Coercion

Although wedding planning within six months would prove challenging, Christine wanted a summer wedding during Queens University's light-duty summer session. Paid students were assisting her until a qualified applicant could be located to fill the assistant position. She was promised the promotion to head of the library facilities as of May first. Our lives were about to change for the better. Although Cole and Sonya were still dating over the summer, we'd heard that they were no longer exclusive owing to the distance and circumstances.

It was a lovely June wedding. Sonya served as Christine's maid of honor while my dad fulfilled his role as my best man. When I saw the blood, I knew she was a virgin true to her word. Christine moved into my apartment after returning from our week of honeymooning on Grand Cayman Island.

Chapter-3

All of our finances were combined as we held joint checking and savings accounts. We were saving for our first home as we began paying off her student loan. After the bridal showers and wedding gifts, we were well-situated to embark on our new life together. That is until it hit a snag.

We had gone to Gatlinburg, TN for our first anniversary. There were many things to see and do which didn't overly tax our budget. We were making the 3-1/2 hour drive home and were passing through Asheville, NC when a drunk driver crossed the white line crashing into the driver's side of our car. The impact was unavoidable from our lane. I remembered nothing of the collision until I regained consciousness on a gurney being rolled into the hospital. Christine's shouting at the doctors and staff was almost ear-splitting.

"Get this man evaluated and get him treated NOW! He's just come from a terrible car accident, and I believe he has internal injuries!" She continued shouting.

"I don't care what you need to do or how much it costs! Money is no object! I'll sell everything I own! Get him the very best care right away! If he needs a kidney, pancreas, spleen, or ANYTHING else, you take it from my body right now, you hear?! Take the beating heart right out of my chest but don't you DARE let anything happen to this man!!" She sobbed.

I was strapped to the gurney and couldn't move but I heard her shout at me once more as they were wheeling me beyond the point where she was allowed to be, "Nolan Rierson, I love you! Don't you ever give up! Fight for us, my love, fight! I'll be right here when they've fixed you up!" If I didn't know it before, by God I knew it right then. That woman loved me. She loved me with sacrificial love, unlike anything I could ever imagine. There was no doubt in my mind that she meant every word she had said with all of her being.

Later that night, I regained consciousness in my room. I had pain radiating from all over my body. I felt a warm hand gripping mine and I squeezed it instinctively.

"He's awake! He's awake," Christine excitedly blurted. I saw my dad rise from his chair and walk over to me.

Christine was gently kissing my face when he asked, "You gave us a bit of a scare. How are you doing, son?"

My throat was parched and I pointed to the nearby glass of water. Christine let me sip a swallow through the straw.

In a graveled voice, I responded, "What happened? How bad was it? I feel like a bomb went off in my lap."

"From what I've been told, that was nearly the case," he informed. "Christine here told me that right before the drunk driver struck your car, you slid your body over as much as you could, placing your back to her, and wrapped your right arm around her to lessen the impact. You took the brunt of that collision, son. Christine made it out with barely a scratch. I never expected any less of you. It's what a husband does for his wife but it opened you up to more injuries. Christine didn't want me to tell you this but after he struck your front end, his car spun around and struck the rear of your vehicle a second time, rupturing your gas tank. The battery wiring had shorted and started an electrical fire in what was left of your engine compartment."

He continued, "When she smelled gas and saw the fire, she knew you were sitting in a ticking time bomb. She freed your seatbelt and dragged you out and away from the car. She saw one of your legs flopping around and knew it was broken but would rather risk further damage than lose you to an explosion. She pulled a muscle in her shoulder getting you to safety. Sixty seconds later, the gas ignited and destroyed what was left of your car. It's a total loss, I'm afraid. It seems to me you both did everything you could to protect one another. I'm so proud of you two, buttons have been popping off my chest. They'll only let two in here at a time. Others are waiting out in the lobby, I'll go send your mother in." He patted my leg gently and left the room.

"Hey, baby. I'm so happy you're going to be okay now. When we first got here, I was white as a sheet. I thought you might die. I don't ever want to be scared like that again as long as I live," she tendered.

