Chapter 2
All day Friday, Gloria rushed around, finishing her chores in time to get to the airport to meet Aunt Beth. It was a long drive to the Miami International Airport, and the freeway was sure to be glutted with traffic. At two o'clock in the morning, the trip from Miami to the airport could take perhaps fifteen minutes. This afternoon, it took almost an hour and a half.
As she pulled into the air terminal parking lot, Gloria saw a sleek Eastern silver jet slowly dropping down to land. She sensed that this was the plane that Beth was on, so she quickly parked the car and ran into the building. She searched for the Eastern lounge and arrived at the gate just as she saw the blonde-haired, stylishly dressed woman coming down the landing ramp.
She stared at the youthfulness of the glamorous older woman. My God, she thought, as she watched her saunter into the room, hanging onto the arm of an obviously enamored young man of about twenty-two or twenty-three, smiling up into his face as if he was delectable enough to eat. She's really changed! Gloria thought. She looks so much younger and a hell of a lot more exciting too! God! She even has a better figure than I do.
Gloria saw Beth kiss the young man on his cheek, and then wave good-bye to him as he left the lounge area.
"Beth ... Beth ... here I am," she called and saw her aunt wave, then come toward her.
"Darling ... Gloria, darling ... you look great," Beth glowed, posing dramatically as she caught the eyes of another admiring young man staring at her from behind the ticket counter.
"Aunt Beth, what have you done to yourself? You look like a blossoming twenty-five-year-old," Gloria said as she hugged the older woman.
"You're a sweetheart to say so, but you're just flattering me, aren't you?" With Beth's arms still around Gloria, they started walking toward the baggage section. "It's good to see you. It's been over two years."
"Yes, a long time. I'm older ... you're younger. How do you do it?"
"Well, I'll tell you," Beth whispered, looking around in mock concern. "There's a place in Hawaii called the 'Youth Farm'. You stay-there for a month and they guarantee you the body of a twenty-year-old."
"Oh?"
"Yeh...." the older woman dimpled. "My twenty-year-old body was named Charlie Tanaka." Beth threw back her head and laughed throatily as Gloria giggled in delight.
"Well, whatever it was," the young wife said, "you've got a better body than I do."
Beth shrugged, not denying the compliment. "Also, a plastic surgeon can do wonders for wrinkles. Face lifts are salvation for us old folk." She flashed a big smile at an American Airlines pilot who turned and looked as if he wanted to follow them.
"Aunt Beth, you're wonderful!" Gloria tightened her arms around the slim youthful waist of her thirty-seven-year-old aunt. "Martin is really going to be surprised. He always thought you were a sensual woman, but now...."
"How is Martin?" Beth asked, cagily. "He's one of the most exciting men I've ever met. Not counting your wonderful uncle, of course, may his soul rest in peace." She paused, then arched an eyebrow questioning, "He's ... ah ... good to you?" There was no mistaking what the real question was.
"He's great," Gloria smiled softly, remembering the long hours of lovemaking the night before. "He's just fine. As healthy as a young bull."
"Does that mean he's still a virile young man?"
"Yes, and more than that."
"Then, you're a very lucky girl, Gloria, and don't you ever forget that."
"Do you have much luggage?" the young red-headed niece abruptly asked in an effort to change the subject. She was becoming excited just thinking about her husband and was embarrassed. After all, she'd been married to Martin for five years.
"Oh, darling, not much," Beth said lightly, as she pulled five baggage stubs from her purse and handed them to a porter.
"My God, not much ... how can you afford to drag all those clothes around with you?"
"Very easily. I must have them, darling. I have to look my best, you know."
Gloria shook her head when she saw the huge color-matched blue suitcases the porter put on a cart and started to push across the room toward them.
"The car's in the parking lot. You can wait out front while I go get it."
"All right." Beth turned immediately and struck up an animated conversation with the brown-haired young man who was following with her bags.
Gloria was back with the car in five minutes, and she handed the key to the porter when he opened the door for Beth to get into the car beside her. When the young man brought the key back to Beth's window, he said. "See you when you go back to New York, ma'am."
"Thank you, lover. And you remember what I said." She patted him familiarly on the cheek as he turned away from the open window.
"Well, what was that all about?" Gloria asked, curious.
"Oh, we just had a little talk about his girlfriend," Beth said, then added, "He's such a nice boy."
"They all are, aren't they?" Gloria grinned as she swung the car into the traffic lane and onto the freeway heading toward Miami Beach.
The blonde older woman had more energy than anyone Gloria had ever known. She chatted unceasingly until they saw the off-ramp for Miami Beach.
"I love Miami," she suddenly whispered, in an awestruck voice. "Your uncle and I used to come here just to get away from it all. Many times we never even saw you."
