Chapter 6

"AMY. IT'S ME," PATTY SAID INTO THE PHONE AS she seated herself beside it. "Sorry I couldn't talk before." She lit a cigarette.

"Well, are you coming over?" the other woman asked breathlessly.

"Oh, there's no hurry about picking up that bra and blouse. You don't mind keeping them for me, do you?"

"You know that isn't why I called." Amy sounded distruaght.

"I don't understand, honey."

"Yes, you do! You're trying to play coy with me, and I don't like it."

"Amy ... look. What happened yesterday was just for a lark. It didn't mean anything. Oh, by the way, did you have any problem explaining things to Pete?"

"I don't want to talk about Pete. I want to talk about us."

"There's nothing to say about us. We're a couple of married women who had a little time on our hands and shared a few drinks."

"We shared more than drinks, Patty."

"So, we fooled around a little. That was all it amounted to, just fooling around."

"You didn't enjoy yourself?"

"Of course I did. For the moment."

"You never want to do it again?"

"Maybe. Sometime. If we have an hour or so to kill. Today I don't," she added pointedly.

"Patty, I think you're horrible!"

"Whaaat?"

"You heard me. I think you're horrible, teasing me this way."

"Amy, I'm not teasing. You get that through your cute blonde head. I mean exactly what I've been saying. It was only for kicks. Just to break the monotony. Fm a straight girl and I live straight. So do you. Let's not do anything to louse up what we've got going for ourselves."

"But, Patty..." the other girl whined.

"Just forget about it. Take care of Pete. Show him a real wild time tonight. That will overcome any suspicions he might have about yesterday."

"But don't you understand? I don't care about Pete. Not really. I care about you and me."

"Then you're a fool," Patty replied coldly, "because I don't care about you in that way."

"I don't believe it."

"Well, I don't know how I could make it plainer."

"Come over, Pat. Just so we can talk for a while. I mean it-I have to see you."

"Then this is exactly when I shouldn't come over. If you have a problem, you'll have to work it out yourself."

"But you gave me the problem."

"No, I didn't. You wanted to play around just as much as I did. We played. Now we're back to being housewives and taking care of our husbands."

"Pat ... "

"If there's nothing else, honey, I'm going to have to hang up. Art's due back any time. This is his day off, you know, and he just went down the street to get some cigars. We're going on a picnic later."

"You and Art.. .on a picnic V

"Of course." Patty's voice changed, a sly smile coming into it. "Now, if you take my advice, you'll arrange a picnic for your husband tonight in bed. It will do both of you good."

Amy slammed down the phone.

So that was the way things were! It didn't mean anything to Patty at all. And here she had gotten Amy hung up so she couldn't think of anything else. As for having a "picnic" with Pete, the mere thought made her ill.

How was she going to tolerate him tonight? He would probably want sex. They hadn't done it last night-he had seemed upset-but he rarely went two nights in a row without balling her.

How could she do it with him, when the only person she wanted was Patty? What had happened between them had been so gentle and lovely-and tremendously exciting, too! She'd never felt so torn asunder by a climax.

Amy felt more and more apprehensive as the day wore on, but her apprehension was nothing compared to what it would have been if she had known what condition her husband would be in when he arrived home that evening.

She probably would have fled the house.

When he burst through the kitchen door at four-thirty, his coat was awry and his shirt collar was open. He lurched toward her. The aroma which preceded him would have tested out at eighty-six proof, at least.

"Pete!" Amy cried. "You're drunk!"

"Damn right," he mumbled, a dull light coming into his bloodshot eyes. "An' y'know why I got drunk? Y'know why, li'l wife?"

"I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea."

He grasped her and pulled her away from the stove, forcing her to drop the spoon she had been holding.

"Pete! I've gotta stir that. Dinner will be ruined."

"Fffrig dinner! I don' give a goddamn!"

Amazed, Amy let him draw her into the living room.

"I'm drunk 'cuz of you," he said. "Now, y'know what Tm talkin' about?"

She had-an idea. Her instinct was to defend herself, regardless of how she felt:

"I didn't do anything to make you get drunk. If you think so, you're just imagining things."

