The Fertility Retreat Ch. 01

"Yeah..."

Smiling at one another, they stood side by side, chests heaving in and out at the exhilaration of the experience. Andrew and Charlotte felt a pride toward each other at that moment, having successfully braved the challenging initial task they both had feared.

As Mariana began to readdress the group, Charlotte's eyes meandered back to the man she had just interacted with, curious to know which woman was his wife. She had just reached his side, leaned in close to him, and whispered something. The man showed her a pained expression, then made a gesture in an apparent attempt to calm and reassure her. They both glanced down at his sizable erection for a moment before the woman looked away, tapping her foot nervously. Charlotte couldn't tell if she was mad at him or just embarrassed by his lack of self-control, but it was privately thrilling to be the cause of their distress either way.

"You can all be seated," explained Mariana, gesturing with her hand for everyone to sit on their mats. As the whole room took a seat, she resumed addressing the room. "Now we'll break into teams for an exercise. Let's do five groups with three couples each."

Before Mariana could offer any direction on the construction of teams, Alyssa immediately whipped her head around and gestured to Charlotte as if to say, "Teammates?" Charlotte nodded quickly in response but Andrew could tell she did this out of fear rather than excitement, desperately needing her new friend nearby for comfort and security. Harry and Alyssa stepped off their mats before Harry quickly slid them backward to position themselves directly next to Andrew and Charlotte. They moved quickly, keenly aware of her animated boobs and his flopping penis.

Following Mariana's subsequent instruction, Harry and Alyssa seated themselves in front of their new friends, sitting cross-legged and placing their hands in their lap. Andrew could sense the nervousness still present amongst all four of them as it was clear that they each subconsciously covered their privates with their hands due to the close proximity, as well as the fact that their seated position forced them to spread their hips open in a dramatically revealing way.

Andrew found it difficult to decide where to look as Alyssa had seated herself directly across from him without thinking. Her body was tense, alert, and upright, her stiff posture caused her boobs to stick directly out from her chest toward his face, dipping subtly like rounded teardrops with two lovely, bright nipples that stood at attention. It was no better to lower his gaze as this only resulted in the tantalizing sight of smooth hair on her pubic mound which barely escaped the shield of her hands. She seemed aware of his difficulty, trying to suppress a nervous smile while watching him roll his head to the left or right, seeking a safe space to avert his eyes.

Fortunately, their attention shifted to the couple to the right of Andrew and Charlotte, who soon wandered over. The four of them looked up as a woman meekly asked, "Um... do you mind if we join you?" It was clear that she suffered great anxiety towering nude over them and wished to sit down as quickly as possible.

"Sure," the four of them replied, welcoming the third couple.

The man carried over their mat and set it down next to Andrew, facing the others. He was a rather lean guy with well-toned muscles and a full beard. Andrew discreetly observed his uncircumcised penis with curiosity, wondering what it would be like to have to retract the foreskin in order to pee. Afraid he would be caught observing the intricacies of an unfamiliar body, he unwittingly turned his attention to the man's wife, where he ended up doing just the same. She was a beautiful Indian woman with long, silky black hair. She was slender, with petite breasts, smaller than Charlotte's and Alyssa's, but with wider nipples that were distinctly brownish. Her vulva had been shaved but was now beginning to show a shadow of stubble, divided dramatically by a thick, slightly darker outer labia at the very visible entrance of her vagina.

"I'm Tyler," the guy said, extending his hand as he sat down anxiously alongside the others.

"Radhika," said the Indian woman, extending hers as well. Everyone shook hands and introduced themselves, feeling instantly at ease with yet another couple much like them.

"This will be a fun exercise and should allow you to learn something about each other; something perhaps you normally wouldn't share but can feel free to open up about in this environment. Remember, this is a judgment-free zone," Mariana explained. "I'd like you to go around the group and pick one sexual fantasy that you enjoy. Maybe it's a private fantasy that your partner doesn't know about, that expresses your innermost desires and provides some detail about your point of view as a sensual being. It can be anything."