"Do you still miss him, Aunt Beth?"
"Yes, darling, I do, very much," she sighed. "He was such a good man, and sexually virile until about six months before he died. I only found out after his heart attack that he'd been in pain during that time, suffering the pain of the damned."
Beth rode silently for several blocks, and then sighed deeply again. "But you can't let things get you down. I have to live without him, and there's only one way I can live ... that's with a man."
"Then why don't you get married again?" Momentarily, Gloria felt sad for her aunt, but then she smiled as she heard the vivacious older woman continue.
"Hah! I'll never get married again. I prefer several men now, instead of just one." She laughed. "You should try it sometime. It deepens your sensitivity."
"Aunt Beth," Gloria giggled, a little shocked, "You're really something! You know Martin is more than I can take care of, and, besides, he's all I want."
"I don't understand how you could be satisfied with a common ordinary sexual life," the older aunt sighed. "Don't you want to be sexually liberated?"
"But, Martin and I are sexually liberated. We believe in the modern philosophy ... and always have."
"Oh no!" Beth exclaimed, "You don't call what you two have together liberation'? You're so tied together, you remind me of the dark ages."
Gloria frowned and thought. But we're happy together and we don't have any hangups about sex with each other, at all. I thought that was all we needed to be sexually well-adjusted. Aloud, she simply said, "Then, what are we doing wrong?"
"Wrong? I didn't say you were doing anything wrong, darling. That's not being sexually free. Liberation is when nothing is wrong ... anything really, anything goes. I'm sure you're liberated in your own little way, but haven't you ever wondered about 'husband swapping'?...."
"Of course not," Gloria said defensively. "That's only for people who are unhappy."
"No, darling. Now that's where you're wrong," Beth said to her niece, just as they arrived in front of the house and stopped in the driveway.
"Then, what do you mean?" Gloria whispered curiously, feeling something that could have been anger or excitement pounding in her brain. She wanted to be "liberated" and thought she always had been, but maybe the experienced older woman knew something she didn't. After all, Beth was right in one respect. Even though she and Martin had a completely happy marriage, there were times when she wondered what it would be like to go to bed with another man, and she'd heard Martin's comments about other women-even Mabel next door-when he'd wondered what they'd be like in bed. Still, though, what did she really know? Martin was her first and only male; he claimed she was his first and only female. What would sex with someone else be like?
"All I'm saying, Gloria," Beth was continuing in all seriousness, "is that it wouldn't be a sin to share Martin with another woman. Providing it was done for altruistic reasons and not out of emotional involvement."
"But, that's what makes sex so wonderful ... being in love with someone." Gloria was confused, and, as she continued to sit in the car, not wanting the conversation to end without understanding what her aunt was trying to say, she added, "Sex with a stranger would be no different than using a dildo. Why take the chance on diseases, and, besides, you never know when someone might get emotionally involved with you ... and then he'd be hurt."
"Gloria, all I can tell you, is that sex can also be beautiful with someone you are not in love with," Beth said patiently. "I've been fucked by a dozen different men in the past four months and it was wonderful ... but there was never a chance of falling in love with any of them."
"I don't know, Aunt Beth! I wouldn't like it, but I don't think I'd stop loving Martin if he had another woman." She thought for a second, her hand resting on the door handle, then added. "That's if he didn't care anything about her."
"See what I mean? Now that's the first step to true sexual liberation." Laughingly, Beth opened her door and was halfway out of the car before Gloria answered.
"Yes ... I see ... I really do ... but I don't know...."
"I only need one bag for now. We'll leave the rest for Martin to bring in when he comes home," Beth said, abruptly taking command and walking up to the house.
After the prolonged conversation about liberation with Aunt Beth on the trip home from the airport, Gloria felt mentally exhausted. She needed to relax before Martin came home so, turning to the older woman, she said, "Why don't you rest until Martin gets home. I'm going to get a hot shower and change clothes."
"Oh darling, I don't need to rest, but I do need a hot bath myself." She turned toward the den and added, "Don't you have a bar in here?"
"I'm sorry, Aunt Beth, I'm a terrible hostess," Gloria said as she went to the bar. "I bet you could use a drink after that trip. What would you like?"
"Please, honey, let me do it. You go ahead and get your shower. I can find the guest room myself."
Gloria kissed her blonde aunt on the cheek and hugged her, saying. "Thanks. You're very sweet and kind. See you in about an hour."
Two minutes later, the naked young redhead was in the shower. The hot sting of the needle-like spray soothed her confusion, and her mixed-up thoughts suddenly congealed. All this time I thought we were really liberated ... but now I know better. We've been so snug in our happiness with each other, we've never tried anything new. I wonder if Martin ever thinks about trying group sex ... or wife swapping? I think I'll just ask him one day ... but what if we don't like it? What happens then?
