Sauna

My wife, Carol and I live in a multistory condominium near the center of a major city. We were raised as good Catholics but we've drifted away since we've been married. If I was forced to identify theological positions that influenced us it would have to be the Church's positions on premarital sex and birth control. We consciously violated both hundreds of times before we were married and we continue to enjoy sexual activity without the intention of reproduction. We also share our fantasies about sex outside of our marriage although neither of us, to my knowledge, has ever acted on our imagined activities although the fantasies overcharge our libidos.

Our building consists of ten floors and two sub-basements and houses thirty large condominium apartments. The ground floor consists of a large lobby with a security desk, a bank branch and the elevator bank. The second level is a public area dedicated to commercial space and includes services that might be required by the residents such as spa, nail salon, hairdresser, dry cleaner and several take out style restaurants. There is one full-service restaurant with white table cloths, candles, flowers and excellent, if over-priced, food. This level can be accessed via connecting bridges to neighboring buildings.

Floors three through nine, have four apartments each and floor ten houses two penthouse style residences. The lowest sublevel contains thirty storage areas for use by the residents. The first sublevel is a resident only fitness center with a twenty-five meter, four-lane lap pool, various exercise equipment with pairs of treadmills, ellipticals and bicycles and a weightlifting exercise area. The rest of the space consists of a large shower room with three showers on each side wall without privacy partitions and an equally large sauna, with two rows of cedar seating on two walls and a large, heated stones pit with water for steam on another wall.

There are four elevators. One elevator services only the lobby level and the second floor mini mall. Two other elevators access only floors two through nine and the sub-basements. They require resident identifying card key or wrist band access to operate. The final elevator accesses only the tenth floor, the second floor, the lobby and the sub-basements and operates only with card keys of the penthouse residents.

The fitness center on the first sub-level is a coed facility, even the pool, sauna and showers. That requires appropriate clothing when using the area. Bathing suits are the usual attire in the pool, sauna and shower. Residents who use the exercise equipment usually wear shorts and shirts and rarely shower before leaving.

Carol and I are frequent visitors to the in-house gym. I'm usually there three of four evenings each week while Carol primarily uses the equipment in the afternoons. Over the years I've noticed that few women are present in the gym in the evening. I haven't seen a woman there in over a year. Carol confirms my observation, revealing that women primarily attend the afternoons.

It is not surprising, therefore, that in the evenings the men have become overly casual in their dress. The men swim, sauna and shower in the nude although they are never far from a towel should a woman appear. Carol also confirms the casual habits of the women although they only appear nude in the sauna or shower, preferring to swim with at least a suit bottom.

My usual routine is to swim laps, spend thirty or forty minutes in the sauna before showering and heading back to the apartment. The limited access provided by the elevator usually means I travel from the sixth floor to the sub-basement and back with just a towel wrapped around my waist.

On a Thursday evening several months ago, I was in the sauna sweating after doing laps in the pool. I was lounging on the top tier of the sauna in the rear with my back against the wall and my eyes closed when the door to the sauna opened. I looked briefly, quickly threw my towel over my hips when I realized the person entering was a woman and returned to my state of repose.

She closed the door and sat on the lower level on the side wall with her towel around her neck. Curious, I peeked at her. She was wearing a small, two-piece outfit. Not quite a string bikini but close enough. The full shape of her breasts was easy to see and the bottom of the suit small enough to assume she either trimmed or shaved her pubic area to wear it.

We sat in silence for several minutes, politely ignoring each other. She stood up and walked over to the heated rocks leaving her towel on the seat. She struggled for a moment trying to solve the operation of the equipment. "Do you know how to operate this?" she asked.

I looked up, tightened my towel around my waist and climbed down next to her. I showed her how to add water to the heated rocks and headed back to my perch on the second level. "Thanks," she said when she returned to her seat.

The conversational inertia having been breached, she asked, "Is this place clothing optional?"

I wasn't surprised by her speaking but at the nature of her first statement. If she wanted to go without clothing, who was I to dissuade her? "Not to my knowledge," I answered. "Although I'm not aware of any regulations either way. Why do you ask?"

"You appear to be naked," she simply stated.