Charlotte began to grow nervous, having never opened up about such things before. She wasn't immediately sure she could reveal thoughts like that out in the open or even to her husband.

"This is a fun way for partners to learn something about each other, especially if they've never revealed those inner fantasies before. We do this so that you and your partner can form a bond of trust and connectedness and so that you can draw on these fantasies in the bedroom when making love, to enhance the experience. Now — sometimes I call on the men first and sometimes on the women. Let's do the women this time. Really focus on what your partner should know about you, what you respond to, what moves you toward a deep sense of erotic desire. Don't hold back. What turns you on? What happens to you when you're feeling that way? Let's begin to share."

Around the room, couples began to look at each other with hesitancy. Occasionally, a laugh broke out amidst the murmur of soft conversation beginning to develop. It was obvious from some of the chatter that there was a period of coming-to-terms with the request before the sharing could begin.

Mariana made her way over to Andrew and Charlotte's group first, as they had gathered closest to the corner of the room. She smiled warmly to the three couples as she approached and sat down on the hard wooden floor, not bothering to cart her mat around. Andrew felt the butterflies return as he discreetly examined her more mature body; as she took a seat next to the group, her plump buttocks compressed and squished out to the sides. He didn't quite understand why, but somehow he was absolutely fascinated by every detail of her body.

Andrew observed her naked skin, pasty in most places, with pinkish hues appearing elsewhere, and occasionally dotted with little freckles and peach fuzz. Her large breasts swung about heavily and were pale and swollen, hanging like large bowling balls, with a barely visible blue vein darting along the side. Mariana's nipples poked out like inflamed red knobs, strangely like the rubber nipples of a baby's bottle. Her dark, gnarly bush, which previously obstructed any view of her genitals, now stretched apart as she sat with her legs folded, causing the thick, meaty flaps of her labia to peek through the forest of hair. He found her body strange and fascinating and yet so different from his wife's - an erotic pastiche of nakedness and humanity in its most raw and most revealing form.

"So, who wants to go first?" Mariana asked, cheerfully. No one said a word, so she turned to face Radhika. "How about you both?" she asked.

Andrew noticed Radhika's throat contract as she took a sudden gulp. He didn't envy her, having to reveal something private to a group of individuals she only just met. "Okay," she quietly responded. "Um... I guess for me it's not so much a fantasy scenario that I think about but... like... things about Tyler that turn me on..."

"Okay, let's start there. What turns you on?" added Mariana.

"Well... I especially like watching him when we go to the gym," she replied. Andrew noticed Tyler become alert, curious to hear what his wife had to say. "Especially when he lifts weights."

"And what do you enjoy about that?"

"I guess... watching him without his shirt on. His muscles. It's sexy..." she added, clearly embarrassed.

"And how does it make you feel? How does your body respond?"

"You mean... like..."

"Meaning, help him to understand what the sight of his body, while he's exercising, does to you. Communicate your experience of arousal to him. It's important for him to get a sense of this experience for each of you so that the other is more in-tune with your sensitivities."

"Um... Well, I like to see how when he's working out hard, his chest becomes sorta hard and his muscles swell. It's, I dunno, just very masculine and... exciting, I guess. So I... uh... have to go use the treadmill..."

Charlotte and Alyssa chuckled knowingly but the guys seemed confused as to why that was funny.

"Don't be shy," Mariana coached her, with her soothing voice.

"You know... it feels good for my thighs to rub together as I run," said Radhika, causing her husband to form a smile. She shot him a sheepish glance, realizing that every time she did that in the future he'd know what was happening to her body. Radhika appeared to become increasingly nervous as Mariana nodded slowly at her, expecting elaboration.

"Pretend we're not here. Face him and tell him," Mariana said.

Radhika turned to face Tyler and continued, shaking nervously. "I... get pretty wet... down there. I've had to change my panties during our workout before." Tyler gazed at his wife, smiling happily at what she was sharing.

