Tree Change Pt. 06

As to our relationship with our neighbours that was great as well. It was eighteen months since the night we'd done the partner swap. At the time I thought we might struggle with our promise to not go back. The memory of Alena falling under Zac's spell. The way she had so obviously enjoyed the sexual dynamic he'd created. Okay I mean his big cock. But she had held firm. The following Wednesday we'd both gone over to their house and told them while we had enjoyed what happened the previous Sunday night we felt that it was just a one off for us.

To their credit they said that was fine with them. They thanked us and added they appreciated our honesty. Alena and I both thought we wouldn't see much of our neighbours after that. To both our surprises we had become firm friends. Once we'd cleared the air about the sex part it hadn't been mentioned again. There was still the odd joking reference as had just happened but none of the perceived pressure that had come with it before. Although once when we'd all had a bit too much to drink one afternoon Johanna said to me privately she wished I'd fucked her arse.

Alena came back from the toilet just as Zac and Johanna came over. We exchanged hugs goodbye then started out walk home. Once there we sat down to watch some television. There wasn't much on and we settled on some reality dating show. Mostly we were playing on our phones. Then Alena put her phone down. She lent over towards me, unzipped my pants then extracted my cock.

This was the major difference in our life now. My wife was a different sexual beast to the one that had entered our neighbours house eighteen months ago. There was an extra confidence and a desire to explore her limits she hadn't had before. The only caveat, it had to be inside our marriage. We'd mucked around with a variety of toys. Tried a bit of light BDSM. Watched some porn but Alena wasn't a fan of that unless it was real life amateur stuff. The thing we mostly came back to was roleplay. Silly stuff like the horny housewife and the tradesman. The businessman and his secretary. School boy/girl and their teacher, you get the drift.

Most of the time though it was just us enjoying each other. Like now with Alena sucking my dick until it was hard then teasing it until she could get me to react. I was getting better at ignoring her but she always won in the end. Then we'd fuck, in lots of positions, in various places. Alena's motto was the couple that play together stay together. We'd talked about starting a family. The excuse to put it off always boiled down to a financial one. Although I think we were too happy as we were and selfishly perhaps, didn't want to spoil it.

The next morning I bounced out of bed ready for another week. When I got to the office in Sydney things began to fall apart. There were a couple of burly men out the front. When I approached them they waved federal police badges and pulled me to one side. The door opened and two other similarly dressed men exited carrying two boxes of documents each. I was taken inside then shunted into an empty office. I could hear a steady stream of footsteps as they came and went with more of our records.

My interview started just before lunch and didn't finish until six. I was grilled about what I did, who I knew and what I knew. It wasn't until the end that the lady conducting it gave me some explanation. The colleague who left soon after we bought the house had been cooking the books on a major federal government department account. He been milking it electronically for years and stolen a large chunk of money. Two senior partners had found out about it. Initially money was taken from other trust accounts to hide the theft. Then they'd continued the other guys scam in an effort to get the other clients money back. Eventually it was picked up in an audit. Realising the jig was up they'd both tried to flee the country on the weekend but were caught at the airport.

It took several more days of going back for interviews before I was cleared of involvement. Thursday at lunchtime I walked out the door for the last time. I was slightly worried about being unemployed. However the economy was going well. An economic miracle some called it, extremely low inflation, low unemployment, thirty years without a recession. I was well qualified, experienced, I was sure it wouldn't take me long to find another job. I might have to start down a rung or two but that wouldn't be a disaster.

I soon discovered looking for a job when the last entry on your CV was for an infamous outfit that fleeced it's clients of millions of dollars was going to be harder than I thought. The stink was very hard to shake. Yes I was innocent but if I was in any way competent how the hell didn't I work out what was going on. Our loan buffer was disappearing fast so I eventually had to settle for an entry level placement with a firm who's reputation was almost as bad as my previous employers.

Then the next disaster struck. The news of a respiratory illness sweeping through China, then Europe and America had been everywhere. So far the physical distance appeared to have insulated Australia from the worst of it. Business as usual except for some restrictions for people wanting to enter the country. With the internet and zoom meetings that wasn't the it issue once was. That was until a cruise ship quietly docked in Sydney. There was some news reports stating there were suspected Covid cases on board so initially passengers were confined to the ship. Then late on a Saturday night clearance was given for passengers to disembark go home except for the ones with symptoms who were transferred to a quarantine ward in hospital.

I was due to start my new job on the following Tuesday. Monday afternoon two elderly cruise goers who lived in our street tested positive. Zac and I were deemed close contacts because we had been round to check on them on the Sunday afternoon. By the end of the week all hell had broken loose. Mass lockdowns in place. People were asked to work from home. I called up my new employer to tell them I was quarantining and they informed me my position was no longer required. I hadn't signed a contract so I was back to being jobless. I got unemployment benefits which the government had doubled but that wasn't going to make loan repayments. The bank gave us a six month 'holiday' on repayments but the money went back on to the loan balance.

The pandemic dragged on. Stay at home orders, only allowed out for two hours for food shopping and exercise but must be masked. The stress we were under and the close confinement without outside contact put a strain on our relationship. Little snide comments grew to loud arguments about nonsensical stuff. At least we had a back yard now. Going through this in our inner city flat would have been hell.

Still, we were alive. The retired couple who'd caught Covid on the cruise ship had ended up in hospital on ventilators. The husband passed away while his wife was in a coma. The wife did get back home after a couple of weeks but she'd missed the funeral, such as it was. Just her two children bid him farewell. They had been allowed to travel from their homes for a graveside internment. Zac and I continued our street checks albeit on opposite sides of our street. Wearing masks we would call out to the inhabitants of each house from their front gates. Ask how they were going and if they needed anything.

In time the restrictions eased. More so for us than some areas of Sydney but we were able to visit with relatives. Mask wearing was still mandatory, distancing where more people gathered. We didn't have any relatives close by and neither did Zac and Johanna. We went to each others house anyway. One Saturday afternoon we slipped next door for lunch. We'd just had a bit of a fight. Alena had been shopping for what I considered unnecessary items on line. The tension between us was obvious and Johanna picked up on it.

"What's going on with you two?"

We exchanged glances then I answered her.

"Just the usual, Alena spending money we haven't got."

"That's not my fault." She shot back.

"No luck job hunting then?" Zac asked.

"No one hiring with the uncertainty. They are only keeping people on because of jobkeeper."

That was a government program giving companies money to pay staff.

"They have double the unemployment benefit haven't they?" Zac continued.

"Yes, and that's keeping food on the table and most of the bills paid but, it doesn't help the mortgage."

The mood had become a bit glum. I guess they were feeling sorry for us.

"We could lend you some money to help if you want." Zac offered.

"No, we'll muddle through. I don't imagine your investment stuff is going very well either."

"Yes, that situation is not great but Johanna's making money hand over fist."

Alena and I looked at each other puzzled then at Johanna. We didn't know Johanna had a job. We thought she was just a stay at home housewife with a kinky side. She looked down at her feet almost embarrassed then spoke.

"Yes, I guess there are a lot of men sitting at home bored looking for a distraction."

"What is it you do?" Alena asked.

"I've got an Only Fans account."