"You're very observant," I admitted.

"I assume the towel is so you don't offend anyone," she continued.

"You're two for two," I said.

"Would you be offended if I took off my bra?" she asked.

How would any male answer that question? "No," I said.

She removed her top and relaxed her breasts with her hands. I politely looked away.

"You can look," she said. "I don't mind."

I looked at her, trying to maintain eye contact. "I haven't seen you before," I said. "Are you new?"

"My husband and I just moved in," she confirmed. "By the way, I'm Maria."

"Hi Maria. I'm Joe. Welcome to the neighborhood," I said.

"Thank you," Maria responded.

Our conversation continued pleasantly for the next many minutes. I was amazed how quickly I became comfortable talking to a woman with her breasts exposed. I learned that her husband, Antonio and she had moved in on the fourth floor after he had accepted a position with a downtown bank and she was actively looking for a position herself. I shared that Carol and I had been residents on the sixth floor for almost two years and that we would be happy to help them settle in if either of them had any questions. Eventually, Maria stood up, picked up her bra and towel and started for the door.

"Will you be here again tomorrow?" she asked.

Friday wasn't one of my usual days in the gym but her question seemed more like an invitation than a serious inquiry. "Probably," I said.

"See you then," she said as she left the sauna.

Back in our apartment, I shared the strange Maria encounter with Carol. "Really?" asked Carol. "She just exposed herself like that?"

"Yeah," I reconfirmed. "She was very casual about it."

"What do you think her purpose was?" asked Carol.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't think she was trolling for sex. It was more like it was normal for her."

"And she's going to be there again tomorrow?" Carol asked.

"That's my guess," I agreed.

"You should be there," suggested Carol.

"I don't know," I said.

"Why not?" questioned Carol. "It's your chance to find out her intention and it's similar to the fantasies we've shared."

"Getting laid by a strange woman in a sauna?" I asked. "I don't remember a fantasy like that."

"The getting laid part, not the sauna part," explained Carol.

"That's why I wouldn't go," I stated.

"Would it bother you?" asked Carol.

"If she wanted to have sex?" I asked.

"I wasn't suggesting a shared milkshake at Dairy Queen," said Carol.

"Yeah, it would bother me," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I'm married to you," I said.

"What if it wouldn't bother me?" asked Carol.

"I can't believe you said that," I commented.

"Would you feel differently if you were single?" Carol asked.

"Single is single. Married is married. The rules are different," I insisted.

"They don't have to be," insisted Carol.

"If things were reversed," I posited. "Would you have sex with someone else?"

"I might. I'd have to be drawn to him for some reason," said Carol. "Handsome or another attribute."

"You mean a large cock?" I asked.

"That's a possibility," Carol admitted. "How attractive are Maria's boobs?"

"Attractive enough," I said.

"Then go for it," Carol said.

"Would you?" I asked.

"We've discussed it frequently," Carol said. "You're close to actually playing out a fantasy. Take it. I would."

"Is that what we're doing? Discussing it?" I asked.

"We are."

"What if I do fuck her?" I asked.

"Then come back here and tell me all about it. Get me worked up and I'll fuck your brains out," she committed. "Then maybe I'll check out her husband."

"Damn," I said.

"Damn," echoed Carol.

Friday, I came home from work early and headed for the gym. Carol kissed me good-bye and wished me luck.

In the gym, Charlie from the fourth floor was working out with the weights. I walked to the pool, left my towel on the edge and dove in, naked as usual. I was half done doing laps when Maria walked up to the edge of the pool. She was wearing a different two-piece suit, not less revealing than yesterday. She waved to me, dropped her towel and dropped into the pool with a swim lane between us and began doing laps too.

I paced my routine so that Maria had her back to me at the far end of the pool when I was finished. I climbed out quickly, wrapped my towel around my waist and headed for the sauna. Charlie had finished his routine and left. In the sauna, I added water to the hot rocks, climbed up to the second level on the back wall and relaxed, my towel modestly draped over my hips.

About ten minutes later, Maria walked into the sauna. She was wearing her towel around her waist and carrying both parts of her suit in her right hand. She checked the hot stones, climbed up to the second level in the back and sat next to me leaving a socially polite space between us.

