Toni Allison examined her reflection in the bathroom mirror and smiled with satisfaction. No crow's feet yet. She still had a look of youth despite her thirty-two years. She was proud of her appearance, her profile, mainly because several men, including her husband, Edward, had told her she resembled Elizabeth Taylor.
Of course, she didn't kid herself; she was far from being as sexy as the movie star. It was something intangible, perhaps. Her mouth was full and her hair dark, and there radiated from her an aura of perfection that often stunned new acquaintances.
She was sure she looked healthy, because she kept fit. Ever since the family doctor had told her, at age thirteen, that she needed exercise, she had followed his advice. She detested seeing women younger than herself who had turned fat and saggy. There was no excuse for it at all!
Before coming into the bath for her evening shower, she had taken her daily push-ups and knee-bends, and she had used the vibrator on her waist.
Satisfied with her face, she glanced at the image of her leggy figure. She was fully aware of her model proportions, long thighs, rather narrow hips and adequate shoulders, and she dressed accordingly. Her breasts were not quite as full as she would have liked, but they were still firm and pointed. Every day she took special exercises to keep them from turning flabby. She was proud of them.
She had become aware, as she grew up, that her parents had wanted a boy. Her father, now dead, had been named Tony. He had passed away suddenly from a heart attack when Toni was fifteen. A newspaper reporter, he hadn't left much of an estate. Freda, her mother had gone to work in a Spokane bank.
Smiling at her image, Toni assessed other things she was proud of. She had been blessed with a high IQ, and had always made top grades. She had excelled at tennis and swimming. She had captured a scholarship at Washington State, and had immediately been invited to join a sorority.
She quickly became the 'big' girl on the campus, not only because of her high grade average, but also because of her leadership abilities. She was soon editor of the campus newspaper, The Evergreen, having inherited a facility with words from her rather meek and not-so-industrious father. Tony had been a sports writer, and he had instilled in her, at an early age, a love of athletic prowess.
Meanwhile, Freda had advanced rapidly in the Old National Bank. She climbed the hard ladder to success as a Vice President of the Valley Branch. She invested her savings wisely, and coached Toni. Toni caught on quickly.
From editor of the campus paper, she leaped into a city editor's job on the Lake City Gazette. She learned quickly, again. She bought some stock in the Gazette. She bided her time, saving her money. Lake City was only fifteen miles from Spokane, in Idaho, a growing resort center. The publisher and major stockholder of the Gazette, was, in her opinion, old-fashioned. He was also getting along in years, and had no sons to turn the newspaper over to.
About this time Toni unnexpectedly inherited a small ranch from an uncle. She sold it immediately, and made Griffith an offer for his share of stock in the Gazette. Toni did a good selling job. Griffith gave in and retired. His wife had wanted to live in California, anyway,..
At 26 she owned a newspaper! True, it was not a large operation, but she could see possibilities she had never mentioned to anyone else. She kept a sharp eye on property, real estate transactions. Wealthly Califomians were finding North Idaho appealing. She publicized the area as much as possible, and began to pick up lake shore property herself. At age twenty-nine, she had doubled the Gazette's circulation. Her picture appeared in the printing trade journals. She was Miss Somebody.
And, of course, she moved in the best society circles of the snooty resort city. She used her natural beauty to advantage; she found most men easy to manipulate, and it bothered her not one bit to humiliate them in a business deal. She continued to buy choice lakefront footage.
And, at twenty-nine, she had also found a man she wanted for a husband. Edward Allison, a partner in a small real estate business, whom she had met in her property adquisitions, fitted her ideal perfectly. He was soft-spoken, reasonably handsome and the right age, thirty-nine. She had already built a lovely lakeside home, and Ed fit into the busy schedule of her days quite nicely.
Their wedding had been one of the biggest Lake City had seen for years.
Yes, she had much to be thankful for!
For one thing, Ed didn't object to the difference in their incomes. He accepted her as a Leader, as she had been all her life, and he didn't seem to mind being subordinate to her. He had never been aggressive. And she disliked aggressive males. She loved to 'put them down."
Tonight, Tuesday, was their evening to be alone. She felt Ed deserved that, at least once a week. And that, of course, meant sex....
Still nude, she redid her mouth, feeling a warmth that she seldom, if ever, experienced, even on Tuesday night. Her load of work had been light that day, she had sold two attractive building lots for a neat profit. With the proceeds she could buy a new Caddy; she felt she deserved it. Ed had a Mercury station wagon, and her Cadillac, the present one. was nearly two years old. In her position, she had to keep up appearances.
She thought idly again of her sexual life. At an early age she had become aware of her strong drives in that direction. Intelligently, she had compromised. She hadn't wanted to get into any messy situations with boys her own age-they all appeared puerile and brutish; too vain.
She had learned how to relieve herself. She had read up on it. She knew boys masturbated frequently, and she felt no especial guilt in her own actions. As often as possible she denied herself and spent her energies in athletic endeavors.
At college she had secretly laughed at the more feminine girls who spoke of orgasms as if nothing else mattered! The way they rolled their eyes and sighed left her just a bit cold. She decided then she would never become a slave to her emotions. She would control them; she had places to go and things to do. She wanted to succeed in a man's world.
And she had succeeded while she still had her youth and beauty. She was something of a local and regional phenomenon. She turned down many chances to enter politics. She had other plans, however. She decided that she wanted a child, preferably a girl.
Stepping from the bath into the master bedroom, she strode lithely to her large clothes closet and picked a very sheer wild red wrapper. She had bought it on impulse, realizing that Ed appeared to admire the photos of scantily-clad girls in Playboy.
She knew he would be properly attired in pajamas and robe, waiting for her in the living room. He looked forward to Tuesday night. Occasionally she was generous to him at other times, depending on her need. She still found most of her sexual relief the way she had since she was a girl; her desire flared at the most unreasonable hours, often while at her luxurious office in the Gazette building. She had a private rest room there.
She experienced no shame about it; she was different from most women. She was stronger, smarter. She accepted her role. Infidelity never, or hardly ever, occurred to her. Of all the business men who came to see her, she had found only one who interested her at all.
He was Curt Green, thirty-five, who had inherited choice business and rental property on Lake City's Main street. He managed well, and know how to dress. He was an excellent golfer. He was reasonably handsome, sandy-haired, and not aggressively bold. His small blonde wife, Sylvia, appeared to adore him. Both came from the 'right' families, and she judged that his income approximated hers. Sylvia, of course, didn't turn a hand.
They were the most frequent visitors to the Allison lakeshore home. The Greens lived in the older and more sedate residential area north of the city in a home he also had inherited.
Toni didn't like messes, however. She didn't really need to indulge in an affair; she was quite satisfied to leave things as they were. She had noticed that if she happened to dance with Curt, when the two couples went out for an evening, he had an exciting effect on her libido. On these occasions, when she and Ed reached home, she found she could respond better with her husband....
Humming a little tune, she dabbed cologne on her wrists and throat. Tonight she would let Ed go a bit further than usual. She didn't fear motherhood. The Greens had a boy and a girl, and a maid to help out. Having children hadn't spoiled Sylvia's figure; in fact she had a kind of bloom that Toni envied just a little.
But I could never gush and act silly the way she does, Toni thought. She makes too big a thing out of being feminine.
Satisfied with her appearance, aware again of a cozy sense of well-being, of radiant health, pleased with her accomplishments in a world where men were supposed to excel, she slipped into a pair of silvery high-heeled boudoir mules, and left the bedroom.
Ed sat handsomely on their new Contemporary sofa. The lighting was subdued, the way she preferred it on Tuesday evenings. The stereo oozed soothing music. She admired the deep gold of the carpet, the white grand piano, the drapes that matched. He had let her pick all the furniture and accessories; he admired her good taste.
Ed had iced the martini glasses, and she could see the frost on the silvery shaker. His robe was new. She had picked that, too. This was the maid's night out; Elsie Enders was a jewel. She understood the meaning of Tuesday evenings.
He turned and looked at her, fondly. "Beautiful!" he said.
She smiled. He gave her compliments often. He always appeared devoted to her. He liked their home, although he was always a bit helpless when it came to fixing small things about the house. He didn't understand electricity or mechanical gadgets at all. She was particularly good in this. It gave her an added sense of superiority.
"I bought it especially for our night, darling."
"You look ravishing, honey!"
His obvious sincerity pleased her; it had been one of the qualities that had drawn her to him.
This same kind of honesty did not help him in business, however. His partner in the Steen-Allison agency, Bill, was the driver. Still, he was charming, and he made his share of the deals in their real estate office. Toni was aware, of course, that her own business acumen had helped both partners. She never mentioned it. Ed understood.
"I had a good day," she said, gliding down beside him.
"Fine! Is that new cologne you're wearing?"
She leaned against him, crossing her legs. The sheer mist of red nylon parted at her knees.
"No, its my favorite, gardenia," she said. "I just used more of it"
"You're especially attractive tonight, Toni."
She patted his leg. She liked the feel of the robe. It had a good texture and the color, light brown, matched his hair. He smelled of cologne she had also chosen, a gift on his birthday.
"Ed, how would you like to have a daughter-or son?"
He was in the act of pouring the martinis, and he nearly spilled some of the liquor. He put the shaker down, carefully. He smiled, genuinely pleased.
"I think it's a great idea, honey!"
She had already divined his wish; he was on the board of the local Boy's Club; he enjoyed spectator sports, like baseball. Sometimes he umpired little league games.
She accepted the chilled martini glass. She felt again a pleasant warmth stealing through her body. She had touched him deeply.
He finished pouring his own cocktail and held the glass up. Generally they clicked the rims together, but this time it had a special meaning. She saw his eyes on the contours of her breasts. The thin wrapper did little to conceal them.
"Darling, you could pose for girlie pictures if you wanted to."
She was flattered. She sipped the cold gin, lightly touched with the best vermouth. They didn't use olives.
She squeezed his thigh, keeping her hand on his leg. "I put a lot of effort into keeping trim...."
"I know it," he said. "Tonight you don't look more than twenty-five."
She smiled and moistened her lips with her tongue-tip. They finished their martinis. The music soothed her.
She had seated herself on his left; she knew what he would do, now. She found herself looking forward to his touches and caresses. She had denied herself for two days. She wanted tonight to be very satisfactory....
She pressed his leg again, and slid her right arm along the back of the sofa. She didn't like to think of this as a signal, but it had become that. Already his arousal was evident. His right hand lifted to the folds of her wrapper at her throat. She turned her head, ready for his kiss.
He placed his mouth gently against hers. Her arm tightened about his shoulders. She inserted her tongue between his lips, teasingly at first, and then with more vigor. Impulsively, knowing it would please him, she thrust her tongue deeply. He trembled.
His hand opened the sheer fabric that covered her breasts. His hand was warm and stimulating. He cupped her, fondling. She felt her nipples stiffen tinglingly. He was gentle. He knew from long experience how she preferred to be loved.
Tonight she was a bit more sensitive than usual. The warmth between them seemed intensified. Well, that was good. Perhaps that would make his joy a trifle keener. She realized she would have to make certain adjustments, later. She hadn't used a contraceptive, as usual. She was quite determined to proceed with her plan.
Nearly all of the younger people in her set had children. She had never felt healthier; she had no real qualms about motherhood. She could ease up in her work for a while. She had a knack of picking efficient subordinates.
A child would broaden her outlook, give her new interests. Her mother hadn't painted a very glowing picture of childbirth, but then she had never been proud of her husband, either. Tony had been henpecked, and in defense he had started drinking. Freda's attitude toward men generally had colored Toni's thinking; men were accessories for real women. Men should be dominated....
Her thoughts swung back to Ed. She felt she had picked more wisely than Freda. Her father had not fit well into the harness of submission, and toward the end, had revolted. He had found courage in alcohol.
Ed, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy his marriage and their home. She had lifted his status in the community, and he was immediately acceptable in the Loon Lake Country Club. He was handling properties and rentals that hadn't been available to him before. He adapted well. He was basically kind and generous.
He appeared to ignore the remarks that she sometimes overheard concerning their marriages-that she 'wore the pants,' that he was 'Mr. Toni Allison.' And she had ways of getting even with those kind of people ... she had a great deal of influence. She was wealthy and smart, and she didn't mind letting those of lesser rank know her sentiments.
She was simply different from other women, arid fond of that difference. In a man's world she had fought her way to the top and she intended to remain there.
"Darling, you have a lovely figure," Ed murmured, continuing to fondle her breasts.
She kissed him again, probing with her tongue. She opened the folds of his robe.
After unbuttoning his pajama tops, she caressed his chest. Ed played golf, he kept in shape. His belly was flat. She had encouraged him to use the exercise room in the basement. He was quite virile enough for her tastes; in fact, on their wedding night she had experienced some difficulty in accomodating him, even though Doctor Cecil Wesley, on being questioned by her, had told her hymen had been broken in her youth. Riding bareback on horses had probably been the cause.
And this difficulty had brought about the pattern of their lovemaking. She was the aggressor, even in bed. She chose to be on top, so the penetration, if she permitted it, could be minimized. The fount of her pleasure was not deep, in the sense of wanting him inside. The place of her joy was the clitoris, as it had always been....
Having Ed beneath her generally made her climax more satisfactory than the ones she achieved alone. Mastering him, bringing him to his peak, fulfilled a need, but there were times when she believed he enjoyed sex more than she.
Sometimes he wanted her twice in an evening, and if that happened she preferred to use her hand. She couldn't quite believe, as she had read, that some women experienced multiple orgasms. The whole thing sounded just a bit sweaty and too frantic. She was different in more ways than one. She was perfectly satisfied with their arrangement, and if Ed ever felt any other way, he didn't mention it.
There were times, of course, when she found the need to reach a second time, but she did this alone, afterward, in the privacy of the bathroom. She had become quite adept. She didn't care to ask him for favors, use his hand on her. She kept her strong sex drives a secret. If she made Ed reasonably satisfied, she was, in her opinion, an adequate wife.
Anything that hinted of male domination she disliked strongly. Ed knew his place, and he stayed there!
However, she did enjoy being fondled, and gently caressed. And tonight she felt closer to him than she had for a long time. He seemed to sense it, and his tongue began to wrestle playfully with hers.
CHAPTER TWO
The telephone rang.
Irritated, Toni removed her mouth from Ed's, and slid along the sofa until she could reach the white extension that sat on an end-table. Barring some catastrophe at the Gazette, she knew none of her people there would call her at home. Most of her crowd knew about Tuesday night "Yes?" she said, lifting the receiver. "Sylvia here, honey."
Toni sighed quietly. She had never cared for long, girlish telephone conversations that most of the women she knew enjoyed. Sylvia meant well, but she gushed too much. She was twenty-six, and still acted kittenish. She hid her intelligence from her husband with extreme care. It was a feminine quirk Toni never indulged.
"How are you, Sylvia?" she said, suddenly possessed with an idea. She smiled at Ed and curled her finger at him. He might as well continue caressing her; she saw no occasion for any prolonged delay. Being fondled while talking to Sylvia might be fun!
"Oh, in the pink! I know you don't like to be disturbed on a night at home," she giggled, "but I just heard from Dad. He has that place further up the lake. He wants to sell it Curt and I don't want to tackle it, right now. He has something else brewing ... Are you interested?"
Toni's mind worked swiftly. She knew the property; it had good lakefront potential, and much of the place was heavily timbered.
"Yes," she answered. "I'd like to talk to your father. Name's Amos, I believe."
"I thought you might" Sylvia said, brightly. "And how you remember names so well ... I envy you, I really do! I'll tell Dad."
Sylvia continued talking, about some new drapes she had picked for their living room. She reminded Toni that the two couples were going to the Country Club dance on Saturday night, as usual. Toni knew it quite well. She was grateful to the blonde for the tip, however, and she listened.
Meanwhile, Ed was beside her, kissing her shoulder and, having lifted her wrapped at the hemline, moved his fingers in on her thighs. He smiled. He liked the little game, too. With her free hand, she again parted the folds of his robe, seeking his manhood. His pajamas already were apart.
She relaxed, listening to Sylvia's chatter, adding a word now and then, enjoying Ed's explorations. Her frothy wrapped wide open now, she watched her husband's dalliances, and although she liked to view her own body, she was always reluctant to see him naked until they went in the bedroom, where the lighting made his nakedness less obvious.
She was aware of a kind of Narcissic fascination in her own beauty, her perfection of limb and face and breast, and once, at the Country Club, when the manager had staged a strip show for ladies only, she had viewed the performance of the two girls with interest, even fascination. She also was aware of a certain lesbianistic leaning in her own makeup. She had noticed some of it at college, and she had read up on the subject.
Toni was certain she could never become involved. In her position it could cause a terrible scandal, and would hurt her business. She wanted to be very proper about everything. An affair with another girl would be highly improper; such a thing was anti-social.
She had found her niche in life; she was pleased with it.
Ed's fingers located a particularly sensitive place, and she gave a little gasp of enjoyment. "Honey," Sylvia said, her voice seeming just a little far away. "Honey, did you bark your shin or something?"
"No. Ed is becoming impulsive...."
Sylvia giggled. "Just what is going on there?"
Toni, to her friends, always intimated that her husband was something of a tiger in the boudoir; it made their relationship appear to the outside world more normal. What they actually did was a secret.
She was sure some of her closer women friends didn't believe her. However, she maintained the ruse. Ed deserved credit for his cooperation, and she never went into quite the detail that a few of the younger wives did concerning their sexual relationships. She considered such remarks just a bit vulgar. It was as though they were bragging.
"I'll let you go now, honey!" Sylvia said, after a small silence. She laughed intimately. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"
She knew Ed overheard; his lips were seeking the line between her ear and shoulder. She patted his leg encouragingly.
"I'll be discreet, Sylvia," she said, and dropped the receiver. Then, on second thought, she took the instrument out of its cradle. She wanted no more interruptions.
She laced her fingers through Ed's wavy brown hair. She didn't mind the few traces of gray there; they made him appear more grown-up, distinguished.
With her hands she now guided Ed's mouth toward her breasts. He pressed his fingers on her tummy, exciting tingly responses.
"What'd Sylvia want?" he murmured, his hand stealing lower.
"Nothing important, darling ... You're very good for me tonight."
"You're lovely tonight, too!" His lips enclosed a rising nipple. She trembled. Sensuous little tingles curled through her body. Now his hand roamed along the velvety inner flesh of her thighs.
Her pleasure, her sense of anticipation, was definitely keener than usual. A few times since their marriage, when she had felt particularly abandoned, she had permitted him to employ certain intimate kisses. Now, she knew she would enjoy those, but she remembered her purpose. Besides, Ed preferred the 'old fashioned' way, and it was a sure sign of his basic masculinity. She hated fairies."
"Darling," she breathed, as his lips wandered over her breasts, and his fingers stole to the place of her joy, "I think I'm ready for the bedroom...."
He raised his head, and she kissed him on the mouth. She shot her tongue deeply into the heated orifice. She felt him shiver. She sought him out again, playfully. She was definitely and deliciously aroused-and so was he. The interplay while she had talked to Sylvia had done it. And his show of boldness, combined with her general feeling of well-being, heightened her desire to a new level. Tonight would be very good!
They untangled finally, and walked into the master bedroom. Ed turned the lights down to the desired dimness. The switch at the door was especially designed for this purpose. The wide King-size bed beckoned. She was especially proud of this room, with its fuzzy deep carpet and the just-right Traditional furniture.
Usually they didn't get in bed; she preferred that they stretched out on the counterpane. So that's what they did. The temperature was just right, a bit warmer than in the living room. They had electric heat and air-conditioning, so that each area of the house could be individually controlled.
Ed removed his robe, and Toni slipped out of her wispy negligee. She moved onto the bed, relaxing momentarily while he took off his pajamas. Earlier she had laid out a towel; she didn't want to stain the bed-spread.
