Getting Hitched Ch. 01

Spring break. A late winter warm spell had brought on an early thaw. My fiancée, Tam (short for Tamara) and I, Prof. Phil Decker, were on the road headed for a two week wilderness adventure to unwind from the grind of university life and enjoy our last chance to spend some deep quality time together before the big push thru the final quarter and preparations for our impending wedding (Tam insisted on being a June bride to appease her very traditional parents).

Tam is the daughter of a Boston Irish naval officer and a pretty high class Filipina escort that he unintentionally knocked up (not Tam, her older brother Pat). I first met her as a recent graduate in a cultural anthropology seminar I was leading; she was pursuing her masters in psychology. She quickly distinguished herself among the other students, confidently outspoken yet respectful, bringing insightful questions that challenged my understanding without challenging my authority. The following semester she entered my forensic anthropology seminar (my specialty) and it became apparent that we shared similar interests in research though approaching them from our respective disciplines.

We also discovered a shared affinity for spicy Thai food, cold microbrew ales, and late 80s pop/rock (a relic of my high school days and her early childhood) during many late nite sessions delving into profound explorations of the underpinnings of human social behavior. As the intimacy and intensity of our exchanges grew, it became apparent that there was a special magical something forming between us. Yet we maintained our professional boundaries with great effort thru the school year's end and planned a joint 'research trip' for the summer months.

That summer was spent journeying across the western states in a rented poptop VW van with all amenities, interviewing Native Americans and documenting life on the reservations, a personal passion of mine and the focus of an academic study I'd been working on for several years and was planning to transition into a popular coffee table book (academia not being the highest paying enterprise, I was shrewdly piggybacking a future passive income scheme on my professional life to build up my nest egg). The project also engaged my passion for photography (a useful skill I'd acquired as an undergrad) and I also got to employ it in some rather more personal documentation of my lovely companion, who turned out to be quite an exhibitionist when properly prompted.

As we had both suspected, in the looser atmosphere, professional boundaries dissolved and we found ourselves falling for each other and headlong into a wildly passionate love affair fueled by the easy freedom of the open road, the beautiful vistas we travelled thru, and the intense emotions often evoked in the meetings we had with our study's subjects. Yet we realized this illicit relationship would not be viewed favorably by the university admin and faculty, and as I hadn't got tenure yet I had to be careful. So by the end of our trip, we had come to three mutual decisions: first, Tam would not attend my seminars the following year; second, we would continue our love affair in a very discreet manner; third, we would be engaged to marry following her graduation the following spring. After the wedding and honeymoon we planned to work together finishing up the book, for which we would share credit (the scholarly study being submitted for publication before the school year ended), while Tam decided what to do next. I acquired a custom silver and turquoise engagement ring from a Navejo artist friend and surprised her with a formal proposal in a Pueblo kiva on the return leg of the trip.

The time since then had passed in a flurry of activity, each of us focused on our individual academic efforts yet planning in plenty of rendezvous to share about our work and to delight in each other's company. Going for holiday visit with Tam's family was a rare experience; her father Stewart was a strapping picture of aristocracy gone a bit awry, with a well cultivated wit and a baudy sense of humor; her mother Maria, a paragon of domestic efficiency and graceful hospitality with a sultry, saucy edge and a steely will that kept the home and family shipshape to Stu's satisfaction. Pat, Tam's older brother by two years, was a successful civil engineer who had given the folks some grief by coming out as gay during college, falling for a frat brother, so expectations were higher for Tam to produce some heirs, boosting excitement for our union. Tam's younger sister Bri, short for Brigid, an unexpected late pregnancy, had just turned 16 and was giving her folks grief with the new found freedom conferred by a drivers license and the corollary mischief of a spirited teen hottie. We drank too much Irish coffee and openly shared confidences that I never would have expected with potential in laws. Overall I was favorably impressed with the family, appreciating their genuine warmth and cohesiveness despite disparate values, and it seems I passed muster and was joyfully accepted as a prospective addition to the clan.

