Mix and Match

"No, I'm on it," Melissa said waving me off with her free hand as she started marching back to the cabin.

"Trust me, 'Liss, you've got nothing to be ashamed of," Kent called after her, blatantly leering. He turned my way and gave me a wink. "Seriously, dude, her body is yow!"

"I know," I said, far less charitably than I'd intended.

For once, I think Kent picked up on my contempt. "Anytime you want to make it even, you let me know," he said. He nodded his head towards his wife. Allison blushed pink from head to toe. So quickly I could see the color rising up her body, like a thermometer exposed to the heat.

"Nothing to see anyway," she muttered, quickly turning away.

For a moment, I had an image in my head of Allison peeling that tight, blue swimsuit down, revealing her perky, little tits. Just imagining it made my heart race. Much as I wanted to in that moment, I didn't tell Allison what I was thinking. There were far too many rational reasons holding me back.

Instead, I hurried back up to the cabin before my brain, my body, exposed me in a far less acceptable way.

*

As the sun slowly settled towards the horizon, I put steaks on the grill and Melissa got out the wine. We drank from cheap, plastic cups and ate off paper plates. There was something very summer-y and comfortable about it.

After dinner, Kent and Melissa cleared while Allison and I washed the dishes in the kitchen. There wasn't much to deal with, mostly grill tools and a few utensils.

"I know he won't say it, but so you know, Kent feels really bad about before," Allison said. I handed her the tongs and she started drying them with a hand towel.

"What's to feel bad about?" I asked, innocently.

"You know, the whole thing on the sailboat with Mel," Allison said.

"Oh, that's not a big deal," I said, "It's not his fault that Melissa's top flew off. If anything, we should be apologizing to you for flashing your husband."

Allison stopped toweling and turned to look at me, thin blonde eyebrow raised. "Melissa didn't tell you what happened?"

"Tell me what?" Now it was my turn to freeze over the sink. The pronounced hush of rushing water from the faucet sounded as loud as a waterfall.

"It wasn't just a flash," Allison said, "They um..."

"Remember our conversation from before," I said, far too self-interested to think about what I was asking for. "We can have conversations about this stuff. Old friends and all that."

Allison nodded, but she still looked flustered. She was back in her green polo and short-shorts --I saw her neck and cheeks flush.

"Well, I guess after her top flew off, they tried to fish it out of the lake, but it was too far gone. Then Kent -- and I promise he feels guilty about this because he told me the whole thing earlier this afternoon -- made a comment about Mel. About her chest."

"I'm assuming it was something clever along the lines of 'nice tits' or whatever?"

Now Allison went bright red. "Yeah, something like that. Anyway, I guess it got super flirty and she ended up letting him touch. Like, a little."

"Touch?"

"He, um, well I wasn't there so I don't know exactly," Allison said, "Only what Kent told me. I guess he kinda felt them a little? Honestly, I didn't get a ton of detail. I didn't want to."

"Fuck, I'm sorry," I said, "Are you upset?"

"I just told you another guy grabbed your wife's breasts, that she told him to do it, and you're worried if I'm upset?" Allison said, with a level of wonder I hadn't expected.

"Well, the guy who did it also happens to be your husband," I said. And I knew from before that Allison was sensitive about her chest. Not that I was going to say that out loud.

"I guess I thought you'd be mad, or something," Allison said, "That's why I wanted to make sure you heard an apology."

Not from the person who'd done it of course. Though I appreciated Allison's honesty.

"It's fine," I said, not wanting to upset her. But my heart was throwing itself into my ribcage so hard, I thought it was about to crack open.

*

After the dishes, I tried to get Melissa's attention, but she was already sitting out on the porch with Kent. Allison's story was sticking in my mind. But I didn't want to make a big deal and embarrass my wife, so I decided the conversation could wait.

Instead, the four of us all gathered out there, got fresh cups of wine, and stared out as the sky streaked with orange and pink. The lake was dark and glassy.

There was a long, wicker couch out there -- white, with floral printed cushions. It was meant for three, at most, but we four shared the space as best as we could. Melissa rested against my chest. Allison took a similar position with Kent. Full from dinner, warm from the sun and the wine, everything felt picturesque and nearly perfect.

Still, what Allison had told me earlier nagged at me. As relaxing and nice as this was, I couldn't wait to get Melissa back to the bedroom so I could ask about it. Not exactly the best reason to want my wife in bed, but that's the reality of it.

