Sometimes Love is Not Enough, Redux

"No, thanks, ladies, I'm not interested."

"What about Jim?" queried Ann.

"He's not interested either."

"Are you sure?" Beth asked. "Have you ever discussed something like this with him?"

"No, the subject has never come up. However, if it did, I'm sure he wouldn't be interested."

"But what if he was interested?" Abby persisted. "Would you be willing to go along with it?"

"You two must know something I don't. Come on, give."

They glanced at each other and then Beth explained.

"Well, Adam and Brent are making the same proposal to Jim. That's why they took him fishing. We figured we would talk to each of you separately. That way, one of you wouldn't feel pressured by the other to agree or disagree. Then, if one of you were interested, we'd talk to the two of you together. We really would like for you to join our group. However, if you decline, there won't be any hurt feelings on our part. We just hope there aren't any hurt feelings on your part about us asking you to join."

"Abby, Beth, I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to answer for Jim, without checking with him first. Our answer is... no. Thank you for your offer but this is something we will not do. Please don't misunderstand. We would never condemn anyone for living that kind of lifestyle; it's just not for us."

They seemed to accept my answer and the tension we had all felt began to fade away. We finished our coffee and started to shop. I ended up buying a complete new business suit, one with pants or a knee-length pleated skirt option, including shoes and a hand-tooled leather handbag. Victoria's Secret even managed to get a piece of my credit card for the under things I needed to go with my new suit. I would surprise Jim with it at my first opportunity.

It wasn't long before they started telling me about some of the crazy things that happened at their swing parties. I'm sure some of the other shoppers thought we were a little crazy the way we were laughing and carrying on. I got the impression that the invitation for Jim and I to join their little group would always be open.

After a long day of shopping, they managed to get me home shortly after six.

Chapter 03

Jim managed to beat me home, but not by much. He had just come from the shower and was headed toward the den when I intercepted him in the hall. I kissed him on the cheek and told him supper would be ready in about an hour. Opening the fridge, wondering if I should fix pork chops or chicken, I discovered fresh fish soaking in a large pan of salt water and that made the choice for me.

The guilt I was feeling, from two sides, was worrying me and I'm sure Jim noticed it during supper. I had left the purchases from my shopping trip with Abby, explaining I wanted to surprise Jim with the outfit later. I normally never hid anything from him but I did want to surprise him at an appropriate time with the new outfit. That was a small item compared to telling my sister she could stay with us for a while. Jim and I always discussed everything before making a decision. The last time Sue was here, she stayed for over three months. We didn't really mind the intrusion but she sure put a crimp in our love life. Well, I would put her in the upstairs bedroom furthest from ours. Just maybe, with our door closed, she wouldn't overhear too much.

Jim barricaded himself in the den after supper. He had been working on some special work project for several months now and I was guessing it was just about completed.

Two hours of TV was all I could stand so I went to bed, hoping Jim would soon join me.

An hour later, he came in, stripped, and crawled in beside me. We both stared at the ceiling for a while and then he asked, "Who were you shopping with today?"

That was an easy question to answer.

"Abby and Beth called not too long after you left and I spent the day with them."

Something was bothering him. He was probably thinking about Adam and Brent and what they had to say about the swing club.

"I noticed you didn't bring any packages home with you. You must not have done much shopping," he ventured.

He was getting tense, now. His voice and body language didn't change, but I could feel it. Well, I needed to get Sue's predicament out of the way first.

"We didn't. We spent most of the day just talking. Honey, I kinda agreed to something without checking with you first."

Wow, his tension meter just pegged out. Normally, he was Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected. He never gave any outward sign of what he was thinking or feeling but I had learned to see what most people would miss. His breathing changed ever so slightly, his words would be a bit more precise, and he would wiggle his toes. With his shoes on, it was very hard to tell what his toes were doing but lying here in bed, I could see them moving under the covers. Whatever the guys said to him really had him upset. I had to tell him about Sue and I wished now that I had done so as soon as I got home. Steeling myself, I took the plunge.

