Charlie's First Steps

Note: This story is the second entry involving this character, and you may want to go back and read the first story 'Charlie's Discovery' for context.

Disclaimer: All characters in my stories are 18 years of age or older.

"Oh...shit..." Liam said, looking over at Charlie, sat at the table with the phone in her hands. "We...we should talk."

There was a heavy pause, Liam's words hanging in the air as Charlie stared back at him, her face a mask of shock and incomprehension. Slowly, carefully, Charlie lowered the phone down to the table and pushed it away from her, staring at the inanimate object before her, her mind reeling.

Liam was trying to assess this entirely unexpected situation, warily examining his step-daughter's face for any indication of how to proceed. Carefully placing the shopping bags down at his feet, he gently pushed the front door closed behind him and made his way over to Charlie's side.

Placing a hand lightly on her shoulder and leaning to look at her face, he began, "Charlie...look...I know that would have been a shock to see, and I'm sorry that you found that, but it's not as bad as it looks, I promise."

Charlie let his words wash over her, slowly sinking in as she tried to bring her mind back to the present moment. Liam's tone was calm, patient and soothing, and despite the myriad thoughts and feelings swelling around inside of her, she found herself beginning to relax.

"What...what was all of that Liam?" she said, turning to face him, "Why on Earth would she do that?"

Liam hesitated, biting his lip. He knew that she was owed an explanation, and he truly wanted to give her one, to help her understand, but this was not going to be easy.

"It's complicated," he started, and sensing Charlie about to reply, quickly continued, "I will explain everything, and answer your questions, I promise. Let me just make us a coffee, and I'll give you as much time as you need."

Charlie looked back at him for a long moment, and then nodded silently. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Liam made his way to the kitchen, moving around on autopilot as he made a coffee for each of them, his mind racing through the words to say, trying to predict her questions.

He and Susanne were well aware that the day may come where her secret life would rise to the surface, and they had spent many hours discussing how they would handle that, and how they would address it with Charlie. But in those talks they had always imagined Susanne being present. Now halfway across the world, incommunicado, the task fell on Liam's shoulders.

He returned to the table and sat across from Charlotte, sliding a mug over towards her. He allowed her a minute to settle herself, noticing the tremble in her hands as she brought the mug to her lips.

"If it's ok with you Charlie," Liam began, his tone soft, "I'd like to try and explain what you've just seen. I'll be happy to answer any questions that you have, I just ask that you hear me out completely, I want you to fully understand and appreciate the nature behind it."

Charlie felt a lump rise in her throat, an unexpected ripple of excitement fluttering in her stomach. She nodded back to Liam, and managed to utter a singular, "Okay."

"Okay...good," Liam said, taking in a deep steadying breath. "Susanne...your mother and I...we were very lucky to have met one another. People can go their whole lives without meeting a person who fully understands them. Someone who accepts their desires and interests without judgement, who embraces the things that makes them unique and encourages them to pursue those interests."

Liam saw Charlie's brow lower into a questioning frown, wondering where he was going with this.

"Your mother has a stressful job. And you are the light of her life, but raising a child on your own is challenging. She had to put a lot of her personal desires on hold in favour of working towards her career and towards a good life for you. And she wouldn't change that for the world."

Liam was choosing his words carefully, wanting to lay a solid foundation before he got into what was coming. Charlie was listening carefully, giving nothing but a silent nod as Liam paused, allowing him to continue.

"When we first started dating, we were busy building our relationship, focusing on ourselves and you, making a family unit. But by then you were already almost an adult, and you've always been independent, so we also had time to focus on each other, to fully open up and begin to discover more about ourselves as a couple."

Liam hesitated, and then went on.

"Your mother and I have a lot of shared interests. And what you've just seen...well that is one of them. A big one in fact."

"What...I mean...what kind of 'interest' is that exactly?" said Charlie, her eyes flicking briefly over to the phone still lying on the table.