"And how does that make you feel?" asked Mariana, turning toward Tyler.

"It's... um... flattering," he said. He turned red as everyone laughed. "I- have similar problems too."

"Share?" responded Mariana.

"Yeah... I sometimes, you know... start to get an erection watching her on the treadmill..."

"Tell her, not me," Mariana said, smiling.

Tyler turned back to face Radhika. "I sometimes start getting an erection watching you on the treadmill, which makes it difficult to work out. But... you know... seeing your breasts move as you run..." He trailed off, fidgeting with his hands in his lap nervously. Andrew knew that he was threatening to get an erection even just thinking about it.

"This is great! A great start. We're beginning to open up. It's absolutely understandable that you enjoy engaging in passive masturbation to deal with the sexual feelings that arise from watching your husband working out." Radhika responded with surprise, shocked that Mariana called it a form of masturbation, which she had never really considered before.

"How about you?" Mariana added, facing Alyssa.

Alyssa covered her face, burying an embarrassed smile into her hand. She laughed softly, causing her loose breasts to wobble. "It's... uh... similar for me, I guess?" she began. "Only it's when Harry gets out of the shower in the morning." She suddenly remembered that she was supposed to talk to her husband and not Mariana. Turning toward him, she continued, "It's arousing to see you come out of the bathroom, all naked and damp before you get dressed. I like how you're more comfortable than I am to just walk around naked to get your clothes. That confidence is extremely sexy to me."

As Mariana nodded enthusiastically, Charlotte began to prepare a response in her head, knowing she was next. She decided to follow suit, copying what Radhika and Alyssa had done; she would mimic their confessions but in reference to seeing Andrew at the beach in his swimsuit and with his shirt off.

"I... um... god this is so embarrassing..." Alyssa said, interrupting herself.

"You're doing great," Mariana reassured her.

"I... always take a peek at him. Um... at his penis," she gestured subtly between his legs, at the same time avoiding direct eye contact. "It's... arousing to see it... like... moving around while he gathers his clothes." Alyssa glanced at Charlotte for support, who smiled back at her with understanding. Mariana turned to face Harry, communicating, without a word, her expectation for him to respond.

Harry replied, "Actually, this reminds me that I sometimes think about showering together. I never realized but that's one of my favorite turn-ons."

"Me too..." Alyssa said, cautiously excited to hear him reveal a secret desire that she felt the same about.

Mariana threw her hands together with an abrupt clap. "There, see? That's why we're opening up about these feelings! Now you have something special to share that you didn't realize was a mutual fantasy. Great!"

"Okay, your turn," said Mariana, turning to face Charlotte, who began to ready the remarks in her head. "How about something you think about, that maybe you haven't experienced with your partner? Maybe something daring and exciting that you haven't yet felt able to experience, but would like to."

Charlotte's mouth snapped shut as quickly as she had opened it. Mariana had suddenly upped the pressure for her and she frantically searched for a way to respond; a safe response that would satisfy Mariana's modified request but not cause her significant embarrassment. Charlotte felt the seconds tick by, everyone's attention drawn to her. In her panic, she revealed something embarrassingly detailed - on the same subject as what she had prepared, but a complete fantasy; one she wasn't prepared to admit.

"I... enjoy when we go to the beach together. I like seeing Andrew in just his bathing suit. Just like the others said, about the shower or working out. I guess being on the beach helps me relax and daydream and I sometimes have fantasies there..." she began, trying to find a way out of what she was saying but the unexpected pressure was too great.

"I imagine we're on the beach together like that and they allow nude sunbathing. He removes my bikini top, then pulls down my bottoms, and I pull down his swimsuit. The sun feels really nice on our bodies. We... um... rub sunblock all over each other. I ask if he wants to swim. He scoops me up in his arms and runs down to the water while I'm laughing. We crash into the waves. It's cold but his naked body is warm and he holds me close. We start to kiss and it feels nice."