Meanwhile, it seemed Allison had a different subject stuck in her head. "Kent, you'll never guess what Matt confessed to me this afternoon," she said, out of nowhere.

"E-D?" Kent asked, sneering my way. "Tough break buddy."

"No, you jerk," Allison said, swatting her husband, playfully. "Actually, the opposite. They're trying, too."

"Oh, that's awesome," Kent said, "Congrats!"

He clunked his plastic wine cup with mine and Melissa's.

"We're not trying trying," Melissa said, "I mean, not fully yet."

"Same here," Allison said, "Our doctor said it'd take a few months for the pill to wear off. So, we figured we'd wait and use protection for now. Save up for the big moment, you know?"

"Exactly," Melissa said, excitedly. "See, Matt, I told you it wasn't weird to hold off."

"Don't be too hard on him," Kent said, nodding, "My guy just wants that bareback sex. Trust me, bro, I'm right there with you. Can't wait till I can have Allie raw."

It should have been a weird, awkward moment. Kent's words were practically indecent. But whether it was the wine, or my conversations with Allison, it seemed like a perfectly normal thing to say.

"Did you guys ever, you know, do it like that?" Allison asked. "Like, without a condom or anything?"

"No," Melissa said quickly.

This was true. When Melissa and I were first dating, freshman year in college, she was already on birth control to help regulate her periods. But we both agreed that using condoms was a good idea. Just in case. Even after we married, we'd stuck with it.

It had never been an issue for me, honestly. I'd had other girlfriends before and we'd always used condoms, as well. The rubbers had only started chafing on me recently, since we'd agreed we were going to try. If a baby wasn't a worry, if it was the goal, why did it matter when it happened? But Melissa was insistent.

"I've never done that either," Allison said, her voice almost a whisper, "I'm kind of super excited to try it."

"I've done it lots of times," Kent said, confidently. "Trust me dude, it's awesome. Once you go bare, you're never going to want to stop."

Allison gave her husband a look. It was clear she didn't like him talking about his previous partners.

"I'm kind of surprised, Allie," Melissa said, "Not, like, in a bad way. I just mean, Matt was my first, so we've always done it that way. But you dated around more than me. Not even once? What about what's-his-face, the Spanish guy?"

"He was Portuguese," Allison said, acting scandalized. "And no, not even with Alfonso. It always seemed like a stupid risk to take. Though now that we're going to do it, I kind of wish I'd tried sooner. I mean, what was even the point of the pill, if I wasn't going to take advantage?"

"I know," Melissa said, surprising me. "I can't wait for the drugs to wear off so we can get started. Annoying that it takes so long."

"You know what did change right away though?" Allison asked. She leaned in, conspiratorially. "Almost as soon as I stopped taking the pill? I got really super horny. Like, out of control."

"I know, right?" Melissa said.

OK, now I was truly taken aback. My wife certainly hadn't been acting more aroused. If anything, she'd seemed kind of removed like... OH.

Well, that was the most Melissa thing ever.

My wife didn't like showing weakness and she definitely wasn't going to lose control. Of course, the way she'd react to being aroused all the time was by pulling herself away. I was mad at myself for not seeing it sooner.

"I don't know if it's the hormone change or even just the thought of what it means or what," Allison continued, "But I'm like a crazy woman."

Kent nodded, knowingly. "It's been awesome," he said.

Something about the way he said it was weirdly funny and all of us broke. It was like he'd become one of the pitch men from his ads, winking towards a nonexistent camera as he said the 'tagline.' We all took turns imitating him. Each time, exaggerating it further to the point that we were tearing up from laughing so hard.

"Well, on that note, Mr. Awesome," Melissa said, "I think it's time for bed."

"Oh, I know it is," Kent said.

Allison slapped his shoulder, making a show of seeming upset. But she couldn't keep the look out of her eyes that said she very much wanted the same. "I'm sure Melissa would be quite uncomfortable with us doing that in her house."

I sank back into the couch, knowing my crush girl was correct. As much as the events of the day had us all worked up like crazy, no fun times were coming (or cumming). It was the whole 'control' thing again. Melissa wasn't loud in bed, but even a squeaking of the mattress springs was going to be too much for her. And she wouldn't want to hear it from anyone else, either.

