Jim and Edie Again Ch. 13-14

Jim called up on his cellphone the graphic he'd used to explain things to Penny, David, Jean, Carolyn, Matt, Josh, and Amy. He filled three flip charts as he talked about the two models for a relationship.

I watched the others in the class. Some were uncomfortable with the concepts. Several questioned whether a relationship with more than two people was really a relationship or marriage. He responded that he wanted to define his own marriage and relationship and not have someone not involved do it for him, even when some legal statute might state otherwise. He attested to his own fierce independence.

There were questions about cheating and infidelity, that he answered with élan. He contrasted his marriage with Diane versus his 'marriage' with me. We laughed and bantered back and forth. We hammered on the idea of consensual non-monogamy for a bit, and then the concept of paradigms and then opening one's eyes and seeing other options.

During the talk, he revealed that we'd formed a new and intimate relationship with Molly and Sean. He asked them what they were feeling and what they hoped would happen in the future. Their responses were articulate yet erotic. They mentioned knowing that we had other relationships in our 'open marriage' that they hoped to meet and feel as engaged with them as we were with the two of them.

Jim and I both talked about jealousy and compersion. He gave the example of Penny coming home and finding Dave, her husband, and Jean in bed together making love. He talked about the way things could have turned out, and then the way they did. Again, he used his model of the two paradigms to contrast the standard response to a transgression versus the alternatives that few people think about.

When he'd get a question, sometimes Jim would lay out one of his scenarios, and then invite the class to contribute answers and alternative responses. He also debunked some of the myths about some situations, such as thinking that your spouse cheated because you weren't as good or as loving as you could have been.

I had no idea that Jim was such a superb public speaker. Jim had told me he occasionally had to give speeches and that he'd even testified a number of times before Congress regarding parts of NASA's budget and appropriations, but I didn't think much about his statements. He was charismatic in front of the class, involved everyone and wouldn't let anybody hide. When he saw a reaction to something he said, he'd dig to find out why and whether there was a learning point there.

Alice and Carl, the regular lecturers were even spellbound. He treated them just like any of the other students, even though they were supposedly the experts. In the end, Jim came off looking like the expert for all experts. He managed the ninety-minute time slot he'd been given right to the second, even giving out a brief homework assignment for people to think about the various ways they were raised and how they'd like to change now that they had some options pointed out to them.

Everyone in the seminar stood and applauded after he announced a half-hour break, as Alice had asked him to do. Carl and Alice were wildly applauding, too. I had tears in my eyes; I loved this man so, and he'd just shown me more reasons to treasure him in my life.

A few feet away, Molly was lit up like a Christmas tree about Jim and all that he'd said or extracted from the class. In the ninety-minutes, he'd filled about twenty flip charts and he was not writing particularly large. Alice restated the break and assignment that would carry over to the next morning -- the last day of the retreat.

Carl and Alice flew across the meeting room to Jim, and I heard them ask whether he'd teach the opening session the next day when people would report out on their thinking about the life and relationship model they wanted to create and live with for the next twenty years. Jim was a forward thinker.

After the break, the class spent the rest of the afternoon being taught about Tantric Sex. This was getting right into the nitty-gritty. Carl talked about the range of practices, and some of the benefits besides an overpowering intimacy with one's lover. The men would learn tremendous control, including over their orgasms; even allowing them to orgasm without ejaculation, and thereby prolong their lovemaking session indefinitely, repeating that process over and over, often with only a few minutes between their 'orgasms'. The concept of Coitus Reservatus was also introduced: remaining coupled but the man not ejaculating but remaining at an erotic plateau for as long as possible, sometimes hours.

Both the men and women learned about the advantages of various sacred positions and practices, some from Kama Sutra and others from ancient Hindi and Buddhist teachings. Some techniques of foreplay were described, including various breathing techniques when making love. The healing powers of semen were part of the teaching. A long, guided meditation was led by Alice, who had the perfect intonations to sexually arouse the group as well as to produce the focused calming and learning meditation of the hours spent on the topic.

