The Arrangement Ch. 03

Author's note: This is a sequel to my earlier two-part work called The Arrangement. I decided to write it after getting feedback from some friends who wanted me to move the story in a different direction.

*****

About a year later...

It was the first Tuesday in April. Carol and I had flown to Seattle the day before. She had taken a layover day to shop while I spent the day with a client. We met that evening in the hotel bar.

"Do you ever get tired of sneaking around?" she asked.

"Sometimes," I replied, wondering where this conversation was heading. "But it has been pretty easy so far. Other than that one time a year or so ago when Kelly asked if you and I had a good time in Dallas, she has given no indication that we're under suspicion."

"It's the same at home," she replied, "but sometimes I think we should just get it all out in the open. I intend to keep being with you as often as I can. I imagine we'll continue on for years, and I'll bet Brad and Kelly will do the same. So it might be nice for everyone to openly acknowledge and accept what's going on. We've been pretty casual about extending our trips, so I have a hard time believing they don't know about us. The whole thing is probably an open secret."

"I understand what you're saying, but do you really think things will be better if we expose everything to the light of day?" I asked.

"I do. You and I have to sneak. Brad and Kelly have to sneak. Everyone has to be on their toes when we talk to them on the phone while we're traveling. That's stressful for everyone. If we put it all on the table, everyone can relax."

"If they aren't already highly suspicious of us, we might be in for a really ugly scene," I countered.

"Do you really think they're that much in the dark?"

"Probably not. So let's assume they are on to us but have no solid proof. How would you handle this?"

"I've been thinking about that. We'd have to get all of us together somehow and then tell them right up front what we're doing, and that we know what they're doing."

"Sounds like fun," I quipped. Carol waved me off with a grin and a flip of her hand.

"All I ask is that you think about it. I know I'm catching you by surprise. After you've given it some thought, we can talk. In the meantime, let's have one more drink and then go to dinner. Afterwards, you may fuck me if you wish."

"Aw, come on! There's a Mariners game on tonight," I protested with mock exasperation.

"Too bad," she said with a grin as I signaled the bartender for another round. "You can read about the game in the paper tomorrow morning. By the way, I'm not wearing any panties. You can think about that during dinner."

****

Our return flight left early the next morning so we did not discuss Carol's idea any further. I was exhausted from the previous night's athletic activities but Carol looked as fresh as the morning dew. I decided it was because she is three years younger and then I slept for most of the flight.

Homecoming was just as it always was. The ever-beautiful Kelly picked me up at the airport and was genuinely glad to see me. Later that night, the sex was sensational.

I had a full week at home before flying to Dallas for another client meeting. As usual, Kelly and I made the most of our time together. And also as usual, I studied her very closely, trying to detect some hint that she was suspicious about Carol and me. I found none, which told me that Carol's proposal might be risky. But I did give the idea a lot of thought, imagining scenarios that would get the four of us in a room together and trying to predict the outcome of such a meeting.

I also spent a lot of time trying to decide if my relationship with Kelly would be better or worse if the secrecy were removed. The only conclusion I reached was that we would no longer have to tiptoe around the issue.

Kelly has a habit of sitting cross-legged on the bed and talking to me while I pack for a trip. I wondered how our conversations might be altered if everyone's activities were out in the open...

'Do you fuck Carol as soon as you get to the hotel, or do you enjoy the anticipation of sex later in the evening like you and I do when you return from a trip?'

'No, we wait. Usually we have a couple of drinks and then a leisurely dinner. We have sex later. In fact, everything is much like you and I enjoy when I come home.'

'Is she better in bed than I am?'

'Different, not better. How about you and Brad?'

Actually, we're envious of you and Carol. Boone's Mill is such a small town that we can't go anywhere. And we always have to worry about that snoop Mrs. Henderson. If we want to have dinner together, we have to go to the other side of Roanoke where no one knows us. You and Carol get to have sex in hotels all over the country. Most of our sex occurs here on the sleep sofa or the guestroom. I don't allow him in our bedroom. That belongs only to you and me. And we've never done it at their house.'

'Why not?'