She preferred the shadowy surroundings because it made his body a trifle less obvious. She had never associated fun in the bedroom with glaring brightness, regardless of what others did, and she didn't like to have bedcovers in the way. They interfered with her enjoyment. She was quite active, sometimes.
And, once they were aroused, she didn't care for conversation. That bothered her concentration. At first, before she had trained him, he had exclaimed when she did something especially exciting, but he had learned her wishes.
Naked now, he joined her on the bed. He stretched out on his back, and immediately she slithered halfway above him. They kissed again, Toni putting more pressure into it. She held him, plunging her tongue into his mouth. He caressed her waist, and when she raised up, finally, he cupped her breasts in his hands.
Sometimes they dallied a while on the bed, but tonight was different; she was eager to begin. She came above him, straddling his hips. He guided himself to the door of her desire. The flow of her passion was very pronounced; and Ed was very rigid.
The contact thrilled her more deeply than usual-perhaps because she had denied herself for two days, and they seemed especially close tonight. Could this be, in part, because he hadn't gone through the rather unromantic chore of installing her diaphram?
Perhaps she would want it twice! Perhaps she would have something to tell Sylvia the next time they met....
Ed trembled as she began her erotic play, weaving her hips, rotating, while he toyed with her spiking nipples. She remained the aggressor, keeping his manhood in almost constant contact with her clitoris. They barely touched. That was their pattern; the idea of penetration had never appealed to her strongly. After his first few attempts to arouse her that way, she had discovered the correct mode of operation. Complete coupling seemed to her somewhat base and animalistic, although she didn't mind, later on, a few thrusts that took her part of the way around him.
Her sensations were on the surface of her femininity, where they had always been. They both recognized this and worked on that basis.
Tonight she felt particularly passionate and abandoned. She arched her breasts downward with enthusiasm, her hips limber, twisting, turning....
Sensous tingles curled through her loins; her nipples ached. She tried accepting more of him, but no, that wouldn't do ... In her excitement she forgot her original purpose; she was furiously aroused!
She stopped moving, and he knew the signal. He reached down and began the movements that would bring her to her culmination. Her heart beat faster; she was out of breath.
When she wished to delay her pleasure, prolong it, she lifted slightly, breaking the sparkly contact. When she lowered slightly, he commenced again..
Ed had wonderful control; she admired him for it He always waited for her, because he liked to please. And sometimes it took her quite a while. She often marveled at his staying powers.
She felt particularly robust and zesty-it was going to be dreamy!
After the first few pauses, she didn't want to wait any longer. She pressed herself close, curling her hips downward, and she heard his moan of joy as his moves quickened.
The feathery tingles came closer together; she panted, straining.
And suddenly, like a gust of wind over a sunlit hill, gathering speed, the sweet bunching in her loins commenced. Her peak came sharply, exquisitely-she sailed into it with a little glad cry.
And, quite unnexpectedly, a new sensation gripped her. She moved downward, around him ... Something strange and wonderful and heady beckoned to her; she was shaken to the roots of her being. She found herself wanting more, more!
She felt his shudder, heard his moan of completion, and the bit of heaven she had tasted, but had not gulped, faded away....
Awareness returned swiftly. She moved away from him, seizing the towel. She realized she would have to have some penetration to become pregnant, although it wasn't absolutely necessary....
She lay quietly beside him for several moments, a kind of wonder building within her. Exactly what had started, deep inside her?
Although her climax had been better than usual, she didn't feel relieved. Her nerves were on edge. Ed, recovering, reached out to touch her. Momentarily she permitted a caress, then pushed his hand away. Her sense of well-being was gone.
"Sorry," he murmured.
She lay rigidly on the bed, her wonder turning into anger. Somehow he had spoiled their routine. Perhaps, if he had waited, she could have climaxed again! She could think of no other answer.
She didn't want this hand on her, now. Restless, she swung off the bed and strode to the bathroom. Then closed the door with a hard bang.
She made herself dainty and then sprawled on the padded toilet seat. An ache of unrequited passion lingered. She touched herself in the old way ... and a few moments later she reached her peak. The naunces of pleasure weren't as keen as she wished; she was disappointed.
This is what I get for allowing him, even for a few seconds, to be in control!
Her resentment climbed. She left the bathroom, noting that Ed had turned the sheets back, as usual. His pajamas were on, and he was in bed. A single lamp, on her side, glowed. The other lights were off, as usual.
He had performed in the prescribed manner-except in one area. He hadn't waited long enough. True, they had climaxed almost together-but it was still his fault she wasn't totally relieved. By helping him she had been partially denied. It was his fault!
Quickly she slipped into her Tuesday nightie. She had one for every day of the week. She was quite immaculate with her person, her body.
"What's the matter, honey?" he asked.
She faced him, rigid. "You should know!" she snapped.
She saw the hurt expression cross his sensitive face. His smile vanished.
"I don't understand, Toni."
"Men!" she said, contemptuously. "I think I'll go out and read a while. I'm not sleepy."
"I'm sorry," he said, obviously puzzled, and still concerned. He was slow to anger.
She left the room. She turned on a lamp near her favorite chair, sitting down. She nursed her unease. He would go right to sleep, of course! He nearly always beat her, always had on previous Tuesdays. Men were like rude children; pet them and please them and they went right into slumberland.
She realized she was being a bit irrational, and for a bare instant she felt sorry for Ed. But that faded. He had touched something within her that she hadn't wanted touched. For a moment she had felt weak, almost submissive ... she had lost control! But she wouldn't again. Never! Men were the inferior sex. They needed to stay in their place!
Her nerves still were unsettled. She went into the kitchen, found two aspirins, and swallowed them down with a sip of water. When she returned to the living room. Ed was there ahead of her. Her unreasonable anger flared.
"What're you doing up?"
His face showed concern. "We were getting along so well tonight ... What did I do wrong, honey?"
"I don't feel like talking about it," she said, tartly.
He shook his head. His shoulders seemed to sag. He was properly in his robe, but somehow the very correctness of his behavior exasperated her.
"Go on back to bed. I'll be all right"
He shrugged, gave her a vague smile, and retreated. She couldn't quite fathom her urge to strike out at him, but it was there.
As soon as he was gone, she returned to her chair. She wanted to be alone. Little doubts began to plague her. Should she have married at all? Always she had been self-sufficient independent. She did want a child, though. She should have an heir, and motherhood might put a bloom on her beauty, make her life more rounded.
And she couldn't quite fathom her unease and irritibility. Generally she found sex relaxing. Now, her nerves were on edge, there was a dullness in her loins. The smooth perfection of her life had been blighted-and Ed was responsible!
She rose and wandered into the library. There she picked out a late novel that she had heard was quite draggy, and returned to her chair in the living room. Many times on Tuesday night she had read herself sleepy. She hoped it would work....
CHAPTER THREE
Toni surveyed the crowd at the Country Club with increasing boredom. It was Hawaiian night, and since the weather had turned warm, the large patio had been festooned with paper streamers and proper multi-colored lights. Stringed music came from a five-piece group dressed in 'native' Island costumes. The guests, forewarned, were similarly attired.
Toni was daringly garbed in a short-skirted sarong affair, and every time she crossed her long legs, she drew furtive male stares. She didn't have to wear a girdle, and every man in the lounge, where she now sat with Ed, Curt and Sylvia, knew she hadn't.
"You're the queen of the ball, as usual," Curt said, smiling at her across the table. Their drinks had been served in scooped-out cocoanuts. The centerpiece for each table was a fresh pineapple. It was all very too-too.
"Thank you, Curt," she answered, giving him a bit more attention than usual. She had been needling Ed ever since Tuesday evening; her resentment hadn't diminished. Wednesday, in her office rest room, she had relieved herself in the usual manner, and even than hadn't been entirely satisfactory. Thursday night, at home, while Ed was at a meeting, she had finally reached a level of satisfaction that let her get a good night's sleep.
Ed would be hopeful tonight. She had seen his eyes warm on his second drink. However, she was in no mood to repeat the performance of Tuesday. She had regained control of her emotions, and she would keep things the way they always had been!
She toyed idly with the idea of letting Curt fondle her. She was sure she could arrange it discreetly, but from what Sylvia had said, and hinted, he would be sweatily aggressive. He would want to go the route.
She gave up that plan for what seemed a better one. Sylvia would be easier, and probably more fun.-The thought of making love to a nice, feminine girl had never shocked her. She didn't think it unnatural, even if lesbianism was antisocial. There would be much less risk than with a man. No girl would go around talking about an affair with another woman!
On the other hand, Toni had never tried it, although her knowledge of how it would be managed was through enough. She liked to keep posted on everything that remotely interested her.
Well, she would see what developed. Sylvia was pretty, full-breasted, with a lovely rounded figure. Tonight she looked especially appealing in a bare-midriff Hawaiian getup. And underneath that chattery exterior was a bright little brain. A great deal of Toni's success had hinged on judging people, quite coldly and ruthlessly.
The right important people already had dropped by the table to compliment her on her appearance, and indirectly, on her business acumen-a Federal Judge, the mayor, two prominent attorneys and a State senator. Ed had greeted them affably. He had taken her abuse without losing his good humor. This rankled her even more-she didn't want a completely spineless husband.
"Rest room, honey?" Sylvia murmured to Toni. Toni nodded.
A moment later, in the tiled ladies' lounge, as they sat before a long mirror and examined their makeup, Sylvia looked intently at Tom.
"Something happen between you and Ed?"
Toni pouted her lips and reshaped her mouth. "Is it that obvious, Syl?"
"To me it is."
Toni observed the ripe allure of Sylvia's full breasts. For a mother, her waist was quite slim. Her extremely feminine and natural mannerisms, a hint of more than casual interest in her deep blue eyes, stirred Toni's interest.
Just how did one girl go about wooing life was lacking, and she couldn't pinpoint it. She admitted she had a kind of blind spot when it came to sex ... That made her uneasy.
When Toni didn't answer, Sylvia went on. "I thought you were having fun Tuesday night!"
Toni remembered the telephone conversation. "We didn't do badly."
Sylvia giggled, leaning nearer. Their shoulders touched. "Curt's been treating me swell lately."
"You deserve it, darling," Toni said, generously.
Sylvia lowered her voice. "I'm doing some of those exercises you recommended. You know, keeping trim."
"You show it."
Sylvia smiled. "I tried something else, too...."
"Oh?" Toni was interested. She had never talked very frankly with any girls, even at college. She had been too busy.
Sylvia's eyes sparkled. Toni sensed she wanted to confide a personal secret or two.
"We've been trying different-positions!"
Toni experienced an odd reaction. She was becoming slightly, but quite definitely, aroused. In the past very few girls had touched her-that way. Most generally it was some new and handsome man who came in her office, or even a male she happened to see on the street.
"Wonderful!" Toni said.
"Do you remember the time you said a wife should try making love-on top?" Sylvia murmured, giggling.
Toni didn't recall the circumstances; she might have mentioned it. "Well?"
"Night before last-I did it ... I guess I shouldn't be telling this, but you are my closest friend...."
"Of course," Toni answered.
"I just swooned!" The blonde rolled her eyes, touching her hair.
There was that suggestion again, which she had heard before, from a few other girls, of inexpressible delights in the bedroom embrace. Toni couldn't quite swallow it whole. Peaking was lovely, of course, in the right atmosphere-but she had never 'blacked out.' Some girls, like men, exaggerated. Relieving one's tensions was necessary, but not the end-all of living!
"I'm glad," Toni said, smiling.
Two young matrons entered the lounge, breaking up their tete-a-tete. Toni followed Sylvia out of the room, noting the limber sway of her friend's bottom. Her jasmine perfume reacted pleasingly in Toni's nostrils.
Perhaps, Toni thought, perhaps I need a change....
When the two girls returned to their table, Curt immediately asked Toni for a dance. She smiled. In spite of her popularity, Toni hadn't been on the floor many times. She knew she awed many of the local men. She had never been surer of her allure and beauty.
Of course, Ed asked Sylvia. He always did the proper thing.
"You're ravishing tonight, Toni," Curt murmured in her ear. It was a slow number, and she permitted her body to float in warmly against his.
The gin concoction in the half-cocoanuts was performing its subtle magic.
"Thank you, Curt." Her height, in spike heels, brought her within half a head of his wiry six feet She noticed that Sylvia danced snugly in Ed's arms. His hand was on her bare midriff, the fullness of her breasts nudging his jacket Since Ed stood shorter than Curt, the pairings seemed to her quite interesting.
She found herself more attracted to Curt than usual. His rugged masculinity did not seem quite so objectionable. She decided to give him more attention. She could, at least, do what one of the girls at college had said, rather crudely, 'get her batteries charged."
But she would definitely not permit Ed any liberties. Her resentment hadn't abated.
She had certain plans for the coming Tuesday evening. She would put him properly in his place.
Curt's encircling arm became more possessive. She squeezed his hand.
"You know, Toni-you scare a lot of the men, but not me."
"Interesting," she murmured. "I suppose you have some kind of masculine-superiority theory about me."
He chuckled. It was not unpleasant, a kind of low-pitched laugh. "Naturally! You remind me of a young girl playing a game of marriage. I think you're sexually unfulfilled."
From some people she would have objected to such personal remarks, but Curt was very socially acceptable, handsome and bright. He had tossed out hints before.
"And of course you could 'solve' my dilemma," she said, banteringly. "Of course," he echoed.
"The typical male ego working overtime," Toni said.
He had never come so close to conveying his desire for her, and it was flattering. But, then, every man in the room would like to 'lay' her. She had been overly-reckless with her short-short sarong skirt Tantalizing males with her body was almost second nature to her. Some of the older men of the region, whom she had outsmarted in business, were quite aware of this-even Sylvia's father, Amos, had succumbed to her charms. She was going to steal that lakefront property. Amos had plenty-he could afford it
"But even if I was interested, Curt, we always have our positions, and a husband and wife to consider."
He touched his chin to her cheek. She flattened her hips against his loins, feeling a flutter of awakening desire. She was aware of the bulge in his trousers, and she backed away in a tantalizing manner.
"Smart people can always evade social restrictions," he said.
"And get into messes," she answered. "What about Ed and Sylvia?"
He paused in a shadowy corner behind an imitatation palm tree. She leaned comfortably in his arms. She was getting a 'charge'. A light flirtation might take her mind away from Ed; her earlier boredom was fleeing.
"I'm quite sure Ed likes Syl...." he murmured.
She experienced a light surprise. She had never really thought of good old solid Ed having adulterous leanings! The idea intrigued her. Of course he would probably prefer a wife who would go 'the route.' Toni knew, of course, that her manner of making love was not 'normal.' She was not like most women, and she didn't care about joining 'the herd,' as it were. She had always been different. Ed had adjusted.
"Curt, you aren't suggesting a little 'wife-swapping,' are you?"
He laughed, softly. "Since we live in a woman's world, where the gals set the pace, I'd prefer to call it 'husband switching.'"
"You're naughty," she said, smiling.
They were standing quite close together. She knew he wanted to kiss her.
"I might think about it, Curt ... But don't kiss me."
"You're afraid," he said.
"I know that tactic. You want to dare me. I think the best plan for you would be to ask your wife."
His arm tightened about her waist Again she flattened her hips to his. His gaze went to the low cut of her bodice.
"Damn!" he whispered. "You know how to drive a man crazy!"
"And I might try to undercut you in a business deal," she said.
"Hell, it would be worth it Toni, you're one beautiful woman!"
"You didn't answer my question."
He smiled. She felt the intensity of his arousal. Again, she backed away.
"Frankly, Toni, from little remarks Syl drops, I think she'd go for the plan----"
"But you haven't come right out and 'propositioned' her."
"It would all hinge on you, lovely. You're a leader."
"Very flattering, Curt. I think we'd better go back...."
He sighed. "Anyway, it was a great dance!"
"You two have fun?" Sylvia asked brightly, as Toni and Curt took their chairs at the table.
"Fun is right!" Toni answered, hoping to cut Ed. He only smiled. She could tell he was getting quite a load. If he drank much more he wouldn't want to do more than go to sleep. Perhaps that would be just as well.
"How did you two make out?" Toni asked Sylvia.
"Ed was never smother!" She reached out and squeezed Ed's hand. He smiled his tipsy smile a-gain, but he looked at the pretty blonde with unabashed interest.
"She's very cuddly," he muttered.
Toni reserved comment. She would remember his remark. He wasn't behaving quite true to form. For that matter, she wasn't either. It appeared they were headed for a serious discussion. She would set him straight in the morning!
"This thing's about over here," Sylvia remarked, glancing at the thinning crowd. It was nearly one o'clock. "Let's all go to our place for a few more drinks!"
"Fine with me!" Ed said, grinning.
Toni knew she couldn't gracefully refuse. Sylvia had given her first chance at a good investment-and then Curt's remarks tickled her fancy. Would he and his wife really indulge in a bit of
'switching'? They had been married much longer than the Allisons; were they becoming bored with the same old bed partner?
Toni nodded, smiling at Curt. "I think I could use another drink."
Curt winked broadly. "As the saying goes, let's cut out of here!"
When they reached the parking lot, where Toni's new Caddy sat beside the Green's year-old Imperial, Sylvia came up with another idea.
"Let's all ride in our car! Be a lot more cozy."
"Great!" Ed said.
Wait till I get him home! Toni thought. She didn't really mind; her car was fully insured, and she could have a garage attendant pick it up the next morning. Ed's enthusiasm rankled her. Half drunk or not, he knew better. Still, she didn't object. The gin bubbled in her veins. Tonight, with everyone pleasantly tight, something interesting might develop....
"Suits me," Toni said. "That is, if I can ride in front with Curt."
Sylvia giggled. "I won't fight that!"
Curt opened the car doors. "I sure as hell won't either!"
A moment later they were inside the Imperial. Toni moved over close to Curt, and she could see Sylvia curling up beside Ed.
Apparently Curt and his wife had done more than hint to each other about 'trading around.' They appeared very pleased with the arrangement. Bright little Sylvia had made the first moves-just how far it would go Toni wasn't certain. She would, as usual, remain aloof enough to catch all the overtones.
She had heard rumors about couples in their wage bracket having 'foursomes.' There had been a scandal recently concerning four Spokane women and their husbands involved in a neighborhood swap-club. It had come to light when one of the younger matrons had tired of it and sued for divorce.
Toni believed a lot of young married gals did not have enough to do; they got bored with staying at home. She, herself, liked to keep busy. Her sex drives were strong enough without having idleness to add more sensual ideas!
She noticed right away that Curt dimmed the dash light down to nothingness. The interior of the car was very dark.
As Sylvia carried on a light chatter, and Toni replied when necessary, she wasn't surprised to feel Curt's right hand on her knees.
Very few men, aside from Ed, had ever been allowed to make that move. She wore no nylons they would have spoiled the Hawaiian effect She had never considered marital infidelity a sin; it was improper and anti-social and she had seen it wreck fortunes. She had never found it necessary to do more than vaguely promise with her body to close deals. Success to her was much more important than a casual roll in the hay. She could not understand why some gals threw away a comfortable marriage for a scandalous affair.
Her own position was slightly different. She had already succeeded. Some talk could hurt her, but not put her under. Freda, still active in banking, had talked her into investing secretly in her mother's name. Freda didn't trust men. Even a messy divorce in a community property state she wouldn't sink Toni, and much of her holdings had been gained before she had married Ed. Her risk was light.
Besides, she was sure she could handle Ed in any kind of situation. He knew where he stood.
So she led Curt fondle her knees, and even spread her legs a little so he could caress higher, if he wanted to.
He wanted to, and did.
She felt a warm thrill. Curt was undeniably handsome and more attractive than most men she knew. She recalled a time when he had happened to drop by the Gazette office, had visited her in the privacy of her sanctum, and had openly admired her. She had been stirred by his virility, and after he had gone she had sought relief in her private rest room.