"Thank you, sweetheart, for saving my life. I might well have died were it not for you," I added. "Dad never said, how bad am I?"

"Honey, it was you who spared me severe injury. You held me so tight when I slammed into your back on impact, you absorbed all of the damage. I'd probably be as bad off as you, had you not done that. I'll always love you for that. Thank you. The doctors told us your left leg and ankle are broken in several places. They've put metal rods to set them back and aid in healing. Your left arm is also broken in four places along with three broken fingers. The airbag helped a lot but the double whammy jostled us around pretty violently. You have a cervical collar to limit movement of your neck until the inflammation is under control. You have three cracked ribs and a lot of internal bruising but all of your organs seem to be intact, thank God. I've never prayed so hard in all my life." She gave me a loving kiss as her tears spilled onto my face.

My mom soon appeared as well as her parents and Cole. I felt loved and appreciated. I was discharged after three days. All I needed to do now was heal. Mom and Dad insisted on us staying with them at least until Christine's pulled shoulder muscle healed up. The inflatable casts on my arm and leg weren't heavy but I still needed a wheelchair to get around. Crutches weren't an option given my circumstances. After a week of being waited on hand and foot by Mom, we returned to our apartment, and Christine and I developed a workable system that allowed us to manage until I became ambulatory. The drunk driver's insurance paid for everything, including wheelchair-accessible transportation to and from work every day for up to three months. Forty grand was allocated for pain and suffering above our medical expenses which added to our nest egg toward the purchase of our first home.

Christine was my nurse Nightingale and took excellent care of me in every way. Without even asking, she gave great hand jobs and blow jobs until we were safely able to resume regular sex. When the doctors finally pronounced me capable of walking, we resumed our normal life. One of the first crazy things we did that we had never even considered before was getting a tattoo. She had an inch-and-a-half red-shaped heart tattooed on her left hip right below her panty line. In the center of the heart was the distinct outline of a key slot. At the same outing, I had a tattoo done of a red-shaped heart on my chest with a key dangling below it. It was our own personal symbolism, her way of saying to me that my heart holds the ONLY key to her heart.

Queens University was readying for the start of the fall school year and Christine was working hard to maintain a smooth running operation in the library and media center. She never hesitated to grab a bull by the horns and do whatever was necessary to get the job done and I was very proud of her accomplishments.

We purchased a house in Belmont which was about twenty minutes from both of our work locations. It offered a nice suburban setting away from the hubbub of Charlotte proper. We were as happy as we could be and had even mentioned starting a family. We'd hoped to put her student loan behind us first before she stopped taking the pill.

It was the year of our fourth wedding anniversary when Christine came home from her university job one afternoon recounting her day. A new woman named Abby Sinclair had been hired as her assistant. She was pleased that the university HR department finally got around to filling the empty position and welcomed the added help.

I, being the usual lecher that I am, asked for a detailed description of Abby's physical attributes. Christine jokingly blew me off by saying if she accurately described her, that I might want to have sex with her, so I dropped it. She did admit that she was a beautiful redhead about our age.

I didn't give it any more thought but every evening at dinner, Christine constantly said Abby this or Abby that. She gushed over her non-stop indicating that Abby was her new best friend. I didn't mind this new development but began curiously wondering more about what this Wonder Woman looked like. After six weeks of daily updates on how close the two women were growing, Christine came home one Friday saying that Abby's husband, Justin Sinclair, had picked them both up for lunch that day at the campus and had taken them out to eat. She said that Abby's husband was exceptionally nice, finally able to meet the woman his wife had spoken so highly of.

She described Justin as intellectually stimulating with an impressive mental aptitude. Abby seemed to revel in Christine's mental connection with her husband and commented that it was great that they got along so well. She exhibited no jealousy whatsoever about her husband's interaction and connection with her best friend, Christine. Abby trusted and loved Justin with all her heart.

