Explicitly Sexy III An Erotic, Married Romance Novel

M. L. Rinehart Copyright 2017, Delaware Valley Publishing, LLC. Advanced Review Copy (ARC) 20170321.

Brought to you by Delaware Valley Publishing, LLC, from the beautiful Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, USA. A special thank you to Goodreaders Barbara Tsipouras, Dawn and Gretchen without whom I might have thought my first try was good enough. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places or events is purely coincidental.

About the Covers Front: Full Sail, a painting Maxine made and gave to Louise as a house-warming present, hangs in Louise’s boudoir on the bedroom/boudoir wall. The cover rose is the heart of that painting. Back: On the other side of that wall a print of Titian’s Venus di Urbino smiles at Louise and Tom when they are in bed. Angela del Moro—model, probably Titian’s mistress —has smiled at Titian since 1538. Louise calls her “my friend Angie” and tries to master her smile. Reader's Group

Click to join the Explicitly Sexy Readers' Group. Free! Benefits: • Access more Explicitly Sexy outtakes • Pre-launch ARCs, next projects (Advanced Review Copy, free) Standard list confirmation process: Click here. Enter your email. Click the ‘confirm’ email we send you. Names never sold, leased, rented or other- wise made available to anyone else. Reviews wanted. Please! Reviews are like oxygen in today’s book market. A review only takes two or three sentences. Picture a potential reader who just read the back-cover blurb (or the online description). S/he wants to know if the book delivers or if the blurb is BS. You were promised an erotic, married romance. Did Explicitly Sexy I deliver? Amazon is key (even if you buy elsewhere). Goodreads is a close sec- ond. Everywhere is appreciated. Send your author a link. (He’s the one who sends the ARCs.) MartinRinehart at gmail dot com. Explicitly Sexy III 34 New Year’s Eve...... 461 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest...... 469 36 Memories...... 483 37 Lovers and Other Partners...... 497 38 To Tease and Please...... 517 39 Getting Reprogrammed...... 537 40 Him and Herself, Too...... 557 41 Coming for Free...... 579 42 Partners and The Plan...... 595 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident...... 613 44 Planning and Learning...... 635 45 Being New after The Plan...... 657 46 Would You Like a Kiss?...... 669 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening...... 687 48 Loving Kisses...... 703 49 Confessions...... 725 50 Three Together...... 739 34 New Year’s Eve

The thermometer headed south, as if the year had no more warmth. It would touch 32 (0C) at sunset and still keep dropping. Tom had warned Louise that they couldn’t warm the sun room enough. They would have to look out on the stars from indoors. Louise had decided to inaugurate their dining room. Friday, December 31, 2004, 4:55 P. M. The Rose Café. Louise, proud to be driving again, had picked up Maxine. Maxine was suitably impressed. It really wasn’t hard, Louise explained. Louise had always been a little bit jealous of those who drove ‘stick.’ For the first time she was glad to have an automatic transmission. Acacia, Louise and Maxine had The Rose to themselves. It would be packed later in the evening when the New Year’s Eve revelers arrived,

461 462 Explicitly Sexy III but at the moment there was not even a bartender. Rose came in from the kitchen when she heard the bell. Rose apologized for not joining them when she brought their Inn Ciders. They understood. “And have a happy New Year,” Maxine toasted her. Acacia and Louise joined the toast. “If I remember,” Acacia started the evening’s main subject, “Ms. Wilson was going to report on the pulsating functionalities in her mis- tress bath.” Acacia and Maxine turned to Louise. “Well, first,” Louise began, “Tom suggested that we call it the ‘mis- tress suite.’ He said it would honor Titian’s mistress. It seemed less sexist to me, too. So now it’s the ‘mistress bath.’ Tom’s very nice about these things.” “That has a lot of interesting overtones,” Acacia said, speaking to her Inn Cider. Louise, possibly considering ‘interesting overtones,’ smiled to her- self and went on. “Let’s talk about the shower first. It has three shower heads. They hang on the wall. One’s waist high, one would be just at my nipples (but my feet aren’t waterproof so I’m mostly sitting down) and the top one is nicely over Tom’s head. They all have a dial that adjusts from slow pulses, maybe a half second a part, to a continuous stream. They’re all on nice long hoses so you can hold them in your hand and point them any way you like. Our water has lots of pressure and the hot is plenty hot. “I like to start playing after we bathe. We bathe each other, of course. Then a medium speed gets me nicely stimulated but isn’t quite enough to push me over the edge. Tom stands a little to one side. He busies himself kissing and fondling parts above the waist. “That’s very nice, you know, but it’s so hard not to get greedy. I’m always turning up the speed before too long. I’ve learned to just turn it up the least little bit at a time, slowly approaching the climax. To really make it last I have to let him hold the head and control the speed. “As I get closer I start to bounce on the seat. It’s slippery when wet. Tom has to hold me down. He makes a very good seat belt.” “Sounds like a very good vibrator,” Maxine suggested. “I’ve never tried the Hitachi,” Louise agreed, “but the shower head really does make a girl come. And it’s good to have a man there. After you come you’re very clean. ‘Kissable’ Tom says. He likes to give me another explosion or two after we’ve hung up the shower head.” 34 New Year’s Eve 463

Acacia was impressed. “Your man has been stiff since when?” “Oh, if not before, I bathe his manly parts carefully when we’re get- ting started,” Louise explained. “I can finish him with my lips. The lower seat is just the right height. But sometimes I make him wait while we dry off and go to bed. Or sometimes we go from the shower to the tub.” Maxine was thinking that this sounded like more fun than she had with her vibrators. “You’re making my panties wet, Kinky. Tell us about the tub.” “The tub is a lot more trouble, but it’s so worth it,” Louise explained. “You have to fill the tub before you can play in it. It takes some advance planning. Or you can play in the shower while it’s filling. “The jets are much smoother than the shower’s pulses. A very deli- cious feeling. You can adjust the speed, the force and the direction. I like to start by arranging Tom as a backrest. He doesn’t seem to mind playing with my tits while I have a jet between my thighs. “It’s like the shower. You have to start slow and gentle and turn it up a little bit at a time if you want it to last. I’m afraid certain parts of me don’t have as much patience as they might.” “And when does he come?” Acacia wanted to know. “Maybe later, in bed,” Louise answered. “There’s really no conve- nient way to do him while you’re in the tub.” “Couldn’t you point a jet at his cock?” Maxine wanted to know. “I’ve noticed,” the wee colleen interjected, “that the dopamine queen insists on more patience from her lover than she accepts from herself.” “Oh, pish tosh,” the dopamine queen said, without disagreeing. “He likes being stiff. It’s my wifely duty, you know.” Acacia continued her interrogation. “After you’ve had the jet focused between your legs, your parts are ‘kissable’ I think you said. And when you go to bed you have your man exploit that fact?” Louise blushed. “I think it would be a shame to spend all that time on such thorough hygiene without putting it to some use.” Maxine counted on her fingers. “First you come in the shower. Then once or twice more from his mouth. Then you switch to the tub. After that, to bed where you start with another helping of oral. If you come twice per oral, that’s six, right?” 464 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise corrected her. “I never said just one in the tub, Max. Those jets are delicious. You have to try them.” Friday, 12/31/04, 6:45 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. At The Rose, Acacia and Louise had passed on the usual second round when Maxine suggested it, making it an early night. “You’re home early,” Tom said. “Everything OK?” Louise kissed him and smiled. He could see from her smile that everything was OK. “Have you been causing trouble again, my beautiful lady?” he asked. “No,” she disagreed. “I was just helping you sell homes. Trouble comes later.” “What comes later?” he asked. “And how were you helping?” (She smiled when she thought about the order of his questions.) “I reported on the pulsating functionalities in our mistress bath. There are now two women who cannot wait to have their own showers and whirlpool tubs, just like ours.” “I’ll have to design something for Max, I guess.” “As soon as she moves into her new home you can start remodeling her Victorian for Ace and Herman.” “That’s good news. But you haven’t told me what comes later.” “Here? You’re mine, you know. It’s my weekend,” she said. “Your humble servant, at your service, My Lady,” he said, bowing. When he straightened, she stood in front of him. “You look very nice,” she said, unbuttoning his shirt down to his navel. “You ready for this?” “I’m yours, My Lady. It’s your weekend.” She took his head in her hands and pulled him to her for another kiss. “I’ve got plans,” she said. “You can start by helping me dress. And call me Mistress, Thomas.” 34 New Year’s Eve 465

Friday, 12/31/04, 7:00 P. M. Maxine’s bedroom. Maxine’s outer clothes were hung neatly in her closet. Underwear was in the hamper. Sleepwear was laid out on the divan. She opened the drawer of the nightstand beside the bed. Her vibrator was near the back. It was an old-fashioned, single-speed, bullet-shaped vibrator. She considered it a trusty friend. Not much use if a girl wanted to cuddle. But she could talk to it, though it didn’t say much. It’s single speed happened to be exactly the speed she liked. A reliably orgasm-inducing speed. Her Hitachi Wand lay behind the vibrator at the very back of the drawer. When her mind was too crowded to let the vibrator work, she would choose the Hitachi. Tonight she chose the Hitachi. Even on ‘lo’ it required a very light touch or the orgasm was almost instantaneous. She plugged it in. Frank would be home by 10:30, he had promised. He had his own bedroom. No need to wake her when he came in. She would pretend to be asleep. Maybe she would really be asleep. She turned the Wand on ‘lo’ and let it massage her right thigh. She spread her legs and slid the Wand down to the inside of her right leg. Then she started pulling it up her leg. She went very slowly. If her orgasm didn’t start until after 10:00 she would have just enough time to come, put on sleepwear and go to bed. She took almost five minutes moving the vibrator from the middle of her thigh until it touched her outer lips. In another minute it was approaching her clitoris. Her hips rose off the bed, lips looking for firmer contact. It was a powerful orgasm. She looked at the clock on the bedside table as she put the Wand away. It was not yet 7:30. She put on her robe to go downstairs, fix a gin and tonic and watch TV. Friday, 12/31/04, 7:15 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s dining room. He pressed “fast cook” when he heard her car in the driveway. The microwave would reheat his veal Marsala (just out of the skillet) in a minute. The plate of pasta went in as the veal came out. He had set the table and was filling two glasses when she came in. 466 Explicitly Sexy III

“Just the person I wanted to see,” he said, holding out his left hand to her while his right poured the veal back into its skillet. The skillet went onto the stove. He poured brandy over the veal, gave it a few seconds and then a match. He held her away from the stove. The brandy flared up high enough to burn a foolish person’s eyelashes. “Very showy,” she said. He wrapped two arms around her as the brandy burned off. After a warm kiss he swatted her bottom and sent her down the hall to ‘get comfortable,’ as she would put it. When she returned (in a black satin robe that barely covered her cheeks, stockings that wrapped her thighs and low-heeled, marabou- feather slippers) he served the pasta, topped it with the veal and topped off their wine glasses. “To my Bitch Goddess,” he toasted her after he had seated her. His Bitch Goddess, picked out three strands of pasta, twirled them on her fork and skewered a piece of veal. “Excellent,” she said, after tasting it. “You’re getting very good, you know.” “My wife’s a superb cook,” he said. “I try to keep up.” She smiled at the compliment. She was making plans. Plans for a Bitch Goddess to play with her Stud Muffin after supper. She thought it was a bit too soon to start. It wasn’t healthy to keep a man stiff for more than four hours. If she started cooking just before 8:00 and kept him from exploding until 11:45 or so, they could watch the ball drop in Times Square at midnight. “Did you ever wonder why we’re in the same time zone as New York?” she asked. “New York and Boston, too. Aren’t we a bit closer to Chicago than to New York?” “It’s got to be for the New Year’s Eve celebration,” he said. “Times Square is so much bigger than the rest.” “Yes,” she said, thoughtfully. “I was just letting that influence my own planning.” “What sort of planning?” “I was making plans to play with my Stud Muffin. I wanted my own plans to finish in time for us to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’.” “Do we have time enough for salad and desert?” “You’re spoiling me, Herman. I’ll make time.” 34 New Year’s Eve 467

As he cleared the way for the salad course, she thought to herself, ‘perfect timing.’ After the salad Herman produced two parfait glasses of zabaglione. “Yes,” he explained, “I used dry Marsala with the veal, sweet Marsala for the zabaglione.” It was delicious. Acacia thought she would have to be at the top of her game to keep up with him, tonight. After the zabaglione she led him into the living room, sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to herself. He sat. She turned to him. She used her left index finger to draw a line around the edge of his lips. He shut his eyes, enjoying the nerves tingling around his mouth. “That’s good, Stud. Keep your eyes closed, OK?” He nodded his agreement. She drew another line, very slowly. “I’ve got a problem, Stud. I’m thinking about your lips. You’re mak- ing me so horny I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing. I really want to fuck you tonight. I want to make it a special fuck. A New Year’s Eve fuck, but I can barely concentrate. Can you think of anything to help me concentrate?” She took his hand and placed it on her vulva. “Give me something to concentrate on, Stud.” He was being used, he knew. And he loved the way she used him. His index finger made slow circles around the entrance to her vagina. It was very wet. “Would you like my lips Goddess?” “That would be as delicious as the zabaglione,” she agreed. “Keep your eyes closed, Stud. Think about your Bitch Goddess.” She scooted to the edge of the couch and spread her knees. He kept his eyes shut as he knelt between her thighs. His tongue explored between her legs. Two orgasms later she held his very stiff cock as she led him to the bedroom. Her next orgasm was in the shower. She had three more in bed before his just-before-midnight explosion. It was the sort of explosion that comes after nearly four hours of preparation. “Feel good, Stud Muffin?” she asked as he recovered. “You’re sexier than I ever dreamed, Bitch Goddess,” he told her. His nipples were sore. He smiled at the memory. 468 Explicitly Sexy III

She smiled, too. She was pleased. Doing one’s wifely duties was rewarding, she thought. 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest

Snow flurries started New Year’s Eve and turned to snow, New Year’s Day. Ten inches (25cm) were on the ground before daybreak, Sunday morning. Sunday, January 2, 2005, 6:30 A. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. Sausages, eggs and toast were easy to make and went well with the cof- fee. Louise had made lots of coffee. “Shoulda put a light out there,” the home designer said, returning from the front door. “Maybe we’re plowed but I couldn’t see.” “Daybreak in an hour or so,” she responded. “Sit.” She patted the stool next to hers. She leaned her forehead against his. “See anything you like?” She loosened her robe, slowly revealing a bit of chest. “Did you have plans for me today?” he asked.

469 470 Explicitly Sexy III

She loosened her robe a bit more. “I like driving you crazy.” He reached for her left breast, but his hand was slapped away. “Not today. No touching this weekend, remember?” “You’re cruel.” “You want me to stop?” “No. I like being stiff for you.” His stiff shaft was tenting his pants. She ran her one full left finger up and down it. “I like making you stiff.” Sunday, 1/2/05, 8:45 A. M. The office. Tom had peered out the front-facing bedroom window. There was no sign of a plow ever having been there. “I’ll go down and call,” he had said, turning his back on Louise, “if you’ll take these off.” “I like having you locked up,” she said, unlocking the handcuffs. She returned cuffs and keys to the hidden compartment in the headboard. It was altogether naughty and delicious. Her three orgasms had been, “quite nice,” she had pronounced. She was wearing a long skirt and a black-lace shelf bra (nothing else) as she came into the office. He was on the phone. Harrison Lane was used by four farmers for access to their fields. Tom’s call to the village Department of Public Works confirmed what he feared. They lived on an ‘uninhabited’ road. “Between 11:30 and 12:00?” he asked. After a moment’s listening, “You just be sure you tell God that it’s your fault we’re not in church this morning.” He shared a laugh with the DPW superintendent and hung up. “I like you in just pants,” she said, stroking his pecs. “You’re so hot,” he returned, raising a hand but quickly lowering it again when he remembered that her breasts were off limits. “I like you in this blouse,” he said, referring to her lack of a blouse. “Well, of course,” she said. “So no church for us, but we’ll be ready in plenty of time for Ace and Max?” she asked, summarizing. “Yeah. Any idea what you want to do while we’re not in church?” 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 471

“I guess this morning’s for teasing you. I’ll bet I can have you drool- ing lust every time you see me this afternoon. You’ll be afraid to even look at me. Won’t that be fun?” “Fun for one of us,” he complained, but she didn’t believe him. “I don’t think you’ve looked at my tits enough yet,” she said. “I think I’ll try those fingertip vibes on my nipples while you watch. Would you like that?” “Would you like me to lick you while I watch?” “That would be quite nice,” she understated. “Lick me slowly while you watch my nipples get just ever so stiff. We’ve only got about three hours left this morning. I think we should get started right away.” She led him up the stairs. She would lock his hands behind him, but leave his pants on. Her nipples were already stiff. Sunday, 1/2/05, 1:15 P. M. The entry hall. Maxine and Frank had arrived with two shovels. She had waited in the car while he shoveled the first path to the door. Acacia and Herman were stopping for groceries first. (Herman was going to baptize the new convection oven.) The men had cleared space for two cars in front of the house, cleared the walk and the front porch before the melting snow completely soaked their feet. Louise had watched the progress from the stairway window. She greeted the shovelers with towels and dry socks. Louise wore a long skirt, as usual, and her low-cut peasant blouse, which she had only worn for Tom. She was showing far more skin than she ever had before. “You look devastating, Kinky,” Maxine said as Louise hung outer wear in the entry hall closets. Maxine set the shopping bag she carried by the pocket doors. “Where’s my sweet and innocent girlfriend?” Maxine was showing no skin but her sweater and slacks did not hide her shape. The men were paying attention to their cold, wet feet. Frostbite doesn’t set in as soon as the water touches your skin, but it’s not far behind. Drying between the toes can be very important at times. Tom’s toes were barely out of danger when he noticed his wife’s attire. He was speechless. 472 Explicitly Sexy III

Frank looked at his hostess as she handed him a very welcome pair of dry socks. “You’ve come a long way since I saw you playing King Tut, beautiful lady,” he said. “Cleopatra suits you better.” “I’m trying to attract attention to my remaining body parts,” the foot- less hostess explained. “How’m I doing, Sexy?” Maxine was impressed. She was impressed by Louise’s attitude, and by her cleavage. “She is beautiful, Tom. May I kiss her?” Maxine, Tom knew, had an artist’s eye for beautiful things. Tom almost told her to ask Louise. Permission to kiss Louise was not his to grant or withhold. But he had a better idea. “One condition, Max.” Both women turned toward him. This was curious. “A condition?” the artist asked. “Yup,” he said. “If you kiss her ‘hello’ when you get here, you gotta kiss her ‘goodbye’ when you leave.” The women turned toward each other. Was this just his sense of sym- metry? It seemed agreeable. “What do you think, Lou?” Maxine asked. “Since they’re my favors being bargained for, I think I should have a say in this,” Louise answered. “We’re getting a lot of conditions, here,” Maxine observed. “What’s yours, Lou?” Louise smiled. She stepped in front of Maxine, just kissing distance apart. With her left forefinger she drew a line, a delicate line, down Max- ine’s cheek. “If you want a kiss, I get to squeeze your sexy big boobs.” It was Maxine’s turn to smile. She wrapped her arms around Louise’s waist and pulled, reducing the kissing distance to zero. Heads tilted. Lips grazed lips. Big breasts crushed medium breasts. Louise’s right hand found the back of Maxine’s head, gently urging their lips into firmer con- tact. Tom led Frank out of the entry hall and toward the kitchen. He turned around to close the pocket doors that separated the hall from the rest of the house. The doors were mostly glass. Closing the doors gave the women a feeling of privacy, but not the fact of privacy. 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 473

Sunday, 1/2/05, 1:25 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. “Beer?” Tom asked. Frank agreed. “We’re moving in tomorrow,” Tom said, hoping it would explain why he was pouring the beers into coffee mugs. Handing one to Frank, he raised his. “Cheers.” “Cheers,” Frank returned, taking a long, slow swallow. “Are you used to this?” he asked, motioning toward the pair in the entry hall. “They love each other,” Tom said. Frank shook his head, not quite sure what to make of ‘love each other.’ From the kitchen you could look over the stove and across the corri- dor to (and through) the entry hall doors. Tom had a clear view of the two women. He motioned to Frank to join him. Louise’s head was resting on the ‘sexy big boobs’ which she had asked to squeeze. Both women’s eyes were closed. Frank looked briefly and returned to sitting on one of the stools outside the kitchen counter, out of sight of the entry hall. He didn’t want to know. “You OK with this?” he asked Tom. “It’s beautiful,” Tom answered. “They flirt and pet like teenagers but nobody’s going to get pregnant.” “Can’t help feeling a little jealous of all my wife’s lovers,” Frank said. “I should have known when Rose told me she was after Maxine’s boobs.” “Naw, that’s different,” Tom objected. “Rose is a lesbian. Into women just like you and me. Lou and Max are straight, but they have this little bit of bi when it comes to each other. It’s mostly just love.” Frank turned this over. “What was that about the ‘goodbye’ kiss?” he asked. Tom smiled. “Well,” he started slowly, “suppose that Lou likes the kiss. Maybe it gets her a little bit turned on...” “You dog!” Frank exclaimed, catching on. “She’s turned on and you’re the only other person left in the house, right?” Tom grinned and winked. “Actually,” he added, “there are two par- ties to the kisses. You’ll be going home with one of them. Hope you don’t suffer too much.” 474 Explicitly Sexy III

Frank laughed. “I’ll try to be brave.” They heard the entry hall doors roll open and shut again. The women walked toward the kitchen, hand-in-hand, Maxine carrying her shopping bag. “You boys getting along without us?” Louise wondered. “Yeah,” Tom answered. “We both used to play football. Last Lions game should be on today.” “Is that all men ever talk about?” Maxine criticized, putting her bag on the counter. “Football and boobs, Max,” Tom quipped. “Frank and Lou both think yours are sexy,” Maxine’s admirers laughed. Louise kissed Frank’s cheek. “And we’re both right,” she affirmed, convinced that no reasonable person could possibly doubt them. “You’ve got a good eye, Louise,” Frank agreed. Maxine tried to look peevish but she thought Tom had told the truth. Her boobs had admirers. It was good to be around people that thought her boobs were sexy. And it had been a very nice kiss, too. Life was good when people thought you were sexy and kissed you. Frank left his stool to set out the wine and cheese from Maxine’s bag, and he set out the six glasses they’d thought to bring to the not- quite-occupied new home. Sunday, 1/2/05, 1:45 P. M. The entry hall. The pleasant chime of the doorbell announced the arrival of Acacia and Herman, both heavily laden with grocery bags. Hugs and kisses (conven- tional, social kisses) were exchanged by all. Herman greeted Frank as ‘Big Guy’ and Frank called Herman ‘Website.’ (Michigan Motors’ Domestic Retail Marketing—it reported to Frank—was Herman’s biggest customer.) Louise was snooping in the groceries. “Duck,” Herman said. “No geese after Christmas. We’ll be roasting.” “I’m hungry already,” Tom said. “Doesn’t roasting take hours?” “Convection ovens are fast. We’ll be eating by four, if that’s OK.” “Is he crazy?” Maxine asked Acacia. 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 475

“That is not the way the smart money will be betting,” Acacia answered her. Sunday, 1/2/05, 1:55 P. M. The kitchen. The party adjourned to the kitchen. Herman had brought cutting boards, knives and peelers. He had Louise in the corridor, stirring a pan of milk and cream. Stirring slowly, so it didn’t boil. Maxine, Frank and Tom were arrayed at the counter (on the family room side of the counter, out- side the kitchen) peeling onions and apples. Acacia had the honor of join- ing the chef in the kitchen, where she chopped onions and apples and stuffed the ducks. Herman was busy directing the team while creating a leek and potato soup. “I love the way you’ve set this up, Tom,” Herman praised the design. “Six of us working on the meal, but only two of us actually in the kitchen.” In ten minutes Herman thanked his assistants and dismissed them. The birds were roasting, soup was simmering and he was working on his vegetable dishes. “Max and I were going to talk about a new home where she can have a studio with year-round light,” Tom said to Frank. “You want to join us?” “No, you can’t have him,” Acacia said, taking his hand. “I need someone to tell me about the football plays.” “How about the studio and the mistress suite for the artist,” Maxine suggested. “You can do a nice man cave with Frank, right?” “Should be plenty of space for a man cave,” Tom agreed. “With table tennis?” Frank asked. “Sure,” the designer agreed. “Make sure it’s got a tournament-sized surround. You can do the rest with Max.” “Private bar?” Tom asked. “Tournament-sized pool table?” The designer’s suggestions would become the client’s man cave. “And big-screen TV for watching football,” the petite attorney added to Frank’s man cave. She assumed that women would be wel- 476 Explicitly Sexy III come there. Acacia led ‘Big Guy,’ her expert commentator for the Lions’ game, into the Wilson’s library. Sunday, 1/2/05, 2:10 P. M. The library. The Lions’ season had been a bad one. They had won six but lost nine games. Fortunately, they were playing the Tennessee Titans. The Titans had only won four games. “Back in high school I taught the quarterback trig. He taught me T- formations,” Acacia explained to Big Guy who was figuring out the library’s big-screen television. “The T-formation?” Frank asked. “Isn’t that what you call it?” “Well, that was kind of obsolete before you were born,” the tight end explained. Then he added, “I guess some high schools still used it. High school coaches stick to what they learned.” Frank would go on to explain how the I-formation had replaced the T and how the defenses had adapted to the new offenses. Acacia peppered him with questions. She was completely fascinated by the game. Frank was pleased to have such an eager student. It distracted him from the fact that Detroit was celebrating New Year’s Sunday by losing to one of the worst teams in the league. Tom and Maxine had gone to the office to work, if you can call doing what you love ‘work.’ Louise remained on the corridor side of the stove where she could stir and keep Herman company without being in the kitchen. Sunday, 1/2/05, 2:10 P. M. The office. “I think we might get the lot next to ours, on the east side,” Tom said. “We might even get two lots with this new plan Ace has. You’d have two acres on the road where you could build and eight more in back.” “So I could walk over any evening?” Maxine asked, obviously excited. “Would that come with kissing rights?” Tom laughed. “You’ll have to ask the kissee. Now, what kind of place are we talking about?” 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 477

“Remember that last place you showed us when we were looking for a home for Monica?” Maxine asked. “The barn with the little ranch in front?” Tom remembered. “Could we do something like that? Make the house modest but have a really big studio in a barn?” “Traditional or modern interior?” the designer asked. He had thought about this. “Modern. Space for my paintings.” “OK. How about we put the bedrooms in the barn, below your stu- dio. Connect the barn and house somehow. Then strip out the interior walls so the ranch is just a big, open, public space. Dining area, kitchen, conversation pit. That sort of thing.” “Deck and sun room like yours?” “Better! How about a big greenhouse behind the ranch. Enclose a four-season pool. Yeah. A place for Lou to swim. Then you won’t even have to walk over here. She’ll come to you.” “Oh, I like that! I think I’ll definitely collect some kisses as pool use fees.” “We could have a little gravel path from our deck to a door into the pool. ‘Louise’s path.’ OK?” “Maybe I’ll only allow swimming if you’re nude.” Maxine mused. “Lou’s got a fairly indecent thong bikini, you know. Close to naked.” “Maybe for an extra kiss or two I’ll let her wear something.” Tom tried to focus on the design. “You know, if we do a ranch next to our house, the ranch is going to be upstaged. You OK with that?” “Upstaged, but only until a visitor walks into the ranch and sees this big, open space, right?” “I guess so,” Tom agreed. “So people I haven’t invited to visit won’t know what they’re miss- ing? Sounds just right.” The designer smiled. He had guessed how she would feel. “If we made the ranch a little oversized, height included, we could get a pretty impressive interior. Keep it open to the roof, like Monica’s?” 478 Explicitly Sexy III

“And open through to the barn and greenhouse, too. Can you sketch this up?” Tom said he could get started. Maxine left to find Louise. “Look what I found,” Maxine said, leading Louise by the hand. “Herman thought he had a sous chef, but I stole her.” “That two-sided stove really works, Tom,” the stolen sous chef said. “I was stirring the reduction Herman wanted, chatting with the chef but completely outside the kitchen. At least until I was kidnapped.” Tom was glad to hear his design worked. He also had a simple ground plan on his monitor. Together, Tom and Maxine explained the basic ranch-with-barn idea to Louise. “And this?” Louise asked pointing to the large rectangle at a 45 degree angle behind the ranch and barn. “Greenhouse for my pool,” Maxine said. “You’re going to be the pool decoration. The entrance fee is two kisses.” “We’ll have a little gravel path from our deck to Max’s pool,” the designer said. Louise was more than ready to start swimming. Her thighs weren’t going to last much longer if she didn’t start something soon. “I told Max about your bikini,” Tom said. “Three kisses if you’re not swimming nude,” Maxine said. “Don’t you get enough kisses from Frank?” Louise asked, as if three kisses were a high price. “Should I make him swim nude or covered?” the artist asked. They went on to talk about ranch and barn. Between the two, Maxine would have a very large home. An impressive space once a person was inside. “And how am I going to pay for all this, commercially-minded agent,” Maxine asked Louise. “I’ll talk to George,” the agent told the artist. “You paint. We’ll have this paid for with your next show.” Sunday, 1/2/05, 4:00 P. M. The dining room. The soup course alone would have convinced any skeptic that Herman van Houten was a serious cook. Green chives and bits of red bell peppers made a seasonal display in the off-white soup. The presentation improved 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 479 as the meal went on. Pouilly-Fumé was replaced with Merlot when the duck was served. Conversation flowed with the wine. Louise was quiet, which was not unusual for her. She was thinking about the evening. Tom was quite focused on the food and wine and company. Between salad and desert, Maxine asked Herman for a brief rest. “I’ve got an announcement and a request. Frank, could you bring in that item we left in the car?” Frank, who appeared to be in on the secret, promptly went to the car. He returned with a large, square object wrapped in plastic. “This wall needs help,” Maxine said, pointing to the wall between the pantry and corridor doors. “Oh, you couldn’t, Max,” Louise said, guessing. “I could,” Maxine declared as Frank unwrapped From the Heart of a Friend. He held it up. The model and the painter knew it was a portrait of Louise’s nude breasts. Acacia and the three men thought they were look- ing at a still life. “I haven’t decided what to do with this, yet,” Maxine explained. “But for now, I want it to hang here. Lou doesn’t look so bashful about showing some skin these days.” Everyone but Louise was confused. Maxine was peppered with ques- tions. It was a magnificent still life, featuring lilacs and fall leaves. Max- ine refused to explain. Louise had seen the painting exactly as Maxine had seen it, though only after a considerable time staring (and half a ther- mos of margaritas, which may or may not have helped). Louise pre- tended ignorance. “This is the painting you guys told me about?” Acacia asked. Louise and Maxine agreed. They had promised to show it to her but Acacia had declined on the reasonable ground that a nude portrait of Louise’s breasts would cause her acute jealousy. Her friends had told her it would not. They were correct. Acacia saw lilacs and fall leaves. “Now, I want to do an ass,” Maxine said. “A companion picture, so it has to be a female ass. I need a model.” She indicated that the two asses she was considering were in the room. She invited them to stand up so the gentlemen could help her select one. “Wait a minute, Max,” Tom interrupted. “Can you work from photo- graphs?” 480 Explicitly Sexy III

“Sure. I did From the Heart of a Friend from quick sketches.” She didn’t realize that Tom was not worried about the time required for pos- ing. “Frank, shouldn’t your wife be picking one of three choices, not just two?” Tom asked. Frank smiled. “Good point, Tom. I think all three of them should face the wall so we can choose one.” Maxine was left without an argument. The women turned to the wall. Two were wearing slacks. Not particularly tight slacks, but not loose. Louise had chosen her A-line skirt to direct attention above her waist. The judges conferred. The lack of definition of Louise’s garment was discussed. “Lou’s been dressing to emphasize her ‘remaining parts’,” Tom observed. Louise was declared ineligible. “Oh well. Tom’s a tit man,” Louise explained as she joined the men at the table. “Once I made him go for an entire weekend where he could look at my tits, but not touch. It made him frantic.” Then she asked, “Was that a weekend, Tom, or was it just for 48 hours?” Only one other person knew that “once” was the weekend still in progress. Tom was temporarily flustered, but he found an opening. “Hon- estly, Lou, I just can’t remember.” (One cannot remember the future, of course, so Tom was not lying. ‘Honestly’ might not have been an exact word, however.) He was hoping that ‘once’ would be just 48 hours. He would find out after their guests left. Louise thought his answer was bril- liant, under the circumstances. She hadn’t made up her mind yet. Denying his fingers the pleasure of her nipples also meant denying her nipples the pleasure of his fingers. Louise forced herself to return focus to her guests. There were two remaining asses. Frank graciously asked Herman for his opinion. Herman declined to choose. “I’m biased,” he said, diplomat- ically. “So am I,” Frank agreed. “What do you think, Tom?” Tom took his time, asking the women to turn this way and that so he could judge. Eventually, he looked to his wife. “What do you think, Lou? You should have been in this contest too, you know.” Louise asked for a coin. Herman had one in his pocket. Louise asked Frank to flip it and Tom to read it after it landed on the floor. “Heads,” Tom announced. 35 Tease, Kiss, Cook and Contest 481

“It definitely should have been tails,” Louise contradicted. Herman laughed. After all, what were they judging? Tom and Frank looked con- fused. “Acacia wins,” Louise announced. Acacia was not at all sure she had wanted to win. Maxine was completely sure. She kissed Louise’s cheek and thanked her. “You’re a dear, Lou.” She also kissed Acacia’s cheek and assured her, “This won’t hurt a bit. You can wear a thong.” Herman went to the fridge and returned with a tray of blueberry-bor- dered, red raspberry covered tarts. He served them with Cointreau. They were beautiful, everyone agreed. He was still thinking about the ‘con- test.’ Herman was quite sure the judging had been completely fair. Louise had made a good choice. He hadn’t noticed the issue with the coin toss. Sunday, 1/2/05, 5:45 P. M. The entry hall. Frank and Tom helped Herman and Acacia reload their car. Acacia had thanked Big Guy for his expert commentary. Frank, in turn, had thanked Website for his excellent food. After Acacia and Herman were gone, Tom mentioned, “I think we forgot to open the doors into the office.” Frank remembered. He went with Tom, leaving the ladies alone. After opening the doors, they looked for other tasks. Tom helped himself to a last glass of Merlot. (Frank declined. He had to drive.) They went back to the office where they checked the score. The Lions had more yards running, more yards pass- ing, more of almost everything but at the end, Tennessee had more points. It had still been an excellent afternoon. Frank and Tom were running out of ways to avoid the entry hall when Maxine and Louise, holding hands and with twinkles in their eyes, found their men. The Wilsons walked their friends to the car and then scurried back inside. “You should have called that coin toss before the coin landed, you know,” Tom told the referee when they were back in the entry hall. “Why would I have done that?” the referee asked, sweetly and inno- cently. She wondered if anyone else had noticed. “Did you have a nice kiss?” Tom asked. Louise took his head in her hands and looked into his eyes. “I think so,” she answered. “Would you like to kiss me so I can compare?” 482 Explicitly Sexy III

He started the kiss with a gentle ‘brush by.’ Sunday, 1/2/05, 5:45 P. M. Herman’s car. “I told you your ass was sexy,” Herman said. “You won.” “The fix was in,” Acacia complained. “And you really want me pos- ing nude?” “I wonder what kind of flowers you’ll be,” he said. “Did that paint- ing make any sense?” “None. I think Louise was drunk when she said it looked like her tits.” “You still have that butts page I made for you?” Herman asked. She did. “Maybe you want to send it to the artist?” “Good idea,” Acacia agreed. She changed subjects to add, “And you’re a hero, Mr. Chef. That meal was superb.” “Tom did a great job with that house,” Mr. Chef said, modestly. “I love that convection oven.” Glancing at his passenger, he added, “And you do have the best ass.” His passenger smiled to herself. She’d have to do something with that asset. He wasn’t the only one that could cook. 36 Memories

Every Michigan winter had its cold week (or weeks). This was one of them. Lows below 0 (-18C), highs below freezing. A thick blanket of arc- tic clouds covered the sky, making the days dark. Monday, January 3, 2005, 7:30 A. M. Maxine and Frank’s library. The artist was studying a page of female butts. Her model’s butt sur- rounded by other models’ butts. ‘Incredibly helpful,’ she thought to her- self, studying the curves. She realized that her expertise on the front side of the female form far exceeded her expertise on the rear. Some studying was needed.