"It's a scent thing. A woman can smell another woman's perfume a mile away. If we had sex at their place, my scent would linger and Carol would know another woman had been in her house."

'You're kidding!' I exclaimed, truly surprised.

'Nope. But now that Carol knows we'll probably have sex there while you're gone this time. Just for the change of scenery.'

'Is Brad good in bed?' I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

'Oh yeah, but it's like you said; different, not better.'

A conversation like that would be surreal, but not beyond the realm of possibility if Carol's idea became reality.

One thing became clear as I did my thinking. Carol and I really did have an advantage from a logistical standpoint. I had nothing to fear when traveling and all Carol had to worry about was drawing unwanted attention from a fellow flight attendant. Fortunately, she flew more often than I and was able to spend sufficient time with her colleagues on other trips that she could escape from time to time when I was around. Kelly and Brad had far less flexibility. It occurred to me that they might find it liberating if they could take short vacations together with our consent. Not to mention the fact that I would enjoy screwing Carol in my house while they were gone.

My week at home quickly ended and once again I found myself in Dallas with Carol.

"I've given your idea plenty of thought over the past week," I began after we finished dinner.

"And?"

I described in detail my thought processes, including the conversation I had in my head with Kelly, which elicited peals of laughter from Carol.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed as she wiped away tears of mirth. "Whew! Please go on."

"I decided to approach the idea from one just one direction; who benefits? You and I benefit by not having to be careful about tipping our hand when we're home. Phone calls become easier. They'd get the same reward. But they have far more constraints than you and I, and therefore more to gain if we go forward. If we do this, and some sort of arrangement is agreed upon, they should be free to get out of town from time to time like we do."

"Then we can stay home and fuck on your sleep sofa," Carol suggested with a wicked grin. "Or you can come to my house and do me there. Did you get any hint that Kelly is really suspicious?"

"None. How about Brad?"

"I think he suspects. He was very moody this week and he's never like that. I think we extended one too many trips and aroused their suspicion. We have been a little careless about that and neither of them is stupid."

"Then Kelly is the better actor," I offered.

"Women usually are," she countered with an impish smile.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked, already certain I knew the answer.

"I think we should do it. And I think I know how to make it happen."

"Let's hear it."

"It's pretty simple. We get home from this trip on Tuesday. I'll ask Brad to meet me at O'Bannon's Bar for a drink after work on Wednesday. Let's say six o'clock. We'll get a booth. You bring Kelly to the bar at six fifteen. When the two of you walk in they'll know we're on to them. You join us in the booth and we'll put all the cards on the table. Since it's a public place, everyone will have to behave themselves."

"I don't know Brad. Is there any potential for a violent reaction on his part? I know you told me once before that you won't be at risk, but I'm worried."

"Not at all. He'll be surprised, and he won't like having his suspicions confirmed, but he is a very reasonable man without a violent bone in his body. How do you think Kelly will react?"

"She's tough. I think you'll see her at her best," I answered.

"Can you think of any reason why we shouldn't do this," Carol asked.

"None beyond the fact that we are about to upset the status quo. Let's do it."

****

When Kelly and I entered O'Bannon's at precisely six fifteen, she spotted Brad immediately. I had my hand on the small of her back and felt her stiffen, but she recovered quickly. Glancing briefly over her shoulder at me, she marched right up to the booth and slid into the seat opposite Carol. When she was settled, I took my place across from Brad. The drinks in front of them were half finished.

"I don't fucking believe this," Brad said, shaking his head.

"The next few minutes are likely to be the most bizarre experience of our lives," I countered. Both women remained silent.

A server arrived and took drink orders for Kelly and me.

"Carol and I know about you and Kelly," I started, directing my comments at Brad. "We're pretty certain you have suspicions about us but have nothing but circumstantial evidence. We're about to clear everything up."

Kelly recovered first. "How did you find out?" she asked, her voice husky with emotion.

I waited until the server delivered our drinks and moved on.

