LwL: After The Opera

(Note: From now on all my Love Without Limits stories will have the tag LwL to save characters in the titles. Also, this is a bit of a strange one. It has only one real sex scene - an FFM threesome - but the whole story is about sex and love. If you don't care about character development, you can skip this one.)

As he drove back to the townhouse Leonard was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and humming the overture from the opera they had just watched. Sylvia stroked his arm gently and looked at Joan in the back seat.

"What did you think?"

"I'm still processing it all," said Joan. "I've never seen opera live before."

They had just come from a matinee of The Barber Of Seville. Leonard and Sylvia were patrons of the local opera company and served on the board of directors. They had invited Joan and Harry to this performance, but unfortunately Harry was at home in bed, nursing a sinus infection.

The company was lucky to have Oscar Abrego, a rising talent in the opera world, starring here as Figaro. Joan had only a rudimentary knowledge of opera, but she found everything about the production fascinating - the music, the costumes, the beautiful sets.

While she felt bad for her husband sick in bed, Joan was happy to have some time alone with Leonard and Sylvia. Both were part of their expanded group of lovers, and yet Joan had very different feelings about them.

Leonard was a lusty man, larger than life in every possible way, and Joan was grateful to him for helping her husband embrace his bisexuality fully and completely. However, to Joan, Leonard came off as pretentious and overbearing. As a professor Leonard was well read and cultured, but like many academics he loved the sound of his own voice.

On the other hand, Joan's affection for Sylvia had reached the level of a serious crush. Sylvia was like no other woman Joan had met. An accomplished photographer, she owned her own gallery and in general had an air of elegance and refinement. When she spoke, she spoke softly in such a way that everyone listened to her.

Yet this refinement masked an inner erotic core of an almost savage passion. When they first met at their friends Amanda and Sam's group session, Sylvia had mounted Joan with a strap-on and driven her to new heights of ecstasy. The forceful nature of the sex with this demure, petite woman had lingered in her mind ever since.

Because she was so fond of Sylvia, Joan felt obligated to give Leonard another chance. One thing that had endeared him to her was that despite his sexual openness, he clearly loved his wife above all others. At the group session, towards the end the couples present were encouraged to pair up with their original mates. While Joan fucked her Harry, she had watched as Sylvia and Leonard engage each other in true lovemaking. Watching them, Joan knew that was what she wanted for herself and Harry.

To his credit Leonard had turned off his professor mode this afternoon, allowing Sylvia (who was more knowledgeable about opera) to explain the various aspects of the production to Joan. He did, however, go on a bit about how he had preferred Abrego's performance in Don Giovanni the previous season which earned an eyeroll from Sylvia.

They reached the townhouse at about 4 PM. They had a dinner reservation for 7, so they had time for some drinks and conversation. Leonard offered to prepare the drinks.

"You know, in honour of the composer, I think I'd like a Rossini," said Sylvia. A Rossini was a Bellini with strawberry purée instead of peach.

"If you've got the blender going, I think I'd like a strawberry daiquiri," said Joan. Leonard nodded and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later sound of the blender whirred and whined.

"What did you think of Oscar?" asked Sylvia. Oscar Abrego was an exciting new talent in opera. Known as much for his exotic looks (his father was from Panama, his mother from Lebanon) as his voice, he had been a charismatic Figaro.

"Oh he was wonderful. What a great voice."

"He's got an amazing cock, too."

Joan blushed slightly.

"Well, I didn't catch that but I guess you had better opera glasses than I did."

"That's not how I know," said Sylvia, trying to suppress a grin. Joan blushed even more.

"Oh my. I should have known Leonard couldn't resist."

"Oh, it wasn't Leonard who did the seduction."

As Joan turned an even brighter shade of red Sylvia reached over to a tablet and opened the photo file.

"This is from the production of Don Giovanni," said Sylvia. "As a patron I volunteered to take the promotional photos for the advertising. We had Oscar here along with Angelica Swain, the soprano.

"We were enjoying ourselves and and I asked them if they wanted to do some artistic nudes. Strictly for private use, of course. Things just followed along from there."

