are far away."

"Well, your grunts were pretty loud as well. You've never pushed so hard up into me before you came. And where did all that stuff come from? I thought you were never going to stop pumping cum into me."

"I guess we both needed a little fantasy to bring out the primal passion in us."

"You can say that again. You can fantasize with me anytime you want. Actually, every time."

Tom and Carlene were back at the dining room table continuing their discussion. Carlene had thrown on a thigh high, flimsy, semi transparent teddy with nothing underneath and Tom was wearing just a pair of old boxers he found in his dresser drawer.

"I think we've come to some agreement about whether we'd be able to be sexual on the internet," suggested Carlene.

"I think we have," agreed Tom. So, where do we go from here?" he asked.

Carlene looked at him doe eyed, stood up and stepped over to him. She sat, straddled on his lap. "I'm going to go right here," she said, as she used her right hand to push his boxers down on his thighs. He responded quickly when she took his cock in her hand, lifted it vertically and settled herself down on it until it was firmly imbedded in her. She moved around on him until she was comfortable and, with her arms around his body, put her head on his chest.

Tom pulled her close to him and held her with one hand on her back and the other on a cheek. They sat like that for many minutes, never speaking and barely breathing, until Tom began to soften. Carlene moved slightly and he fell out of her. "I love you," Carlene said softly. "I love you, too," replied Tom.

When Carlene had moved back to her seat, Tom repeated, "Where do we go from here?"

"As exciting as the thought of an internet sex site is, I think the payoff is not guaranteed and probably small," said Carlene. "We should think of something else?"

"I agree. Any ideas?"

How about a one-time thing? Some event that raises big bucks but doesn't require a continuous time commitment," suggested Carlene.

"That's not a bad thought but I can't think of anything that might fit that description."

"Let's think about it while I fix something for dinner."

"Can I help?"

"No. I'm just going to reheat leftovers. Stay here and think of something."

During dinner, Carlene suggested, "How about an auction?"

"An auction? You mean where we sell something everybody wants and they bid against each other to have it? What the hell do we have to sell that fits that description?

The wry smile on Carlene's face paused Tom for a second.

"Whoa. Are we talking sex again?" he stammered

"Why not?" responded Carlene. "We've already settled the issue about being seen on the internet."

"Yeah, but an auction implies more than just a show. I think the high bidder would want more than just the opportunity to watch. One, or both of us, would have to include him, or her, into the activities."

"Everybody wants sex and most are willing to do a lot to get it, even pay. We could have an internet auction where we sell your services to women and mine to men."

"What you're suggesting goes beyond where I though we were. It's an entirely new level of commitment and agreement. Come into the living room where we can talk about this. We can clean up later."

"Let me just put the perishables in the refrigerator. I'll be with you in a minute."

Tom went into the living room and waited for Carlene who had gone into the kitchen. While he was waiting he mulled over Carlene's suggestion. His thinking raised many questions and he got a pen and paper and began to write them down. His initial reaction was negative but as he wrote he became more inclined to agree with her, if they could resolve his concerns.

"Okay," said Tom when Carlene sat next to him on the sofa, "let's assume we can make your idea work. There are lots of details we'd need to work out before we start."

Carlene smiled broadly. "Great. Where do we start?

"In no particular order, I've got a number of questions that I think have to be answered. I assume you'll have more as we talk. I've written some of them down."

"You have the floor. What's first?"

"Okay. From what you said at dinner, I assume you were suggesting two auctions. One for your services and another for mine. I assume 'services' means up to and including sex. Right now, I'm not feeling receptive to you having sex with another man, even a stranger. How do you feel about me having sex with another woman?"

"I could deal with it if I didn't have to watch, you didn't share the details and the money was right. Could you see yourself the same way if you could sit home and count the money while I was somewhere else doing whatever to satisfy the winner of the auction?"

"I'm having real difficulty thinking about it now. Its way beyond fantasizing about someone remotely watching us. I need time to process it. Assuming it did happen, you'd have to be somewhere I couldn't find you in case I couldn't handle the reality and tried to do something stupid after you left."