483 484 Explicitly Sexy III

Tuesday, January 4, 2005, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. “Thank Herman for making that page,” Maxine told Acacia. “Very good essay on those curves.” Acacia promised to pass this along. “Do you want to pose nude or in a thong?” Maxine asked. “Pose for whom?” Acacia wanted to know. “Me and your husband, I guess. I’ll sketch and he can take more photos. Shouldn’t take long.” Louise volunteered her mistress suite for the site of the photo shoot. “My boudoir’s dressing stand might make some great photos. Show sev- eral angles at once.” Noon tomorrow was agreed on. That matter settled, all three knew there was another subject. Maxine’s New Year’s resolution had been to tell her friends. But it was really going to make for a sad evening at The Rose. She had visited Louise Monday evening to ask permission. “Ace and I have both been waiting for this, Max,” Louise had told her. “You’re at least a year over- due. I’ll warn her.” After drinks arrived, Acacia raised her glass. “To honesty,” she toasted. All three drank to honesty. Acacia and Louise turned to listen to Maxine. “Our marriage is almost over,” Maxine confessed. “I still love him. A little, at least. I really don’t know what to do.” Acacia and Louise knew this was hard for her. They both waited for her to go on. Maxine stirred her drink slowly. “I guess I’ll tell two stories, OK?” Her listeners said it was OK. “I’ll tell you about our first kiss and our first fuck. The kiss was nice.” Wednesday, April 20, 1994, 3:30 P. M. The University of Michigan Diag. Two students were strolling southwest across the Diag. She was a sopho- more studying art. He was completing his first year of MBA work. They were chatting. He decided that it was time. “May I kiss you, Maxine?” he asked. He felt his heart beating. The Diag (a lawn in the heart of the main campus) provided no privacy, but two students kissing would hardly attract attention. The request was reasonable. Maybe even important. 36 Memories 485

She smiled. The first kiss was a hurdle in any new relationship. “Frank, you are a true gentleman,” she began but was interrupted. From across the Diag a male voice shouted, “Hey, Bull! How’s it goin’?” Frank looked up and waved. “Did he call you ‘Bull,’ Frank?” she asked, momentarily forgetting his question. “Yeah,” Frank confirmed. “I was Bull Bowers when I played foot- ball.” He was flustered. A man doesn’t need this sort of interruption if he’s just asked for a first kiss. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. Feel her big breasts press into his chest. Her lips were luscious. They looked very kissable. He’d been concentrating on his studies when they’d met. Not party- ing. Not dating. But she looked special. And she was getting better as he got to know her. She saw the disappointment on his face. “We were interrupted. I liked your question, though,” she said. “Very nice to be asked. I think I might like to kiss a man who’s polite enough to ask.” The fact that the man was tall, athletic and rather handsome didn’t hurt his chances, she thought. That was almost a ‘yes,’ he thought. “You might?” They stopped where their paths diverged. He was heading to the library, she to the museum. She had an idea. “Maybe you could pick a romantic place for that kiss? Some place where no one shouts ‘Hey, Bull’ at you?” “When will I see you again?” he asked. “You just have to call,” she answered. “Call me and tell me you’ve found a romantic spot for a kiss. You’ll probably have a date.” “You’re fun,” he said. “How long should I wait before I call? I don’t want to seem too eager, you know.” “I’m OK with eager,” she said and stood on her toes to kiss his crooked nose (football injury he had said—added character she thought). She turned toward the museum. He stood, watching her go, hoping she would at least turn around to wave ‘good bye.’ She was special. Great looks, but not stuck up. Laughed a lot. Beautiful smile. 486 Explicitly Sexy III

She set a purposeful pace toward the museum and wondered if he were watching. She smiled to herself. No one had ever asked her for that first kiss. She liked being asked. She hoped he could find a romantic place for it. A first kiss in some romantic place would be a very good way to start a serious relationship. She’d never lacked for boys chasing her. She had obvious assets. But a serious relationship would be a first. Thursday, April 21, 1994, 6:30 A. M. Barton Pond. She had pressed ‘Play’ the previous evening. It was Bowers. “I’ll meet you outside your apartment at 5:30, tomorrow morning. Wear good walk- ing shoes. Dawn at Barton Pond.” Oh, shit, she thought to herself. She wished she had a map. Barton Pond? An hour before dawn? That was time enough to walk four miles (6.4km). He had rung her bell promptly at 5:30. She had asked him what and where. “It’s about four miles northwest. A place where the Huron River was dammed to make a mill. There’s a wildlife sanctuary on the west side. Never been there, but it looks promising on the map.” They had set a brisk pace. It had kept them warm. They stood together at the west edge of the pond, looking east. The sky was getting red as they watched. The pond was just over half a mile (1km) wide where they stood. He wrapped a large arm around her shoul- ders. “Glad the weather’s OK,” he said. “You like mornings?” she asked. “Sunrises,” he answered. “New day starting.” She wrapped her left arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I love the light,” she said. Dawn was only ten minutes away. The red was brightening as they watched. She was captivated by the light show in front of them. He was captivated by the head on his shoulder. Hoping that the next few minutes would prove romantic. She was special. The light rewarded them. The red glow got brighter as the sun approached the horizon. Then actual light appeared on the bottoms of cumulus that dotted the eastern sky. Finally the topmost rim of the sun appeared. Eventually they had to look away as the light was overpower- ing. They turned to face each other. “You did good, Frank Bowers. I loved it. Can I thank you?” 36 Memories 487

“You’ve got a beautiful smile, Maxine Gulden. That’s all the thanks I need.” It was not all the thanks she intended to give. She pulled his head into her own, his lips into her own. Her lips were better than they looked, he thought. He wrapped his arms around her, pushing her breasts into his chest. Gently, he reminded himself. She wondered about opening her mouth. Part of her wanted to, but part of her said the kiss was perfect as it was. She pulled her lips away from his and lay her head on his chest. This was special. Tuesday, 1/4/05, 5:35 P. M. The Rose Café. Acacia and Louise looked at each other. Louise said, “You first,” to Aca- cia. “That was a beautiful story, Max,” Acacia said. “Beautiful.” Louise agreed. Maxine said, “Oh, shit. Now I gotta tell you about Bull Bowers.” She drained her glass. Looking at her friends she saw that no one else was ready for another round, so she started to tell her story. “He was ‘Bull Bowers’ when he played football. Turns out that wasn’t the only time he was ‘Bull Bowers.’ “I don’t know why. Looking back it was certainly a mistake, but we decided to wait until we were married. Maybe I’m more Catholic than I want to be. But I really think it was a romantic notion. Just married and the bride sacrifices her virginity. The pain buried under the throes of pas- sion. “Stupid fucking mistake. Should have known better. He’d fucked a few cheerleaders, but had no clue. I had no clue. The one you call ‘Sexy’ was still a virgin. “Well... Oh, shit. It was painful. It’s even painful to remember. He started with a kiss. It was much too hard and much too fast. I should have known. Next thing he was poking it into me. I was dry. It hurt. “Then he was poking into my hymen. That tore. I screamed. He thought it was passion. He thought I was wet. It was blood. Shit. 488 Explicitly Sexy III

“Only good thing is that he came in maybe three strokes. It was over in a minute.” Maxine tilted her empty glass to get the last drip. “No wonder you’ve got issues. That was horrible,” Louise sympa- thized. Maxine continued. “And his bride didn’t have a clue. Can you believe she tried to pretend she’d enjoyed it? Didn’t want to hurt his feel- ings. What a moron. “He didn’t know. I didn’t teach him anything. I just avoided sex. It hurt. Oh shit. “He worked late a lot. He got an apartment in the city. At first it was for one night a week. Then it was two. It kept growing. He kept working harder. Buried our issues in his work I guess. Got promoted fast. Now he’s home one day a week. “I don’t think he’s ever had an affair. I think he really did love me. Maybe there’s a tiny bit left, but seven nights a week isn’t going to leave any marriage. We’re not far from it.” Maxine fell silent. After a decent pause, Acacia patted Maxine’s hand, sympathetically. “Thanks for sharing, Max. Feel better?” Maxine nodded her head. She did feel better. “Perfect example of the Dunning–Kruger Effect,” the lawyer diag- nosed. Maxine, who had just bared her soul, to her own great relief, was now utterly confused. “The what?” she asked. Acacia gave them the summary. “Dunning and Kruger, psychologists at Cornell, studied total incompetence and the self-opinions of those who were totally incompetent. They discovered that if you don’t know you’re incompetent, you don’t think you’re incompetent. On one topic, the true incompetents tested in the 12th percentile. They self-ranked in the 62nd percentile.” “Wow,” Louise interrupted. “You’re saying he had no clue.” “Likely thought he was pretty good,” Acacia agreed. “Oh, shit,” Maxine summarized. “He thought he was good?” 36 Memories 489

“Not to change subjects,” Acacia changed the subject, “but the study also found out something interesting at the other end of the scale. The people who were very good tended to underrate their own skill. They assumed that things that came easily to them, must be easy things, so no big deal.” “What are you saying?” Louise asked. “Well, maybe you have a knack for flooding your man with dopamine,” Acacia suggested, possibly thinking of a specific person. “You might not realize that you rate very high on that scale because you think it’s so easy.” Then Acacia returned to Maxine. “Or maybe painting comes easily to you. You might not rate yourself very high on that scale because you think it’s easy. You could be self-assessing maybe 75% when you’re somewhere above 99%, you know.” Maxine temporarily forgot Bull Bowers. “Really?” “Max, you can be quite thick-headed at times,” her agent told her. “I showed a portfolio of photographs of your work to exactly two galleries. Both wanted you to exhibit with them. The board of Michigan Motors hung one of your biggest in their lobby, after they consulted with their New York experts. People you do not know, people who know a lot about art but nothing about you, think that your work is excellent.” “You sound like you’re my agent, Lou.” Acacia reminded her, “She is your agent, Max.” “Oh, yeah,” Maxine agreed. Then she added, “Oh, shit.” Bull Bow- ers forced his way back into her consciousness. “I just didn’t know what to do,” she said. Acacia patted her hand. “Sometimes it happens,” she said. “We don’t get courses in this stuff.” “I didn’t know what to do,” Maxine repeated. “I should have taught him how to make me happy. I really think that I could have turned it around by being honest with him. All I did was try to avoid sex. Talk about not facing things. I’m still ashamed of myself.” “You’ve done the first right thing tonight,” Acacia said. “You’ve made a little start.” Then she turned to Louise. “You have any good ideas, Lou?” 490 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise was confused. “Talking about problems is a start,” she said. “Doesn’t save Max’s marriage, but at least gets more brains involved. I think we should order another round and think about it.” Maxine thought Louise’s approach was sound. At least the part about having another round. She waved at Jillian. “If we could figure out how to save your marriage,” the attorney asked, “would you want to try, Max?” Maxine thought about it. “It might be hard, you know,” the attorney added. “It might be hard and anything you try might fail.” Maxine thought about it. Louise thought about it, too. She thought about partnering with the attorney, at whom she stared. The attorney’s head nodded her agreement. It was an imperceptible nod that Louise could see and Maxine could miss. Louise took Maxine’s hand. “At least you’ve got three of us think- ing about your issues, Max. Maybe we can come up with something.” Maxine didn’t know it but Acacia and Louise had just started lying to her. The artist’s attorney and the artist’s agent would meet and discuss the problem without telling Maxine. Together they would devise a plan. It would come to be called ‘The Plan.’ But before they finished creating The Plan, the attorney would be facing her own problems. Acacia, as Bitch Goddess, would only survive through the weekend. Another Acacia was about to take her place. Wednesday, January 5, 2005, noon. Louise’s boudoir. “Change into that bikini,” Louise told Acacia. Then she ordered, “Her- man, come with me.” Maxine and Acacia were left alone in the boudoir, wondering where Louise was leading Herman. Louise led Herman into the mistress bath. “You’ll want to know how to work this,” Louise told him. Herman saw the whirlpool tub, already filled. He stuck his hand in. The water was hot. “What are you up to, Louise Wilson?” “You can help the model get relaxed for her photo shoot,” Louise said. “Max and I will be downstairs chatting.” She explained the con- trols, then pointed out bath towels ready on the counter. 36 Memories 491

Returning to the boudoir, Louise asked Maxine to come with her. “Call us when you’re ready,” she told Herman, leading Maxine down- stairs. Hostess Wilson had a kettle on the stove and a porcelain pot ready with green tea. She turned the heat on under the kettle. Maxine asked where she had taken Herman. “The tub’s filled. Nice and hot. I explained the whirlpool controls to him,” Louise said. “I expect that they’ll be about fifteen minutes while he helps your model relax.” Maxine understood. She smiled. “You are amazing, Louise Wilson. So sweet. So kinky.” “No, I never sweeten it,” Louise said, as if Maxine had been talking about the tea. “Don’t let the water boil and steep for just a minute.” Fill- ing the teapot she added, “It shouldn’t be kinky.” “My sweet and innocent girlfriend,” Maxine said, shaking her head ‘no.’ “I didn’t think Ace would really be comfortable posing, you know,” Louise explained. “She doesn’t have that kind of vanity. I thought a little relaxing might help.” Herman called them twenty minutes later. The model wore her thong bikini and had wrapped a large bath towel around herself. Louise took the towel from her after Acacia stepped onto the dressing stand. The model was very relaxed while the artist sketched and the photographer adjusted the mirrors for his pictures. She had a rather pleased smile and a faraway look. On the way out, Herman promised to have pictures in Maxine’s email before evening. Maxine thanked him, and thanked her model. The model hugged the hostess. The hostess asked if the posing had been pleasant. “I really wasn’t looking forward to posing,” the model told the host- ess, “but you made the whole experience very satisfying.” The hostess looked pleased. She knew that the model chose her words carefully. 492 Explicitly Sexy III

Monday, January 10, 2005, 8:45 A. M. Judge Rubick’s chambers. “Thanks for coming in, Ms. Donovan,” Judge Rubick greeted the attor- ney. “I’ve got a little assignment from the pro bono pool I wanted to dis- cuss with you.” The county did not have public defenders. Accused law-breakers who could not afford lawyers were defended by local attorneys who donated some time to take these pro bono cases. They were paid (some would say ‘ill-paid’) token amounts for this work. “Always glad to oblige, your honor.” The judge was not quite three times Acacia’s age. He was still sharp and Acacia would be arguing her client’s cases in his courtroom. Definitely a man whose opinion mattered, Acacia thought. “Please. ‘Charley’ will do when we’re not in court,” he told her. “Acacia,” the lawyer said. She considered, ‘My friends call me Ace’ but decided against it. The judge began. “You may recall an incident back in October where a drunk driver caused an accident in which a young woman was quite seriously injured?” Acacia was stunned. She was intimately acquainted with one party to such an accident. Did he mean Louise? “The accident in which a bicy- clist lost both her feet?” she asked. “That would be the one,” the judge agreed. Acacia felt the walls moving in. The drunk driver, she’d not heard his name, had gone to jail, unable to make bail. Apparently his case was coming up. If the D.A.’s office couldn’t handle the case, Acacia would be very happy to handle the prosecution. But that was fantasy. Did Rubick want her to defend the drunk? How could she refuse Rubick? “It seems that you already know the defendant,” the judge continued. “We were thinking of asking you to handle the defense but Kathy sug- gested I talk to you first. She said ‘intuition’ when I asked her why. I’ve found her intuitions can be worth pursuing.” Kathy was the senior clerk who actually scheduled pro bono assign- ments. And she was a bit of a gossip. She often knew more than she admitted. 36 Memories 493

Acacia decided that revealing a bit of her personal life would be enough to persuade the judge that this assignment would be inappropri- ate. Acacia began, “Kathy seems well informed, Charley. Very well informed. A short, personal discussion?” “Go ahead.” “I take an aerobics class two days a week, with my two closest friends. After aerobics we retire to The Rose Café for margaritas and girl talk. My two friends are the artist, Maxine Gulden, and Louise Wilson, a kindergarten teacher, who is also Maxine’s agent. Louise was riding home from The Rose when she lost her feet in that accident. I’d said ‘goodbye’ to Louise and gone home that evening, only to get a call that Louise was in the hospital in critical condition.” “Oh,” the judge said. “I see.” He digested this new information. He knew enough to dig a little when Kathy had one of her ‘intuitions.’ The drunk had caused Donovan’s best friend to lose both her feet, he summa- rized to himself. “May I ask, a personal question?” the judge asked. “Of course.” “How’s your friend doing? That’s quite a serious thing, I would guess. Physically, obviously, and psychologically, too.” Acacia had steered this conversation correctly, she decided. “Louise is learning to walk on prostheses, Charley. She’s physically damaged. Both feet amputated. Lost three fingers from her left hand. Right side of her face was rebuilt with a series of operations. Her smile is lopsided. For all that, she’s still pretty good company over a margarita.” The judge hadn’t known the full medical status. “Amazing how resilient some people can be,” he said, thinking out loud. “Well, I think you would not be a candidate for this case, Acacia. Thank you for com- ing in. I’ll tell Kathy to find someone else.” “May I ask a favor,” Acacia inquired. The judge nodded. “I don’t think I’d be a good candidate for any DUI/DWI cases. I’m still quite unable to think objectively when someone says ‘drunk driver’.” “I’ll tell Kathy,” he said. “Thank you, sir,” Acacia said. Then she asked a final question. Something told her she didn’t want to know, but she had to know. “You said I know the defendant?” 494 Explicitly Sexy III

“Yes. You defended him earlier this year. Persuaded the court to let him keep his license so he could drive to work. Second DUI. Good thing it wasn’t my court. I’d never have let you get away with that. Let’s see, his name is...” The judge ran his finger down the paper in front of him. Acacia tried to keep her face passive. But she felt the blood draining as her body prepared to shut down. She felt herself turning white. She remembered John Steuben. She had assembled her logic with great care. Keeping a license after a second DUI, the second in one year, was unheard of. The prosecutor had congratulated her after the judge’s ruling. (He would, he told himself, not be beaten again by Ms. Donovan.) She had congratulated herself. Great legal work. She had kept Steuben on the road. Her careful logic had cost Louise both feet. Nearly killed her. She stood up and turned to the door. “John Steuben, sir,” she said, almost to herself. She heard him as she left. “Are you all right, Acacia?” She pretended she hadn’t heard. She needed fresh air. Behind her she didn’t see Rubick following her out of his office. Rubick waved to Kathy, motioning her to follow Acacia. Kathy watched as Acacia walked past the coat rack without retrieving her coat. Kathy got up quickly, gave the judge a ‘what the hell is happening?’ look and chased after Acacia, grabbing Acacia’s coat on the way. Kathy caught Acacia as she was going down the courthouse steps. “You forgot your coat Ms. Donovan.” Acacia turned and recognized the senior clerk. Acacia recognized the coat in Kathy’s hand. “Oh. Yes. Thank you.” Kathy held Acacia’s case and studied the petite attorney’s face while Acacia put her coat on. “Are you all right, Ms. Donovan. You look pale.” “I’m fine,” the attorney lied. “Just had a bit of a surprise.” Acacia thanked Kathy again as she took her case back. “The coffee’s pretty good over there,” Kathy said, pointing to the coffee shop across the street. “Maybe you should get one before you try driving?” The cold air was bracing. Acacia felt the blood returning to her face and to her brain. “Good idea. Thank you. And call me Acacia.” “You have a cup of coffee, Acacia. I’m Kathy. And I’d better get back inside before I’m a frozen Kathy.” Kathy went back up the steps. She thought the attorney must have had a serious shock. Acacia had been 36 Memories 495 there to discuss a simple pro bono assignment. Kathy’s ‘intuition’ told her that the attorney might have known the accident victim. Maybe the judge could tell her what had happened. Kathy would forget about this meeting until Louise Wilson reminded her of it in early spring. In the meantime, mid-winter would have other issues. Monday, 1/10/05, 7:50 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s home. He heard something strange from down the hall. He went to investigate. There was a noise coming from Acacia’s room. Opening the door Herman saw his wife seated at her desk, face rest- ing on her arms sobbing quietly. “What...” he began. She hushed him. “I want to go to bed, Herman.” She got up to take her clothes off. He was utterly confused. Nothing could have been more unexpected. More unlike her. He went into their bedroom to turn down the covers. She saw him. Saw that he was getting the bed ready for her. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll be better in the morning.” He hoped she would explain in the morning. She would not explain, and she would not be better.

37 Lovers and Other Partners

It was winter. Days were short. Often gray. Cyclists rode stationary bikes. Runners used treadmills. Enjoying a cocktail seated in a rose bower let some people escape from Mother Nature’s plan, however briefly. Friday, January 14, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Café. Tomorrow, Acacia thought, warming her hands by wrapping them around her Inn Cider. Tomorrow she would start working with Louise on the plan for Max and Frank. They’d already discussed some general ideas. They would write a script for Max and Frank, carefully disguised as a ten-week treatment plan. If their actors played their parts... Ironic, she thought to herself. Last year I wanted all three of us to have stories to share. At first, I was the only one with a sex life. Lou righted her ship and for a time two of us had sex lives. Then Lou had her

497 498 Explicitly Sexy III accident and I was the only one, again. Lou survived, but then Rubick told me about Steuben. Now Lou’s the only one with a sex life. Ironic. Her musings were interrupted by Maxine and Louise coming through the door. They were laughing about something. She took a swallow of Inn Cider to hide her face. She tried to put on a smile and then greeted them. Maxine asked, “Something wrong, Ace?” Acacia tried to recover. “No. Well, not really. I was thinking about this treatment plan I’d heard about. It’s for your condition, Max. Sup- posed to be effective, but I’m having a hard time finding it online.” Sunday, January 16, 2005, 1:30 P. M. The mistress bedroom. “What’s wrong?” Tom asked. “I’m thinking,” Louise said. “Something bad?” “No.” And then she thought again. “Well, yes. I’m thinking about being bad.” He smiled. “About my mistress being bad?” She looked at him. She looked deep into him and formed her answer carefully. “Maybe. You’ve been hard a long time now. Would you like to come?” “As a matter of fact, that had crossed my mind. Coming might be nice.” “I think ‘might be nice’ is my line, Tom. I think ‘ready to explode’ is probably closer to the way you feel, isn’t it?” “OK. I’m ready to explode. Are you ready to make an explosion?” “Are you ready for me to be bad?” “Is that ‘bad’ another way to say ‘hot’?” “You decide. I’m going to give you a choice. You get what you want. Do you want to come? Do you want to come however you like? By hand? Mouth? Deep inside? Or do you want to see how cruel your sweet wife can be?” “What does my hot, hot wife have in mind?” 37 Lovers and Other Partners 499

“She wants a sex toy. She wants her servant to choose to be her toy. She wants to own him like never before.” And she trailed fingers lightly up his shaft, stopping to make gentle circles on his frenum. He gasped. “I’m yours, sexy lady.” “Call me Mistress.” “I’m yours, Mistress.” “Call yourself my sex toy.” “I’m your sex toy, Mistress.” “Remember, this is your choice. You may wish you’d asked for that nice, big explosion. You sure?” He looked at her. He looked into the eyes that held him. And he felt the fingers that were keeping him on the edge. “I’m yours, Mistress.” She smiled. She liked having a plaything. A plaything that was chis- eled like Michelangelo’s David was particularly nice. And, she thought, she could bring him to a whole new level if she had the courage. She grabbed his swollen balls and squeezed. Not hard, but not gently. She kissed him. Her tongue pushed into his mouth. He moaned and she squeezed harder. “Time for another visit to the toy store. I want something for spank- ing you.” With that she rolled out of bed. “Get dressed,” she ordered. “We’re going shopping.” Sunday, 1/16/05, 2:15 P. M. Louise’s car en route to Sintilla’s. The Sunday afternoon traffic was light. The sun was still high enough not to be a problem, even driving due west. “How’s my cock, plaything?” Louise asked her passenger. “He’s resting, Mistress.” “Good. Let him get his strength back. He’s going to need it.” “I think he will. His Mistress gets sexier every day.” “Your wife is scared, Tom. Make me a promise.” “What?” 500 Explicitly Sexy III

“Promise me that if I ever go too far you’ll tell me. You won’t be afraid to hurt my feelings.” “That’s almost too easy. I’m not bashful. I’d say ‘yes’ but there’s something running around my brain. Give me a minute?” “We’ll be at Sintilla’s in 20 minutes. We could just turn around, you know.” “No, no. Keep going. I’ll figure it out.” He wondered. He thought back to the first time she had said, “Eat me, Tom. Eat me.” That had been so hot. So right. So good. And she’d taken him higher and higher ever since. What was he thinking? And then he knew. “Remember when you said, ‘Eat me.’? The first time?” “I’d never said anything like that before. I was too sweet. That was outside my comfort zone.” “And you remember how hot it was? For both of us?” “I’m glad I said it.” “Well, you’ve just gotten hotter and sexier ever since. Like that bikini. Or the rope. The corset. The handjob. So here’s what I think. I think that you’re going to have to go too far. If you never go too far, you’re not going to find out where the limits are. So now I’ll give you the promise you want. “When you go too far, I promise I’ll let you know. That way you won’t need to worry about going too far. You just keep trying stuff and one day I’ll say, ‘Too far.’ Then you back off. No harm done. OK?” “That’s what I want to know. Gives me a license to explore.” “And a license to try spanking?” She looked at him. She smiled. He pointed forward, at the highway. She turned back to the road. “I already did try spanking, you know. You seem to like it. You think you might like a little more?” “Would that make my mistress hotter?” “She doesn’t know. But she wants to find out.” “My cock is swelling from thinking about it. My mistress sure can make me hard.” “What’s nine times seven?” 37 Lovers and Other Partners 501

“63.” He smiled. She wanted him deflated in public. “And Frank- fort,” he added. “Frankfort?” “The capital of Kentucky. Isn’t that what you were going to ask?” Sunday, 1/16/05, 2:40 P. M. Sintilla’s adult toy store. They were greeted by the same sales girl that had served them when they bought the vibrator. “It’s the Wilson’s again. Welcome back. I’m Cherry.” “Hi, again, Sherry with the very good memory,” Louise said. “No, that’s ‘Cherry’ like you put on an ice cream sundae,” Cherry corrected her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Louise said, looking at the badge that said ‘Cherry.’ “Not in school this semester?” “I’m here between semesters. What are we looking for today?” Louise felt devilish. “Tom?” she asked, passing the question. “What do you have for spankings?” Tom asked, trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt. “Spankings are fun,” Cherry said, cheerfully. “Right this way.” She led them to an extensive assortment of paddles, whips, crops and more. “Did you have anything in particular in mind?” Tom looked over the assortment from left to right and back again. “We’re new at this,” he confessed. “Got any advice?” “I like most of them,” Cherry began. Louise and Tom shared a glance. Cherry certainly knew the store’s stock. “Let’s start with the pad- dles.” “Not so stingy as the whips. More of an ouch, if you know what I mean. The weight is the thing. The heavier the paddle, the more the ouch. It can really make a butt red. These with the holes are a little easier to swing through the air. Ounce for ounce they pack more ouch. “These whips have more sting,” she said, pointing to whips with multiple strips of leather, mostly suede, attached to various handles. “They make kind of a sparkly feeling where they hit. If you don’t swing too hard you can use them almost anywhere. May be a good choice for getting started.” 502 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise looked at Tom. “I think I’d like to chat privately with Cherry, Tom. She does seem to know a lot.” Tom took the hint. “I’ll look around.” The women watched him leave. Cherry gave Louise a conspiratorial smile. “And what about these,” Louise asked, pointing to the crops. “Riding crops were originally for riders who wanted to send mes- sages to their horses. They’re really whippy,” Cherry said, taking one off the rack and flexing the shaft. “Just a flick of the wrist is all it takes.” “Is all it takes?” Louise asked for clarification. “You would be the rider, or the mount, Mrs. Wilson?” Cherry asked. “Please, it’s Louise, Cherry. And I think the mount would be the one with the big strong muscles, wouldn’t he?” Cherry laughed. “The rider wants to be able to send messages? These are perfect. A flick of the wrist and there’s a nice stingy feeling. Burns a little. If the mount is a bit unruly, the rider just puts a little arm into it and she will really get his attention. Here, try it on me.” With that she turned her blue jean-protected fanny toward Louise and handed her the crop. Louise flicked it, gently. “No, no. Didn’t feel that at all,” Cherry said. “Try it again. Use your wrist.” Louise used her wrist. This time she was rewarded with a swoosh and then a sharp slapping noise as the crop struck its target. “Oh no. I didn’t mean to...” “You didn’t mean to be so gentle?” Cherry interrupted. “I barely felt that. Besides, it’s a nice sting. Try it again. Pretend I’m unruly.” Louise tried again. She liked the way the crop swooshed through the air. Something was pleasing about the way it smacked Cherry’s jeans. Cherry smiled. “That’s the spirit, Louise. I think you could learn to control your mount with just a little practice.” Louise swung the crop in the air, listening to its swooshes. “How do you know how hard to swing?” she asked. “That’s easy,” Cherry assured her. “Start with a love tap and then put more wrist into it. He should jump a little and say something. These 37 Lovers and Other Partners 503 make a quick, sharp sting that fades to nothing, really fast. By the time you’re wondering if you really hurt him, he’s wondering where the sting went.” “But if you go too far?” Louise wanted to know. “You want to know the women-only secrets?” Cherry leaned closer. “If he’s hard, he likes it. If you really go too far, he’ll get soft. But not to worry. A little gentle rubbing where the crop landed will work wonders. The sting fades to a gentle burn. I’m told the burn is as hot in front as it is in back, if you know what I mean.” “Sounds like a crop is the choice for the riding I want to do. But which is the right one?” Louise was beginning to feel more confident about this decision. “This one’s my favorite,” Cherry said. “I’ll get you one still in the box.” Then she added, “A lady has to be able to control her mount, you know. Slow it down if it goes too fast, or speed it up. There’s always a speed that the lady likes best.” “I think you’re wise beyond your years, Cherry. A lady certainly should be able to get her mount going exactly the way she wants.” Cherry went to the stock room. Louise went in search of Tom. They all returned to the sales counter where Tom paid, Louise thanked Cherry for her help. Cherry invited them to come back soon. Sunday, 1/16/05, 3:15 P. M. Louise’s car, heading home. “Got what you want?” Tom asked. “When I was a little girl I was crazy about horses. I got to ride one once at the state fair. The horse was big and powerful. I loved it.” “Uh, would that have anything to do with Sintilla’s?” “I think so.” “I’m lost.” “I like things that are big and powerful. And I like controlling them.” Louise smiled. Tom wondered what was coming next. Louise was making plans. 504 Explicitly Sexy III

Saturday, January 22, 2005, 8:30 A. M. Acacia’s office. It was early. Last week they had started at 10:00. They just had the basic idea planned before lunch. No sex to start, then once a week and gradu- ally increasing. This would not be easy. “Yes,” Louise was saying, “I would be topping off the pressure in my tires just about now.” She saw that Acacia was reacting in some way. She couldn’t read her petite friend. “Well, let’s get to work. Where were we?” “Doctor Soeur,” Acacia said, pulling herself together, opening their spreadsheet. “We need a first name.” “June,” Louise said. Acacia thought that was fine, but asked why. “You know, Joyce Brothers, June Soeur? That’s not too obvious, is it?” Acacia chuckled. “You’re bad, sister.” On her monitor, the heading read ‘Doctor June Soeur’s ? Plan.’ “Got a plan name?” “Well, it’s going to be a ten-week plan and it’s targeted at frigidity. Oh, sorry. At situational female sexual arousal disorder, right? Just name it what it is,” Louise suggested. Acacia typed but the heading overflowed. ‘Situational Female Sex- ual Arousal Disorder’ was replaced with ‘FSAD.’ and a footnote. “OK?” Louise’s co-conspirator asked. They continued to create the plan. They even created a dispute between the department head and Doctor Soeur that had the plan tempo- rarily not online. (Someone might google it.) And they created strict lim- its on sex, especially in the first weeks. They wanted Max and Frank to be horny. They wanted a completed plan before February. It was a target they would almost reach. Saturday, 1/22/05, 7:30 P. M. The mistress bedroom. Her shelf bra showed her nipples. They were hard. She was turned on. He was naked. His rear was pink where she had warmed it up in the boudoir. She sat on the right side of the bed. Venus looked across the bed at her back. “Lie across my lap,” she ordered. She guided him. His stiff 37 Lovers and Other Partners 505 cock was trapped between her thighs. She wanted to feel its throbs. But it wasn’t right. “Oh, shit,” she said, quoting a friend. “Something wrong, Mistress?” he asked. “It’s too long,” she said. “If I swing my arm naturally I’ll hit right here.” Her right-hand knuckles landed on his rear. The business end of the crop swooshed harmlessly in the air. “I’d have to swing like this,” (she held her right elbow above shoulder height) “to connect with your ass. It would be feeble.” She demonstrated. It was feeble. “We should have got one of those paddles.” He had been scared as well as turned on. The fear melted away. This was disappointing. He volunteered his tongue to help soothe her. To lick away some of her disappointment. It helped. Sunday, January 23, 2005, 12:20 P. M. Her boudoir. She lay on her divan wearing her long red robe. Her feet stood beside the divan. The robe was tied carelessly, only partially covering the shelf bra she had worn last night. (She had arranged and rearranged this bit of ‘carelessness’ to get it just right.) “Just the person I was thinking about,” she told him when he came in. She had selected her words with precision. His eyes were quickly captured by the bra and breasts so carelessly exposed. Exactly as she intended. “You have some time for me today?” “Wanted to finish the ranch this weekend. Finished it yesterday. I’m ready to start on Max’s barn. Got plenty of time for my beautiful wife.” “Got time for your mistress, Thomas?” she asked, pulling the sides of her robe farther apart, exposing more skin. Sunday, 1/23/05, 12:40 P. M. Westbound in her car. “Yes,” she explained, “to Sintilla’s for a paddle. I was quite disappointed when I found that the crop wouldn’t work. I had something planned.” “Something involving my ass?” he asked. “The one you’re sitting on is mine, not yours, Thomas. I’m feeling cruel. Positively sadistic, actually. I told your wife to leave us alone this afternoon.” 506 Explicitly Sexy III