"Sis called right after you left. She had to leave her husband and she doesn't have anywhere to stay. I told her she could stay with us until she finds a place of her own. We are to pick her up at the bus depot tomorrow morning. I'm sorry, honey, she's my sister. I just couldn't turn her down."

A look of profound relief seemed to travel the entire length of his body. Whatever he thought I was going to say, I didn't. I knew what he was thinking and this was starting to get funny. I didn't dare to laugh though. Heck, I better not even giggle. Both subjects were serious but I had to get Sue's problem out of the way first.

"So, how long is she going to stay this time?"

Finally, we were both on the same page. A crisis had just passed and he wasn't even aware that I knew what he was thinking about.

"I don't know how long she'll be here. She was crying and I couldn't get any details from her. You're not mad, are you?"

"No, of course not. I'm just thinking she'll kind of put a crimp in our nightly antics is all. I wouldn't want to embarrass her."

"You mean you don't want to be embarrassed," I giggled. It was safe to giggle, now. "Don't worry, I'll put her in the far bedroom upstairs. She won't overhear too much up there."

He obviously had to think about this because it was a full minute before he answered me.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Now then, tell me about your day with Abby and Beth."

Now, we could get to the other problem, the one that was bothering him a little bit ago. He thought I had agreed to join the swing club without talking about it with him first. I could put his mind at ease about that real quick.

"Well, we did have a lengthy discussion. They told me Adam and Brent were going to talk to you about the same thing. It seems they belong to a swing club and they were wondering if we would be interested in joining them. What did the boys have to say?"

"They told me that everyone swam nude, played games and then the girls would have a drawing of some kind to see who their sleeping partner would be for the night. I basically told them I couldn't stand the thought of you sleeping with someone else and I wouldn't do it because I could never break my marriage vows to you."

"Oh, honey, that's so sweet. Thank you. Is that all they told you? The girls told me a lot more than that."

"That's all that was said. They changed the subject when I told them how I felt. Tell me, what did the girls have to say?"

"Oh, they went into a lot of detail. Sometimes they have a poker night. Everyone starts with the same number of clothes on. When you've run out of clothes, then you have to start doing forfeits. On swim night, you draw for your partner and then each couple jumps in and the couple that undresses each other in the fastest time wins some kind of a special treat from the losers. Abby said that the last time she won, she made five guys please her at the same time. She said that the last time Adam was a winner, he had several of the women pleasing him at the same time.

They have all kinds of contests to see who can fuck the longest before the man comes. Sometimes the girls see which one can make her partner come the quickest. It sounds like they have a lot of fun at it. Beth told me that they even have a little girl-on-girl action once in a while. Can you believe that?"

"Yeah, I can believe that. It's just a life-style I've never considered. Tell me, Janice, have I misread you? Is this something you want to try? You seem to be kinda enthused about it."

Oops, did I just go too far in giving him all the details of our conversation at the mall? Does he by chance think this is something I want to do? Could it be that this is something he wants to do? What do I say now? I loved this man so much I would do anything he asked. Oh, God, please don't let him be interested in something like this. If we were to start this kind of lifestyle I would eventually have to tell him of my life before we met. We agreed before we were married that what was in the past would remain there. Joining a swing club would open old wounds and memories I didn't want to face.

I felt him raise up on his elbow and he was looking directly into my eyes. He was so calm, so in control of himself, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I started to deny having any such thoughts of joining a swing club but then, if this was something he really wanted to do, there wasn't any way I could say no to him. Instead of giving him a flat denial, I probed with a question.

"How would you feel about sharing me with other men?"

"Nope, I have no desire to share you with anyone else. How about you? You want to share me with other women?"

So that was it. He was trying to consider my feelings just like I was trying to consider his. Thank you, God!

"No, honey, that's something I wouldn't care to do. I love you too much to even think about sharing you with someone else. Besides, I think joining a group of swingers would be a very high-risk thing to do. If something like that were to become common knowledge, it would ruin my career."