But after Allison in a bathing suit, and my wife going topless, and the wine and the sex talk, I guess I was way too amped up to think rationally. Even what Allison had told me in the kitchen. It had upset me, yes. But it had also left an odd, lingering arousal that layered on top of everything else.

And so, with only my own self-interest in mind, I spoke up.

"Why not?" I asked, playing as innocent as I could.

Melissa twisted her head up at me. Allison and Kent both shot me the same look.

"It's like we were saying before, Allison. Out on the dock," I said, "There's nothing wrong with what we're doing. So, what's the big deal exactly?"

"Like, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I have sex with my husband," Allison said, smiling behind her wine cup. It was a far more appropriate version of what she'd said to me before, and damned if I didn't miss that curse word. It had added a whole other voltage to the electricity of her words.

"Right," I said, "Like, what's the big deal? We're not having a screaming orgy out here on the porch."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Kent said with a smirk. That earned him another slap. But Allison was clearly feeling the same vibe as me. She wanted to get laid. And if she could get her friend on board, we'd all be sailing off to the horizon.

"Like, we kiss in front of each other," she said, giving her husband a little smack on the lips.

"That's different," Melissa said. But when I leaned over, she let my lips meet hers.

I looked over and saw that Kent and Allison had kept kissing. There were no light pecks, but a full-on mixing of lips and maybe even a bit of tongue. Her hands rested on his chest. His fingers drifted towards her butt.

I gave Melissa a knowing look and she let herself go a little, allowing our makeout session to continue, as well. My hand rested on her bare shoulder (she was wearing a floral tank top and a black skort). My tongue played at her tight lips. Finally, she let it slip inside.

I heard a moan and, reacting to the sound, I glanced over at Allison. She was still engaged with Kent. He'd slipped his hand through the open collar of her shirt. It was only on her shoulder, but still. Allison's hand rested over the shirt, on top of his. I couldn't tell if she was holding him in place or pushing him to go further.

"This is weird," Melissa said, between kisses.

"But kinda nice," Allison said. She caught me looking her way and gave me that incredible smile. Then something in her expression changed and she lifted her arms in the air. Kent got the hint immediately and pulled the green polo over her head. The pretty blonde shook her hair out of her eyes and resumed kissing.

I kept making out with my wife, but I couldn't help but stare. This was a sight I'd been obsessed with for a long time. Allison was wearing a tiny white bra. It looked like something my high school girlfriend would have worn. Small and simple. Though more than enough to cover her little breasts.

"Allison!" Melissa said, "Your shirt's off!"

"Yeah? And yours is still on," Allison said. The challenge was clear.

"Nothing we haven't seen before," Kent said. I knew he was trying to encourage Melissa, but it felt like a liberty too far. It was a reminder I didn't need.

My gorgeous wife sighed. I thought for sure that was going to be the end of it.

Then Melissa reached for the hem of her tank and lifted it right over her head. Her breasts were still encased in a very proper, black bra. But still. Sometimes the act of removal is more important than what it reveals.

Allison cheered and Kent freed his hands to give us both a thumbs up.

"That's my girl!" he said. Don't think I missed the my.

But instead of letting it get to me, I decided to show him whose girl Melissa really was. As we resumed our makeout session, I moved more aggressively -- wrapped her in my arms and held her close. Put all my focus on the woman I was with.

The way we'd shifted on the couch, we were arranged boy-girl-boy-girl, with Kent on the far side, then Allison, then me, and finally Melissa. And like I said, it was a pretty large piece of furniture. But it wasn't made for two couples to be fooling around together on it.

I didn't think much of it, the first time I felt a body brush mine. I assumed it was Allison, shifting around to get more comfortable. The second instance, though, was more insistent. And I couldn't help but glance over.

It was my blonde crush girl, alright. Kent was kissing down her neck and she'd arched her back. But that wasn't what had caused our collision. In fact, I realized, it wasn't an accident at all. Allison had reached out with her hand to touch my leg. When she saw me looking, she gave me a grin and did it again.

Kent was too distracted in kissing her to notice what his wife was doing. And, in truth, it wasn't that transgressive. Allison was just tracing my bare thigh with her fingers, tickling at my leg hair. But that was more than enough, right? We were supposed to be pleasing our respective partners and Allison was breaking that boundary.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do in that moment. I took my own t-shirt off.