She let this sink in. “Did you ever hear of a ‘safe word,’ Thomas?” He hadn’t. “It’s a word you pick because you wouldn’t normally say it. Like,” she looked around, “Dole pineapple” she read on the truck they were passing. “If I get carried away you just say ‘Dole pineapple’ and I’ll stop. OK?” “You’re scaring me,” he said. “Just say ‘Dole pineapple’ and we’ll turn around. You can spend the rest of the afternoon with your wife. Go ahead, say it.” He thought about it. “My wife is beautiful, Mistress. But you’re so sexy. I think I’d rather be with you this afternoon.” She smiled. She drew a line down his cheek. “You’re so mine, Thomas. I love the way you are so mine. It makes me wet.” She thought about her plan. In bed she would start him across her lap. His stiff cock would throb between her thighs. She would start gently but not stay gentle. As his rear turned red she would rub gently where the paddle landed. Soothing with her hand, then stinging with her paddle. He would love the hand but fear the paddle. When they approached his limit on her lap she would lie down and they could fuck, missionary style. Then the paddle’s stings would be huge throbs inside her. She would rub soothingly and play her flute. He would be burning. Maybe she would order him to eat her between lap and fucking. Maybe she would order him to eat her three quarters of the way through the fucking. Maybe both. She was getting wetter thinking about the pos- sibilities. The sign over the off ramp said ‘I 75 North.’ In smaller letters it acknowledged ‘Miller Rd.’ (Sintilla’s was just west of I75 on Miller.) “What’s the capital of Oregon?” she asked. He laughed. “Thank you,” he said. “Nine times seven is sixty-three. Not sure about Oregon, though.” “Peace, Thomas.” He didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. She was distracting him. “Salem. Same root as the Hebrew ‘shalom.’ Peace.” Walking into Sintilla’s she was thinking about peace. About what Thomas’s mistress would say as she held him in the peace of the just after. Something soothing. Something to cement him to her. 37 Lovers and Other Partners 507

Sunday, February 6, 2005, 5:00 P. M. Louise and Tom’s dining room. Maxine had told Louise she would have guests at 5:00 today. She had told Acacia to bring Herman. Assembled in the dining room, she had asked Frank to bring in that item they had brought. While Frank went for the item, Maxine explained. “I’ve decided what I want to do with these. I’m donating them to the DIA. But during the lifetime of the models, they can be kept by the models.” At this point everyone knew that Frank was bringing the companion to From the Heart of a Friend. Maxine went on, “they’re really a set, so I want them to hang together. They can hang here until Tom gets our Victorian reno- vated for you guys. You can find them a space in the new plans, right Tom?” Tom could, he said, make them a prime feature. Frank brought in the companion painting. “I’m calling it From Another Friend,” the artist announced. She took off the plastic. It was a split landscape. On the left, Michigan farmland in winter. On the right, a cottage garden in mid-summer’s full bloom. A riot of flowers. Both sides showed the artist’s superlative draftsmanship. Even Louise, who knew exactly what she was looking for and exactly where to look for it, didn’t see the model’s rear at first. Then it appeared. Maxine had done it again. Louise spoke first. “This is a magnificent landscape, Max. Either one of these could be called a masterpiece. Together they are over the top. Far, far over. Even the DIA has very little that can match this pair.” (The DIA’s collection includes masterpieces by artists such as Picasso and van Gogh.) Maxine walked to the far side of the table. “First time I’ve seen them together,” she said. “They make a nice pair. Boobs and buns.” Four of them saw a still life and a split landscape. Neither boobs nor buns. Two of them were thinking back to the very satisfying part of posing for the artist. Another two were remembering the artist’s sketches that became From the Heart of a Friend. Together for their goodbye kiss, Louise asked Maxine, “Shouldn’t the second one have been named From the Mons of a Friend?” Maxine laughed. “Closer to the clit than the mons, don’t you think?” 508 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise laughed. Then she turned serious. “I meant what I said about the DIA, you know.” “Oh, shit, Kinky. You really think so?” “Not a doubt in my mind,” Louise quoted George. “You want me to paint some like these that we can sell?” the artist asked her agent. “I’m never going to tell you what to paint,” the agent answered. “But if you paint some like these we’ll sell them at prices...” She wasn’t sure what prices. The prices would have lots of zeros. They hugged. Later they would both wonder why they hadn’t kissed. Tuesday, February, 8, 2005, 9:30 A. M. Turrill Elementary School. Their principal had reintroduced the class to Mrs. Wilson, who would be returning full time, next week. She showed them her left hand with its thumb and one and a third fingers. Then she sat on the desk and removed her feet. Two at a time the students examined the prostheses and her stumps in their special socks. Louise had demanded this. (She had asked, politely and gently, per- fectly willing to go along with her principal’s wishes, as long as he agreed with her.) She wanted her children to be comfortable with their now footless teacher. The children, as she knew they would, felt and reflected their teacher’s comfort with her new condition. After showing them what it meant to be a double ‘btk’ amputee, Mrs. Wilson showed them how little it meant by leading her class to the teach- ers’ lounge where the artist Maxine Gulden had three paintings on tripods adjusted to kindergarten height. Maxine told them about the light coming in from her studio window and showed them how her paintings showed the muntins in the windows. The kids got to see the muntins from just a foot away. (Louise wanted her kids to bring home two stories today, not just one. Their parents had to be comfortable, too.) Tuesday, 2/8/05, 12:00 noon. University of Michigan. The ‘exhibit’ had traveled from Turrill Elementary to Ann Arbor where the artist talked to the art majors. Her presentation wasn’t changed much except that the tripods were adjusted for taller viewers. To the students 37 Lovers and Other Partners 509

Maxine was a star. Most of them would go into advertising but secretly they all wanted to be the next Maxine Gulden. Maxine introduced her agent, Louise Wilson, who made herself pop- ular by giving away invitations to Friday evening’s Maxine Gulden open- ing at the Ubuntu Galleries in Detroit. (It was 45 minutes by car. Free champagne would encourage many college students to overcome this dif- ficulty. A chance to see the latest Guldens encouraged others.) As Louise passed out invitations she was also working on her plan for Maxine’s third show. She had not even talked to Maxine about it yet. “Make sure you introduce yourself to George Ubuntu,” she told them. “He’s black. He’ll be wearing a Tuxedo and a big smile. And do ask him if he wouldn’t like to have some student works to sell. Maxine’s work is far too expensive for normal people, you know. Student work might go for hundreds. New artists should get half the proceeds. And make sure that you do not mention Maxine or me when you bring this up.” As they drove home Maxine asked, “What’s this about selling stu- dent paintings?” “Your agent is planning your third show, Max,” Louise told her. “Your paintings have doubled in price since your first show. We’ll be get- ting fifty thousand for your smallest. Or twenty dollars for a nice poster. That leaves a pretty big hole in the product line. And you remember being in college, right? A couple hundred bucks is a ton of money for a college student. If George mentions it, tell him that you have no idea what your agent is thinking.” Wednesday, Maxine and Louise would repeat the Ann Arbor show in East Lansing for Michigan State art majors. Maxine and Louise were both Michigan graduates, but they didn’t discriminate. (East Lansing is half an hour farther from Detroit than Ann Arbor. Louise was asked for fewer invitations, but still gave the same instructions about George Ubuntu.) Tuesday, 2/8/05, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. “I’m going to meet with Doctor Soeur tomorrow,” Acacia invented. “She’s got a plan for treating frigidity. That’s called female sexual arousal disorder, ‘FSAD,’ these days. You know, like men aren’t impo- tent any more. They have ‘erectile dysfunction.’ Women aren’t frigid, they have FSAD. This plan is supposed to have a ninety percent success rate.” 510 Explicitly Sexy III

“Ninety percent?” the artist wondered. “Well, I should say it’s for ‘situational FSAD’,” Acacia elaborated. “That’s FSAD that doesn’t happen all the time. Taking some drugs can prevent a woman from lubricating. So can a history of child abuse.” “Is my problem ‘situational’?” the artist wanted to know. “Do our stories make your panties wet?” Acacia asked. “When you have enough details,” the horny one agreed. “That means that your equipment works. Your FSAD is situational.” “Can’t we just look this up online?” Louise asked, as the conspira- tors had planned. “Doctor Soeur had it reported on the department website, but she had to take it down. Conclusion reached based on too few participants. Sounds like academic politics to me,” Acacia explained. “I’d think you want more people trying the plan to get more feedback.” “This plan is for situational FSAD and that’s my problem and it’s got a ninety percent success rate?” Maxine wanted the summary confirmed. “I’ve heard it’s a bitch,” the attorney warned her. “Lot’s of foreplay without orgasms. Takes a lot of commitment.” “Oh, shit,” Maxine said. She knew she had to try something. Tuesday, 2/8/05, 8:00 P. M. Louise and Tom’s office. “Can I help?” Louise asked. She had been banished from the office while Tom wrestled with the design of Maxine and Frank’s studio/barn/ranch home. The goal was to give the design to the architect in time to get construction started as soon as the ground thawed. Mid to late March. She knew he was stuck. It had been a week since he last showed her anything. And a week since they had used the bedroom for anything other than sleeping. She rubbed his shoulders. He stared at the 3D buildings on his moni- tor and grunted. The grunt was half way between ‘that feels good’ and ‘get out of here.’ If he had turned around he would have seen that she was wearing a warmup suit, covering herself quite completely from the neck down. The design was their first priority. “What are you stuck on?” she asked. 37 Lovers and Other Partners 511

He hadn’t told her he was stuck. How did she know? Well, it wasn’t the first time she just knew. “It might help if you explained it to me,” she suggested. “Whatever you’re stuck on.” Couldn’t hurt, he thought. “The entrance hall. Not really the entrance hall. Here’s the front door of the ranch house. The barn’s over here. The barn needs some kind of entrance. Something special.” “Like the sweeping stairs at Tara?” “For you we’ll build Tara. But this is for Maxine. It should show off her paintings.” “Could you design beautiful, sweeping stairs? Like Tara’s?” “Sure. You just look up stair halls and study the designs. Pick a few you like and then you do your own. Fiddle with it until it looks like a beautiful stairway. But I keep getting lost when I do that. Nothing at all like Max.” “What would be like Max? Sexy big boobs?” “Your tits are better. And don’t let’s get talking about tits. I want to give Max’s paintings the starring role. The damn stairs get in the way of the paintings. Her paintings run large.” “What do you need for her paintings?” “A wall. You hang paintings on a wall.” “How big a wall can you have?” “I’ve got two stories to work with. 9 feet each, plus a foot-thick floor between them. Nineteen feet (5,7m) total.” “Max’s biggest are twelve feet square” Maxine’s agent told him. “We picked Ubuntu because it has those old overhead doors that were tall enough for trucks. Your two stories will only fit one and a half of Max’s biggest.” “Well, I’ve got a basement level and an attic above the second floor. The attic roof probably goes up another twenty feet. I could get at least 40 feet tall (11,9m).” “That’s a Max-sized wall. How long could it be?” “The barn’s 36 by 60. We could easily fit a 20 or 30 foot wall.” 512 Explicitly Sexy III

“Let’s say 25 feet. That’s a thousand square feet (88m2). That’ll fit some Guldens,” the artist’s agent computed. “How’d you do that without a calculator?” the designer asked. “Shopping, silly.” “Huh?” “25. A quarter is 25 cents. 4 quarters are a dollar. That’s a hundred pennies. 4 quarters are a hundred pennies, so 40 quarters,10 dollars, is a thousand pennies. That’s 40 by 25.” “Oh,” the designer said. He was used to working in feet and inches, which didn’t have multiples of ten. “But where will I stand to look at the paintings?” she asked the designer. “I’m thinking about a serious crick in the neck trying to look up at a painting thirty feet over my head.” The designer was silent for a moment. Then he began sketching with his hands in the air. “Let’s say we’ve got the wall, here,” he said, outlin- ing a wall standing on his desk. “If you put stairs against it, you lose lots of painting space,” he explained, motioning stairs zigzagging up his imaginary wall. “But if you take the stairs and pull them back a little,” he grabbed the imagined stairs with both hands and pulled them away from the imagined wall, “then you’ve got the whole wall for paintings and the stairs are kind of a viewing platform, in front of the paintings.” Louise looked at the imaginary wall and the imaginary stairs. Then she looked at the designer. Tom looked at his wife and then at the imagi- nary stairs and wall. Viewing platform. Forty-foot tall wall. A thousand square feet of Gulden paintings. Why had he not seen this before? His wife saw him think. They both knew it had happened. They both knew what it meant. “This was what you were stuck on?” she asked. Louise liked to ask clarifying questions. “You are totally amazing,” he said. “I should have talked to you a week ago.” “Are you unstuck now?” “Totally. Forty-foot tall wall. Stairs for viewing, not stairs on the wall.” “Do you need to make some notes or something?” 37 Lovers and Other Partners 513

“No. It’s totally clear. Give me a couple hours tomorrow and I’ll have a model to show you.” “So you have a bit of time for your wife?” “For my beautiful and somewhat neglected wife?” “Or for your somewhat neglected mistress. You haven’t seen her in a while.” “What would my mistress do to punish me for neglecting her?” “Hard to say. Maybe turn you over her knees. Maybe force your mouth between her thighs. You’d better face her before she gets too angry.” Louise hadn’t expected to get so lucky. She had expected to listen and leave him to his work. But she had hoped. Under her warmup suit he would find underwear a man’s mistress might select. Friday, February 11, 2005, 7:00 P. M. The Ubuntu Gallery. It had all been so much easier. Maxine knew how to combine the lights. She had started Thursday morning. She was finished by the middle of the afternoon. Her agent (and chauffeur and crisis manager) had been good company and they were never out of coffee and sandwiches. Louise knew where to get coffee. She knew the difference between yellow and medium yellow, though Maxine had almost all the filters she needed from the last show. Louise had enough printed invitations, and she still put people on the V.I.P. list. Perhaps the biggest difference was the TV coverage. Judy and her crew had arrived at four to start filming the art and the final preparations. They got the artist in her work clothes explaining how she used the lights. The show got sixty seconds of air on the six o’clock news. It would get five minutes later in the evening. “Thank you, Sue,” Louise said to the under-employed model who handed her a glass of champagne. Sue worked evening affairs for the caterer (keeping days free for auditions). Louise took a sip. Much better than last time. It was California champagne, but the quality was what a gallery owner would approve if he had total confidence in the show. “Next time, George, we go for the really big bucks. Glass. OK?” 514 Explicitly Sexy III

George picked up two empty, plastic champagne glasses. He clicked them together. They did not ring. “Good idea, Louise,” he agreed with a smile. The first guests started to arrive very near the nominal seven o’clock opening time. The girl at the door took their invitations, or checked them off the V.I.P. list. As rehearsed, she advised, “There’s a TV crew inside. If you don’t want to be shot up close, just put your hand across your eyes. That’s the I-don’t-want-to-be-on-TV signal.” Friday, 2/11/05, 9:15 P. M. The Ubuntu Gallery. Louise, at Sue’s request, brought George a glass of champagne. Handing it to him she asked, “What’s the occasion?” He raised it. Louise bumped it with her own, though the click of plastic on plastic was almost inaudible. George’s smile widened. “Glass next time, Louise. According to my mental tally, we just passed a million dollars.” Louise kissed his cheek. “Should we let Judy know?” “That would be a serious breach of protocol,” George responded. Then he added, “Not right for the gallery owner to be boasting. If that gets on the news,” he said with a wink, “I don’t want to be involved.” (The TV producer would hear the news from a well-dressed, petite young woman who claimed to be the artist’s attorney and asked not to be identi- fied.) “Yes, it’s a very high price,” George was telling a potential buyer. “But if you had bought anything at Maxine’s first show I would happily buy it back right now for twice what you paid six months ago.” In response to Louise’s inquiry at the end of the show, George would hold up two fingers. “Maybe,” he would say. :”We’ll be close.” Louise smiled. She thought that Maxine easily deserved the 70 percent she now kept. And 30 percent of two million would put the Ubuntu Galleries in the black for the full year. Another Gulden show and it would be Detroit’s leading gallery. “And I’ve met lots of student artists,” George told her. “They’re all asking about a chance to show student works.” He studied the agent’s face closely. 37 Lovers and Other Partners 515

“Really?” the agent replied. “That’s interesting. When I was a stu- dent, having a hundred dollars in spending money was close to being rich.” George wasn’t quite sure if Louise were behind this or not. He won- dered if she could be that good an actress. Friday, 2/11/05, 10:25 P. M. Returning to La Pierre. Louise drove the artist and the attorney home. On the way, Acacia brought the subject up. She had heard the million-dollar ‘rumor.’ Louise had learned that the artist did not like to think about money. She didn’t want to paint for money. She painted for the love of painting. So the driver corrected the attorney but kept it brief. “Probably closer to two than one,” she said. “Two what?” the artist asked. “Million dollars,” the agent had answered. “Oh, shit. My half could be a million dollars?” “Actually,” the agent replied, “you get more than half now.” “Oh,” the artist said, losing interest. “George still gets enough?” The artist could never see a painting sold without thinking about how she could have done it better. How she would do one that was better. “I made him promise actual glasses for the champagne when you do your next show, Max. Maybe not good crystal, but real glasses. You’re making him rich you know.” The agent asked herself what her fifteen percent of Max’s seventy percent of two million dollars came to. A traffic light rudely demanded her attention before she had finished the arithmetic. She decided that she needed a calculator and she needed to start learning about investments. If her next show worked as Louise planned, it could be twice as big as this one. ‘Michigan Style’ could be very big. Big for Max, and for Tom, too. The agent smiled to herself. She had a lucrative hobby and she was good at it.

38 To Tease and Please

The Rose’s painted bower was cheering when nights came early, when snow was piled high, when February winds threatened exposed skin. Three women were meeting to help one of them start a ten-week journey. It had them entirely forgetting the winter outside the door. Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Café Acacia announced, “I’ve got it!” enthusiastically. (And truthfully—she did have The Plan—though her ‘truth’ was, otherwise, totally dishonest.) “The J. Soeur 10-Week Anti-FSAD Plan.” She handed copies of the sin- gle-page summary table to Louise and Maxine. “What’s this?” Maxine asked. They had discussed Dr. June Soeur’s legendary plan to combat situational Female Sexual Arousal Disorder the last time they gathered. They had discussed its legendary effectiveness (a legend, like the doctor herself, entirely created by Acacia and Louise, The Plan’s authors).

517 518 Explicitly Sexy III

“10 Weeks,” the red-haired member of the author team said, pointing to the first column. Then she pointed to the second column.“You always start with a shower.” Then the third and fourth columns. “This is what you do in bed, after the shower and this is what you do at the end of each week. Actually, it’s more than just the end of the week later on.” “We don’t do anything in bed after we shower, week one?” Maxine asked for confirmation. The red-haired author agreed. “Right.” The blonde author nodded her head, as if she were following along for the first time. “And at the end of the week, he masturbates? While I’m there?” Maxine asked, pointing to the last column. “Right,” Acacia agreed, again. “Remember, he’s been showering with his wife but having no sex for a week. Not even masturbating. He’ll be horny as hell.” “What about his wife?” the blonde asked. “She doesn’t get to come until the end of week three,” the wee colleen ‘explained’ to her co-conspirator. “Not even with her vibrator?” Maxine asked, suddenly feeling deprived. Acacia answered, “That’s part of the reason The Plan’s so successful, Max. Hubby and wife aren’t getting much unless they do it together. They’ve got to learn to work as a team.” “Wait a minute,” the frigid wife was reading the details. “We don’t go to bed together in the first week. For the second week we spend 10 minutes just touching faces. At the end of the second week he mastur- bates again? Am I reading this right?” Acacia smiled to herself. It was beginning to sink in. “Good. That’s five minutes each. You touch his face, then he touches yours, or vice versa. Lovers call this ‘foreplay’ Max.” “Oh, shit. I know what it’s called. Faces, week two. Necks, week three.” She ran her finger down the column. “It takes 8 weeks before he puts his finger on my clit?” “No,” Acacia disagreed. “That’s the exploring part. Look at the end- of-week column.” Acacia pointed to the last column. “It’s the end of week five where he uses his fingers to make you come, Max. You show him exactly how 38 To Tease and Please 519 you like to be touched at the end of week three and again at the end of week four. He touches you at the end of week five.” Acacia explained The Plan’s ‘In Bed’ activities. “I see two things happening here. First, the partners are getting to explore their lover’s bodies. Second, they’re learning that making love decently takes time. I could take twice as long on each of these parts. How are you going to even begin to do the head in just five minutes? I mean, that includes interesting places, like the lips, the ears and stuff like the tongue. “And remember, Max. When you complete this plan you’ve got a ninety percent chance of having yourself a hot partner in a hot sex life. The payoff’s pretty big.” Maxine shook her head slowly. Wonderingly. “I don’t know. I mean...” Louise put her hand on Maxine’s arm. “You want moral support, Sexy? If you’ll do it with Frank, I’ll do it with Tom, too. We can compare notes while we sip our margaritas. Ace can do it with Herman, too, right, Ace?” Acacia knew she had just been trapped. Was this spontaneous or had Louise out-smarted her? Whatever. She couldn’t say no. “We’ll do it too,” she announced. “Now if only I can figure out how to explain it to Herman...” “Oh, shit,” Maxine repeated. “Three weeks without an orgasm? I don’t even know how I’ll explain it to my vibrator.” Louise knew how she would explain it to Tom. “I’m just telling my hubs that it’s a game we’re going to play. Pouring a little hot sauce on our sex life. A chance to tease and please. It’ll be fun.” Maxine decided that she didn’t really have much to lose by trying The Plan. She had a husband to lose if they didn’t try something. “Count me in,” she said. Acacia was dealing with her own issues at home. Entirely her own issues though they certainly affected her partner too. But this would at least buy her a few weeks to try and get herself back on track. “Me too,” she said. “Or me three. Let’s all do it. One last time for sex tonight, and then three weeks of celibacy. Anybody know how nuns do it?” 520 Explicitly Sexy III

Tuesday, 2/15/05, 7:15 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s home. Acacia had decided to be honest about the consequences, if not the causes, of her issues. “I’m becoming a crappy wife again,” she said as she walked into the living room. “I love you, Ace,” her concerned husband reassured her. “But I’ve been wondering where my Bitch Goddess has been hiding.” “Exactly,” the lawyer agreed with her customary precision. “You want to bring her back?” “Some magic potion or spell?” her concerned husband asked. “I want to fuck you,” she continued being precise. “That’s why God put the ‘off’ button here,” the concerned husband said, smiling as he clicked the remote. “I didn’t say I wanted to be fucked, you know. I just want to fuck you. Can you live with that?” This did not make him less concerned. But he was willing to do his part. “For a change of pace, I guess that would be OK.” “My girl friends were talking about a program some doctor created to help women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. That used to be called ‘frigidity.’ I think it might help me. Let’s go into the bedroom. I want to play with your cock while we talk about this.” “Frigidity?” he asked. This was not reassuring. “To be more exact, it’s ‘situational Female Sexual Arousal Disorder.’ That’s a temporary condition, not associated with deep-seated issues or medical conditions. It happens. Even to Bitch Goddesses.” “Well, let’s see if we can treat it, then.” The husband’s concern had not lessened, but his penis was strongly in favor of being played with. His penis did not know that the program involved a substantial amount of abstinence. As usual, his penis (for the past year it had been ‘her penis’) would take sides with the woman. 38 To Tease and Please 521

Tuesday, 2/15/05, 7:15 P. M. Louise and Tom’s home. Tom was building their supper salad when Louise walked in. Spinach, bell peppers, chicken, onions and olives. “Looking good,” she said to the salad, though she was thinking about the chef. They kissed, as married people do when one comes home. “Nope,” she said before going upstairs to change. “We’re going stale. Let’s do that right.” She held his head and pressed her lips into his. Warmly. Firmly. Then her lips parted. She tasted olives on his tongue. This was better. They both got quite lost in a lovers’ kiss. “That’s better,” she announced when they broke the kiss. “I’ve got an idea that will keep us from going stale. You game?” “You’re so hot,” he said. “I used to think you were hot, but you were just warming up.” “We’ll get hotter,” she promised. “Both of us. I’ll be down in a minute.” In the boudoir she hung her suit jacket and blouse. She tried the transparent blouse she had worn over her corset at Miyamoto. It didn’t work over her off-white bra. A black-lace shelf bra got the effect she wanted. No it didn’t. Too tame. This was important. He probably thought she was talking about the evening ahead. Ten weeks required a definite commitment. She took the blouse and the bra off, replaced and re-but- toned the blouse and tucked it into her slacks. The image in her dressing stand mirrors was just what she wanted. Nothing hidden. Tits with nip- ples, but sexier playing peekaboo through the lace. This was a 10-week- commitment look. He was serving salad onto plates on the counter when he heard her footsteps and looked up. He stopped, frozen by the sight in front of him. “Did I say you were hot?” he asked, as he thawed. “Let’s eat in the dining room,” she said, enjoying the lust etched into his face. “Take off your shirt,” she ordered, carrying the salad bowl into the dining room. She planned to turn the heat up so she turned the dim- mer down. Very low. She lit a candle that flickered on the table, provid- ing most of the light. He arrived with their plates and without a shirt. They finished setting the table. They were a skillful team. The toaster oven announced that the garlic bread was ready (olive oil, not butter). He slid the bread onto its plate, carried it in and they sat down. 522 Explicitly Sexy III

“Here’s to the world’s sexiest lady,” he offered, raising his glass. “She’s not as sexy as the one you’ll be married to come spring,” the world’s sexiest lady returned. “Her husband’s going to get sexier too.” “I am?” he asked. She outlined the ‘game’ they were going to play. Ten weeks, starting with very little in the way of orgasms, but lots of foreplay. It was a way of getting better at foreplay, she explained. “You’ll only get to come once a week, at first. I’ll get even less. Now watch,” she said. She turned to face him. She wiped her fingers carefully on her nap- kin. Hands on abs and then sliding up. Slowly. They cradled her breasts. They moved up over the lace approaching her nipples. Her not-quite-hid- den nipples. Her fingers stroked gently, then pulled and twisted. That fin- ished making her nipples hard. “Why aren’t you eating,” she asked sweetly, innocently, as if she didn’t know. “You’re so hot,” he repeated. “We’ll both get hotter,” she promised, returning to her salad. “Your balls are going to ache before I’m done with you. You think you can stand it?” After supper they sat together on the window seat in her boudoir. “If we start tonight we’ll be one day closer to the end of the program,” she explained. “You didn’t want to fuck, did you?” He looked at her. His eyes turned down to her breasts. He slid off the seat, dropping to his knees, ready to apply his lips to the nipples that were displayed so provocatively. “No,” she said holding his head away. “No sex except as provided by The Plan. You get to masturbate in a week. Monday evening.” “But...” “We can’t follow The Plan unless we’re committed. Nipples don’t come until week five or six.” “But...” “You like what you see?” she asked, pulling her blouse tighter across her chest. His head nodded a ‘yes’ answer. “And you trust me?” 38 To Tease and Please 523

His head nodded another ‘yes.’ Then he added, “This may be hard.” “You’ll be hard all right. Didn’t I tell you I was going to make your balls ache?” “Do you think it would count as sex if I just lay my head on your chest?” She pulled him to her, pressing his ear between her breasts. She stroked his hair. “This is going to be hard. Especially at first. I’ll help you. At least when I’m not trying to make your balls ache. And you’ll have to help me, too. I don’t get to come until the end of the third week when I can masturbate while you watch.” “What’s on The Plan this week?” he asked. “We shower together. Ten minutes. No touching the private parts. You get to wash my tits, though.” He squeezed her. “But before we even shower, we’re supposed to sit together and thank each other for following The Plan. So thank you. I’ve got big plans for The Plan. When it’s my turn I’ll tease you like you’ve never been teased before. I want you to do the same to me. But remember, you can’t ask for more sex than The Plan permits. None until Monday, OK? Don’t even ask. Don’t let me ask, either. OK?” He hugged her tightly. “OK. But how can you tease me if we can’t have sex?” “You really want to know?” He did. “We have to sit together and thank each other. Your turn.” Tom took his turn. “Thank you for following The Plan with me. I guess not coming for three weeks is a pretty big commitment you’re making. And thank you for teasing me. I like it when you tease me.” “You sure?” she asked. He said he was sure. “Well, The Plan doesn’t put any time limit on sitting together before we shower. Sit here.” She patted the seat next to her. When he was sitting she put her hands on her abs, pulling her blouse tight. She drew her hands up to her breasts, slowly at first and even more slowly as her hands got higher. “Just watch,” she said. For fifteen minutes she used her fingers and palms to keep her nipples poking two points in her blouse. “I like keeping you stiff,” she said, looking at his crotch. “Seems a shame to waste such a delicious stiffie, doesn’t it?” He agreed, but he did not stop watching her fingers. 524 Explicitly Sexy III

“OK, let’s shower,” she said. “Remember, no touching the genitals this week. And after the shower, we go to bed. That’s to sleep. You think you can last a week?” “You aren’t going to make it easy, are you,” he stated. It was not a question. “No. That’s what’s so hot about The Plan. Tomorrow it’s your turn to tease me. No touching anything sensitive, you know. Your job is harder. Women aren’t as visual as men. See what you can think up.” She was so hot, he thought. So good at keeping him stiff. But tomor- row it was his turn? He had to make her nipples stiff? Or her panties wet? Without touching? What would he do? Or is that the point of The Plan? Is it a puzzle he has to solve? Ten weeks of turning her on by... By what? And he understood what he had to do. He had to solve the puzzle. Wednesday, February 16, 2005, 6:20 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s home. Maxine had returned to an empty house on Tuesday. Frank stayed in Detroit on Tuesdays. Maxine would call him at 10:00, as she always did. She had turned the TV on, then off. This was her last chance for three weeks, she thought. For old time’s sake she used her old vibrator, teasing herself to a very satisfactory result. She kissed her vibrator ‘goodbye’ and took out the Hitachi Wand. ‘Why didn’t I ever try this before?’ she had asked herself about the vibrator-then-wand combination. She thought about trying the Wand on ‘hi,’ which she had never done. She decided to start on ‘lo.’ The Wand, she discovered, did not need to be switched to ‘hi’ to produce her evening’s second satisfying result. It was sex with no foreplay and no cuddling. Not really what she wanted, but it was better than nothing. Orgasms felt good. She had wondered what it would take to abstain for three whole weeks. She had wondered what she would do if she lasted three weeks. Then she’d have to masturbate for him, showing him how. Should she show him how she used her toys? Or show him how to do it without them? Could she do it without them? She wanted to tell him so badly. Ace had told her to keep her mouth shut. Their phone call sounded quite normal. At least she had hoped it did. 38 To Tease and Please 525

She stopped painting just before five Wednesday. Her usual time. Frank would be home in an hour. She had asked him to come home. It was important, she had said, without telling him why. This was make or break. She’d talked it all through with Acacia. The little one was so smart! If this worked she’d owe her, big time. Shower. Dry. Garter belt. Stockings. Seams straight. Hook the garters. Stockings made her feel sexy. Her best bra. Low-cut, D cup. It was a bit too small, which made her cleavage push out, as well as up. Not a sophisticated look. ‘Slutty’ Ace called it. The smart one said ‘slutty’ was good, when you were alone with him. Makeup. As if they were going out, even though they were not. Little black dress and black pumps. The dress just covered the bra, leaving lots of skin. Explicitly sexy. Slutty. Perfume in the valley between her breasts. Now, contrite. Not her usual style, but tonight would be for contri- tion. ‘I’m frigid,’ she repeated, over and over. She stopped rehearsing her line when she heard him open the front door. Why did he always use the front door? Today she was glad he did. She was dressed for the parlor, not the kitchen. “Wow!” he exclaimed, delighted with what he saw. Then he won- dered, “Did I forget a date we have tonight?” “No,” she assured him. “I wanted to look nice and stay in.” “You look a lot more than nice,” he said. “You’re devastating. I’m not...” “Don’t worry,” she said, taking the suit jacket he held in his hand. “And don’t get your hopes up. If you make us drinks I’ll let you ogle my tits while the ice melts.” Scotch and soda for him. Gin and tonic with a slice of lemon for her (even in February). She took the drink and led him to the couch. “You like what you see?” she asked, while he looked at her cleavage. “Sorry.” He realized that his staring wasn’t polite. “You can stare,” she said. “Might as well get some use out of these boobs. We haven’t done too much else with them.” “Are they kissable?” he asked. 526 Explicitly Sexy III

“Oh, shit. That hurts,” she said, with feeling. “Hurts? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” “Don’t apologize. It’s my fault, not yours, Frank. Can I tell you why I’m dressed up?” “You don’t need any reason. You look fantastic.” “Thanks. But let’s be honest. I’m frigid, Frank. Your wife is frigid.” He didn’t know what to say. “You’re frigid?” She breathed in, deeply. He watched her breasts rise. “It’s been five years for us, Frank. I went to the doctor. No medical reason, he said. Told me that it’s called Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. That’s doctor-speak for frigid.” “Can I help you?” he asked. “Can you get help?” He knew that their sex life rated zero on scale of ten. It was painful to him. She was so sexy. Anyone who saw them together would think he was the luckiest man alive. But the truth was he was the unluckiest. “My doctor gave me a plan to try. I’ll need your help. It’s supposed to have a ninety percent success rate. But that guarantees nothing. And it’s hard. Hard for the woman. Hard on the man, too. I’m almost afraid to ask you.” “Ninety percent success rate?” he repeated her, making it a question. “That’s what The Plan says. The doctor thinks the failures come from people who don’t really follow The Plan. Should I tell you about The Plan?” “What does ‘success’ mean?” “That almost sounds too good to be true. Dr. Soeur claims satisfying orgasms for both partners, four or more times a week.” “Tell me more,” he said. “I’d be happy with twice a week. You’re right. Four sounds almost too good to be true.” “It’s a ten-week plan,” she began. “You’ll have to be home at least five days a week. Can you do that?” He took a deep breath. He thought about four times a week. He looked at her cleavage. “If I commit to this plan, will these be kissable?” She knew exactly what ‘these’ were. “That’s The Plan. You want to take ‘em for a test drive right now?” 38 To Tease and Please 527

He smiled and accepted her invitation with deeds, not words. He applied his lips to her cleavage until she asked if she could go on. She told him more about The Plan. About the abstinence. About the 10-week program. About having no sex except what The Plan specified. No masturbating. No pressuring her for more, no matter how much he wanted it. She took him to her bedroom. She told him how badly she wanted this plan to work. How much she loved him for being signed up to it. How she wanted to thank him, and didn’t want him worrying about thanking her. Not yet, anyway. He came between her breasts. It was the first time that she had actually enjoyed making him come. She still made him stiff. For five years she’d been afraid of making him stiff. But this was good. Cuddling afterward was good. They talked about how much they both wanted The Plan to work. Wednesday, 2/16/05, 7:15 P. M. Louise and Tom’s home. Tom arrived with a Gymbals shopping bag. Louise was preparing supper. She thought she had seen multiple bags tucked into the Gymbals bag. She wondered. He kissed her ‘hello’ with exceptional warmth. He wasn’t going to be accused of going stale. She asked, “How are your balls? Did they survive last night’s lack of sex?” “Wasn’t too bad, until you reminded me. You’re going to have to work harder if you want them to ache.” “I’m just getting started,” she threatened. Upstairs he changed out of his suit into his beachcomber pants and a tee that boasted about a 10K he had run. He hung the Gymbals bag beside his suit, removed one box from it and left the box on her divan. Downstairs he announced, “I left you a present on your divan. For after dinner.” “You’re teasing me.” Louise liked surprises. She liked the anticipa- tion. Her own impatience could be fun. “Probably not what you’re guessing,” he said. 528 Explicitly Sexy III