"Ah," whispered Carlene, "that's almost the nicest thing you've ever said to me, in a backward sort of way. Let's let that simmer while we consider the rest of the questions. After all, if we can't do this then it's moot and if we can, maybe it will resolve itself as we form the plan. What's next?"

"Okay, but I'm not done with the questions. Right now I'm tense all over just thinking about it. Next, I listed a couple of questions such as why only his and her auctions, why not a third for both of us and I can easily see eager bidders for your services but who would be willing to bid for mine?"

"Don't sell yourself short," Carlene laughed. "If some of my girlfriends are right, you're hot stuff and they'd be more than willing to bid big time for a chance to jump your bones. On the other hand I don't see myself as worth the big bucks you might have in mind but I'm willing to concede to your judgment and go for the gold. And if anyone wants both of us let them bid, and win, both auctions."

"I'm good with that. Next, just how would it work?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Carlene enthusiastically. "I though about this while I was in the kitchen after dinner. I don't want to have a one and done kind of auction, where I give up all my charms for a measly hundred dollar bid and I don't want the same for you either."

"I agree. What was your solution?"

"I imagined a multi-stage auction."

"What does that mean?"

"Let me explain. I thought we could have a number of sealed envelopes with increasing amounts written on the outside and corresponding increases in activities written on cards inside."

"And," prompted Tom.

"I didn't think it through logically. I saw it as a scene in a play or movie where the auction happens and played it out in my imagination."

"And," prompted Tom again.

"Okay. Close your eyes and let me describe it for you as I imagined it. I'm standing on a stage in front of a crowd of people with lots of money. I'm wearing my little black dress, or maybe a bikini, with four-inch heels. In my hand I have nine or ten envelopes. I hold them up and say, 'I have here some envelopes. Each of them has a dollar amount on the front and an activity I'm willing to engage in with the successful bidder inside. The amount on each successive envelope is more than the previous amount and so is the extent of the activity. At this point you don't know the amounts nor do you know the activities. You have to trust. As the bidding reaches the amount on each envelope, I will open it and read the contents. I will repeat this until we either run out of envelopes or there are no more bids. There will be only one winner, the highest bidder, and they will receive the contents of the last envelope opened."

"Wow. I like that," said Tom. "What's on and in the envelopes?"

"I hadn't gotten that far. I think I would start small and each one would have to be enough more to encourage bidding to know what was in the next one and the amounts should be non-linear as they increase. I think not knowing how high to bid for the next envelope might be an incentive to increase the size of the bids."

"I think that works. Should we imagine the envelopes now?"

"I don't think so. It's a waste of time unless we agree to move forward."

"Okay. Next, I wonder how much money we could raise."

"Oh. We're back to the envelopes," replied Carlene.

"Not necessarily. Just how high could the top bid be?"

"I don't know. I'd be willing to do a hell of a lot for ten thousand dollars. Even more for twenty."

"Twenty thousand dollars might go a long way to ease my discomfort," said Tom.

"You'd be willing to sell me for twenty thousand dollars?" asked Carlene.

"That sounds crude and offensive and that's not how I meant it."

"I know. I'm just busting you. However, I think we have the start of a plan. What's next on your list?"

"Is what we're discussing legal? Aren't we playing around the edges of some form of prostitution? Even, maybe, a federal crime?"

"That's a sobering thought," mused Carlene. "We'd have to be careful how we proceed. Prostitution does exist and actually flourishes. Somehow they manage to avoid detection. As for the feds, we'd have to keep it within the state, even local."

"There goes using the internet to promote the auction. There's no way we could keep it local on the internet."

"Right. I still think we can pull it off. There are local men's and women's groups all over. We could target them," suggested Carlene. "Oh, and by local, I think we shouldn't mean in our own neighborhood. The risk of identification is too high. I think some area three or four hours away by car is safer."

"Good thinking. I'm concerned about approaching the usual men's groups, or lady's for that matter. Most of them are associated with churches or other civil organizations and I can't believe they'd be open to what we're suggesting. Give me a second to look at something else."