Christine informed me in no uncertain terms that we were going to meet Abby and Justin for dinner the next day. Resistance was futile as the Borg would say. I only hoped that this would not be another pair of her stuffy, boring college friends. Talking about philosophy or history wasn't my idea of having a stimulating good time. She said that Justin would be taking care of the reservations and that they would stop by and pick us up at 7:30 pm and that was that.

Saturday at 7:25 pm, a black Lexus pulled into our driveway to pick us up. A tall, dark, and handsome man dressed in an impeccable dark gray pinstripe suit exited the driver's seat and opened the rear passenger door for us.

"So nice to see you again, Christine. Thank you both so much for joining us tonight, our treat. You must be Nolan. I'm Justin, Justin Sinclair, as he shook my hand with a firm grip.

As men do, we instantly sized each other up, standing nearly toe to toe both surmising that we'd each come out on top in a fight. I smiled politely for Christine's sake and said, "So nice of you guys to invite us out. It looks like perfect weather for a perfect evening."

As I slipped into the back seat behind the front passenger seat, although I couldn't see anything but a bit of red hair from my vantage point, I quickly spoke, "Abby, I take it. I'm Nolan but I guess you know that already. I just wanted to introduce myself."

"Hi, Nolan. Christine and I have talked for so long about the four of us getting together," she giggled. "I've been looking forward to this night for so long. As Justin said, thanks for joining us. We hope that this is the first of many such outings."

Christine and Abby became two chatterboxes the entire drive to the restaurant. Justin chimed in here and there but focused mainly on his driving. When we arrived at the valet service, I quickly stepped out and helped Christine out. Then I opened Abby's door and politely reached for her hand as she stepped out of the car and into the light. When I finally clearly saw her face, my jaw nearly dropped. I was stunned at her beauty. She presented me with a huge smile and held onto my hand a little longer than I had expected. I suddenly realized that this was going to be a very interesting evening, very interesting indeed!

Justin guided us into the restaurant as if he owned the place and we were seated very quickly. As we took our seats, Abby was seated directly across from me and Justin was across from Christine. Abby looked stunning in her little green dress. Her gorgeous red hair cascaded down her shoulders perfectly framing her cherub face. As beauty goes, she was easily in Lydia's class and very easy on the eyes.

"It's nice to be able to finally put faces to the names Christine has talked so much about. Now that I can see you much better in the light, your face reminds me quite a bit of British actress Ellie Bamber."

"You flatter me, Nolan," Abby replied. "Christine tells me that you said she reminds you of Australian actress, Indiana Evans. So here we are, two famous actresses spending time with two American hunks. I hope we can avoid the paparazzi," she chuckled.

"It's readily apparent that Abby has already filled you in on Christine and me, Justin. Since I'm sure I know the least about you two, can you fill me in a little bit about yourselves?" I asked, looking at Justin.

"Of course," Justin responded without hesitation. "I'm not sure how much Christine has told you about us. You know how forthcoming women are with each other. I studied law, originally intending to become an attorney but my heart wasn't in it. My inquisitive mind compelled me to seek a job opportunity in an area that would challenge me mentally on an ongoing basis endeavoring to solve puzzles and answer serious and sometimes very challenging questions. I changed my studies to focus on law enforcement. I now work with the Charlotte Police Department in that capacity as a lead detective, helping to solve crimes and uncover the truth behind sometimes obscure evidence. It is a rewarding occupation to bring justice to those who deserve it." Abby placed her hand over her husband's and smiled with pride at his status in her eyes.

We placed our orders as the music began to play. There was a dance floor but no orchestra or band but there was a D.J. As we waited for our orders to come, Justin asked Christine to dance and she eagerly agreed after briefly looking my way. I, in turn, offered my hand to Abby who instantly rose. There were quite a few others already on the dance floor. We talked as we danced.

"How did you and Justin meet?" I politely inquired.

"We met through mutual acquaintances," she responded. But Justin and I haven't made a lot of true friends yet. Christine is an awesome personality. She and I hit it off right away and you and Justin might be embarrassed to learn how much we have both shared about our private lives. When I saw the picture on her desk of the two of you together, I felt an indescribable attraction that the four of us could become best friends. Based upon everything Christine has shared, I sure hope that is the case."