An hour later she asked if it were time for her surprise. “We’ll be in bed mighty early if we go upstairs now.” “You don’t have a nice, long tease planned?” “Probably not what you’re guessing,” he answered. She thought it was another tease. “Come on,” she said holding out a hand. “An early night will be good for us.” Her curiosity had won. It was a Gymbals box on her divan. She picked it up and gave it a shake. It made a noise like cloth wrapped in tissue paper. “Something to wear?” she asked. “Yup.” “Something sexy?” “Depends on how you look at it, I guess.” He could answer without answering when he chose. She stared at him. What did that mean? “May I open it?” “Yeah. It’s for tonight,” he said, finally parting with a tiny bit of actual information. She opened it. Under the tissue paper was a very nice, warm and comfy pair of pajamas. She felt the fabric. A thick flannel. What was she supposed to say? She had expected something a little more... Well, some- thing sexy. “Go ahead,” he said. “Put ‘em on.” She shed her sweats. Her bra and panties matched. She hesitated. What to do? Pajamas. She shed her underwear and pulled on the paja- mas. They were comfy. Very comfy. The kind a girl might buy as a treat for herself if she expected to be home alone. He was smiling to himself. Kind of pleasing when you can go some- where she doesn’t expect, he thought. “Comfy?” “Yes,” she said pulling the collar up to rub her cheek. “Very comfy. And just the right length. How did you...” He interrupted. “Gymbals does alterations.” She smiled. “I’m impressed.” Then she confessed, “And I’m con- fused.” 38 To Tease and Please 529

“I think we’re supposed to sit together before we shower,” he said, sitting on the window seat, one leg on the floor, another leg on the seat and holding his arms out. She sat down between his legs. She leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. She pulled her plastic feet onto the seat and pulled her knees up to her chest. What was he doing? He wrapped his arms around her knees and pulled her into him. “Comfy?” he asked. “Very,” she answered. “Very comfy but a wee bit confused.” Some- times Louise understated things. “I want to thank you for committing to The Plan,” he said. “We don’t always have to have sex do we? I mean sometimes, a cuddle’s nice, don’t you think.” “These PJs are for cuddling?” she asked. “Yup.” “You bought these for cuddling!” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You are the most romantic man in the whole universe, Tom Wilson. I love you.” He stroked her hair. “I tried to figure out what you might like,” he said. “Men like to look at sexy things. Women like to cuddle, right?” She kissed him. “Are we allowed to kiss?” he asked. She kissed him again and then buried her face in his neck. Ten minutes later she lifted her head and wiped his neck with the collar of her PJs. “Don’t want you all wet,” she said, wiping her tears away. “Can I ask a question?” “Always,” she assured him. “Would I be making love to this beautiful lady right now if we weren’t on The Plan?” “Probably. You made her very happy.” “Ready for that shower?” he asked. “No. Not yet. Tease me.” 530 Explicitly Sexy III

“Tease?” “What exactly would we do if we weren’t on The Plan? Make my panties wet.” “You took ‘em off, remember?” She left him and went back to the divan. Her bra and panties, lying on the divan, still matched. They were the kind a girl might wear if she didn’t expect to be alone. The kind she wanted someone to look at. She shed the PJs, folded them neatly on the back of the divan and kissed them goodnight. She pulled the panties up and put the bra on. She faced him, arms akimbo. “Is this better?” “You’re a beautiful lady. You want to make love?” “Yes, but we’re on The Plan. We can’t do it, but you can tell me about it. Now make my panties wet.” She sat down facing him. He described the things he would do. The places he would caress. The places he would kiss. He was tentative at first. But as he went on she watched the bulge in his soft pants grow. As it grew, she felt the moisture in her panties. The beautiful lady in his story came four times before she asked him to stop. “Oh, fuck,” she said. “That was good.” “Do I get a turn?” her lover asked. “Tomorrow,” she told him. “We’re going to make you ache, remem- ber?” He smiled and carried her into the shower. In the shower, while he soaped her (back and front) she thought about tomorrow. This had been special. She didn’t want to be outdone. What could she do? She thought the first two days were better than she had hoped. Only sixty-eight days left. He thought, too, as he carefully washed her breasts. They were beau- tiful breasts. And washing them was a lot more important if there was nothing coming after they were clean. Any plan that made her breasts more important was... He stopped thinking about The Plan so he could concentrate on her breasts. 38 To Tease and Please 531

Thursday, February 17, 2005, 8:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. They sat down together. Their drinks were fresh. The ice was only start- ing to melt. “Here’s to The Plan,” she toasted, raising her gin and tonic. He raised his scotch and soda. “To The Plan.” Maxine went over the formula. “It says we sit. We thank each other for committing to The Plan. Remind each other of the goal and promise ‘no sex, except as The Plan specifies. You want to go first?” “No, you start. Go one at a time. I might forget a point.” She took a swallow. Savored it. The lemon slice certainly felt like summer. This goddam doctor had better be right! “Thank you.” She began. “Thank you for committing to The Plan. It’s going to be hard for you. So thank you.” He waited. Then he realized that it was his turn. “I think it’s even harder for you, Maxine. Thank you. And thank you for facing this squarely. We need this to work. Thank you.” It was her turn. “You like the goal, Frank? You think you’d be happy fucking a woman that looked like me? Maybe three or four times a week?” “You were the sexiest thing I’d ever seen when I married you, Max- ine. You’re still the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Nothing would be hotter than fucking a woman like you. Often. Every day. At least once a day.” She smiled at him. She knew he was being honest. “Even if it means you only come once a week for starters?” “Small price to pay,” he said. She asked him, “Do you masturbate?” He didn’t answer. Such an embarrassing question. “Be honest,” she prompted. “I masturbate.” “You do?” He was surprised. He thought it was a male thing. “Yeah. Doctor said that was a good thing, too. Meant I didn’t need a bunch of tests for underlying medical conditions. The equipment’s in good working order, you know. You?” “I guess you could say that my equipment still works, too.” 532 Explicitly Sexy III

“Good,” she said. “You know the important thing isn’t just not hav- ing sex. That’s important. We’re supposed to both be getting horny. I guess you can figure out why that’s important. But not asking for more may be more important.” “What do you mean?” he asked. “If the woman’s afraid of sex...” she began. “Oh, shit. The doctor said ‘the woman.’ That means me. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of sex so I’m afraid of getting you horny. I’m afraid of letting you get me horny. That’s the important point of the ‘no sex’ promise. I’m supposed to be able to let go and enjoy being horny, because there won’t be any sex. It won’t mat- ter that I’m afraid of sex. You want to make me horny?” Frank understood. “Yeah. If not having sex means I can make you horny, that’s good. I’ll take it. I promise we’re not going to have sex. Just get horny.” She smiled. She hugged him. “I love you, Frank. This conversation is making me horny. How about that shower?” “I get to wash your boobs?” “Oh, shit. That could make both of us pretty horny.” They showered together. He washed her and she washed him. He was careful to wash her breasts thoroughly. And tenderly. He got very stiff. Genitals were off limits in week one showers, so she washed his other parts. He kept himself in good shape. She enjoyed washing his other parts. She had enjoyed the hands on her breasts. Her moisture flowed, but it didn’t scare her as it used to. She hadn’t entirely let go, but she certainly was horny. It felt good. Friday, February 18, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Café. There was a peculiar note to the usual small talk. They chatted about the weather. They chatted about Maxine’s second show, but no one seemed interested. After the margaritas arrived, Louise diagnosed the problem. “Are we all waiting to get to one particular subject?” Maxine, being the oldest, spoke first (implying a ‘yes’ answer to Louise’s question). “By age. Youngest first, Ace.” “Doesn’t your additional age entitle you to certain privileges, Max?” the lawyer asked. “Like leading the way?” 38 To Tease and Please 533

Louise looked from one to the other, then decided to set an example. “I talked to Tom about it right after I got home, Tuesday. He agreed to go along. You guys?” “Frank wasn’t home Tuesday,” Maxine explained. “I had a lovely time saying ‘goodbye’ to my vibrator and my Hitachi Wand. Talked Frank into it Wednesday. Offered him a fond farewell to my boobs, so we started yesterday.” Acacia was trapped again. When did I become the dumb one, she asked herself. “I took Herman into the bedroom, Tuesday. Got him into a very cooperative mood, if you know what I mean. Wednesday was our first day on The Plan.” Louise hadn’t told all. “You guys are going to be jealous of me, come May. Tom and I started Tuesday. We’ve been torturing each other since. It’s his turn to torture me again, tonight. Then we’ll both have just 33 days left.” “Are we on the same plan?” Maxine asked. “It’s ten weeks, isn’t it?” “Yes,” Louise agreed. “But if you alternate days, that’s 35 for him and 35 for you.” She looked from one to the other. They agreed with her arithmetic, but weren’t quite sure what plan she was on. “You call that shower ‘torture,’ Lou?” Acacia asked. “Oh, no,” Louise answered. “I mean, our usual shower isn’t followed by going to sleep, so that’s taking some getting used to. It’s the bit about sitting together thanking each other for the commitment. That’s where we tease.” “I thought there wasn’t supposed to be any sex except for what was on The Plan,” Maxine accused her. “Well, we talked about that,” Louise explained. “We thought that not having sex was one thing, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t at least talk about having sex. When we sit together, we thank each other, like Dr. Soeur says, and then we chat some more before we shower. What do you guys do?” Her friends, as Louise expected, simply sat, thanked each other and followed the prescribed talk. Then they showered. “I take it back, Ace,” Maxine changed her previous position. “Lou is the real conniving bitch, Ace. Not you. Do you think she’s cheating?” Lawyers are quite comfortable with interpreting words. Acacia remembered all the words she had put into The Plan. “I don’t recall any- 534 Explicitly Sexy III thing in The Plan,” she said, “that limits the conversation prior to the shower. Having sex is specifically prohibited, of course. But talking about sex and having sex are two different things.” And she thought that Louise was outsmarting her again. What was her friend up to? “I’m already horny enough and this is only my second day,” Maxine turned back to Louise. “Doesn’t talking about it just make it worse?” “Of course it does,” Louise agreed. “You’re horny and then you get yourself and your mate a lot hornier by talking about it. That’s the basic idea, right? Two horny people wanting to fuck?” The lawyer took another turn asking a clarifying question. “Could you tell us a bit more about your ‘conversation,’ Ms. Wilson?” Louise smiled to herself. “Attractional research,” she said. “I’ve got a blouse that is quite transparent. I wear it over a corset in semi-public spaces, like a restaurant. It rates quite highly on the attractional scale. Tuesday I wore it without anything but me under it. We were at home, of course. That may have broken my attractional scale. When you embellish such a garment with attractional words and gestures it can generate quite a bit of dopamine. You might use it, for example, to draw his attention to the anatomical features it covers. “I used my own fingers on my nipples. While I stroked and twisted I talked to him about how good it felt. How much better it would feel if it were his fingers. How I would love it if it were his lips. And his tongue. How... Well, you get the idea.” “You conniving bitch!” Maxine exclaimed. “He didn’t seem to mind. I guess thinking about sex is better than having no sex at all,” Louise explained. Acacia simply said, “Thank you, Ms. Wilson. I value your input on these matters.” She wasn’t going to copy Louise. No point in drawing attention to your chest if that’s not where you want his attention. But maybe there was a way to apply Louise’s approach? Maybe a sheer slip over black panties? “So what did he do when it was his turn?” Maxine wanted to know. Louise told them about the pajamas. The comfy pajamas. The cud- dling pajamas. Her friends thought they were very romantic. Louise also confessed that she had demanded additional post-pajama teasing. “So what can he do next?” Acacia wanted to know. 38 To Tease and Please 535

“I guess I’ll find out when I get home,” Louise said. From her tone of voice, her friends guessed that she was very much looking forward to finding out. “You remember Tom Touchdown, Ace? The competitive one? He’s not doing touchdowns any more, but he’s still very competi- tive.” Her lawyer asked another clarifying question. “One of your strate- gies, Ms. Wilson, is to turn this competitive characteristic to advantage as you follow The Plan?” “Oh, Ace,” Louise answered. “Would I do a thing like that?” “Not our sweet and innocent Louise,” Maxine answered Louise’s question. “Only a conniving bitch would do a thing like that.” “You had your first shower yesterday?” sweet and innocent Louise asked. “Yeah,” Maxine agreed but did not elaborate. “How’d it go?” Louise asked. “No, wait,” she said as she thought about it. “Let me ask that another way. You looking forward to tonight’s shower?” Maxine looked at Louise. She let a small smile grow on her face. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I liked his hands on my boobs. Didn’t have sex to scare me. I liked my hands on him, too. He keeps himself in shape.” The Plan’s authors shared a quick glance. This was exactly what they were hoping to hear.

39 Getting Reprogrammed

Although snow had been relatively uncommon, Mother Nature threat- ened it almost every day. Sidewalks were shoveled and salted so simple walking was not too adventurous. But life had moved indoors. Monday, February 21, 2005, 4:30 P. M. Acacia’s office. “Welcome, girlfriend,” the attorney greeted Louise. “How may I help you today?” Acacia took care of legal business for Maxine. Louise, as Maxine’s agent, often brought issues to Acacia, so the lawyer was neither surprised nor concerned when Louise had requested a brief consultation. Louise had not mentioned that today’s issue concerned Tom, not Maxine. “Well, it concerns the J. Soeur Plan and my husband. We reach end- of-week one today, you know.” Acacia knew. Louise had hurried into The Plan a day ahead of the attorney’s schedule. “The husband,” the attorney summarized, “whose

537 538 Explicitly Sexy III wife has been torturing him for the last six days, will finally get some relief, but his poor, frigid wife will be left horny. Correct?” “Well, maybe,” Louise hedged. “Dr. Soeur wants him to masturbate to show his frigid wife how it’s done. I planned to let him show me. You know that in two weeks I’ll apply what I’ve learned to use my hands on him. I’m looking forward to that. Actually I thought that it would be an opportunity to show him a much more exciting time than any he could have by himself. Perhaps bringing him to the edge imitating a man’s approach, but then holding him on the edge with delicate, womanly touches. Turning the simple ‘handjob’ into something exquisitely erotic seems quite a reasonable goal.” “Ms. Wilson, you are a credit to our entire sex. Your dopamine approach is exemplary,” the attorney praised her client. “Now, what’s the issue?” “He doesn’t want to masturbate. He says he hasn’t masturbated since he married me. Very flattering, you know. He waited seven weeks for me while I was in the hospital. That’s quite gallant, don’t you think?” The attorney took this in. “Yes. Very gallant. Very disciplined. I doubt that many men...” She didn’t bother completing her sentence. “So here we are,” Louise got to her summary. “If he keeps his pledge to follow The Plan, he has to violate another pledge. A bit of a conflict. I thought an attorney might have some insights about conflicting commit- ments.” “Let’s review,” Acacia suggested. “On the one hand, he chooses not to masturbate. That’s a commitment he made to himself?” “I guess it’s for me,” Louise conceded. “But I didn’t even know about until I was out of the hospital.” “OK, it’s a commitment he made to himself,” the attorney adjudi- cated. “On the other hand, he has agreed to follow the J. Soeur Plan. It’s a commitment he made to his wife. In a case like this, one or the other of the parties to whom he is committed has to release him from his commit- ment or both parties have to accept a compromise. I generally recom- mend the compromise approach.” “Compromise? It seems the two commitments are quite contradic- tory.” The attorney had ideas. “Begin with the simple approaches,” she said. “He could release himself from his commitment not to masturbate. Not a total release, just a release for the two occasions when The Plan 39 Getting Reprogrammed 539 requires it. After all, he committed to himself. He can relax that restric- tion. On the other hand, his wife could modify The Plan. He could demonstrate male masturbation technique without finishing. That would satisfy Dr. Soeur’s intent, I think. Of course, it would be canceling an orgasm which...” Acacia thought carefully about Louise. “Ms. Wilson. I believe I know you well enough to state the following. When you were in the hos- pital the man had no one to make him think of sex. If the stray thought entered his mind he could turn on the TV or open a book. But during the last six days you have been home with him. You are a very attractive woman. And unless I miss my guess, you have deliberately led your hus- band to think of sex, not just once or twice, but every day. And not just once or twice every day. Six days with you could already have been harder than seven weeks living alone while you were in the hospital.” “I think he prefers having me home with him,” the very attractive woman said, not disputing the attorney’s summation. “Dopamine feels good,” the attorney agreed. “I assume you have been doing your wifely duties in this regard.” Louise looked at her attorney and smiled. “Guilty. Guilty as charged.” “His first release, if he doesn’t masturbate, requires waiting three weeks. Two more weeks with his wife doing her best to make him think of sex. Maybe you could lighten up on the teasing?” “But that’s all the fun of The Plan. And it’s fair, isn’t it? I mean if the woman can wait three weeks, why can’t the man?” “It was Dr. Soeur’s opinion, as you may recall Ms. Wilson, that a woman could endure a bit more celibacy than we thought—uh, I mean ‘she’ thought—more celibacy than she thought could be expected from a man.” Louise reluctantly agreed. “After all,” the attorney continued, “we don’t have semen waiting for release. Mother Nature, in her enthusiasm for perpetuating the species, made the male powerfully motivated to release that semen.” “I could release it for him,” Louise suggested. “That begins at end-of-week three, if you follow The Plan,” the attorney reminded her co-author. “Oh dear,” Louise said, recalling their discussions. 540 Explicitly Sexy III

“There is one alternative. You could release the semen without giv- ing him an orgasm.” “Really? How?” Louise thought that this would solve the problem, if it were possible. “I think I may have mentioned that Herman and I did some experi- ments. It may be more torturous than simple celibacy, however. Look up ‘ruined orgasm’ if you want. I refuse to be party to it.” “This sounds ideal, Ace. He gets his weekly release but doesn’t have to masturbate.” “You are picking selectively from my words, Ms. Wilson. Ignoring the word ‘torturous,’ for example.” The attorney and Ms. Wilson may have had very different reactions to the word ‘torturous.’ The attorney may have thought it was something to be avoided. Monday, 2/21/05, 6:20 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. After a ‘hello’ kiss (they made sure it was not stale) Louise opened the subject that was very much on their minds. “I’ve sought competent pro- fessional advice, Tom, and there’s a solution to our conflicting commit- ment problem.” “The competent professional,” Tom repeated. “Do I know her?” He was picturing a petite Irish-American. Very smart, but not necessarily the person to whom he would go for a question concerning masturbation. “Do you want to hear about solving our problem?” Tom was quite convinced that Louise had answered his question. “Yes. How do I do it and not do it.” “Well, Dr. Soeur had two things in mind. First, the frigid wife is sup- posed to learn about how a man would get to orgasm on his own. And she also wanted to release the semen out of the poor boy’s balls. How are yours, by the way?” “Ready to get rid of some extra semen, actually.” “But it’s only been a week. You waited seven weeks when I was in the hospital.” “That’s not the same. When you were in the hospital I didn’t have someone making me mad with lust, as often as she could. Someone who 39 Getting Reprogrammed 541 is very good at making me mad with lust, too. I mean, she’s really good at it. Hot and getting hotter.” “Glad to hear it. I like making you mad with lust. You’re getting bet- ter at returning the favor, I should point out.” She wrapped her arms around him and looked into his eyes. Leaning closer she whispered, “Don’t you like making me mad with lust?” She licked his ear while she waited for an answer. He lifted her hair. Kissed her just below her left ear. “I’m learning from an expert,” he whispered. “Beginning to like it. I’d rather have my mouth between her thighs, but making her mad with lust isn’t bad for second best. Would you rather have me whispering in your ear, or licking something tender?” She shivered. He was learning fast. The Plan was doing more than she hoped it would. She leaned back and looked into his eyes again. She gave him her best Angela del Moro, I-love-turning-you-on smile. “They say the solution is torturous. My professional adviser told me what I needed to look up, but wanted no part of it. It sounds torturous. You sure you want to try it?” “I usually like it when you torture me. Does it involve a crop or a paddle?” “No. Nothing like that. Quite pain-free. Just torturous. It’s called a ‘ruined orgasm.’ Empties the balls but leaves you more horny than when they were full.” Later in the evening he would show her how a man would mastur- bate, but he stopped before he came. She took over. She used her fingers to tease his glans and his frenum. Every time he got to the edge he would ask her to stop. She would stop and whisper in his ear about the delights they would find together before The Plan was over. The delights of breasts and thighs and tongues... Then she would start on his glans and frenum again. She held him at the edge for almost half an hour. He waited as long as he could before telling her to stop. Each time she stopped she painted word pictures. The last time she stopped she began painting word pic- tures and within moments his semen started to bubble out. She kept whis- pering in his ear but did not touch him. He did not have contractions. There were no spurts. The semen just bubbled out. When the ejaculation was done, his rod was still stiff and he was more horny than he had been before he ejaculated. 542 Explicitly Sexy III

“Makes you think of an old Rolling Stones song, doesn’t it?” she asked. “Fuck. I want you so bad.” He had emptied his testes, but had not gotten any satisfaction. “Watching a perfectly good erection get thrown away like that is tor- turous for me, too,” she told him. “Think we can last two more weeks?” “You’re so hot.” “Max calls me ‘Kinky.’ Sometimes ‘Kinky Bitch’,” she told him “She has no idea.” “Thank you for showing me how you masturbate,” she said. “In two weeks I’ll show you how a woman can elaborate on that treatment of the penis. I’m collecting ideas. We’ll end with a real orgasm. You’ll explode so hard we’ll need to put towels on the ceiling.” “You really are a Kinky Bitch, Mistress.” “I’m sweet and innocent,” she said, smiling at the thought of both ‘Kinky Bitch’ and ‘Mistress.’ “Four more weeks and I’ll get my fingers in your sweet pussy, Kinky Bitch,” he said. “I think we’ll have to talk about that as the time gets closer. Remember what it feels like when I make innocent little circles outside your vagina?” She shut her eyes and shivered. It was a Kinky Bitch’s shiver. Not at all innocent. “No. I don’t remember. Tell me about it again?” “Oh, fuck,” he said. “I’d like to show you, but we’re on The Plan. Four weeks. Would you like to start with a nice spanking?” “Oh, you bastard. Don’t even think about it. Don’t think about bring- ing your big hand down hard on my ass. Don’t make it burn like that. Don’t rub circles, soothing me, getting me ready for another... Oh, don’t.” He held her tightly. “We get to spend next week exploring heads,” he remembered. “I think lips and tongues are part of heads,” she remembered. “Ears, too,” he said as he nipped at her earlobe. “Only nine more weeks,” she thought out loud. “I’m glad you found this Plan,” he thought out loud. 39 Getting Reprogrammed 543

Friday, February 25, 2005, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. On Tuesday, Acacia and Maxine had demanded that Louise tell them about her first end-of-week experience. The J. Soeur Anti-FSAD Plan was dominating the conversation. Louise, however, had stood her ground. She had waited for them to catch up so they could all share their end-of-week stories. Louise started, since her end-of-week had been on Monday (Acacia’s was Tuesday after they left The Rose. Maxine’s was Wednesday.) “He showed me how. Very crude, I thought. Just wrapped his hand around it and stroked. Could do it standing up in a bathroom so the toilet’s handy to catch the semen.” Acacia agreed. “Amazing how little thought they give to it. Male imperative is to dump the semen, I guess. Seems the idea is to get rid of the semen, not to have a pleasurable experience.” “I asked Frank if he ever used a vibrator,” Maxine widened the sub- ject. “He looked at me like I was from another planet. When I showed him my regular vibrator he thought I stuck the point into my vagina. I didn’t explain. Told him we’d get there.” Louise resumed. “We had a problem. Tom had sworn off masturbat- ing since we were married. I didn’t even know about that until after my accident. He waited seven weeks while I was in the hospital. It was touching.” Maxine was amazed. “So he showed me how he did it, but stopped before he got to orgasm. A little bird had whispered ‘ruined orgasm’ in my ear. I looked it up and finished the poor boy by ruining his orgasm.” “Was that by letting go after the first spurt?” the little bird asked. “No, we went very patiently. I stopped every time he told me he was too close. Eventually he ejaculated without a single spurt.” “Well done,” Acacia approved. “What are you guys talking about?” Maxine wanted to know. They explained. “And after he ejaculates,” Louise elaborated, “it’s still stiff and he’s still horny. It’s coming without an orgasm. Many authorities call it tortur- ous. If he’s horny, it makes him hornier.” 544 Explicitly Sexy III

“Wait a minute,” Maxine said, thinking about this. “You’re into week two. Three days, right?” Louise agreed with her count. “And for him it’s like he never came? Like it’s a week and three days since the last time?” “Exactly,” Acacia interjected. “How long are you going to keep doing this to him?” Maxine wanted to know. “You always call me a ‘conniving bitch’ when I tell you something like that,” Louise didn’t answer the question. “You going to ruin his next one, so he doesn’t break his no-mastur- bation streak?” Maxine asked, being more specific. “Probably,” Louise answered. “And then you’ll do him at the end of week three?” “It should be spectacular,” Louise answered. “I’m going to make it memorable.” “You’ve got this all planned, haven’t you,” Maxine stated. “Oh, no,” Louise disagreed. “I’ve got more planning left. Week three should be quite a big build-up, day-by-day, don’t you think?” Maxine shook her head in amazement. “I won’t call you anything, Kinky. You’re planning entirely for his benefit. Doing your ‘wifely duties’ is all. Right?” “Tom and I are both enjoying this plan, Max. We owe you for getting us on it. He’s even started calling me a Kinky Bitch. I think that may be the nicest thing a man can say about his wife.” “You’re an incurable romantic, Sweet Lou!” Maxine exclaimed. “Yes. I really am. What could be better than fuzzy pajamas?” Maxine was shaking her head. Louise was chuckling. Acacia was laughing. When she finished laughing, Acacia turned very seriously to Maxine. “How are you guys doing, Max?” Maxine licked her glass and took a swallow of margarita before she answered. “He was home six nights in the last week. I think it was four years back when that happened last. It was nice. “The showers are nice. I like the feeling of his hands washing me. And he’s kind of hunky. I like washing him. The Plan makes it really 39 Getting Reprogrammed 545 good because I’m not all worried about what happens when we get to bed. “In fact, we got to bed last night for the first time.” Week one was just showers. “Time for a little exploring. A little kissy-face. And I still wasn’t scared, because it stopped there. So I have to give The Plan really high marks, at least so far.” Acacia took Maxine’s hand away from her margarita and kissed it. “I’m so happy for you, Max. Not to count chickens before they hatch, but that sounds like a really good start.” Maxine nodded her head and kissed Acacia’s hand. “Yeah,” she said. “A really good start. “Oh yeah. Maybe the best thing is that little sit down and say ‘thank you’ before we start. Makes it all special. I think we’re falling in love again.” Maxine was smiling happily as she remembered it. Acacia was beaming as she heard about it. Louise was looking from one to the other. Max was falling in love, she thought. What could be better than that? And Ace was Cupid and her face couldn’t have been more happy. Louise was Cupid’s assistant. “I want to hug and kiss you both,” Louise concluded, out loud. Maxine lifted her glass. “To Doctor June Soeur,” she toasted. They all drank to Doctor Soeur (though they did not all share the same image of Doctor Soeur). On her way home, Louise thought about what she had heard. Maxine and Frank were learning from The Plan, as intended. She and Tom were learning from The Plan, too, though they were taking it as the base for a more advanced course in matrimonial relations. But what about Ace and Herman? Ace was a very happy little Cupid, but Ace and Herman? Friday, 2/25/05, 7:30 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s home. Louise wasn’t the only one wondering about Acacia and Herman. Acacia was asking herself the same question. Acacia thought about The Plan’s intent. It seemed to be working for Max and Frank. That was wonderful. The Plan’s authors could take some pride in that fact. Quite a bit of pride, actually. 546 Explicitly Sexy III

But with Louise it was different, Acacia thought. Louise was taking The Plan to an entirely different place. Some kind of strange, advanced course in erotic play. Louise was having fun with it, damn it! Had Louise seen this all along? Acacia wondered why she and Herman were playing it straight and suffering with The Plan’s restrictions. The Bitch Goddess hadn’t seen it as a platform for playing. In fact, the Bitch Goddess hadn’t been seen at all. Not for weeks. Not since Judge Rubick had told her about John Steuben. Acacia pulled into her driveway. How had she gotten here? She went in, kissed her husband ‘hello’ and continued to her own room to change. ‘That was a very sorry excuse for a kiss,’ she thought, on the way to her room. Would Louise have kissed Tom that way? No. Hell no. Louise would kiss him with some feeling. Some love. She thought about her footless friend. In some strange way Louise hadn’t gone from a perfect 10 to an 8 or 9, as they had said. She had gone from a perfect 10 to some higher number. Some level past numbers. She had lost her feet and floated into unexplored territory above the scale. Enough Louise! Acacia refocused, stripped and hung up her business clothes. Her mind was buzzing. She sat at her desk in her underwear, but didn’t turn the computer on. Thinking about herself analytically, she saw someone whose first reaction was to compete. If Louise could do it, she could do it better. No, she told herself, that was stupid. This was not a zero-sum game. Only one person could be valedictorian, but everyone could win this prize. The smart approach would be to watch how Louise was doing it. To copy. If Louise was doing it better, the smart thing would be to copy. To learn. Improve if she could, but not compete. Maybe find a new wrinkle and share it. Maybe... Didn’t she have a husband? Why were they in separate rooms? What was he thinking? Was he wondering what she was thinking? She stood in front of the mirror. Underwear. Utilitarian underwear. The kind a girl would wear under business clothes where it would not be seen. To hell with it. She walked back down the hall and through the liv- ing room where Herman was half listening to the TV while flipping through the County Press. Multitasking. Paying attention to neither. Maybe he was thinking about her. “I made a poor job of coming home, Stud. I’m going to try again.” 39 Getting Reprogrammed 547

Through the kitchen, into their ‘family room’ (they used it as a home gym) and out toward the garage. She turned around and retraced her steps until she was back in the living room. She leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the back of his neck. He turned his head, which she had rather hoped would happen. She kissed him on the mouth. It was a slow, gentle kiss at first. An enjoy-the-press-of-lips-into-lips kiss. She opened her mouth enough to lick his lower lip. It was an exploratory lick. It felt good. She repeated it and then tried his upper lip. When his tongue came out she backed off. “No sex. We’re on The Plan. But week two is for exploring heads. Lips and tongue are OK in bed tonight.” “Damn. Just when it was turning into an interesting sort of kiss,” he said. “Was that better?” she asked. “Was what ‘that’ better than what else?” “Was the second time I came in better than the first time?” she fixed her first attempt at the question, sitting down next to him. “Oh. Yes. No comparison. The first time your brain was elsewhere. I thought maybe you’d left it in the car.” “I think my brain had gone home with Louise. When she saw how I kissed you she sent my brain home with a little lecture about paying attention to what I was doing. About living in the present.” “Living in the present?” he asked. “Is that a Zen thing?” “I guess it is, a little. I think that when you do it it’s not a Zen thing, though. It’s just a let-it-happen thing.” Acacia thought about it. She hadn’t been very good about living in the present. She had to ‘come home’ twice to even get that right. Louise, at least Louise since... No! The phrase in her brain had been ‘... since I cut off her feet,...’ Since her accident. There I go again! Where’s the present? She grabbed the hand next to her and squeezed. Present. Deep breath. I’m sitting next to my husband. We just kissed. Hus- band. Present. “We can go to bed together again, after our shower tonight,” she said. Not really the present, but getting closer, she thought. 548 Explicitly Sexy III

“It’s head touching week,” he said. Herman had studied Doctor Soeur’s plan carefully. (Louise and Acacia had sworn each other to secrecy. Telling anyone, even husbands, about their fiction could only hasten the day when Maxine would find out. It was important to keep Maxine believing in Doctor Soeur.) “Yes,” she agreed. “We could go on with that kiss, you know. I think that’s permitted.” “Shall I heat your supper first?” “I’d probably lose the present. I think I’d stay in the present if it had your lips in it.” He knew The Plan almost as well as its authors. “You know, it says the exact time’s not important. And I’m not so sure that if you started another kiss like the last one it would count as either ‘your time’ or ‘my time’.” “I think Doctor Soeur would be pleased to know that someone had read her plan so carefully,” the doctor’s pleased co-author told him. They showered. They soaped each other, with no parts off limits. He stiffened under her tender ministrations. ‘It makes a girl feel proud...’ she reminded herself. A stiffening cock does help bring a girl into the present, she thought. In bed she explored his face. She looked at it carefully. Gently touched the planes and the curves. Traced the hairline and ears. She post- poned the kiss as long as she could. She had found a bit of the present. Eventually her fingers found his lips. Then her lips replaced her fingers. Mouths opened. The clock hands turned, but that didn’t matter. She was in the present. When she broke the kiss, she lay her head on his chest. And she cried. She cried herself to sleep on his chest. Herman knew something was wrong. He hoped that this was thera- peutic. He relived the immediate past while she cried. It had been a very good kiss. A lovers kiss in the best way. Maybe crying would help. Help whatever it was that she wouldn’t ask for help with. Three hours later, Acacia would jerk upright, shaking as her night- mare faded. It was a car crash. Her passenger must have been killed instantly. She was still shaking as she lay down, trying not to wake Her- man. 39 Getting Reprogrammed 549

Monday, February 28, 2005, 9:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. “Frank, can you come up here? I need a hand with a heavy box.” He saw that she had dragged a box into the middle of the closet floor. “Where’s this going?” he asked, bending at the knees as anyone who lifts weights would. “On the bed.” As he slid his hands under the box, he immediately felt its weight. Probably an empty box, he guessed. He came out of the closet without the box and scowled at her. “Too heavy for you?” he asked. She laughed. “What’s the big idea?” he growled. “Oh, lighten up. I want you to help me put it on. Carry it flat, as if it’s heavy.” Seeing his butt-of-her-joke scowl she thought maybe she had gone too far. Corrective action seemed necessary. She let her bathrobe drop off her shoulders, caught it and tossed it onto her chair. She had already put on a very sexy bra, garter belt and panties set with lace-topped, seamed stockings. She had been thinking about ‘attrac- tional research’ and decided to try a little of her own. His scowl melted into a look of lust. She thought this was what Louise had been talking about. It was good to see it. “Would you lay the box on the bed, please?” He had never been used quite this way before. He didn’t know what to say. But what was in the box? He lifted it carefully, bent knees and straight back, as if it were are barbell loaded with plates. Carefully and slowly to the bed. Bending at the knees he laid it on the bed and slid his hands out from under it. Turning to her he asked, “What’s going on? You look sexy as hell, but it’s not really fair if we can’t fuck, is it?” “It’s a ten-week Plan, Frank. I’m beginning to think it might work. I just thought I’d dress up a bit to show you why you wanted to do this. If you want I can change into sweats.” He stared at her. She stared back. She stared at his face and below his belt. She smiled. It made her proud. “You want me to change?” 550 Explicitly Sexy III