Andrew gawked at his wife, surprised to hear her narrate such a detailed fantasy; one he never knew she had. He glanced at Mariana's reaction, who appeared to be as thrilled as he was to hear Charlotte's confession.

"And... we stroll out of the water together, holding hands. I'm not really afraid to be naked, 'cuz no one is around. It's just us. We lie down in the sand, at the water's edge, and we start to make love." Charlotte began to tremble; it was all just coming out. She couldn't believe what she was saying, but she couldn't stop. "And... he enters me as the water laps at our feet. We just make slow, passionate love together."

Charlotte stopped abruptly, trying to make sense of what she'd just done. She felt like she was still drunk on what she had just divulged. The faces of her five companions stared at her, some of their mouths agape in disbelief. Even her own husband's eyes were wide and full of surprise.

Panicking and believing she may have gone too far, Charlotte defensively added, "Of course, in reality, I'm sure it would suck. Having sand in my hair and my butt crack would not exactly be a sexy feeling..." She shrugged and tried to laugh it off, hoping that would dispel the shock of her erotic fantasy.

"Perhaps there are some practical concerns to sort out," replied Mariana. "But it's important to remember that fantasies never have to be just fantasies. The point of sharing these is so you can learn new ways that you and your partner could share sexual experiences that would be deeply fulfilling. Remember that we want to connect our mind, body, and spirit, so that they're all working together both to improve your chances of pregnancy by stimulating fertility and reducing stress, but also to just have more fulfilling and healthy sex lives in general."

Charlotte nodded to her, exhaling a deep sigh of relief that the experience was over.

"Thank you, that was exceptional. That was exactly what I'm looking for."

Charlotte turned to Alyssa and her new friend smirked. She looked impressed; they all did. Suddenly Charlotte didn't feel so embarrassed; she was top of her class. She decided to run with it and pretend that it was a conscious effort all along, that it was no big deal for her to be so courageous, even though she had just been dying a little bit inside from embarrassment.

Mariana stood back up and thanked the six of them again, then briefly checked in with the other groups as the conversation continued. When she finished, she returned to the front of the room and addressed the entire group to get their attention once again.

"Now I'd like to assign some homework. Firstly, if you shared your fantasy but haven't yet heard from your partner, I'd like you to find some time today to get them to share their own fantasy as well. Be brave. Be honest. Really place your trust in each other."

Everyone nodded silently, their faces still filled with trepidation.

"Now, the second part will be daunting for many of you. Throughout the remainder of the day, we're scheduled to enjoy various activities together. I want you to feel free to experience the beautiful, natural setting we're in. While you do so, spend some time getting to know and understand your partner better. Foster a closeness and a connection that will help you each be more receptive to your goals of achieving pregnancy together and building a life together around that."

She paused for a moment, observing the group, then continued.

"And when the time and the situation feel right, I want you each to consider sharing a public moment of intimacy. Wherever and whenever that makes sense for each of you. Be inspired by what you heard from your partner and build upon that. Find your way of expressing yourselves authentically and expanding your sexual capacity with each other."

Everyone was shocked; couples around the room exchanged glances with each other as if to confirm what they thought they were hearing. Mariana seemingly expected them to have sex - and without any of the privacy they were used to.

"If you can't find a way to share this moment today, or if you're not ready yet, then don't worry, there will be an opportunity tomorrow. But be bold and push yourselves. Find support in each other, to overcome the fear and focus on the bond you share with your partner. See if you can take one of your fantasies and make it real. Who knows, you might inspire the rest of us to explore our feelings in new ways and contexts, so this is a great learning opportunity for all of us."

Mariana invited everyone to stand and collect their clothes, which everyone scrambled to put back on as quickly as possible. Andrew's mind was racing; he began to feel intrigued by the idea of having sex with his wife in the open, to "make their fantasies real," but at the same time - he was undeniably terrified.

***

To be continued...