"Oh, I am, am I? An' I s'pose I'm imagining ev'rything else, too."

"What else? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind ... come here..."

He flopped down onto the sofa.

"But I have to fix dinner."

"I told yuh, frig dinner! Come here!"

Fearful of his tone, she came, sitting down beside him.

He pulled her into his arms.

At first, panic struck Amy. Then she decided he was too drunk to start anything. He might paw her a little, but that was as far as it would go. She supposed she could put up with that.

If she tried to fight him, God only knew what would happen.

He put a hand on the front of her blouse and grinned foolishly. "So you're wearin' a bra today!" he said thickly. "Of course."

"How 'bout panties? Y' got panties on, too?"

"Of course, I have."

"Show me."

"Oooh, Pete..."

"Show me, goddamn you!"

She pulled her capri pants down at the side and showed him the pink nylon underneath them.

"All dreshed up ... all dreshed up," he mumbled. "Are you satisfied?"

He laughed, as if she had said something hilarious. Naturally she didn't get the joke. She started to stand up.

He grasped her arm. "Wait a minute, baby! Wait a li'l old minute!"

"What do you want?"

"I wanta see some skin! Strip! Take all your clothes off!"

"Pete, not now...! "

"Yeah, baby! Right now. Before I get mad."

She forced herself to smile and lean toward him. "Let's wait until after dinner, honey. Then I'll go right to bed with you if you want."

She was counting on getting him into bed first, with the thought that he would fall asleep before she could join him. The way he looked and acted, he was close to passing out right now. It was a wonder he had been able to drive home.

"Nothin' doin'! " he said, shaking his head so vigorously that he almost keeled over. "I wan' a li'l piece right now. I wan' a piece of my lovin' li'l wife."

Amy bit her lip. She would have to humor him.

Well, maybe she could get him to drop off to sleep first.

"All right, honey. We'll go into the bedroom now. Just let me turn the stove off."

She got up and hurried into the kitchen. The pudding was boiling. Well, that was ruined. She turned everything off.

When .she went back into the living room, Pete was standing on his feet.

"Come on," she said, and started to help him toward the bedroom.

"Wait a minute ... wait a minute," he said, as they passed the door of the guest bathroom. "Hafta take a piss. Just a minute."

She waited for him while he went into the room, not bothering to close the door. She heard the horsy sound of his urine striking the water in the John.

He came out with his trousers open. She guided him the rest of the way into the master bedroom.

"Help me get my clothes off, hmmm?" he asked.

Silently she helped him, mostly just holding him up as he pushed his outer garments away. She half-supported him as he got down onto the bed, then pulled his shoes, socks and shorts off.

Somehow she got him underneath the covers.

"You just relax now, honey," she said. "Fll be back in a minute."

"Well, hurry up." He rolled over and groaned. "Uhhh. Bed feels good."

"Sure it does," she said soothingly. "Just take it easy now. I'll be there in a minute."

She stood for a few moments, looking at him. His eyes were closed. He began to breathe deeply.

She went back to the living room and sat down. She let out a deep sigh.

So he was really upset about what he'd found when he got home yesterday! He suspected the worst.

Well, did she care?

She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything right now.

When she tiptoed back into the bedroom, she found Pete asleep, snoring loudly. Thank goodness she had gotten out of that!

Kay Fraser had received a phone call that day at school. She had been called out of her classroom to take it.

The female voice, which she couldn't identify, had said, "Your husband is playing around with Joan Brooks. Everyone knows about it." Then the woman had hung up.

Kay sat, stunned, until a clerk in the school ottice asked, "Are you all right, Mrs. Fraser?"

"What? Oh. Yes, I'm all right. Thank you."

She got up numbly and returned to her class. But she could hardly concentrate on her teaching for the remainder of the day.

She normally got home well ahead of her husband, and today was no exception. She busied herself in the usual fashion, setting about to fix dinner.

She kept thinking, how could this happen to me? It happens to other women, but that's because they don't show their husbands enough love and understanding. I give Tom everything; all a man could want.

