One Night

"Okay?"

"Yes, I feel like a hummingbird, floating and buzzing."

"A most beautiful hummingbird."

The door slid open and closed.

"The check please."

Cathy wasn't sure what was going to happen. She was comfortable now accepting. Whatever happens, happens and I will enjoy it.

But nothing happened. Ben paid the check and thanked Robert. When Robert left, Ben said, "Put your dress on." It seemed almost anticlimactic. She put her dress on and seemed to float behind Ben. As they reached the front of the restaurant, they met Robert, who had a sphinx-like smile. "Robert, thank you your service was great."

"Thank you Ben. I look forward to our next drink." Ben? Next drink? How had they set this up?

Michel was suddenly there. Ben thanked him, complimented the food, and promised to return. Cathy felt a glow and her feet again. She said nothing, just smiled and followed Ben out the door.

The evening was cool. Ben embraced her and whispered into her ear, "Now the adventure really begins."

3.

As Ben pulled the car away from the restaurant, Cathy felt as though she were floating in a warm ocean, being carried along by powerful currents. She felt good. The Champagne has taken the edge off her nervousness but her mind was clear and her body aroused.

The interaction with Robert had been exciting, even thrilling, almost more so looking back, and she could not deny it. She had desired his touch, and wanted . . . ah, she could still feel the shape and warmth of his erection in her hand.

It had felt, it felt now, like falling into this warm ocean; being carried powerless yet free . . . yet, this ocean centered on her, she was being desired. Not just by Ben, whose desire, usually assumed, thrilled her only on occasion, but Robert's desire. Cathy felt powerful and sexy. The ocean move carried her, but existed for her. Its waves lapped at her . . . like their mouths, their tongues, caressing her body, worshiping her . . .

For a while, Cathy gave herself over to feelings without expression, sensations without thoughts. She looked at Ben driving, sure, purposeful, in control, yet drawn to excitement and risks.

Now a worrying emotion rose like a wave and slowly ebbed. Ben's presence, his control, his support helped, but also disturbed her. What did it mean? Ben was strong; his love was sure, he planned and controlled this night and would not let anything bad happen.

And now? "The adventure is just beginning," Ben had said. Perhaps her limits had been expanded enough tonight. But Ben wanted more, and she . . . floating, feeling good, smiling inwardly. She squirmed in her seat.

Ben's hand was on her thigh. "Open up your dress."

Yes, that was what she wanted, Ben's touch, and now. Cathy opened her dress and relaxed back into the seat and Ben cupped her mound, caressed her, slipped his hand under her panties and slid a finger into her wetness. As he drew his finger along her crack up to her clit, the car stopped. Ben's finger moved lower following her juice down over her wet lips, and further, close enough to her smaller hole to trigger other sensations, and then back up. As the tip of his finger, passed her opening she moved her hips up to make it dip into her. Ben turned his head towards her, sought and found her lips, his tongue caught hers briefly before moving away.

"You taste sweet."

Cathy could feel his hot breath. She moaned as his finger moved over her, feeling the wetness in her pussy increase, and she humped against his finger. Ben dipped down and caught her nipple in his mouth, sucked on it gently, causing it to harden and then moving back.

In a near whisper, Ben said, "Ready"

"Yes, fuck me"

Ben smiled down at her. "Later, we're here."

Cathy couldn't disguise the frustration in her, "Where? Just. . ."

Ben put a finger to her lips. "Shhh." As he came around to her side of the car, Cathy thought to herself, "enough already, just you and me." The door opened and his hand came to her. Cathy began to find her bearings as she unbuckled, took Ben's hand and tried to hold her dress closed.

As she found her feet, Cathy embraced him and said, "We can just go home. We don't even have to go home. We can. Just . . ."

Ben again shushed her. She looked around, they were in a long driveway, with trees on either side. Ben had parked behind four or five other cars and another was coming slowly toward them with just parking lights on.

"Where are we?" Cathy had managed to button up two buttons on her dress.

"A party"

"A party?"

Looking around Cathy saw the house. Aside from the trees that obscured any neighboring homes, it seemed a rather ordinary, albeit large, colonial style home. All the lights appeared to be on except for the upper right corner, although the curtains were drawn on every window. A shaft of light burst forth from the front door where a couple appeared to be entering. A clipped sound, a shoe on tarmac, gravel reminded her of the car behind and she glanced around to see a woman dressed in black emerging from a sports car.