Tom did an internet search for 'sex clubs' in their state. "Carlene, I just did a search for 'sex clubs' in our state and had over a half million hits. If most of them are just strip clubs, that leaves a significant number of private, member only clubs offering sex in one form or another to members. They somehow avoid legal entanglements. I think we could approach them. Maybe on the basis of a fund raiser for the club."

"Let me see that," asked Carlene. A few minutes later she said, "I looked further. Our state has hundreds of private, members only, clubs for swingers and the state licenses them! I think we're on to something. I think we need to put some meat on this idea and approach some of the clubs with the idea."

"Great. Where do you want to start?"

"With the envelopes. Then we can put together a routine and pitch it to a club for feedback. We might even get lucky and get an invitation."

A couple of hours later, Tom and Carlene had nine envelopes and nine levels of participation. The lowest was one hundred dollars and consisted of a fifteen to twenty minute striptease without touching. The highest was $20,000 or higher and involved a week of lascivious activity with the high bidder and two additional friends. All expenses to be borne by the bidder.

That worked well for Carlene but Tom's envelopes were more difficult. Everything he suggested sounded self-serving to Carlene. Tom had to agree. He thought men and women approached sex differently. Men could approach sex with a zeal that women might not share. However, everything Tom could think of that might please a woman also would definitely please him. They decided to leave Tom's auction details for another time and go with identical sets of envelopes, with appropriate wording differences, for each of them.

Tom spent the next week putting together a proposal for a club fundraiser, offering ten percent of the auction proceeds to the club. When Carlene and he agreed on the proposal they chose a private swingers club about a hundred miles north and, using the club's web site, and a newly created gmail account, contacted the club.

While they waited, they had second thoughts and decided to use aliases rather than their real names. They tried several combinations and settled on Dick and Becca, which had appeal including the potential double-entendres.

Two days later, Tom got an email response expressing some interest and providing a phone number for further discussion. After dinner, Tom called the number with Carlene listening on the extension. A woman answered the phone and introduced herself as "Adele," a name they both assumed was also an alias.

"Just what are you selling?" she asked.

"Let me say that I don't think you'll be disappointed. We're including just about everything your lewd mind can imagine. I can be clear that it doesn't include housecleaning or cooking. Think something more like recreational activities usually pursued in private as long as no one is harmed or humiliated."

After a brief discussion, "Adele" asked if they could meet in person. They agreed and a meeting in a small out of the way restaurant near the club was set for Saturday evening.

When they hung up, Tom said, "Shit. This could really happen. If we meet this woman and she buys into the idea, we're committed. We can't say, 'Just kidding' and walk away. Up to now it's been a fantasy. Now it's on the verge of becoming real. Would you really have sex with a stranger for money? Even more to the point, would I be able to deal with you having sex with a stranger, even for money? How about you? Are you okay with me possibly fucking some other woman? Could I even perform if confronted with the opportunity?"

"Come with me," said Carlene as she took his hand and led him to the bedroom. She sat of the bed with Tom in front of her and said, "We're going to fantasize. You're going to imagine that I'm a woman you've never met, maybe her name is Adele and you're coming into her bedroom to have sex with her because she won you in an auction."

"How about you?" asked Tom.

"I'm going to pretend that you're a stranger that won me in the same auction and that I'm expected to have sex with you."

"It seems silly, but okay," said Tom hesitantly.

"Take a few minutes to get into the role. Really believe it. I'm not your wife, I'm Adele. You're not my husband, just a stranger with enough money to buy my services for a couple of hours, say some guy named George. When you're ready go out, close the door. Give me a couple of minutes, then knock when you're ready and play the part completely. Don't waver. I'm not me to you and you're not you to me. Got it?"

Tom stood in front of Carlene for a few minutes, took a deep breath and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He turned and faced the door.

After several minutes, Tom knocked on the door. A woman's voice inside said, "Come in." It sounded like a stranger to him.