Simplicity (v2)

Pat, a man smart enough not to question his beautiful and now nude wife, stripped down.

Chapter 3 Scene 3

Hats, sunglasses, sandals and sunscreen in hand, they stepped outside. Pat and Terri looked at their map, now seeing that the complex was much larger than it initially appeared. There were three pools--a large one with a 15 foot waterfall at one end and a swim-up bar at the other, a smaller one set aside for quiet conversation, and a pool with a volleyball net strung across it. Pat scanned the deck and did a quick calculation--there were at least 300 lounge chairs set up. Although it was only 9 a.m., there were already a couple of dozen couples poolside including Kat and her husband Rick. Kat waved them over.

"Pat, Terri, it's wonderful to have you two here! I used to greet people with 'how nice to see you!' but that doesn't sound quite right here in our little slice of paradise."

Rick stood up and greeted them. Terri did a silent double-take. Rick was one of those smaller, wiry men, five and a half feet tall. He also sported one of the largest cocks she had ever seen, over 7" hanging. One reason why Kat's beaming, she thought wryly, she's getting that every day!

Kat brought her back to reality.

"After my cancer surgery, having my own body cut on and rearranged, we made it a point to be comfortable in our own skins. If you look around, you'll see lots of folks with scars."

In fact, Pat had quickly seen the scars on several couples as they walked by, reading and translating the lines--gall bladder surgery, hysterectomy, vascular reconstruction. But each seemed oblivious to the scars. They were swimming, chatting, reading, or just napping in the warming sun.

"Terri and I thought it might be good for you to see a few healthy happy naked people—not your pre-ops," Kat continued.

Terri saw Pat's fatigue and looked around.

"Pat's pretty tired. There were a couple of big cases last night. I need to get some sunscreen on him because inside of ten minutes, he's going to be asleep on the lounger under that big maple tree."

Kat smiled inwardly. She remembered how tired Pat was when he got in after a long night, and knew that Terri was exactly right.

Chapter 3 Scene 4

With Pat asleep in the shade, Kat and Terri stepped into the pool, perfectly warmed at 84 degrees. They swam a few lazy strokes and pulled themselves onto one of the in-pool benches. After some girl talk and a little laughter, Kat turned to Terri and said "I have a small confession to make. It was a great idea to get you two out here. But it wasn't completely my idea. The couple that bought the resort six years ago has been after me to get the two of you out here. In fact, here they come now."

A man and a woman were strolling towards them. The movie-star handsome man had a broad smile, powerful chest and a small scar on his forehead. His grey hair accented his hazel eyes. Otherwise, he was completely smooth. His wife, a stunningly beautiful brunette with a deep tan, had a faded scar up and down her abdomen. And, Terri noted, a small scar under her left breast where she guessed a chest tube had once resided.

"We've never met," the man said, "but you two are very important members of our extended family."

He continued, "I'm Paul, this is my wife Erica, and your husband saved Erica's life."

Erica told the story of her surgery and near-miraculous recovery -- and later of the settlement from the drunk driver's estate.

"Paul and I understood the great gift we had been given. A chance to simplify our lives and live out our dreams. You know how some couples talk about cashing in and buying a bed-and-breakfast?"

Erica waved at the complex and the guests who now filled the lounges.

"We took the settlement, walked away from our jobs and built this place as a constant reminder to simplify and live for today."

Paul chimed in, "I know this is a lot to absorb, but if not for Pat's dedication and skill, this place and this moment would never have come."

Terri looked at Kat, who nodded.

"I was the ED nurse the night Paul and Erica came in. Like every other trauma professional, I did my job and went on to the next patient. But when I went eyeball to eyeball with cancer, Paul and Erica materialized out of nowhere and made sure that I was okay. By that time, you and Pat were together."

Erica continued, "Pat continued to touch our lives long after the crash, the surgery and my rehab. While I lay in the ICU, Paul spent hours and days in the waiting room. There were so many families whose loved ones were rescued by Pat and others on the trauma team. Each had a different story to tell, but each came to the same conclusion Paul did: once the trauma nightmare is over and everyone is home, we're going to change the way we live our lives."

Terri nodded. As a manager at the hospital, she often heard such sentiments.

"Rehabbing flesh and bone is easy compared to rehabbing the soul. The physical therapists and a personal trainer got my body into better shape than it was before the crash. But..."

