How It Started, How It's Going Pt. 03

"No, you're not putting this onto me."

"But you're the one who gets fucked."

"There's no need to be crude Bill."

"It's true though. You said that you wanted him."

"Only because I thought you'd set it up. The way it happened just like before."

"I didn't though. You were very eager to please."

"Seriously Bill? We fucked for what? two minutes? And during most of that time you held my hand."

"I don't know Casey, it doesn't seem right but..."

"You were turned on as well?"

"No, well, maybe, I, I don't know."

"You were turned on after, inside the house. Why wouldn't you let me clean myself up?"

Bill shrugged.

"Andrea said it's called reclaiming. Taking back what's yours," Casey paused. "It was really intense."

Bill was still non verbal but he nodded.

"Come on, that's enough self flagellation for tonight I think. Let's go to bed." Casey said and she stood up.

Bill fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The previous night's restlessness catching up with him. Casey had more trouble as she thought about some of the things Andrea had said. It didn't help that whenever she got into that dead zone on the edge of sleep her mind went back to the previous evening and JT.

Neither of them saw their neighbour for the next couple of days. They didn't discuss anymore about what had happened or Andrea's views on it. Thursday night they were laying close together in bed after making love. Casey was drifting off to sleep when Bill blurted out.

"There'll have to be rules."

"What babe?" Casey mumbled.

"There'd have to be rules, boundaries if we did it with JT again."

"Like what?" Casey asked as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Um, it can only be here in the house but downstairs not in the bedroom... and I've got to be here."

"Okay, um anything else."

"There has to be truth between us so we're both on the same page, no sneaking around."

"We haven't actually decided it's going to happen yet though, right?"

"No, no of course not. I'm just saying if."

"Good because that wouldn't be a good thing for being in the same page." Casey settled down next to her husband again. "I mean we haven't seen him since Monday morning so it's academic really. Now go to sleep."

That was true, Bill thought. There had been no activity next door since Monday morning. It would probably be a smart thing for JT to distance himself from what happened. Something in Bill's subconscious was telling him JT would be back. The prospect both worried the shit out of him but was somehow exciting? Maybe that was the wrong word, intriguing...

"Stop thinking and go to sleep," Casey hissed as she jabbed him in the ribs.

Bill instinct proved correct. Friday afternoon he pulled into his driveway and saw JT's truck parked out front of his garage. Bill pulled into his space and was about to close the tilting door when JT appeared.

"Hey Bill, how's it going?"

"Good." Bill replied cautiously.

"And Casey, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine."

"Great, great."

"Anything else?"

"No, no I was just checking in, I..." JT shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Um, yeah, making sure you were both okay."

"Look JT, Casey and I have talked about it and maybe we need to get together to clear the air. That way you can say what you want to say to Casey to her face."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"That's how it has to be. We'll be home all weekend. If you have time and you want to talk to both of us then let me know, call, text, whatever."

Bill pressed the button on the garage door and it started to close. JT retreated, looked like he was going to say something else then turn on his heel and walked back to his house. When Casey got home she found Bill in the living area staring out into the backyard nursing a beer.

"You look like you lost a dollar and found a nickel. How was your day?"

"Okay, I talked to JT."

"When?"

"He was parked out the front of his place when I got home."

Casey wanted details of the conversation so Bill went through it pretty much word for word.

"So what does that mean for us now?" Casey asked as she sat down next to Bill.

"The balls in his court. If he wants to talk we talk. Although I think now if he doesn't maybe we avoid contact. Not in a rude way but just you know..."

"Yeah I understand." Casey put a reassuring hand on Bill's leg. "Might be for the best anyway."

They sat in silent contemplation for a moment until Bill went for another beer and got Casey a glass of wine.

"Would you still want to explore that non monogamy stuff. Like if, JT doesn't call or we talk and he doesn't want to?" Bill asked as he sat down.

"Is that a serious question?" Casey asked back as she shifted on the lounge so she was facing Bill.

"I guess. You know you were obviously turned on when it happened and..." Bill stopped but this time Casey didn't jump in to finish the sentence. "And, um it was hot watching you just um, I'm not sure what it was. Giving yourself to him or, or, just you becoming a uninhibited sexual being."

