Extenuating Circumstances Ch. 01A

"Honey, I love seeing your body," David said in explanation, "and with me being an invalid, it would be nice to at least be able to show you off," he told her sincerely.

"You are not an invalid," Suzanne told him emphatically. "But wearing something like this at a party in front of all our neighbors?" she asked. "You know I don't mind dressing up for you when we're alone, but literally most of the neighborhood will be there," she said somewhat exasperatedly.

She watched her husband shrug, as he said, "You've seen what the other neighbors wear," he told her. "It's about time they got some true competition," he smiled, echoing Henry's words when she had first talked with him about the idea. "Imagine the envy of the other guys seeing you paired up with an old fart like Henry of all people," he laughed.

Suzanne was still uncertain, but David finally broke her resolve as they settled down for the evening.

********************

At that moment a group of five businessmen in suits entered the hotel lounge, their eyes immediately locking upon Suzanne—or more to the point, on her body—immediately walking towards her at the bar.

Suanne felt her body flush, once again aware of not only the attention the men around her were giving, but her earlier realization on the complete lack of consent on who she would end up with.

Seeing their lust-filled looks, Suzanne had no doubts as to their illicit thoughts. There was a complete lack of disregard towards her own dignity, their gaze blatantly telling her what would be happening to her tonight if she let just one man have his way with her.

Suzanne blushed as the understanding that every man there knew she would be getting fucked sometime tonight—whether it be them or somebody else—caused a flood of emotions well up inside her, mixtures of trepidation and anxiousness, putting her completely on edge.

To her shame she once again felt her body respond in lust, her breasts tightening and aching to be squeezed as she watched the new group of predators surround her at the bar, ordering their drinks.

Unwarranted, Suzanne shamefully had a mental image flash in her brain of lying naked before them, completely at all five men's mercy as they used her in all ways imaginable.

And she felt her crotch heat up at the image, her arousal nearly uncontrollable.

She suddenly jerked her head in surprise, realizing one of men had been talking to her. Turning her head towards him, it took all her will to focus upon him.

"Not to sound cliché or anything, but do you come here often," he asked, with a smile that caused her crotch to turn instantly into a Louisiana swamp—hot, moist, and ready to swallow up anything that entered it.

Suzanne simply shook her head as the men attempted to make small talk with her. But like the other men who had already confronted her, it took only a few moments for them to realize she was not interested, quickly moving on to a vacant table next to David, her husband's eyes locked upon her.

Not for the first time, Suzanne wondered when the person she was meeting would arrive, her mind once again wandering back to the past.

********************

When the day of the party came, Suzanne was a complete nervous wreck. She had avoided even trying on the bikini until she was getting ready for the party, and now that it was on her, she felt even more apprehensive. The top, although covering her 'adequately' enough to prevent her from being arrested for public indecency, revealed a tremendous amount of cleavage and 'sideboob.' Such blatant exposure of her body gave her second thoughts about what she would wear.

And the bottoms were no better, sitting so low on her pelvis she had to take her razor and trim the scant runway of pubic hair just to be decent. Turning around and looking into the mirror, she was aghast to see the rear of the bikini was just as revealing, exposing over half of butt cheeks!

David on the other hand, loved it.

Much against her own reservations, he again convinced her the suit was fine, telling her, "You've seen the suits the other women wear, I have no doubt some are going to be even more revealing than yours," he reasoned with her. "At least you have the figure and goods to flaunt," he smiled at her, adding, "and not some artificially bought enhancements," he laughed.

To appease her sense of indecency, her husband suggested she wear a white crochet net dress cover-up she had bought a few years ago. It was a multipurpose outfit that could be worn as a body cover-up, skirt, or even a tunic.

Putting it on as a cover-up, Suzanne was somewhat mollified, the extra covering making her feel like she was at least not almost naked. The covering extended from her shoulders to lower thighs, the loose white netting at least giving the impression it was obscuring her body's exposure by the tiny bikini.