That day her peak had been especially gratifying.
She had laid it to other causes. Curt was too aggressive, too sure of his appeal. Several girls in the office would have fallen over backward to date him, married or not. Hell, she would permit a few liberties, and later, after she set Ed straight she could enjoy herself alone....
Sylvia apparently wanted to play at trading; her own desire would probably be heightened by a mild flirtation. Toni still didn't believe the blonde would suggest any actual 'switching."
Toni tickled the nape of Curt's neck with her fingers, aware now that Sylvia and Ed were kissing in the back seat. It was too dark to tell where their hands were. Meanwhile Curt's fingers explored along her thighs; she spread a bit more.
Curt was taking a round-about route to their home. And he held the car's speed down. A street light loomed ahead, and Toni watched the rear-view mirror. When they passed under the arc radiance, she saw that Ed's right hand was pressed to Sylvia's abundant breasts, and apparently they were sucking tongues....
Well! Syl wasn't wasting any time.
Toni leaned nearer to Curt and brushed her lips along his neck, under his ear. She flicked her tongue out.
Instantly his hand moved to her panties.
She applied a light pressure with her hips, encouragingly. Tingles of naughty pleasure kited along her thighs.
I'm half tight myself, she thought. But I'll keep my head. I guess that deal with Amos Hiller is worth a few sly caresses.
A moment later the Imperial glided to a smooth stop. They were in front of the large two-story Green residence.
Curt gave her an intimate squeeze, and Toni removed her lips from his neck. She found his masculine odor appealing.
"Well!" Sylvia gurgled from the back seat
"We're here. ... Now, Ed-stop that!"
Toni heard the rustle of clothing behind her. She didn't turn to look. Curt's hand squeezed a-gain before he removed it
"The trip was too short!" he said.
Toni didn't answer. She was curious now as to what would follow. Sylvia was the hostess. Would she place them in a position where more dalliance would be forthcoming?
CHAPTER FOUR
Toni liked the warmth of the Green living room. It was spacious; they had done wonders remodeling an older house to suit their needs.
Their furniture was Early American, which matched the Colonial exterior of the home.
Sylvia, looking just a little mussed, led them directly toward the rear into the recreation room. Toni and the hostess took chairs near an elaborate bar setup, while the men mixed martinis.
"Oh, I feel wonderful tonight;" Sylvia said, smiling at Toni. "You and Ed ought to come by more often."
"Busy, busy," Toni said.
"I know! Let's retire to the Ladies, as they say in the best movies!"
"And freshen up," Toni added.
"Swell." She glanced at the bar, where the men, in their bright Hawaiian sport shirts and slacks, were busy with shakers. "Lots of gin and not much vermouth, honey!"
Curt grinned, and the girls left the room. In the roomy bath, Sylvia examined her reflection in the long mirror above the double sinks. She straightened the top of her two-piece ensemble.
"Are you shocked, Toni? I mean, riding in with the boys in different seats?"
"Not if you aren't."
Sylvia giggled. Her blue eyes sparkled. "I thought it was fun! I-wasn't sure how you'd take it...."
"I'm broadminded, darling."
"Swell. I know we can talk about somethings I wouldn't dream of with anyone else. And don't think I'll be mad if you and Curt neck a little! Why don't we pair off the rest of the evening-and see what happens?"
Well, it was out Sylvia was making her 'pitch.' Could Ed be that attractive? Her irritation with him hadn't diminished.
"I wouldn't want a mess, Syl."
"Honey, don't be so naive! Don't you get tired of the same old routine?"
"I thought you and Curt were getting along famously."
"Honey, we are! But you're smarter than I am. Curt thinks you're superlative!"
"You like Ed-enough,"
"Oh, don't be so technical! Of course!"
Toni smiled. It might be diverting. Besides, she didn't want to disappoint Sylvia. That real estate transaction wasn't completed....
Her only doubts centered around how she could handle Curt if things progressed to the point of no return. He would expect to invade her. Well, she had handled other situations. Ed had learned her wishes. Curt would have to do the same.
"If you're ready, let's go," Toni said.
"I'm ready!"
Toni remembered her earlier thoughts about Sylvia. She slipped her arm around the blonde's warm, bare midriff.
"You're very lovely tonight, Syl."
Sylvia looked up at her with what Toni realized was a knowing search. Sylvia's eyes widened just a trifle. She leaned nearer. Something intangible, and yet intimate, passed between them.
Toni felt the blonde shiver.
"I've wondered...." Sylvia whispered.
Toni smiled. Another bridge crossed. She could read the flare of desire in Sylvia's eyes, her expression.
"This could be quite an evening!" Sylvia murmured.
"Yes," Toni said. "It could." Sylvia turned, floating against Toni. Toni felt the tug of interest, a light surge of forbidden excitement. She brushed her lips against Sylvia's. The blonde softened, her mouth heated respon-sively. Boldly Toni shot her tongue into the gin-scented depths....
Sylvia trembled. It was understood, of course, that Toni was the aggressor, the natural leader. She reached up and touched Sylvia's breasts.
A sound reached Toni's ears. Curt's voice, far away, saying the drinks were ready....
She released Sylvia.
"Ohhh-nice!" Sylvia murmured.
A night of many discoveries, Toni thought. Or is it just the gin talking?
As they went out. the door of the rest room, Sylvia caught Toni's hand and squeezed.
She whispered, "We can have lovely times, just us two...."
"We'll see," Toni answered.
Two of them, both willing, Toni thought. What kind of Pandora's Box have I opened?
"About time!" Curt said, poised on a bar stool, a cocktail glass in hand. Toni saw him blance at his wife, and also noticed the look that passed between them. Clear sailing, it seemed to convey.
Curt's smile widened. He patted the stool beside his own, looking now at Toni. Sylvia glided over to join Ed. The ride in from the country club appeared to have done him good. He didn't seem quite as drunk as before. Perhaps Sylvia's nearness had revived him. Certainly they had been thoroughly wrapped up in the rear seat of the car.
Toni took the stool beside Curt's. Immediately his left leg pressed against her right thigh. She returned the caress.
Curt held hk martini glass up. "Here's to a better understanding with our best friends!"
"Great!" Ed remarked, lifting his half-empty glass.
Sylvia giggled, leaning toward her 'date.' Swell! she gurgled.
Toni went along with the toast. Curt's left hand dropped under the bar. Again his fingers touched her knees. Being first with Curt in the front seat, and then with his lovely wife in the rest room, had stirred her want. Since his body shielded his moves from the other two, she didn't protest. His search became stimulating. She spread just a trifle, her thigh-flesh beginning to tingle.
"Beautiful!" Curt whispered, gazing at her in the back bar mirror. Toni knew she looked her best. Her dark hair, expertly waved, glistened in the subdued light. Before leaving the bathroom she had applied fresh lipstick, shaping her already full mouth into more fullness.
She noticed that Ed's right hand was out of sight under the lip of the bar. Sylvia's lips were near his ear. Toni saw the. blonde's tongue flick out....
"You're not hard to take yourself," Toni murmured, as Curt's hand slipped boldly higher between her thighs. She dropped her own right hand, and squeezed his leg.
Curt finished his drink and told a story about an airline stewardess. It was quite suggestive. Ed's laughter seemed to rasp in Toni's ears. Sylvia countered with another racy pun. Meanwhile, Curt's hand again reached Toni's femininity. A-gain she snugged herself against the cup of his palm. Her loins warmed; she enjoyed the caress.
Toni's desire climbed. She winked at Curt and murmured, "I never did see your den...."
Curt's handsome face appeared a bit flushed. He pressed harder. Toni's panties were very sheer, and the seductive tingles he aroused were beginning to thrill her keenly.
Finally, she drew his hand away.
He grinned. "I'm going to show Toni my den, kiddies. Any objections?"
"Not from me!" Sylvia remarked. "While you are gone I'll mix another drink apiece."
Toni slipped off the bar stool. Her short skirt fell back in place. Curt took her by the arm and steered her out of the recreation room.
Just like that, Toni thought. But he's not going to go as far as he thinks!
His den, she knew, lay just off the recreation room. He wouldn't get too fresh there-or would he? She didn't care, at the moment. Curt made no move to turn any lights on. Enough radiance filtered in from the rec room to give them ample vision.
"Let's try this sofa, Beautiful!" he whispered, squeezing her arm.
"We can sit here a while, but that's all," Toni said.
"Hard to get, huh?"
"I set the pace, darling...."
He chuckled, pointing to a wide couch. "Will this do, your Highness?"
She sat down, curious, still bubbly from his touches. This will be an experiment, she thought. I'm more excited than usual. I don't seem to feel any jealousy about Ed. I believe I'm more concerned about Sylvia!
That feeling and emotion could be explored later. She wasn't sure, when she sobered up, that she would care enough to risk a lesbian affair. A few remarks in the wrong places could damage her reputation, and might hurt business. Some of her biggest advertising contracts were with big straight-laced individuals.
Curt dropped down on her left. His arm snaked around her. She admitted to herself that Curt's nearness stirred her desire. The impropriety of it tickled her fancy; perhaps she had spent too much time with her work. She had achieved important goals, she was quite successful. Now, why not enjoy life a little?
His mouth farmed on her lips, and she let them open, shooting her tongue outward. He tried to push it back with his own, but she persisted. The contact was heady, provocative.
His hand sought and found the curves of her breasts. Her nipples, inside her no-bra bra, already tingly, erected sensuously. The loose bodice of her sarong gave to his searching fingers. A simmering, ginny heat claimed her. For the moment his aggressiveness didn't offend her.
She touched his trousers, opening his fly. She soon found him. There was no question about his virility she had been aware of it on the dance floor.
He trembled, jerking his mouth from hers.
"Bedroom real close, sugar," he said, lowering her strapless bra.
"I like it here," she answered.
"Afraid?" His voice was thick with desire.
"I'm a teaser," she answered, wanting to keep him in his place, as she did Ed. "This is just our first date."
He muttered something against her throat He fondled her bare breasts. The feel of his hand was good, stimulating her more.
"Man, are you firm!" he breathed.
"I keep in trim," she whispered.
He squeezed her with more ardor. She continued to caress him. He tried to tilt her backward on the couch. She resisted.
"What's the matter?" he asked, tightly.
"I'd rather do it this way."
He was fully aroused, quaking with need. His drives seemed stronger than Ed's. Again he muttered under his breath. His mouth closed around a swollen nipple. His hand snaked under her drawn-back skirt. He fondled her, his breathing heavy.
Finally he reached inside her panties.
She spread, lacing her fingers through his hair, enjoying herself. He was adept. Her passion soared; naunces of delight spread through her body
"Damn!" he breathed. "Stretch out-hurry!"
No!"
"This is kid stuff!"
"Take it or leave it," she said.
He moaned. Her hand continued to move rhythmically. He was fondling her in the right place now. She gasped, lifting toward his hand....
He shuddered. His body stiffened, and the climb of her own desire reached a swift, nerve-shattering peak of sensation. She felt the gouting of his maleness as stormy waves of relief curled through her loins, achy, intense....
She fell back on the sofa, swimming in her relief. It had come more swiftly than she would have wished, but at the same time it had been more keenly voluptuous....
He pulled away from her, jerking out his handkerchief. She heard his breath draw in. His face, in the shadows, looked taut.
"Teaser is right." he muttered, "You're no woman-you're still a teen-ager."
She had won again. She had put another vain male in his rightful place.
"I enjoyed it," she said, maliciously.
He cursed, rising to his feet. He wiped at his trousers with the handkerchief.
"I've had a belly full of this!"
She laughed softly. "I'm sorry I didn't go 'ape' for you, Curt You're a typical male. You pout when you don't get your own way in the bed!"
He snorted. "I feel sorry for Ed!"
"He knows where he stands, darling!"
He growled and stomped out of the room. Toni smiled, adjusting her bra and bodice. She walked through the rec room, finding it empty except for Curt, who scowled from the bar, and went to the shower room.
Evidently Sylvia and Ed had retired to a bed! How interesting.
Toni straightened her clothes, still flushed with her victory. She admitted that Curt might have gotten further if he hadn't acted so sure of himself. Well, let him stew!
Sylvia drove Toni and Ed home. All three were silent.
"I'll call you tomorrow, honey," Sylvia said, as she pulled into the Allison driveway. Toni murmured assent. She and Ed moved out of the car. They said polite good-nights, and a moment later Toni and Ed were in their living room.
Our lives are changed, now, she thought. But really, it all began last Tuesday night.
"Have fun, darling?" Toni said, dryly.
"I-I'm sorry," he answered, flushing.
"Away from Sylvia you feel less like a man, is that it?"
"You've been different lately, Toni. I think I feel more like a man."
"You prefer her lovemaking to mine, is that it?"
He had a sober, pained expression. "Frankly, yes."
Toni's anger tore at her innermost being. "You poor sap! Where would you be without me? Making peanuts!"
"There are things in life more important than making money."
"That's rich!" she snapped. She couldn't quite understand her fury. She had 'traded' too. Their guilt was mutual. She was still superior to him, but somehow she felt that he had won some kind of moral victory. "You love your position in the community!"
He glared. The intensity of his eyes, his manner, surprised her.
"I have something to say, Toni. You may not like it-and it isn't the gin talking. You have a lot of good qualities. I thought we could built a home together. I took a pile of insults. I don't like being 'Mr. Toni Allison.' I had women before you came along-and none of them were as self-centered as you. You can get a divorce if you want it....
But I'm sick of playing with sex! Either you're a woman or you aren't!"
She knew what he meant. Like most men, he considered the bedroom the most important place in the house, and how a wife performed there was all-important.
He shrugged. "I see I touched a raw nerve. Do you want me out of the house tonight?"
"Suit yourself!" she shouted. "And don't come in my bedroom."
His face was twisted, pale. "I'm sorry, Toni...."
I think he does care for me, she thought. In spite of Curt.
But she was too enraged to think any more about that. She flounced into the master bedroom and slammed the door. She stood rigid for several long seconds.
Frigid! Real passion! He was out of his mind! Her sex drives had always been strong. Very often she relieved her tensions every day....
This continual hinting from others about being 'carried away' and 'fainting' in the sexual embrace infuriated her even more. Some people placed too much value on sex. It had its place, but it wasn't everything!
She undressed quickly and moved into the bathroom. She needed a shower. She hoped it would cool her temper.
The needle-spray of water did help. Some of the gin vapors began to evaporate. As she toweled her body in the bathroom, in front of a full-length door-mirror, she admired her figure again, as she always did.
She thought idly of Curt and his disappointment. He had fondled her but he hadn't possessed her-no man ever would, completely! She was Toni Snell Allison, the leader, the girl who had moved into a man's world and had beaten a score of them in her climb to success. She was beautiful enough to pick and choose.
For the time being she didn't think she wanted any men hanging around, even Ed. Let him leave! The prospect of a new kind of adventure with Sylvia appealed to her more with every passing moment. The young blonde would bend to her wishes-there would be no battle with masculine vanity and aggressivness. She wondered why she hadn't thought of approaching Sylvia sooner.
The touch of the soft towel on her nipples caused them to erect....
Curt's attack had been too swift. She would have wished for a more gradual rise to culmination. He hadn't fondled her enough. Like all men she had been around-even Ed, before she had trained him-Curt hadn't learned the niceties of titillation. He had wanted to grab her and impale her.
Well, he had learned his lesson!
She dropped the towel and touched her breasts with her finger-tips. They tingled. She felt a wave of sensuous need. She remembered several times in the past when a bout of drinking had stimulated her into a second rise of desire in one evening. Those times' she had relieved herself, and Ed, and had retired to the bathroom to savor the rest of her passion alone.
Tonight she had been doubly aroused by Sylvia and Curt. Having a new man touch her had been diverting.
She sank onto the covered toilet seat, and spread her thighs. With her left hand she toyed with her breasts, Her right dropped to the seat of her need. It was an old pattern, but necessary....
Before long she was writhing and panting.
She slowed her pace. No need to get in a hurry with something good. Taste it, sip it, like a rare old wine.
Playing with a girl as cuddly as Sylvia might be real fun.
Toni spread her thighs further apart. She wiggled her bottom. She ran her fingers along the sweet inner planes of her thighs. The drinks gave her a feeling of complete abandon.
Now she teased her nipples until they were rigid and tingly. Her breathing quickened. Alone, she could do anything she wished.
At last she let her fingers slip back to the place of her desire. Her clitoris was unusually tender and sensitive. Curt hadn't done a good job-but she would....
She raised her hips again, admiring the shape of her long, trim legs. She curved herself upward, finding the very sweetest place, the little tip of her passion....
Now, slowly, she lifted her desire. Not too fast; just right....
Ohhhh-it was going to be good!
Every time she felt the quickening tremors of release beginning, she held, delaying her joy. She started to dream of Sylvia....
She rested a moment. She looked at her pointy nipples.
Now-it was time. She rolled her jewel and her breath caught. Just a little more, now-slowly, carefully. The waves of need swept along her thighs. She rotated her bottom in a frenzy of anticipation.
Ohhhh-now-! Her hand moved swiftly. Her breasts heaved, her loins burned.
The sharp little naunces came faster, faster....
Her nerves bunched; she gasped and then the flood of passion stormed her. It rose higher, higher, spilling into her being, tearing at her loins, bringing an achy kind of relief, but when her panting faded away, when her hips stopped lifting and she relaxed, she knew she had missed the real, deep joy again....
But this was all she had to have, really. A smart girl took her pleasure when she could have it-and she had picked her own time, her own place.
She sighed and stood up, reaching for a towel.
As soon as she was ready for bed, she left the boudoir and glanced into the living room. Ed still sat on the sofa, staring off into space.
Her anger had cooled but her irritation remained.
"Are you staying?" she asked dryly.
He glanced up at her. She wore filmy pink pajamas that she knew flattered her figure.
"Toni, let's have a talk."
"I'm ready for bed. I just wanted to find out if you planned to stick around." Again she felt cool and superior. At the same time she didn't relish the idea of what a separation would cause-talk, scandal, perhaps a temporary loans in business.
"I know you were sore a while ago," he said, lighting a cigarette. "I'm sorry for what I said. This may sound old-fashioned, but I still love you...."
"I'm surprised," she said, cattily. "Wasn't Sylvia satisfactory?"
He flushed. "You could have put the damper on the whole thing if you'd wanted to."
That was true enough. She had wanted to sting Ed, and she had, decisively. She had shamed and humiliated him. He was unaware of what had passed between herself and Sylvia. She had had fun and so had Ed....
Oddly, she felt sorry for him. She believed his declaration of love.
He liked their home; he was generous, easygoing.
He stood up, mashing out his smoke. "Do you want me to leave, Toni?"
"Let's call a truce," she said.
He managed a weak smile. "Do I sleep in the other bedroom?"
"Oh, come on. I'm tired ... We'll talk about it tomorrow."
He looked her up and down. "All right." His shoulders didn't sag, now. "I'd hate to lose you, Toni."
His words touched her more than she cared to admit. He followed her into the master bedroom.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sylvia Green relaxed in the big queen-sized bed and shivered with a sense of accomplishment.
She had finally broken through Ed's shell of reserve, and while Toni and Curt had been occupied in the library, she had drawn Ed into the bedroom.
Dancing with him, feeling his arm tighten around her waist, had worked the magic inside her. She had slyly seen that Ed had had plenty of gin at the country club. She felt sure that if he hadn't been drunk he wouldn't even have climbed in the back seat with her. In some ways, he was a bit straight-laced.
Curt was still fuming around out in the living room. Toni had really made him angry. Sylvia wondered just what had happened in there, in the library. Her only regret was that her fun with Ed had been interrupted much too soon. Her thoughts went dreamily back to the moment when Ed had moved into the back seat of the Green's car....