Sylvia slowly flipped through photos of the two singers. Oscar Abrego was a large man, not fat but not overly toned, with light brown skin that looked good even in black-and-white. Angelica Swain was a curvy woman with large but proportional breasts and long ash blonde hair that flowed down in waves. The first photos were standard nude poses: Oscar sitting on a couch, his soft penis at rest; Angelica standing in a pose reminiscent of Venus on a clamshell. The photos turned more playful and sexual, with Oscar gently stroking his growing penis and another with Angelica playfully squeezing her breasts together. The next photos were even more explicit.

"This and the next photo are based on earlier ones of mine," Sylvia explained. In the first one, Oscar has been joined by Leonard, and the two men had their arms around each other while kissing softly. Their cocks were erect and touching, and Joan could see a glob of precome on Oscar's cock. Joan was moved by this gentle interaction between the two men. Their eyes were closed, and Leonard had an expression of pure tenderness as he kissed the other man.

The next photo was of a similar pose between Angelica and Sylvia in a similar pose.

"I set the camera up with a timer for the next few photos so I could join in," Sylvia explained.

Angelica's blonde hair contrasted with Sylvia's shimmering gray tresses as they also kissed. Sylvia's hand was lightly brushing against Angelica's outer labia, and Joan noticed a particular ring on Sylvia's finger.

"Wait," said Joan. She tapped the tablet screen and used two fingers to zoom in on the two hands by their partner's vulvas. "I've seen this before." She then swiped left to the previous photo and performed the same zoom motion.

She had seen the photos on countless free porn sites, albeit rarely in the same collection. They had always struck her as more artistic than the usual porn fare, and she had been mesmerized by them.

Sylvia laughed.

"You've got a good eye, Joan. Yes, I guess I did 'publish' those ones in a way. Don't worry, I got their permission, as long I cropped out any identifying marks." Joan was amused to see that Sylvia was actually blushing a little. "Angelica especially got a thrill knowing so many people would get off on the image with no idea it was her. Opera stars are rarely recognized on the street.

"Porn is so dull, don't you think? The professional sets have no passion, and the amateurs don't know where to put the damn camera."

The photos began to get more and more explicit, and it was clear that they were leading up to a real erotic encounter. Sylvia stopped swiping.

"I don't have permission to show you the rest, but you get the idea," said Sylvia. In the kitchen the blender stopped, and Sylvia quickly put away the tablet. "Our little secret, at least for the moment," Sylvia said with a wink.

Leonard entered the room with a tray carrying Sylvia's Rossini, Joan's daiquiri and a Scotch and soda for himself. Joan took a sip and nodded her approval. Sylvia took a sip of her drink and kissed Leonard softly as he sat down.

"So how did you two meet?"

Leonard and Sylvia looked at each other and chuckled.

"On a double date, of sorts," Sylvia said. "We were both in grad school, and I was seeing a woman named Jessica. Leonard was with a man named Fred." Leonard's eyes grew moist at the mention of the name.

"Just an absolutely beautiful person, inside and out." Joan heard a tinge of regret in Leonard's voice but she felt it would be wrong to ask further.

"I know it sounds like a strange arrangement, but it's the truth," Sylvia laughed. "Freddy and Jessica had an eye for each other, and they both told us they wanted to 'open things up.' So we were a quartet for the rest of the year.

"You have to understand, this was the 70s, and in a way Freddy was still very much a hippie. He had this foolish romantic notion that expanding our circles of love could save the world. This was before things got more conservative, before..." She cut herself off as she could see Leonard was nearly in tears. Sylvia didn't have to say more. Joan had been young at the time, but old enough to remember the headlines about how sex could kill.

"So many lost friends," said Leonard. His face showed sadness but also anger. He lifted his glass. "To Freddy."

"To Freddy," answered Sylvia.

"Jessica married after college. She's a grandmother now. We still write but she sees all that as something from her past."

They drank and talked more, about Sylvia and Leonard's life together, about Joan and Harry's, and why they chose this odd lifestyle.

"I don't think it was ever a choice, to be honest," said Leonard. "Well," he began to stand up and checked the clock, "we still have a few hours before our reservation, any ideas on what you wan to do?"

"I would love to see Sylvia's studio," said Joan, looking directly at the older woman with a sly smile.

"Oh really?" said Sylvia.

"We could see what follows from there."