"Hi," Maria said.

"Hi," I answered with a slight wave.

"You came," she stated.

"I'm here," I agreed.

"To see me?" she asked.

"To exercise," I corrected her. "Seeing you is a bonus." Why did I say that?

Maria smiled. "Do my breasts bother you?"

How did she mean that? "No. They're quite attractive," I said. Why did I say that? Is the conversation with Carol somehow influencing what I say and, maybe, do?

"Thank you," said Maria. "Do you and Carol swing?"

"She's getting right to the point," I thought. "Not yet," I said. Another leading statement. Blame Carol.

"Would you?"

"Would you and Antonio?" I responded.

"I don't think Antonio would be interested," Maria said. "He's a strict Catholic. Sex is for procreation only."

"Screw it. Let's see where this leads," I thought. "You don't agree?" I asked.

"I enjoy sex too much," Maria said. "We have long stretches without sex when Antonio calculates I'm fertile."

"Like now?" I guessed.

"Like now," Maria confirmed.

"Are you fertile?" I asked. "This is a surreal conversation," I thought.

"No."

"But Antonio thinks you are?"

"I take birth control," Maria stated.

"You cheat?" I asked.

"Heavens, no," said Maria.

Was that a denial or a not yet?

"Then you take birth control just in case you might?" I asked.

Maria looked down at her toes. "Is it wrong to think about it?" she whispered.

"No," I said. "I think everybody thinks about it sometime."

"Do you think about it?" asked Maria.

"Cheating?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"No. Not cheating," I said.

"But you think about sex with another woman besides Carol?" Maria asked.

"I have," I admitted. "But Carol knows when I do."

"So, if Carol knew, you would have sex with another woman?" Maria asked.

"That could happen," I confirmed.

"When can I meet Carol?" asked Maria.

"You want to have sex with me?" I asked.

"If Carol approves," Maria agreed.

"Carol approves." Whoops.

Maria grinned from ear to ear. "You talked about me?"

"We did," I told her.

"And you told her you wanted to have sex with me?" she asked.

"I told her I thought you wanted to have sex with me," I corrected her.

"That obvious?" Maria asked.

"Not really," I said. "I fantasize a lot."

"Fantasy could become reality," Maria suggested. She moved closer to me and put her hand on my thigh under my towel.

I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. It was Maria's party. I was content to let her lead.

She reached further under my towel and wrapped her fingers around my already hardening cock. "Oh," she exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah," I whispered.

Maria stroked my erection for several minutes. I pulled off my towel inviting more.

She pulled off her towel and straddled my thighs, my erection standing between us. "Touch my breasts," she pleaded.

I held her breasts, one in each hand. They were full and firm, her nipples standing out from the surface. I ran my fingers around her nipples and her body shook with anticipation. She slid tighter against me, trapping my erection between us and leaned in. "Kiss me," she said.

Her kiss was tender and sweet, not aggressive. I held the kiss and touched her lips with my tongue. Her mouth opened and our tongues exchanged a gentle passion.

Maria raised her body higher on her knees, took my erection in one hand and began to rub the head of it between her inner labia. She moved slightly and positioned the head of my erection tightly between her labia. A short upward lunge and I'd be inside her.

Then she backed off and settled back onto my thighs. "I can't," she cried, tears running down her cheeks.

I put my arms around her and pulled her close in a hug. "It's okay," I said.

"No, it's not," she insisted between sobs. "You have to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?" I asked.

"I took you to the edge. We should be fucking right now but I chickened out. How could you not hate me?"

"I don't hate you. I understand you. You were about to do something huge. Something intensely personal. Something life changing. You thought you were ready but you weren't. It's okay," I told her.

"You mean that?" Maria asked.

"I mean that," I confirmed.

"Maybe next time?" she asked.

"Maybe next time. Maybe sometime after that. Maybe you'll be with someone else. It's okay," I assured her.

"I owe you," Maria committed.

"You don't owe anybody but yourself. When you're ready, if you're ready, then whoever you're with will be the right person," I said.

"I want it to be you," Maria said.

"Thank you for that," I said. "When you're ready I hope I'm available. I have a suggestion that may help."

