What Are Friends For? Ch. 01

It was a standard post-barbecue/picnic let down. Teriyaki pork ribs, BBQ beans, salads everywhere, chips & dips, a vegetable tray, wine, and a fair amount of beer had been the evening’s fare. The kids had all been “loaned out” to their friends for the night…at least the ones that weren’t in summer camp. A few of the guests had departed already “I hate to eat and run…”

“Yeah sure, no problem.” The remaining adults were the hosts, Mark and Greta, and their local friends Joanne & Rick and Kevin. A friend of Mark’s from his military days was visiting from Washington, and his name was Frank. The men had consumed quite a bit of beer before dinner and were now more subdued and relaxed, their macho male-bonding experience almost satisfied for another night. The two women were satisfied for the moment, sipping on their third glass of wine after having cleaned up most of the mess form the feast. They were smiling as they listened to the men tell jokes and basically make fools out of themselves. The atmosphere was one of total relaxation – no one felt any pressures or real concerns…at least not in their conscious minds. Through the window the sun was just dipping down past the horizon in a glorious display of twilight, setting the clouds on fire with an orange glow that slowly moved to purple, then gray and finally to black.

As the sun set, Greta allowed her eyes to roam around the room and blocked out most of the conversation for a few moments, alone with her thoughts. She looked around at the small gathering, and with a more critical eye, began to examine the characteristics of each person.

Of course, first to catch her eye was Mark, her man. At 6’2” tall, he was very solidly built. The last few years had seen some extra weight around the middle, but his recent tour in Bosnia and a summer of wildland firefighting had allowed him to trim down a bit and strengthen his muscles noticeably. She recalled three nights past, when they had made love. She looked at him now with his sandy blonde hair and coral blue twinkling eyes, and realized how much she loved him. She imagined his strong, muscular legs wrapped around her while her hands rubbed over his smooth, tight chest and shoulders. Greta shuddered involuntarily for an instant, realizing that she was getting herself aroused thinking about him again now, naked, satisfying her sexual desires. She mentally slapped herself, “Snap out of it!” She thought, and then moved her focus to the man sitting next to Mark, talking animatedly with his hands gesturing wildly.

Rick was Mark’s oldest and most trusted friend. They had grown up together, or at least aged together. Most often they were like young boys, barely staying out of trouble with their mischievous game playing. Rick looked rather handsome tonight, dressed in a button-down shirt and black, rather tight jeans. Greta’s critical eye sized him up in a few seconds of staring, even though she had known him for years. His long, slender body at times seemed gangly, all arms and legs. But tonight he seemed more packaged – probably his dress and manners had influenced her perceptions. She looked at his tanned arms and imagined how they felt with the muscles tightened and the richly veined biceps straining slightly. Rick was quite strong, surprisingly so with his slight frame. Greta had seen him work and knew that, hidden under his shirt, his back and shoulders were powerful and well developed. Without a sexual thought entering her mind, she imagined the feel of his shoulders under her hands. Rick suddenly looked up and locked eyes with her, then broke into a smile and raised his glass in a silent toast. Greta quickly raised her wine glass slightly in acknowledgement, took a sip, and moved her gaze around the room.

Her sight stopped at Kevin, the youngest of the crowd at tonight’s gathering. He was a good friend of hers – almost too good at times. While there had never been any sexual contact between them, Greta could feel the sexual energy emanating from him whenever they were alone. They had talked, confided, cried, and hugged. But that was it…never an extra touchy-feely grope, or even a kiss. She wondered what thoughts ran through his mind sometimes. Her husband had told her of some of his private conversations with Kevin, and Rick also, when they had confided in him that that she was very sexually attractive. Of course, she had dismissed Mark’s talk with a wave of her hand…him and his perversions! She smiled at the thought of her and Mark’s sexual talk. He always wanted something new, and she was constantly reining in his desires to a manageable level. Greta could see that Kevin was tall and gangly, like Rick, with fairly strong-looking shoulders, but without the power that Rick’s hard-working muscles possessed.