"It's hard to put a label on it. There are names like, exhibitionism, submissive roleplay, pet play..." he caught himself, blushing slightly as an assortment of memories rapidly flicked through his mind, "But people can't be categorised that easily Charlie. Your mother is an adventurous and free spirited person, and we've been uncovering the things that she enjoys...that we both enjoy...together. It's like a process of self-discovery, and despite how it may have looked on that phone, it's a very positive experience."

Charlie sat there letting the words wash over her, still trying to process everything. Part of her had expected Liam to deny everything, to be angry at what she had seen, but his calm and patiently understanding nature was beginning to put her at ease. She could feel her mind slowing, still assessing all of this information, but at a steadier, less frantic pace.

"You know how your mother is," Liam continued, "There's not a person alive who could compel her to do something against her will. These experiences that we've had together, as chaotic as they may appear from the outside, have all been carefully and meticulously planned. Your mother is the one who sets the scene, who decides the boundaries. Nothing happens that we haven't both agreed on together."

Charlie sat there, slowly nodding, staring down at the table as she ran through the questions in her mind, trying to sort them into some kind of coherent order.

Looking up to face Liam again, she asked, "How long has this been going on for? How did it start?"

Liam hesitated, wondering how much he should divulge. He knew that if Susanne were here, she would answer any and all of Charlotte's questions, and he decided that the best way forward for all of them was to do the same.

"Around the time that you graduated," Liam began. "You were out a lot of the time, and we suddenly had a lot more free time to ourselves. The things that we had been discussing alone together at home, slowly began to make their way out. We would pick out risqué outfits together that your mother would wear out to bars, we would make a game out of deliberately flashing people, and Suzanne always wanted it to look accidental."

Memories of their early days were flooding Liam's mind as he began ordering them, picking them out.

"Initially we focused mainly on Susanne's exhibitionist tendencies, and over time we began to push things further. Accidental flashes became deliberate, and each time we pushed the envelope further, the boundaries that we had set for ourselves moved further away too. We were constantly discovering and reassessing the things that excited us. Before long, Susanne was finding newer and riskier ways to show off, even walking around at night in public, completely naked."

Charlie felt her heart leap in her chest at this, a jolting flutter of excitement hitting her in the stomach. Without meaning to, she was instantly picturing herself walking down a city street at night, butt naked, her bare feet pressing against the hard and filthy pavement as cars drove past.

She swallowed and reached over for the coffee mug, feeling her throat go dry. A slight blush had crept up onto her face and she hoped that Liam hadn't notice.

Liam had been watching her carefully as he spoke, noticing her subtle reactions. He had expected discomfort, but this was something else, something he was very familiar with from his experiences with Susanne.

"In those early days everything was new and exciting," he continued carefully, "we were uncovering together your mother's long repressed desires, and it felt amazing for both of us to bring them to the surface and to give her that fulfilment. But it didn't take us long to realise that we were only halfway there."

"Eventually..." Liam paused again, looking to the side briefly as he chose his next words, "we decided for Susanne to experiment with some other people."

Liam had expected questions from Charlie at this point, and he wasn't disappointed.

"Like another man?" she said, eyebrows raised, "I mean, that's just having an affair, isn't it?"

"No... it's not that black-and-white," Liam began, an understanding and patient smile on his face. "This is something that I fully supported and encouraged. It's a lot more common than you'd think Charlie, there are many people in happy healthy relationships that engage in this. From your mother's side, she gets to explore her femineity in whatever form she chooses for it to take, and with a willing and enthusiastic new partner. It's an opportunity to learn more about yourself, to experience things that you'd never get to encounter in a normal monogamous relationship."

Charlie stared back, blinking as she took in what he was saying. She was surprised at how convincing Liam's argument was. It was something she had never considered before, but already, just hearing the words coming out of his mouth, she could feel her perspective beginning to shift.

"And for my part," Liam said, continuing slowly. "My enjoyment comes from a few places. I get to see the woman I love enjoying herself in a passionate, uninhibited moment. It's also incredibly exciting for me seeing another man desire my wife, wanting desperately to enjoy the things that I get to enjoy, and then getting that satisfaction. For so many men this is a very common fantasy, but for most of them it remains just that. I, however, get to live this fantasy, and I feel incredibly lucky to do so."