He didn’t say yes. “Why don’t you open the box? It’s the last bit of my outfit.” He opened the box. A sheer black-lace robe was laid carefully, lengthwise, between layers of tissue paper. He lifted the paper off and stared at the robe. The lace was nearly transparent. Maxine was watching him carefully. Planning. Thinking about what Louise might do. She walked around the bed and stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her breasts into his back. “I know it’s not really fair, Frank. But I couldn’t help thinking ahead. Dreaming a little. You want to go downstairs and dream with me?” He grunted. He was thinking that she was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. He was thinking that they were in their own bedroom together. He was thinking that if he just threw her on the bed and raped her he would probably lose her forever. “Beg your pardon?” she asked. “What?” “You grunted something. I couldn’t quite make out what you said. If you put this robe on me we can go downstairs. Make drinks. Chat about where we are. Think about where we’re going. Maybe dream about what we’ll get when I dress up like this in May, after we finish The Plan.” She turned and held her arms behind her. He looked at her. He looked at the garters framing her rear. He looked at the firm thighs above the tops of her stockings. At the straight seams. At the width of the bra strap. The wide strap was sexy, he thought. A wide strap in back meant there was something to look at in front. Something to hold. He looked at the box. His eyes found the shoulders of the robe. He picked it up gently by the shoulders and pulled it over the arms she held behind herself. He slid it up gently. She took the collar from him when the robe was on her shoulders. It hooked in front of her neck. She turned to face him. “You like?” The robe’s sides spread immediately below her neck, pushed apart by her generous breasts. The robe didn’t cover much and the transparent lace didn’t hide what it covered. “You said this would be hard,” he told her. “I didn’t know how hard. But you said it would be worth it. You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. We’ve got to make this work.” 39 Getting Reprogrammed 551

“You really mean that, Frank?” “Totally.” “If I told you that you had done something wrong with the robe, would you get mad?” This was important. She had to be able to teach him about what she wanted. “Did I do something wrong?” “Well, you could have done something better.” “What?” “OK. Let’s try again.” She unhooked the neck, turned away from him, held her arms out behind her and let the robe slide down. “You were doing great before. Grab it by the shoulders and slide it up, just the way you did before.” He had no idea where she was going. He had done it right but made a mistake? He did it again. “Now, don’t move,” she said as she took the collar from him and hooked it. “OK. Here’s the thing. What’s right in front of you?” “The back of your head.” “I guess I should have told you this long ago. I didn’t. So here’s the thing. Some women have very sensitive necks. Why don’t you push the hair away from the back of my neck and kiss it?” “Is that on The Plan?” “We’re not going to have sex. You’re just going to kiss the back of my neck. Then we go downstairs.” He parted her hair and kissed the back of her neck. She shivered. He kissed the back of her neck again. She shivered again. “So that’s a sensitive spot?” “Sensitive spots make a girl shiver.” She held out her hand and led him down the stairs. Monday, 2/28/05, 9:40 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s kitchen. In the kitchen she got ice for the drinks. She looked at the 10-Week Anti- FSAD Plan Summary, posted on the fridge. “Oh, shit.” 552 Explicitly Sexy III

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Necks are week 3. Sorry.” “It made you shiver, didn’t it?” “Yeah.” “Not the sort of shiver you get when you’re cold, was it?” “Nope. A definite I’m-getting-warm shiver.” “We’re supposed to be thawing you out, aren’t we? Maybe Doctor Soeur will forgive us.” “OK. But don’t do it again. Not until Friday.” He laughed. “No more neck until week three. But I’m going to remember it, anyway. Are there more neck spots I should know about?” “We’ve got an entire week for necks, Frank. Necks are sensitive. Doctor Soeur must think they’re important. They’ve got lots of places. You might want a notebook so you can write them down.” “I’ve got to experiment with kisses, licks and touches, too,” he said. “Firm or delicate?” “You’ve got an entire week to experiment. You want a hint?” “Definitely. I’m a man. I need all the help you can give me.” “I thought so,” she said. “I’m a woman.” “Are you going to give me that hint?” he asked, wondering if ‘I thought so’ applied to the male sex in general or his particular need for help. “I just did,” she answered. “You’re a woman?” he asked, just to be sure. “Glad you noticed,” she replied. Monday, 2/28/05, 9:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. They carried their drinks into the parlor. He let her go first, as a gentle- man would. As a man who wanted to stare would. She was definitely a woman. Her rear was even sexier when she was walking. 39 Getting Reprogrammed 553

On the couch she crossed her legs. The robe fell off her thighs, show- ing off legs, stockings and garter belt. She liked the way her robe draped. She smiled at him as they sat down. He returned the smile. “So tell me something, Frank.” “What would you like to know?” “If I told you it was OK to stare, would you like to drop your eyes to my cleavage?” He was trying to be a gentleman. It wasn’t always easy. “If its not rude.” “May I tell you a secret?” His permission was offered eagerly. “If a woman shows some skin, she wants you to look. Go ahead and stare.” He accepted the offer. She was so damned sexy! What a build. She stared at his crotch while he stared at her cleavage. It does make a girl feel proud, she thought. The Plan was liberating her. She didn’t fear sex. His boner was a compliment, not a threat. Sex came later. She didn’t have to worry about it now. After a long stare, she asked, “Would you like to hear my heart beat?” Holding his head with both hands she placed his right ear between her breasts. For a moment he was supremely happy. He felt her breasts on his cheek. Just for a moment, he forgot that they weren’t going to have sex. His next release was days away. For a moment he knew nothing except the feel of soft, warm skin. “I want to thank you for committing to The Plan, Frank,” she began the formula. “And I want to thank you for being with me on The Plan, Maxine.” “It’s head touching week, Frank. Do you know what you’re going to do?” “Your head is beautiful, Maxine. I like touching it.” “Should we do lips and tongues?” she asked. “No, we said no lips and tongues until the last three days. We’re still on eyes and ears, cheeks and chins,” he reminded her. “Sometimes I just hate The Plan,” she said. 554 Explicitly Sexy III

“Yeah. But that’s good. That’s what it’s supposed to be doing, you know.” “Keep reminding me. I could pretty easily do something stupid,” she said. “I wanted to rape you when we were upstairs,” he said. “What week is rape?” “Actually, I wanted to rape you, too. I think that comes later. Week two is head touching.” “You want to shower?” he asked. She let him sit up. “Not yet. How about we finish our drinks first. Sip slowly and enjoy the view. I’ll stare at your crotch. See if I can guess where your eyes are by looking at your crotch. OK?” “You sure this is on The Plan?” he asked. “It sure as hell isn’t having sex. I think having sex is what you do after you get horny as hell.” She thought about what she’d just said. “Oh, shit!” she swore, with unusual feeling. “Running away from sex is what this fucked up broad did when she got horny. Even half horny. I’m learning. I’m learning to get horny and enjoy it. But that’s because there’s no sex on The Plan this week. Nothing to run away from. Fuck! Damned Dr. Soeur is trying to reprogram me. It won’t be simple.” He shut his eyes. He let Maxine’s words hang in the air. Then he said, “Yeah.” She was lost in the idea of being reprogrammed. He had said, ‘yeah.’ She realized she didn’t know what that meant. “You said, ‘Yeah’ Frank. Yeah what?” He explained, “I meant about the doctor trying to reprogram you. And it not being simple. But it’s good, you know.” “What’s good?” “The Plan’s good. It’s got us talking. That’s maybe half the deal. Talking.” She turned and stroked his head. “Yeah. We’re talking. I’m wearing my sexiest lingerie and we’re talking.” “And I’m horny as hell. When’s sex? Week thirty-seven?” She laughed. Then she got serious. “It’s bringing us closer, isn’t it.” 39 Getting Reprogrammed 555

He stared at her cleavage. He inhaled slowly, deeply. Then he looked into her eyes and became serious himself. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Closer.”

40 Him and Herself, Too

Some love winter. Adults who ski. Anyone who ice skates. Kids who have snowball fights. Others dream of spring flowers under blue skies. By the first of March even some winter lovers are beginning to dream of spring flowers and blue skies. Some surround themselves with roses. Tuesday, March 1, 2005, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. A single subject had come to dominate our trio’s conversation at The Rose. The Plan was on everyone’s mind. “We’re starting week three tonight,” Louise said. She sounded excited. “We can kiss in the shower tonight!” “That’s ‘non-sexual’ kissing,” her co-author reminded her. “Isn’t that a contradiction?” Maxine asked. “What’s non-sexual about kissing?”

557 558 Explicitly Sexy III

“Oh, come on, Sexy,” Louise reprimanded her. “You know, it’s like when Federer won the trophy at Wimbledon. What’s the first thing he did?” “Oh, yeah.” Maxine got the point. “He kissed it.” Then she thought a little. “But that’s different. A cup doesn’t kiss you back.” The attorney broke in. “He doesn’t kiss you back in most places, Max. Try his back or the tip of his nose.” “Hmm,” Maxine thought. “I see. It’s non-sexual if it doesn’t kiss back. OK.” Louise was liking this definition. “My nipples are tingling,” she thought out loud. “I think we should add ‘stiffening’ to our definition,” the lawyer interjected. “It’s sexual if it stiffens things.” “Spoilsport,” Louise complained. Then she pictured the possibilities and asked the lawyer for another ruling. “So he can kiss a breast, as long as it’s not the nipple?” “I guess so,” the lawyer responded. “Although that doesn’t leave much kissable skin for some of us.” “It leaves the entire ass, Miss Best Butt,” the artist told the attorney. The artist liked the lawyer’s definition. She was thinking about his lips on the non-nipple parts of her breasts. He would be busy. “Tomorrow,” the lawyer thought out loud. Kissing in the shower started tomorrow for Acacia and Herman. ‘Miss Best Butt,’ she thought to herself. It had a nice ring. The conversation turned to week two, which had already ended for one of them. “So what did you do to him yesterday, CB?” Maxine asked Louise. Louise saw that the question was for her. “CB?” she asked. “You always disagree when I spell that out,” Maxine complained. “Oh, yes. I remember. I don’t ‘connive,’ you know. I just put my best effort into my wifely duties.” Acacia was laughing. Maxine was nosy. “Did you ruin it again?” the nosy one asked. 40 Him and Herself, Too 559

“This is week three, Max. It’s when I take what he’s taught me about using hands and then I show him how much more creative a woman can be. I’ve been preparing him for two weeks. I’ll keep preparing him as this week goes on. He should be ready by this coming Monday. I’d say more than ready.” “Nice phrase,” the lawyer said quietly. “Nice phrase?” Louise asked. “Yes,” the lawyer said. “...’this coming Monday’.” It was Maxine’s turn to laugh. “I have very crude friends,” Louise complained, trying not to laugh. She was thinking about ‘coming Monday.’ Tuesday, 3/1/05, 7:10 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. “I have very good news,” she announced after a warm ‘hello’ kiss. “You just got a big raise?” (Teachers only get raises at the start of the school year. Never big ones.) “No. It’s more important than money. It’s about sex.” “Oh. Right. We’re starting week three.” “Yes. And we can kiss in the shower, provided it’s ‘non-sexual’ kiss- ing.” “What, exactly, is ‘non-sexual’ kissing?” “That’s my news. We discussed that tonight. Arrived at a definition.” “Not too limited, I hope. Pointed side of the elbows? What else?” “Sexual kissing is a kiss on parts that either kiss back or stiffen.” “Everything else is non-sexual?” “We decided that nipples are sexual, but the rest of the breasts are kissable.” He thought about this generous definition. “And what about when we go to bed?” “Week three is for necks. Two and a half minutes each to review heads and then five minutes each on necks. My neck is quite sensitive in places. You want to go first?” 560 Explicitly Sexy III

“First kisser, or first kissee?” he asked. “I think you should be the first kisser. After you go I’ll show you how it should really be done.” She was goading him. He took the bait. “I’ll have you moaning before it’s your turn,” he warned her. “You won’t be able to concentrate.” She smiled. This was fun! The friendly competition was what The Plan was all about. She took his head in her hands. She stared into his eyes. “I’ll have you so stiff you won’t be able to walk in the morning,” she threatened. “You are a Kinky Bitch,” he told her. His left hand pressed against the small of her back, pushing her waist firmly into his erection. His right hand made circles on her rear. “You need to be spanked.” “Spanking is week eleven,” she said. Tuesday, 3/1/05, 9:40 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s bedroom. Acacia was trying to get back into the present. She was thinking about Louise’s attitude. And about being a Bitch Goddess. It seldom worked, but seldom was better than never. This was the last day of week two for Acacia and Herman. The last day of head touching. He had gone first. It was her turn. “I want your tongue, Herman.” “No, I didn’t ask for your lips. Just stick out your tongue. I want to play with it.” He didn’t know where she was going but he usually liked it when he found out. He stuck out his tongue. She kissed its tip. She sucked on it as if it were a hard candy. She drew circles on top of its flat part with her own tongue. She bit it gently. She heard him moan. Was that from the bite, or from being played with in general? She backed up enough to touch his tongue with an index finger and thumb. She pinched it and watched as it slid out of her pinch. “Put it back, Stud. I’m not done playing.” He was being used, he thought. She was having fun. She hadn’t been having much fun lately. His tongue felt good. He felt good. 40 Him and Herself, Too 561

“You ready to come, Stud?” It was time for him to masturbate for her again. He didn’t like it, but his balls were more than full. His cock had taken charge when she said ‘come.’ He rolled onto his back. “You ready, Goddess?” She made herself comfortable, inches away from his cock. He began to stroke. “I don’t think you’re very good at that,” she said. “Next week you can show me how to do it better,” he said and con- tinued stroking. He knew what was on the schedule. He looked forward to having her do it. “Tell me when you’re getting close, Stud.” “If you knelt beside me, I could see your ass.” She understood. Men like visual stimulation. She knelt. She ran her hand up her thigh and then over the curve of her rear. He moaned and said he was close. “OK. Stop.” He stopped. This wasn’t on The Plan. He thought again. It wasn’t off The Plan, either. Where was she going. “Now finger your frenum,” she told him. He used a finger to stroke his frenum. His cock throbbed but it wasn’t enough stimulation to come. “Now imagine it’s my tongue, not your finger. Keep going.” She hadn’t been this hot in weeks, he thought. Hot was good. The finger was real. Imagining her tongue was almost real. He would have come if it had been her tongue. “Feel good, Stud?” “You’re driving me crazy, Goddess.” “Good. Now feel a Bitch Goddess sucking your glans into her mouth. Got it?” He groaned. “And then she licks your frenum.” He grabbed his cock in his fist and pumped while he exploded. “Oh, fuck. Fuck yes.” She watched. It makes a girl feel proud, she thought. “Next week I’ll show you what I can do. It won’t be just a quickie like that one. The Plan says I use my hands. That’s OK. I’ll use my hands and you’ll hang on the edge until you beg me to finish you off.” 562 Explicitly Sexy III

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his chest. “Where have you been, Bitch Goddess?” “Trying to find my way back to the present. Trying to find my way.” Louise’s feet flashed through her mind. The plastic feet. She had to capture Louise’s attitude, she thought. The feet weren’t coming back, but if she could just capture the attitude... Friday, March 4, 2005, 3:50 P. M. The gym locker room. The sidewalks were separated from the streets by piles of dirty snow. Crude passes were cut in the waist-high mountains to let foot travelers cross streets between sidewalks. Maxine and Louise had braved the passes, arriving at aerobics ten minutes early. They were the first ones there. Maxine asked about Tom’s progress with her design. “I’ve seen the plans, Max.” Louise told her. “You’ll be amazed.” “How does my new studio look?” “Like you. It’s extraordinary!” “Calm down, Lou. Can you tell me anything specific?” “The plans are wonderful, Max. Your home’s going to be just like your boobs. Big and sexy as hell!” “You’re just a fountain of information, Lou.” “Yeah. It’s in the courtyard.” “What ‘it’ is in what courtyard?” “Your fountain. It’s in your home’s courtyard. I almost said ‘house.’ Tom won’t let me call it a ‘house.’ He says it’s a home.” “He’s not designing a house?” “Well, it’s got a house. Your ranch house, you know. But it’s got a barn and a greenhouse and a sun room and even a carport. That’s five buildings around your courtyard.” “Five?” 40 Him and Herself, Too 563

“Well, wait a minute. The carport is beside the house and green- house. It doesn’t touch the courtyard. Four buildings. I can’t wait to go swimming.” “You’re not telling me anything, girl. Dish, damn it!” “You are just the perfect paragon of patience,” Louise alliterated. “OK. I’ll tell you something specific. I’m going to bring all my laundry to your home, just so I can do my ironing.” Maxine stared at her. That was very specific and told her absolutely nothing. “You’re a total tease, Kinky Bitch.” Maxine took a deep, calm- ing breath. “Tell Tom I’d like to look at the plans, OK?” “I’ll tell him. And I am a kinky tease. Tom likes me that way, you know. I’ve taught him patience.” She turned to face Maxine. She stared into those dark Italian eyes. She raised her left hand’s single finger and drew a line—she drew slowly, sensuously—down Maxine’s cheek. “You like me best when I’m a tease. Don’t you. Confess.” “You’re making my panties wet, Kinky Bitch,” Maxine confessed. Louise smiled. Saturday, March 5, 2005, 11:00 A. M. Louise and Tom’s office. Maxine would start cycling with Acacia in three weeks, weather permit- ting. As yet, her Saturday mornings were free. She was spending the late part of this one visiting the Wilsons. “Let me explain a little before we dive in,” Tom began. Maxine agreed. “If you were building a mansion you’d start with the entry hall. It would have graceful, sweeping curved stairs, right? Picture Tara in Gone with the Wind.” Maxine pictured Tara and agreed, but she didn’t want a mansion. Where was he going? “I wanted to use the ranch house as the entry. ‘Ranch house’ means just one story, of course. The stairs would be in the barn. And I didn’t want to make the stairs a focus. I decided on just a giant wall where you could hang paintings. The Gulden barn should focus on the Gulden paint- ings. Right?” 564 Explicitly Sexy III

Maxine was beginning to like where he was going. “OK. Good the- ory. Let’s look.” Tom opened his model. From the outside the ranch and barn were just what they had discussed. He flew over them. A substantial green- house (one side for growing things, one side for a pool) was mostly hid- den behind the ranch house. A glass-enclosed building (‘sun room’ he called it) connected the ranch to the greenhouse. The greenhouse was a hundred feet (30m) long, the designer explained. Enough for a 25 meter pool (half Olympic size) with a bathhouse at the end. A shed-like exten- sion reached out from the barn to mate with the ranch house. He’d placed a fountain in the middle of the courtyard-like space not quite enclosed by the four buildings. Then Tom started making roofs and walls disappear so they could look inside. The ranch house was one big room with the entry in the cen- ter. There was a large area to the left where guests could gather in two conversation pits. The dining ‘room’ (a raised platform) was in the center and the kitchen to the right. The entry featured a row of vertical posts where paintings were hung creating a gallery wall effect without closing the sight lines. Then Tom stripped the barn to show off the ‘stair wall.’ It was a wall rising from the basement, past two floors of living space and on up to the roof above the attic level. Industrial stairs floated in space, connecting the levels but leaving the wall itself to display paintings. Tom waited for his client’s reaction. “Shit, Wilson. You really nailed it. I want this. This is perfect. Totally Maxine Gulden. Where’s that bitch you married? She never told me a thing.” Louise opened the door that had hidden her. “Here she is,” she said, smiling impishly. “I hate you, you bitch,” Maxine swore, trying to sound angry. “If you were nicer, I’d hug you,” Louise said, wrapping her arms around Maxine without waiting for the artist to become nicer. Maxine’s eyes returned to Tom’s monitor. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed. “It’s even got a bench.” She pointed at the model’s bench behind the easel in her future glass-enclosed studio. “Yeah,” Tom said. “Lou told me you needed a model’s bench. Didn’t know you did portraits.” 40 Him and Herself, Too 565

“Just tits,” Maxine answered, kissing the blonde head that lay on her shoulder. She smiled as the arms around her waist tightened. She tried a second kiss on the blonde head just to be sure the kiss and hug were related. They were. Saturday, 3/5/05, 12:30 P. M. Louise and Tom’s entrance hall. Louise and Tom had walked Maxine to the door. Louise was holding Maxine’s hand. With her free hand, Louise waved a discreet ‘goodbye’ to her husband who understood and took his leave. Louise and Maxine, holding hands, turned to face each other. They looked forward to these moments of affection. Louise looked down, modestly, and gathered her thoughts. She had a plan. Letting Maxine’s hand go, Louise put both arms around her friend’s waist. She looked into her friend’s near-black eyes and smiled. Maxine, returning the look, wondered what Louise was thinking. She would not have long to wonder. Louise raised her left hand. She drew a slow, sensuous line down Maxine’s right cheek with her left forefinger. “I like kissing you, Max. Your lips are full and soft,” she said, using the same finger to draw around the outsides of the lips she was praising. Maxine shook her head slowly. Louise could be such a sexy bitch when she put her mind to it. Louise was turning her on. The compliment was seductive and the line her finger had drawn tingled. “You’re making my panties wet, Kinky.” They kissed. No tongues, just lips. Gentle, warm and not hurried. Before it was over, Louise had two palms full of Maxine’s rear cheeks. Louise leaned back, enjoying the after-feel of Maxine’s lips on her own. “Did I turn you on, Sexy?” she asked. She knew the answer. It was her intent. But she did like hearing it said out loud. Maxine slapped Louise’s rear. Quite hard. “You’re a bitch and a half, Kinky. Promise me something?” “What?” Kinky wanted to know. “Promise you’ll never change. I like it when you make my panties wet.” 566 Explicitly Sexy III

Sunday, March 6, 2005, 6:30 A. M. Louise and Tom’s bedroom. The sky was getting lighter. Louise watched it for a minute through the bedroom’s east window. The seat under the window looked inviting. It was just the right size for two lovers. She decided to keep teasing her lover. “You know what tomorrow is,” she said, shaking him gently. Tom yawned and turned over, throwing his arm over his wife. “You’ve been calling it ‘coming Monday’ all week long. And teasing me all week long, too.” “Aren’t you looking forward to it?” “Are you going to spend all day telling me about all the kinky things you’re planning for me tomorrow?” “Oh, Tom! How could you say such a thing? Would I do that to you?” “Probably.” She pushed him away so she could get at his cock. Stroking it slowly and watching it swell she asked, “Do you want me to stop? Or do you want your Mistress to tell you more about her plans?” “My Mistress has been torturing me all week, telling me about her plans. She’s made plans enough for ten days. Not just an evening. An evening that’s just for her hands.” “OK. Here’s what we’ll do. You can spend the whole afternoon watching football games on TV.” “That sounds too easy.” “And I could wear something sexy and sit with you, stroking your hard cock just like this. I like him all stiff, you know.” “You’re so sexy.” “And while I stroke him I could think about all the ways you could be pleasing me if we ever get to the end of The Plan. I wouldn’t mind if you were rubbing my clit gently, you know. Maybe licking it. That would be nice, I think. Would you like to be licking my clit? Making me moan?” “Is that your idea of the way to watch football?” “Maybe just during the ads.” 40 Him and Herself, Too 567

“You’re getting me too close,” he warned. She stopped stroking him. “Tomorrow I’ll get to finish you. I’m looking forward to it. Just hands, you know. But that could still take hours. You’ll be begging before I’m even half done.” Monday, March 7, 2005, 7:30 P. M. Louise and Tom’s bedroom. They had sat together on the window seat in her boudoir, thanking each other for being on The Plan, praising each other for their new teasing skills and talking about the joys that May would bring after they finished The Plan. For the first time, Louise had not used this as an opportunity to tease him. She had settled for a significant look, a small smile and then, “Let’s shower.” In the shower she had reminded him that there was no restriction on their shower-time kissing, beginning in week four, starting tomorrow. He had washed her slowly, telling her how she would be kissed during their future showers. She was totally turned on before he even started drying her. He had taken his time drying her. She had taken even more time dry- ing him. She wore her garter panty hooked to the stockings the seamstress had made for her shortened legs. Otherwise, they were both naked. She had ordered him to lie on his back while she took off her feet. “Now,” she began, “I am going to do you. You’ve showed me how you do it. I’m going to show you how I would do myself. We’ll both come. It’s ‘coming Monday,’ finally.” He was stiff again, in anticipation. She wrapped her right hand around his cock. And she slid it up and down. “This is what you showed me. Right? Am I doing this right?” He moaned. “Don’t. I won’t last a minute. I’ve never been more ready.” She smiled. “Oh, poor baby. Did you really think I’d finish you off that fast?” He shook his head ‘no.’ He was right on the edge already. “Well, that’s enough of the man’s technique. A woman would use more finesse, of course. Something like this.” She teased his cock with the lightest possible touches on his glans and then his frenum. “Isn’t this nicer?” 568 Explicitly Sexy III

“You’re so hot, Mistress. So hot. I still won’t last. Your touches are too hot.” “Oh, pooh. You’re no fun. You need to cool off. Why don’t you sit up and watch how a woman would treat herself. I don’t actually do this by myself, you know. It’s so much sexier to have you watching.” He sat up and she stretched out on her back. “Now watch,” she ordered. Her hands caressed herself from mid- thighs, up both sides of her body. It was a languid, sensual motion. He looked away as her hands approached her breasts. “Are you that close?” she asked. “How can I show you if you won’t even look?” “I... I...” He stammered. She was so hot. He had waited three weeks. He had only had two ruined orgasms while he waited. That may have been worse than just waiting. She had been driving his frustration higher and higher. The teasing over the final weekend was non-stop. He inhaled deeply and willed himself not to come. She watched him. She saw his struggle. “I thought you enjoyed my teasing. Was it too much for you?” she asked, sweetly and innocently. “Almost,” he said. “I’m so close.” No more innocence, she decided. She sat up. She took his head between her hands. “Look at me Thomas,” she ordered. He looked into the eyes that were just inches from his face. “You are not going to come, because I forbid it. You will come when I tell you to come, and not before. Do you understand?” He heard his Mistress’s order. “Yes, Mistress.” “Tell me when you will come, Thomas. Repeat my order.” “I will come when you tell me to come and not before, Mistress.” “Very good, Thomas. Now put your hands behind your back. Lock your fingers together to remind yourself that you are under my orders.” He did as he was commanded. “Now, where were we?” she asked herself, rhetorically. “Oh, yes. I was showing you how I would masturbate if I did it myself. I’ll start again.” 40 Him and Herself, Too 569

She repeated her caresses up both sides of her body. She smiled when she saw him biting his lower lip. “I get so hot when you obey me, Thomas. I just love it. You expected my hands to run over my breasts, didn’t you?” “Yes, Mistress.” “Well, that’s coming soon. You be patient.” She ran her hands up and down her sides until she couldn’t stand the waiting. Then she touched her breasts with her finger tips, using the lightest possible pressure. Her fingers circled the outsides and slowly spi- raled in toward the areolas. “How do you think my pussy feels while I do this, Thomas?” “Is it wet, Mistress?” “I’m dripping. Half because this feels so good, and half because I’m torturing you. Are you paying attention?” He had never been more totally focused. “Yes, Mistress,” he answered her question. He was paying attention. He expected her finger- tips to reach areolas and then nipples. Her nipples were already stiff and he expected them to get stiffer. “Lie down,” she ordered. “That’s enough of me for the moment. I’m supposed to be using my hands to get you off. Time to check on your cock.” His cock had never been harder. She lifted her head for a better view. She moved in close and blew gently on his frenum. “Too bad I can’t kiss it,” she said. “Would you like a kiss? Perhaps a gentle lick?” His cock throbbed in response to her questions. She sat up and grabbed both his nipples. She pulled on them and twisted. His cock throbbed. She pulled and twisted harder. He throbbed harder. “You like it when I treat your nipples like that, Thomas?” “Yes, Mistress.” She leaned over and stared into his eyes. “That is an absurdly inade- quate answer, Thomas. Tell me how you feel. What would you like me to do with those nipples?” “I’m sorry, Mistress. I loved it when you pulled and twisted like that. It sent a powerful jolt to my cock. You’re so hot!” She smiled. That was a better answer. “Would you like more?” 570 Explicitly Sexy III

“Oh, fuck. Yes, Mistress. Please give me more. But don’t make me come, Mistress. I’m so on the edge.” She scratched circles around his nipples. She dug her nails in and pinched. His cock throbbed. “I like keeping you on the edge, Thomas. It makes my pussy drip.” She pulled and twisted his nipples hard, digging her nails in. He throbbed and shouted, “No, Mistress. Don’t make me come.” His lust fueled hers. Her clitoris was demanding attention. But she felt sorry for his poor nipples. She bent over to kiss them. They were due for some soothing. Then she remembered the rules. She rubbed them gently with her fingertips, instead. “Oh, yes, Mistress. That feels so...” He couldn’t describe it. He felt her love. “I’m so horny, Thomas. Good thing I’m supposed to masturbate to show you how. You sit up and watch. We’ll finish you later.” She lay down again and returned her fingertips to her breasts, again spiraling around the areolas. “Sometimes I like a firmer touch and some- times it can’t be too gentle. Why don’t you bend over for a better view?” He bent over. “No. Get closer.” He supported himself on a hand and leaned closer. “Closer. I want you to have a good view. I want this burned into your brain for when it’s your turn.” His eyes were almost touching her breasts. She continued her delicate strokes. Her nipples were as stiff as he’d ever seen them. “You see what light touches do? We’ll move on to my pussy soon. Do you think she’s wet?” “Is your pussy dripping, Mistress?” “Would you like to see?” She lowered both hands to her lower lips and pulled them apart. She was dripping. “Get closer. Take a good look,” she told him. “I’m almost ready to add a finger. But first, let’s check on your cock again. Lie down.” She sat up as he lay down. “I do wish it were your turn, you know. My nipples want your touch. Maybe something firmer, like this.” She leaned over his face, her nipples just over his eyes. She pulled on her nip- ples. They were dark and stood out. “Tomorrow you can give them a good kissing in the shower. What does your cock think of that?” And she turned to see her answer. 40 Him and Herself, Too 571

“Does he want a turn?” she teased. Her right hand reached for him and stroked gently. She left his cock throbbing and stroked his balls. “Doesn’t this feel nice?” It was a statement more than a question. “I told you a woman could really do a much better job than you would do for yourself. How long do you suppose I can keep you stiff?” He didn’t know. Apparently she intended to keep him stiff for a while, he thought. “If I make you come it will be over in just a few seconds. You don’t want to come, do you?” “I... I...” He couldn’t form an answer. He was so high on raw lust. He wanted to stay at this peak. But he was so desperate to come that he would do anything just... “You like this feeling. Tell me to keep you right on the edge, Thomas. Go ahead. Confess it.” “Oh, Mistress. You’re so hot. I’m so... I... Keep me right here. Don’t make me come. Not yet.” She loved it. She told her pussy to stop screaming. She had him on the edge, and she had herself on the edge. She loved it. She had him at the peak and he wanted to stay there. His words rang in her head. ‘Don’t make me come. Not yet.’ Time to play. “Remember week two? Lips?” She squeezed his upper lip with two finger-thumb pairs. She worked from the center to the sides, then switched to the lower lip and worked back to the center. “I could do this to your cock, you know. Should I try?” She started on his cock, pinching the tight skin in the middle of the shaft and then working her hands toward the ends. As her left hand reached his frenum he begged her to stop. “Oh, you are so good to me, Thomas. You’re not going to come until I order it.” Her right hand played with his balls. “Oh, fuck. Stop. Please stop. Don’t make me come, Mistress.” Not yet. She wanted him right where he was. “Well, why don’t you watch me.” She stretched out on her back and spread her thighs. “Here,” she said, patting the top of her right thigh. “Put your head right here. Watch how I use my fingers.” For the next hour (at least it seemed like an hour) she used both hands to play with her outer lips and her inner lips. She teased the entrance to her vagina. She used fingers inside to stroke her G-spot. She 572 Explicitly Sexy III teased her clitoris, too, but never for long. It was screaming for attention. She hadn’t come for three weeks and tonight alone had her more than ready. When she got too close she sat up and played with his cock, mak- ing sure the veins were always bulging. She kept talking about what she was doing. Then she told him to describe what he was seeing. To talk about what he was going to do when it was his turn. They were both so ready. It was time, she thought. She couldn’t keep telling her pussy to wait. Her finger stopped, resting gently, teasingly, torturously on top of her cli- toris. “I think I want to come, Thomas. Would you like to watch me com- ing?” “I wish I could be the one making you come, Mistress.” “I think I’ll make you come, too, Thomas. Would you like to come before me, or would you prefer to come afterward?” “Ladies come first, Mistress.” “Oh you poor boy. You’ll have to watch me and hold yourself back. You won’t really be able to concentrate on my coming. What should we do?” “You are in charge, Mistress.” She had him lie one his side with his knees above her head so she had a cock to play with. His head lay on her left thigh so he could watch her right hand in her pussy. “This is good,” she said, stroking him gently. “I can stroke you and I can take care of myself, too.” She made slow cir- cles around her clitoris with her right middle finger. “Oh, fuck yes,” she said. “And I get to watch you come. I bet it’s going to be a really big explosion. Here. Come closer. I want you to come on my tits.” He moved closer. “Oh, fuck,” she shouted as her orgasm started. It was too soon. She lifted her hand and let it die out. “Oh, fuck. That was close. Are you ready?” He grunted. “Watch my fingers. I wish they were your tongue. Oh fuck! Come for me Thomas! Shoot your sperm all over my tits.” She made circles on his frenum and pulled her thumb and forefinger over his glans. “And watch me, too. Watch my clit! Oh, fuck! Oh...” 40 Him and Herself, Too 573

