Rising Up

"I'm sorry that I kept you up."

"It wasn't just you making noise. And besides, I'm not sorry at all." Marybeth paused and took a hold of Nicole's hand. "I'm really glad that you had a good time."

Nicole sat silent for a moment taking in the enormity of what Marybeth said. Her best friend was happy for her. There was no condemnation, no judgement, just joy. There wasn't any way that Nicole could adequately respond to Marybeth's love and acceptance. She just squeezed her friend's hand.

"It was a pretty wild night," Nicole said taking a sip of her coffee.

"We could tell."

"We?"

"Peter and I stayed up, watching and listening."

"Watching?" Nicole was stunned. How could they possibly see us?

Marybeth pointed to her tent where the low rays of the sun were lighting it from behind. The shadowy silhouette of Peter still in his sleeping bag was easy to see.

Oh my god, the lantern! Nicole remembered the small LED light in the corner of Lana's tent. It lit up everything. There's no way Peter and MB couldn't tell what we were doing.

"We thought you guys were really hot. Got us so turned on that we had our own fun."

"Really?" Nicole felt a prickle of excitement hearing that the couple had gotten excited watching her. Sha stared into her mug trying to conceal her pride.

"Yeah, really." Marybeth took another sip of her coffee. "Marc has a great cock, doesn't he?"

Nicole whipped her head around and stared. "What?!"

Marybeth smirked and just stared back and Nicole. Then, as if she was talking to a child, she repeated, "He has a great cock, doesn't he?"

"How ... how ... when?" Nicole stammered, totally taken aback by her friend's comment.

"I think you can figure out the how. As to the when, it started a couple of years ago. Peter and I were at a point in our relationship where we wanted to spice up things a bit. So obviously I talked to Lana. She suggested that we join them on a trip to Cancun, to an adults-only, clothing optional resort. I've always enjoyed being naked (can you tell?) and a week-long, naked vacation without the kids sounded like heaven. Lana said the place was fun, with late night dancing, a party atmosphere, and a sexy vibe. We booked our reservations right away. It was only after we scheduled everything that Peter and I learned that the resort catered to lifestylers. That's a politically correct term for swingers. We practically freaked out, scared that Lana had tricked us into partner swapping. She calmed us down and said that there were plenty of non-swingers who went and that we wouldn't be pressured into doing anything we didn't want to do, especially from her and Marc. She promised to look after us and make sure that we felt safe and had a good time. Well, let me tell you that place is awesome! It's exactly how Lana described it, sexy, fun, and zero pressure from anyone. We did see lots of people having sex, and more than once we got polite invitations to "play" with others (it's another P.C. term that's an invite to swing) but there were never any hard feelings when we turned down an offer. We had a blast."

Marybeth took a large gulp from her mug and continued. "There's this roof-top, oversized hot tub complete with a swim up bar and beds around the perimeter. Every afternoon people crowd up there to drink and socialize naked ... and have sex on the beds. It sounds weird, but it's fun. The four of us would go up there, hang out, talk, and meet people. Nothing sexual ever happened between us, until one afternoon while we were all standing in the hot tub, and I found myself stroking Marc's cock. It seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do, and in fact we kept on talking about whatever it was while I jacked him. To this day, I don't know why I did it. I wasn't drunk or anything, it just kind of happened. Without her saying a word, I could tell that Lana thought it was great and Marc certainly wasn't voicing any objections. Peter saw what I was doing, and he didn't say anything either, he just smiled and continued the conversation. Needless to say, things went a bit further." Marybeth grinned. "I nudged Marc and told him to sit on the edge of the hot tub. His erection stood up straight like a flagpole waving in the air. It looked positively luscious. I glanced back at Peter, and he nodded at me. Then I gave Marc the blowjob of his life, right there in the hot tub, in front of a huge crowd. He really does have an excellent cock and it felt great having one in my mouth that's different from Peter's. It was kind of like the first time I ever did oral, exploring the feel and taste of a man I'd never known. I could feel Peter staring at me the whole time. You'd think that he would have been angry, or jealous, or something. That's what we've all learned your spouse is supposed feel if you have sex with someone else. But that's not at all what I felt coming from Peter. It was more like he was cheering me on, and I could definitely sense his arousal." She paused again and had a faraway look in her eye as she retold the story. "The blowjob must have been as good for Marc as it was for me, because he was squirming around and gripping the side of the hot tub so hard his knuckles were white. He never did get off even though I was trying my best to make him cum. We kind of just drifted to a stop after about ten minutes. He was gasping and went on and on about how good it felt. Lana didn't say anything, but it was obvious that she was very happy. I think happy for all of us. Marc had gotten a great blowjob and Peter and I had crossed a sexual boundary. My darling husband grabbed me and kissed me so hard it took my breath away. It was definitely a moment, that's for sure."