Upon our return to the table, Justin and Christine were already engaged in intellectual oddities as if they were testing each other's trivia capacity. Abby and I just looked on in amazement at the weird facts they were bandying about as if they were commonplace. I did find out later that night that Justin was a member of the MENSA society.

Recognizing that the conversation was stilted toward highbrow intellectualism that only he and Christine would enjoy, Justin quickly evolved the atmosphere to joviality, regaling side-splitting humorous anecdotes that were a bit risqué but appreciated nonetheless. A very good time was had by all. Abby paid equal attention to Christine and me both, which made the night exceptionally enjoyable. Now that the ice had been broken, on the drive home we four agreed to make this a regular thing.

We started off making Saturday nights a regular date night which soon evolved into many Fridays as well as Saturdays. Often as not, we'd take turns visiting each other's homes and sharing wonderful evenings watching movies, and playing card and board games. During the summer we often went to the beach where the girls were scantily clad to tease Justin and me. Christine and Abby seemed to feed off each other's bravado, challenging one another to be more daring in public. Christine began wearing low-cut, short dresses that she'd never considered before.

The four of us became inseparable and heavily flirted without overt touching. I had never known Christine to be so brazen publicly or privately before with another couple. If we went bowling, roller, or ice skating, we'd pair up with our opposites to keep everyone's juices flowing. Christine would usually attack me demanding to be sexually satisfied upon our return home after visiting with our best friends. I wasn't about to complain and I must admit that on more than one occasion, I was thinking of Abby while having sex with Christine.

On one Sunday afternoon, we went to a fairly secluded beach where Abby wore her skimpiest bikini yet. Her C-cup breasts were punctuated with her large pointy nipples which announced themselves clearly when aroused, which was often. Surprisingly, Christine donned a nearly-nothing, postage-stamp bikini. The nipples of Christine's double-D breasts were barely covered. It was uncharacteristic of her to wear any kind of overtly revealing swimsuit. Abby had worn her down to go with the flow. Justin and I also wore barely-there speedo swimsuits. Quick nonchalant glances revealed that we were both packing about the same size equipment.

After the day's fun and flirty activities in and out of the water, we partook in a planned picnic supper on the beach as we let the sun dry us off. After several glasses of wine and in our nearly naked state, Justin broached the subject of what he had hoped would be the next step in our relationship.

"Nolan, Christine, you guys are the best friends we have ever had as a couple, hands-down. We've never had as much fun before as we have with you two. We seem to enjoy the same things, whether it's telling redneck jokes or discussing the mathematical nuances of the golden ratio of the Nautilus shell; you two are the most interesting couple Abby and I could imagine having for best friends. And on top of your stimulating brains, we find you two to be very attractive, physically. Abby and I hope that the feeling is mutual. We have immensely enjoyed our innocent flirting and teasing. What we're trying to say here is that we were wondering if you two would consider taking the next natural, progressive step with us."

He continued, "Nolan, I want to assure you that I will NEVER ever try to take Christine away from you, and Abby has no designs whatsoever to ever come between you and your husband, Christine. I love Abby to the ends of the earth and I will never leave her. I believe she loves me the same way and we have total confidence in our undying love for one another. That being said, we see no harm in expanding that boundary to include you two in our inner circle. We're hoping you would consider intimate sharing. Some might call it swinging. We're not talking about any kind of gay or lesbian activity here, strictly heterosexual. We've never felt this way about another couple before and are hoping that perhaps you may have had some similar thoughts yourselves. If you say, yes, then fantastic. If you say, no, then that's okay too. We don't want anything to ever damage our friendship or come between us. We have too much respect for you guys to ever allow that. What do you guys think?"

Christine shrugged her shoulders and immediately replied, "I'm game if you are, Nolan. I realize this is something we've never talked about before but we'll never know whether or not we'd like it unless we try it. It might be fun to do a bit of exploring and see if this is something that could enhance our friendship with them even more."