Sitting next to Kevin was Joanne, Rick’s wife. A petite, dyed-blonde, Joanne seemed to typify the dumb-blonde stereotype. Although definitely not a bimbo, she could play the role very well when it suited her. Usually not one to sit still very long, Joanne seemed quite relaxed this evening, content to sit by her husband and laugh lightly, giggling occasionally as the wine made it’s presence known. Joanne possessed one of those size-6 bodies that Greta was jealous of. Although her hips were a bit wide (after three kids, who’s wouldn’t be), Joanne had a slender waistline with little stomach “pooching” to show from her pregnancies. Rick and Joanne continually made jokes about Joanne’s small boobs, but Greta often wished to have Joanne’s 34B size for a change. Mark had told her repeatedly that he wouldn’t trade for a second, but he would like a chance to examine the subject up close. “The pervert.” Greta smiled at the thought. She frowned a bit when she thought of her own body, feeling inferior to Joanne no matter what anybody told her. Despite Mark’s (and others) statements to the contrary, Greta felt that she had an ugly body. At this moment, however, she reflected on her image with a little more objective, wine-induced perspective. Her 38D cup breasts were too large for her taste, but seemed to attract a lot of attention, and not just from men. She thought of her large, 3-inch across areolas and strong, erect nipples and mentally compared them to Joanne’s quarter-sized areolas and her soft-nippled bosom. Of course, she had never seen Joanne aroused, so that wasn’t really a fair comparison. Greta thought of her face and hair and, while she thought Joanne was prettier, it definitely took more maintenance to stay that way. Greta, on the other hand, had a natural beauty that took very little make-up and hair styling to maintain. “Okay, we’ll call that one even.” She thought. While she still wasn’t happy with her waist and hips, she had to admit that she had lost weight and inches lately. Mark had noticed and mentioned it, and she actually felt better about herself than she had in years. She watched as Joanne smiled at something that Rick and Mark had said, and a sudden mental image flashed across her mind. Blinking her eyes a couple of times, Greta thought to herself “That’s what I get for listening to Mark’s fantasies…now I’m becoming the a pervert too!” She smiled inwardly, for in spite of her self-lecture, it had been a stimulating image.

Coming back to reality, she realized that she had been staring at Frank and smiling at her mental thoughts. He was getting up and coming over to talk to her, having mistaken her gaze and smile for an invitation. Greta didn’t mind. Frank was a very nice, polite fellow. While not strikingly handsome, he had a certain charm about him, especially when he wore his contact lenses rather than the studious-looking glasses he usually wore. His quiet, reserved demeanor was a contrast to Kevin’s confident, occasionally brash approach to life. Greta realized that she liked both approaches – Kevin’s outgoing style seemed to hide his insecurities while Frank’s calm exterior served to do much the same. Insecure, lacking confidence in themselves and their abilities, they both had different approaches. What both men needed was a good woman…someone who could provide these fragile egos with a gentle, caressing, nurturing influence. These thoughts passed through Greta’s consciousness in an instant, and as Frank made his way toward her she assessed his physical attributes. Somewhat short, but quite powerfully built, Frank had the look of a body-builder. His legs were strong, with wide thighs nearly as large as Mark’s. His waist was fairly narrow, leading up to a broad chest, strong wide shoulders, and well-muscled arms that hung down from the short-sleeved t-shirt that he wore. His round face and slightly balding head were not much of a turn-on for Greta, but the power and strength of his body would be more than compensation under the right circumstances, she thought.

The smile stayed on her lips as he approached her and sat down on the sofa next to her, beer glass in hand. They began a light conversation about the beauty of the landscape, and how he wanted to move to Oregon and get away from the metropolitan Seattle area. Greta and Mark had visited Frank in Seattle, and she knew that his relationship with his wife was quite strained, almost broken. She felt great empathy for him, as he was really a nice guy and his wife was a controlling, somewhat obnoxious manipulator. Greta had never really liked her much, but Frank had always been a sweetheart…a big teddy bear.

Greta watched as her husband slowly slid across the carpeted floor towards her feet. He stopped when he reached her, and leaned back against the sofa between her legs. He pushed the ‘play’ button on the DVD remote control to start the movie a romantic adventure that they had selected to appeal to everyone. Greta felt Frank’s thigh against her on one side, and Kevin’s lounging presence pressing against her on the other. With Joanne and Rick entwined across the room, and Mark nestled in front of her, Greta relaxed and began to enjoy the show. She was quite content and happy to be nestled comfortably between these attentive, loving gentlemen.

End of Part 1 (Shall I continue?)