"How would we do it?" Casey tried to approach Bill's question with detached amusement so she felt like she was just humouring him.

"Andrea might know someone."

"I don't know Bill."

There were two things Casey didn't know. One, she genuinely didn't know if she wanted to fuck random men. And two, did Bill really want her too?

"Wouldn't it be contrived if we organised it like that. Last weekend was just serendipity. Like when you have a dinner party and the food, the conversation, everything just works because of the exact point in time that it occurred. But try and recreate that with the same people, food, venue and month later and it doesn't."

"So you don't want to?"

"I don't know Bill. Seriously I don't know. I've already said at that moment I wanted JT to fuck me, and it was great but it has always been great with you as well. Why don't we just concentrate on us. If in the future the planets align and circumstances conspire to let something similar happen we just go with it? I mean who knows when that would happen? It could be two years, ten years..."

"Okay, yeah um, but within some boundaries."

"Obviously, I'm hardly going to put on a short skirt and go walking the streets." Casey said with a laugh.

"Good," Bill felt the tension release as well. "But now you mention it..."

"Behave." Casey slapped Bill's upper arm playfully then put her hand back down on his thigh. Higher this time so her fingers rested on his cock. "Now how about we go upstairs and you show me just how good you are in bed?"

It was over an hour before they were back downstairs making dinner. Both were more relaxed about where they were at after their earlier conversation. For Casey, while she couldn't deny the huge turn on it had been to have sex with JT, it just came with a hefty price tag of guilt from her pious upbringing. That and the fact her husband had seemed to her to be anxious to set up a repeat so soon made her wonder if he valued their relationship as highly as she did.

Bill felt more secure in his position as Casey husband. Watching her enjoy getting fucked by their neighbour was a double edged sword. It had turned him on but after the little voice in the back of his head questioned whether he was good enough to keep her. Her initial protestations of love were diluted for him when Casey bought her non monogamous friend Andrea in to advise them. It seemed at the time a deliberate move to push an agenda. Now that she had gone cold on the idea of a repeat with JT or anyone really he was walking that little bit taller.

Sunday afternoon Bill was once again sitting on the lounge looking out into the backyard. There had some music playing in the background and Casey was checking her famous pot roast. Bill knew he was in the good books when his wife suggested it for Sunday dinner. It was a labour of love that there busy lifestyle meant he didn't get to enjoy as much as he wanted.

Casey had been up early, for a Sunday, seasoning the meat so it was ready to go in the oven at nine. She liked to have it on a low heat so eight to nine hours was the usual cooking time. Then it would be falling off the bone and so tender. Casey closed the oven door and looked across at her man. There was a look of quiet contentment on his face as he tapped his foot to the music. It had been a stressful week for both of them. However a restful weekend had recharged their batteries. Well, relatively restful. There had been a full program of sexual activity. Bill had seemed intent on proving his versatility and endurance over the last forty eight hours and Casey had enjoyed it immensely. Adding to the general mood Bill's phone had remained silent so they both thought JT had decided to move on.

"Are you ready for a drink?" Casey asked as she opened the refrigerator door.

"Are you having one?" Casey nodded. "Yeah, a beer would be great, thanks."

As she walking over to the lounge with his beer in her hand Bill's phone started ringing. It was on the table behind the lounge so she picked up it up to pass it to him. As she did Casey saw the caller ID, JT. She quickly handed it to Bill like it was a bomb. He took it nonchalantly until he saw who was calling. Then his head swung around and he mouthed the phrase, do I answer it? Casey held up her hands in the universal sign language of I don't know. As she watched his finger hoovered over the accept button. When the ringtone stopped Bill looked back at Casey.

"We'll see if he leaves a message."

The phone was silent for what seemed like the longest time before the message notification sounded. Bill pressed it then pressed speaker.

"Er hi Bill, um I'm leaving the studio now so I'll be home in forty minutes. Just wondering if it would be a good time to er, have that chat. Give me a call back, um, bye."

He hit repeat then when it was finished looked at Casey. When she didn't say anything he asked her.