***

So here we were in the lush blossoming of springtime, taking this last chance getaway to revel in each other and the delights of nature in an uncomplicated way, knowing soon we would be in full press of academic responsibilities and familial obligations. We had along with us my faithful companion Bowser, a Boxer/Rottweiler mix I'd acquired as an older puppy shortly after I took up residence at the university six years ago. He had been great company for me in the first lonely years of adjusting to the new social setting at the school, and Tam had fallen head over heels for him (I'm pretty sure it was mutual) when we returned from our summer journey, during which he'd stayed at a kennel out in the country. We three had shared many smaller outings but this was our first serious family vacation.

I had booked us a couple days in a plush cabin at a hot springs resort, our first destination, then we would be heading out for some backcountry camping for a week at a secluded mountain lake I had stumbled across years ago while backpacking in the area and visited frequently since then. Bowser had accompanied me to both sites before and was a great sport, adapting easily to the environs, and several of the staff at the resort had become especially enamored by his curious nature and big watery eyes over the years.

The resort we were heading to is a bastion of old hippie/new age culture, a clothing optional community rife with yoga and massage that had a reputation of respectable sensuality with a dash of tantric hijinx. I was trying to prepare Tam for the inevitable shock I expected to her rather more conservative upbringing; not that I was too worried, I'd already teased out a fairly kinky and frisky strand woven thru her core and was hoping the atmosphere at the resort might help to ease her residual hang ups concerning propriety.

Our conversation had veered into contested territory; the subject: my primary sexual fantasy, one that had received a fair share of discussion during the past year, sharing her with another man. It was something deeply embedded in my own sexual psyche as I had lost my virginity in a three way at a graduation party with my two best friends, Blake and Shelby, who had dated throughout high school, and we had kept the triad alive thru many summer escapades before we all headed our separate ways for college.

Since then I had attempted to reenact the special dynamic I crave whenever possible, and tho I'd had a few marginally satisfying experiences during my college years, I found, much to my surprise, that the majority of women I encountered carried insurmountable shame around the idea of having sex with multiple men. My first marriage had ended badly after only a couple years as my wife was shocked by the idea when I finally got up the nerve to ask if she would be interested in trying it; she took it as a sign I didn't really love her and she ended up fucking around on me for spite before filing for divorce. So I had made a point of broaching the subject rather early in my relationship with Tam, when I sensed she could be a keeper but before things got too heavy with commitment.

Tam's position on the subject was that she could imagine it would be a lot of fun, and was open to consider it if the right opportunity arose, but knowing her own tendency toward jealousy, and doubting my claim to be completely free from that noxious emotion, she was worried that it might disturb our equilibrium. She held the expert opinion that it was psychologically impossible not to be triggered into territorial possessiveness concerning our sexual partners, that it was evolutionarily hard wired in the brain as a part of our pair bonding mating strategy.

But as I knew firsthand from my experience and had verified thru ethnographic research, a lack of strict sexual exclusivity for women was not only highly enjoyable but had actually been sanctioned in many cultures around the world, especially in more primitive, non-patriarchally oriented cultures. I'd brought along a copy of 'Sex at Dawn' (which makes a well documented case for primal polyamory as a probable norm for our tribal ancestors) a bit of light reading to stimulate conversation. Tam had just pulled it out of the cubby in the passenger door and had been perusing it intently.

"So Professor," Tam challenged me as I steered my Pathfinder along the highway winding through the foothills, "how can you be so certain you wouldn't flip out if you watched another man fucking your wife?" fixing me with a quizzical glare that I took to question my sanity, morality, and manliness simultaneously.

I chuckled; her intent was good natured, if positively refutative of my claim, and this wasn't the first time she'd explored this line of questioning. I suspected she was really just doing due diligence to find any inconsistency in my argument.

"First, personal case history indicates only positive experiences when engaged in such activities with enthusiastic female partners; second, I have..."

"Hold on, bud," she interjected, "first, none of those little sluts was your solemnly sanctified spouse; I suspect that the potential for insecurity would dramatically increase in the face of possible abandonment by the subjects primary life partner; second, none of those bitches was me, and you know I'm the best thing that ever happened to you!" I could see the rascally twinkle in Tam's eyes set in a mask of faux stoicism.