Nicole sensed there was more to the story and asked, "So what happened next?"

"Marc settled down and suggested that he return the favor I'd showered on him. Lana thought it was a great idea. I don't know if I was even thinking, I just jumped up on top of the bar and spread my legs. Marc didn't hesitate and moved in between my knees. He did look at me, asking without words if I really wanted him to go down on me. I glanced around the crowd. It felt like a hundred eyes were looking at us and I was surprised that it really turned me on. I guess I've got an exhibitionist streak in me, and it came out in force that afternoon. I caught Peter's eye and tilted my head, also asking permission to do what we'd always thought was taboo. Once again, he nodded. 'Do me,' I said to Marc, and did he ever. As good as his cock is, Marc's tongue is even better. He licked and sucked and drove me wild. It was some of the best pussy licking I've ever had. He had me humping his face and moaning like a porn star in no time at all." Marybeth paused. "You know it's funny. Peter and I have great sex, but I'm never very vocal. With Marc and Lana I don't shut up." She laughed and took another swig of her coffee. "Anyway, I came like a wild woman right up there, on top of the bar, in front of everyone. I felt so liberated. I'd found a little freak flag inside of me and I'd let it fly. Not only wasn't I condemned for doing that, multiple people, including my husband, applauded me. What was even better was walking through the crowd afterward, wearing my sexual gratification openly and feeling everyone's approval."

"Was that the only thing ..." Nicole let the unfinished question hang.

Marybeth smiled. "The four of us soft-swapped (another swinger term that means oral sex only, no intercourse) a couple more times during that trip. Peter got his turn to be on the receiving end of one of Lana's blowjobs, and also got to spend time between her legs. What was so interesting to me was that the sex was just another facet of our friendship." She chuckled, "I guess it's kind of like a friends (multiple friends) with benefits type thing. We all enjoyed being together, hanging out, eating dinner, dancing, and so forth. And there was an exciting air of sexual attraction between us, that we'd sometimes act on. After we got home Peter and I talked a lot, I mean a lot, about what happened. We talked like never before how we felt about sharing our bodies with others as well as what we liked or didn't about each encounter. Together, we discovered more of what we enjoyed with each other and what we hoped for in our own sex lives. It really lit us up and we found (and continue to find) all kinds of ways to please each other. We bought all kinds of sex toy and even got a swing that we enjoy, that is whenever our kids let us. The last thing I want is for one of them to walk in on us when I'm strapped up in that." Marybeth grinned. "That beauty only comes out when they're away with grandma."

"I know you're going to ask. The four of us have played together since Mexico. We went back to the resort with them once, and we've visited them in Knoxville (no kids in their household). And yes, we've taken it farther than soft-swap. That also happened spontaneously. Peter and I talked and talked about how we'd feel and what we'd do if we ever got to the threshold of full swap. That's intercourse in case you didn't figure it out. We planned all kinds of secret signals to let the other know if it was okay, or if we should stop. The actuality of the moment was way simpler. We were kissing and fondling each other together on their bed when Lana just flat-out asked Peter to fuck her. I think she said something like, 'I want to feel you in me.' We stopped and looked at each other. The elaborate schemes Peter and I had worked out went up in smoke with her straightforward question. I said it was okay with me if it was with Peter. So, we all fucked. I realized that we'd built doing full swap into some kind of fantastical event, but it's really not, at least for us. It's another kind of sexual pleasure, no more nor less intimate and pleasurable than oral sex. It was great, by the way. Marc felt different than Peter, not earth-shatteringly better, certainly not worse, just different. And screwing in a foursome, with all those body parts touching each other at the same time ..." Marybeth trembled at the memory. "Let's just say you've got to experience it to really appreciate it. Wait a second, you have ... last night. So, you know what I mean."