The Saturday part of the seminar ended about five-thirty. Despite the spiritual 'tilt' of the afternoon, the class gathered for cocktails and then another dinner in the lodge dining room. That day, the class resulted in the only people using the lodge.

Every person in the class came up to Jim and congratulated him on the part of day that he'd taught. They praised him to the skies, but he remained humble and grateful that he'd helped them in some small way. He reminded them to think about the assignment overnight.

Alice and Molly again surrounded Dave at dinner, along with another couple in their late-thirties -- Alan and Eva. Sean and I were at the table.

Jim got interviewed by the others over dinner about our lifestyle. 'Do you really have sex with many other women?' -- I make love with a few others beside Edie who is my most special person. 'Do you feel in conflict with the way the rest of society approaches marriage and relationships? -- I just remind myself of what that whole way of life is like, and I know it is no longer for me; it still works for many others. 'Do you really feel more love in your lifestyle than before?' -- Yes; there's no comparison.

I could see the adoration factor rise exponentially about Jim as he spoke. He had become like a guru about the model. He tried to steer to conversation to the Tantric Sex we'd learned about and pass the lead to Alice. She accepted that from him, and could handle some of the questions that got asked to Jim, particularly about sexual stamina and pleasing so many women in his life. Eventually, Jim got to eat his meal and finish his wine.

As we left the dining room for the large lodge living room, Jim had a following, like the Pied Piper. I had to laugh silently, but people were so obvious -- especially the women.

Alice bluntly asked in a moment when only the two of us were together, whether she could join and make love with us that night. Carl had expressed a desire to be with me, as Alice made love with Jim.

Jim agreed but said that Molly and Sean had to participate, since they were also new love interests for all of us. Alice looked pleased, and Molly, upon hearing that, almost cried at his caring and love.

Ten feet further into the room, Alan and Eva confronted Jim. Alan was the ambassador for the couple, expressing their wish to also join in the lovemaking that seemed to be taking place between Jim, me, and few others staying at the lodge that night.

Jim looked at me and I smiled and winked at him. He included them as well. I had the feeling others wanted to also join in but were too inhibited to ask.

Based on Sean's invitation, the eight of us headed to Molly and his bedroom in the lodge: Jim and me, Molly and Sean, Carl and Alice, and Alan and Eva -- who'd also been two of the more active participants in the day's sessions.

Sean and Carl opened up the pull-out sofa. Alice and Eva brought in another mattress from the adjacent room where Carl and Alice were sleeping.

Jim had us disrobe and then stand in a circle and hold hands. He gave an incantation to put us in the right mood. "We stand in the presence of the mighty forces of the Universe that bought us to this existence, and to this place in time and space. We are here to share and expand the love we have with other like-minded souls. The sharing that we will do will feature all the aspects of intimacy including our sexual connection with each other -- mind, body, and spirit. Please kiss the person on your left and right."

I kissed Alan and Carl. Jim was between Eva and Alice. The others also kissed, and then pairings took place, and we started to arouse each other and make love.

We had another round of kissing people on either side of us, and this led to two couples breaking away from the circle and moving to the larger bed: Molly and Alan, and Carl and me. Eva went to Sean and kissed him because they hadn't been next to each other. The cute smaller woman was soon in his arms.

Jim and Alice stood and kissed. She told him, "After seeing you and hearing you speak, I don't think I've ever wanted a coupling with somebody so much." The two lay down on the spare mattress brought in from next door. Jim got a wink from Edie as he knelt of the bed.

The evening was sexy, erotic, orgasm producing -- especially for the women, and with the application of some Tantric techniques, rewarding for the men who each made love to each woman in the group twice.

At one point, Alice had suggested some doubling up. The result became two FFM and two MMF combinations that each put on a show for those remaining and watching.