"I won't go into all the gory details, but I found out about eighteen months ago when I returned early from a trip. I intended to surprise you. Carol recognized me on the plane. She saw me at the taxi stand and offered me a ride. I got out at her house and walked home from there. It was dark. I crept up onto the deck so I could give you a little scare. I saw you in an unfortunate position with a strange man. A few moments later I heard you say his name and realized that it was Carol's husband," I said, pointing a finger at him across the table.

"Oh God," breathed Kelly, visibly reacting to my story. "I am so sorry."

"I left intending to call a taxi and go to a motel, but my cell phone was dead. So I went to Carol's to use her phone. One thing led to another and she got drawn into the whole mess. She wanted proof of Brad's indiscretion so we came back to the house. We were well hidden, deep in the shadows. The two of you were enjoying yourselves on the sleep sofa in front of the fire. When she had seen enough, we left and we've been together as often as possible ever since."

"So you and Carol got together because of a dead cell phone battery?" she asked, disbelief showing plainly on her face.

"Precisely, and you and I are still married for the same reason. Had my phone worked, I most likely would have filed for divorce the next morning."

"Why didn't you confront us?" asked Brad, looking a little shell shocked.

"By that point there was nothing to be gained except an ugly scene. It was obvious that the two of you had been together many times. When did it start?"

"It would have been a couple of months or so before you saw us," Kelly answered. "It wasn't a casual thing. We couldn't seem to help ourselves, but it has nothing to do with my love for you. I've never stopped loving you and I'm so sorry that I caused you pain. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know that, but thanks to Carol the pain was short lived."

Kelly stared quietly at me for a long moment, apparently trying to process everything that was going on.

"When did the two of you begin to get suspicious of us?" Carol asked, breaking her silence.

"You have extended your trips more often than usual in the past few months," said Brad. "It made sense that the two of you were often on the same flights, but your trip extensions and Scott's coincided perfectly every time. Not solid proof, but it painted a pretty compelling picture."

"Okay," Carol said, "but I'm a little curious. It's probably pretty obvious what we're doing. We are only together when we travel. We don't see each other or communicate in any way when we're home. It works for us. What about you and Kelly?"

"Pretty much the same except we do see each other frequently through work," Brad replied. "When you're home, I am devoted to you and Kelly is committed to Scott. We only get together when the two of you are out of town."

Suddenly everyone ran out of things to say. We all sat in silence for a while, nursing our drinks and wondering what to do next.

Finally, Kelly took a deep breath and looked at each of us I turn. "Now what?" she asked, her voice calm and steady.

I took the lead. "I doubt there's another situation like this on the planet," I began. "We're all involved in some sort of crazy quadrangle. I think we have only two choices; we all end it right now and return to our marriages exclusively or we continue on as we have been, but without the secrecy."

"And your recommendation is?" she prompted.

"All this started out as a big mess but it now seems to be working pretty well for everyone. I told Carol months ago that I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. I still do, and I'll bet everyone else at this table does as well. Unless anyone feels differently, maybe we should leave things just as they are for now."

Kelly looked at me, unblinking, for a long moment and then nodded her head.

"I agree," she said. "I don't want to give up Brad. How about you Carol, are you willing to part ways with Scott?"

"No, I'm not. Not unless Brad decides to end it with you. Then I would have to support his decision."

"I don't want to do that," offered Brad.

"Then it's unanimous," I said. "What should we do next?"

"Let's order another round of drinks and see if there are any loose ends," suggested Carol, earning murmurs of agreement from the rest of us.

****

Our lives began to change rapidly after that meeting, and it was all for the better.

The following week a 'FOR SALE' sign appeared on Mrs. Henderson's front lawn. Two weeks later, Kelly and Brad went away for the weekend. They departed with our blessing and we spent the weekend alternating between my sleep sofa and Carol's guest bedroom, no longer caring about Mrs. Henderson's observations.

A week later a 'SOLD' sticker was appended to the sign in Mrs. Henderson's yard. Unable to contain myself, I rang her doorbell to falsely express my sorrow that she was leaving. She informed me that she had sold the place to a pair of newlyweds and was moving to Biloxi to be near her grandchildren. I wished her well and then did a couple of fist pumps when I was safely out of sight. Newlyweds would be perfect, fucking like rabbits for the next couple of years, showing no interest in neighborhood comings and goings.