And they were both coming. Both were the powerful, long orgasms that follow three weeks’ abstinence and three weeks’ intense teasing. They were the kind of orgasms that both would remember years later. When the last throbs had left them limp he reversed himself, so they lay face-to-face. “Did that feel good?” she asked. “Oh fuck. Unbelievable. Did I ever tell you how sexy my Mistress is?” he asked her. “I don’t really remember,” she lied. She stroked his cheek with a fin- gertip. The stroke was gentle. Sensuous. “Why don’t you tell me again?” Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 5:15 P. M. The Rose Café. The banter at The Rose was lighthearted at first but quickly turned seri- ous. Maxine was leaving her comfort zone on Wednesday. At the end of week three she had to show Frank what she’d learned about using her hands to make him come. And she had to make herself come. Acacia saw a cloud pass over Maxine’s face. “It’s almost the end of week three for us, Max. You think we could pry some advice out of Louise?” Maxine looked at Louise. “Good idea, Ace. What did you do yester- day, Kinky?” Louise smiled at her. “I was totally up for the end of week three. It was the first time we both could come. We were both horny as hell. Hard to go too far wrong with that much preparation.” Maxine stared at Louise, and then turned to Acacia. “That was advice?” she asked the attorney. “Come on, Lou,” the attorney prodded. “Give us something we can use.” Louise succumbed to the pressure. “OK. You know he just makes a fist and strokes, right? That’s a good way to start. It’s what he expects.” Maxine and Acacia waited. They looked at each other, then at Louise. The blonde succumbed again. “Well, you do what he expects and then you act like a woman. When he’s getting close you let go. Gentle strokes with five fingers pulling over the glans can be quite nice. If you 574 Explicitly Sexy III only have two fingers you can hold your thumb behind his cock and use your forefinger to stroke the frenum.” She illustrated with her left hand. “Stroke it gently. He’ll stay hard forever if you stroke gently..” Louise stopped again. Maxine and Acacia waited again. “Well?” Louise asked. Maxine and Acacia looked at each other, then at Louise. The blonde knew she was being pumped. “I don’t suppose either of you has ever been with a man before, have you?” Her friends did not rise to the bait. They waited. “Oh, all right,” Louise sputtered. “He is desper- ate to come. He is full of dopamine. You want to keep him that way and then make him come. He’ll love you for it. A few strokes with the fist, like men do, is all it will take. But you should make it special. Whisper- ing in his ear is always good for a little extra stimulus.” Maxine wanted to know, “What sort of whispering?” Louise smiled to herself. “If you can sound sweet and innocent, like me, Max, you ask him if he wants to come. Of course he’s totally desper- ate to come. Then you ask him if he likes feeling so desperate, which he does. And you can ask him if he really wants the feeling to end. That’s a really big approach-avoidance thing for him, of course. “I like to play with his frenum and then talk about doing the playing with lips and tongue. ‘Would you like that?’ is a really good question to ask. ‘Would you like me to do this with my tongue?’ The idea will be driving him crazy. Then you remind him that lips and tongue on his cock is still weeks away on The Plan.” Maxine and Acacia shared a glance. Acacia was amazed. “You’re really dancing on the edge, Lou.” “Yes,” Louise agreed. “You have to be careful. Sometimes you have to stop touching him while you paint word pictures.” “Does it really take all that?” Maxine wanted to know. This was far past her idea of a handjob. Louise laughed. “Of course not. Stroke, stroke, stroke and he comes. But stroke, caress, whisper, caress and he’s in heaven with the sexiest woman in the world.” “With the dopamine queen,” the lawyer added. Louise was flattered. She decided to share a bit more. “There’s one thing I forgot to mention. I started on him, but it was also my turn to show him how I masturbated. After we got to, ‘You don’t want this to end, do you?’ I stopped doing him. I let him hang on the edge while I 40 Him and Herself, Too 575 masturbated. I let him rest his head on my thigh so he was just inches away. I talked about how much I wished it were his tongue, not my fin- gers. That was fun for both of us. “When he finally came it was a really big explosion. After it was over I had to ask, ‘Did that feel good?’ It’s a cheap question but I loved the answer.” Maxine was listening as closely as she had ever listened. She made a fist in front of herself and opened one finger at a time as she went through Louise’s list. “Stroke,” and she raised her index finger. “Caress” and she opened her middle finger. “Whisper, caress...” and she opened two more fingers. “And watch his balls, Max,” the lawyer reminded her. “They rise up and in when he’s almost there.” Louise picked up Acacia’s train of thought. “That’s right. When the balls try to hide you’ve got him nicely filled with dopamine. That’s when you do your best. Whisper in his ear. Keep him right on the edge.” “Supposing I don’t know how to do ‘sweet and innocent,’ Lou. What else?” Louise looked at Maxine. She dropped her eyes to the painter’s ‘sexy big boobs.’ “Talk to him about whatever turns him on, Max. Talk to him about holding, caressing and kissing whatever parts of you he likes. Can you think of any parts that turn him on?” Maxine understood, but years of feeling conspicuous and years of crude groping on dates were standing in her way. She had lots to unlearn. Lots to relearn. Acacia didn’t understand Maxine’s turmoil. “Max,” she said, “it’s my night to do Herman. If you don’t need those boobs, could I borrow them?” Louise laughed. Maxine looked at Acacia. “Ace,” she said, “I’ve got...”, and she stopped. What did she have to do? “I’ve got to learn. I mean, I know men like tits but...”. She stopped again. Louise saw how Maxine could have felt her assets were liabilities. “You want to really drive him crazy, girlfriend?” Maxine agreed. She really wanted to hear some specifics. Louise had no doubts. “You mastur- bate first. Don’t start between your legs. Start by lying on your back and fondling your boobs. Whole boobs first. Tell him you can’t wait until 576 Explicitly Sexy III week 8 when it will be his turn. Then nipples. Stroke, caress, pull. Give him a lesson. Talk to him about how to turn you on. He’ll be totally focused. Totally hot. “Then you go on to fingers between your legs. Let him watch. Nar- rate the show. What feels good, and where. Maybe talk about him doing all your moves with his tongue. Then you start on him. “He’ll be right on the edge. Stroke, but don’t touch the frenum. Caress and whisper. Good time to remind him that when he comes it will be over. Ask him if he wants it to be over. He’ll want your show to go on forever. So go on with the caresses and whispers and stroking yourself while he watches. Ask him if he wants you to come. Tell him to whisper in your ear. “Oh, wait a minute. He doesn’t know.” Louise stopped. “What doesn’t he know?” Maxine asked. “He’s got to tell you when he’s ready to come. He’s got to tell you to stop so you don’t make him come too soon. Later on you’ll read his signs. Muscles tighten, breathing quickens. But at first he’s got to tell you. Now, where was I?” “You told him to whisper in your ear,” Acacia reminded her. Louise appreciated it. “Thank you. Yes. You’ve just had him whisper, ‘Come for me,’ or words to that effect. That’s quite hot. “You should be ready by then. When he tells you to come, stroke him over the edge and then yourself. Try to get yours started before his stops. Coming together is always a nice way to finish. More ‘making love’ than just masturbating, you know. “After it’s over, lie next to him and caress your nipples. Ask him if he can remember how you like it. Week eight will be here before you know it. You want to plant a clear image in his open, vulnerable brain. Exactly how you want to be touched. And kissed. Remind him about how you want him to use his mouth. “I think you’ll be glad you’ve got those tits, Max. They’re man mag- nets.” “Oh, shit,” Maxine said. Then she looked at Louise. She put her heart into a simple, “Thank you, beautiful girlfriend. Thank you.” Acacia had listened intently. She had listened to what Louise said, and what she didn’t say. She had seen how a ‘well-endowed’ sister could feel ‘over-endowed.’ She’d learned to cope with ‘flat-chested’ herself. 40 Him and Herself, Too 577

Big wasn’t always better. Maybe Lou had told Max how to use what she had. “Shit, Ace. You still here?” Maxine could see the little one’s brain working overtime, but she didn’t know why. “Processing, Max. I think Lou’s advice is the best I’ve ever heard. You got it all? I could listen to it again. Especially about teaching him to tell you just before he comes. Do that before you get to bed. Repeat it as you go along.” Tuesday, 3/8/05, 7:05 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. The night was, relatively, a warm one. Maxine walked home. Frank’s car was in the driveway. The front door was unlocked. The porch light was on. Everything was as it should be. Until she got inside. Maxine saw it immediately. His look. His posture. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You get fired today?” “Is it that obvious?” he asked. “Out with it. You’re scaring me.” He helped her out of her coat and hung it for her. Then he led her to the couch. His head hung as he sat beside her. “No,” she said. “You didn’t.” “Yeah. I hate myself but I couldn’t wait. Even when I did it I knew I’d have to tell you. My mind just got so filled with pictures of this sexy broad I’m married to... It didn’t take a minute.” “Oh, shit. You screwed up, Frank.” His head nodded his agreement. “Yeah. That’s about as nice as you could say it. I broke my promise. You’re just so sexy. I couldn’t...” She wrapped her arms around him. Pulled his head onto her breasts. Stroked his hair. “You want to try again? It’s in The Plan, you know. If one partner breaks the promise, the other partner is supposed to forgive and you just restart the week. We should have reached end-of-week three tomorrow. But we can start week three again if you think you can make it.” “Is it that simple? Just start the week again? And you forgive me?” “Oh, shit. You know how much I want this to work, Frank.” “Me too. And I still fucked up. It didn’t even feel that good. No. It felt bad. As soon as I started coming I felt horrible.” 578 Explicitly Sexy III

“So, you’re human. You’re a man. Mother Nature programmed you with a huge urge to come. Perpetuates the species, you know. It’s how you’re built. Accept it. But the plan is three strikes and you’re out. This is strike one. Can you keep it together for a week?” “Maybe I’ll remember how bad I feel. I don’t want to feel like this again.” “Pour us drinks and we can talk about it. That’s another thing Doctor Soeur put in the plan. Not the drinks. If you screw up, you talk about it. Talk about how much you have to lose.” “You are so worth it, Maxine. I’ll do it for you.” “Good. You know the partner that didn’t screw up gets a free orgasm, too. Reward for staying committed.” “You get a free orgasm?” “You had one, didn’t you? And we have to start the damned week at the beginning tomorrow, so we’re seven days from the next end of the week. Seven fresh days of celibacy. I think I deserve an orgasm.” “What do I have to do?” He wanted to know if he had a part to play. He hardly dared to hope. “You have to make drinks. Make mine a stiff one. Maybe if you get me half drunk I’ll show you what I do with a vibrator. You want to watch?” “If I make you a double do you want two lemon slices?” She smiled. She wasn’t sure she could do it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do it. But they’d been on The Plan for almost three weeks and now they’d be on it for another week before she would get to come. “This could be a three-lemon-slice night, Frank. Maybe I’ll teach you something about what you’re missing.” 41 Coming for Free

Donovans and other Irish Americans would celebrate their St. Patrick in just six days. Most Americans (like Bowers and Guldens, van Houtens and Wilsons) would be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Spring would start in ten days. Three friends would meet today to talk about their lives which were very much ruled by their calendars, but not by the events on printed cal- endars. Friday, March 11, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. Acacia’s end-of-week three had arrived Wednesday. She began describ- ing it by thanking Louise for her excellent ideas. “I stole quite freely from you,” she explained. “Started off with a man-type fist and then switched to a womanly teasing of the tender places. Mixed that up with my own masturbating.

579 580 Explicitly Sexy III

“The only hard part was that I was just too horny. I had to give in to my own cunt’s screaming after about half an hour. I made myself come three times in a row. Then I finished him. Went nice and slow though. His explosion was really record-setting.” Louise assumed that Maxine’s story came next, but inserted an idea first. “You know, Max, the waiting’s been hard but I think we both owe you a thank you for The Plan. Our bedroom’s been hotter since we started. And more cuddling too. Even that’s been better. “If I had sexy big boobs like yours, Max,” Louise continued, “I’d use them all the time. Especially for the afterward. I bet you could get a lot of cuddles if you let him lay his head on them after you’ve both come.” Acacia elucidated. “The dopamine queen is telling you about oxy- tocin, Max. Also called ‘the cuddle chemical’ or ‘love hormone.’ It replaces dopamine after orgasms. And I’m guessing the queen is right about the cuddles. Oxytocin and big boobs may be the perfect combo. I’m speculating, of course.” Acacia then asked Maxine for her story. Maxine looked from Acacia to Louise. She took a sip of her drink and looked again from Acacia to Louise. “We’re repeating week three,” she confessed. “It won’t end until Tuesday.” They all knew what this meant. The plan’s authors had built in this provision for human frailty. (They had assumed ‘male’ frailty.) “Oh, you poor baby,” Louise sympathized. “You want to tell us about it?” Acacia asked, trying to sound more sympathetic than inquisitive. “Not really,” Maxine answered. Louise counted. “You’ll be almost four weeks before your first orgasm. I was getting desperate after three.” “Not really,” Maxine said again. “I made up a free orgasm as part of the plan when one partner screws up. I told him I got a free one. Made him watch while I used my vibrator. Showed him clit and vagina and tried to teach him where orgasms come from. Educational, I hope.” The lawyer was impressed. “Smart girl. Free orgasm. Next time I talk to the doctor I’ll tell her about it. Seems fair, and educational, too.” Louise wondered, “You think he’ll be able to hold on until Tuesday?” 41 Coming for Free 581

“I think so,” Maxine answered. “He confessed right after it hap- pened. Looked pretty upset with himself.” Acacia studied the salt on the rim of her margarita. Maxine noticed. She asked Louise, “What’s running through the attorney’s brain?” Louise looked at the attorney. The attorney answered, “I’m thinking about you masturbating, Max. That was a pretty gutsy thing to do. Lou and I wove it into making our mates come so it felt more like sex than masturbating. I’m impressed.” “Don’t give me more credit than I deserve,” Maxine returned. “I got my courage from a double shot mixed with tonic.” Louise laughed. Then she remembered week three. “You know,” she said, “we were so excited about coming at end-of-week three that we never really talked about exploring necks. That was really very nice, you know. I got much better acquainted with his neck and I know my own neck enjoyed the attention. I think necks are generally underrated. Repeating week three isn’t going to be all bad, Max.” Maxine and Acacia agreed. They were all much better informed about the erotic potential of necks. Not the primary goal of The Plan but certainly a nice benefit. Another round arrived and Acacia decided to bring up a question that only Louise could answer. “I’m going to ask you a question, Lou,” she started. Louise gave her assent. “And it’s really personal and none of my business and if you don’t want to answer, just say so. OK?” Louise was surprised by the preamble. “We do share personal experi- ences here, Ace. What’s on your mind?” “Week four is arms and hands. Your left hand is, uh, how should I say this...” Louise held her left hand out for all to examine. “It’s damaged, Ace. Missing two point seven fingers, to be exact. What’s your question?” “Well,” Acacia continued, “I was wondering how you adjust to something like that. You seem like it hardly bothers you.” “Remember when you told me to let Max hold my left hand, Ace?” Louise began. “A little after that I forced myself to hold it out for Tom. He held it just like Max had held it. Didn’t discriminate based on number of fingers. I figured out that the only one who had a problem was me. 582 Explicitly Sexy III

“So I worked out a strategy, Ace. Strategy and soft pants. At first I made a point of grabbing his butt with both hands. Like you said, butts and palms were made for each other. I’ve still got two full-sized palms, you know.” Acacia liked hearing herself quoted. But she wanted to know more. “And the fingers?” she asked. “More strategy.” She rubbed circles on the table with her left index finger. “I call it my frenum finger. Pretend the table is a man. This spot is the frenum.” She pointed to the center of the circles. “If you use a finger like this,” she said holding her one remaining full left-hand finger up, then returning to rubbing circles on the table, “you can make a man very fond of that finger. Thumb behind and frenum finger in front. Teach him to expect orgasms and he becomes quite a big fan of that finger.” Maxine held her hands out. “Lou’s making us look like fools, Ace. We just take these for granted. She’s got it all figured out.” Acacia nodded her head. “Yes,” she agreed. “Like fools. Not the first time, either.” “Next week it’s calves and feet,” Louise reminded them. “That’s the one I need. Haven’t really adjusted to having stumps, you know. It’s like they’re not quite part of me yet.” Acacia nodded her head again. This time she was understanding ‘they’re not quite part of me yet.’ “I’ve got a prediction, Max,” she began. Maxine asked what she was predicting. “I predict that this girl is going to make her stumps part of her next week. She’ll figure it out.” “Oh dear. With a vote of confidence like that,” Louise said, “I’ll have to figure it out.” Friday, 3/11/05, 6:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. Frank had stopped at The Rose. Husband’s didn’t do that. It was the girls’ time together. Maxine had known that something was wrong. She had asked him before they got to his car. “No, I didn’t screw up. But I was afraid to go home alone, Maxine,” he had told her. “You did good, Frank,” she told him as he handed the gin and tonic to her. “I’m glad you came to get me. That was good. That’s what wives are for, you know. Sometimes a big, strong man needs another kind of strength. The kind you get from a woman.” 41 Coming for Free 583

He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. “Sorry I bothered you girls,” he apologized again. “But I remembered how awful I felt on Tuesday. Didn’t want to feel that way again.” She wondered if she should be sexy. Would that reward him? Or would it make it harder for him? Or was it something she should be learning? She took a sip of her drink and then set the glass down. She held his head with both hands. “Look at me. You did good, Frank,” she repeated. “Just keep telling yourself that Tuesday’s coming. You’ll have my hands wrapped around your stiff cock. And my boobs to stare at while I make you come. Sound like a prize worth winning?” “You are perfect,” he thanked her. “A prize worth winning for sure.” She had an idea. This was a situation a smart girl would use to her advantage. “How about you take me to Vicky’s Whispers in the morning. You can help me pick out a new bra for Tuesday, OK?” “That sounds like the kind of shopping that even a man could get into,” he agreed. “And Wednesday comes right after Tuesday,” she reminded him. “Wednesday?” he asked. “Start of week four,” she explained. “Unrestricted kissing in the shower. My nipples are crinkling just thinking about it.” He shifted his legs. She saw the bulge in his pants. Ace was right, she said to herself. It does make a girl feel proud. She picked up her drink again, buying a moment to think. She could make them both come on Tuesday? She had to. She had to do her part. Out loud. Talk to him. “I’m scared, Frank.” “That I’ll screw up?” “No. Hadn’t even thought of that. I’m scared that I’ll not be up to it on Tuesday.” It was his turn to hold her head. “Look at me. Into my eyes. You’ll be better than you think. You’re Maxine Gulden. Mrs. Frank Bowers. You’re going to be the hottest woman on the planet, because that’s what you look like. You just need the sexiest bra Vicky’s Whispers sells to wrap around the sexiest boobs ever made. You’ll do fine.” 584 Explicitly Sexy III

She smiled. He was pumping her up. It felt good. It felt like he meant it, too. That’s what made it feel good. Out loud was good. “Thank you for being on The Plan with me, Frank,” she said, starting their evening ritual. Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. “Have a happy Thursday,” Louise said to Acacia. It was St. Patrick’s Day and Acacia’s birthday. “How kind of you to remember,” Acacia thanked her. “We’re all Irish on your birthday,” Louise told her. Acacia turned to Maxine. “Should we?” she asked. “Time for Lou to tell us a story?” Maxine asked. Two heads were turned toward Louise. “A story?” Louise asked, being sweet and innocent. “Uh, Ms. Wilson,” the attorney prompted, “you reached end-of-week four yesterday, did you not?” Louise blinked. And smiled to herself. Then she began. “Well, it was pretty much like end-of-week three. I didn’t have any really new ideas. Just alternating between bringing him to the edge and bringing me to the edge, you know. I was able to draw it out for a bit over two hours.” Acacia and Maxine looked at each other, then back at Louise. Almost in unison, they asked, “Two hours?” “A bit more than that,” Louise said, modestly. “How?” the attorney wanted to know. “I couldn’t get to a half hour at end-of-week three. I can see how you could make him last that long, but how did you make yourself last two hours?” Louise answered, sweetly and innocently, “I cheated.” It was Maxine’s turn to ask. “How?” Louise smiled at the memory. “You know we have a whirlpool tub. I had Tom run us a bath instead of the shower. I leaned against his chest and adjusted a jet so it was hitting me just right. I told him to use what he’d learned about my neck. That was week three, you know. He kissed my neck while the jet pulsed between my legs. I came three times before we went to bed. But I made sure I came once more doing it myself so he could watch, as Dr. Soeur prescribed.” 41 Coming for Free 585

Acacia was nodding her head in approval. “I don’t recall that Dr. Soeur said anything about whirlpool tubs. I would say that using yours this way, while it wasn’t actually part of The Plan it wasn’t prohibited, either.” “Sweet, sweet, Lou,” Maxine said, trying not to sound more than a little sarcastic. “Four orgasms. It’s reassuring to see how seriously you take your wifely duties.” Louise smiled at them both. The memory was very pleasant. Yes. “When am I going to get my own tub?” Maxine wanted to know. “Tom wouldn’t design a mistress bath without one,” Louise said. “Your final design will probably be ready by the first day of spring. Jim’s going to start as soon as the ground thaws.” “And then we get one, too?” Acacia asked for confirmation. She and Herman would start renovating Maxine and Frank’s Victorian as soon as Maxine and Frank moved into their new home. “August,” Louise forecast. “That sounds like forever,” Acacia said. “Why should it take so long?” “Because your new home is an historic old home, Ace,” Louise explained. “Tom insists that they take it apart very carefully. Board by board. And then they put it back together, making no more new bits than they have to. And your design will be tricky, too. Victorians didn’t have whirlpool tubs, you know.” Louise changed the subject. “Isn’t this evening special for you, Sexy?” “End-of-week three,” Maxine concurred. “I’m supposed to start earning my nickname, I guess.” She did not sound confident. Acacia saw the need for some encouragement. “You know what you’re going to wear?” Maxine smiled. “Yeah. I dragged Frank to Vicky’s Whispers Satur- day morning. We went for a new bra. Came back with matching bra, panties and garter belt. Stockings too.” Louise loved the idea. “You’ll look devastating, Max! You’re getting my panties wet just thinking about it.” 586 Explicitly Sexy III

“I’ll look the part, I guess,” Maxine said. “Now if I can just remem- ber what I’m supposed to do. It’s not stroke, stroke. It’s caress and whis- per and tell him I’m thinking about tongues. Right?” “Right. And do it slowly, Max. Very slowly,” Acacia advised. “Make sure he knows to tell you when to stop.” “Oh, she’ll look so sexy his semen will hit the ceiling, Ace,” Louise said. She knew Maxine would get it right. Maxine heard Louise’s confi- dence and tried to make it her own. It wasn’t until they left that Louise realized they’d heard nothing about Herman and his Bitch Goddess. Weren’t they ending week four tomorrow? Then she thought about Tom. She and Tom were starting week five tonight. Calves and feet. She didn’t have a plan. No strategy but she had decided to talk to him about it before their shower. Maybe he’d have ideas. Would stumps like oral? Tuesday, 3/15/05, 7:15 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. Louise and Tom sat at the kitchen counter sipping green tea. She meant to talk to him. It was the first day of week five. Calves and feet week. But her mind kept drifting to a Victorian home in the village. This would be a very important step for Max, she thought. Very important. “Penny for your thoughts,” he offered, seeing her not quite home with him. “Too cheap,” she said. “They’re worth more than that, aren’t they?” “OK,” he said, “a nickel.” “How about a thousand dollars?” she countered. He smiled. “Take an IOU?” “Cash in advance, Buster. Momma didn’t raise no fool.” “Maybe a deep, tongue-filled kiss?” “I’ll take it. But you still don’t get my thoughts.” After the kiss she told him part of the truth. “It’s a milestone night on The Plan for one of my girlfriends tonight. And don’t ask me any more.” “OK. I’m looking forward to a nice foot rub. What about you?” 41 Coming for Free 587

“Glad you brought that up. I don’t know that Dr. Soeur gave much thought to the double-amputees who would try The Plan.” “I’ve never really touched your stumps. Been thinking about that.” She looked at him. “What have you been thinking?” “That’ll cost you a thousand dollars. Or you’ll just have to wait and see.” “You bastard.” She swore. And she gave him another deep, tongue- filled kiss to show him how angry she was. After the kiss she remem- bered, “We each get one free, extra orgasm this week. Any particular day you want yours?” “Just one?” he asked. “Just one. And we’re supposed to pick different days.” “Well, you pick first. Ladies come before gentlemen.” “How about your bossy lady picks for both of us?” the bossy lady suggested. “I love you when you’re bossy. What nights do you choose, Mis- tress?” “I choose not to tell you yet.” “You’re so hot.” He stared into her eyes. A smile spread across her face. He held out a hand and said, “Let’s go upstairs. I’ve got a date with some stumps.” After they ended another frustrating (and strangely satisfying) orgasm-free night Louise had an overpowering urge to call Maxine. But supposing her call interrupted them right in the middle? She told Tom to hold her. “Tight. Don’t let me go to the phone.” By morning she had regained control. She would see Max Friday, she thought. Patience. Friday, March 18, 2005, 5:15 P. M. The Rose Café. The Rose had featured green beer yesterday. Americans had almost all been Irish. Louise O’Wilson and Maxine O’Gulden had wished Acacia a belated ‘Happy birthday’ when they arrived. Two women couldn’t wait to hear about Maxine’s end-of-week three. Two women (not the same two) were dying to hear how the footless one handled the start of calves and feet week. Yet another two (or maybe all 588 Explicitly Sexy III three) were wondering where the Bitch Goddess could be found. They decided to start with Maxine. “I gave him a nice kiss when I got home. Asked if he was ready for a special evening. He said he was. His boner had massaged my belly while we kissed. And you’re so right, Ace. It does make a girl feel proud. At least it does if it doesn’t scare you. “It didn’t seem like a change was necessary, but I wanted to psych myself up. Told him to make drinks while I changed. Bra, panties, garter belt. Lace-topped stockings. All black. Black pumps with three-inch heels. “Checked the mirror. Seams needed straightening. Got ‘em just right. The mirror said I looked pretty good. Like a woman who intended to be fucked. I didn’t look scared but I was shaking inside. Finally went down- stairs before the ice had all melted in our drinks. “Really blew him away, I guess. It wasn’t a gun in his pocket. He was glad to see me. Couldn’t take his eyes off me. Even looked at my face occasionally. He was mumbling pretty incoherently about how much I turned him on. I’m thinking about your saying again, Ace. This girl did feel proud. “And I began to get into it, you know. Frigid Max is getting her panties damp. Forced us both to go really slow through the ritual where we thank each other for being on The Plan and talk about where we’re going with it. Dwelled on that part. I was really liking it. I’m thinking about being able to get this kind of reaction from a man who is quite hunky, you know. Quite hunky and totally stiff. “Talked to him about telling me how close he was, when he got close. Turned out that was really, really important. “Showered together. That was where I figured that it would be easy. I liked touching him. Washing him really gently so I didn’t make him explode. I think his thingie could be really a fun toy. Bounced at the lightest touches. I kept getting hotter. “I knew he didn’t want to wait but I thought about what you guys would do. I asked him to help me get dressed again. Something about knowing her seams are straight makes a girl feel really sexy. “And in bed I took every bit of what you two had told me and put it into practice. I was so on the edge. I’ve never felt so horny. Him, too. But I went slow. A little for him and a little for me. We made it nearly half an 41 Coming for Free 589 hour. Sometimes I’d barely touch him and he’d tell me he was close. Shit. Sometimes he’d just look at me and he’d tell me he was too close. “And we both came hard. I mean, maybe my biggest ever. A great big one for him, too. “Afterward I tested your theory about boobs, his head and cuddles, Lou. I figured you were right. Now I’m sure you were right. Very, very right. The whole thing was so much better than a vibrator. Made me think that The Plan was working for us. I could make a habit of coming like that. Wednesday and Thursday nights were hard. We both wanted to do it again. Next Tuesday can’t get here fast enough. The end of her story was greeted with raised glasses, congratulations and several kinds of ‘I knew you could do it’ from her companions. Acacia wanted to know if she was able to make doing it herself an educational experience. “If he didn’t know clit from vagina before, he does now,” Maxine assured her. “Next Tuesday I’ll do it again just to be sure. Then he’ll get his chance to practice on me. I can’t wait.” Louise looked at Maxine, then Acacia. They both had huge smiles. Louise left her seat and gave Maxine a big, warm kiss. Lips on lips. “Hey,” they heard Rose shouting from the bar. “Me too!” When Rose got to their table, Acacia warned her. “Rose, you know what we’ve been talking about?” Rose did not know. “We’ve been talk- ing about Maxine’s success with heterosexual sex. Sorry to have to tell you this.” “I don’t care,” Rose responded, copying Louise’s kiss on Maxine’s mouth. “I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get a kiss. Maxine turns me on totally. Even if she does do perverted things in bed. You didn’t actually touch a penis, did you Max?” “Actually, she did,” Louise answered for Maxine. “We’ve been teaching her how.” “Why don’t you tell Rose what you were wearing when you touched this penis, Max?” Acacia prodded. Maxine caught on. She talked slowly about each garment, each bit of lace and especially how they fit. Before she was done, Rose fled. “Oh, stop that Maxine,” she said, retreating to the kitchen. They all laughed, and then Louise looked thoughtful. “You know, Max, that was just perfect. Every word you said. Whisper those words into your hubby’s ear tonight when you get home. He’ll go crazy.” 590 Explicitly Sexy III

Maxine blinked and shook her head. What had she done? She was just teasing Rose. Then she knew. “I think I just understood you, Kinky. That’s what you’ve been trying to tell me about whispering to him?” Louise was going to answer but Acacia’s hand on her arm stopped her. “May I?” Acacia asked Louise. Louise told her to go ahead. “Exactly,” the attorney replied to Maxine. Louise seconded the attorney. “Every word, Sexy. Exactly.” When Jillian brought the next round, she had been briefed on the goings on between Louise and Maxine, and then between Rose, her lover, and Maxine. “Why, you unfaithful bitch,” she had pretended to complain to her lover. “If you got a turn, I get a turn, too.” Rose told her that she was welcome to try. Jillian tried. Maxine got her third kiss from a woman, even though they were celebrating heterosexual sex. With a fresh round of margaritas, it was Louise’s turn. She began by confessing, “Your queen of dopamine, master of the masculine, was really stumped, so to speak. Actually, I didn’t have a strategy. Not a clue. I was going to ask him about it but he brought it up himself. Said he had been thinking about it. When we got to the bedroom part of the evening, he made love to my stumps. Slow, gentle, delicate love. As if they were the most beautiful things in his life. Every square inch was stroked and caressed. He did it so well my tits got jealous.” “Are they sensitive?” Maxine wanted to know. “Actually, they’re really not. Kind of like the outside of the elbow. Utilitarian, but not too many nerve ends,” the footless woman answered. “But Tom was really sensitive. He made my stumps very happy. They felt appreciated. In fact they complained to me. ‘Why don’t you treat us like he does?’ they asked. Made me feel ashamed. I should like them more, you know. After all, I walk on them. If you don’t have feet they’re really important.” Maxine was smiling. “Score another touchdown for Touchdown Tom,” she said. Strangely, Acacia was not smiling. She stood up and excused herself. Said she had to get home. Louise and Maxine both thought they had seen tears in the corners of her eyes. “Not like her to run off and leave us with the tab,” Louise observed. 41 Coming for Free 591

“Something’s wrong with the Ace,” Maxine agreed. The remaining two women sipped their second drinks slowly and talked about the absence of the Bitch Goddess. Saturday, March 19, 2005, 11:00 A. M. Louise and Tom’s office. Tom had finished the design. The design would go to Dean to be turned into blueprints. Dean would need, no doubt, a hundred small changes, but the basics were unlikely to change. Maxine was visiting to get her copy and give her final approval. “Some stuff I’ve improved, Max,” he told her. “Here’s your new boudoir.” It was wood paneled, like her Victorian library. The vanity was even bigger than Louise’s. “That’s beautiful, Tom,” his happy client approved. “And what’s this?” She pointed to a door, half hidden behind the vanity. “Your secret stairway,” he said. The little girl hiding inside the adult artist lit up. Tom swung the 3D model around 120 degrees until they were up in the studio, looking down a narrow stairway. He unchecked the ‘Visible’ box labeled ‘Barn 2fl’. With the second floor gone Maxine saw that the stairway connected her second-floor studio to her first-floor boudoir. “You are a genius, Wilson,” she said, kissing his cheek. “So anytime I get an idea I can roll out of bed and be in my studio one flight of stairs later?” “Well,” the designer edited, “if you don’t mind a long flight. Your bedroom has a 12-foot (3,7m) ceiling.” The bedroom was under the stu- dio. The designer thought the extra height would help the feeling of the bedroom and the view from the studio. “Keep a girl in shape,” the artist said. After a moment’s thought she added, “Probably good. I’ll ask myself twice if my ‘good’ idea is worth painting.” Tom showed her the second stairs leading down to Frank’s ‘man cave.’ “Not really required by code, but I thought a second stairway was a good idea. “Tell Frank that the table tennis surround is tournament regulation except the ceiling height is nine feet (2,7m). And the pool table’s sur- round is full regulation, too.” Maxine promised to pass this along. 592 Explicitly Sexy III

They went through the new plans for the library/office in the barn, the attic storage for her paintings, the wood/gas barbecue in the sun room, the huge pantry tucked in between sun room and carport, and the bathhouse by the pool. Maxine was getting excited. Target for move-in was still June 1, Tom assured her. Saturday, 3/19/05, 12:00 noon. Louise and Tom’s sun room. Louise had thought about her technique since Maxine’s last visit. The fin- ger on Maxine’s cheek and around her lips had worked nicely. Compli- menting the lips, the lips she was about to kiss, had been a good touch. The kiss itself had been just right. Not too sexual but not too chaste. How could she improve? Seeing Maxine’s excitement about her new home, Louise decided to relax her. Green tea served in their sun room, would do the trick. Louise knew that Maxine loved light. And on a bright day the sun room needed only a few minutes from the space heater to bring it up to indoor temper- ature. Tom was printing a set of screen shots to document the design. He interrupted the ladies and handed Maxine a folder full. “Thank you, Tom,” Louise said, rather curtly. As he left, she explained. “Didn’t mean to be short, but I’m trying to seduce my girl- friend. OK?” He smiled, blew a kiss to each of them and retreated to the office. “You’re incorrigible, Kinky,” Maxine accused her. “You made me promise not to change,” Kinky reminded her. “You liked our last ‘goodbye’ kiss. I think you’ll like today’s kiss, too.” The answer to ‘how could she improve’ had come to Louise yester- day. Start early. “You liked our ‘goodbye’ kiss last time?” she had asked just after their ‘hello’ kiss. She asked with a look that said she had some- thing planned. It had become a pattern. The ‘hello’ kiss was a warm, welcoming kiss. A bit more than a social peck but nothing that would be shocking in public. They saved the warmth for the ‘goodbye’ kisses. Louise was esca- lating the warmth. Today she had not missed a chance to remind Maxine that something special was planned. If Tom stepped away she would whisper in her ear, 41 Coming for Free 593

“I like making your panties wet.” A whisper like this with a nip to the earlobe was a favorite. In the office the designer sat at his desk, one hand on the mouse, one hand pointing to the screen, showing his client the plans. The client stood behind him, telling him what she thought. Louise stood behind the client. A friendly hand made circles on the client’s rear, reminding the client about what was coming. “You’ve been thinking about this kiss since you got here, Sexy. I bet your panties are wet.” Maxine looked at Louise with a smile and a slow shake of her head. “You’re positively evil,” she said. Louise smiled. Her smile was positively evil. She stood and held out her hand. “Want to come out to the entry hall?” she asked. “You’re a bitch. How about we go to your bedroom?” “We’re married, remember?” Maxine took Louise’s hand and let herself be led. Saturday, 3/19/05, 12:00 noon. Louise and Tom’s entry hall. In the entry hall, Louise closed the pocket doors, ignoring the fact that they were mostly glass and provided no real privacy. Then she wrapped her arms around Maxine’s waist and looked into her eyes. Louise only needed one look to see that her plan had worked. “You think you know what’s coming, Sexy?” she asked, dropping her eyes to stare at Maxine’s ‘sexy big boobs.’ “You conniving bitch. You know I don’t know. Do you tease Tom like this, too?” “Do you think I should, Sexy?” Louise knew her plan had worked. Worked to perfection. Maxine was hers. “I was wondering,” she began, “if you would do just one little thing for me?” Louise knew Maxine would not refuse her. So did Maxine. 594 Explicitly Sexy III

Sunday, March 20, 2005, 8:45 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s bedroom. Weeks five through eight The Plan gave both partners an orgasm at the end of the week, and a second orgasm on one other day they chose. (It recommended that partners choose different days.) This was Acacia’s extra orgasm night. The bedroom focus was on calves and feet. Acacia had broken down Thursday and again Saturday. Herman gave a very good foot rub. Acacia enjoyed the massage until Louise’s stumps forced their way into her brain. Then guilt overcame the pleasure. She cried. Herman held her as she cried herself to sleep. He could see her pain. He could feel it. Thursday it was just one of those things that he didn’t understand and she wouldn’t talk about. Satur- day was the second time that his foot rub had started her crying. He won- dered if this was just a coincidence. She had assured him that she would be OK. He was going to morph from foot rub into something more per- sonal this evening. She wasn’t going to miss out on a very rare, very wel- come orgasm. She had assured him that she had every intention of having a good time. Then Louise’s stumps and her guilt had swept her into another vio- lent cry. “Ace, Ace, Ace,” he said, holding her, rubbing her back, feeling the tears on his shoulder. She kept on crying. She wished it were her own feet that had been cut off. Not Louise’s feet. Louise should have been enjoying the foot rubs. Louise would have been enjoying foot rubs, if only... “Come on, girl,” he encouraged her. “You’ve got to talk to me. You can’t just keep it all bottled up inside. I know you’re trying to work through whatever it is, but you need help. Try me. Talk to me.” Her arms squeezed him. It was like a hug, but he could feel her hold- ing on for dear life. Like a person afraid of drowning. He had to figure this out. He had to pry her open. He felt so helpless, and she was in such pain. 42 Partners and The Plan