Turning to Ben, "Okay, what kind of party is this?"

He smiled softly. "A private party. Do you remember Anne and Mark?" Cathy recalled the couple they had been seated next to at a strip club several months ago. She remembered that they had chatted and got on very well, but she didn't remember arranging to meet or even exchanging numbers. Hmm the mystery deepens.

"Come on."

4.

Cathy approached the house with mixed feelings, she wanted Ben to quench the fire he had been building within her all evening, and yet, . . . yet there was something intriguing, teasing about each element of the evening and she liked his teasing, bringing forth her desire.

Before they reached the door it had already closed behind the couple she had seen at the door. There was a muffled beat of music deep within the house that seeped out to them and seemed to draw them on. Cathy heard the step of the couple behind them, but neither she nor Ben turned around. The door, large, dark green, Ben's knock, two firm raps.

As the door began to open, a woman's voice from behind, "Hi." Ben was turning and Cathy followed him. The woman was blonde, a little taller that Cathy, mid-thirties, maybe, heels, a black dress starting a few inches above the knee, and so sheer that Cathy's eyes moved over her body like a caress, hesitating at her nipples before reaching her face, which was pretty, very pretty. Her arm rested in the arm of a man in a tuxedo, a bow tie, a nice smile.

"Hi", Ben's voice calm as ever, almost flat.

The man's hand reached out to Ben, "Bill, Cathy."

Ben laughed, "Interesting, Ben and Cathy. Could be a confusing night."

"Better make it 'Blonde Cathy' and 'Brunette Cathy", said Bill.

"No, no, no," erupted the woman with a broad smile. "Call me Cat, Cat and Cathy is much nicer." Cathy's hand was in Bill's. Cat leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Hi. First timer?"

"Is it so obvious?"

"No, we're just regulars. It's a small crowd and we all know each other. Anne mentioned that a new couple might be coming."

"Oh,"

Before Cathy could say more, Ben said "Let's go in," and they were turning, a large man, a high class bouncer who looked like a retired linebacker in a dress suit was before them. After Ben spoke their last name, he nodded, "Welcome. Come on in"

Cat and Bill didn't seem to give their names, just came in.

"And talk of the devils," came Cat's voice from behind.

"Do you really mean that Cathy?" said an approaching woman, short, maybe fifty but attractive and trim still, brunette, dressed in a yellow spaghetti strap dress, her hair pulled back in a loose bun, streaked with gray. A few strands escaped, softening the look on her face.

"No, you are more like satyrs."

"Oh, satyrs I like. Very classical. New guests? Let see, ahh, Ben and Cathy recommended by ah . . Anne and Mark, who are late. Yes?"

"Just so," said Ben

"Two Cathys will. . ." she began, but was cut off.

"We have already solved that. From now on I am Cat; what do you think?"

"Hmmm, Cat yes, you are very feline, and you purr so." There was laughter. Cathy smiled, looked at Ben; his eyes smiled at her and at her alone. Well this is interesting.

They were guided back through the house, which turned out to be much larger that had appeared from outside, it seemed far deeper than it was wide, and expensively decorated with furnishings that caught Cathy's eye and broke her train of thought. After passing about three rooms, they began descending stairs toward the music. The music must have been piped through the house somehow, because it never got much louder.

They entered a large room that could have passed for a small club with a wet bar at one ends and a dance area at the other. Two men and three woman we seated on stools at the bar, being served by another linebacker type in a suit. One of the men, who must have been in his twenties and seemed young compared to everyone else, a little heavy but with beautiful eyes, was in a tuxedo like Bill. The other, a tall, thin, fair wore a black shirt and jeans. One woman, tall, thin with short blonde hair wore a lovely dark blue bra and panties with a wrap. The second woman, a brunette of similar height and build to Cathy, wore a black two piece held together by lots of ties. The third woman, at the far end of the bar, wasn't particularly striking, nor slim but athletic with a quite angular face the color of dark honey that struck Cathy as one of the most beautiful she had actually seen in real life outside of a magazine, only the straps of her dress were to be seen because of the others.

Introductions were made, but Cathy caught only Jill, Steve, and a name beginning with L which belonged to the beauty at the back. Soon drinks were in hand and small chat circulating about such mundane things as shopping, home repairs, kids and cars.