"I cannot argue against the latter statement" I conceded, for which I won a wicked grin and the delectable pink tip of tams tongue popping out from between her plump brown lips, "but I maintain that the former hypothesis is wildly speculative and not supported by existing data."

"Ah, I see; and are you proposing we collect some new data for analysis?" she teased.

"Well it's the only way to conclusively prove my theory, is it not?" I reparteed.

"And I suppose you might have some new study subjects lined up for consideration?"

I could tell she enjoyed this part of the game, egging me on to divulge the latest male fantasy figures that had been occupying my erotic imaginings of her. There had been several students and faculty members suggested, just for fun and to gauge her reactivity as we both knew it was too risky to dirty my current trough with that sort of candidate. She leaned more in the direction of celebrity figures and had enjoyed some rather explosive orgasms as we roll played encounters with her steamier crushes. This had given me enough inspiration to encourage a steady yet gentle advancement of the issue.

"Well actually I've been thinking we might find some random samples to survey in the current population at the resort" I offered.

Tam snorted, "Oh so that's why you insisted on visiting that den of iniquity?"

"Actually, its more for the great mineral water soak, and perhaps a particularly attentive masseuse I've enjoyed there previously" this brought three rapid fire punches to my right shoulder, "ouch!! but yes the thought of you scoping out all the hot naked man meat roaming the premises was a weighty consideration in my planning." I turned a toothy grin on my lover.

Tam flushed the slightest bit as the reality of the situation we were embarking upon dawned on her, and while I carried no expectations, she was beginning to understand the extent of my intention and invitation for this to be a boundary pushing experience for us. I watched sidelong as she digested this new perspective and witnessed her entering into what seemed to be a decisive resolve.

"Alright, bud, I'll take your bid." Her words and tone surprising me, I felt a flush of energy rush thru my body and she instantly registered my rising thrill. "Hold on, don't get too excited yet, I'm going to propose some ground rules for this experiment, and I'm making no promises on the outcome, okay?"

"Check," I shot back, not about to derail this promising new development.

"First, I'm in charge of the selection and directing the activities; it's all my choice and you will not pressure me. Since you claim to be solid on this, you can just take the backseat and let mama drive the train."

"Check."

"Okay, second, if this is going to happen, it's going to be about focusing on my pleasure and my desire, as I see fit, not to stimulate your prurient nature. You have plenty of experience to lean on; as this is a first for me, and definitely exploring the fringes of my current cultural comfort zone, I want to know that all effort will be made for it to be a positive and rewarding experience for me first and foremost, got it?"

"Check."

"Okay, third," she paused momentarily, and I could feel the weight of her internal adjustments, expanding into the spaciousness of my ready acceptance of her terms and finding her footing in the personal power she was coalescing within that space, "I'm out to test you for jealousy, so I will need to employ strict methods to that end. Therefore, you have to agree that once we begin, you abdicate all right of refusal for the duration of this trip; I need to know that you concede completely to my decision. If you get to feeling jealous you can discuss it with me in private, but it will not dissuade me from my objective and you must release all claim to me and not attempt to interrupt by any means whatever I decide to do. I acknowledge that this has the potential to make or break the future of our relationship, and I am not entering into this lightly; I understand how important this is to you, and if we are going to move forward in life together, as you know I really do want to, I am going to have to be able to embrace this aspect of you, 'cause I don't want to be the reason you go unfulfilled. It would make me sick to know I'd stifled you and it would kill the magic that we share. I've thought about this a lot, and I'm going to give it my all and see if this really can be something I could get used to us doing. And I warn you that if I discover that I like it, you might find you've created a monster, so I'm going for maximum impact on this trial run. Do you read me loud and clear, Phil?"

I paused, swallowing the gravity of what she had just expressed, as well as extreme admiration for just how much she was considering and offering to cement the bond we were building in a way that honored me for who I am and allowed her to explore the potential of who she might be; my heart swelled with immense love for this unique and wonderful woman, and I noted that my cock had swelled in excitement, confirming my decision.