It was a good ending to a troubling day. He wasn't upset that my sister would be staying with us for an extended period of time and we each found out that the other wasn't interested in joining a swing club.

I rolled over on my side as he cuddled up close and personal to my back, his arm draped over me and his hand cupping my breast. I was feeling so secure, so loved, as I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 04

We woke up early Sunday morning. A half an hour of gentle loving started the day off just right. We ate a healthy breakfast and Jim headed for the mower shed as I loaded the dishwasher. He wasn't satisfied with one mower. He had one to ride around on, a push mower for places he couldn't ride to, a weed whip to beat up on stuff that was out of reach of the mowers, and an edger to make the walk, curb, and drive look perfectly squared off. Our front yard wasn't small, by any means, and the back yard was huge. He would be riding and pushing and edging for three or four hours. Then there were bushes to trim and a couple of flowerbeds that needed attention. He would end up spending most of the day outside.

I made the mistake of asking him why he didn't hire it done and got a short lecture about him having to do it himself if it was to be done right. He ended the lecture with, "Besides, its something mundane I can do while I'm thinking of ways to solve problems at work."

* * * * *

Sue was a mess when she stepped off the bus. Hair tangled, eyes red from crying, clothes wrinkled, and she smelled like three-day-old laundry. She had one large battered suitcase and two plastic shopping bags tied together in the way of luggage. That went into the trunk and would go directly to the laundry room. Not a thing was clean. I drove her straight home and stuffed her in the shower while I hunted up clean clothes for her to wear. We were basically the same size so finding jeans and a cotton shirt along with the appropriate under things wasn't a problem.

Jim was riding around the back yard on his mower and I'm sure he wasn't even aware we had been there.

Sue was hungry - she hadn't eaten since yesterday - and I didn't want to fix a second breakfast at home so we went to 'IHOP'. She ate like she was half starved and I enjoyed a good cup of coffee. One of the beauty shops at the mall was open on Sundays and that was our next stop. A haircut, manicure, and a little makeup went a long way toward improving her looks and attitude.

We managed to find a secluded table at the food court and over several cups of coffee, the problems all came pouring out. Three months behind on the rent and an eviction notice delivered by a cop. Checking account drastically overdrawn. What little jewelry she had, including her engagement and wedding ring, had been forfeited at a pawnshop. Utilities turned off over a week ago. The car broke and beyond repair. The list went on and on. Her beloved husband's drinking had literally put them in the street with no place to go. She had managed to borrow enough money from the only friend she had left for the bus ticket here. All she had left in this world was the luggage she brought with her, and me.

The most difficult thing about this whole mess was she thought she still loved him. Why, I don't know, but it was her feelings that counted, not mine. The last argument about his drinking had been a serious one. He had been drinking heavily and she was trying to get him to seek professional help when he told her to get out and leave him alone. She knew he didn't really mean it but hoped if she did move out, it would force him to realize what alcohol was doing to their marriage and he would get the help he needed.

She claimed he was the nicest man in the world when he was sober but that wasn't very often anymore. Out of desperation, her last words to him were, "I'm going to my sister's. Don't call until you're sober enough to have an intelligent conversation."

The clothes she brought with her were in pretty sad shape so I felt a little walk through the mall was in order. We went right down the list. Shopping for jeans, shirts, undergarments, sneakers, and a few toiletries took up most of the afternoon. She complained all the way, saying I shouldn't be wasting my money but what the hell? I spent more on my last handbag than I was spending on her. Besides, she was my sister and she really did need the help.

We got home about six. Jim was finished with all the outside chores and had supper started.

Chapter 05

In a way, Sue came at a good time for us. Jim was working overtime on a project that had to be completed as soon as possible. The president of the bank where I work had been overly aggressive in recruitment of new investors lately and I was trying to juggle meetings and entertainment for half a dozen big shots that demanded the best of everything. We were both coming home late, tired and grumpy.