Calendars said spring was starting. Snow piles beside village streets had not read their calendars. Crocuses were pushing their way up into the snow that covered gardens, but they were still hidden. One of our heroines was thinking about helping another one. She was thinking about a reality, like the crocuses, that was hidden. Monday, March 21, 2005. 4:00 P. M. Acacia’s office. Louise couldn’t see it, but she knew it. Something was going on between Acacia’s ears. Something very wrong. It was time to get to the bottom of the matter, whatever the matter was. She had decided to enlist Herman. He was obviously concerned and he was the only one she knew that was as smart as Acacia. It was simple to reach Herman for a private conversation. He had his own line in his office at home. Most days he worked at home. Louise had used his private line when Herman found a photographer for Maxine’s

595 596 Explicitly Sexy III first show. She had used it again. “We must meet, Herman,” Louise had told him. “And I don’t want people seeing us together.” Rather an odd request, Herman thought. Then he remembered Aca- cia’s schedule. “OK. Is 4:00 this afternoon good? We can use Ace’s office. She won’t be there.” Herman had a file of website page sketches spread over Acacia’s conference table. He’d been working on them for a quarter of an hour when Louise arrived. “Always glad to see you, Lou, but this time you’ve made me really curious. What’s up?” “It’s about the Ace, Herman. Something’s wrong with her. Some- thing’s broken. I want your help finding it and fixing it.” “Oh, Lou,” he said, shaking his head. “Sometimes she worries too much. I wouldn’t pay it a lot of attention.” Louise had expected denial. She was prepared. “Herman,” she said, completely unemotionally, “we both know that’s bullshit.” He started to respond but she raised a finger to silence him. “Let me tell you about your sex life. You used to be married to a Bitch Goddess. She was sexier than any woman you had ever dreamed of. Correct?” He stared at ‘sweet’ Louise. She had just been blunt and personal. He thought about what she had just said. It was correct, he confessed to him- self. Louise continued. “And you’ve not seen that Bitch Goddess in weeks. Today Ace and Herman are on Doctor Soeur’s Plan and the sex, the very little sex The Plan allows, isn’t even good sex. Correct?” He didn’t answer. He just looked at her. How did she know this? “And it’s not just the sex, Herman,” sweet Louise continued. “You know something’s very wrong and it’s tearing you up inside because you really love her and can’t bear to see the pain she’s in. I love her too, Her- man. She’s in pain. We’ve got to do something.” He knew she was right. Acacia was in pain. Well-chosen word for whatever was happening. “May I think about what you’ve said?” he asked. “Take five minutes,” Louise pressed. Herman turned to the sketches on the table. He didn’t really see them. His mind turned back to the first time he had kissed Acacia. 42 Partners and The Plan 597

Friday, February 13, 1998, 8:50 A. M. The University of Michigan Diag. Acacia Donovan was in a hurry. Yesterday afternoon’s thaw had made puddles. Last night’s deep freeze had turned them to ice. The morning snow was just thick enough to hide the ice. She felt the path get hard under her feet. She tried to slow down, but it was too late. Herman van Houten was walking slowly across the Diag, distrusting the paths. He heard the warning shout behind him. He turned just in time to catch the petite girl who had lost control on the black ice. Acacia was too busy falling to recognize Herman. He was trying to catch her, recognizing her as the smart one from the history seminar. Cute butt, too, he remembered, as they both fell in a pile of two people, seven books and lots of papers. She landed on top, unhurt. His left rear cheek would have an immense purple bruise. “Hi,” he said, “I’m Herman. I think we were in a seminar together.” “Sorry ‘bout this,” she said. Perhaps it would have been more polite to introduce herself but the books and papers were more than half hers. They needed to be collected. She got off him. He lay quietly, looking up at her. “You OK?” she asked. He smiled. “I’d be OK if you let me buy you a coffee.” “Men,” she said, though she had little practical experience with that sex. She continued to reassemble papers and books. They all needed the snow dusted off before it melted. “You were the smart one who sat in the back, right?” “Michigan History?” she asked. “Yup.” He moved slowly. His rear hurt. Lying in the cold probably didn’t help. She was handing him the books and papers that didn’t look like her own. “Coffee?” he repeated his request. “I’ve got a class.” “After class?” he persisted. She didn’t know why she hadn’t said yes. This was as close to an offer of a date as she’d heard since high school. He wasn’t bad looking, either. “Is 10:30 OK?” she asked. 598 Explicitly Sexy III

She would have a hard time keeping focused in her class. He contin- ued on to the library where he read Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnets though he should have been studying. ‘Very smart and a cute butt,’ he said, listing the most important things he looked for in a woman. Kinda cute freckled face, too, he thought. Saturday, February 14, 1998. 10:45 P. M. The Diag. Yesterday the coffee had been good and the conversation had improved as her intelligence and his openness overcame her nervousness. Before lunch they had both confessed that Valentine’s Day found them without plans. He had invited her to dinner. Romo’s Italian food was excellent. He had suggested fish. It went with white wine. She was just 19, she had told him. “I’m legal,” he said. “That’s why I suggested fish. Then if I accidentally spill some of my white wine into your water glass, no one will notice.” No one had noticed. He was walking her back to her dorm. They spotted the remaining evidence of their meeting yesterday morning and laughed at it. “You know, I’m really no good at this dating stuff,” she said. “No practice.” “Not too much for me, either,” he said. “Why not?” she asked. “I’m smarter than most boys and I think that scares them away. But women look for smarts in men.” “I guess it’s what I look for in women,” he said. “You want me fishing for more?” she asked, fishing for more. “I really only want two things. First, I look for brains. Never looked twice if there wasn’t a lot going on between the ears. I’m too smart to settle for half a brain. You’ve got the kind of intellect I look for.” She waited, but so did he. “You said ‘two things’ didn’t you?” “You really need to know?” he asked. “I don’t know if I need to know. That makes me worried.” “I look for a girl with brains and a cute butt. I like the way you fill out your jeans.” They walked together in silence. She was digesting this new infor- mation. She wondered if she should be mad. Hard to be too mad at some- 42 Partners and The Plan 599 one who is passing nice compliments. With breasts like hers, she thought (or maybe lack-of-breasts like hers) meeting a genuine ass man was probably a good thing. He broke the silence. “Well?” he asked. “I’m trying to decide whether I’m going to be angry and slap you or if maybe I should be pleased and kiss you.” “I hope it’s the latter,” he said. “You really are my type, you know.” The last compliment decided her. She turned to face him. She smiled. Ground rules. “OK,” she said. “Just don’t grab my ass. If you grab my ass I really will slap you.” Then she added, “A gentle caress is OK, but no grabbing.” And she kissed him. While their lips were meeting a hand slid up her thigh, lifting her parka as it went. It came to rest very softly on her right rear cheek. Then it made a gentle circle around both cheeks. “That’s far enough for a first date,” she said, breaking the kiss. They held hands the rest of the way to her dorm. When she was inside she wondered where she ever found the nerve to say what she had said. Way out of her comfort zone. But it felt right. Saying it had felt right. The kiss and the hand on her rear had felt right, too. He was wondering if he should ask her to marry him. Maybe it was a little too fast, he decided. But his mind was made up. Monday, 3/21/05, 4:25 P. M. Acacia’s office. Herman picked up the website pages slowly, putting them in order. When they were back in their folder he turned back to Louise. “You’re right, Lou. What do we do first?” “I decided,” she answered, “that what I should do first is get a part- ner. A partner who knows about the problem and who’s smart as hell. This was my first step, partner. What’s next?” “The next thing, I guess,” he said, “is to figure out what happened. If we can figure out when ‘it’ happened maybe we can figure out what ‘it’ is.” Louise asked, “How long has Ace been broken?” 600 Explicitly Sexy III

“Can’t say for sure,” he answered. “Think about your sex life. When was the last time your Bitch God- dess was in your bedroom?” “Good thinking,” he said. New Year’s had been great. The first week of the year she’d been hot. The following weekend there was Bitch God- dess sex. Since then? He took the calendar off the wall and turned it back two months. “We’re talking about something that happened around the 10th of January. That’s Monday. Could have been Tuesday or Wednes- day.” “She’s got some sort of business planner? I’m not suggesting you look through her private papers, but this is important, Herman. See if you can find some sort of meeting or something back around that date. I’ll call your home office around noon tomorrow.” She stood up to leave. “We can’t let the wee colleen know we’re working together, partner. Let’s not even be seen together unless we’re with her. OK?” “Right,” he agreed. “And Lou?” “Yes?” she answered his query with her own. “I’m glad you’re doing this.” “It’s ‘we,’ Herman,” she said, “I’m glad we are doing this.” She let herself out, leaving her new partner to do some research. Tuesday, March 22, 2005, 12:00 noon. The Turrill Elementary teachers’ lounge. Louise was on the phone with Herman, listening. There was one meeting that stood out, he was explaining. Client meetings were in her office. She was in court regularly. This was different. “January 10?” Louise asked. “Right when you said.” Then “Rubik? R U B I K?” She wrote ‘Rubick’ on her pad as he corrected her. “Let’s visit him. I’ll get us an appoint- ment.” Tuesday, 3/22/05, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. “End-of-week four, Max?” Acacia wanted to know. “Weeks last a long damned time when you only get one orgasm,” Maxine complained. 42 Partners and The Plan 601

Louise asked her, “You’re on top of it?” “Do I know what to do?” Maxine asked. “Yeah. I think I’ve got it down. Just tell him again about letting me know how close he is. Then it’s whisper and caress. No stroking. Wish I had a whirlpool tub so I could cheat like you do, Lou.” Louise turned to Acacia. “And you’re ending week five tonight, right?” “Right,” Acacia agreed. “But you did that yesterday. How’d it go?” “You’re doing each other by fingers, right?” Maxine wanted clarifi- cation. “Right, Max,” Louise agreed. “End-of-week plus one extra during the week. I came on Friday and he came on Saturday. We had fun.” Acacia wanted to learn more. “You came on Friday? How did he make you come?” “With his fingers, as Doctor Soeur specified, my suspicious little friend,” Louise answered her. “Is your name Louise Wilson?” the suspicious little friend asked. “Yes?” Louise answered, as if the question required some explana- tion. “I was just thinking that Louise Wilson would find a way to spice this up a bit,” Acacia said. “What do you think, Max?” “I think, Ace,” Maxine answered, “that you should ask her how long it took for her to come.” “I think, Ace,” Louise said, “that our friend here... You know, the one we call Sexy? I think she’s starting to figure things out.” Acacia asked, “So how long did it take, Lou?” Louise smiled at the memories. “Oh, if you insist, he went very slowly. All the while he told me about how good it was going to feel when I finally came. He drew me on for 75 minutes on Friday. “And the really devilish part is the way Doctor Soeur says that you should choose different days. After the longest, slowest orgasm of my life he didn’t get to come for another 24 hours. And I got back at him too. His took almost 90 minutes. That’s a long time to listen to someone tell you how good it’s going to feel. 602 Explicitly Sexy III

“Yesterday we changed the rules. Said that teasing had to stop after an hour. If we kept on going like we had been it might have been too much. Maybe we’d already had too much. But it was fun.” “I think, Max,” Acacia said raising her glass, “that our blonde friend has discovered a new art form where we only saw an anti-FSAD plan. Here’s to the artist.” Acacia and Maxine drank to Louise. Louise said, “Oh, pish tosh.” Leaving The Rose Acacia asked Maxine if she had been on the pill when she got married. Maxine confessed that she had. “Think it may be time for you to do that again?” Acacia reminded her. Maxine smiled. It might be a good idea this time. Acacia smiled too. She saw the good news in Maxine’s face. Tuesday, 3/22/05, 8:10 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. “I really like your room,” Frank said, pulling the stocking up her leg. “Our room now,” Maxine corrected as he attached the garters. “You’re so sexy,” he said, gathering the second stocking as she had taught him. “Sexy leg,” he said as he pulled the stocking up. She stood and turned around so he could straighten the seams. It was a special evening. The end of week four. The second time she would do him and herself by hand. The last week in which they each came only once. She sat down and held her left leg out. He slid the black pump onto her foot. Then she held her right leg out for the other one. The heels were four inches (10cm) high. “This is our second time,” she reminded him, standing up again. He stood up, too. Barefoot, he was still five inches taller than she was in the pumps. She pressed her breasts into his ribs and kissed him just below his neck. “Think it will be as good as last time?” she asked. “You were so sexy last week. I’ve never even imagined anything could have made me so hot,” he told her. “I’m planning to change one thing,” she said. She waited for him. She stroked his stiff cock as she waited. “I’m close,” he warned her. Then he asked, “What are you going to change?” 42 Partners and The Plan 603

“Well, two things, I guess,” she said. “I’ve already shown you how to help me dress. You have no idea how hot that makes me. Putting on stockings always got me going, but having a lover help... That’s totally hot.” “What’s the other thing?” he asked. “Lie down,” she said. “I’m going to show you just how long this can last. You want to make it last, don’t you?” “Oh fuck,” he said, lying down. “You’ve already got me right on the edge.” She sat next to him and ran her fingers over his abs. “Sexy abs,” she said. “You make me drip. You really are a hunk.” He moaned. “Can I call you ‘Hunk’?” He agreed. She picked up his left hand and sucked on his middle finger. Her tongue circled it as she sucked. He moaned again. “You think about my vag when I call you Hunk. Think about it dripping.” She was thinking about Thing One. It was less complicated than she had thought. He was thinking about his wife. Her brain was even sexier than her tits. How did he get so lucky? Then she straddled him, her rear on his navel, his face in front of her. She ran her hands slowly up her own abs. Up, out and over her breasts. Her fingertips teased the mounds of creamy flesh pushed up by her demi bra. His eyes were glued to her fingers. “You like?” she asked, not really needing an answer. “Next week it’s your turn. Your fingers will be on these tits. Watch me. Pay attention. This is your last chance to learn exactly how you should do this. How to totally turn me on. You want to know how to totally turn me on, don’t you?” “The hotter I make you, the hotter you’ll make me?” he asked, repeating the words she had taught him. “You got it, Frank. Watch my fingers.” She had him totally focused. She caressed her cleavage. It took her ten minutes to just get her straps down onto her arms and the cups turned down so she could tease her nip- ples. She showed him what nipples looked like at peak arousal and made him promise to remember how it was done. 604 Explicitly Sexy III

An hour later he had received two complete lessons in making her come and had the most powerful orgasm of his life. He hadn’t known a woman could be so sexy. “You think we’re going to make it, Frank?” she asked, before he drifted off. He hugged her. “You’re so sexy. We’re going to make it.” “You think I should start taking the pill again?” He hugged her tighter. “Condoms would get expensive, as often as we’re going to need ‘em, Sexy.” Thursday, March 24, 2005, 8:45 A. M. Judge Rubick’s chambers. “Mr. van Houten?” Rubick asked. “Husband of Acacia Donovan?” They shook hands and Herman introduced Louise Wilson. Something was not quite right, Rubick thought. These people were well-mannered, dressed for business... And then it hit him. “Wait a minute. Mrs. Wilson, were you a party to that incident where a drunk driver cost a bicyclist her feet?” She confirmed his guess. “I wouldn’t have known there was anything wrong with you, but the running shoes didn’t quite match your, uh, your professional appearance.” “Some women keep their heels in the office and change to more practical footwear for shopping, or whatever,” Louise explained. “Per- haps we had a long walk to get here.” Rubick chuckled. “Long walk in a short village? You seem to have made a very remarkable recovery Mrs. Wilson. Now, how may I help you two?” Herman started. “On or about January 10 something happened to Acacia. Something is seriously troubling her but she refuses to talk about it. A bit of a stubborn streak sometimes afflicts the Irish, you know.” Rubick interrupted him, “She’s very Irish, isn’t she.” Louise confirmed with, “Her girlfriends call her our ‘wee colleen’.” Herman smiled. “Yes. Now, as I was saying, we’re looking for a trig- ger and found the meeting with you at about the time we thought she might have heard something troubling. Can you tell us about that meet- ing?” 42 Partners and The Plan 605

The judge considered their request. There wasn’t anything really confidential. And, come to think of it, something seemed to have upset the attorney at that meeting. He remembered Kathy chasing after her with the coat. “I guess I can share this with you. It’s a bit irregular to do this. You two will keep this strictly private?” Louise and Herman both accepted the condition. “It was a fairly routine pro bono assignment, I thought, but my clerk suggested I talk it over with Ms. Donovan before making the assignment. It was a DWI defense. Didn’t seem much to defend, actually. But Ms. Donovan told me about one unfortunate evening when she had drinks with her, uh, I think she said ‘best friends,’ one of whom planned to cycle home. The next thing she knew that friend was in the hospital. They couldn’t save her feet and there was quite a list of other issues, too.” Louise smiled. She held up her left hand and turned it, showing its two and a third fingers. “Some issues. But no pity. I’m the luckiest woman in La Pierre. Maybe in all of Michigan. I’ve a wonderful life except that I’m worried about Ace.” “Donovan did tell me that her friend was making a very good recov- ery,” Rubick remembered. “She said you were ‘still good company over a margarita.’ I think those were her words. It’s an honor to meet you Mrs. Wilson.” “Oh, pish tosh,” Louise said. “At any rate,” Rubick continued, “Ms. Donovan felt that she might not be able to defend any more DUI/DWI cases. Personal experience of the very real effects of drinking and driving. And there was something more. Something I told her did seem to upset her. Right at the end of our meeting. Let me try to remember.” Louise and Herman both moved forward on their chairs. What was it? Had they come to the right place? “It was something about the driver. His name, or... Oh, yes. Now I remember. Donovan had defended him before. Got the court to let him retain his license after a second DUI. Never would have happened in my courtroom. Don’t know how she talked Richard into it.” Herman looked at Louise who looked back at Herman. “Got the court to let him retain his license...” Herman repeated the judge’s words. 606 Explicitly Sexy III

“And that little idiot thinks my accident was her fault?” Louise asked Herman. Then she regretted her phrase. “I’m sorry, judge. ‘That little idiot’ is no way to refer to the smartest woman I’ve ever known. But even a very smart person can be quite mistaken at times.” “As a practical matter,” Herman spoke to the judge, “what do you suppose a person who has lost his license does? We don’t have a lot in the way of mass transit here.” “As a practical matter?” the judge looked at Herman. “As a practical matter I think a person keeps driving until we lock him up. Which is what we should have done in this case. Mrs. Wilson would still have her feet. Twenty-twenty hindsight, of course.” They thanked the judge for his time and he escorted them out. Her- man shook his hand. Louise kissed him on the cheek. “I’m Louise,” she insisted as they parted. “That’s the most remarkable young woman,” the judge said to Kathy after showing his visitors out. “She’s the one who lost both feet in that drunk driver/bicyclist accident.” Kathy smiled at him. The judge’s fore- head wrinkled as he stared at her. “God damn it,” he swore. “You knew that already, didn’t you.” Kathy smiled up at him and nodded her head to plead guilty. “She’s beautiful and has a reputation for being a very nice person,” Kathy explained. “Every parent sending a child to kindergarten at Turrill wants their child in Mrs. Wilson’s class. She was very nice on the phone mak- ing the appointment. And beautiful, too. I’m quite jealous.” “You’ve still got two good feet,” the judge pointed out. “And I’m still jealous,” Kathy repeated. Thursday, 3/24/05, 9:15 A. M. The courthouse steps. “Have we found the reason?” Louise asked Herman when they were out- side the courthouse. “Something tells me that we’ve found half the reason, Lou.” “Only half?” “Just a hunch. Anyway, let’s say that this is the reason, or maybe we’ve found the other half. What’s our next step?” 42 Partners and The Plan 607

“Good question. After my accident Tom looked into treatment for PTSD. That’s not just a problem for soldiers, you know. I wonder. If the trauma is purely psychological do you suppose it’s still PTSD?” Herman thought about it. “Sounds plausible. Really sounds like we need another team member. I do websites. You do kindergarten. We need somebody that does brains. Did you ever meet Doctor Soeur?” Louise hoped that she was keeping a straight face. If Herman didn’t know, Ace had kept to their agreement. No wonder I love Ace, she thought. “No. I’ve never met Doctor Soeur. But I could try. This sounds a little out of her line but she might be able to recommend someone. OK. I’m on it.” Louise took the assignment herself. Wouldn’t do to have Herman try- ing to track down Dr. Soeur. Herman was very smart. And they certainly could use a good psychologist. A real one, this time. Herman assigned himself to the search for the missing half reason. He had an idea where he could start searching. Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. Acacia wanted ideas. “Lou, have you added any wrinkles you can share?” Louise had. “We changed the rules again. Strict one hour limit. The party using fingers had to stop at the end of an hour.” “That could be quite awful,” Acacia said, “for the party being fin- gered. Right at the edge after an hour and then... Then nothing?” “That’s why it’s a good rule,” Louise explained, without explaining. “The party doing the fingering would feel like shit if that happened,” Maxine speculated. “Correct,” Louise agreed. “The party being fingered would feel very frustrated and the party doing the fingering would feel like a failure.” “So how does that work out?” the attorney asked. “You just go for a reasonable time, say 45 minutes, to guard against failure? Leave a cush- ion.” “That’s where it gets devilish, Ace.” Louise continued. “If you’re making the party being fingered come with 15 minutes left, that’s not 608 Explicitly Sexy III very good. You’re cheating your partner out of 15 minutes of pleasure. Since that’s not nice you want to get as close to a full hour as you can.” “59 minutes?” Maxine asked. “59 minutes and a bit is OK for the man. Sixty seconds is plenty of time for a man’s orgasm. But he’s got to allow time enough for you to come three or four times before the hour’s over. Takes quite a nice judg- ment.” “I knew you’d have a wrinkle,” Acacia commented. “This sounds devilish, Lou. Even by your standards.” Louise smiled at the compliment and elaborated. “You’ve really got to focus. You’ve got to know your partner. You’ve got to get to the edge, but not over the edge. In fact, you’ve got to really know yourself. Know how close you can get to the edge. When to tell your partner you’re at the edge.” “Wilson,” the attorney said with genuine respect. “You’re a genius. I think Doctor Soeur could learn a lot from you.” Maxine and Louise both heard Acacia’s compliment but Louise knew what it really meant. Louise was very flattered. “It’s a wonderful plan, Ace. We’re learning so much. My neck is still grateful for week three. And my stumps have liked me much better since week five. Maybe I’ve liked them better.” “You’re finishing week five tonight, Max?” Louise asked. “He’s already fingered you to an orgasm?” “Friday,” Maxine answered. “Want me to tell you about it?” Maxine had dreamed of doing this ever since Acacia had started telling them about the education of the wee colleen. Acacia and Louise had been hoping Maxine would get her turn. This was special for all of them. Maxine told the story of Frank’s first time doing her by hand, in week five. Friday, March 25, 2005, 9:00 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. They had thanked each other for being on The Plan. They had talked about where they expected to be after ten weeks. And they had promised to have sex only as The Plan specified. This was different. The Plan spec- ified that he make her come. 42 Partners and The Plan 609

She was scared. They both were learning. Mostly she was learning about teaching him. But this was different. He was supposed to finger her to an orgasm. He had never made her come. Could she let go of her issues and actually have an orgasm? She took his hand and stood up. “Time for a shower,” she said. “Wait a minute,” Frank said. “Here.” He patted the couch where she had been sitting. “I’ve never done this before.” She sat down. “Never fingered me to an orgasm?” she asked. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever made you come. I’m not sure I’ve ever made anyone come.” Maxine thought about it. He was right. She had faked it early on. She shouldn’t have faked it. She should have taught him how. “You mean you’ve been married for five years and your stupid wife never taught you how?” she asked, trying to take the blame away from him. “Or maybe her stupid husband didn’t know how. Didn’t even know that he didn’t know,” he said, keeping at least his share of the blame. She realized that she wasn’t the only one who was scared. “Put your ear on my tits and listen to my heart, Frank,” she directed. He listened to her heart. She held his head. It was comforting to both of them. Five minutes later (it seemed like much longer), she spoke. “Now listen. Let’s promise each other. I promise you. If you do the wrong thing, I’ll tell you. ‘Frank that’s the wrong thing.’ If you do the right thing in the wrong way, I’ll tell you. ‘Frank, that’s not how you do it.’ And if you do the right thing in the right way, I’ll tell you. I’ll say, ‘Oh, fuck! That’s good! More!’ and you’ll know it’s what you should be doing. OK?” He hugged her. “I promise, too,” he said. “Though you seem to know exactly how I tick.” “I’m learning,” Maxine said. “You’re not that complicated. At least your cock’s not complicated.” Then she added, “My cunnies’s not so complicated either.” He stood. When she stood next to him he picked her up. She liked being picked up. She liked it when he carried her upstairs to the shower. “I like being carried upstairs, Hunk,” she said. 610 Explicitly Sexy III

Friday, 3/25/05, 9:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. He had been soft when they started the shower. She had been concerned. “You’re worried about what comes next, aren’t you, Frank,” she had told him. He had admitted that this was true. “I want you to focus on me,” she said. “Focus on my tits. You have to use your fingers when we get to bed, but you can use your lips here in the shower.” Participants in The Plan were all becoming well-versed in its fine points. He had needed the reminder. His lips explored her breasts, eventually focusing on her nipples. “Oh, fuck!” she had said. “That’s good!” As he kept licking and sucking she told him to take his big hand and cover her vulva. “Rub my cunnie,” she said. “Just rub the whole cunnie.” Then, “Oh, fuck. More.” He felt her heat. He knew she was dripping. It was what he needed. He was very stiff when they turned off the shower. After drying each other, they turned down the bed together. She walked around the bed to stand next to him. He was big and strong and proud of being big and strong. She liked his size, too. “Pick me up and lay me out on my back in the middle of the bed,” she asked. He did as she asked. “Now come lie next to me.” “You remember how I did my tits?” she asked. He remembered. “Well?” she asked. He began caressing. He was gentle. He became quite lost in her big breasts. “Oh, yes,” she said. “See how they’re standing up for you?” He saw. “That tells you it’s time for a finger or two between my legs.” She had shown him what she liked. He stroked her outer lips. They were swollen. He stroked her inner lips. She moaned. Then she asked for circles on the opening of her vagina. He made gentle circles and she said, “Oh, fuck! More!” He made more circles and she made her feelings plain. “Yes! More!” and “Feel how wet I am.” He poked two fingers into her vagina. Then he thought it might be time for exploring. He stroked gently up her inner lips toward her clitoris. First up the left, then up the right. She became inarticulate, but let him know that this was good. “Fuck! Again!” He wondered if it might be time to make the little circles she had shown him. He made gentle circles on top of her little button. “Oh, fuck!” he heard her say. “Don’t stop! Don’t you dare stop!” and she grabbed his head, forcing his mouth into her own. Her tongue pushed into his mouth. Her hips bounced on the bed. 42 Partners and The Plan 611

He felt the contractions in her bouncing under his hand. In her pulling her mouth away to gasp for air. “Oh, fuck that was good,” she said, as she came down. “That was good. Oh, fuck!” Tuesday, 3/29/05, 5:50 P. M. The Rose Café. “He made me come,” Maxine concluded. “I guess he’d never really made a woman come before. We had a nice cuddle afterward. It was way better than a vibrator. He wanted to do it again right away, but I made him wait. Tonight he’ll get his second chance.” Acacia and Louise smiled at the story. Maxine smiled at the memo- ries. Acacia asked Maxine. “Gonna get past your FSAD issues?” Maxine asked, “What issues?” “You go, girl, go!” Louise cheered. “I’m sure Doctor Soeur would be delighted that her plan is doing its job.” Acacia said. The Doctors Soeur smiled at each other. “And you tell the Doctor for me,” Maxine said, “that she’s a real bitch and a half. He made me come on Friday but his ‘plus one’ wasn’t on our schedule until Sunday. Poor boy made me come and got nothing for it. Not to mention his poor wife on Sunday. She made him come and got nothing but wet panties.” “Maybe Doctor Soeur was thinking about you, Max,” Acacia rea- soned. “Your ‘plus one’ let him get you off when you didn’t have to worry about doing him, right? I mean, it worked, didn’t it?” Maxine grudgingly agreed that it had worked. It had worked for her, and for Frank. Maybe Doctor Soeur knew what she was doing she con- ceded. “Any advice for tonight?” Maxine asked. “We’re doing each other.” Louise spoke first. “Enjoy it,” she said. “Enjoy it and go slow, so it lasts.”

43 Oral, Buttons, Accident

Crocuses triumphed again. Mother Nature was a crocus fan. She’d melted the snow for them. Under their bower, our women were thinking about the melting that ‘Doctor’ June Soeur was doing. Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 5:15 P. M. The Rose Café. “We’ve become such boors,” Louise complained. “All we ever talk about anymore is The Plan.” “Let’s talk about the pope,” Maxine suggested. “May he rest in peace,” Louise agreed. “Well, ‘Is the pope Polish?’ certainly changed meaning,” Acacia reminded them. And their thoughts returned from the world stage to their immediate issue. Acacia asked, “Have you become bored with The Plan, Lou?”

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Louise and Tom had not become bored. “We’re loving the damned Plan, Ace. We work. We have supper. Then we’re on The Plan. Lots of time sitting together, talking about The Plan. Then we shower on The Plan. Then we go to bed on The Plan. We spend lots of time in bed being touchy-kissy and not even coming. Twice a week one of us comes on The Plan. We both come at the end of the week on The Plan. “We’re even talking about how much sex we want to have after The Plan. Week eleven we’re going to have a zillion orgasms. But after that we’ll probably work out some program combining a little celibacy and a little sex. Well, maybe a little celibacy and a lot of sex. What about you guys?” “The Plan is the biggest thing for Frank and me,” Maxine agreed. “We’re playing it a lot straighter than you’ve done, Lou, but we’ve had a lot more to learn. He was terrible in bed and his bonehead wife didn’t tell him the truth. We understand that now. We talk about it. That’s maybe the most important thing. Talking. We’re affectionate now. We’ve got a real marriage again. Pretty soon we’ll have a real sex life, too.” “And you and Herman, Ace?” Louise asked, though she thought she knew the answer. “I’m afraid your wee colleen has been going through a bit of a bad patch,” the wee colleen understated. It wasn’t the sort of understatement you could smile at. “I’ve had too much on my mind lately.” Louise knew that Herman was going to make one more try tomor- row. “I’m so glad we got to week seven,” Louise said, pushing Herman out of her mind. “We’ve had fun with our fingers but adding oral to the mix is a treat.” “You like giving oral?” Maxine wanted to know. “Oh, yes. Oral can be really delicate and feminine. I like making him stiff. I like keeping him stiff. A light kiss and a little lick on the frenum and he’s going crazy. That’s so nice. So rewarding. I mean, you’re mak- ing someone you love feel great pleasure. I love that. I love his lust, too. That’s me he’s lusting for! Totally selfish, I know, but he loves it, too.” “Saint Louise,” Maxine said. “Goddess of the wifely duties,” she added, mixing her religions. “Don’t his erections make you proud?” Louise asked Maxine. 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 615

“Oh, shit,” Maxine said, becoming serious. “You know, I used to fear his erections. If he was stiff, I was in trouble. So I’m unlearning that garbage. Still haven’t got it all sorted out, but if he’s stiff that’s kind of a nice thing he’s saying about you, isn’t it?” “Yes it is!” Louise was emphatic. “It’s a compliment and you’re flooding his brain with dopamine. Making him more addicted to you. A girl should do that as often as she can.” “Louise Wilson for President,” Acacia cheered her on. “A stiffie in every pot?” the candidate tried out a campaign slogan. “End-of-week six for you tonight?” Louise asked Maxine, who agreed that it was. “Who comes first?” “I thought ladies always come before gentlemen,” Maxine recited the rule. “Most of the time,” Louise half agreed. “But not always. ‘Never’ and ‘always’ are really extreme words. Variety is the enemy of boredom.” “We’re on The Plan, Lou. We’ll get sex sorted out first. We’re a month away from having sex.” Louise was surprised. And dismayed. She looked at Maxine. “Don’t you get it girl?” “Get what?” “You’re going home tonight and having sex. That’s what sex is. He makes you come. You make him come. That’s what sex is.” Maxine tried to adjust to this broader definition. “I guess you could think of it that way.” Louise elaborated. “Don’t get me wrong. Penis-in-vagina is also sex. And deeply satisfying, too, in a primitive way. That’s how the species gets perpetuated. Mother Nature wants his penis in your vagina. And if you’re smart you’ll make Mother Nature happy from time to time. But Mother Nature also put a clit there above the vagina. Scientists aren’t really sure why it’s there. But I know why it’s there. It’s there to be fin- gered and licked. And that’s sex, too.” Maxine thought about it. “Can I ask you a question, Lou?” Permis- sion was granted. “Is oral better than penis-in-vagina?” 616 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise thought about it. She held two hands in front of herself, as if she were a scale weighing the ideas. “Oral? PIV? Can I choose both? Both is definitely better.” “Suppose you had to choose one or the other,” Maxine restricted the choices. “If you’re asking me which way we go more often, I’m pretty sure it’s oral. Yes, I’d say a lot more oral than PIV. But I’m not sure if that’s my preference or his. He loves to make me come, you know. Men like to make their women come. That was one of the most important things Ace taught us.” “PIV doesn’t make you come?” Professor Donovan answered Maxine’s question. “About one woman in six reports that she can come from PIV sex alone. The other five need clitoral stimulation, with or without PIV. And I’m not sure I believe the one in six, either.” Maxine’s supply of misinformation was being challenged. “Clitoral stimulation during PIV sex?” “Oh, heavens yes,” Louise agreed. “He’s learning to use his fingers for a reason. Or you can use your own fingers during PIV sex,” she added. “Or a vibrator?” Maxine asked. “Excellent choice,” Professor Donovan said. “Makes it much easier to time your orgasm to coincide with his. Just touch the vibrator to your clit when he passes the point of no return.” “Did I hear someone say ‘vibrator’?” Rose asked, applying her fin- gers to Acacia’s shoulders. “You might have caught the word ‘clit’ in that sentence if you were close enough to hear it,” Acacia informed her. “You girls have the most fascinating conversations!” Rose exclaimed. Then she added, “I want you all here Saturday afternoon. Jil- lian and I are getting married. Drinks are on the house.” “I thought ‘oh four two’ made that impossible,” the attorney pointed out. “Well,” Rose replied, “that means we pay more taxes and get less from social security, but it doesn’t mean we can’t make a public commit- 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 617 ment to each other. We want to make that public commitment. Three o’clock.” “Maybe twenty years from now you can get a license,” Acacia pre- dicted, with no excess of certainty. Maxine thought about how she should react to this news. She was in favor of commitments. Commitment was the only thing that had kept her married through the bad years. She stood up and kissed Rose. On the lips. More warmly than a social greeting. “Congratulations,” she said and then sat down. Rose said, “Oooo! My first infidelity and I’m not even married yet. The next round is on me, girls.” Jillian would bring the next round. After the drinks were on the table, she put her tray down and crouched beside Maxine. She stared intently. Jillian’s stare, accompanied with her silence, was making Maxine nervous. “What...” she started to ask Jillian. “My fiancée told me she has been unfaithful,” Jillian answered the question. “She said it was you who seduced her.” Maxine smiled. “I was congratulating her on your upcoming mar- riage,” she explained. Jillian smiled. She had seen the congratulations from the dining room. “If you’re going to make my fiancée unfaithful, shouldn’t you make me unfaithful, too?” she asked. Maxine laughed and then evened the score with another kiss. A broad smile decorated Jillian’s face after the kiss. Tuesday, 4/5/05, 8:10 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. Maxine and Frank were sipping their drinks, sitting together on the couch. It was their end-of-week six. The Plan said they would both finger their mate to orgasm today, as they had at end-of-week five. Maxine was replaying what Louise had told her. And she was thinking about the state of Frank’s cock. “Do you like this blouse,” she asked him. He hadn’t really noticed it. “Would you like it more if I opened a button or two?” she asked. His attention was being focused. “How’s your hand-eye coordination? Can you open a button without touching me?” she challenged him. 618 Explicitly Sexy III