Cathy found the pleasantness of the conversation somewhat jarring with what this party seemed to be and she was not very comfortable with Ben dropping her into what might be an orgy without advance warning. Then it struck her that what she wanted was advance warning, she wasn't outraged to be here.

After about five minutes, two other couples arrived; one looked vaguely familiar and turned out to be the Mark and Anne that they had met before. After another round of introductions where Cathy discovered that the L was Lena the beauty and someone else was called Aaron, drinks continued to move across the bar.

When the last drink came over, Anne spoke up in a southern accent that Cathy had forgotten, it seemed to stand out so when she heard it at the strip club. "Can we steel the newbie's for a little bit?"

Moments later, Cath found herself with Ben, Mark and Anne, drinks in hand in an adjoining room. As Cathy entered Ben and Mark where chatting like old friends, but as soon as the door closed, Ben turned to the ladies. "Okay, Cathy needs a few words of explanation just so she understands. When we met Mark and Anne at Sabel's," he said, mentioning the strip club, "do you recall the conversation about clubs and parties?"

"Kind of"

"You didn't warn her at all?" erupted Anne's southern voice. "Ben, that's not very gentlemanly."

"Its okay we've discussed it," added Mark.

"You men are too much." Anne gave her husband a stern half-humorous look. "Well," she continued, turning to Cathy "when you said that they sounded like fun. I looked at Mark."

"And I looked at Ben," said Mark.

"And I nodded kind of interested," said Ben. "And Mark slipped me an e-mail address and. . ."

"We thought," cut in Anne, "that you might be fun to invite. We are similar in regular ways and we liked you as, well, as you might like neighbors. But," Anne turned on Ben, "you were supposed to tell Cathy everything,"

"Give the guy a chance, will you." said Bill.

"Thanks," said Ben. "Bill and I e-mailed and then talked, but the night, well tonight, I was planning as a surprise night, an interesting surprise. It was interesting wasn't it?"

Cathy smiled and nodded her head.

"Oh do tell," bubbled Anne, and then in response to a stern look from Mark mouthed "later" at Cathy.

"Anyway," picked up Ben again, turning to the other couple, "I talked around the subject with Cathy to see if she was ready for this, without going into specifics." Cathy recalled the various conversations about swingers clubs, the differences between on-premises and off-premises, and her comfort level around sexually uninhibited people. She recalled her cautious answers that allowed Ben to suggest something when he felt the time was right. "And," he turned his eyes on Cathy, "this is just a party where you need only enjoy yourself, and interact with everyone else only to the extent that you are comfortable and we've talked about limits."

"No expectations," Anne's voice was low at reassuring, "Even though Ben's been a beast by not telling you in advance, and Mark's been worse, because he knows better." Treat this as just a party. "No is always no and this is a great crowd, nobody's pushy and everybody's fun and nice in vanilla terms."

No one she had met so far seemed in the least bit sleazy and both Anne and Cat seemed very nice, even if both were a little bubbly at times. Cathy looked at Ben, who stared back with his most reassuring look. Well, what the hell. Cathy raised her tequila cosmopolitan [okay I change the name of the drink!] and the others joined her in a toast.

"New friends," said Anne.

As they walked back to the party, Anne put an arm around Cathy's waist. "Don't worry; we women will stand together whenever those oafs get out of line."

Cathy looked at her smile and replied, "Thanks."

As they re-entered the party room, it appeared that perhaps four or five additional couples had arrived and it began to resemble a small club, with several people dancing, including the Lena.

For the next thirty minutes, but for the clothes that the women were wearing, it might have seemed very normal to Cathy. Cat and Anne drew her into conversations about family and even kids, Cat had one and Anne three and they all shared the same joys and fears, hopes and frustrations. As the time passed though, Cathy regained her tipsiness and all three began to glance at the dance floor, which could not have been more than ten feet by ten feet.

Eight or nine people were dancing, some as couples, some not, although the space was so small everyone was close to everyone else. Sometimes, someone seemed to be dancing with one person, but then seemed to be dancing back to back with someone else. Hands moved up and down sides and couples kissed as they danced.

Cathy's eyes were constantly drawn to the Lena who danced in a slow easy fashion. Cathy had never considered herself bi, but Ben's interest in having another woman join them did not turn her off, at least in theory, she had just never met a woman whom she felt a genuine desire to get into bed with. The thought occurred to her that being in bed with this woman was actually appealing.