Sue was at least trying to pull her own weight and help as much as possible. She would have breakfast ready every morning and supper waiting on us when we arrived home. She even dusted, mopped, and did laundry. Other than during meals, we didn't have much time to spend with her.

We hosted the next Friday night party. Things went smoothly and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Sue met Abby and Beth and it was friendship at first sight. That gave her someone to hang out with during the day and took some of the pressure off Jim and me.

Our intimate times together stopped. We were either too tired or Jim was too embarrassed at the thought of being overheard by Sue. There were two major conventions in town, which prevented me from renting us a room for a noontime tryst. Then it dawned on me, the bank keeps a permanent suite reserved at the best hotel in town. It was always available for visiting VIP customers of the bank. We put it to good use Tuesday and as Jim said afterward, it went a long way toward relieving the tension in the back of his neck. It certainly did wonders for me, too. I was still smiling during supper that evening.

I woke up an hour early Thursday morning. We were planing on another tryst of lust today and I wanted to make it memorable for Jim. I had managed to sneak my new business suit into the closet from storage at Abby's the other day. I showered, shaved, applied makeup and was finishing my hair when Jim woke up. He just sat on the edge of the bed and watched as I slowly dressed. The pleated skirt was for today, the pants would be worn some other time. It was impossible to miss the excitement between his legs when I had finished.

Sue had things ready when we walked into the kitchen. We ate but I don't think Jim had eating - breakfast that is - on his mind. We went into the garage and he started to get into his car.

"Don't forget, Dear. We meet at ten this morning," I reminded him, using my sexiest voice.

I raised my skirt to my hips and slowly turned around as I said it. He growled, got in his car and started to back out before he opened the garage door. He realized it just in time and stopped about an inch from the door. My poor husband was totally flustered. Mr. Calm, Cool, Collected, and totally in control just sat there, red faced, and patiently waited on the door to open. Damn, I loved that man, with all my heart.

* * * * *

The bank president, Mr. T. J. Smythe, was dancing on pins and needles when I arrived at my office. He was more than a little worried about lunch with Wilder today. Since I was Vice President in charge of human resources and public relations, I'm sure he felt the success or failure of the noon lunch was directly on my shoulders. I assured him everything would be exactly as he had dictated it should be. I told him I would be out of my office between ten and eleven this morning to take care of some personal business but would be back in plenty of time for our business lunch. He was back thirty minutes later, nervous and sweating, to ask the same questions and I gave him the same answers.

Our illustrious president didn't worry me a bit, even if he was my direct boss. The honoree of this little get-together was another matter. Mr. Robin Wilder of Wilder, Inc. thought himself to be a powerful man, both physically and financially. His first visit to the bank two months ago convinced me he wasn't a very nice man. A short meeting turned into lunch at one of the better eating establishments. The president told me to handle it so I set it up for the VP of investments and one of the girls from the front office to attend. Mr. Wilder focused his attention on me and when lunch was over, he asked me to go to a nightclub that evening. I declined, telling him my husband and I already had plans. I mentioned that the young lady (Lisa) who had lunch with us was single and might like to go with him. He just frowned and walked away.

I was maneuvered into having lunch with him again two weeks later. I made sure the other single young lady (Nora) from the front office went with us. He completely ignored her and once again devoted his attention to me. I was really starting to dislike him by this time. He was arrogant, egotistical, self-centered, over-bearing, and as full of himself as any man I had ever met. Years ago, before Jim, I might have let this jerk use me but if I had, I would have made sure I received something in return. He flat out asked me for a date and I politely told him no. I tried to explain that I was happily married but he just shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and said that maybe I would accept another time.

That was the last of the lunches until today. I wasn't worried because President Smythe, along with the VP of investments, the VP of business and commercial loans, and our legal council would also be in attendance. It was supposed to be a relaxed lunch and then we would return to the bank and he would start transferring all of his accounts to us.