She had leaned against Ed, her Hawaiian costume offering little protection for her charms. Well, why did girls wear so little at a party, anyway? So then men could feel around, of course!
"You're a smooth danier," he murmured, his left arm going around her shoulders. She had seen to it that she sat on his left, so his right could roam about. The gin was kicking her. She felt bubbly and erotic.
Curt was pretty good in bed, and she liked him, but he could never give her quite enough. He lacked reserve. She had always believed, ever since she had been in her teens, that a girl should have at least two or three peaks to the man's one.
She couldn't help going wild when she was impaled. Men liked a hot bed-partner.
"Can't you say more than that, honey?" she whispered, in Ed's ear.
She wanted his touches. She hadn't had a 'stray piece' for a long time, not since that handsome stock broked had come to visit Curt, over a year before. She had to be careful, naturally. She had a position in the community. She'd had her eye on Ed for a long time. It appeared obvious to her that something was wrong with his love-life with Toni.
She was too bossy and overbearing. She wore the pants. Sometimes she felt almost sorry for Ed; some men wouldn't have taken what he did. She had often wondered if Toni did the 'bossing' in the bedroom.
Sylvia had something else in mind, too.
Her friendliness with Toni hadn't been without a purpose. At college Sylvia had learned that she liked girls as well as men. Her room-mate at the Sorority house, a tall willowy brunette named Teddi, had initiated her.
When a girl was single, it had a lot of advantages. No worry about contraceptives, and things were easy to arrange, because who noticed when two girls chummed around?
Of course, it wasn't quite as heavenly as with a good, robust male, but there were lots of thrills, just the same. Teddi had known how to really drag it out....
Sylvia was sure Toni had latent lesbian leanings-and maybe active ones, although Sylvia had heard not the faintest rumor. Toni was quite a public figure, and if she ever indulged, it would have been while she was out of town.
Toni attracted her. She had a slender, lovely body, firm breasts, a special appeal. And, of course, Sylvia liked it better when her girl-partner was the aggressor.
She decided she would go down to the Gazette office soon and give Toni a little come-on.
Now, she took Ed's hand and placed it on her Bikini-type halter. He trembled. She smiled to herself. A conquest was always tremendously exciting.
She noticed Toni sitting close to Curt in the front seat. She hoped they would get along; maybe the four of them could switch again.
Encouraged, Ed kissed her and his hand slipped around the jut of an eager breast Sensing his uncertainty, she darted her tongue between his lips, and his hand grew more impulsive. He shivered. In spite of the gin inside him, she could feel his interest. She hoped he didn't have too much liquor-but just the right amount was great It kept a man from spending too soon....
The kiss grew hotter. He lifted the covering from her breasts, and began fondling her with obvious enthusiasm The spiring of her nipples gave her a delicious, naughty thrill. Gin made her glands react wonderfully. It sharpened her joy, made it stingy, and she could usually climax a little harder.
The kiss ended.
"Great!" Ed whispered.
"Play with me some more, honey...." she whispered back. "They're having fun up in the front seat."
Curt would surely have his hand on Toni by now.
Ed was finally becoming aroused. She touched his trousers, briefly; she wouldn't be too forward. He probably hadn't had any strange stuff since he had been married!
At last his hand went to her thighs. She opened them invitingly. She giggled. She would let those two up front know she was having some fun.
Ed had a gentle, sure touch. He fondled her with considerable skill. When he touched the hug of her panties, she whispered again:
"That's it, honey-make me squirm!"
He trembled. Now her hand returned to his trousers. He was really big! She cozied him, feeling the interest in him. His hand pressed her girl-moved with more enthusiasm.
"Kiss my titties, honey," she breathed.
He didn't say a word. Probably not used to talking when he was enjoying himself. That always seemed to make it better for her.
He seemed a little reluctant to follow her suggestion, so she eased his head down toward her itchy mounds. Now he got the idea. He found an achy tip and she felt the delicious thrill of enjoyment. What better way to end an evening of drinking and dancing than with a new male?
"Ohhhh, honey!" she whispered. "You're doing swell!"
She wanted to open his trousers, but she could see that even with detours by Curt, they were now approaching home.
Much later, when Toni and Curt retired to the study, Sylvia was passionately ready for more dalliance.
"In the bedroom, now, honey," she murmured. Ed grinned. He was drunk-but she hoped not too drunk.
The bedroom was a spare, conveniently placed near the rec room. They entered the room, and she turned on one lamp. Ed stood there, rather confused. The halter she had pushed back in place while they had left the car and entered the house, she now took off.
He stared. His trousers bulged. She giggled and took off the rest of her costume.
"Come on, honey-time's a-wasting...."
Suddenly he came to life. He lowered his trousers and his shorts, kicking them away. He didn't bother with his sport shirt of loud colors. He trailed her to the bed.
She had an inglink that somehow Toni and Curt weren't going to hit it off too well. She realized she might have to hurry this. She would get him some other time-but right now she was ready.
She stretched out on the bed, and he sank beside her. His hand went to her vee, and she squirmed to encourage him. She found his manhood and encouraged him some more.
"Take me, honey!" she breathed. "Take me...."
He did. He swung above her, and when his rigidity met her femininity, she gasped, lifting, squirming herself around him. Nice and snug....
He kissed her nipples, and braced himself very knowingly. She knew she had to have him again.
Now, the good part began. She weaved and lifted and swung her bottom around. He was panting.
Far away, she heard a kind of commotion, and she hurried.
The strokes got better-and better-and ohhhh-it was going to be fabulous-and suddenly it was, and it was, and ohhhh-she spasmed swiftly, jerkingly, ginnily-crying out her joy, and just at the peak of her feeling she hugged him tight and he lunged with all his might.
She felt the throb of his climax, and she enjoyed a kind of second euphoria, a shivering of her pelvis regions.
She went limp. She sighed.
Voices from the rec room, angry voices, jerked Ed away, much too scon....
That was how it had been; and she remembered each detail with loving voluptuousness.
CHAPTER SIX
The next few days for Toni were busy ones. A slight rise in advertising rates at the Gazette needed her personal explanation; some of the local merchants were balking. She managed it smoothly. By mutual consent she and Ed had by-passed Tuesday evening. She decided they needed a few more days for 'cooling off."
His remarks about her 'frigidity' still rankled. They hadn't had their 'talk.' She had closed the real estate deal with Amos Hiller; the nice piece of lake shore frontage was hers. She had let Ed's office take the commission.
Wednesday afternoon Toni wasn't surprised when her secretary announced on the intercom that Mrs. Sylvia Green wanted to see her.
Sylvia came in breezily. Toni closed the door behind her guest. Sylvia wore a fetching sun dress of pale blue that displayed her figure to advantage. She had a new hairdo that made her look even younger than her years.
"Honey, you didn't call me!" Sylvia said, taking a chair in front of Toni's desk. Sylvia crossed her legs, and Toni found her eyes drawn to the short hemline. She jerked her gaze upward.
Toni made sure the intercom was turned off. She smiled. "I've been busy, darling ... Your father and I completed our business."
"I heard! Dad's pleased ... This winter he and Mom are going to Arizona."
"Good! Did you enjoy yourself-Saturday night?"
Sylvia giggled. "Oh, of course!" Her blue eyes seemed to caress Toni. She wasn't embarrassed by the question. "But what happened between you and Curt?"
"I didn't let him do everything he wanted."
Sylvia's eyebrows raised. "I wondered ... He made some remarks...." She lowered her voice and leaned forward. 'Didn't you-let him?"
Toni smiled. "Not all the way."
Sylvia appeared rather puzzled. Toni decided that the blonde probably couldn't conceive of not going the limit; they were no longer teenagers.
However, Toni had her own method with men, and she was more sure than ever that Curt wouldn't have cared about sex the way she and Ed did it. Being gored was not her idea of enjoyment It smacked too much of male domination.
And no man dominates me! she thought.
Toni changed the subject. "You look lovely today, Sylvia."
She meant the compliment. Sylvia radiated an aura of sensuous appeal. The bodice of the sun dress hugged her bountiful breasts alluringly. Her bare shoulders, very lightly tanned, were creamy, seeming to have a kind of depth, a translusence.
Sylvia smiled and winked. "Curt's going to be gone for a couple of days-to Seattle. Why don't you drop by tonight?"
Toni felt a tremor of interest. She had been tense the past few days, and there was no mistaking the invitation in Sylvia's eyes, her manner.
'I'll do it, darling."
Sylvia inhaled deeply. "You're very beautiful yourself, Toni. I guess you know I'm looking forward to-us."
The buzzer on Toni's intercom sounded. Toni winked back. The door was open for her, and she was going to step through....
After Sylvia had gone, and she had taken care of immediate affairs of her office, she experienced a strong urge to retire to her private toilet. No, she would wait. She would save herself for Syl.
She remembered her earlier thoughts about lesbian tendencies in her makeup.
However, there was an edge of hunger that had not been completely satisfied!-and it had begun the Tuesday evening before last. Perhaps a girl would be the answer-one as attractive and sexy as Sylvia. At least, one try wouldn't hurt anything.
The deal with Amos Hiller was closed. Even if Sylvia became angry, and they could no longer be friends, the blonde could do her no real damage. As Toni had decided earlier, Syl wouldn't be going around talking about it.
Toni hummed a tune and scanned an advertising layout a secretary had just brought in. She felt a tremor of anticipation. A new conquest might be very enjoyable!
"Honey, I'm so glad you could come!" Sylvia remarked brightly, sipping her highball.
Toni smiled over the rim of her own gin and tonic.
They were in the Green's living room, sitting side by side on an Early American sofa. Sylvia wore figure-hugging hostess slacks of pale blue that nearly matched the color of her eyes. The upper half of her ensemble limned the heft and prominence of her breasts.
The way they jiggled when she moved indicated she wore no bra, and Toni could see no pantie outline beneath the pajama bottoms.
"You're not wearing much, darling," Toni said.
Sylvia giggled. She slid nearer until their thighs touched. "I want to look-desirable, honey."
"Children all tucked in bed?"
"Oh, they're staying all night with friends. We have the whole house to ourselves!"
Toni experienced a keen wave of sexual interest She finished her drink and set it aside. She hadn't had to lie to Ed; she had said she was going over to visit Sylvia. What could be more natural? Besides he never questioned her moves. He would probably stay home and watch TV. When she had left the house he had been puttering outside with the shrubs. The Allison gardner took good care of them, but Ed liked to get his hands in the soil.
Toni dropped her right hand on Sylvia's softly-rounded thigh. A silken, electric charge seemed to jump from the blonde's flesh to her hand.
"Darling," Toni said, squeezing, "I want you to understand something. Whatever we do, don't develop a 'crush.' I've never done this-I'm not sure I'll want to-again."
"I understand," Sylvia murmured. She leaned against Toni. "I did-a few times, at college. I thought it was fun. I didn't get 'involved.' I guess I really prefer men!" She giggled. "But you're different, Toni. I had ideas the first time I saw you!"
Am I that different? Toni wondered. It was probably due to her activities in a man's world. Well, she couldn't change her basic personality.
"Guess I didn't catch the signal," Toni answered.
"I didn't want to make it too obvious," Sylvia said. "Anyway, we're together ... I've been shivery all day just thinking about it!"
Toni slipped her hand further along the other's thigh. Sylvia's seductive jasmine perfume, her extremely feminine contours, the red lure of her parted lips, shook a new, bright set of nerves inside Toni.
Sylvia got rid of her empty glass. She held her mouth up for Toni's kiss. It seemed natural enough to drop her mouth over Sylvia's, to flick her tongue teasingly between the warm, opening lips. At the same time Toni cupped the blonde's V, feeling her shiver. When Toni stroked her tongue deeply, Sylvia's response, her little moan of pleasure, fired Toni's desire.
Toni moved her tongue sensuously in and out, her hand lifting. She opened the top button on Sylvia's pajama-blouse. Sylvia thrust her breasts forward.
The stretch of shimmery cloth parted. Toni cuddled a warm, vibrant mound. Strange flames ignited in her loins. Sylvia's nipple erected, swelling.
Toni had known she would be the 'butch,' although the word displeased her. However, she was used to 'leading' initiating the love-moves. It gave her a sense of power. With Sylvia there would be no chance of her trying to 'take over.' The blonde was completely submissive.
Maybe this is the answer to my need, Toni thought, her own passion climbing. I bent Ed to my wishes, made him please me-and I did enjoy it up until that last Tuesday when he became too impulsive. I enjoyed that, too-but he tried to take over. Since then we haven't gotten along. I did mention wanting a child-and the trouble started.
Toni lifted her mouth, at last, "Ohhhhhhh-honey!" Sylvia gasped. "You're-good!"
Toni was very familiar with how she, herself, liked to be teased and brought very slowly to a crest, so why shouldn't she understand another girl's need?
Toni had donned a short skirt and blouse and a minimum of underthings. No hose or garter-belt.
Her skirt was halfway to her hips. "Feel me, darling," Toni murmured. "Oh, I'd love to!"
Sylvia's hand was soft and knowing. Toni's thighs burned as the blonde explored beneath her skirt. Tingly waves of pleasure spread through her loins.
"I'm ready for the-bedroom!" Sylvia whispered. "So am I."
The master bedroom was fluffily feminine, with deep carpet underfoot and a canopied bed. A lamp glowed beside it, casting a warm radiance about the spacious boudoir. Sylvia's breasts, sloping outward to rosy spiked nipples, weaved enticingly as she removed her pajama-top.
Toni undressed, quickly. The sweet spread of the blonde's hips-and she was a true blonde!-and the curves of her thighs brought a tightness into Toni's throat. Sylvia stretched out on the bed, completely nude. She writhed.
"I feel so frisky!" she said, giggling.
"I'll be there in a minute, darling."
Toni tossed her bra aside and slipped her panties down; they fell at her feet. She stepped out of them, lifting her arms above her head.
"Oh, you're like a beautiful bronze goddess!" Sylvia exclaimed. She drew a colorful, fringed pillow under her head.
"Put one under your hips, too, darling!"
Sylvia giggled. She did as she was told. "Hurry, Toni!"
"Let's play around a little," Toni said, feeling her nipples sharpen. She felt very abandoned. "Like to see me do a discotheque routine?"
"Oh, after a while! Please, honey-I'm hot to trot!"
Toni smiled. She approached the bed. She lowered herself down beside Sylvia. "I didn't think you ever used such words, Syl."
"I'm not as nice as some people think I am!' She reached out for Toni. She wiggled her tongue between her carmine lips. Toni kissed her, lightly. Their mouths seemed to weld together, Sylvia's tongue darted. Toni thrust it back with her own, taking charge. Being dominant was second nature for her.
She palmed Sylvia's breasts, tweaking the nipples. The blonde's skin-texture was velvety, seductive. Sylvia found Toni's mounds of desire, already tingly. Toni's nipples responded, stiffening Sylvia had a wonderful touch....
The kiss ended, at last.
Sylvia gasped. "Be good to me, Toni! You're really turning me on...."
Again Toni was surprised at the other's choice of words. She had never believed that 'dirty' expressions enhanced sex. That seemed to her to be immature. But then, Sylvia was younger, by at least six years. She had mentioned that her Sorority sisters at Oregon State had been very 'hip."
Toni realized, as she had before, that in some ways she was still rather naive. She had been much too busy carving out a niche in the business world Now she could start enjoying a few things she had missed!
She tickled Sylvia's outspread thighs, feeling little twitches of response. Her hand stole higher until she was teasing the blonde's femininity.
"Ohhhh!" Sylvia gasped. "I'm almost ready already!"
She found a very sensitive place. Sylvia moaned. Her head rolled from side to side. Her hands gripped Toni's shoulders, urging her down.
Toni moved her lips to Sylvia's breasts. The saucy nipples, rising from their beds of darker pink, were stiff with passion. She eased a rosy peak into her mouth, flirting her tongue, feeling the pound of Sylvia's heart-beat.
"Honey-do it!" Sylvia panted.
Toni was not quite ready herself. In spite of the intimacy of their embrace and the newness of the experience, she realized she had not reached the plane of excitement attained by her bedmate. A part of her being remained aloof, almost clinical. She had observed this before, even with Ed.
Her husband's stinging words returned to her. Frigid.
Bat I'm not! I'm sure I have the urge more often than most women.
She turned herself around, descending between Sylvia's thighs. The blonde hugged her frantically, winding her legs around Toni's head. Her hips weaved, pressing snugly. The pride of conquest stirred an answer in Toni's loins. Her mouth increased Sylvia's trembling. She hugged the blonde tightly, beginning to grind her mouth against the shivery girl beneath her.
They clung together. The bed sighed. The pillow under Sylvia's hips brought them into turbulent contact. Toni's flow of desire commenced.
At last, Toni lost herself-as much as she ever did-in the sweet climb to fulfillment. Achy twinges curled through her body. Sylvia strained and uttered little cries of rapture. They were racing, now....
Sylvia stiffened, her breath hot on Toni's thigh. "Ohhhh-oh-now!"
Sylvia turned into a wildcat. She clawed and vibrated. Toni drove harder, wanting to join her lover. And suddenly, she made it. Feathers brushed her spine, and as Sylvia's cry rang in her ears the fizzy wrench of her climax commenced. She closed her eyes, panting out her desire.
A moment later, when Sylvia quieted, Toni thought, it was good-but nothing special ... I didn't go 'ape' the way Sylvia did....
She rolled away from Sylvia. She stretched, savoring the euphoria of release, a balm of aftermath.
She glanced at the blonde. Sylvia, flushed, and a little sweaty, her breasts still taut, eyes closed, had obviously attained a plateau of passion that transcended Toni's.
At least I'm not a slave to my desire, she thought.
"Ohhhh!" Sylvia sighed, squirming like a kitten, turning toward Toni. "I-fainted!"
"Darling, I'm glad," Toni said, not nearly as pleased with the exchange as she had hoped.
I'm not a true lesbian, after all, she decided. I'm different, I always have been.
Oddly, she thought of Ed, and her irritation with him diminished. He would be home now, watching TV or puttering in his basement workshop. He hadn't left her. She reached a decision. Somehow she would have to prove to him that she wasn't frigid. She had denied him long enough.
"Honey, you're super," Sylvia whispered, her hands finding Toni's breasts. "Do it to me again!"
Toni sighed. The frilly bedroom, the whole panorama of their act, began to pall on her. "I don't feel like it, but I'll help you-"
"Ohhhh-please do!"
Toni moved her hand. She clasped Sylvia's femininity. She began the caresses that she knew would send the blonde into another orgasm....
When Toni reached home she was relieved to find that Ed was downstairs. Driving up to the house, she had noticed lights on in the exercise room.
She went quickly into the master bedroom, entering the shower. She wanted to rid herself of Sylvia's cloying perfume, the odor of jasmine.
Away from the Green house, she could look at the act with more detatchment. It had not been very satisfactory. And she was certain she wouldn't let it happen again-with Sylvia or any other woman.
As the first warm, soothing spray of water struck her body she decided that tonight might be the best time to reestablish her relationship with her husband. It was barely ten-thirty. Sylvia had begged her to stay longer, but she had resisted. She was more certain than ever that she needed a man. Sylvia hadn't touched her real core of desire. In fact, the blonde had simply awakened a deeper hunger, a longing that was not too unlike the sensations she had experienced the last time with Ed.
She had tried to rationalize her emotions following the Tuesday before last, and hadn't succeeded. Always before she had been so sure of her responses, her need. Then Ed had brushed something deep inside her, almost as if new areas of sensation had been momentarily exposed.
Then she had become angry with him. Why?
They had talked of a child, she had felt particularly warm toward him, he had dared to become somewhat aggressive, and-
She had flirted with Curt, to get 'even.' She had even let him fondle her, bring her to a crest....