Charlie looked back up at Liam, seeing the honesty on his face and his genuine, patient smile. She realised for herself in that moment, he and her mother really were lucky to have each other. But something else was troubling her.

"Okay...I kind of get that. I mean, everything you're saying makes sense," she paused, glancing back at the phone before looking up at Liam again, "But the...the pictures that I just saw, and the...video...those were people she knew."

Liam was watching her carefully, letting her take her time to find the words. He gave a slow nod, letting her go on.

"I mean, they were people that she works with, and has to see every day." Charlie was speaking faster now, the words spilling out. "She'd have to go back to work after that, knowing that they've seen her like that, seen her humiliating herself, and try and act normal around them. And that one guy...Barry...she hates him! I've heard her complaining about him so many times! And she let him...do...all of that to her..."

Charlie trailed off, staring at Liam, her pale skin now flushed a light red. Her heart was beating quickly, and she realised that she was trembling a little. Saying those words had forced the memory of what she had seen back into her mind, and she couldn't shake off the excitement that was now gripping her.

Liam had watched carefully as this subtle transformation had overtaken Charlie, recognising all too well the creeping signs of nervous arousal that she was showing. He had seen it all too often in his wife as they had discussed their plans.

"Yes...well...that's a little more complicated. But I can explain," he said, looking back at Charlie, her eyes locked onto his, "As I mentioned before, when we began introducing other men into the relationship, we quickly discovered what it was about doing so that excited your mother the most. For her, and for me too, the build-up was a big part of it. Meeting the men, getting to know them, them getting to know her. They would have time to chat with Susanne, ask each other questions, learn about each other to an extent. This meant that when we finally let things...reach their conclusion...it wasn't a stranger that Susanne was taking to bed. It was someone who knew her, who had seen her in her day-to-day life, had seen the person that she presented herself as to the world. And then they got to strip that person down and see everything that had been hidden."

Charlie took in a sharp deep breath as Liam described this, her heart rate picking up as she involuntarily pictured the scenes in her mind.

"We soon realised that the excitement that we felt from this could be quite easily increased...by doing this with people that we already knew."

Charlie tensed slightly at this, her breath caught as she leaned forward listening silently and attentively to Liam's every word.

"Your mother is a beautiful woman," Liam went on, "and through her life has had no shortage of male friends and acquaintances that would have jumped at the chance to have a moment with her. The first such person who actually got to, was someone who I'd imagine you're familiar with. Do you remember Pat Lillard?"

Charlie's mouth fell open wide in shock and she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Are you serious?" she sputtered, "she let that loser sleep with her?"

A few years back, when Charlie was still at school and before her mother had met Liam, Charlie and Susanne had lived briefly in an apartment in the city. It had been a rental that they had spent about six months in while their house underwent a complete renovation. While Charlie had loved the experience of inner city living, her mother had not enjoyed it quite as much. Her greatest complaint had been with their next-door neighbour, a younger man in his twenties named Pat.

Pat had taken the role of inconsiderate neighbour to the extreme. He could be found early on a Sunday morning, loudly tuning and running his motorcycle underneath the window of Susanne's bedroom, waking her up with the abrupt noise of the unmuffled exhaust. His weekday nights were spent partying until the early hours, the sound of music and voices only giving way to be replaced by the muffled bangs and moans as he had his way with whatever woman was 'lucky' enough to spend the night with him.

Susanne had made numerous complaints about him to no avail and would inevitably get into arguments with the man when they passed in the hall. She frequently referred to him as a dead-beat, a drop out and a loser, and in their short time living there she had never had even one interaction with him that bordered on pleasant. Charlie could not imagine what would have compelled her mother to dig up that man from her past.

