The Book Group Ch. 01

It all started outside the school gates. It was an old Victorian school hall which had accumulated a series of flat roofed extensions as the village grew. Groups of young mothers stood chatting at the heavy cast iron gates, hung from the large brick piers with intricately carved stone capping, while waiting for their little bundles of joy to come bouncing down the drive.

Hannah was a single mum. She had recently moved into the village and didn't know anyone. She had gradually gravitated towards a small circle of slightly older mothers to avoid the immaculate make-up, competitive outfits and status sparring. Jessica, Emily and Lauren were old hands, but Olivia and Rachael were also new to the school run. The conversation was more varied and interesting. It didn't revolve solely around their children's achievements, celebrity speculation or last night's television.

It must have been around the autumn half term when Emily suggested getting together to discuss a book. Everyone thought this was a great idea. It would give them an evening out without the interruptions of kids or husbands. It would also force them to leave the housework and take some time just for themselves to sit down and relax. And so, the Book Group was formed. It met in each other's houses on the first Wednesday in every month. The host would choose the book and persuade their other half to make himself scarce. It was an easy-going arrangement. If you didn't like the book or you were struggling for time, you didn't have to finish it. You could just put it down and still come along to hear what the others thought about it.

They became quite a close-knit clique. It was almost like being back at college, having to think again and express their views and feelings. The group had been meeting for a year or so when Jessica, it had to be Jess, chose 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. They had all heard of it when it was first published a few years back, but no-one had ever considered reading it themselves. She said it should provoke some controversy!

Jessica lived in a modern detached house hidden behind a tall conifer hedge. That Wednesday was a wet and windy October night. Emily was so well wrapped up; Hanah had followed her down the street without realising it was her until she turned left into the drive. Jess greeted them both at the door in her exuberant high-pitched voice. She was a small brunette, casually dressed in a checked flannel shirt over a white cotton top and blue jeans. "The kids are both in bed," she whispered, taking their coats and waving them through to the lounge. There was an atmosphere of expectancy and giggling as the group gathered with their hot drinks around the circular coffee table.

Jess was right. The book did prove to be controversial. There was some consensus that it wasn't terribly well written and the characterisation was weak, but it was a page turner and they had all read it to the end, which hadn't always been the case with some of their book choices. Lauren was intrigued by the aspect of submission, but Emily and Hannah found it difficult to believe that Ana could have so little self-respect, to fall into such an abusive relationship.

"I can't understand how you can get pleasure from pain; either receiving it or inflicting it," Rachael declared.

"One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other" Emily recited. "Jane Austen," she smiled self-consciously.

"It's not really pleasure though, is it," Olivia observed. "It's more sexual arousal."

"It's just an erotic fantasy, a piece of escapism," Jess said. "A little bit of guilty fun."

"But allowing yourself be tied up and whipped!"

Jess shrugged. "Haven't any of you ever done something to please your partner that you didn't particularly fancy yourself. Even if it did hurt a little," she added. The room was quiet as they trawled back through their sexual escapades.

"Tell you what," Jess suggested in her sing-song voice. "Rather than choosing another book next month, why don't we each tell our own erotic stories?"

Hannah expected the others would be uncomfortable with this, and waited for one of them to object. However, there was silence around the table.

"They would have to be kept confidential, of course. Nothing could be repeated outside the meeting," she continued. "And if you haven't got a personal story, you could just make something up."

Hannah was surprised there was still no dissention. Perhaps everybody was waiting for someone else to balk at the idea without seeming too prudish themselves.

"I'll go first if you like. We could meet here again next month." The group were all a bit stunned, but since they weren't the first to go, everyone left without voicing an objection. Everybody was waiting to see how it would pan out.

Jessica's Story

There was a buzz of anticipation when they reconvened at the beginning of November. It was a clear night and the temperature was starting to drop outside, but it was lovely and warm in Jessica's lounge. However, she was running late. She hadn't had time to change out of her office clothes and was wearing her pale blue blouse and black pencil skirt. Her smoky brown hair was still pulled up in messy bun. She had arranged for Luke to be out with his mates again, but he had volunteered to put the kids to bed before he left. She sighed heavily while setting the tray of drinks down. Jess chose to sit on the upright seat, as if she were still at the office, whilst the others settled into the more comfortable armchairs. She again insisted that everyone agree that anything said at the meeting was in strictest confidence. They all nodded before she would start to recount her story.