Had Sylvia 'fainted' in Ed's embrace? Toni wondered if she should have asked the blonde a few questions about Ed. But that would make her appear less bright than Sylvia, and her pride was too strong.
Toni draped her body with a huge towel and patted herself dry. That finished, she hung the monogrammed rectangle carefully over its rack, and examined her image in the full-length mirror. Her breasts pushed forward, drawn taut by the action of the shower and the towel. Her nipples were sensitive, slightly swollen. Her dark hair, which she had protected in the shower, had a rich sheen of health.
I'm glad now I didn't stay with Sylvia, she thought. I tried it, and nothing stupendous happened. Curt stirred me more than she did.
If Ed's in the right mood, and I'm sure he will be when he sees what I'm going to wear, I think I'll let him go further than I ever have before!
She remembered what Sylvia had said about she and Curt trying new positions.
There was no reason why she and Ed shouldn't!
She left the bathroom, aware of a stir of excitement. She didn't like to think that being with Sylvia had planted seeds of doubt in her mine!-doubt about her own ability to respond in the sexual embrace, but the blonde had obviously experienced a thrill of enjoyment that Toni had somehow missed....
CHAPTER SEVEN
Toni swept into the living room wearing only a sheer pink wrapper, a tiny belt to hold it together in front, and a pair of sparkly high-heeled slippers. She had put on her most expensive cologne, in several strategic places, and had reddened her lips to match the color of her nipples....
Ed, wearing his Pendleton wool robe and pajamas, lounged in his favorite recliner chair, watching the Wednesday Night Movie. At her entrance he glanced up. His eyes lighted and held on her figure.
She saw that look of desire she knew so well transform his features. Obviously he was surprised. This was Wednesday, not Tuesday.
She smiled and took a chair opposite him. He pushed the off button on the remote TV control. She crossed her legs.
"Toni, you look great!"
"Thanks, darling.. I don't want to interrupt your show."
"Nothing special." His voice revealed his interest and appreciation of her charms. His tones deepened when he was sexually stimulated. "What'd Sylvia have on her mind?"
"Nothing much. Ed, would you mix us a martini apiece?" She found her own voice slightly tremulous.
"Of course, honey!"
He moved quickly out of his chair. But instead of heading immediately toward the kitchen, where they kept their liquor, he paused in front of her. The pupils of his eyes enlarged. He was drinking in the curves of her body, and she felt a tingle of reaction.
"What's happened, Toni?"
"I'm running up a white flag...."
"Damn! I'm glad...." The emotion in his voice was genuine. "I'm sory about Saturday night"
"Let's consider it past, Ed. Since last Tuesday I've been upset. I don't know why, exactly. I took it out on you. Curt won't ever touch me again, I can assure you!"
His hands trembled. He plunged them into the pockets of his robe. "Toni, I never did want to touch anybody but you! Sure, I'm kind of old-fashioned. But I still don't believe what a friend of mine said, years ago. He told me never to marry a real beautiful girl. He said they were self-centered, used to having men fawn over them. He said most of them were cold. I shouldn't have called you that-"
"Perhaps I am, in some ways."
"No! I don't believe it"
"But I'm not like Sylvia-in bed. Or other women you have known."
He flushed. "Damn it Toni! I love you. Whatever way you-prefer it-is all right with me!"
She held out her hand. "Darling, I'm sorry!"
He caught her fingers, squeezing. Impulse she drew him nearer. She stood up, lithely. In her high heels their eyes were nearly on a parallel. She moistened her lips.
The idea had grown in her mind, and now she had to express it. She slipped her arms around his shoulders. She whispered.
"Ed, I want you to treat me the way you did Sylvia!"
He trembled. His hands gripped her waist. She melted against him, and their mouths met.
Instead of being aggressive, she softened, opening her lips. His tongue shot into her mouth, his hands roved lower, out and over the curves of her bottom.
I'll try it once, she thought. He deserves that much!
Trickles of enjoyment spread through her being.
His hands were bolder than usual; she experienced a new kind of thrill in being passive.
I hope this isn't because I was over at Sylvia's! she thought.
She writhed her tongue around his, glad to have a man holding her. There was no sensation of un-naturalness, of doing the forbidden. The warmth building between herself and Ed was at least right.
Now his hand lifted to her breasts, and she drew away far enough so that he could insert his fingers between their bodies. His left hand continued to work busily, caressing her thighs through the gauzy whisper of her wrapper.
Finally, almost out of breath, he lifted his mouth away.
"Toni-you're beautiful, adorable!"
She rubbed her nose to his. His fingers shaped her breasts, and she felt her nipples rise tinglingly. She had washed Sylvia's perfume away, and now she wanted to push the rest of that experience out of her being.
I'm so glad he was home, and not down at the Elks or somewhere.
"I have to prove to you that a pretty girl is good in bed," she said, brushing her mouth to his.
"Damn!" he breathed, opening her wrapper. His hands grew bolder. The one on her breasts was the most exciting. Her nipples spiked enticingly.
Ed smelled clean and mannish. Evidently he had showered in the basement, after his exercises. She opened his robe, seeking his manhood. Surely Sylvia had done that!
She realized, grudgingly, that she was jealous of the blonde. Having Sylvia herself had not alleviated the situation. Her outlook concerning infidelity was not quite as 'modern' as she had supposed. Perhaps she was a bit 'old-fashioned,' too!
Ed's arousal added to her enjoyment
"Darling," she said. "Let's sit down-and relax."
He kissed her throat "I hate to let you go!"
She didn't insist. He continued toying with her breasts, his left arm holding her possessively. The 'surprise' of her willingness obviously thrilled him. She had broken the pattern of Tuesday nights.
A part of her still resisted the idea of competing with Sylvia. She wasn't sure she could throw herself into the act with complete abandon, as the blonde did, but at least a new intimacy with Ed appeared to be generating.
"The sofa would be better," he said, his voice thick.
"Whatever you say, darling."
As they drifted apart his eyes searched hers. "You're not just teasing me, Toni?"
"No. I feel especially good tonight"
He smiled. There was an eager, boyish quality about it. "I do, too, honey. I feel great!"
She slipped her arms around him, under the robe. She pressed her loins close. "Let's bypass the sofa and go in the bedroom...."
His smile widened. "You and Sylvia must have had quite a discussion, honey!"
She laughed softly. "We did, Ed...."
He doesn't suspect, and I hope he never finds oat, she thought.
Arm-in-arm they walked into the master bedroom. She already had turned the lights down, and, having taken a clue from Sylvia, had tossed several colorful pillows on the soft gold tufted bedspread.
He noticed the small change immediately. "You're very different tonight, Toni-and I love it!"
She smiled, standing away from him. She felt more sensuously warm than she had for a long time. Her breasts were out of the wrapper, pointy, already firmed by his touches. She lifted her arms above her head. The move accented them even more. She weaved her hips. She loosened the small belt that held the folds of her garment together from her waist down.
She remembered a movie she had seen a few weeks earlier. A go-go girl, poised on a small platform beside the bandstand, executing her motions of enticement, had intrigued Toni. She knew her figure was superlative, and that Ed admired it. All men did. But tonight she was with her husband.
"Yes!"
She laughed. She imitated a few of the discotheque steps, tossing the belt on the floor. Ed retreated to the bed, sitting down, watching raptly.
"I'm the luckiest man in Lake City!" he exclaimed.
She rotated her hips, pushing her breasts forward. The wrapper floated apart, all the way down. She felt a new delight in exposing her body for him; he was so appreciative. She wondered why she had never thought of this before. She was daring and original in her work; she was very successful. Why not enjoy variety at home?
Usually they sat on the sofa and indulged in the sex preliminaries. Tonight was going to be different!
She paused, smiling. "Why not take off your robe, and pajamas, Ed?"
He jumped as if she had pierced him with a needle. Quickly he removed the wool robe, then the pajama-tops.
"The rest, darling!"
He flushed lightly. He unbuttoned. The lower half of his pajamas dropped. He kicked off his slippers. She gazed at his naked loins and experienced a sharp wave of desire. She stepped toward him, letting her wrapper float to the carpet
"You're very lovely!" he said, his eyes hungry.
"Let's dance!-this way," she murmured, daringly.
He trembled visibly. He came forward, swiftly. She melted in his arms, keenly aware of his better-than-average physique. Her nipples on his chest, where they very seldom rested, tingled voluptuously. His lips touched her warmly below her ear.
"Toni," he whispered, "I love you more very second!"
She curved herself nearer, her heart pounding. His hand swept down her waist to her bottom. He brought her hips even closer. Provocative tremors possessed her, deepening her want. Her breathing became uneven.
Dancing in front of him had stimulated her; she pulled him toward the bed.
Watch it, now. Let him lead.
He didn't object. She released him and eased down on the counterpane. He followed. They stretched out side by side. Immediately his hand found her femininity, and she spread for his caresses.
"Why the pillows, honey?" he breathed.
She seized one and lifted her hips, placing the pillow strategically.
"Is that better, darling?"
His hand trembled. She moved another pillow beneath her head. She wanted to see him. His fingers coasted along the smooth inner flesh of her thighs.
"You're so-different, honey!" he said tightly.
She laced her fingers through his hair, shivering as he fondled her most sensitive place.
"I feel different about everything tonight," she whispered, responding by writhing her loins, moving her legs even further apart. The pillow brought her femininity into greater prominence. Feathery tingles curled through her body.
He leaned above her, kissing her throat and then lower, to her achy breasts. His tongue touched a rigid nipple. He toyed boldly.
They had done this before, and she always enjoyed the dalliance, the waiting. However, he had new confidence. She had asked him to treat her as he would Sylvia, and she discovered a welcome delight in being relaxed, permitting him to be the aggressor.
It won't hurt me to let him proceed the way he wants-just once. We can always go back to the other way ... He knows I'm surrendering only in bed. I'm still superior!
His lips on her breasts created a flurry of intoxicating thrills. She reached for and found his manhood. He moaned with excitement He was extremely ample tonight, more throughly aroused. With her free hand she encouraged him to proceed.
He swung above her. She accepted him between her heated thighs. She guided until they made bubbly contact. She released her hold.
This was his signal! Not since their honeymoon trip, when she had found his invasion rather painful and a bit too animalistic, had she given him free reign. He gasped out his appreciation, and she found the penetration much smoother than she had expected.
Her zone of passion was temporarily bypassed, but she was determined now to And oat.
She clasped him with her thighs. He went deep-deep ... The pillow beneath her hips made his effort much easier!
He didn't fall on her and mash her. He braced himself considerately, lowering his head to kiss her nipples.
A voluptuous thrill commenced. His strokes, the intensity of his pleasure at being where he was, free to take her, began to make her dizzy with want. There was a surprising depth to her sensations; she felt on the edge of something strange and wonderful. .
Erotic images pranced through her mind. She lifted, the heat between them mounting, mounting....
She couldn't watch any longer. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, closing her eyes, as little waves of pleasure stirred in an altogether new area of her being....
But suddenly, right when she thought she was being transported into her climax, the floaty sensation diminished. She came back to earth, to the bed.
Ohhhh-no! she thought wildly.
His penetrations were not as thrilling as before. She strained, trying to recapture that edge of rapture she had almost reached.
She bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. She was now too aware of his efforts, his pauses, his thrustings....
She couldn't deny him, though. He was almost ready to peak.
"Hurry!" he panted.
She couldn't answer. She held him and whispered daring words, and suddenly he convulsed above her. His shudder she knew only too well, but his cry was loud and fierce!
She felt the outpouring of his desire, and he sank down on her, quaking, still stroking....
When he quieted and fell down beside her, she gripped his righl hand and guided it to her achy loins.
She had to finish! She was still afire, in the familiar place.
His hand moved. She shuddered, clutching the bed spread. She writhed. Swiftly, in a series of fluttery responses, her nerves exploded. She floated into her climax.
The intensity of it gratified her-but something, that wonderful something, was lacking....
A moment later she returned to reality.
"Toni-I'm very sorry!" he breathed, kissing her shoulder.
He failed! she thought. I gave him his chance, and he flunked out! I've learned quite a lesson.
"So am I," she said, dryly.
Her desire cooled swiftly. She rolled away from him, sitting on the far edge of the bed. Anger built inside her.
"Toni-don't look like that!"
"Well, we won't try that again!"
"Please, honey-I tried. I really did!"
She wiped the tears from her eyes, ashamed of them, now. She felt a wave of contempt for him, for all men. So sure of their virility, so confident!
She had been perfectly content with her life and her emotional outlets until that Tuesday, a week and a day ago.
Children indeed! She was glad now she had used a contraceptive. All her plans about 'discovery' were washed down the drain. She was furious.
I submitted to him, I tried to act the way 'ordinary' women do. Well, I'm not ordinary. I'm different. And naturally, I was disappointed.
"If we do it again it will be on my terms, Ed," she said, leaving the bed, striding toward the bathroom.
He muttered something like a curse. She banged the door shut after her.
Wait till next time, she thought, viciously. I'll train him all over again. And if he doesn't like it, he can get oat!
CHAPTER EIGHT
Saturday afternoon, as Toni entered the house, she heard the phone ringing. She took the white extension instrument near the big living room sofa.
"Yes?" he said, rather tiredly. She'd had a headache most of the day. She had discharged the telephone operator at the Gazette. She was not in the best of moods.
"Honey, how are you?" It was Sylvia. Her voice dripped with intimacy.
"Not at my best," Toni said.
"Curt has to be in Spokane tonight Like to drop over?"
Toni had already made her decision. "No, Sylvia.
"What's the matter, honey?"
Toni knew both she and the Greens had private lines; no one could eavesdrop. "Sylvia, I want to keep you as a friend, but-not a lover."
There was a small silence. "But I thought ... You really rang my bell, honey. I don't understand!"
"I prefer men," Toni said, coolly.
"Well!" Sylvia's voice turned dry. "You are a teaser, aren't you?"
"I don't want to discuss it!" Toni said, sharply.
"Well, I hope I don't see you around, then!"
Toni dropped the receiver. She was angry again. 'Rang my bell,' indeed! How crude.
I'll live my life the way I want to, she thought.
She rose lithely from the sofa. She needed a shower. Then, after a few exercises, to tone up her figure, she would go for a swim. The weather had turned very warm.
Ed would be at the Loon Lake Country Club, of course, playing golf. He liked Saturday afternoons there. Sometimes she joined him in a foursome, but today she was restless. Her headache, she decided, had been caused by too many stresses at the newspaper. For a change, she would go to the municipal beach. The Allison pool, at the rear of the house, didn't appeal to her today.
She needed diversion. Perhaps even a vacation....
Since Wednesday night she and Ed had said very little to each other. For the time being she was content with the arrangement. They hadn't talked any more about divorce, and this suited her, too. Tuesday night she would show him! She would push him down where he belonged. She would remind him again that she was the Boss.
At two o'clock Toni parked her Caddy in a slot near the Lake City park, gathered up her towels, umbrella, radio and sun-tan lotion, and strolled toward the beach. The pine-scented air was a balm to her nerves. The clear green lake water, the wide stretch of white sand, lured her.
Striped unbrellas dotted the gentle slope of beach.
She wore a bright red Bikini she knew would attract attention-and already was. A few oldsters, sitting on a bench in the shade, stared at her. A youth of about seventeen whistled wolfishly. She smiled. She began to feel better.
She picked a spot of clean sand away from the general clutter, spread her towel and arranged her umbrella. She put on her dark glasses.
A clean-cut blond man, wearing very brief swim trunks, turned to stare at her. She had never seen him before. Probably a tourist. He left the shoreline and strolled in her direction. He had a beautiful tan. He had the appearance of a life guard, but obviously he wasn't. His wide shoulders and narrow hips intrigued her.
She decided a little beach flirtation might lift her morale. She was tired of the dreary country club set. She had even tired of golf. The club pro was the only person who could give her any real competition.
"Hi!" she said, invitingly.
The man paused, smiling. He had wonderful, even teeth. He was quite a specimen. There was a hint of dissipation in his appearance, as though he lived well, perhaps a little dangerously. She decided he was around thirty-six. The proof of his virility was revealed in his eyes, his rather sensuous mouth and more clearly in the bulge of his trunks....
"Hi yourself, beautiful!"
"Come and sit down," she said, her heart beating faster.
He grinned. "I saw you leave your car. You're quite a bundle."
He eased gracefully down on the edge of her colorful beach towel. She saw his eyes slide over her figure, and then come to rest finally on her left hand where her wedding ring caught the light
"The ones like you are always married," he said.
She smiled. "Don't let it throw you. I'm Toni Allison."
"Jud Willows, here. I think this is one of my better days!"
"You're not married, then?"
He smiled, sifting a handful of sand through his tanned fingers. "Not at the moment, Toni. Do you model?"
She laughed. "Thank you! I was asked at college, but I was too busy."
"Dating, I suppose."
"No. Carrying books."
"Ummm. You look sharp. You're Class. I'm very outspoken, Toni. I like conquests-I don't have to work. I think you're interested"-but I don't want to run into a jealous husband."
She laughed again. "I do what I like, Jud."
Desire shone in his eyes. He looked at the twin mounds of her barely-covered breasts. She hadn't flirted with a strange man for ages. She felt her nipples stiffen against the cups of her Bikini-top.
"Look-what about a date tonight?"
"I'd love it. But I couldn't appear in public."
He grinned. "I can manage that! I'm staying at the Shore Lodge. Would you mind sneaking in the back way?"
"You don't waste any time, do you?"
"Hell, we're both grown people. Do you know you've got the best legs I've seen for months?"
She flexed her thighs, drawing one leg up. She knew her femininity was clearly outlined. She basked in his admiration. A naughty thrill raced up her spine.
"Thank you again! You're quite a man."
"I keep in trim. I see you do, too." He searched her face. "I guess you know you look like a certain famous movie star."
"Yes, but I like to hear it"
He smiled. "I think we can have fun, Toni. I'm guessing you're twenty-eight Right?"
"You missed! I won't tell, though."
"Are you broadminded about sex?"
She flushed. "Let's take a swim. We'll talk about that later."
"First things first, Toni. Can I pick you up somewhere, tonight. Or would you rather come alone?"
"I can manage alone, Jud. What's your suite number?"
He winked. "Ten-A."
"I like martinis."
"The best drink for lovemaking!"
"You are outspoken, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "Not really. Not the way some people are. I detect that you're a career girl ... Attorney?"
She laughed. "No. I might as well tell you. I own the local newspaper."
"The hell! I'm flattered...."
She liked him. She had from the moment she had seen him. Her nipples tingled again. Her headache was gone!
"Don't you work at all, Jud?"
"There's an office at Spokane with my name on it. Good old Dad left me some choice mining stock. You've heard of the Rainbow Mine, I suppose."
"Naturally."
He grinned. "I'm not in this end of the country much. I prefer California."
"Lots of willing girls, I suppose."
He winked again. "You'd be surprised."
They continued talking, flirting. He didn't brag. He liked good jazz, but he played no instrument. His lean, muscular body continued to interest her.
But I won't let him go all the way, she decided. I'm sure he already understands that women are the superior sex, that his 'conquests' are arranged by girls.
"Aren't you going in the water?" he asked. "Not now. It would spoil my hairdo."
"Ummmm. You want to look nice tonight, eh?"
"Of course."
"Hell, you'd look sexy in sack cloth."
"Maybe I'm not as sexy as I look, Jud."
"Are you kidding?" Again his eyes absorbed her body, lingering on her loins. "Don't tell me you've got a complex or something." She smiled. "Wait and see!" The bulge in his swim trunks was more noticeable. She felt a sensuous delight. She was sure, when she reached home, that she would have to relieve herself. The day before, at the office, hadn't been very satisfactory. She laid the blame on Ed. He had nicked her self-confidence, and she had to regain it.
When she reached home, Ed was in the living room. He still wore his golf togs. He appeared a bit tense.
"What's the matter?" she asked, tossing her beach robe on the sofa.