"Yes, yes she did," said Liam, smiling slightly back at Charlie. "It wasn't something that we sought out initially. We had been out at a bar, it was just a normal night after work, we were both dressed pretty normally and hadn't planned to do anything. Susanne noticed him sitting with a friend across the bar. She'd told me about him before, and we spoke a bit about that, and then it kind of clicked. We both realised that Susanne wanted to sleep with him."

"She probably wouldn't have told you this, but in your time living in that apartment, Pat had made a few passes at her. Nothing too over the top, but he was quite brazen with his flirting and suggestive comments. Whether or not she felt it at the time, knowing now how much he had wanted to sleep with her, and how many times that had been denied to him, well...it felt like a perfect opportunity for us to try out what we had been discussing. The likelihood of ever seeing him again was slim, so we took the chance."

Charlie was hanging on every word that Liam was saying, eyes wide and focused, heart racing as she pictured the scene in her mind.

"We arranged for him to 'notice' her, when she was coming back from the bathroom, I think. She played up a little, pretending to be tipsy and let him strike up a conversation. He quickly ditched his friend and joined us at the table for drinks. We drank together until the bar closed, your mother let him get the impression that he was winning her over, charming her despite her dislike of him. When he'd go to the bathroom, we would check in with each other, making sure that we're both still on the same page, both happy to proceed."

Liam took a sip of his coffee, took a deep breath and went on.

"We ended up going back to his place to continue drinking. It was a crappy little studio apartment not far from the bar, a dirty couch and a mattress on the floor. I remember looking at this guy and seeing how much he couldn't believe his luck, having her back in a place like this. I was encouraging Susanne throughout the night, feeding her energy and going with the flow, and he was pretty clued in to the fact that I wasn't going to oppose anything that would happen."

Charlie leaned forward slightly, taking this all in.

"We hadn't been back for long before he convinced Susanne to strip for him. And then they had sex right there on the mattress on the floor. It was rough, and demeaning, and he was verbal. But as I said before, your mother doesn't do anything that she doesn't want to, and if I had sensed for a moment that she was unhappy, I would have stepped in."

Charlie stared back at him, briefly looking down at his broad shoulders and muscular forearms as they rested on the table. She had no doubt that he was serious, and knew without question that he would have made short work of Pat.

"That moment kind of unlocked something for Susanne," Liam went on, anxious to get the full explanation out. "Giving herself over to someone who had not only wanted to sleep with her for years, but who resented her refusal, it was a powerful experience. Building the anticipation of the moment, seeing the desire in their eyes, and finally handing over control, letting them take what they want, however they want it..."

Liam trailed off slightly, almost getting caught up in his thoughts. Charlie was still staring intently, hanging on every word.

"Well, that was the beginning of our experimenting in that area. Over time we got better at it, at picking the people who we would share your mother with. We would develop plans, lay out scenarios, set boundaries and safe words, everything we could to make sure that your mother was safe and satisfied and getting the most out of every encounter that we could. And that was how we lead to Barry and the others."

Charlie felt a lump in her throat at the mention of his name. She swallowed and tried to steady her voice.

"So...how many people has she done this with. I mean...people that she knows?" Charlie began. "And why would she do it with people that she works with? That she hates?"

"A lot..." Liam replied, smiling patiently. "Like I said, it's the kind of thing that once you try it, you want to keep pushing the boundaries, chasing that original feeling. Barry and the rest of her coworkers...well, once that idea popped into Susanne's head, she couldn't get it out. We thought about it long and hard before we ever did anything. Those photos at the start of the camera roll, they were showing the first of many nights like that."

Charlie shuddered slightly, imagining what else was waiting on that phone, what other shameful experiences had been digitally immortalised for her mother.

"Initially I raised the idea with Barry," Liam went on, "and to no surprise he was more than eager. We spoke about it over many weeks, we lay ground rules, we swore them to secrecy. But with a group of that size, and being the people that they are, it's impossible to guarantee total secrecy. And that's a big part of the excitement for Susanne. Going to work every day, not knowing who has been told about her private affairs, sitting across from men who have seen her at her most vulnerable and exposed."