Slipping on her flip-flops, she turned to leave the bedroom when she saw David blocking the door with his wheelchair.

Looking at his expression of distaste, she immediately asked, "Now what?"

"Flip-flops?" her husband asked with a raised eyebrow.

Moving past her as she asked him what was wrong with practical foot gear, she watched as he opened the closet door where her shoe rack was, saying over his shoulder, "If you are trying to dress sexy, you need to do the full Monty," he said.

"I am NOT trying to dress sexy," she replied. "It is, in fact, my husband who is trying to have me parade around half-naked, not to mention our geriatric neighbor," she said with exasperation, obviously upset.

"Here, try these one," her husband said.

Suzanne saw him holding a pair of black envy cut-out platform shoes, and stared at her husband in shock, barely comprehending he had selected a pair of six-inched stiletto heeled shoes. The platform soles of the shoes had random cut-outs giving them a sexy abstract look, and she stared at him in complete astonishment.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said in disbelief, looking at her husband.

She had bought the shoes for an intimate evening with David, remembering wearing a black negligée with them. Unlike other similar shoes she had, these were remarkably light—probably due to the cut out platforms—but they were definitely not something she would have chosen for a neighborhood pool party.

"These are perfect," her husband said. Seeing her exasperated expression, he told her, "You're going to be spending most of the time in the water anyways, so chances are you won't even be wearing them most of the time other than when we arrive," he told her in his attempt at convincing her to wear them. "But trust me, these will look awesome on you," he grinned.

Suzanne looked at her husband in complete disbelief as she said, "You know, I can understand Henry or another man trying to dress me up as a slut, but my own husband?" she asked, even as she took the shoes and sat on the bed, putting them on in an attempt to at least humor her lover.

As she fastened the ankle straps, her husband laughed, saying, "Hey, I don't get to show off my pretty wife enough," he told her. "And besides, the fact you are still with a cripple is going to be even more ammo to rub in some of the guys' noses," he told her. "Seeing a hot thing like you still with me will gall the hell out of them," her husband told her gleefully.

Once again Suzanne told him adamantly he was not a cripple. The debilitating effect of his injuries had caused him to become more and more depressed, and Suzanne quickly stopped complaining about her attire, knowing her acquiescing to his suggestions made him feel good.

Standing up, she could see her husband's approval when they heard the doorbell suddenly ring.

"That will be Henry," her husband said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Seeing Suzanne's raised eyebrows he told her, "I told him we could go to the party together," he explained, asking her to answer the door.

Suzanne was reluctant, dressed as she was; however, she finally gave in to her husband's urging. She was going to be at a party all day wearing even less once she was in the pool with her cover and shoes off, so left the bedroom to answer the door, allowing David to get dressed. She knew he needed to get ready on his own, and her standing around like a worried nanny would only upset him.

When Suzanne opened the front door she thought the elderly man was going to have a heart attack right there on her front porch.

"Wow!" Henry said finally, his eyes running up and down her body without control.

To Suzanne's surprise, his intent stare gave her a thrill, but before she could worry about it, her attention was drawn back to her neighbor as he said, "You look fantastic Suzanne!"

She smiled at the compliment, inviting Henry into the house. Feeling somewhat emboldened, she walked in front of him, waving him into the living room and offering him a seat, asking if she could get him something to drink.

Accepting a glass of iced tea, turned and walked to the kitchen, her shoes making loud 'clomp-clomp' noises on the hardwood floor. She was intimately aware of Henry's eyes watching her the entire time as she left the room, once again feeling an odd thrill at the man's obvious gaze.

While in the kitchen she heard David greeting their neighbor a few moments later, pouring three glasses of tea as she heard the men talked in the other room.

Upon re-entering the room with a tray of glasses, the conversation abruptly stopped as both men's eyes turned to her. Once again Suzanne was startled as she felt a sudden flush throughout her body at their rapt attention. The experience was completely foreign, never dressing so sexy in public and only wearing such outfits in the intimacy of her and David's bedroom. Having another man see parts of her nobody but her husband—and probably her father when she was a baby—gave her a completely unexpected tingle through her body.