"Chris and Sarah have invited us round for a meal next Saturday," Dan, my ex announced, coming into the kitchen through the back door.

"Oh. That's nice," I called through to him. "It'll be good to get to know some of your new friends."

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked, opening the fridge.

"No. I'm fine, thanks."

He sauntered into the living room with a can of beer and flopped into the armchair opposite. The can fizzed as he lifted the ring pull and took a long swig. "You remember the other night, when we talked about different partners we'd had before we got together?"

I nodded, putting down my book.

"And we fantasised about going with other guys and girls?"

"Yes," I said, guardedly. There was a pregnant silence while I waited for him to continue.

"Well..." he stretched the word out like a piece of chewing gum. "The idea got me quite hot. And I think it turned you on as well. Well, it definitely seemed so that night." He grinned and took another gulp of beer. "Anyway, I wondered how you would feel about actually trying it out?"

"What? You mean us having sex with someone else?"

"Yes," he said sheepishly.

"Where has this come from?" I asked incredulously.

"Well Chris and I were just chatting in the pub and....... it kind of came up."

"You and Chris?" I repeated. "So, this invitation for dinner is really for a wife swap? Does Sarah know anything about this?"

"I don't know. I don't think so." he said, taking another swallow from the can. "We just kind of wondered about it. What do you think?"

"No way," I said emphatically. I tried to bury my face back into my book, but I couldn't concentrate on it any more. What the hell was he thinking of! "I'm off to bed," I announced and marched out of the room.

I heard the resignation in his sigh as I left. The idea spun around in my head as I tried to get to sleep. Did he feel we needed this to put a spark back into our relationship? Did he think we were drifting apart? He was spending a lot more time with his new friends. We didn't seem to be able to talk to each other anymore, not properly.

What about jealousy and the emotional impact? I didn't think I was a particularly jealous person. I hadn't been resentful of his previous flames, but how would I feel about a new one? And in my face? Had Dan thought it through? Could he cope with knowing I was having sex with his mate? Did our marriage need something as drastic as this or was it just pillow talk? Should I be more supportive if this was the direction he wanted to go? The thoughts went round and round on an endless carousel until I drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

Nothing was said over breakfast, the next morning. But at the office, I couldn't focus on my work. I decided to knock off early and get home first. I put a lasagne in the oven ready to heat up when Dan got back about an hour later. We ate with a few pleasantries on the side.

"We need to talk." I declared, as I cleared the plates and put the kettle on. He nodded. We sat in the same chairs as the night before, facing each other. Dan stared down into his cup.

"If we did swap," I started, "how do you think it would it affect our marriage?"

"I don't know." He took a tentative sip of his coffee. "I thought it might let us open up to each other a bit more and talk honestly about what we want."

"And is this what you want?"

"I don't know. Well, yes, I suppose it is. I would definitely like to try it."

"Have you met his wife?"

"No. But I did speak to Chris today and he said Sarah was up for it."

"Really! Well, I'm not."

Dan had mentioned that Sarah worked at Townsend Estate Agents, so the next morning I rang them and asked to speak to Ms Howard. A very sultry voice answered the phone. I thanked her for the dinner invitation and asked if we could have a coffee together. I could tell she immediately knew why. We arranged to meet at a local cafe that lunchtime. She said she would be wearing a camel suit jacket and trousers.

I found the coffee bar without a problem and recognised Sarah from her description. She was sitting towards the rear of the cafe with just a hot drink, so I ordered a cappuccino. She was slim with a wide mouth accentuated by scarlet lipstick. She had parted her long blond hair in the centre and, as I approached the table, I noticed it was just starting to show its roots. She got to her feet and I was surprised at how tall she was until I noticed the height of her heels. I had to stand on tiptoe to greet her with an air kiss.

"Thanks for meeting me," I said as we took our seats.

"No problem," she smiled.