"Matt?" Melissa asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Just keeping things even," I said.

That seemed to satisfy my wife. I started kissing her neck and the top of her chest, as well. Gotta keep up with the neighbors and all that.

I felt more shifting behind me and assumed it was Kent, taking his shirt off, as well. I risked a glance back and saw that, sure enough, he was bare-chested. Close-up, I realized that he was in better shape than I'd given him credit for. Brown chest hair covering well-defined pecs and a taut stomach.

More importantly, though, I noticed that Kent wasn't the only one who'd removed a layer. Allison, too, had slipped her shorts off. The cute blonde woman was down to her underwear. Her panties, a basic bikini cut, matched the plain white of her bra. Seeing Allison's naked legs, the curve of her little butt, it wasn't all that different than the bathing suit before. But it felt like something far more intimate. As if I wasn't already hard.

I reached down for Melissa's shorts, but her hands firmly gripped mine around the waistband. I tried to get her to look back at her best friend, to see that we weren't doing anything that hadn't already been done. But my wife wasn't having it.

"I think we should take this inside," Melissa said.

"Fine by me," Kent said. Then he realized what Melissa meant. "Oh, you mean. Yes. OK."

Carefully, we two couples picked ourselves off the couch, gathered our clothes, and trooped off to our respective bedrooms. As Allison closed the door behind herself, she gave me a strange little wave.

Melissa and I didn't start ravishing each other right away. We didn't tumble onto the bed, caught up in the current of our passions. Instead, my wife visibly stiffened, like steeling herself, before carefully climbing under the covers.

I met her there, and we kept kissing.

"Uncontrollably horny, huh?" I asked, teasing.

"I didn't want you to get the wrong idea," Melissa said, "Think I was some slut."

"Nothing wrong with being a slut for your husband," I said. But Melissa rolled her eyes at me.

We kept making out for a bit. I humped my hardness into her leg. I got the sense that, despite everything, Melissa wasn't all that interested in having sex. The other couple in the next room continued to cool her ardor. I guess she'd reached the limit of her latent exhibitionism.

Kent and Allison, however, clearly had no such compunction. We heard the rhythmic thumping first. That was followed by Kent's low grunts. Allison's deep moans.

"Yes baby, give it to me," Allison said. Her voice wasn't that loud, but we heard it like she was in the room with us.

After all that talk of having them on the other side of the cabin, Melissa had put our friends in the bedroom right next to ours. And now we were reaping the harvest of that decision. We heard everything, like the room had been mic'd and we had 7-speaker surround sound.

The wet slicking of their connection. The thumping urgency of their thrusts. The slaps of flesh against flesh. Allison gasping, mewling. Kent's rumbling, ragged breaths.

Unlike what you'd think from reading porn stories, the sounds of our neighbors only slowed us more. Melissa and I didn't keep making out or try to match them with our own passion. Instead, we both just lay in bed, feeling awkward, listening to the show like some strange radio program we couldn't switch off.

"Babe, I want to take it off," Kent said, "Let me feel you."

"No," Allison said, gasping. "Not yet. Please. Wait a little longer."

Their coupling quickened. Even from the other room, we could tell they were getting close to a finish. Abruptly, the thumping stopped. I heard one word, like a strained whisper. Kent's voice

"Oh... Melissa."

I glanced over at my wife. Either she hadn't heard it, or she was doing a very good job of pretending she hadn't.

The silence was broken by Allison as she let out a light giggle. "You're so naughty," she said.

"You know you love it," Kent replied.

The two of them rustled around, but we didn't hear anything further. Eventually, the cabin quieted completely.

Melissa and I resumed our own activities, but it was oddly awkward. Hearing everything in such vivid detail was a warning to us about how much we were broadcasting. So, mostly, we kept 'shushing' each other as we judiciously did the deed. Instead of the fun of before, it felt almost mechanical. Compulsory. Honestly, when I filled the condom, it was almost a relief.

And then, entangled with each other, we fell into a restless sleep.

*

The next day, I woke up to an epic hard-on that was only slightly abated by my morning piss in the master bathroom. Like I hadn't cum at all the night before.

It was early, and the sun was shining weakly through our window as I crawled back into bed.

"That was interesting," Melissa said. I hadn't noticed she'd woken up. Her dark hair was disheveled from sleep. More adorable than sexy.