"Anyone else?"

"If you mean, have we screwed around with anyone besides Marc and Lana, the answer is yes, but only away from home, at the resort. We've been there just the two of us and met amazing people, some of whom are great friends, almost as good as you. Most are just ordinary, vanilla friends that we've never swapped with. But a few times there's been real sexual chemistry between the couples, and we've played together. Sometimes it's been mediocre, and a few times it's been mind-blowingly good. Technically I guess Peter and I are swingers, but we're not into putting notches on our bedpost. If it's right and sex happens, great. Otherwise, Peter and I have a fantastic sex life together and we don't need to involve anyone else. We keep ourselves open to the idea, but it doesn't drive us."

Both women had finished off their coffee and Marybeth stood and get them refills. "So, you want to tell me about last night?" She sat back down.

Nicole took a deep breath. "I have no idea what happened." Marybeth rolled her eyes. "What I mean is that I have no idea why I went into their tent in the first place."

"I get that, I really do."

"Lana and I had an 'encounter' in the shower yesterday morning." Marybeth sat up listening intently. "I went there to wash up and she snuck in after me, I'm sure also just to shower. But she looked so beautiful that I couldn't help staring at her." Nicole paused and gazed into her mug, avoiding eye contact. "Chris and I had a really good sex life. We were like a couple of teenagers who couldn't get enough of each other. We fucked whenever we could. That didn't stop after we got married, like it does for some people. We were at it at least three or four times a week, sometimes more. There's almost nothing we didn't try, either. Your sex swing? We had one too, and we didn't have to worry about kids barging in on us, so it got used a lot. That exhibitionist streak you mentioned? Chris loved getting me off with his fingers under the cover of a restaurant tablecloth. It got to the point where I didn't bother putting on underwear when we went out to diner just so he'd have easy access to my pussy. I'm sure the waiters could smell me and knew what we were doing, but I didn't care. Chris's Porsche got a good workout too. Let me tell you it's not easy fucking in that tiny car, but we found a way ... more than once." Nicole grinned recalling all the great sex they'd had. "When he died, I not only lost my soulmate, I also lost my playmate. I tried hard to forget about that, let it go and just deal with that along with everything else. When I saw Lana, shower water pouring down her nearly perfect body, all of those feelings, all of that pent up horniness just flooded into me." Nicole paused again unsure if she should say more.

"Go on," Marybeth gently urged.

"I started it, not Lana. I fondled her tits, and I kissed her. It felt so good to touch another human in a sexual way. It didn't matter that it was a woman and not a man, that sexual chemistry you mentioned was definitely there between us. It may have all come from me, but Lana was more than receptive. When she kissed me back and touched my body it was like I was on fire. Pleasure, physical, sexual pleasure, was what I craved, and Lana knew just how to satisfy me." Nicole paused again, then shuddered reliving what she'd felt in the shower. "I got her off. I stroked and fingered her until she climaxed. She never touched me, but I felt her orgasm as if it was my own. It was the first time I'd felt that since Chris." Nicole chuckled, "Let me tell you that a vibrator and my right hand are a crappy substitute for the touch of another human, man or woman. We got out of the shower before doing anything else. We'd been gone a long time and knew you'd wonder what we were doing."

"It wouldn't have mattered to us, you know."

"I think I know that now, but I didn't then. I was worried what you all would think. Me, a recent widow, having secret lesbian sex in the shower room."

"When you put it that way, 'secret lesbian sex, it's very sexy, you know." Marybeth and Nicole both laughed.

"After that I couldn't stop thinking about Lana and how I felt. When I saw you all naked on the beach yesterday, I got turned on ... and a little scared. A part of me wanted to join you, but a part felt that I shouldn't. You were having a couple's thing and you wouldn't want me, a fifth wheel, horning in. A voice inside my head told me to 'go for it', to stop all the negative thoughts and just enjoy myself. So, I did. That same chemical attraction I felt in the shower with Lana, it was also there on the beach for me." Nicole said it quietly, afraid that by putting the feeling into words it might somehow scare off her friend.

"We all felt it too."

Relief washed over Nicole. It wasn't just her who had the feelings. "I think that's what led me to Marc and Lana's tent. I just couldn't keep myself away, sort of like a moth to a flame."

"Lana and Marc's flame burns pretty bright. Like I said, I know first-hand." Marybeth hugged Nicole.