Erica paused. Paul picked up her thought.

"It was an awful time. Erica tried so hard to pretend the crash never happened and to go back the way we were as if nothing had happened. But time never goes backwards, and we finally decided that we--both of us--had to recalibrate. Simplify."

Kat broke in.

"It's not that caregivers ignore the need to recalibrate. We just never give it the priority it deserves until we end up on the other end of the scalpel. Then we discover we're no different than our patients: fine one day, facing serious illness the next. After my breast cancer operation, I was just like Erica had been during the early stages of recovery--angry and afraid."

Erica said,"Different from most folks, we had the means to change our lives. There was a large settlement after the crash. My disability insurance was the best on the market. We had retirement accounts that had done well. So Paul and I did what everyone else talked about. We decided to simplify our lives. And perhaps simplify the lives of a few others along the way. So let's talk about simplifying yours..."

Chapter 3, Scene 4

Pat woke up a few minutes before 1 p.m., a little disoriented seeing dozens of naked strangers. He saw his wife on the other side of the big pool, then remembered where he was. Rather than navigate the clutch of lounges and guests, he swam across.

Getting out of the pool, He recognized Kat and her husband Rick and his wife. They were with another well-tanned and very fit couple who Pat vaguely recognized. As he got out of the pool, the woman handed him a towel.

"Do I know you?" Pat asked.

Kat, Rick and Terri started to laugh. The woman walked over to Pat, squared her shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"You really don't remember, do you? I'm Erica Granger, and seven years ago you saved my life."

Paul looked down and saw the now faded scars on her belly and under her left breast. He slipped into surgeon-mode.

"Spleen, kidney, punctured lung..."

He pieced together the story.

The three couples moved to a nearby table and helped themselves to the buffet. While making their way through a salad, local cheeses and lemon sherbet with fresh berries, Paul and Erica retold the story of how they happened onto the property and decided to purchase and build out the resort. Pat, suddenly famished, listened quietly.

Pat gazed out across the resort. More than two hundred people sunning, swimming, reading and napping. A hotly contested game in the volleyball pool. Three or four couples at the swim-up bar. Another dozen couples lunching at the restaurant.

"No cell phones, no radios, no pagers, no TVs, no kids," remarked Pat, suddenly recalling what he didn't see in the condo.

Paul turned to Erica.

"I told you he was sharp."

Pat looked again at the guests.

"Each of the couples is here for a reason. Maybe the same reason."

Erica fell silent. She knew that owed her life to Pat's deductive genius, but she had been too sick to understand just how brilliant he was. Now she was watching him in real time.

"You don't just come here, you get invited here. Or maybe ordered here."

Pat looked directly at his wife and then at Kat, who nodded. Pat continued.

"Something happened to every couple here. Something that caused them to reset their priorities and reorder their lives."

The final piece dropped into place. Pat turned once more to Paul and Erica.

"You not only own this, and you're the index case. Then you invited a handful of couples, and you told each of them to 'pay it forward' They could invite one or two others--but only one or two--who they felt could strip off their clothes, strip off their past and simplify their lives."

Terri smiled. Kat grinned. Erica simply gaped, amazed by Pat's insight.

Paul simply said, "Bingo."

Chapter 4, Scene 1

They ate, sunned, swam and then the men challenged the women to a game of water volleyball. The men were no match for Kat's athletic skills, Terri's natural grace and Erica's aggressive net game. Of course, they couldn't help being distracted by the bouncing breasts on the other side. By 3 p.m., all were hot, tired and ready for naps.

Terri and Pat made their way back to 107. Terri had her first real look at the bathroom. There was a privacy wall next to the commode, a large double vanity. The shower was a show-stopper. Behind a walk around panel of clear glass there were four huge wall fixtures as well as a "rainforest" panel in the ceiling. Terri gratefully noted the hand-held sprayer which sat alongside a heated shaving mirror. Liquid soap and shampoo dispensers were close at hand. Finally, there was a large bench with plenty of safety handholds.

Terri turned on the water and quickly adjusted both the flow and the temperature. Pat stepped in beside her. Terri started to soap and scrub his back.

"Mmmmm," Pat sighed, "that feels great."