"David, I once again cannot tell you how magnanimous you are allowing another man to play with your wife at the party," Henry was saying.

Suzanne looked in surprise at Henry for his choice of words, even though she was not the type of person to construe double-entendres, she once again became conscious of her attire, or lack thereof; however, her husband did not seem to take offense as he and the elderly man continued talking, their conversation, now not focused upon her, putting her back at ease.

They sat and made small talk when Henry again thanked them for allowing him to attend the party with them.

"I couldn't stand the thought of Suzanne feeling as if she had to sit on the sidelines and take care of me while everybody else was having fun at the party," her husband replied.

She once again opened her mouth to protest but David waved his hand interrupting her as he continued.

"No, it's true hon. You need this party as much as everybody else. It will be good for you to mingle with other people without me dragging along," he told her.

Suzanne looked at David intently, both of them debating on whether they should argue the point in front of their neighbor when Henry's voice surprised them both.

"If I may be so bold, would you mind showing me the suit without the cover-up?" Henry asked cautiously. Looking at her, he smiled somewhat sheepishly, saying, "I'm not trying to be forward or anything, I just think it would be better to be surprised now before the party," he said. "I think that way everybody will know this is nothing more than a platonic relationship," he said to both her and David.

Looking at her husband expectantly, Suzanne saw him nod slightly, and yet he might as well have yelled out his affirmation.

Suzanne felt like her heart was lodged into her throat as she stood up, attempting to hide her nervousness at exposing herself before the old neighbor.

David's eyes continued urging her on, and finally she relented.

She might as well, she thought, as it was not as if she was going to keep the cover on all day. And besides, Henry had a valid point, it would be best if he got his initial look at her in the bikini without the other party goers seeing it.

So reluctantly she pulled the cover-up off her body, standing in front of the two men in nothing but her high heels and immodest bikini.

"Wow," Henry said, again at a loss for words. "Suzanne, you are truly a vision," he complimented her before turning to her husband. "David, you are a lucky man, I never thought that suit would be so..." he paused as if finding the right words, finally saying, "complimentary to your wife's figure."

David laughed as he beckoned Suzanne to sit next to him.

She felt completely exposed. She might as well have been naked, the suit revealing more skin than she exposed even when sunbathing at the tanning salon.

Yet even as exposed as she was, her chest began compressing into her throat, from not only her anxiety, but a small part thrilled at another man's appreciation of her body.

They made small talk while finishing their drinks, Suzanne feeling overly exposed the entire time. Henry and her husband acted like everything was fine, although she caught small glimpses from both men as she moved, particularly when she bent down to retrieve their empty glasses to take them into the kitchen.

She noted Henry in particular was practically unable to avert his eyes from the large expanse of cleavage being exposed by the bikini, and she was grateful for the small respite entering the kitchen, taking a deep breath before she once again walked out to join the two men in the living room, David suggesting they leave for the party.

And so they headed out of the house, walking down the street to the Meyers' residence. Suzanne offered to push David's wheelchair, but he adamantly refused, insisting he could do it on his own.

She knew he needed to feel his own independence, and understood his desire for her to have a fun time with Henry at the party was yet another aspect of that—him feeling guilty she was always hovering over him.

Suzanne felt differently, seeing her need to help him more of a factor of nurturing, not pity. She wanted nothing more than to take care of her husband, even though she understood his male attitude.

Added to his concerns was not only did she have to take care of him physically, but financially, and Suzanne knew it bothered David to no end that it was her paycheck being the only thing keeping the house from being foreclosed, their utilities being turned off, and them going bankrupt.

Knowing his male ego had taken a beating lately, she now realized him wanting her to dress in the bikini was simply another aspect of his male dominance. He was feeling inadequate, and this was an attempt by David to prove to the other men he was still a man to be respected, that he could maintain a beautiful wife even with his injuries, temporary as they may be.