"The rest you know, or at least heard and saw," Nicole finished.

"And how do you feel about everything?"

Nicole paused before answering. "Good. I mean the sex was off the charts good, especially after going without for so long. I've never been with a woman, nor been part of threesome, although Chris and I talked about both. Last night with Marc and Lana reminded me just how much I've missed sex." She took a drink from her coffee cup. "You also said something that's helped give me some perspective. You said that sex is a part of your relationships and doesn't define them. That's what it felt like last night. I could lose myself in all the physical pleasure without losing the most important thing for me, the friendship that we share. I love you guys. My sleeping with Lana and Marc isn't the thing that connects us, and it doesn't in any way divide them nor lessen their connection to each other. Sharing my body with them somehow added to our relationship." She paused then added in almost a whisper, "It would with you and Peter too."

"Yes, it would," Marybeth said.

They sat together in contented silence and finished off their coffee. Slowly the rest of the camp woke up and joined them. The conversation was light and joy-filled as they cooked a big breakfast and ate together. Nobody said anything about the night before, although there were plenty of meaningful glances and smiles traded between them all. It was just as Nicole and Marybeth had talked about. Sex was a natural part of their relationship, not something outrageous. Besides everyone knew, and everyone was happy about it, most of all Nicole.

As they were cleaning up the breakfast dishes Nicole quietly approached Lana. "Um, are you going to shower?"

"Why?"

"Well, you kind of, you know, smell like sex."

"You mean I smell like your pussy, right?"

Nicole flushed red and nodded. "I guess so, yeah."

"I love it," she said nonchalantly and not very quietly "I'm going to wear it around for a while and enjoy it. Keeps me thinking how great last night was." Lana dried her hands and moved off to complete another chore.

Nicole stood slack-jawed at her friend's bold openness. She wished that she could be so self-assured and open with her own sexuality.

Before long everything was cleaned up and stowed away. "So, what's on the agenda for today boss lady?" Peter asked.

"Almost everything is done," Nicole began. "I've just got to check on a few more things then that's it. It won't take me more than an hour or so. Why don't you all just kick back and relax, sail, swim, whatever. I'll join you as soon as I'm finished."

"Yay. More naked tanning time," Marybeth said.

"Nap time is more like it for me," Marc chimed in. Everyone laughed.

Nicole needed to check inside all the cabins for any interior damage, typically from rodents, as well as make sure the sports equipment and other supplies were in good condition and ready for the campers. She hadn't heard from the owner exactly when the camp would open and was a little unsure if, in the wake of Covid, many families would feel comfortable sending their kids away to camp. It made her sad to think that this old stomping ground of hers and the kind couple who ran it might be badly impacted by the pandemic.

By the time she got through the first five cabins, Nicole's hopes were sinking. Mice had chewed up most of the mattresses stored there. A lot were going to need to be replaced. The administrative and medical cabins were in better shape, but it was evident that mice had run rampant through the buildings. Things were even worse in the equipment storage area. Most of the volleyballs, leather baseball equipment, nets, and so forth had sustained major rodent damage. It was the worst she'd ever seen. Nicole knew it was going to be very expensive to replace everything.

As she worked, Nicole couldn't stop thinking about her talks with Lana and Marybeth. They both seemed so at ease with themselves and their sexuality. And then there was Lana's outrageous comment about how she enjoyed smelling like Nicole's pussy. She'd said it loud enough for everyone to hear. It was as if she was flaunting what they'd done together. No, not flaunting, Nicole thought. More like she's just not afraid to let everyone know. Did we do something wrong, is anyone hurt? Did I do something bad? It doesn't feel that way and Lana and MB certainly don't think so. In fact, they both seem giddy about everything. So why should I hide and whisper? It was as if a light turned on inside of her. The doubts she had about her actions and how she felt about herself, faded away. I like sex. I like it a lot. I don't want to hide that or save it for some kind of rainy day, or some one person who might or might not ever come back into my life. I want to be a complete sexual being. Nicole stood up and squared her shoulders buoyed by her thoughts. But how the hell do I do that? I wish I could be like Lana, bold, brash, wide open. But that's not me. I wish someone could teach me how to embrace my sexuality like Lana does, but in my own way. Another light bulb went off in Nicole's head.