Terri's hands soaped his chest, abdomen and then his cock and balls. He became hard within moments, reveling in the water and Terri's expert hands. His sighs of pleasure continued.

Returning the favor, Pat told Terri to turn around. As she did, she saw a pair of handholds conveniently in front of her. Chuckling quietly, she grabbed the handholds and bent over as Pat soaped her back.

"Don't want to slip on the soap," she said, a playful tone creeping into her voice.

Her boxing workouts had strengthened her back, which tapered to gorgeous buttocks. She knew it was a feast for Pat's eyes, and she could feel his cock slapping against her. She spread her legs, reached between them and guided his cock into her cunt. As she felt the head slide inside, she started rotating her butt, spiraling her way down the shaft.

"Oooohh, that's much better inside and out of the rain, don't you think?"

Pat answered by grabbing the handholds above hers and grinding his cock even deeper inside her. Terri felt the walls of her cunt engorge around Pat's cock as she felt the pleasure building in her pelvis. Pat started a rhythm of five or six shallow thrusts followed by a deep one, each sequence building her closer to orgasm. She began to shudder, gyrating her hips to feel every inch of her husband's cock.

It had been so long since Pat had cum that he couldn't hold back. His balls contracted and squeezed jet after jet of cum into Terri's cunt , their cries of pleasure echoing through the water still pouring down around and between them.

Pat slipped out, and Terri sat on the bench, legs spread wide to let cooler water from the handspray wash the cum away. She had a big grin on her face.

"Now that's more like it!" she exclaimed. "What a way to cap off an afternoon!"

Pat felt great and even a little playful.

"Ma'am, you do know that we surgeons used to be barbers. And it's my professional opinion that your bush is in need of a trim."

Terri had noticed that Kat and Erica were completely shaved. She thought about the slinky dress she had brought for dinner and decided that she needed the same look.

"Nope, no trim. You have to shave me smooth."

"I was sort of hoping you'd say that!", said Pat as he lathered her up and started long strokes with the razor.

"Easy there cowboy, my pussy just had a bit of a workout."

And perhaps another workout after dinner, she hoped. After the long dry spell, more sex sounded like a great idea.

Pat finished up, using the handspray to wash away the last of the soap and errant hairs. When he was satisfied that he had done a perfect shave, he stepped back to admire his work, completely missing the glint in Terri's eyes.

"Turnabout is fair play," she said, picking up the razor. "Sit down and spread those thighs, mister."

Fortunately for both of them, Terri did as good a job as he had done on her with nary a nick.

They rinsed off once more, toweled dry and drifted into a two hour nap.

Chapter 5, Scene 1

After waking up, they dressed and walked over to the Clubhouse where dinner was scheduled at 6:30 pm. Ever observant, Pat noticed that the women all wore club dresses with little jewelry and no high heels. The men sported collared shirts, comfortable slacks and either sandals or slip-on shoes.

He turned to Terri and said, "I'll bet there's a dance floor".

Terri laughed.

"Right you are, Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

Indeed, the tables were arranged around a large dance floor with a bandstand at the far corner of the room. A long two-sided buffet occupied one wall, and a traditional bar lined the other. Pat went to fetch a couple of glasses of white wine.

Kat called out to Terri, "You guys are with us at table 14."

Pat, Rick, Paul and their wives went to the buffet. Instead of giving in to one of the tempting main courses, Pat and Terri followed the others' lead with a selection of tapas and other small plates. It would keep the dinner conversation light. Besides, dancing on a full stomach didn't sound like a great idea.

The six were deep into a debate over the quality (and lack thereof) of summer movies, bemoaning the endless stream of sequels when the band started warming up. A few moments later, Erica excused herself and walked up onto the bandstand.

"Hey, everyone!"

"Hey, you!"

They responded in unison. Some sort of a tradition, Pat surmised.

"Tonight we have two guests. All of you know about my car crash and the scar on my belly. Tonight, you get to meet the trauma surgeon who saved my life!"

Pat reddened as a spotlight was trained on him. The fact that he got a standing ovation from everyone in the room made him more than a little uncomfortable. But that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Erica continued, "And as you know, it's our tradition to invite guests out to start the dance, so let's give a big Simplicity welcome to Terri and Pat!"