She almost snorted out loud thinking about the pissing match games men played.

Nearing the Meyers' house, Suzanne saw many guests had already arrived, several people standing in the front yard, as well as sounds of laughter and merriment drifting from the back yard.

As this was probably the only time she would have any privacy with her husband, Suzanne asked Henry to move ahead for a moment so she could speak to David.

As the older man moved away, David looked at her expectantly.

"I was just thinking," Suzanne said, her train of thought still focused on how she could appease her husband's male ego, in light of his wanting to show her off at the party. As David looked at her expectantly, she asked, "how do you want me to act?" she finally said, looking at him pointedly.

Her husband looked at her questioningly as she explained.

"What I mean is do you want me to be all neighborly and normal," she said, pausing to let her words sink in to her husband's thoughts, "or would you like me to be a bit more flirty?" she asked hesitantly.

Seeing the sudden surprise on her husband's face, she quickly added, "Never mind. I just thought with you wanting me to dress up like this and such, and your comment about showing me off..." her voice trailed off.

"No, no," David quickly said, looking at her with a surprised happiness, like he had suddenly won the lottery. "I'm just surprised you brought it up and not me," he chuckled. "Wow, hon, that would be amazing if you could at least be a little more...well, you know...touchy feely with the guys," he said hesitantly, winking at her as if the thought had only now occurred to him.

Suzanne knew her husband well enough to know although he may have been honestly surprised at her mentioning the subject, he had always wanted her to be more open and even frisky around other men. Even as early as when they had begun dating he had teasingly lamented the fact she was too conservative and 'introverted' when in public, expecting her to be more like her older sister.

That she was offering to do so was like offering a child desert before dinner.

But Suzanne felt she needed to do something to pick up her husband's spirits—again feeling her nurturing need to place him above herself, even if it mean a little loss of her own self-esteem. If that was what got him out of this slump he had fallen into, so be it.

"OK," she said shyly, wondering what the heck she was thinking talking to him about this right now. Looking at him again, she asked, "How far do you want me to play along?" she questioned him, willing to at least try and make this a game for her husband.

"Well," David said, unable to hide the anxiousness in his voice. "I'm not asking you to walk in there and drop to the ground and have sex with all our neighbors if that's what you're asking," he joked.

"David Carter!" she yelled out in alarm, catching Henry's attention as her husband laughed.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," he snickered, looking at her intently. "But you tend to keep your distance from everybody, so you could start by just standing nearer to some of the guys. And if you're really feeling brave enough, maybe touching them—you know, putting your arm around them playfully or just touching their shoulders," he said looking at her expectantly. "You know, just flirting." he told her as his voice trailed off. "Hell, if you act even half as much of a cock-tease as the other wives you'll have me drooling," he laughed. "And you know the guys will play right along," he grinned.

Suzanne understood all too well his comment, as not only did the women have a silent contest between themselves on who would dress the sexiest and such, but there was also an underlying pissing match between the men in the neighborhood, testing the limits of how far they could go with each other's wives. Increasingly over the years—particularly at the bigger parties such as this one—her and David had watched as the men flirted as openly as the women, even observing several men sneaking off to make out with somebody else's wife—a few disappearing for longer.

It was yet another one of those men's pissing match games, hooking up with somebody else's wife. And to Suzanne's surprise in particular, most of the guys did not mind seeing their wives flirt with the other men, and even more surprisingly, they seemed to get excited at other men guys enjoying the attention of their own wife.

It was almost as if a wife spurned the advances of another man, the woman's husband felt like he had 'won.' And if not? Suzanne and David had already seen several houses go up for sale due to divorce over the years.

Of course she and David had little to worry about in that regard, Suzanne was completely devoted to her husband and would never cheat on him. In fact, she could not believe she was even having this type of conversation with her husband. But again, knowing how he needed to reassert his male ego due to his confinement to a wheelchair, she was willing to place his desires over her own demureness.