"I think we ought to have a talk, Toni."
The pleasure she had experienced on the beach, with Jud, and the prospect of meeting him that night, lingered warmly in her mind. She stretched, knowing her beauty tantalized him.
"I'm not in the mood," she said, curtly.
"Are we going to go on like this-just living in the same house?"
She shrugged. "Take it or leave it, Ed." She wanted to put him in his place, once and for all. "A divorce would hurt you more than it would me."
He flushed. "Are we-going out tonight?"
"I am. You can do what you like. Sylvia's alone ... Curt's away.
His eyes hardened. He started to reply, and then turned. He walked away, shoulders slumped. For a fleeting instant she felt sorry for him. He was trying.
He turned, suddenly. His face was twisted. "Toni, why don't you see a doctor? There's a woman pschyatrist in Spokane I've heard a lot about. She's an M. D...."
Her lips curled. "A head-shrinker? Don't make me laugh! Maybe you're the one who needs help!"
He shook his head. He left the room.
Again she was puzzled by her cold behavior toward her husband. After all, she had asked him to treat her like an ordinary woman. Were the results really his fault?
She shook the thought from her mind. She strolled into the master bedroom, clad in her Bikini. She surveyed her image in the large vanity mirror with satisfaction. She had had no trouble attracting a handsome male, no trouble at all. The red cloth of her halter hugged her breasts aUuringly. Today they seemed just a bit larger than usual! She held them with her hands feeling a wave of sensuous delight. Just talking and flirting with Jud had stimulated her.
She resisted the impulse to relieve herself. She would wait until tonight! She liked Jud much better than-Curt. She wa ssure the blond giant would know how to please her....
By nine-thirty she was ready to leave the house. She had eaten a delicious crab salad Elsie had left in the refrigerator, and had chased it down with light, dry wine. She wore her most daring cocktail frock, very short-skirted, the bodice cut to display the proud thrust of her breasts. Two tiny straps held it up in front, although the clerk at the Bon Marche in Spokane who had fitted her had told her that with her figure, meaning her breasts, she didn't really need the supporting pieces.
Underneath she wore the bare minimum-sheer half-slip, bra and panties. Her nylons were the high, thigh-clinging kind that required no garter-belt. She had heard Ed drive away half an hour earlier. He would probably go the Elks Club and play poker. Now and then he enjoyed an evening with 'the boys."
I don't even care if he goes to see Sylvia, she thought, slipping her light jacket around her shoulders.
She drove along the gently-winding shore road, enjoying the sight of moon-dappled water, the blink of neons at the city center. The cool breeze off the lake refreshed her. She had taken great pains with her grooming; she knew she looked her best.
The Shore Lodge sat on a wooded hill overlooking the south end of the lake; it had the region's most luxurious accommodations. Toni had been there several times on business, she was familiar with the cocktail lounge, the cafe and the lobby and meeting rooms-but she had never been upstairs.
She parked boldly in front of the lounge. She had already decided that being sneaky and furtive would gain her nothing. Leaving her Caddy, she entered the hotel lobby. She saw no one she knew. Two scantily-clad young girls who had just come in from the pool, their swim suits still wet, attracted most of the attention.
She walked to the wide stairway that led to the upper storey and calmly mounted the thickly-carpeted steps. The clerk on duty glanced at her, smiled, and returned to his ledger. Everything at the Shore Lodge was informal.
She found 10-A with no difficulty. It was at the south edge of the building. Jud would have a lake-facing view, of course. He had money.
Probably more than she, herself, could command. She had already called the local Credit Bureau and had checked him out ... Toni liked to be through. She didn't intend to be bamboozled. The Willows family was quite prominent in Spokane. He hadn't told her any obvious lies.
She rapped lightly on his door, her heart fluttering. A bellhop came by carrying a plastic, monogrammed bucket of ice. He gave her an admiring appraisal and passed on down the wide hallway. A potted shrub beside 10-A added to the luxurious atmosphere.
The door opened. Jud, in an open-necked sport shirt and form-fitting slacks, smiled and flung the portal wide.
"You're on time!" he said, banteringly.
She smiled back. She was just a bit breathless. "I wouldn't miss this for anything!"
As she entered he closed the door behind her. He whistled. "Toni, you're a knockout!"
"I spent an hour getting ready," she said, lightly.
"Jees! I appreciate it ... I've been thinking ever since this afternoon how damn lucky I am. I even did some phoning!"
"You're so trusting!"
"A guy in my position has to be--careful, Toni. You could have been a clever girl with a clever line."
She removed her sleeveless jacket, tossing it on the nearby sofa. His blue eyes flared with interest.
"I made a few calls myself, Jud. You could have been a beach-bum, out for a quick shakedown."
He laughed. "I guess we understand each other. You have one hell of a figure! But I guess I told you that, this afternoon. Everything blends together!"
She sighed, feeling more at ease. The suite was slickly modem, with plenty of glass and brick planters. His casual manner of accepting her company indicated he was used to female visitors; his money and looks would draw them like flies.
"I have a big shaker of martinis going to waste," he said, moving in front of her. The aura of masculine appeal, his good looks and his superlative body, sent a sharp thrill along her thighs.
"You're smooth, Jud. I'm not as used to this as you might think."
"Been playing it true-blue, eh?"
"Not altogether."
He laughed, touching her arm. Even his fingers thrilled her. "Come on, Toni. Drinks and conversation. It won't rush things."
He led her into a sumptuously-furnished room that offered a full view of the lake, as she had guessed. A few bonfires were visible along the sweep of lake shore. On a coffee table in front of a long sofa sat glasses and a silvery, frosted cocktail shaker. Toni liked the right atmosphere for dalliance. Even the muted stereo music was appropriate.
"You think of everything, don't you?" she said, coyly.
"I even have negligees."
"Very proper indeed!" She sat down in front of the coffee table. Her short skirt hiked back above her knees.
He glanced down. "I like this new trend in skirt-lengths."
She laughed. "A girl should show her best points."
He moved down beside her and poured. He placed olives in each cocktail. The gin sparkled enticingly in the subdued, indirect lighting.
They talked a while, still sparring with words, his eyes drinking in the curves of her figure. The gin warmed her tummy, spreading like a warm hand through her loins, her breasts. She discovered he knew a great deal about mining, and he had a grasp of the newspaper business that surprised her. He didn't seem quite so much like a professional playboy.
After the second martini, his left hand slipped around her shoulders. "You're raising hell with my glands, Toni."
She trembled, offering her mouth. His right hand circled her waist. She was completely ready for his kiss.
His lips were firm, the pressure of his arms warmly possessive. She flirted her tongue outward, letting her mouth soften, then open slowly. He invaded deftly, winding his tongue around hers. His hand lifted to the tight swell of her breasts. Intoxicating lances of desire curled through her being. She had denied herself at home, and now the longing came swiftly, sharpened by anticipation and his finesse.
He lifted his mouth before she was entirely satisfied with the tongue-play.
"You're mean!" she whispered.
"I don't want to be a glutton on the first attack."
She laughed, softly. His fingers caressed the bared slope of her breasts. Her nipples perked tinglingly outward against the hug of her bra.
"I like a slow buildup myself," she said. "Ummmm. Good!"
He kissed her again. This time his hand lowered to her knees. His touch was light and sure. His tongue inside her mouth grew bolder, and so did his fingers. He reached the tops of her nylons, caressing her thighs. She ran her fingers through his hair, over his ears, around the nape of his neck. She opened her thighs.
He didn't grab. Her flesh began to burn with sensuous heat His fingers roamed along her legs, and finally reached her panties. His tongue vibrated thrillingly.
I need this! she thought lifting her hips boldly.
She trembled and felt his answering shiver. He cupped her femininity. He explored. Their mouths parted.
"Ohhhh-nice!" she breathed, the sight of his hand under her skirt giving her an added thrill.
"Need another cocktail?" he murmured, into her mouth.
"No-not now." She hated to move, just yet
"Like to try one of my negligees?"
"Later...." She arched her breasts forward.
He chuckled. His hand left her thighs and he found the small catches that held her frock-straps in place. He undid them. Her bodice loosened. He drew it down. Her nipples tingled anew.
"Wonderful bra, Toni!"
"I thought you'd like it...."
He shaped her mounds with his hands, and she had never been so eager to have her bra removed.
"I've looked forward to this," he said.
She watched his hands. He located the fastener between her breasts; he undid it. She was proud of her firmness there; her exercising had paid dividends. He pushed the halves of her bra aside. Her nipples, in their smoky aureoles, stood out hard and swollen. The band of lighter flesh, where the sun had seldom touched, was like a built-in bra-but she was bare now, excitingly exposed.
"Neat and lovely!" he whispered, cupping her breasts.
"Darling, you're so skillful!"
Provocative, prickly waves of desire curled through her body. He toyed and teased until her breasts firmed even more, until she was thoroughly spiked.
"We're wrinkling your frock, Toni...."
She gasped, swimming in a haze of rising want. He wanted her nude, of course.
"I'll take it off-soon," she whispered, her breathing jerky. "Don't stop!"
His arm tightened around her waist. He kissed her throat, and she caught her fingers in his hair, drawing his mouth toward her breasts. His hand returned to her thighs-where she wanted it!
His lips captured a nipple. She vibrated, losing herself in his touches. Now his hand was inside her panties....
"Ohhhh-Jud!" she gasped.
Flurries of delight spread through her loins. His tongue and lips made her nipples ache with fiery longing. Slowly, slowly he brought her passion higher. She strained and panted. Suddenly a sweet bunching in her loins, a knifing wave of tremors, shook her from head to toe....
"Ohhhh-OH!" she cried.
Her peak came furiously. She gripped him, shuddering out her joy. It was honey-sweet, keenly efervescent....
A moment later he released her. She sank back on the sofa, breathing deeply.
"Aren't you being a little selfish, Toni?"
CHAPTER NINE
Ed drove around town a while, his thoughts dark and cloudy. He had taken a lot from Toni; he had about reached the limit of his endurance, his patience.
She was going out-he could do what he wanted to.
He remembered something Toni had said. 'Sylvia's alone ... '
Sometimes he wished she were a man, truly. He would knock some sense into her proud, cool head! His hands clenched. At college he had done a lot of boxing; he had been very good, in fact.
But he knew he would never strike Toni. She needed help-and his suggestion about having her see a doctor had drawn the kind of response he should have expected. He was getting damned sick and tired of being called 'Mr. Toni Allison,' too. Oh, they never said it to his face, but the word got around.
Toni was an admirable woman. No matter what her faults, in the bedroom or out, he realized he still loved her.
If I could ever get her to climax good and hard, the way a woman should, I think she'd settle down.
He recalled the experience with Sylvia, the 'switching.' Now there was a girl who liked her sex; she really let go.
Toni's words still burned in his ears. He was still angry. And in spite of Sylvia's drunken, abandoned behavior he had decided that he wouldn't go back. She had called his office a few times ... tossing out hints.
Be damned if I'll go to the Elks and get a skillfull of booze. If she can play around, I can, too.
He was almost sure, from the way she had gussied herself all up, that she was planning some sort of dalliance. He almost hoped that some man, if indeed it was a man, would find some way to awaken her properly, so she would stop her kid-dish teasing and fondling and having her light, clitoral pleasures.
He wasn't unaware of the fact that a woman like Toni might go for another girl; she had some of the qualities that might possibly lead to a lesbian situation-Could her date tonight be with Syl? He laughed to himself. What delicious irony if he and his wife were both thinking about the same package of curves! The blonde certainly had plenty to spare.
He spotted a phone booth near a service station, and pulled the station wagon in beside it He knew the Green's number; the recent real estate transaction involving her father's land had impressed it in his memory.
Inside the booth, he dropped his dime and dialed. His hand trembled a little. The evening he and Toni had traded partners seemed more vivid in his mind.
To hell with high morals, he thought, darkly.
On the second ring, Sylvia's voice came sweetly over the wire.
"This is Ed," he began. "I'm out on the town...."
"Oh, really?" she answered, her voice suddenly soft and intimate. She laughed. "And Curt's away...."
His heart pounded. "Mind if I drop over, Syl?"
"Of course not, honey. I've even got the kids farmed out...."
He felt a stir of desire. "Be right there, Cuddles."
She giggled. He had called her that the first time, when he and Toni had traded. He had been surprised at her responsiveness in the back seat of the car. And even more surprised when he had got her in a bedroom....
Curt had broken things up early, though. He had been sore at Toni. He was sure she had treated him superficially, exerting her dominance. And evidently Toni was no longer interested in Curt. He wondered just who she was out with. Not Sylvia, at least He hoped it was a man. The idea of his wife going for lesbianism somehow revolted him.
She's basically feminine, but she's been too damned busy trying to be important, and making money. That leeching mother of hers didn't help much.
No wonder Toni's father had turned into a drunkard. He had been driven there by domineering Freda. Mother and daughter were both a little too greedy about the green stuff. It was nice, but it wasn't everything.
Her wish to have a child had really hit him. He had always liked sports, and while boxing was the only area where he had done much, the idea of having a son gave him a big lift But things were fouled up good, now.
He drove into the Green's driveway. His car, sitting there, would cause no comment. It was quite dark and anyone would imagine that Toni was over visiting the blonde. He felt sure she wouldn't be out in public tonight. She had a hot date somewhere-and so did he.
The porch light wasn't on. Sylvia was thinking all the time.
She answered the door immediately.
"Come in, Ed," she murmured, ah smiles. She wore a revealing pale green mist of a negligee, belted snugly at the waist. She looked soft and cuddly and very feminine. Her hair shone, her mouth was expertly put on, and the wave of jasmine perfume hit his nerve-centers like a blockbuster.
Her bounteous breasts were sharply emphasized, the outlines of her nipples showing. The garment was drawn open at the throat to reveal the deep deft between her charms.
He felt a sharp urgency. She was Class, she was in his 'social strata.' She was no tramp. She was just a young housewife who had strong sensual drives, and was smart enough to do something about it.
"I guess you know I'm thrilled, honey," she said, closing the door behind him. She giggled. "That other time, we didn't have a good chance to really enjoy ourselves."
"I know."
She took his jacket, every move of her young body daintily appealing.
"Did you ever find out what happened between Curt and Toni?" he asked, although he had already decided that his wife had 'put Curt down.' She probably hadn't let him 'in."
Sylvia laughed. "No, not really. Curt was pretty sore. Talked about Toni being 'immature.'"
"Well, let's don't talk about them," he answered.
He strolled to a deep Early American sofa. She joined him, curling up attractively, the folds of her negligee, at her throat, drifting further apart.
As a change of pace, I do need a real woman, he thought. She really enjoys it. And I still believe that I'm the only one who can turn my wife on, if she ever does. She loves me or I'd have been kicked oat before now.
He hoped she would go see a doctor that knew something.
Meanwhile, he had Sylvia....
"You don't have to hurry away, do you, honey?" she whispered, leaning nearer. "By damn, no!"
She giggled. "Let's really enjoy ourselves...."
He slipped his left arm around her shoulders. That other time he had been too conscious of Curt's and Toni's presence in the house. He knew what she meant.
She trembled. He let his right hand drift in on her bare throat. Waves of woman-fragrance invaded his senses. He sensed that she liked to talk about things. That first time with her, they hadn't really had a chance.
"Does talking help you, Cuddles?"
"Ohhh-I love it!" she gushed. Her parted lips tempted him. She flicked her tongue between them.
The drapes were all drawn, soft lights glowed. Music came faintly from the big stereo. He was getting rigid, already.
His hand moved lower, onto the enticing slopes of her beast. "Like that, sugar?"
"Ohhh-dreamy!"
"You have wonderful breasts."
"Play with them-a lot, honey...."
He cupped a velvety mound. She trembled again, her lips drawing nearer. He felt her little nipple erect. She squirmed.
"You have such a nice touch, honey," she whispered.
"And you're very soft and appealing-sexy!"
Her lips brushed his. He shot his tongue out between them. Her arm went around his neck. Her fingers played with his ears, along his hairline. She softened against him, opening her mouth wide. He flicked his tongue in and out, and she shivered. He cozied her breasts, gently. He was really getting his charges.
While their tongues locked and coiled, as her breathing quickened, he teased her spiring nipples with all his skill. He realized he hadn't had much practice lately.
He opened the whole front of her filmy wrapper.
"Ohhhh!" she cried, softly, tearing her mouth away. "The things you do to me!"
She began opening his sport shirt. Her light touches on his chest were provocative. Toni had tried being yielding and feminine, and for a while he had thought he was going to succeed-but he hadn't. There was no question about Sylvia's responses; she was all-girl. What was a little infidelity in this day and age?
Gently he unbelted her negligee, spreading the sheer folds of her garment. He slid his hand down her tummy.
He could see her breasts, now-swollen, jutty, her nipples like small ripe strawberries atop their little minor crests, deliciously enticing.
"Ohhh-that's good!" she breathed.
He pressed her tummy, purposely avoiding the seat of her need, enjoying the view of her nearly-naked figure, her spreading, milky thighs, so sweetly contoured and rounded.
He tickled his fingers along the inner planes of her legs, feeling her tremors of appreciation.
"I'm so hot, honey! Talk-some more...."
"Want me to kiss your nipples?"
"Ohhhh-yes!"
He moved his head lower. Her fingers laced in his hair, drawing him toward her rigid peaks. He continued to cavort his fingers along the soft, inner areas of her thighs. He drew her right hand to his trousers.
She shaped him, giggling. She pressed. She found the zipper on his fly. Her hand stole inside, and she cleverly worked his manhood out of his shorts. She held his naked sword.
"Ohhhhh-you're so nice and big, honey!"
He was inspired, he had to admit.
He kissed the scented vale between her breasts, and she shivered. Her hand on him was very exciting.
Why doesn't Toni act like a girl, instead of trying to 'take over' ? he thought.
"Hurry-and kiss my-nipples, honey!" she gasped.
"I'm going to tease around, first."
His lips wandered over the bulges of her charms, as he avoided the contact she wanted. He circled her femininity with light caresses....
She lifted her hips invitingly. She spread.
"Ohhhh-now, honey!" she pleaded.
He continued his provocative game until she trembled all over.
"Ohhhh-now, honey!" she pleaded.
Finally, he cupped her woman-mound and popped a ripe, swollen rosebud into his mouth.
"Ohhhh!" she moaned. Her little shivers made him feel intensely masculine, pleasing his ego.
Gently he fondled her vee, the plushy zones of her need. She writhed. "You sure know-how to make a girl-pant!"
She was already dilated for the final assault, but he was going to make it last as long as he could. He found the moist point of her pleasure, and when he rolled it, she weaved her hips in an excess of her joy.
"Ohhhh-honey-I'm burning up!" she cried.
He kept teasing her nipples with his tongue, savoring her dainty shivers, seeking out the soft planes of her need.
"Let me get undressed, now," he murmured.
"Yes!"
He released her, and her hand came away from his manhood.
He stood up, watching her sprawled there on the sofa, lips parted, her nipples fully spired, her soft thighs wide apart.
He took off his shirt, loosened his trousers. He kicked his loafers away. She watched him through half-closed eyes. She lifted her arms above her head, and the move further accented the sweet jut of her breasts.
Finally, he removed his shorts. He stood naked in front of her. No hurry. Let her examine him.
"In the bedroom now, honey!" she exclaimed.
He nodded. He wondered what Toni was doing. He felt a pang of guilt, but it soon washed away. He might have to leave her, yet....
Sylvia rose from the sofa, and he followed her into the bedroom. He patted her on the bottom, and she giggled.
When they inside the boudoir, he noticed a lamp glowed beside the wide, queen-sized bed. She was all ready for fun. She had set the stage.
She dropped the wrapper, and it fell in a heap at her feet. She scooted onto the yellow luxury of the counterpane. She lifted her arms, opened her thighs.