And it's not as if Joan Brooks were so much prettier than I am. She has more bust and fanny, but my figure is good. Anyway, a man's desire for a woman isn't dictated by physical dimensions. An inch more or less at one place or another means nothing. Desire and desirability run a lot deeper than that.

So, why?

More than anything else, she had to know. Anger didn't play as large a part in her reaction as did shock and curiosity.

Kay gave the impression of being morally strait-laced, actually she was less a moralist than a pragmatist. She took a strict view of marital fidelity because she believed the future of a marriage, and of society as a whole, depended on this. She didn't believe in the concept of sin, as such, only what was good or bad for a marriage ... and, in the larger context, for people in general.

Now she found herself faced with a practical problem. A problem required a solution. But in order to find that solution, she would have to make sure she understood the problem first.

What had happened? Where had she and Tom gone wrong?

She couldn't have children. Perhaps that was the basis for it. She would discuss that with him.

Or perhaps there was something else, something she had never considered. Whatever it was, she would get to the root of it. And right away.

She was prepared to discuss the matter with her husband as soon as he got home.

Tom arrived in his usual good humor, blissfully unaware of the fact that his wife had found out about his adulterous affair with Joan. He hadn't been worrying about the possibility that day because of the scheme he'd hatched when he was with Joan last night. That would work, he felt sure, because Kay had an open mind. She was the perfect school-teacher, possessing an orderly mentality attuned to scientific inquiry. His scheme would appeal to her curiosity.

He came through the kitchen door whistling.

Kay was a pretty dark-haired woman with expressive eyes. They could be soulful one moment, submissive the next, and sometimes commanding. Her lips conveyed less of the way she felt, being on the thin side and usually composed in a firm line.

"Hi, beautiful!" Tom said breezily and approached her.

But he didn't give her the kiss he had intended to bestow. Something about her expression stopped him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"That's what I want to know. Dinner's cooking. Come on into the living room. We have something very important to talk about."

Oh-oh, he thought. This was just the way she might bring it up, if she had heard.

He mentally girded his loins.

"Now, Tom, I hope we can talk about this like intelligent human beings who have a problem and want to find a solution to it."

"Of course," he said. "Do you mind if I have a drink?"

"I think it would be better to talk first. Alcohol interferes with thinking."

Kay was never much of a drinker, but she usually didn't object to Tom taking a few. Today he deferred to her wishes. Anyway, he didn't need booze to fortify himself. He had the fortification of a sound idea.

He sat, and she took a chair opposite him.

"I received an anonymous phone call today at school," she began. "It was a woman. She said she thought I should

Know you are having an affair with Joan brooks. "I see."

"You don't deny it."

"No."

"And you're not surprised someone found out."

"No. I suppose it was inevitable." She studied him. He was far cooler than she had expected. Well, that was good.

"What does Joan mean to you?" Kay asked directly. "Variety. That's all."

"You're not in love with her."

"No."

"I must say, Tom, you're being remarkably candid."

"Why shouldn't I be? There's nothing to hide, as I see it. It's too bad our society clings to puritanical values; otherwise these things could be out in the open and nobody would be hurt."

"That's an interesting theory."

"We've been married for three years, Kay, and this is the first time I've been ... to use the popular term ... unfaithful to you. The time came when I simply had to be. I had to get with someone else. Joan was handy. That's all."

"You don't want to break up our marriage."

"Of course not."

"You don't find me inadequate in any way?" He smiled benignly. "On the contrary, you're a very fine wife."

"Well!" She relaxed a little. "But still you felt the need for someone else."

"That's natural, Kay, and I suspect it's as natural a feeling on the part of the wives as it is on the part of husbands. Tell the truth now, haven't you ever felt the urge to screw around?"

Kay considered the question objectively, which was something most women wouldn't have done-at least, not in a direct confrontation with their husbands.

"Well, I must admit that I've felt drawn to other men at times ... purely in a physical way ... but I have realized it wasn't wise to entertain the urge."