"So?"

"So, it complicates things but it's what you, we wanted so how can we say no?"

"But now? It's almost dinner time."

"Invite him for dinner. Surely we are adult enough to sit at a table together."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you saying I'm not an adult?"

"No, but what do we do, what do you want to happen?"

The question hung in the air between them. Bill felt a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. Casey was the opposite, her's was abuzz with a nervous fizz.

"What ever happens Bill. Let's leave it to chance and chaos. We can't plan for every possibility. All that's certain is we will wake up tomorrow together the same as we did this morning."

"He might not want to stay for dinner."

"He might not but would you be hesitating to ask him if last weekend hadn't happened?"

"What happened last weekend wasn't a trivial thing."

"We've discussed that pretty thoroughly haven't we? You were the one who said he had to talk to us. Just invite him, you have no idea what he is going to say. He might come to the door and say I never want to have contact with either of you ever again."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Um but I've got a zoom call with the guys this evening at eight thirty."

"We'll be finished dinner by then. Now hurry up and find out because I'll have to get changed if he's coming."

"Why?"

Instead of answering Casey opened her legs and pointed to a hole on the inside of her thigh in her comfy weekend pants. Bill nodded that he understood then pressed the reply button on his phone. Casey was left to guess what was being said as Bill didn't have his phone on speaker. It appeared JT must have been unsure about the dinner invitation because Bill had said 'if you don't you'll miss out on Casey's famous pot roast.' He ended the call with no clear indication JT was coming.

"So? Is he coming for dinner or not."

"Yes, he wasn't keen for dinner at first but he said he only had leftover pizza in his refrigerator so yes he's staying for dinner."

"Right, well you tidy up down here and I'll go get changed."

It was almost an hour before JT tapped on their back door. Bill went and let him in. They greeted each other stiffly then they both moved towards the kitchen area. Casey had the pot roast out and was organising bowls for the side dishes. She had an apron on over a loose fitting top that hung down over some longish linen shorts. It had taken her some time to decide what was appropriate. A black dress she tried first was discarded when she looked in the mirror. It said do you want to fuck me now or later? Next she gone for gym gear but thought it probably was sending a similar message. The shorts seemed neat and casual, the top hiding any hint of sexuality. Still she found her self smoothing her apron and preening a little as they approached.

"Hi Casey," JT started. "I want to apologise for the other night. What I did was wrong."

Casey was dumbstruck. She shouldn't have been surprised by the apology yet somehow she was. After talking everything through with Bill in the past week she'd moved on. It just didn't seem right to say that.

"Well, I, I feel like I'm meant to say something like it's okay, but it's not. You came into our yard and got into the middle of our fantasy. You took advantage of us when we were very venerable. That was wrong, that was really wrong."

"I know, that's why I'm here. So how much will it take?"

"What do you mean?" Casey was confused all over again.

"Money. My manager said he can get a hundred k cash to you but you would have to sign an NDA."

"No, no, oh my god no. We don't want money, Bill tell him."

"JT, this isn't about money."

"Then why did you want to talk?"

"I just felt you needed to say what you said to me to Casey, face to face."

"Yes, that's all." Casey took back the lead. "Bill and I we've talked about it a lot this past week. We've moved on, it's just something that happened like it did twenty years ago."

"So, we're good?" JT still looked unsettled by the situation.

"Yes. That's what the dinner is about. You and Bill had a bit of a bromance going on and I don't want Bill to lose that over this. Considering your condition and what we were doing... I mean it was wrong but I accept your apology I guess."

"Yeah, we're on the other side of it now so lets just leave it there." Bill added.

"Okay, um great, thanks." JT was relieved but also surprised by how easy this had been. "I've got to say I appreciate how understanding you both are about this. I'm sure others might try to gain an advantage from a situation like this."

"Right well, You to go to the table. I'm about five minutes from being ready then I'll bring dinner over." Casey waved them away. "Bill, see if JT wants a drink

The three of them ate in a very jovial mood. Perhaps it was the relief of getting past the initial awkward meeting. Nothing related to what had happened was mentioned until after they'd finished eating. Bill had just come back with a fresh bottle of wine and refilled glasses when Casey set JT on edge again.