Unexpectedly, the four of us gradually became friends. By mid-summer we were socializing, dining out together, barbecuing in our back yards, and attending events in Roanoke and Richmond.

One balmy evening in mid-August found everyone in our backyard, sitting around the pool, drinking beer and waiting for steaks to finish on the grill.

"Brad and I have been talking over lunch at work and we have something we'd like to discuss with the two of you," said Kelly.

"And?" asked Carol, raising her eyebrows and taking another sip of her beer. I listened intently, taking a mouthful of my own beer and waiting to hear what they had in mind.

"Under some very unfortunate circumstances, you and Scott watched Brad and me having sex."

"Water under the bridge," Carol said with a wave of her hand as she took another slug of beer.

"Yes, well, Brad and I would like the opportunity to watch you and Scott."

Carol sprayed beer everywhere and started coughing. I did something wrong and ended up with beer running out of my nose.

Carol recovered first.

"That was certainly unexpected," she said with a wide grin. "I suppose we could arrange for you to watch Scott fuck me. How about now? We can do it right over there on one of those chaise lounges."

"That's not exactly what we had in mind," said Kelly, a note of irritation straining her voice.

"I'm sorry," said Carol, reaching out to pat Kelly on the forearm. "I was being flippant. What did you have in mind?

"We thought maybe we could all go to neutral ground somewhere and have a four-way," she answered. "It might be fun and there are a lot of variations we could explore."

Brad remained silent. I was stunned. Clearly the women were going to take the lead in this conversation.

"What you are proposing will radically alter our arrangement. Everything has been out in the open for months now, but our privacy as couples, married or otherwise, has been maintained," Carol countered. "I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice that."

"We've caught you by surprise," Brad offered, finally joining the conversation. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Just think about it and get back to us when you're ready to discuss it again."

"Since Carol and I are going back to Dallas tomorrow," I said, "we'll discuss it while we're there and talk to you on Tuesday when we return. Will that do?"

"Certainly," said Brad and Kelly in unison.

"Good," I replied. "Because the steaks are done."

****

"What do you think?" I asked Carol as we were lying in the hotel bed after a particularly energetic sexual encounter.

"I have to wonder what their motivation is," she responded. "It was the last thing I would expect from them."

"My guess is that curiosity got the better of them."

"Why?"

"Like Kelly said, we've watched them have sex, if only for a few minutes. Where we're concerned, they have nothing to go on except their imaginations. I think they see it as leveling the playing field."

"Maybe you're right."

"So, what do you think?" I asked, repeating my question.

"I'm not sure," Carol answered. "I think it might be pretty awkward at first. How do you start something like that? Who fucks who first?"

"I think everyone does it at the same time and we pause periodically to watch each other. Maybe husbands and wives start out together and then swap in the middle."

"I'm not sure I want to watch you do to Kelly what you do to me," Carol said.

"Jealous?" I ask, raising my brow.

"Maybe a little. I must be losing my mind. Brad is probably fucking Kelly right now and I don't feel a single twinge of jealousy. But the idea of watching you with her bothers me."

"I know what you mean," I replied. "I know you and Brad have sex when you're home, but I'm not so sure I want to watch you do it. And maybe it would bother both of us if we watched Brad and Kelly together again. That scene certainly got to us the first time around."

"Ancient history. We were both surprised and hurt, but look how everything turned out. We might like it this time," she replied.

"We can always tell them no."

"I know, but there is a little voice in my head telling me we might be closing the door on something really good if we turn them down outright," Carol said with a small frown.

"Do you think we're capable of having sex while they watch? Do you think they're capable of it? Can we have sex with our own spouses while the other couple watches?"

"I don't know, but there's only one way to find out," Carol replied. "Why don't we give it a try? As Kelly said, it might be fun and we'll have lots to explore if everything turns out well. We can certainly agree and then chicken out later if we have to. The worst that can happen is we have a nice weekend away somewhere."