Sylvia's studio took up most of the third floor. It resembled a loft with large picture windows and white walls. The main room was littered with lighting rigs, tripods and various backgrounds. There was a small couch to one side and changing rooms in one corner. Another door had a red light at above it, which Joan assumed meant it was the darkroom.

"I've been taking photos ever since I could hold a camera," said Sylvia. "I can't describe why I love it so much. There's something so satisfying about taking what I see and translating that into film."

Sylvia walked towards Sylvia's main set up. There was a neutral background on a stand, along with lights and a tripod. A folding chair stood in front of the background.

"Do you take commissions?" Joan said this with a wicked grin.

"Not usually, no. I prefer to choose my subjects."

Joan reached in her pocket and pulled out a quarter. She tossed it to Sylvia.

"I know it's not much, but I feel like paying."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"You don't have to use the changing room, but it might be easier to keep track of your clothes."

Joan giggled and walked to the changing room. She emerged minutes later totally nude. Sylvia had already turned on the lights and placed her camera in the tripod.

"Don't sit down right away," instructed Sylvia. "I want to get a few shots of you standing first. You can move around if you want."

The room was silent except for the soft click of the camera shutter.

"I'm going to do a few on film first then switch to the digital back. I prefer film but I want to get a lot of shots today."

Sylvia kept talking and encouraging Joan. She talked about how sacred Joan's body was, even the flaws she never wanted to show to anyone.

"Think of a part of your body that you feel you need to be ashamed of but secretly love. We all have those, every man and woman. A tiny imperfection you hide to the world but you know is special because it belongs to you. Touch it now."

Joan knew exactly what Sylvia meant. On her left hip there was a mole with a tuft of hair that she never plucked. She hadn't even mentioned it to Harry, and as far as she knew he never noticed it. Joan playfully touched the mole and teased the hair up slightly. Sylvia told Joan to keep touching her body, with one exception: she wanted Joan to avoid her privates.

"Breasts are fine, however."

Joan had never felt as aware of her own body as she did now. She wondered if Sylvia could make her come with only words. Sylvia told her to sit on the chair.

"Close your eyes. Think of the time you felt the happiest about your body - not necessarily sexual, just when you were at most at peace with your body."

Joan closed her eyes and thought of a vacation she spent with Harry at a resort in France. The resort allowed topless sunbathing and looked the other way if guests went nude on their own balconies. Joan wasn't much for tanning, but one evening it was warm enough to lie on the deck completely naked. Harry was beside her and yet they didn't even think of fucking. It was enough to just lie there, a gentle wind caressing their bodies.

"Now open your eyes," Sylvia said. Joan was startled to realize that Sylvia was now standing close to her.

Sylvia was now also nude, smiling as she held up a remote, pressing a button and activating the shutter. She kissed Joan on the lips and embraced her. Joan instinctively reached out to caress Sylvia's breasts, but the other woman stopped her.

"You don't need to anything right now. This is all about your pleasure."

Sylvia kissed down Joan's chest, giving attention to each nipple in time. Every few seconds she stopped to click the remote again. She licked Joan's navel, and this little intimacy caused Joan to giggle. Looking straight up at Joan, Sylvia smiled and then nibbled at the mole on Joan's hip. Joan fought back the urge to touch her own clit, which was now extremely wet.

Sylvia went down on the younger woman with passion that was somehow both tender and determined. Joan felt like a butterfly was brushing her inner lips and groaned with passion. She closed her eyes for a few more moments and opened them to see Leonard there, nude and smiling.

Coming off the high of Sylvia's feminine energy, Joan was a bit shocked to see Leonard in all his hairy masculinity. But there was absolutely nothing predatory about his gaze as he watched his wife eat her out. He gently approached Joan and kissed her softly on the lips. Joan responded by kissing Leonard deeply, and Leonard smiled and put an arm around her. Joan felt strangely safe with this sweet, tender man.

Leonard knelt down and joined his wife in pleasuring Joan. Joan had never had someone with a full beard go down on her, and the whiskers tickled her thighs. Sylvia kissed her husband and stood up, leaving Leonard to keep servicing Joan.

Sylvia kissed Joan on the lips, letting the younger woman taste herself. She then whispered in Joan's ear.

"I want you to fuck him."