There was a little bit of small talk before I introduced the subject. "Dan, my husband," I explained, "said that you were happy with their idea...."

"You mean about swapping?" she whispered. "Yes. I should mention that Chris and I have been swinging for almost a year now and he thought that you and Dan might be.... interested."

"We've never done anything like this!"

"I know. I can remember how nervous we were our first time. Look, don't feel you have to do it. You can just come over for a meal to meet up with us. Once you have got to know us a bit more, then you can see what you think about it. I can promise you, there'll be no pressure."

"I don't know," I said dubiously.

"Well, have a ponder on it. There's no rush to accept."

We sipped at our coffees. "How does it work?" I asked.

"Well, there's no set routine." She paused for a moment. "It can be separate couples or together. It depends on the individuals. I would say that generally, it's the girls that initiate the action." I was surprised. "The guys are usually too shy," she explained.

She glanced at her watch. "Oh look, I'm sorry, I've got a viewing I'm afraid." She rose from the table but then turned. "Don't worry about it, Jessica. Just come round for dinner and a pleasant evening. It doesn't have to be anything more than that," she smiled.

I continued to sit at the table watching her strut towards the door. I was still unsure.

It wasn't until Thursday that I decided to acquiesce. I suppose I was curious. I felt reassured that if I didn't fancy going through with it, we could just leave. I had been worrying about our relationship and I thought it would certainly spice our sex life up. We had done a bit of role play before, but this was taking it to a whole new level. I told Dan to accept the invitation, but with my caveat that we could leave if I wanted. He agreed wholeheartedly, his face beaming.

I wondered what to wear. Normally, I wouldn't have considered my underwear, but for this occasion.... I thought I'd get some new lingerie to spark Dan's jealousy if nothing else. But I decided to keep it a secret from him. Rather than going on line, I opted to visit a 'respectable' high street shop where I could try things on. I was dazzled by the variety and novelty on the shelves, but an assistant helped me to find items that weren't too tarty and advised with the fitting. In the end I chose a black lace lingerie set with suspender belt and stockings. I also bought a pair of red stilettos and some matching lipstick and nail varnish. I decided to wear one of my more restrained outfits over these, in case I lost my nerve, or indeed Dan did.

There was a nervous tension in the house which increased throughout Saturday. It started raining in the afternoon. Dan sat in the lounge watching a football match on the television, while I pottered round doing some cleaning and keeping an eye on the clock. At five, I said I was going up to the bathroom. Dan looked a little surprised as there was still a couple of hours to go, but he simply nodded. I had a long bath and then shaved. I had shaved my legs and armpits before, but this time I needed to trim between my legs so that the hair didn't show outside my new thong. By the time I had finished there was only a small neat triangle left.

I unpacked the lingerie and slipped the items on, stretching the thin straps around my curves. I had decided to go to town with the makeup and I took quite a lot of care with it. I was pleased that the red lipstick and nail varnish were a good match to my carmine silk blouse. Zipping up my skirt, I checked in the mirror to satisfy myself that no one would know what I was wearing underneath. I chose my white pearl necklace and earrings and dabbed some scent behind my ears. I stepped into my new heels and went downstairs.

"Wow!" Dan exclaimed. "You look amazing."

I smiled. "You haven't seen the half of it," I thought.

Dan went up to have a shower and, when he came down, it was clear he had also made an effort to impress. He looked really smart in a pale grey shirt and charcoal pin stripe trousers. I returned his compliment.

We were both rather anxious and silent on the drive there. Although it had stopped raining there was still a lot of water on the road. I watched the reflections of the streetlights as we splashed through the puddles. Dan finally turned in at a large detached house on a tree-lined avenue. I took a deep breath as he rang the bell. The door was opened by a tall broad guy in a white linen shirt, open at the neck. His dark hair was brushed straight back showing a slight widow's peak at his forehead.

"Hello, Dan," he boomed in a deep baritone. "And this must be your lovely wife, Jessica. Wonderful to meet you at last. I'm Chris, by the way." He gave me a slight squeeze as we air kissed. "And this is my wife, Sarah."