She wished she'd brought a drink for herself into the bathroom, because now she was thirsty and felt the need of a drink to calm her nerves. As a result she cut her shower short.
Quickly, she dressed in a sensual, curve-clinging white jumpsuit and silver thong sandals, and tied her long red hair back with a lime-green chiffon scarf. She was just mixing a vodka martini when Beth returned to the den.
"Wowee," the older woman chortled, "You look stunning, darling. I can see why Martin has never thought of another woman."
"Thank you," she dimpled and made a quick curtsy. "You look fantastic, too." She wasn't exaggerating, the young wife thought as she saw the revealing gown her aunt had changed into. She was wearing a black hostess gown that was as tight as a second skin. The top was slit to the waist and the soft white flesh of her youthful breasts was spilling out. The skirt was slit up the side almost to the upper thigh, and the sides were inset with three inches of lace that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. And it was all too obvious that there was nothing underneath the gown ... not even a pair of panties.
"This is my turn-on dress, darling. I always wear it when I want to impress someone."
"But you don't have to impress Martin!"
"I know, but for him, I just want to be remembered."
"You will ... you will." Gloria laughed, not a thread of jealousy in her body.
A key turned in the front door and both women looked at each other, then turned to face the doorway. Martin stepped in the open door and said, "Jesus! Am I in the right house?"
"You sure are, lover," Gloria moved toward him, kissed him passionately and then turned back. "You remember Aunt Beth, of course."
"I know, but for him, I just want to be Uncle Goop."
Laughing gaily, Beth ran to him like a young schoolgirl. "Lover, you're an angel, but I am your old aunt."
They hugged and then she kissed him on the lips, giving the handsome young husband the surprise of his life. It actually felt good ... her lips so sensually parted, and soft and warm ... and ... oh-oh! He felt his penis restlessly stirring in his pants. Quickly, and without looking at his wife, he went to the bar where, with his back to the room, he filled the martini shaker while mentally forcing his beginning erection to die. Shit, he was going to have to watch that! It was no good to get too close to Beth again, not in that outfit, anyway!
"What have you girls been doing?" he asked casually, as he turned toward the now seated women and went to sit beside Gloria.
"We had quite an enlightening conversation." Beth had a look of purpose in her eyes. "Gloria will have to tell you about it later."
"Ohhhh ... sounds suspicious to me."
"Not suspicious, but educational," Beth continued.
"It was nothing, darling. I'll tell you later," the redheaded wife replied. "I'm curious now. Tell me."
"Aunt Beth just thinks that we're not as sexually liberated as we thought we were."
"Well, how does she know, having never gone to bed with us." His tone abruptly changed from light banter to defensiveness. He didn't like this kind of conversation. Some of the fellows he knew had been trying to convert him to the kinky things young people were involved in, but he wasn't interested.
"Darling," Beth interrupted, "I don't have to go to bed with you, but if that's an invitation, I accept. To be liberated is to be free ... free to do anything ... and everything. Have you and Gloria tried swapping ... or group sex ... or even homosexuality?"
"You gotta be kidding, Beth." Martin was actually shocked, then he added. "We don't need depraved sex like that! We have each other ... that's all we need."
"Then, all I'm saying is that you're not liberated."
Gloria sat quietly, letting Martin discuss it with her aunt while she took in every word he said. She listened to his reasoning, and then suddenly, she saw a strange light of interest in his eyes as she heard Beth say, "All right. Granted you think you're well-adjusted. But how do you really know? You just got through saying you've never been to bed with another woman. Why don't you try it once at least, and then you'll have some basis for comparison."
"I don't know." He shook his head. "I think sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone."
"That just proves that you are a nice lovable square after all." The seductive older woman smiled in triumph and held up her empty cocktail glass for another drink.
"I'll get it, Aunt Beth," Gloria said, jumping up and taking the glass. She was halfway to the bar when she heard the sensually alluring widow say, "I'll volunteer to be the other woman, Martin, if you're interested."
Gloria was just about to speak up, when she heard her handsome husband respond, "You're really some put-on. I bet if I took you up on it, you'd run like hell. All of which is beside the point. I'm only interested in one woman ... and that's Gloria."
"Thanks, darling," his lovely wife said, "Now really, both of you, what do you say we change the subject? Hmmmmm? Let's discuss something of importance for a change."
The discussion was obviously ended for the moment. As the sleek blonde widow sat back she was already planning how she could help these young people find out about the wonders of "liberated" sex while she was in their home.
It was her obligation to educate them. After all, she knew it was the best thing for them. It would give them even greater depth to their own love, and much, much greater satisfaction in their lovemaking.