"So you've accepted your frustration and adjusted to it. How long do you think you'll be able to keep that up? I tried the same thing and found I couldn't do it any longer. That's why I began seeing Joan. Incidentally, she feels the same way. She wants to stay married to Wesley, but she needed some outside excitement."

"I see," Kay said thoughtfully.

"The healthiest thing, in my opinion, darling, is to avoid getting frustrated in the first place. Give in to the urge to experiment, to have some outside thrills, and do it in a way that doesn't interfere with marriage."

"But how? Your affair with Joan isn't the answer. Now the word is out and everyone's gossiping about it-that makes us all look bad."

"Granted," Tom said, warming to the conversation as if he were trying to make a sale to a client. "Joan and I did what we did because it seemed the only way. Wes isn't very broad-minded and ... well, frankly darling, I was afraid to bring the matter up with you. I wasn't sure how you would react. I should have known, though, that you would be objective and open-minded. Fm sorry I didn't have more confidence in you."

"I still don't quite see what you're getting at."

"There's one way that a married couple can have their out-side kicks-which everybody needs-and their marriage, too. That's by swapping mates, for a night at a time, with other couples.

"Mmmmm. I've heard about mate swaps."

"I think it would be the perfect answer for the Brooks and us."

"I see what you mean."

"For the sake of our marriage, Kay, I suggest that we follow through on this. Wesley's a nice chap. You should enjoy him, as I enjoy Joan, and we will reserve our love for each other."

"One problem: You said yourself that Wes isn't broadminded. What makes you believe he will go for this?"

Tom smiled wisely. "We'll maneuver him into it. Here's how..."

Tom's salesman mentality had correctly sized up Kay's probable response. In fact, he had sized it up so perfectly that he wondered, after their discussion was all over, why he hadn't sprung this idea on her a long time ago. It would have saved him some sweat.

As for Kay's feelings, she had no particular desire for Wesley Brooks. He was not the sort of man to inspire passionate yearnings in a woman. But there were men she had been attracted to, as Tom had encouraged her to admit. Swapping with the Brooks would yield some experience as to how such arrangements could be handled. If she found she liked the way everything turned out, the next choice of swapping partners could be hers. Also, swapping with the Brooks would heal the rift in her marriage and overcome whatever damage had been done to her pride.

She agreed to it.

Afterward Tom suggested that they seal the bargain by going to bed immediately, thereby re-pledging their love to each other.

Kay agreed to this, too. Perhaps never before in human history had a marriage been snatched from the brink of disaster and reestablished so neatly as a viable institution. This spoke much, Kay believed, for the maturity of her husband and herself.

Tom just breathed a sigh of relief and hurried his wife into the bedroom.

Hurrying was necessary, since dinner would require some attention in a few minutes. But how long did it take for old marriage partners to tear off a robust piece?

Each shed their own clothing, and they fell happily into the center of the bed. Kay's arms came up around Tom's neck, while his right hand went directly to her loins. As they kissed he traced her female division with marvelously exciting fingertips. She moistened and her pussy lips tensed, making it easy for him to deepen the caress.

Their tongues stroked with passionate feeling. Her cupcake-like breasts, with their wide, dark aureola, stirred against his firm, hairy torso.

After a while, he slid his mouth down onto those chest adornments, licking the roughened crests all over and nibbling at the nipples as his middle finger steadily stroked in and out of her pussy, rubbing her love tip on each thrust and withdrawal.

"I want it, darling," Kay murmured at last.

Tom mounted her.

He gripped her at the trim, pliant hips and inserted his pulsating penis deeply into her slick, warm snatch.

"Uuuh!" she sighed pleasurably, and lifted to his thrust.

Commanding her hips with his hands, thereby lending guidance to her frenzied motions, he stroked his rod in and out of her cunt.

They speeded up together, and it was like flying in the rarified atmosphere high above the earth. They felt gloriously free and happy and removed from every problem, even the potentially serious one which had threatened to destroy their marriage.

Kay gasped and cried and came while Tom continued stroking feverishly. Then he, too, finished, spurting delightedly into her chamber of love.

Sighing, he relaxed against her and they kissed.

Both were gratified and reassured.

Now both looked forward to the future and all that it might hold.