"Check. I love you, Tam"

"And I love you Phil. Do we have agreement on the terms of this experiment?"

"We do."

"And do you agree to abide by these terms, for the duration of this trip?"

"I do" I replied, fully feeling the future echo of our matrimonial pledge.

"Good, let the games begin!" she exclaimed and plastered herself against my right side smothering my neck and cheek with a flurry of moist kisses that only added to the high I was feeling. Bowser reacted to the excitement, deciding he needed to join in on the action, and we were both quickly administered a healthy dose of huffing drooly puppy muzzle, causing Tam to shriek and pull away from me to play wrestle Bowser into submission, not too difficult as he seemed to readily accept the new alpha female of our little pack.

***

Fortune delivered quicker than expected, as just a few miles further on I spied a solitary figure standing on the shoulder, arm extended and thumb elevated.

"Hitchhiker, oh goody pull over!" Tam exclaimed gleefully.

"But we..." I began to dissemble, glancing into the back seat, packed tight with bedding behind me, the remaining portion draped with a sizable canine.

"Who's in charge here, Phil?" Tam taunted as we closed the distance to the rather tall and definitely masculine person requesting a pickup in this spot so many miles from any recognizable human habitation.

"Check," I muttered, momentarily wondering what I'd gotten myself into, as I swerved smoothly to the side of the road about 30 yards beyond the figure which turned toward us, dropping his arm and breaking into a relaxed shuffle heading our way.

"Our first contestant!" Tam flashed me a cheesy grin, "No expectations, follow my lead and you may be richly rewarded." With that she kissed me full on the lips then turned to open her door and step out to greet the stranger approaching us. Leaning back on the open door, hands on hips in a subtly suggestive posture, Tam readied herself for action.

The stranger slowed as he closed the final yards to greet Tam with an outstretched hand which she received, immediately pulling the tall man into a friendly hug which seemed to catch him off guard as much as me. I scanned his figure, sizing up our 'first contestant'. Tall, a bit lanky but with an obvious rangey strength in his poise, he had a bohemian ragamuffin air that I related to some of the fringe elements on campus, and he appeared to be in a similar age range, early to mid 20s, just a few years younger than Tam, I would guess.

The embrace dissolved but Tam's hands lingered on his right arm as he turned to face into the car and acknowledge me, his face open and friendly, an immediately affable presence.

"Aloha, my name is Alex" he reached in offering his hand, which I received with a firm grip that he matched. Bowser nuzzled our grasp, seeking his share of attention, prompting a friendly tousling from Alex.

"Where you headed, cutie pie?" Tam cheesed, rolling her eyes at me over his shoulder as he retreated from the cab.

He was headed to the hot springs, same as us, not a great surprise considering his appearance. At this point we were still just over 1 hour out, and it looked like it would be an awkward fit for him in the back with Bowser, who had a tendency to be overly affectionate with new folks. I started to suggest that he take the front seat and Tam squeeze in back with Bowser, who would be more placid snuggling with her, but I was quickly shushed by Tam with a glare that left me cowed.

"Well it's your lucky day! That's just where we are going", she crowed gleefully. "Let's just have a quick pitstop here hon? Then maybe we can make it without having to stop again." With that she opened the back door and released Bowser, who exploded out in a streak of dark fur and immediately set about furiously searching the area for the ideal spot to piss. 'Follow her lead', I thought, swinging my door wide and stepping out to circle around the front of the vehicle to follow Bowser's example.

As I passed beyond the plane of the still open passenger door, I was surprised to see my usually demure fiancée had dropped her jeans shorts and panties to cop a squat just feet away from the vehicle and in plain sight of Alex who gazed at her with a nonchalant appreciation of the full spread of hip, ass and thigh on display beneath tams bare midriff tank top while she released her vigorous stream into the roadside gravel and foliage. 'In for a dime, in for a dollar' I thought to myself, admiring not only her delicious smooth brown flesh but her calculated carefree exhibitionism. I unzipped and fished my slightly chubbing cock out of my cargo shorts, spraying the bushes with a golden stream that drew Bowser's attention, requiring him to top off my mark with another short burst of his own for good measure; such devoted love.