The applause resumed as the band struck up the Temptations tune, "My Girl". Pat, despite being a good dancer, always felt awkward out on the dance floor. Reminding himself that he had seen all these people naked a few hours earlier, he led Terri around the dance floor. Not exactly Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever", but okay. Besides, he felt his cock stirring holding Terri close.

"You guys looked great out there!", said Paul, applauding as they sat down.

The band continued with some slower tunes while they nibbled at fresh fruit cobblers and coffee. As the plates were cleared, the band kicked up the tempo and the volume.

Kat turned to Terri. "Mind if I drag Pat back onto the dance floor? I think I can make him move a bit." Terri grinned. If anyone could loosen Pat up on the dance floor, it would be her. Besides, she wanted to talk to Rick for a few minutes. The band launched the intro to "Mustang Sally" and Kat pulled Pat to his feet.

"Go on, handsome, I want to see Kat put you through your paces," said Terri. "Besides, I've got your man Rick here to keep me company." Within minutes, Kat had Pat shaking and shimmying across the floor. Dancing with the Stars, it wasn't. But she could see that the two of them were having a great time.

Rick turned to Terri.

"Are you okay with those two together?"

Terri flashed a broad smile.

"This is the best I've felt in months. It's the opposite of jealous. She's as devoted to you as I am to Pat. Rock on!" She threw her arms around Rick, hugged him and said, "Thanks so much for helping to make this happen."

Delighted but a bit surprised at her gesture, Rick looked over Terri's shoulder at Erica and then over at Paul. Erica paused for a moment and then nodded.

Paul said, "Rick and I are going to freshen up everyone's drinks."

They walked over to the bar.

Erica said to Terri, "Let's stretch our legs for a few minutes before the big finale."

Terri glanced out to the dance floor for a moment, laughed when she saw Pat and Kat doing something that looked like a cross between disco and a seizure, and trailed Erica onto the patio.

Chapter 5 Scene 2

Erica began, "From the beginning, we've wanted to make Simplicity a retreat where people could relax and make their own decisions about what feels right. There are few rules here at Simplicity, but the first and most unbreakable rule is that what happens here stays here. Part of the magic."

Terri nodded, wondering where the conversation was going.

Erica continued, "After the dance, Paul, Kat and Rick and I usually spend the rest of the evening together."

Terri looked at her quizzically.

Erica said, "Naked."

Terri didn't quite process.

Erica continued.

"Relaxing and unwinding."

Terri repeated, rolling the words around her mouth, "Naked. Relaxing. Unwinding. As in sex?"

"Precisely," said Erica,"and it would mean so much to Paul and me if you and Pat would honor us by joining us this evening."

Terri was understandably at a loss for words.

Erica continued, "It's an invitation from the heart. You and Pat are so much part of who we are, and we want to share. If you decide no, this conversation never happened. But the four of us would be so happy if you would make it the six of us, just for tonight."

Terri looked up at the star-filled sky. What Erica proposed was way out of her comfort zone. On the other hand, both she and Pat were having a better time than they'd had in months.

"I'm not sure about this."

Erica reached over to Terri and embraced her.

"Don't think. Just feel."

They heard the band start up again, and went back inside.

Chapter 5 Scene 3

They found Pat and Kat regaling Paul and Rick with 'war stories' from the ER. Terri rolled her eyes at Erica, who burst out laughing.

"You can take those two out of the trauma center, but you can't get the trauma center out of either of them!"

Both Pat and Kat blushed furiously at the truth of the comment.

The band started the finale with "Shout", and every table emptied onto the dance floor. Soon, everyone was bumping into everyone else, laughing and singing along. Next, they did an enthusiastic version of "Born to be Wild". After an enthusiastic round of applause for the band, a petite woman --Pat guessed her to be 55 years old--in a green dress stepped onto the stage.

The band launched "Somebody to Love" by the Jefferson Airplane, and the lady in green outdid Grace Slick on her best days. The floor literally vibrated with 200 couples dancing as if no one was watching. The three couples found themselves dancing in a circle, belting out each chorus--hot, sweaty and happy. Everyone on the dance floor clapped wildly as the song ended.

Terri held Pat close. It was Pat who spoke first. "Honey, it's been an amazing day. Thank you for bringing me here." Terri stood on her toes and kissed him hard.

A moment or two later, the bandleader shouted into the mic, "Shower Time!"

Chapter 5 Scene 4