"So what is sex addiction, Andrea explained it..."

"Who's Andrea? Did you tell someone?"

"It's okay," Casey immediately sort to calm JT. "She's a fully certified psychologist. Everything we said to her is confidential. She's a friend who works at the university."

"She helped us get our heads around it." Bill added.

"Um, okay, well I just lack impulse control when I'm around woman. I know I shouldn't but my mind just goes blank and I go for it."

"Isn't that every guy?"

"No this is so much worse. When I was at my worst I'd go to the grocery store to get milk and have sex with a shelf stacker in a back room. Then meet another woman at the checkout line and go back to her place. It's just a compulsion I couldn't control."

"And now, what is the therapy about."

"Behavioural modification, avoidance, trigger warnings, that sort of stuff. What did your friend say?"

"She didn't have a lot of insight into treatment. She just said it must be hard to go cold turkey. To not have the support of your wife."

"Yeah it is, but that was my fault. Before last Sunday night I hadn't had sex in six weeks." JT saw Bill roll his eyes.

"Welcome to married life my friend." Bill said in a light heart fashion.

"Hey, don't you start mister. You do alright." Casey bit back.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what did your friend say to you two about what happened?"

Bill and Casey exchanged glances before Casey started to answer.

"She said that it was um, normal for couples to roleplay..."

"But you do have to know she is a swinger." Bill interrupted.

"She's not a swinger. Andrea is in a ethical non monogamous relationship."

"What's that?"

"She has a long term partner but they are open to each other having sexual relations outside of their relationship as long as they are open and truthful with each other."

"Sounds like bullshit." JT added before Casey continued.

"Well they've been together for fourteen years so they are doing better than most." Casey emphasised the last word and looked at JT.

"Okay, okay, point taken." He said holding up his hands in surrender.

"Anyway, she also said that taking the roleplay further and including another person was also not unusual but it required a higher level of communication between all parties."

Casey stopped there and looked at Bill again. He couldn't read what the intent of it was. Did she want him or was she looking for a sign from him for her to bring up the possibility of playing with JT again? Or was she silently telling him, that's as far as we go. Bill was beginning to the see the deficiencies of 'going with the flow.' In the end he took a bet both ways.

"She also said we were probably being helpful to you like a person addicted to narcotics going to a clinic for methadone."

Bill waited for Casey to interject or kick him under the table but she didn't. JT gave the only response.

"It certainly took the edge off," JT admitted candidly then his face changed to show he regretted his overtly sexual comment.

"If only you could get it with your health insurance." Casey tried to add some lightness.

"Aren't you a doctor or something?"

"That's not my field of expertise." Casey shot back as she batted her eyes at JT.

"You could have fooled me." JT replied.

Bill's phone alarm stopped the interaction before it got any more sexualised. He pulled it out and swiped it off.

"What was that for?" JT asked.

"I've got a zoom call to get to in five minutes."

"It's Sunday though?"

"It's not for work, it's a side project. Me and a couple of other guys are working on a different type of computer defence system."

"Like Norton and Trend do?"

"Yeah but different. I got the idea from football actually. The best form of defence is attack was a motto of our college defence coach. He would drill those guys all day on how to get to the quarterback. The other computer virus programs build fences. We will still do that but we want to reach out and fuck with the hacker as well."

"So how far along are you?"

"Almost there. Just got a couple of bugs to get out of it and then..."

"You're the next Bill Gates?"

"That would be nice but I'll take ten percent of what he's got and be very happy. Anyway I'd better get upstairs." Bill stood up from the table.

"Yeah I'd better go too." JT said pushing his chair back.

"Hold up there boys, who do you think is going to clean up the kitchen?"

"I've got to go honey," Bill said.

"And I've got to watch the game replays as prep before the footy show tomorrow night."

"No way. I cooked." Casey stood up as well then she brokered a deal. "You," she said pointing at Bill. "Go up to your meeting but afterwards you have to get dessert ready. And you JT, the tv is over there. All the games are recorded by footy head over there. You can watch while you help me."