Sarah had been hovering behind him in an elegant turquoise dress with black lace around the neckline. She smiled knowingly as we hugged. I realised, in our nervousness, we had forgotten to bring a bottle or anything. I started to apologise but Chris waved it away. "The important thing is that you're here."

We moved into to the sitting room and sat round a coffee table laid out with canapes. "What would you like to drink?" Chris asked. "We're getting into the festive season so I've made up a jug of Christmas mojito if you fancy trying that."

"Sounds great," Dan said. I nodded in agreement.

While Chris went to get the cocktails, Sarah handed out small plates and asked us to help ourselves to the nibbles. Soft background music was playing, and a sweet smell pervaded the room from a small vase of winter honeysuckle on the low sideboard.

Chris returned with a tray of crystal glass tumblers and tapered jug filled with a crimson cocktail of cranberries, mint leaves and crushed ice. He caught my hand and smiled for a moment as he passed me a glass. The drink packed quite a punch. We sipped at it and made tentative small talk about where we came from and how we'd met until Sarah invited us through to the dining room. The table was laid with a white cloth and serviettes and the glasses and cutlery sparkled in the candlelight. It was all very romantic.

We had roasted sea bass with raspberry sorbet to follow. All very light and delicious. Chris entertained us with self-deprecating stories and jokes. Eventually we moved back to the sitting room and he opened another bottle of chardonnay. But the atmosphere had subtly changed. It was tense and sexually charged. I noticed Dan and Sarah glancing furtively at each other. I sat with my knees clenched and my ankles crossed. Chris was the only one who still seemed relaxed. He sprawled on the couch, next to Sarah, with both arms draped along the back. His shirt seemed to have opened another button and his dark hair was curling into view. He was watching me.

"So, how do you feel about it?" he asked. "We've been talking about you for some time and wondering if you might be interested. What do you think?"

"I.... I don't know," I stammered. "We haven't decided anything yet, have we Dan?"

"Er, no," he confirmed.

"OK. That's fine." Chris smiled and then rose to change the music to a slow dance. He came back and took Sarah's hand. Holding each other close, they slowly chassed around the room.

"What do you think?" Dan whispered in my ear.

"I'm not sure. They seem quite nice. He's charming.... amusing. Do you like Sarah?"

"Yes, she's very pleasant and attractive."

"Do you think she's sexy?" I asked softly.

"Yes," he whispered. "What about Chris?"

"Well, I like the way the corners of his eyes crinkle when he laughs," I almost giggled. I looked over to where they were still smooching. "Look, do you want to go through with this or should we call it a night?"

Dan paused for a moment. "Let's go for it."

"You're sure?"

Dan nodded emphatically, as Chris and Sarah swayed back towards us.

"May I have the next dance?" Chris asked, holding out his hand to me.

I must have looked like a startled rabbit caught in the headlights. I looked at Dan again, who gave an encouraging smile. I wobbled to my feet. Chris took me in a ballroom hold, wrapping his arm around my waist and holding my hand by his shoulder. He moved surprisingly smoothly for a large man. As he waltzed me around, I glanced back to see Sarah taking my place on the couch.

"I like your blouse," Chris breathed. "The colour picks out the redness in your hair."

"Thank you," I blushed. I wasn't used to getting compliments.

"What's your perfume?" he asked.

"Armani," I whispered.

"Hmm, alluring." He leant towards me and I thought he was going to inhale it more deeply, but he didn't. He wafted my hair to one side and started kissing my neck below my ear. I flinched and gave a small involuntary gasp. My heart rate suddenly jumped. I curbed the urge to push him away. His hands slid to my rear and pulled me closer. I could feel the bulge in his trousers. I slid my arms around him to stop myself from shaking. He was much broader than Dan and my fingers could hardly meet across his back.

He nudged my pearl necklace aside to nibble the other side of my neck, his breath giving me goosepimples. Over his shoulder, I could see Dan and Sarah had started petting on the couch. Chris started to run his hands down my waist and over my hips. He paused as he felt the suspenders through the fabric of my skirt.

"Very glamourous," he murmured. "Let's give the others a little bit of a show, shall we." Sliding behind me and turning us to face the room, he started to unbutton the front of my blouse.