Cathy noticed Cat and Mark dancing, although she had not noticed her move from the bar. The dancing was beginning to turn her on and if Ben didn't ask her in a few minutes she would grab him.

"Let's dance." Anne's word caught her by surprise, but she automatically began to move toward the crowd. The tall, thin, blond man was barely dancing with his partner, not the tall blonde as she expected, but someone else, they kissed and caressed each other in a sensual, but not yet sexual, manner. Cathy found it arousing.

Anne actually danced well and since Ben was a rather terrible dancer, Cathy enjoyed her partner. After a minute or so, Anne put her hands on Cathy's hips, which startled her at first, but felt good, and a moment later she put her hands on Anne's hips too. Bodies were constantly bumping into her from behind. And then someone was dancing back to back with her. She felt the woman's back and butt swaying against her own. The woman put her hand on Cathy's legs and swept them slowly up and down, before moving away. The light touch, the swaying soft unknown body, there and gone, teasing not pushing, made Cathy want it to return.

Then Ben and Mark were there. Ben's presence reassured her and she fell into a close dance with him. As they danced she could not help noticing the activity going on around them; still kissing and caressing for the most part, but the intensity had definitely heated up. The woman dancing with the tall man was now topless, dancing with her back to him while his hands moved over her stomach. Her breasts sagged a bit, but not unattractively. The tall blond whom Cathy had expected to see earlier swayed in front of the brunette watching intently.

Cathy, wanted to look and not look at the same time, but definitely not wanting anyone to notice her looking, and was glad that Ben's was simply swaying with her, his hand moving slowly over her butt, but not turning her. Cathy could look or not without seeming like a voyeur.

The tall blonde placed her hands on the brunette's hips and the three entered into one dance. The brunette's eyes seemed to flutter half closed. Cathy was not surprised when the blonde's hand moved over the other woman's breasts, but it made her shiver to see it. Ben released her, to see if she was okay. Cathy had no idea if her expression gave her away, how turned on she was. If he did notice, he didn't show it.

When Ben came close and danced again, he had turned her around. Anne and Mark were dancing near by in as almost formal way, her hand in his. They were smiling at each other, it seemed very romantic. Others though, were kissing, caressing openly. Breasts were visible here and there.

Ben could now see what she had seen and, moving close to him, Cathy could feel his erection bulging in his pants. Not sure how to react, she wondered at her feelings. Ben stepped back and, still dancing, looked into her eyes with his inscrutable expression and only the faintest smile, and unbuttoned the four buttons that closed her dress.

Cathy looked back staring and realized that she was smiling.

Ben slipped his arms inside her dress and began to dance close. Cathy had been turned around again. The blonde was kissing the man while the brunette, sandwiched between them was kissing her breasts.

Cathy could see the woman's tongue flicking at the nipple. She found herself responding with equally strong instincts to turn away and sigh. Ben kept her in the same orientation, and so she became a passive observer.

Ben's hands moved over her butt which, because of the G-string, was really bare and his hand gave her a surge of lust.

The swaying threesome before her eyes seemed to be in no rush to change positions and one song merged into the next without a pause. The brunette's tongue alternately circling and flicking rose to the blonde's mouth and they kissed.

Ben's hands reached lower, touching the top of her inner thigh from behind. Cathy could feel his erection surge. She smiled; it must be dying for release.

As she slipped a hand between them to caress Ben's erection, a pair of hands came to her own hips from behind and a form pressed against her. Almost instinctively, she realized that it must be a woman; perhaps because of the hands, perhaps because there was no bulging erection poking into her from behind. Ben's hands moved up her sides so that her dress opened. Cathy was almost in a trance.

As the woman behind began to pull her dress back, a sudden panic shot through Cathy and just as suddenly, the smile on Ben's face banished it.

Cathy's dress was passed around her and Ben draped it over his shoulder. She was acutely aware of her nakedness, except for her low heel shoes and a g-string. Again two conflicting emotions surged within her, one liberated and loving the sensuality of her body, the other wanting to seize hold of anything to cover herself. The music, the alcohol, Ben, the others, the mood, even the dim light, were all necessary, to bring Cathy to this moment and still she wavered. Ben head dipped forward and his voice came through the music, "I love you." He kissed her and smiled.