"I'm listening," Maria said.

"Let's go talk with Carol," I said.

"I don't know if I can do that," Maria said.

"I think you need another woman's perspective," I said.

"She's already had sex with another man besides you?" Maria asked.

"I don't think so," I answered. "Not at least since we're married. But she can relate to your conflict much better than I can."

"When?" asked Maria.

"How about now," I said.

We picked up our things and started for the door of the sauna. I stopped and wrapped my towel around my waist. Maria did the same. "I think you need to do more than that," I said. "You never know who you might meet in the elevator. Maria put on her bra and we headed out.

At the door of my condo, I knocked instead of opening the door. Carol opened the door. "Why didn't ... Oh," she said.

"Carol," I said. "This is Maria. Maria, Carol."

"Hi," said Maria.

"Can we come in?" I asked.

That broke Carol's spell. She stepped back. "Of course," she said. "Have a seat," she said to Maria. "I'll get us something to drink.

I followed her into the kitchen. "What's she doing here?" Carol asked.

"She needs to talk with another woman," I said.

"And I'm the other woman?" Carol asked.

"You're the only other woman I know capable of talking with her," I said.

"What's the issue?" asked Carol.

"She wants to have sex with me," I told her.

"We talked about that," Carol reminded me.

"She got that close," I said holding my fingers up while touching. "But then she couldn't do it."

"That close?" Carol said holding up her fingers together.

"That close," I repeated.

"And you want me to convince her to fuck you?" Carol asked.

"No. I want you to help her understand why she can't fuck me," I restated.

"And the result is she might fuck you?" asked Carol.

"She might but that's not what's important. Her emotional state is more important," I shared. "Her relationship with her husband is such that, sooner or later, she's going to fuck someone. She should be emotionally stable when she does."

"I'm not a therapist," Carol stated.

"But you are a woman," I said.

"I don't have any experience in fucking other men," Carol reminded me.

"But you have thought about it and I think you're in a better place than she is," I said. "At least give it a try."

"Okay, but no promises," agreed Carol.

Carol poured two glasses of water and headed back to the living room. I headed for the bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, both women walked into the bedroom. I was sitting on a chair in the corner reading the latest James Patterson novel. At least it was the latest when I bought it the previous week.

"Hey, honey. Have a minute?" said Carol.

"Sure," I answered. I put down the book and waited.

"Maria and I have come to some decisions," opened Carol. She's been unusually candid speaking to me and she's given me permission to share some of what we discussed with you."

I nodded and waited.

"At the moment," Carol continued. "Maria is living with a sexual imperative that she didn't know she had when she got married. It's not quite nymphomania but has similar characteristics. Simply said, she loves sex. Her husband, Antonio, is of the opposite compulsion. He only consents to sex about one week a month since he doesn't want to have children until they are financially established. He strongly believes that sexual intercourse is primarily for procreation and he avoids sex if there is even a small chance that Maria could get pregnant. He'll only agree to have sex during what he determines is Maria's safest week and not during the three days that week she menstruates.

"The obvious question is: 'Why did she marry him?' Antonio insisted on avoiding premarital sex, insisting that they save themselves for after marriage. So, Maria was a virgin until her wedding night. She discovered her love of sex after the wedding. Over the three years they've been married, her desire for sex has increased to the point that it's threatening her sanity. Therefore, she's decided to actively seek the sex she demands from someone other than Antonio. That led to the encounter she had with you tonight."

Carol put up a hand. "You're wondering why she hesitated in the sauna. Her reason surprised me. She stopped to protect you."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"I had the same reaction," said Carol. "Maria hesitated because she didn't want to create a problem for you. Specifically, between you and me. I know you told her that we had discussed it and I didn't have a problem but she had doubts. After all, you are a man. A man about to get laid. Could she believe what you told her if you were prioritizing sex over risk of a problem between us?"

"Oh," I whispered.

"She's convinced you were truthful with her and she's ready to correct her error of earlier," said Carol.

I looked at Maria. She smiled and nodded vigorously. Her body language was similar to a young girl about to meet Santa Claus for the first time with a long list of wishes.

"Now?" I asked.