"Come and get me, honey!"
But instead of piling right on, he leaned above her, fondling her vee again, dropping his mouth to her nipples.
"Ohhh-you better hurry, honey ... I'm about ready-for the first one!" she panted.
"How many more, Cuddles?"
"Ohhhh-lots!"
It was time.
He angled down between her thighs, and she gave a low moan of delight. She lifted, seeking him. And suddenly she found him-without ever using her hands....
The moist, heated contact made her shudder. She raised, her breath catching in her throat. The expanding of her velvety-hot cove was accompanied by a series of sweet shiverings around him.
"Ohhhh-ohhhh!" she cried.
He drove in deep, and suddenly he felt the first wave of her intoxicating tremors, the delicious claspings and tightenings....
By damn, if Toni could only do that, he thought.
He kissed her nipples, and her hips bounced, rotated, rising, rising ... She gasped.
A sharp cry came from her throat Her whole pelvis seemed to explode, and then the jerky little spasms of her climax tore at his reserve. With each throb she whimpered, shuddered, her thighs gripping him, her breasts heaving....
He was able to resist. He wanted to peak her as many times as he could.
When the fury of her release quieted her, at last she opened her eyes and gazed fondly up at him.
"Oh, you great big hunk of man, you!" He tensed and another tremor shot along her body. She stirred languidly, while he stayed deep and close inside, while her breathing picked up speed, again.
"Ohhhh-honey-I'm going! I'm-OHHHH-OH!"
The voluptuous tightenings around him were even more delectable. He gripped her, he sailed, and then he was lunging into his own thrill of rapture, driving, pinning her to the bed, lusting himself in her as he had always wanted to do with his wife, as he hoped she would-
Respond, like that, and that, and that!
The heavings of her peak jerked a shout from his throat. Man, this gal was really something ... She seemed to go on and on, until he fell above her, mashed her, and her soft body seemed to melt around him....
CHAPTER TEN
"I'm sorry, Jud," Toni murmured.
He smiled, drawing her right hand to his trousers. She found him. While she had been enjoying her aftermath he had unzipped. He was very adequate indeed!
"Anyway, I'm glad you're passionate," he said.
"I hope I'll please you, Jud. But I am different...." He kissed her throat again. "How is that?" he murmured.
Holding his manhood made her shiver with new longing. She wasn't surprised. The newness of the surroundings, his appeal, his smooth approach, made things extremely right and suggestive.
"I'm not very old-fashioned," she answered.
His mouth wandered to her breasts. She sighed, still relaxed, but in a moment her nipples hardened again!
"You mean you prefer variety?" he whispered. "Yes...."
"Hubby is old-fashioned, I suppose."
"Too much so!"
He chuckled. "I think we'll have fun." He moved away, and she released him. He stood in front of her, unbuttoning his sport shirt.
"Do you mind seeing me naked, Toni?"
"No."
He finished undressing. He made no move to hide his loins, his rigidity. He looked healthy and very fit despite the signs of dissipation around his mouth and eyes. But she had seen most of his body on the beach. Only the nearly-white of his loins was new.
"Let me undress you," he suggested.
She glided smoothly to her feet. "I'll do it, Jud."
"I'm glad you're grown up."
She laughed softly. He watched her as she ran a zipper down in back and lifted her frock over her head. She did it carefully so she wouldn't spoil her hairdo.
All that remained were her slip and panties, nylons and high-heeled slippers. The slip came down easily.
"I'd better use your faculties," she said.
He pointed toward a door on his left. He smiled at her. "Leave the nylons on, ho? And the slippers. They make you look very sexy!"
"I'll think about it," she answered, gliding away. She entered the bathroom and closed the door. A light was already on. The place gleamed with tile and mirrors.
She removed her panties and made herself dainty again. With a tissue she straightened the lipsticked outline of her mouth which had become slightly awry. She left her panties in the bathroom and returned to the living room.
Seeing him began to increase her arousal. She was confident now that she could climax at least two more times. Her heart raced.
"Ahhh!" he said, his blue eyes flaring with interest He was gazing at the dark triangle of her femininity. "The nylons and slippers add just the right touch!"
"You said that before."
He came toward her. She wasn't used to having a naked male, fully aroused, advance in her direction-especially with the lights still turned up. It was different and dramatically thrilling.
"Want to play around out here or go in the bedroom?"
She felt sensuous and eager. "Oh, let's stay here a while. I could use another martini...."
"You're a teaser," he said, winking.
She weaved her body, remembering her hip-twists of Wednesday evening. Soon now I'll show him who's boss, she thought. It won't end up the way that farce did!
He turned away from her and poured two more cocktails. A moment later, facing her again, he extended her a glass brimming with gin. He had forgotten the olive, but she didn't care. Her bared breasts already were firm with excitement. His eyes drank in her figure.
"Here's to fun, Toni!"
She raised her glass. They clicked the rims together. They drank, their eyes locking. His face was slightly flushed. She could hardly blame him.
The vermouth-tinted gin slid down like an elixir. She finished it in two swallows. Her gaze was drawn again to his manhood.
"Why don't you strech out on the floor and let me make violent love to you, Jud?"
"Give me that empty glass-quick!"
She laughed. He took the glasses, returned them to the coffee table. She remembered something she had read about how some girls pleased their husbands-as a preliminary. She had never tried it, even with Ed, but now she wanted to.
He angled lithely onto the carpet. "Whatever your little heart desires, beautiful!"
She moved to the sofa, letting her hips roll, and tossed several cushions on the floor. He grinned. He placed one under his head.
"I had an idea you might like to top-ride," he said.
"How perceptive, darling!" He laughed. "You're one hell of a girl, you know that?"
"But different," she said. "Well, I'm waiting!"
She sank down beside him. He started to turn and she moved onto her knees beside him. She leaned over and kissed his muscular chest. His hands found her breasts. Her nipples had never been sharper or more sensitive. Any kind of byplay stirred her.
She kissed lower, lower. She angled herself between his half-raised legs. He had to release her breasts. Now, she thought. It's his turn!
The initial contact with her lips made her tremble.
"Ahhh!" he breathed. His hands lingered on her hair, her shoulders....
The newness of the experience sent breath-taking shivers along her body. She decided she would have to do this more often! She began the moves of temptation, of dalliance, feeling his passion rise....
She caressed his loins with her fingers. What she was doing came easily, naturally.
"Turn-around!" he said, his voice thick with emotion.
She didn't. He was well on his way toward culmination. Her moves quickened. His fingers dug into her shoulders. His body writhed and shook. She heard his moan, aware of the tell-tale manly climax. He shouted, buckled-and she jerked away from him, just in time.
She had never before witnessed a male orgasm in exactly that perspective. The vision of his outpouring virility made her body quake with feverish longing.
He went lax beneath her, and she drew away, stretching out beside him, moving a pillow under her dark tresses. His contorted face assumed a peaceful expression.
"Well?" she asked, at last.
She was still the conqueror, still in command.
He could have her body-but not all of it!
He sighed, his hand squeezing her thigh. "That was neat, Toni. . Why didn't you climb on top?"
"You treated me and I wanted to treat you."
He didn't answer. He seemed still to be savoring his relief. He wiped himself with one of the pillows and threw it behind the sofa.
"You aren't even a little old-fashioned, eh?"
"No.. I"
"Are you hot again?"
"I can wait a while," she whispered.
"I don't want you to, Toni...."
He scooted down until his head was between her thighs. She gasped. She was atremble with want. She caught her hands in his blond hair. She spread, bubbly with desire!
The sensations were wonderful.
Sylvia had wanted to do this, but Toni had resisted. Now she found the act deliciously voluptuous.
Stormy tingles whirled through her loins. Her nipples were on fire. Her passion lifted, slowly and sweetly.
He was adept, as she had known he would be. He toyed with her need, until her nerves fairly screamed for release. Time passed, magically. His fingers kneaded her heated thighs. She writhed, lifting, rising, until-
Heavenly throbs of delight cascaded, like a waterfall, through her being. She cried out fiercely.
"Ohhhhh-OHHHHH!"
Another spasm shook her. She shouted again.
When she opened her eyes, she realized that, for the first time, she had experienced a multiple climax.
She floated for long seconds in her breast-heaving, trembly aftermath. Her nerves unwound. She relaxed, hearing his murmurs.
"Well, that was something! You've been starved for it, haven't you?"
"I-guess so," she answered. "Ummmm. There's nothing in the world like giving a lovely girl her jollies!"
"-don't like dirty words," she said. "Sorry. You're quite a wonderful creature, Toni. Haven't you ever done it-old fashioned?"
"I don't like it that way." He didn't answer. He lay quietly beside her, cupping a breast in his hand. "You want to again, don't you?" she whispered. "After while ... I like just holding you close." She sighed. "Well, don't start 'falling' for me. I'm very independent."
She began to feel a strange emotion. The light pressure of his manhood on her thigh suggested that she might like to have him inside Eer!
Ridiculous! After three crests she knew she could not have another ... Even the thought of it made her weak.
I've been girlish enough for one evening, she thought. The whole idea is fantastic.
She drew away from him, afraid that she would turn and offer herself-She knew he would like to couple with her. But that would make him superior. She had no yen to turn completely helpless!
"I can't be gone too long, darling," she murmured, rising slowly to sit on the sofa.
He grinned, staring up at her legs. "This view is very interesting!"
"Oh, stop it!"
"You promised...."
"Well, come up here and sit beside me."
He angled himself upright. He moved onto the sofa. He hugged her, squeezing her breasts. He was fully aroused again. She lowered her head....
When she arrived at home it was after one o'clock.
Ed, in robe and pajamas, looked up from a book when she came in. At Jud's suite she had showered, touched up her face and brushed her hair. She had left her panties-they could be a souvenir of his 'conquest."
"Have a good time, honey?" Ed asked, putting his book aside.
"Yes, I did," she said, still feeling rather wanton and carefree. They had had a parting drink apiece. She had had a new experience. She planned to see Jud again; he was going to call her at her office on Monday. "Aren't you up rather late?"
"I'm concerned about you, Toni. I don't mean to be spying, though."
"The worried husband!" she said, cattily. "The role fits you, darling."
He flushed. "If I didn't love you I'd have been gone several days ago!"
"Love!" she snappea. The beauty of her evening faded. "If you mean you hope I'll turn into something like Sylvia, forget it!"
He turned pale. "I think you're jealous of her ability to be completely feminine!"
She was furious. "So I'm some kind of a she-male, am I? Just because I don't like sex the way some women do! I'm sure that's what you mean. You want me to faint and be a slave to my emotions! Never! Understand!-never!"
"I'm sorry.' I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No. And don't bring it up again! You know your place here in this household! Just be sure you keep it."
The hurt in his eyes, in his expression made her wonder why he hadn't left.
She turned on her heel and left the room. That would hold him for a while! Comparing her with Sylvia, talking about head-shrinkers ... I won't let him touch me for weeks!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Monday afternoon Jud called her and told her he would be out of town for several days. He sounded very sorry, over the phone, and she was inclined to believe him-but a nag of doubt remained. She had looked forward to being with him again. He had given her more thrills, in so short a time than any other man!
Had he found a new girl? Did he really prefer his women the 'old-fashioned' way?
Her ego was pricked. When he called again, which he promised to do when he got back to town, perliaps she would refuse him. His confidence in his charms needed bruising. She didn't have to have him. They had agreed to a 'no strings attached' policy.
Sunday she had had another headache. And, despite her excitements of Saturday night with Jud, she hadn't been able to go to sleep right away.
She made a decision. She called on the intercom and had her secretary bring a copy of the Spokane telephone directory. Alone again, she flipped through the yellow pages until she came to physicians. Only one woman was listed, Alice Meed. This would have to be the one Ed had mentioned.
She hated to admit that he might be halfway right. Headaches had never been known to her until recently. Perhaps she needed a checkup; she hadn't had one for over a year. She could ask questions of a woman medic she wouldn't think of bringing up to her Lake City doctor.
Tuesday afternoon, having made an appointment with Dr. Meed, she swept into the reception room in the Stein Building at Spokane and faced the bright-eyed blonde who sat behind a circular desk.
"I'm Toni Allison of Lake City," she said, curtly.
"Oh-yes, Mrs. Allison. Doctor Meed will see you...." The receptionist appraised her quickly. Toni had watched other girls do that; she was used to being admired by both sexes.
"Right in here," the blonde said, rising and opening a door on her right. Toni strode in quickly. She was just a bit irritated now that she made the appointement at all. She was as healthy as a horse; no M. D. had ever found anything wrong with her. But perhaps her headaches and her recent irritability indicated some minor malefunction.
She was surprised not to find herself in a small room filled with the usual high examining couch covered with protective paper, straight chairs and bottles of drugs tidily placed on a table.
Instead she was in a luxurious and restful studio. Easy chairs were placed in front of a wide, white-topped executive desk, and behind the desk sat a middle-aged woman whose blue eyes seemed very perceptive. Dr. Meed was slender, with a look of obvious intelligence. There was a glow about her that radiated confidence and maturity.
"Have a chair, Mrs. Allison."
Toni dropped her regal poise. She realized that Alice Meed was quite a person in her own right. She had succeeded, like Toni, in a man's world. She wouldn't have to pretend with a woman as knowlegable as this.
"I came for a physical checkup," Toni said, perching on the edge of a chair.
"We can do that later. Do you mind answering a few questions?"
"No."
"Fine. I've heard a lot about you, Mrs. Allison. I take your newspaper. It's very good."
"Well, thank you!" Toni said, flattered. Dr. Meed started with the usual queries. She wrote efficiently on a long, wide pad in front of her. Toni relaxed.
"You look extremely healthy, Mrs. Allison. I'm curious about your headaches. When did they start?"
Toni hesitated. Her trouble had begun two weeks earlier, to the day. Tuesday evening. She had talked of having a child and Ed had become overly-possessive....
She answered as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Later, in another room, she was examined. An older registered nurse helped. She had to admit that Dr. Meed was thorough and brilliant. When Toni was dressed again they returned. A genuine respect for Alice had grown into a strong liking.
"The results of some of the tests will come in later," Alice said, behind her desk again. She picked up her pen. "But apparently you're disgustingly healthy. I could give you some tablets that would ease your headaches, and let you go, but I can't help thinking that you may have a psychological problem...." She smiled. "That's really my field. I'm sure you know that."
"Yes," Toni said, lighting a cigarette. She seldom smoked, but she felt the need for one, now.
"I'd like to ask some personal questions, Torn."
"Fire away! I like to be frank...."
"Good!"
Alice began by asking about Ed, how they got along. Toni hedged for a while. The penetrating blue eyes seemed to probe out her little white lies. Finally, she found herself telling the truth; that she and Ed were considering a divorce. Alice's questions were searching, sometimes embarrassing.
"I'm going to be quite frank, Tom. All you've told me, about your younger years, your college days, your relations with your husband, indicate that you're a very classic example of what we call a clitoridal woman."
"I think I understand," Toni said, flushing.
"I don't want to cause you distress," Alice said. "You have lived in and competed in a man's world-and you have not accepted the true role of a wife."
Toni bit her lip. If anyone else had told her that she would have exploded. But she wasn't talking to Ed, now. She was face to face with a brilliant psychiatrist.
"I'm not sure that I want to be the kind of 'wife' you're suggesting," Toni said. "Ed-irritates me!"
"I think he's been very patient, Toni. Let's go back two weeks ago, when your migraines began. That was the night you said you felt 'left up in the air' after sexual intercourse. From what you have said you came very close to what we call a vaginal orgasm. Yon felt especially warm toward your husband, you mentioned the idea of having a child.
"Believe me, Toni, I've talked to and treated many women with a problem like yours. The restrictions our society puts on young girls is not much help, I admit. Many red-blooded young women fall into the clitoral climax category; their sexual excitements are not deep or profound. They experience some relief, of course, as you do. But I'm sure, if you understand your problem, you can achieve real happiness with your husband."
"But-he's so meek!"
Alice smiled. "Toni, haven't you tried to mold him into what you prefer? You've told me that you always set the pace, that you like to be the aggressor in the bedroom-that you prefer to be on top.'"
Toni shifted restlessly. She wasn't used to being 'told.' "Yes," she admitted.
"I have a small book I'll give you that I want you to read when you go home. It describes the feminine vaginal orgasm. If you know what you're seeking, what I'm positive you need for emotional balance and enjoyment of your marriage, the job will be much easier."
Toni flushed again.
"Please don't be embarrassed, Toni. I can even understand your casual affair with this blond man. It is quite possible for you to experience clitoral pleasure with someone you do not care for deeply. Underneath I'm sure you love your husband; he left you 'dangling' and your reactions are normal. Your resentment of him since that night delineates the whole picture." She smiled. "Try to be warm and-receptive. Let him assert himself."
"But-"
"Toni, I'm sure you want to save your marriage. I know that total surrender may seem objectionable, right now. You're a leader. You're very intelligent. But why not give it a try? Men, fortunately for the propagation of the race, experience only one kind of climax. Many of the women who come to me have had children and reached middle age before they discovered the bliss of true sexual enjoyment."
Toni had another cigarette. She was shaken, deeply. It was true that Ed always seemed more 'carried away' than she. Sylvia had 'fainted.' "All right, I'll try!" she said, at last "Fine! And I'll expect you to call me again."
As soon as she reached home she went quickly to the library and opened the small manual Alice Meed had given her. Ed wouldn't be home for over an hour. She had some thinking to do, too....
The title was explicit enough. The Normal Orgasm.
Ed had called her frigid. Alice hadn't used that exact terminology, but the meaning was the same. Women could experience two different kinds of relief....
Well and good-but achieving that goal might be difficult indeed. She had almost driven Ed from the house. She had planned to deny him, 'put him in his place.' Would he react to a sudden change in her manner?
Alice had stressed that surrendering herself in bed did not mean she would lose any of her leadership abilities. Alice herself made more money than her husband. Some men were not 'pushers.' That didn't mean they were any less a man when it came to sexual fulfillment.
Toni dived into the text of the manual. She soon discovered, as she read swiftly. That the books she had read previously had not stressed the difference in feminine orgasms. She had assumed that a clitoral climax was the only kind.
Now, finding that a normal woman desired to be penetrated, ever deeper as the act continued, reaching finally toward a series of vaginal spasms that would give glorious relief, she felt that her education in this area had been grossly neglected.
Some of the descriptions made her cheeks turn warm.
The fact that some women, once brought to a level of excitation where they could enjoy one orgasm, were able to achieve one, two or even three more, seemed to her to be an exaggeration.
She began to understand, too, why someone like Jud, could please her, take 'the top' off her desire without affecting her very deeply otherwise. A vaginal orgasm was impossible without full penetration, along with all the rest of the sexual buildup.
She finished the booklet and hid it away in a desk drawer.
What bothered her most was that, according to the text and to Dr. Meed, the cause for partial frigidity was, in almost ever case, psychological and not anything physical. Alice had assured her she was perfectly healthy.
She had always considered herself very knowing-and now to find that she had somehow overlooked an ingredient of basic information made her almost angry.
Ed had called her "frigid.' She hated to admit that he was right!
As she left the library, hearing Ed's car pull into the driveway, she decided that this Tuesday evening would be different. Of course, if he was too upset with her recent goings on, her behavior, her test might be delayed....
One incident Alice had related, concerning sisters who had been married about a year, kept returning to her mind. The older sister had come to Dr. Meed for advice. In a few days she had succeeded with her husband. She knew her younger sister was having trouble in the marriage bed. The older one related her experience, both at the doctor's office and with her husband. The younger one, on the next evening, armed with a new understanding, had achieved a vaginal orgasm on her first attempt.