Joan was taken aback. At the party, while the two had no limits with the same sex, they only had full intercourse with each other. Sylvia later explained that this was one of the keys to their relationship.

"I don't know, Sylvia..."

"You don't understand," Sylvia said, smiling and gesturing to a strapon dildo that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "I want you to fuck him."

For a moment Joan felt her spirit leave her body. Was this real or a dream? Taking another look at Leonard's massive body, she felt a new thrill.

"Okay," she said finally, standing up. "Let's do it."

Joan was nervous - she was no stranger to using a strap-on, but other than her recent pegging of Harry she had not used one on a man. Leonard leaned over the chair and presented his ass. Sylvia smeared on some lube and guided Joan to enter the ass with the strap-on. Leonard reached back to encourage her to go deeper, and she pushed in as much as she could. Joan remembered that Leonard liked having his nipples played with and reached around to caress them. She felt strong as she penetrated Leonard, and he kept encouraging her. Leonard stood up, clenching his ass in time to Joan's thrusts.

Joan reached to grab Leonard's growing cock, only to be stopped by Sylvia.

"Leave that to me." Sylvia took hold of Leonard's member and guided it into her own waiting cunt. Sylvia kissed her husband deeply and stretched her arms out to stroke Joan's breasts. Sylvia sat down as the other two kept standing, their thrusts moving as one.

Joan had never felt anything like this before. She felt so close to Leonard and Sylvia; she was sharing not just their bodies but their love. They moaned almost in unison, each coming in an explosive climax. Leonard's body sagged as he reached post-orgasmic bliss. They remained together for a moment, their skin drenched in sweat from the combination of sex and the hot studio lights. Leonard kissed his wife, then turned around to give Joan a kiss.

"That was wonderful," said Sylvia.

A few minutes later Joan was in the shower, soaping up her body and letting the water cascade over her. Her skin felt more alive than ever as she thought of her two lovers.

After drying off and dressing again Joan left the bathroom to see Leonard standing there without Sylvia.

"She's in the darkroom. We thought you might like a souvenir."

They made the restaurant in time for their reservation. On Sylvia's recommendation Joan ordered the seared tuna steak and was not disappointed. They talked about many subjects besides sex - art, music, literature, even religion. Sylvia saw sexuality in spiritual terms, as a way of acknowledging the divine in each other. Leonard noted that so much of religious poetry saw the divine in romantic terms, as if God was a dutiful and passionate lover. The three talked lazily over coffee and split a chocolate mousse three ways.

As Leonard drove up to Joan and Harry's house Sylvia handed Joan a large envelope.

"Please give poor Harry our love. You can show these to him if you like - but not the last few ones. You'll understand why."

Joan kissed her friends goodbye and walked up to the door. Harry had texted her that his fever had broke but he was still feeling tired and would probably be asleep by the time she was home. As Joan entered the house it was dark and quiet save for her husband's gentle snoring. She crept into the bedroom and gave Harry a quick kiss. Harry stirred briefly and then turned over in his sleep, a smile on his face. She closed the door behind her and went to living room.

Joan sat down and turned on a lamp. She opened the envelope and gazed at the photos - first of herself alone, listening to Sylvia praise her beauty, then of herself with Sylvia and then Leonard. She lingered over a photo of Sylvia and Leonard sharing her pussy. In the picture Joan's eyes were closed as her face radiated pure pleasure. Joan had never seen herself in this state, and it almost brought her to tears.

The last photos were also black-and-white, but Joan could tell immediately that they were from a different time. The first was of two nude women in a similar pose to Angelica and Sylvia. The woman on the left had blonde hair in a bob that had been popular in the 1970s. The other had long black straight hair flowing halfway down her back. Even from over 40 years later, Joan recognized the woman immediately. She turned the photo over and saw a note scrawled in pencil that confirmed her suspicion: J & S. The next photo showed two men kissing, their erect cocks touching. The man on the left had shoulder-length sandy hair, while the man on the right had darker hair and a trimmed beard. Again, a note on the back proved her suspicions true, saying F & L.

Joan put all the photos but the last two back in the envelope. She found a book on the shelf and slipped the other two photos between the pages, putting the book back. Holding back a tear, she went to the bedroom and lay down with her sleeping husband.