Toni didn't feel that optimistic-but her eyes had been opened. She felt a keen desire to try. Jud and Sylvia began to disminish in importance. Curt's disappointment was understandable, too. He had expected her to melt and yield as his wife did. Sylvia had called her joy Tainting.' Toni began to comprehend what certain novelists meant when they described a climax as a kind of 'dying."
She had never liked the terminology-but at least now she had a clearer picture of sex.
Toni stood in the living room when Ed came through the front door. She managed a smile and his face brightened. His engaging, little-boy grin came out.
"Toni, you look different!"
"I took the afternoon off," she said, moving toward him.
He stared at her, almost unbelievingly. He dropped his brief case.
I do care for him, she thought. Alice made me realize that, at least!
"This is Tuesday," she said, impulsively.
His eyes flared with interest, hunger. "Do you mean what I think you mean?"
"Yes, darling. Let's go out for dinner first."
His shoulders straightened; he seemed in a few seconds to become more of a man. She had so throughly demasculinized him for so long, she experienced a quick stab of shame. The wonder of it was that he had stuck around at all. But, he had said he still loved her. He had been very patient.
"I think it's a great idea!" he said, enthusiastically.
She stepped in close. "Ed, I'm sorry for a lot of things."
"By damn!" he muttered. His arms went around her, firmly. Their mouths met. She softened in his embrace, opening her lips. His tongue entered her mouth, tentatively-and then with more vigor. She felt him tremble.
Her talk with Alice, reading the manual, her new understanding and insight, she realized suddenly, had put her in a very receptive mood. She ran her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his.
His tongue, the feel of him, awakened a sharp, urgent need. And, it was not centered in one place. It was a kind of glow, radiating throughout her being.
But now she wanted to play the role of temptress, to delay her experiment....
She drew her mouth away, teasingly. "Darling, don't be too bold. I am hungry!"
He smiled, squeezing her waist. "You can have anything you want, honey! I just closed a sweet property deal today. I can afford the best."
"Good! I'll get ready-I mean, for dinner."
He laughed. "I don't know what's happened to you, Toni-but I like it!"
"I hope you'll like me a lot more before the evening's over."
He pinched her playfully on the bottom. He hadn't done that since their honeymoon, when she had asked him not to. Now, she didn't mind. She gave her hips a little twist and swung away from him.
He smiled, the hunger still in his eyes. "Wear something that will make every man in town envious of me, Toni."
"I will." she said.
Alone in the master bedroom, undressing, she thought. It's starting right I want to succeed tonight-more than anything! I want to be able to tell Alice I've turned into a woman.
CHAPTER TWELVE
They went to the Kon-Tiki, a new supper club on the north rim of the city. The music was superb, smooth piano that served as a backdrop for their meal. A few couples danced. They were at a comer table with a view of the whole dining area. The Easter Island motif was carried out faithfully, even to the decorative bottle in the center of the table where a candle flickered.
"This is nice, Ed," she murmured, letting her nyloned knees touch his under the table.
"I wanted to come here because I heard the food is good, and I just sold this place to a California restaurant operator today."
Toni smiled. She had noticed an ad in her paper announcing a new manager. She had also observed that the reception they had received on entering had been very effusive. "A good commission, I suppose."
"Six thousand," he said, offhandedly.
"Darling, I'm proud of you!"
He returned the pressure with his knee-under the table. "Nothing like a good deal to boost a man's ago."
She sipped her pale rose dinner wine. It was sparkly and cold-it warmed her tummy, her whole middle. She had put on a revealing cocktail dress-but not the one she had worn on the date with Jud. That was in the past, now. When and if he phoned again she would put him off.
She felt particularly relaxed this evening. Her headache was gone. She hoped nothing would spoil her efervescent mood. Ed's eyes, as they roamed now and then over the smoothness of her bare shoulders and the thrust of her breasts, were still hungry. She enjoyed her new role, letting him pick the place to dine, letting him hold a chair out for her, even open the front door of the club for her.
Tonight I'll be Mrs. Edward Allison, she thought I think I've been half-masculine and domineering long enough.
They were through with the main course and having more wine when a note of discord intruded.
Curt and Sylvia came in the front door of the club. Ed glanced their way and then turned his attention back to Toni.
"I suppose we should invite them over, but I'd rather not," he said.
"I feel the same way, darling."
He smiled. She saw immediately, however, that the decision was not going to be theirs. The Greens headed for the Allison table.
"Honey!" Sylvia gushed, approaching and standing beside Toni. "How nice to see you!"
The blonde wore a snug-fitting cocktail frock that emphasized the generous just of her breasts and the flare of her rounded bottom. She had left her jacket at the check-booth. She was obviously rather high on alcohol.
Ed stood up, nodding at Curt. "Have a chair?" Toni admired her husband's tact; his voice was correctly pitched for the occasion, not too warm, but graciously polite.
"For a minute," Curt said. His flushed appearance, his boldly roving eyes, indicated to Toni that he had been drinking heavily. He pulled a chair up. Sylvia did the same. A scantily-clad waitress approached. '
"Baby, you've got it!" Curt said, staring at the brownette waitress. He reached out for her and she backed away, smiling rather stiffly and tiredly.
Sylvia giggled. "He likes the young ones!"
The Greens were both talking rather loudly. Nearby diners were turning their heads.
"Set up a round, baby!" Curt said.
"What would you and the lady like, sir?"
"Two double martinis-and whatever the others are having." His voice lowered and he leered at the waitress. "Give me a little feel and I might give you a big tip!" Sylvia giggled again.
The waitress smiled mechanically and flounced away. Toni was embarrassed. She was on the point of cutting Curt down when Ed asserted himself. She could see his face turn a little pale.
"Toni and I would rather be by ourselves."
Curt turned suddenly from his appraisal of the hip-swinging waitress. "What'd you say, Mr. Toni Allison?"
There was a moment of complete silence. Sylvia stared at Ed. Toni hated scenes in public, but somehow she was vitally interested now in what her husband would do. The taunt, which she knew had been uttered behind Ed's back many times, had been flung into his face. Amazingly, his expression turned hard, he wasn't laughing it off, as Curt obviously expected.
Ed's hands clenched. He glared at Curt "Swallow that damned remark or I'm going to mash your face in!"
Curt shook his head; he reared out of his chair. "Why, you poor meek sap! You couldn't hurt a fly. This is rich! Rich!"
Ed rose slowly. "I think we'd better go outside, Curt."
"Are you out of your mind? I'd tear you to ribbons!"
"Maybe," Ed said, coolly. He kept his voice down. He dropped his napkin on the table. "Let's go!"
Toni's heart hammered. She found herself excited, almost breathless. A base, primitive pride in her husband washed through her. Standing rigid, his shoulders squared, he looked bigger than she had ever seen him. He did spend a lot of time in the basement exercise room ... She had never thought of him as a brawler; but he had been on the boxing team at college.
Some of Curt's flush disappeared. He looked a little pale around the mouth, now. Sylvia moved over beside him, tugging on his arm. "Let's get out of here, honey! Please! Think of your-position...."
Toni remained silent. She watched avidly, her heart still pounding.
Many heads were turned, now. The manager approached. He looked at Ed.
"What's going on here?"
"I asked these people to leave our table," Ed said, tightly. "Can we use your parking space outside to settle a little misunderstanding?"
"If you leave here quietly. I don't want a big rukus."
Ed looked at Toni. "I'll be back in just a few minutes, honey." The look Of determination on his face made her shiver.
"Ed's eyes swung to Curt. "Let's get this over with!"
"No!" Sylvia pleaded.
Curt pushed her aside. "You sit down with Toni and wait It won't take long!"
Sylvia's face was twisted. She looked older, somehow. The other diners were turning back to their meals. The manager stood aside, waiting.
Curt looked at him. "You allow this kind of thing around your joint?"
"This is a respectable place, Green. If you two want to settle something outside-go ahead. But this isn't a joint, and if you were asked to leave, you should, without making a big scene."
"You sticking up for this two-bit real estate dealer?"
The manager's face turned red. "Get out, you and your wife both. Get out!"
Curt grabbed Sylvia's arm. "Come on, doll. This place stinks!"
Toni sat rigid in her chair. She was still tremendously excited.
Curt and Sylvia started away from the table. Ed followed. The manager brought up the rear. All four passed the bar and went outside.
Toni's hands clenched. Ed had asked her to stay put. She decided she would. She took a deep breath, lifting her wine glass. Her hand trembled. She suddenly felt a great confidence in her husband. She remembered his muscular body, the flatness of his stomach. He had conducted himself like a gentleman.
She waited, conscious of the stares of nearby diners. She put the wine glass down. Ed was out there, fighting for his honor, his pride. She could stand the suspense no longer. She started to rise from the table when she saw Ed and the club owner come in through the front door.
Ed didn't even look mussed. She sighed with relief. The manager and Ed talked a minute, they shook hands, and Ed walked toward their table. He walked erect, confident.
He sat down in his chair. The pained expression on his face melted a little. She seized his hand on the table-top. A waterfall of exquisite relief splashed through her body.
"Darling, what-happened?"
She felt the muscles in his hand begin to relax.
He smiled. "He chickened out, Toni."
She stared. "He wouldn't fight?"
"I didn't think he would ... He knew I was on the WSU boxing team."
She squeezed his hand. Quiet had returned to the supper club. The noisemakers were gone.
She sighed again. "Ed, I'm very proud of you!"
"I think we're well rid of both of them," he answered, his eyes searching hers. "I think I could use another drink!"
When their glasses were filled, she raised hers. He nodded agreeably. They touched the rims together.
"To my conquering hero!" she whispered. He laughed. "And I didn't even get to land a blow."
She looked into his eyes, feeling more fluttery and feminine than she ever had. "Darling, you've put up with an awful lot from me. Why didn't you knock me down a few times?"
He smiled, warmly. "A gentleman never strikes a lady, Toni."
They drank. "I'd love to dance, Ed...."
"Best idea yet," he answered, rising and striding around the table. She let him move her chair out. When they were on the floor, in the subdued light, she pressed herself close in his arms.
Warm shivers floated down her spine; knowing what lay ahead, what she had learned from Alice, gave her confidence. Ed had proven many times he was a man, but tonight he had clinched it. The fault in their bedroom behavior had been hers. She wanted desperately now to prove that she could be a normal woman, respond heatedly in his arms, accept the driving force of his manhood....
On the way home, she snuggled against him. He turned the dash lights up bright, and she was glad. She wanted him to see her legs.
"I can't get over the change in you, honey," he said, driving with one hand. His right dropped to her hiked-back hemline. His fingers touched her warm thighs, and she spread a little to give him room ... With her left hand she caressed the nape of his neck.
"I have a confession to make, Ed."
"If it hurts, don't say it"
"No, it's nothing like that ... Early this afternoon I went to Spokane and talked with Dr. Alice Meed."
He brushed his lips against her cheek. "Really?"
She was glad he didn't say, 'I suggested that."
"It was very interesting," she went on. "She made me realize I've given you a very rough time-in bed."
His hand stole higher along her thigh. Tingles spread through her body, her loins. It was a kind of electric sensation, not entirely new, but more intense than usual.
"What she told you must have been very interesting indeed!" he said banteringly.
She pinched his neck, lightly, and kissed his jaw. "She made me realize I might have been missing something in our relationship, darling."
"Well, now! There ought to be more doctors around like this Alice Meed."
She squeezed her thighs against his hand. "I can hardly wait till we get home, Ed."
"I'll drive faster!"
Ed already had changed into his pajamas and robe and was waiting for her in the living room. Toni stood naked in front of her vanity, trying to decide what to wear. Her lips still seemed to carry the impress of his mouth; as soon as they had come through the front door he had kissed her soundly and throughly.
Finally she picked a very sheer shorties night gown of bright pink with ribbons around the hem and along the neckline. Lounging pajamas might dampen her pleasure ... She felt very wanton and receptive.
She pulled the whisper of fabric over her dark, wavy hair and surveyed her image in the mirror. The darkness of her V stood out prominently. The hem struck her halfway between knee and hip. He would have no trouble finding her!
Her heart beating faster, she opened the bedroom door and paraded into the living room.
Ed blinked his eyes, grinning. "By damn! Honey, you've never looked so beautiful!"
Ripples of pleasure, like small waves along the lake shore, trickled up her spine. She stood in front of him, weaving her body.
"Darling, I feel so sexy!"
Immediately his arms went around her. She held her mouth up and he sank into it, hungrily. Her lips opened, as before, and a new kind of heady delight commenced. His tongue, shooting into her eager mouth, possessed her in a way it never had before. Her own tongue coiled out an answer. A clingy heat built between them.
He wasn't forcing the issue, either. He was being considerate, and at the same time she felt the intensity of his desire, controlled and virile.
His hand sought her breasts. She arched them into his palm. She laced her fingers through his hair, shivering. His masculine aroma, his toying fingers, heightened the glow within her. When his tongue withdrew she shaped her lips around it then boldly chased his tongue-tip with hers.
Mouths barely apart, his breath warm on her lips, they made a spicy game out of it-retreat, invade, retreat again ... Her lips tingled, her nipples stiffened. Her breasts seemed larger than usual, and already she wanted his hands on her thighs....
Generally her responses were slower. Often he had to caress her for half an hour or so before she was ready for the rest. But not tonight! A few moments, and she was feverish with anticipation.
The dinner, the dancing, and even the interruption, had helped her. He had wooed her skillfully.
"Wonderful!" he breathed, shaping her breasts manfully.
"Darling, I'm-burning!"
His hand drifted down her tummy to the hem of her nightie.
"Honey, I want this to be very good for you!"
"Oh, Ed! I think it will!"
He touched her thighs. He caressed the rounded softness, awakening sparkly tingles. He squeezed the silky inner flesh of her long, tapered legs. She watched his hand progress....
She opened for him, willingly. She moved her hand into the folds of his robe. His manhood was very prominent! She found him and held him, quaking with warm expectation. The thought of joining with him did not seem base and animalistic, now. A sweet burning in her loins, her femininity, as he touched and caressed, was keenly suggestive!
"Darling," she whispered. "I'm-ready for the bedroom!"
He kissed her throat, lingeringly. He found a nipple with his lips, and the thin nylon that covered her mounds seemed non-existant. Then he raised his head.
"Well, let's go!"
She laughed, hating to release him. But she did. He stood up and lifted her to her feet. His robe was open. She looked at his maleness and shivered.
They walked into the master bedroom.
She had adjusted the lighting before she had come out to join him. The broad expanse of the counterpane had for her a new kind of significance. There would be no continuing struggle to keep him in check. She would yield, let him do anything he wanted. There was no tension between them. Her new attitude gave her a relaxed kind of wanton liberty.
Let him be the aggressor in the bedroom, Alice had told her. She had tried once, but her attitude had been wrong. She had felt she was granting him a great privilege. Now she wanted to give generously, without reservation.
She stood by the bed. He removed his robe and then his pajamas. She found she was holding her breath. He was well-built. She had taken his trim body as a matter of course. He hadn't let his muscles get flabby. He hadn't paraded his strength, as had Jud. She could see the playboy now as being rather vain, self-centered. Ed had quietly kept in trim-he was no show-off.
"Darling, were you really pretty good at boxing in college?"
He grinned, flexing his biceps. "I didn't make the Olympic team-but I won a few medals."
"I'm glad you put Curt down!" She realized, more than ever, that the incident had stirred primitive emotions within her. He had protected his dignity as a male. She trembled.
The wonder of it all was that he had stayed around! She had been cruel, waspish. Perhaps her own love was not as deep as his. He had forgiven much more than she....
Alice had told her that success would give her a new perspective, a better understanding of life and love ... She had doubted that at the time, but she could begin to believe....
His nakedness didn't offend her in any way.
He came toward her and she started to lift her nightie over her head.
"Honey, let me do that."
She smiled. "I'd love to have you!"
His hands touched the hem of her wispy nightie. He brought it up, slowly, his eyes agleam with ardor. His fingers caressed as he lifted, along the line of her thighs, then the curves of her hips, lingering on her soft tummy, up her waist and finally exposing her taut, thrusting breasts.
"Ed, that was delicious!"
He tossed her nightie on the floor. It seemed to her to be the last obstacle between them; they were ready for mating.
She sank backward on the bed. Its resilience was luxurious, the touch of the satin, tufted bedspread on her heated body was sensuous in itself.
"Lovely!" he breathed, staring down at her.
She wanted to be completely wanton, receptive.
She remembered an old cliche about the perfect wife being a hussy in the bedroom. Well, why not? This was going to be a test of her womanhood. Anything she could do to help would be appreciated by him; she had read enough to know that men liked sexy preliminaries....
She had used the strategy before, but mainly to stir her own need. The idea of doing it for him filled her with intoxicating warmth.
She rotated her hips, lifting her breasts. Already her nipples were spiked! A kind of flowing heat in her loins sparked her into new efforts.
She spread herself invitingly, lifting her hips, writhing....
"By damn!" he breathed. He leaned above her. His mouth lowered to her breasts.
As he drew a nipple between his lips, she shuddered, gripping his hair. Erotiof tingles spread fan-like through her being. Her breasts had never been so sensitive! And when he touched her restless womanhood she gasped with joy.
She was moist with desire,!
"Ohhhh-Ed! Take me-now!"
Suddenly the bed gave under his weight. She wiggled over, making room for him. He continued to sip at her nipples, awakening a flurry of stormy responses.
He came above her. The touch of her velvety thighs against his body was wildly stimulating. He braced himself, lowering....
She held her breath. She reached down to guide him, but that wasn't necessary. They joined without assistance!
The contact had never been so luscious! Receiving him wasn't painful-it became more voluptuous every second....
Exciting tremors possessed her. His mouth lowered again to her breasts. He was going far-deep!
Ohhh-I didn't know! she thought dizzily.
She couldn't help rising to meet him. She recalled what the manual had said, that a real woman wanted a man close, buried within-and she did!
She strained upward. The move came naturally, spontaneously. She cried out at the shimmery delight of their closeness. A completely new area of sensitivity awakened; it was as if a floodgate had opened, letting her respond with hectic vigor.
Awareness of details began to fade. She was on a roller-coaster of voluptuous need. She swept down a steep slope, then up, to poise on a rise before dropping into another dip of sensuous delight.
The lights, the room, even the sigh of the bed, became a distant backdrop for her pleasure. Nothing had ever been so snugly wonderful!
Now he was going deep, deep, into the very core of her being. Exquisite flutters of response tore a cry from her throat, Ohhhh-darling!"
The roller-coaster dipped again, swung to a new height. She went breathlessly around a curve, into a dark well of excitement. The wind seemed to tear at her hair-and suddenly she glimpsed ahead the final plunge!
Now, up over another peak-and tremblingly down!
She was falling, faster and faster. She hung on, desperately waiting ... There was a moment when she seemed to hang in a sensuous balance-and a final burst of speed, of sheer determination push-ed the coaster in the right, gaspy direction....
All of her wild wishing and hoping reached a point of no return. She was giving, giving-and tumultuously receiving!
A swift, achy churn of utter rapture seized her. She shouted at the delirious sweetness of it. Heavenly throbs went through her being, wave after wave ... The drive of his desire seemed to burn and sear her. She felt his answering spasm, and she climaxed again!
Floaty, sparkly tingles ... sensuous shivers....
As she softened beneath him, savoring a truly glorious sense of release, of relaxing wonder, she hugged him strenouously. When her breathing allowed, she wiggled contentedly.
"Ohhh-darling!" she whispered. "I did it!"
"I know!" he said, his voice choked with emotion. "And how I know!
Their togetherness now was more than physical, too. She had cast her man-self aside; she was completely feminine.
Alice had been so right, so beautifully right.
Her love for Ed blossomed into a new understanding. This was a kind of dying-but she loved it! She knew she would never be satisfied again with her shallow, clitoral kind of relief. She had passed the test!
"You know something, honey?" he murmured into the warm hollow of her throat. He was still wonderfully above her, inside her.