He studied her blouse. It lay on her breasts. He thought it would take two buttons to make the view really interesting. “Would you like me to try?” he asked. His hand-eye coordination was excellent. Had been since he first caught a football. Only the button at her throat was open. He used his left hand to pinch the edges of the next button. He pulled it away from her chest and then used both hands to open it. She felt the fabric move but he hadn’t touched her. She shut her eyes as he opened the button. The fabric was caressing the tops of her breasts, but he wasn’t. “That’s very nice,” she purred. “Let me do it again,” he said. He started on the next button, holding it by its edges and lifting the fabric off her breasts. This was a fun game, he thought, though he wasn’t quite sure it had a point. She opened her eyes just long enough to look at his crotch. The game had a point and she was winning. She lay her left hand on his right thigh, not quite touching the point he was making. “You want to come first tonight?” she asked. “Ladies come before gentlemen,” he answered. “I asked about that principle the other night,” she said. “My friends warned me against being too rigid about rules like that. Said that variety is the enemy of boredom. You think you could stay focused on me if I made you come first?” “If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do,” he answered. That was a delicious answer, she thought. “Your attitude is totally hot, Frank Bowers. I love it. Why don’t you try another button.” “I like making you come,” she thought out loud, “and I like it when you make me come. That’s a tough choice.” She felt the fabric shift over her nipples. “I think I’ll get you really close to coming and leave you that way while you get me really close. You think you could get me close without making me come?” “You’re so sexy,” he said, thinking about getting her close to coming. “My girlfriends also told me that when both partners make the other come you’re having sex. Sex is coming, even if you don’t stick your thing into my thing. Do you think we’ll be having sex tonight?” He thought it over. “Doesn’t matter what you call it. I think we’re having sex already. Sex is when I unbutton your blouse without touching you. I’m really glad you found The Plan. Thank you for getting us on The Plan.” 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 619

“Thank you, Doctor Soeur,” Maxine said. “Thank you for teaching us how to be lovers. How to have sex. I guess we are having sex. And you’re really a bitch, Doctor Soeur. Coming twice a week is not even close to what we could be doing.” “Thank you for being a bitch, Doctor Soeur,” Frank said. The fourth button invited him to play Maxine’s game again. Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 7:15 A. M. Acacia and Herman’s breakfast bar. Herman wanted to know about Acacia’s mother. Particularly about her death. Acacia had never told him a thing. In fact, she had been aggres- sively silent. As if defending a wound that had never healed. He started gently. “I’ve been wondering about when you lost your mother, Ace. You’ve never told me anything about that.” Her smile disappeared. “No, I haven’t. You weren’t planning on pry- ing, were you?” He had decided that the County Press morgue would have the basic facts. An obituary at the very least. If it had been an accident they would have had a story. But he needed to know when or he would be searching through hundreds of old newspapers. “You’re pretty good about keeping your secrets,” he told her. “But I was thinking about what it must have been like when they moved you ahead a grade. Suddenly all your classmates are a year older, a year big- ger and they all know each other. You were the smallest one in the fourth grade, right?” She thought he had changed subjects. That was a relief. “Yeah. Small and no friends. But I still liked it when Mr. Sampson asked questions that no one else could answer.” He thought a lucky guess here might catch her off guard. “Having no friends at school must have made it doubly hard when you lost your mother. That was in September, right?” “Yes, it was doubly hard and it was in spring, not fall. And cut it out. You’re prying. Can’t a girl have a little privacy?” “Sorry. Just trying to be sympathetic.” “I’ve got a good husband, when he’s not prying, and a good career going. Save your sympathy for someone less fortunate.” 620 Explicitly Sexy III

“Can I ask a question?” he asked. “He’s a good husband when he’s not prying,” she repeated. “Have you ever talked to Max and Lou about losing your mother?” She stood up and began clearing the counter. He tried again. “I mean is this something you never share or is it something that you just won’t share with me?” “It is something that my girlfriends know I don’t want to talk about, and they are respectful enough not to pry.” “Sorry.” He knew there was something bottled up inside. If she didn’t share it with Max and Lou, the cork was jammed into the bottle. Really jammed in. Why? he wondered. At any rate, he had got a good start. She was in fourth grade and her mother died in the spring. He’d start with April and May. Maybe nine papers to look through. Four or five more if he had to go to late March and early June. Not exactly as quick as googling, but still not a big prob- lem. Friday, April 8, 2005, 6:30 P. M. The Rose Café. The woman would make her mate come with oral sex in The Plan’s week seven. Maxine had asked how. Louise answered immediately. “That’s a very good question, Sexy. I wonder if Professor Donovan would care to elucidate?” “Well, thank you, Ms. Wilson,” the wee colleen began. “It just hap- pens that I do have some rather firm opinions on this subject.” Her listen- ers were paying attention. Acacia was quite sure that one wanted begin- ner’s advice while the other was not a beginner. “The first thing you have to understand is what not to do,” the pro- fessor began, hoping to satisfy both her listeners. “Your mouth is not a good substitute vagina. It wasn’t designed that way. The vagina wraps the penis by design. That’s what it’s for. The mouth doesn’t do that job very well, so don’t try. “You could just bob up and down, sliding your lips up and down the penis. Or you could make a penis-sized opening with your mouth and let him pump in and out. Not good. Crudely but correctly that’s called ‘fuck- ing the face.’ It makes a poor substitute for basic penis-in-vagina sex.” 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 621

“Oh, shit. I thought that was what ‘oral’ meant,” the beginner said. Louise smiled and tried not to look smug. “Think about your mouth, Max,” the professor continued. Think about lips and tongue. Your vagina has no tongue. It can’t lick. Your mouth can do things that will drive him crazy. You want to take advan- tage of it. Don’t worry about the mouth being a second-rate vagina. Remind yourself that the vagina is a very poor substitute for the mouth. OK?” Maxine nodded her agreement. The vagina had no tongue, of course. What did that mean? She let Acacia continue. “I’ve never tried to master the art of ‘deep throat,’ either,” the profes- sor continued. “That’s where you take the penis all the way to the back of the mouth and into the throat. That little dangling thing that hangs at the entrance to the throat, the uvula, makes you want to gag or even vomit. Not too sexy. You can learn to overcome your gag reflex, but I’d concen- trate on ‘playing the flute’ with Kegel’s PC exercises if you want to mas- ter something advanced.” Maxine was glad to hear that, but even more confused. “Not fucking the face. Got it. Vagina has no tongue. Got it. So what should a girl do?” “The mouth wraps nicely around the glans. The tongue can explore the glans to find the most sensitive spots. Slide your mouth down the front of the cock...” She interrupted herself. “By ‘front’ I mean that part that’s in front when he’s erect. In front, just below the glans your tongue can explore his frenum. “Using the tongue on the frenum while another hand plays with his balls generally causes an explosion. A petite person with a cute butt can arrange to show her best bits while she does that. “I don’t know how you can combine oral with showing off your tits. Maybe Lou can advise us.” “Tits and oral, sister?” Maxine passed the question to Louise. Louise smiled. “I think a nice meal could have soup, an entree and a desert, Max. I wouldn’t try to combine them into one course.” “Tits first and then oral?” Maxine asked for clarification. “If I had sexy big boobs like yours, Max, I’d start by using them for eye candy to get him hard before you get to the bedroom. I’d let him play with them when we got to bed. And play with them while we were fuck- ing and lie on them afterward, too. 622 Explicitly Sexy III

“Remember, Max, that a true connoisseur of tits such as yourself might admire some for their shape. But most men are gourmands, not gourmets, when it comes to tits. If tits are good, big tits are better. Even some women share that opinion. Me, for instance. I think your big boobs are sexy.” Maxine glanced at Acacia. She may have been considering the little one’s feelings. “Of course,” Louise said, catching on, “some men are more attracted to asses than to boobs. Variety. Makes the world go around.” Saturday, April 9, 2005, 9:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s house. Maxine lay on her back on the couch in their parlor, looking up at him. “You like satin blouses, Frank?” She was learning how to direct his atten- tion. He thought it was a question. “I like the feel,” he said, stroking the fabric below her breasts. “A blouse like this probably covers a sexy bra.” He was right, she thought. But a little discussion came first. “It’s your plus one evening. I’m supposed to give you oral, you know.” He knew. The Plan was posted on their fridge. “I’ve never done it before,” she said. “We’re beginners,” he said. “I’ve consulted with a panel of experts,” she assured him. “Would that be a panel at The Rose Café?” he inquired. “If you never ask me a question about that, I’ll never lie about it,” she bargained. “OK,” he agreed. And he added, “Sorry I asked.” “I guess there are two types of woman,” she said, philosophically. “Some have never done it and the rest screwed up their courage for a first time.” “I don’t want to force you into this, Maxine. You don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable with it.” “Oh shit, Frank. You’re not forcing me. The goddam The Plan is forcing me. And I’d feel like shit if I chickened out. You’ll have your first time in a couple weeks, right?” 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 623

“Yeah. That’s on The Plan. You’ll have to tell me how.” She changed subjects. “You want to unbutton a button, Big Guy?” “The top one?” “Your choice,” she said. “Doesn’t much matter. I think I’ll put the blouse back on after our shower.” She thought about it. “No. Take that back. I think I’ll ask you to put it back on me after our shower. Bra, then blouse. One button at a time while your cock is thinking about the oral that’s coming.” “You sure are learning how to make me stiff,” he said. She sat up. She looked into his eyes. Then at his crotch. She smiled. Acacia was so right. It made her proud. “Thank you for being on The Plan, Frank. It’s working for us.” “Thank you for getting us on The Plan, Maxine. Would you like me to do that button now?” “We’re supposed to remind each other about why we’re on The Plan, Frank. What our goals are, you know? My goal is to learn to give good oral, starting tonight. If I’m going to do it I’m going to get really good at it. Go ahead and open a button.” “My goal for tonight is to learn how to last a little.” “You think getting head from a sexy lady in a satin blouse is going to make you explode pretty quick?” “Still can’t see that bra,” he said after opening a button. “Sixty bucks in Gymbals, Frank. I had to have it as soon as I saw it. I think I’ll let you have your first glimpse when you dress me after our shower.” Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Café. Our fearless explorers ordered drinks and then demanded a report from Louise on the end of her week eight. He had added her G-spot to the list of things he fingered. “I’ve never come from G-spot stimulation alone,” Louise reported, “but I do love it as an additional turn on. Next week he’ll give me oral and oral with fingers on the G-spot combines two of my most favorite things.” 624 Explicitly Sexy III

“Not with just fingers?” Maxine asked. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. Fingers on the clit and other fingers on the G-spot makes for a very satisfying result. If the sex was never any better than last night I would have nothing to complain about. I’m just being greedy thinking about oral and G-spot. “You’re finishing week seven tonight, Max?” Louise asked. Maxine said she was. “Your first time giving him oral?” “No. Remember, week 7 is end-of-week plus one. His plus one was Saturday. I applied my lips and tongue to his frenum. I think I did it a lit- tle too hard. He didn’t last a minute.” “Haven’t you taught him to tell you when he’s too close?” Acacia wanted to know. “He didn’t have time to tell me anything. I kissed and licked and he exploded.” Louise was concerned. “Does he have a premature ejaculation issue, Max?” “A what?” Maxine asked. “You know. Does he come too quickly?” “How quickly is too quickly?” Maxine asked. Professor Donovan was tempted to lecture. “There is no ‘correct’ length of time. An ejaculation is considered premature if the parties con- cerned think it came too quickly.” “Oh. I guess he was premature then. I was hoping it would last longer. I think he would have liked more, too.” “It’s a common concern,” Professor Donovan reassured her. “I believe Doctor Soeur also has a plan for premature ejaculation. And a good adult toy store can help, too.” “Toys?” Maxine asked. “A cock ring, if it’s tight, prevents ejaculation, or at least delays it,” Acacia explained. “Ball spreaders do too. And a toy store will also have numbing cream that makes the penis less sensitive. You have to make him wear a condom, or the numbing cream will make you numb, too. Numbing cream and two condoms will help him last forever. Not to men- tion what you said about using a lighter touch.” 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 625

Maxine asked, and Louise answered, about finding a toy store. “You take the I75 exit for Miller Road as if you were heading to the mall. Sin- tilla’s is on the left just over I75, next to Starbucks.” Tomorrow, Maxine would head west to Sintilla’s. Herman would be heading east. Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 9:30 A. M. The County Press, La Pierre. Two miles east of the center of the village, The County Press offices were inside a warehouse, outside of town where land was cheap. On his way in, Herman was thinking about the economics of a local newspaper. Money was not in good supply, judging by appearances. He introduced himself to Susan. If Susan had a business card it would have read Receptionist, Bookkeeper, Secretary, and several more. Barely out of high school? Still Susan was cheerful and willing to help. She led him through a small maze of offices. The decor was what? Early second-hand, he thought. Perhaps Eisenhower had been president when they bought their last desk. She unlocked a door and led him out of the office area into pure warehouse, The County Press’s morgue. “1987 did you say?” she asked him. There was a year’s worth of weekly papers on each of several dozen pallets. Susan started looking at the ones on top. “Here’s 82,” she said and then walked five pallets to the left. “Nuts,” she reported. “77.” Herman tried five pallets the other way. He felt a certain excitement growing. “What order are they in?” he asked. “Well, they should be in four piles. January through March in the first pile, and so on, by quarters. But people don’t always put them back where they belong, you know.” “I’ll leave spring of ‘87 in perfect order,” Herman promised. He had found April through June. She went back to her desk and left him to search. Herman had never been a reader of obituaries. Somebody you don’t know had died, which was sad, leaving behind a list of other people you don’t know who were all saddened by the death of someone they did know. This was not fun. By mid-May he was losing hope. But then he found it. Fiona Donovan. From injuries suffered in a car crash. Survived by husband James and daughter Acacia. 626 Explicitly Sexy III

Car crash! Herman suddenly felt he was not wasting his time. He wondered if there were a story. Nothing in this paper. Maybe it happened a week ago? Another dry well. Two weeks ago? There it was. Heading west. Hit by an eastbound driver. He was drunk. Head on, in the westbound lane. Daughter, belted into her car seat, survived unin- jured. Fiona, not wearing a seat belt, was hospitalized in critical condi- tion. Thursday, April 14, 2005, 4:00 P. M. Teachers lounge, Turrill Elementary School. He had thought about it. Was this going to trigger memories in Louise? Memories best forgotten? He had to talk to her about it. They didn’t want to be seen together. They decided that after the buses left, he could arrive at and leave her school on his own. The teacher’s lounge would be empty. “Has Ace ever told you about her mother?” he began. “She’s told us, in no uncertain terms, that her mother is off limits.” “That’s what she’s told me, too.” Herman said. “I’m worried about that. Why should she be keeping whatever it is to herself? Not healthy. I decided to research in that direction. “Here,” he went on, handing her a photocopy of the obituary. “This is from 1987.” Louise read. “Survived by her daughter, Acacia,” she repeated out loud. “That’s our wee colleen.” “Yeah,” Herman said. “And I found the accident story, too. I’ve got it here but I want to warn you, it’s got some eerie similarities to your acci- dent. You’d better think twice before you read it. Want to go there?” “I really don’t have any memories of my accident, Herman. I blacked out before I hit the pavement. I woke up the next day but I was so heavily sedated it was two days before I realized my feet were gone. No missing feet in Fiona’s accident, I hope?” “No,” Herman reported. “But there is a drunk driver going east in the westbound lane.” “May I read it?” “OK. Your choice,” he said and handed her his other photocopy. 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 627

After she read it, she looked at Herman. “May I quote a dear friend?” she asked. “Sure,” he agreed. “Oh, shit,” she said. She said it with feeling. “Good summary,” he said. “Is this the second half you said we needed?” He thought it was. He didn’t know how these pieces fit together in Acacia’s mind, but the two pieces were somehow related. The coinci- dences were too great. “Do you suppose,” Louise thought out loud, “that a tiny eight-year- old could have somehow blamed herself for her mother’s accident?” “Fiona should have been wearing her seat belt,” Herman observed. The partnership’s meeting adjourned so that both could digest what they now knew. Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. “I was in college when I had my first oral,” Louise told them. The damned Plan has made me go without for almost nine weeks. I haven’t ever abstained from anything for that long. Certainly not from anything I love so much.” “What was week nine like?” Maxine asked. “I know it’s for explor- ing genitals.” “Oh shit!” Louise quoted Maxine. “It’s got to have been the single hardest week on The Plan. He explores your most tender bits. You explore his. Then you’re supposed to just turn over and go to sleep. I mean you’re both desperate for some relief and you go to sleep?” “That sounds hard,” Maxine sympathized. “Well, at least it’s a plus 2 week,” Louise pointed out. That means there were only two nights when nobody came. There were two other nights when he came and I didn’t.” Those had been hard nights for Louise. “Here’s a news bulletin, girl- friends. Making your man come will make your panties wet. Your lube will be flowing. You will not want to roll over and go to sleep.” 628 Explicitly Sexy III

Maxine and Acacia both agreed completely. “Would the secretary please note in the minutes,” Acacia said to no one in particular, “that Louise Wilson met her match in week nine.” “But you know,” Louise added, “I’m glad we did this. We’ve had fun and learned a lot. I’m almost sorry we’ve only got one more week to go.” Tuesday, 4/19/05, 7:10 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. Maxine tossed her purse into the big wing chair. She crooked her finger in a ‘come here’ gesture. She had taught him to find her G-spot Friday. That had been hot. She had made him come by mouth on Saturday. She’d been very delicate. He had lasted a little. That had also been hot. Tonight was the end of week eight. They would do both. It promised to be very hot. He came to her. He saw that she wanted a kiss. A lover’s kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the floor. Their grandfather clock ticked, counting the seconds. They were lost in a kiss that would last minutes. When he finally set her down she put her ear against his chest and listened to his heart beat. It was faster than the clock. “I’d like to change,” she said. “Would you like me to wear some- thing sexy?” He picked her up and carried her upstairs. “Lay me on the bed,” she said as they entered their bedroom. Tuesday, 4/19/05, 7:20 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. “Without touching me?” she asked. He knew what she meant. He would work carefully, from the top down, opening all the buttons. “You’re good,” she praised him. “I like the feeling of the fabric as it moves. It hints at the hands that are making it move, but I can’t feel the hands. It’s very sexy.” “I like opening your blouse one button at a time. Sort of a striptease,” he said, pausing to enjoy a long look at the cleavage now revealed in front of him. 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 629

“I think I like it,” she said, “because every boy that ever took me to the movies wanted to squeeze my tits. I hated being groped, you know. This is delicious because it’s the exact opposite of being groped.” He was opening the first button below her nipples. “And I know I’ll be getting a kiss or two on my newly revealed— revealed, not groped—cleavage. Those kisses will feel good. I like wait- ing for them. I guess a good striptease teases the stripper, too.” When he opened the last button he carefully picked up the fabric and laid it back. Her demi bra was expensive. Maxine didn’t like groping, but she liked her breasts. She bought them nice things to wear. She liked showing them off. Her cleavage invited kisses. Delicate kisses. He covered her cleavage with the kisses it invited. Kisses that let her know how he felt. How special he thought her cleavage was. Eventually she told him to stop. The clock in the parlor chimed eight times. She opened her eyes to look at him. “You’re becoming a really skillful lover, Frank,” she told him. “You’re very kissable,” he told her. “You think you can find my G-spot again?” she asked. “I’ve been taught by a very sexy lady. She’s super sexy. I’ll never forget,” he answered. “And week nine starts tomorrow. You’re going to make me come with your mouth. That thought is making me hot.” He thought he really should say something, but he didn’t know what to say. His silence made her wonder. “You ever give a girl oral, Frank?” He hadn’t. This would be new. “No,” he confessed. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked. “About how to give a girl oral?” She thought for a moment. “I guess so. Mostly about me.” “Tell me.” She gathered her courage. “I’ve never had oral. I’ve listened to my girlfriends talk about it. It sounds great. Maybe too good to be true.” 630 Explicitly Sexy III

“Oh, shit,” he said, quoting her. “Who’s going to tell me how to do it?” “Oh, shit,” she said. Then she thought about it. “You know,” she said, “I’ve taught you about my parts. About how to use your fingers. My parts won’t change. The vag is still the vag and the nerves are still wait- ing at the entrance. They’re not going to be moving just because they see something other than a finger.” That sounded good to him. “I’m counting on you keeping your promise,” he said. “Promise?” she asked. “You know, about telling me if I’m doing it wrong and saying ‘oh fuck’ when I’m getting it right.” “Promise,” she promised. “You may be hearing a lot of ‘oh fuck’s you know. You won’t get tired of them?” “Making you come is beautiful. I won’t get tired of hearing it.” “Speaking of oral, that’s on your menu tonight. How’s your woman doing?” “Oh, fuck,” he said. “Oral’s just so sexy it sends me right over the edge. You’re so sexy.” “We both have to work on making it last,” she said. “How about you make drinks while I change into something comfortable. Then we can curse Doctor Soeur and talk about making it last.” As he left her he remembered. “Weeks nine and ten it’s end-of-week plus two. You think you can come three times in one week?” She ran her hands over her breasts. “You think these tits are built for it?” Tuesday, 4/19/05, 9:15 P. M. Louise and Tom’s bedroom. “Last week,” Louise reminded him. “Last four days,” Tom reminded her. Sex was allowed by The Plan at the end of week ten and on two other days during the week, for each partner. They had decided to both take their extra days on Saturday and Sunday. He was referring to the four remaining ‘no orgasm’ days. They would be celibate until Saturday. 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 631

The Plan’s week ten allowed unrestricted touching and kissing in shower and in bed. Their shower had left no parts untouched, no parts unkissed. They were both on edge. She began her own plan with a simple order. She didn’t use the magic words. She wanted to test him. “Lick my clit, Thomas.” He started kissing a trail down her body, kissing and licking toward finishing what they had started. He stopped at her mons. He licked her outer lips on either side of her clitoris. “Please tell me not to,” he begged. “It’s not on The Plan.” She smiled. She knew her order would be hard to resist. “Why don’t you come up here,” she said, patting the bed beside her head. “We’ll have a nice chat, instead.” “Now watch,” she said when he was lying beside her. Her left hand stroked his cock while her right caressed her breasts. The veins bulged in his cock. She stopped stroking it. ‘Careful,’ she told herself. Her right hand trailed gentle caresses down to her vulva where she drew circles around her outer lips. Then she slid two fingers inside to caress the opening of her vagina. “Don’t you wish that was your tongue?” she asked. “Oh, fuck,” he said. “You’re cruel.” “Yes, I know,” she agreed. “These last four days are all about being cruel. Here. Let me show you what you’re missing.” She held the fingers that had invaded her vagina in front of his mouth. He inhaled. The scent drove him crazy. He wanted to eat her more than anything. He settled for sucking on her fingers. “You’re addicted to my pussy,” she told him. His head said ‘yes’ by bobbing, but he didn’t stop sucking her fingers. “I’m going to keep you addicted,” she said, pulling her fingers away from him. “Let’s try painting.” She returned her fingers to her vagina and then used her juices to paint a line just below his nose. “Now you can smell my pussy. Every time you breath you’ll think about what you can’t have.” He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, imagining what he couldn’t have. “Now,” she began to implement the rest of her plan, “I want some- thing from you. First there’s something you should know. Stick two fin- gers in to rub my G-spot.” His fingers slid in easily. She was flooded. 632 Explicitly Sexy III

“Did you know how much this is turning me on?” she asked. “That’s good to know,” he told her. “Good,” she said. “Now you’re going to be very cruel to me.” Before he could object, she told him how. “You’re going to keep rubbing my G- spot. Slowly. Gently but insistently. And while you rub you’re going to tell me what your tongue would be doing if The Plan allowed it.” Before he could begin she added, “And you’re going to tell me every little detail about what you’d be doing and what you’d be feeling while you do it. I know how good my clit feels when you lick it. Teach me what your tongue feels while it licks me. Teach me what you feel when I’m coming. Make it real. You have just over an hour.” She shut her eyes to listen. This would be educational. This would be torturous. For both of them. She smiled in anticipation. Thursday, April 21, 2005, 4:00 P. M. Teachers lounge, Turrill Elementary School. “I think,” Louise said, “that our picture of the accident depends on what we know about Fiona Donovan.” “I don’t know a damn thing about her,” Herman complained. “That’s not true,” Louise corrected. “You know that she was Ace’s mother.” “OK,” Herman agreed. “Correction. Fiona Donovan was Ace’s mother.” “And quite a bit follows from that fact,” Louise continued. “We can deduce quite a bit. We won’t be a hundred percent accurate, but we’ll probably be close. For example, do you suppose Fiona had freckles?” Herman smiled. He was fond of his wife’s freckles. “Highly likely,” he answered Louise’s question. Louise continued. “How tall was she?” Herman thought out loud. “American children are often a bit taller than their parents. Let’s say an inch or two. That means Fiona would have been five foot one or two.” The wee colleen was five foot three (1,6m). “Was Fiona smart?” Louise asked. 43 Oral, Buttons, Accident 633

Herman realized that his partner had given this more than a little thought. Where was she going? “Ace must have got her brains from both parents,” he answered. “Fiona was smart. Maybe very smart.” Louise agreed, completely. “Now, here’s one that I consider right at the heart of the matter,” she said. Herman was paying very close atten- tion. “Would you say Fiona was a responsible sort of person?” Herman thought about her question. He thought about his wife. “Ace buzzed through undergrad in three years. Law school in two more. She must have learned to focus somewhere. Probably from her mother. I’d say Fiona was a very responsible sort of person.” Louise asked the most important question. “Would a responsible, smart woman have been wearing her seat belt in 1987? Or would she have buckled her daughter into a proper car seat and then sat down in the driver’s seat without putting her own belt on?” “That doesn’t make any sense,” Herman said. “But she didn’t have her belt on at the time of the accident.” “I think the conclusion’s inescapable, Herman. Fiona had only taken her seat belt off momentarily to do something she couldn’t do while buckled in. I’m picturing a pony.” “A pony?” he asked. “Any sort of toy an eight-year-old might have. I had a thing for ponies when I was that age. Ace had a pony she was playing with or something. She drops it on her right side. Ace can’t retrieve it because she’s buckled in. Fiona unsnaps her belt to reach the pony. Hands the pony back to her daughter. Before she gets her belt buckled again, crash.” Herman retraced the logic. “OK. Fiona is an intelligent, responsible sort of person. We know she buckled her daughter into a car seat. Prop- erly. We know that Ace survives the accident unhurt. Highly likely that Fiona wears her own seat belt, but we know she was not protected at the time of the crash. That means she took her belt off momentarily. “Why would she take her belt off? To reach something or some place that she couldn’t reach with her belt on. Likely something to do with her daughter. You call it a ‘pony.’ In this place, ‘pony’ is a variable that stands for who knows what. Doesn’t matter. Fiona was doing some little kindness for her daughter. Some goddam drunk takes her life in the mid- dle of that kindness.” 634 Explicitly Sexy III

“And,” Louise reminded him, “Fiona’s eight-year-old daughter knows that her mother was doing that little kindness, which was why her seat belt was off.” Herman quoted Maxine again. “Oh shit.” “The thing I’m thinking, Herman, is that with my accident Ace’s responsibility is a real stretch. That she helped the drunk keep his license is a fact. But there’s a huge break in the logic there. The drunk would probably have been on the road, license or not. But there’s genuine cau- sation in Fiona’s accident. Ace drops her pony. Her mother unbuckles to retrieve it. The mother dies because she was unbuckled, retrieving the pony. “Remember that we’re talking about a very smart little girl. She hears the adults talk. She knows that her mother is killed because she wasn’t buckled in. The other adults think it was Fiona’s carelessness. But the little girl knows why her mother wasn’t buckled in. It was because lit- tle Ace dropped her pony. “And she’s got no one she can tell. No one to help her work it through. All the adults around her just see a poor little girl who’s lost her mother. Maybe she cries a lot. Can’t sleep. Has nightmares. She’s lost her mother. No one knows she blames herself.” Herman let this picture sink in. No wonder Ace didn’t talk about it. 44 Planning and Learning

Daffodils bloomed everywhere. Warmer days were above 50 (10C). Sun- shine cheered almost everyone. A few were indoors, ignoring even their rose bower. Friday, April 22, 2005, 5:20 P. M. The Rose Café. Week nine was not easy on The Plan. “Foreplay,” Maxine answered Louise. “You shower together. You go to bed together. You touch and caress and kiss your partner’s most tender bits and then you fucking say ‘good night’ and go to sleep? It’s unbelievable.” Then she asked Louise, “So tell me what week eleven will be like.” “Foreplay will lead to coming in week eleven, Max,” Louise responded. “You know, orgasms? Lots of orgasms!” “Oh, shit,” Maxine complained. “I’m ready to have some orgasms.” “No more sexual arousal issues, Max?” the attorney asked.

635 636 Explicitly Sexy III

“I’ve learned to become aroused, Ace. He’s learned how to arouse me. He’s getting pretty good. The issue is what to do with all that arousal. Orgasms sound like they might cap things off nicely.” “PIV yet?” Louise wanted to know. “Yeah. Just once. Feels nice if you’re all wet inside. He didn’t last a minute, though. I’d already come. He likes giving me oral. I’m not a quiet girl when I come. He likes that. Says it’s rewarding.” “I’ll see if I can find Doctor Soeur’s premature ejaculation plan, Max,” Acacia said. “It involves a lot of foreplay and all the foreplay is capped with orgasms. Not at all like the FSAD plan.” To Louise Acacia said, “I know tomorrow’s Saturday, Lou, but if you could stop by my office I could go over that contract with you.” “Sure. Would ten o’clock be OK?” Louise asked. She knew there was no contract. Doctor Soeur’s co-authors would begin googling ‘pre- mature ejaculation’ in the morning. It seemed like their FSAD plan had worked. Saturday, April 23, 2005, 12:15 P. M. The ranch house’s entry. This was her turn, Maxine had decided. Louise had arrived on her own. “Tom will be along in five minutes,” Louise said. ‘Perfect,’ Maxine thought. She grabbed Louise’s head in both hands. “Now you listen to me, bitch. None of your tricks. It’s my turn. Today you’re mine! Understand?” ‘Oh dear,’ Louise thought to herself. ‘I’ve made her break.’ She decided to let her friend have her turn. “Whatever you say, Mistress Max- ine,” she agreed, submissively. Maxine smiled. ‘Mistress.’ She liked it. She kissed her little slave hard to say ‘hello.’ “You’ll be toyed with whenever no one’s looking. You’ll get a ‘goodbye’ kiss to remember,” Mistress Maxine told her little slave. Saturday, 4/23/05, 12:30 P. M. The stair hall wall. The design worked exactly as Tom’s client had specified. George had driven past Louise and Tom’s home. Two stories with echoes of Greek revival. Formal. Substantial. Proud, but not boastful. And he had parked 44 Planning and Learning 637 in front of Maxine’s unimpressive ranch. He wondered why he was here. He’d noticed the barn beside the ranch, but he hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t thought about the skylights in the barn’s roof, for example. Most barns don’t have skylights. He tried to picture the ranch when the construction equipment would be hauled away and the hard-packed top- soil would become a lawn. Then Maxine had let him in. There was still lots of work going on but it was obviously work on something special. It wasn’t a ranch house. It was a ranch-style shell around public rooms. Public spaces, really. Kitchen on the west side, dining in the center, conversation pits on the east. No bedrooms? There was a big opening into something that must connect to the barn. Across the front side of the ranch a row of six timbers, spaced four feet (1,2m) apart, rose almost two stories, ready for paintings that would separate the entry from the kitchen/dining areas. Ready for a handful of paintings, George thought. “Careful where you step, and wear this,” the smiling owner said, handing him a hard hat. She showed him the kitchen (all commercial quality) and its windows and door to the foundations that would become sun room and greenhouse. “Let’s go to my studio. It’s out in the barn,” the artist said. They left the ranch house area and entered the ‘shed’ that connected ranch and barn. In front of him, George saw the stairs and the wall. “I hung some of my failures, so you could get a general idea,” Maxine explained. George’s eyes roamed over the wall in front of him. It was forty feet (12m) tall, displaying over a dozen Gulden ‘failures’, some near 10 feet square. The industrial stairs floated gracefully in space in front of the wall. His mouth fell open as he breathed deeply. Someone was behind him. Turning, he saw Tom and Louise. He shut his mouth, not wanting to look totally foolish. “Your design, Tom?” he asked. “It seemed right for Max,” Tom said, modestly. “Graceful curving stairs would have drawn attention to themselves. It’s her paintings that are important.” George turned to the wall and paintings again. Maxine joined Louise and Tom behind him. They were exchanging smiles. George tried to explain. “I think the word is ‘spectacular.’ And yes, absolutely Maxine.” 638 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise wrapped her arms around the gallery owner from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. “You like?” George shook his head. “Sometimes you understate things, Louise.” She squeezed him. “And you know what you’re going to do for us?” George’s antennae twitched. A woman hanging on his back, even a woman who was not as attractive as Louise Wilson, could be very per- suasive. “Ms. Wilson, do you think a beautiful woman can manipulate me that easily? I’ve lived nearly 60 years, you know.” Louise had no doubt. “Don’t say ‘manipulate,’ George. That sounds evil. How about ‘persuade’? You trust me, don’t you?” He unwrapped her arms and turned to face her. Seeing Tom watch- ing, he asked, “Tom, help me out. Have you learned how to tell her ‘no’ yet?” Tom laughed. “Forget it, George. That’s impossible. She’s loving and beautiful and you might as well just tell her ‘yes.’ You’ll probably like whatever she’s thinking.” “What am I going to do for you, Louise?” George asked, bowing to the inevitable. “You’re going to bring your very best customers here for an opening- the-new-studio exhibition. All the ones who have bought something, and all your competitors’ customers who might buy something. All the DIA trustees. Max will bring paintings and I’ll bring another TV crew. Yes?” George looked at her. A broad smile spread across his dark face. He turned to the stair wall and scanned the paintings. “You guys are geniuses,” he summarized. “The artist is a genius. The designer is a genius. And the agent...” Louise kissed his cheek. Maxine smiled. Just flattery, but not unwelcome. Tom looked embar- rassed. ‘Genius’ was over the top for him. Louise unwrapped a bit more of her concept. “We’ll call it the Michi- gan Style, George. The paintings and the architecture, too. Michigan Style. It’s industrial, like car factories and Tom’s stairs. Farm-country modest, like Maxine’s ranch house. Spectacular when you get inside. Or like Max’s paintings when you look at the details. Did I mention that Governor Granholm will be here for our Michigan Style opening?” George looked at her in amazement. Louise had already invited the governor? And she’d agreed to come? 44 Planning and Learning 639

Louise could see a celebration as big as the stair wall. A fleet of lim- ousines bringing Detroit’s finest in black tie and evening gowns. A string quartet playing on the second floor balcony. Michigan Style was a great idea, the governor’s staffers had agreed. And weren’t the governor’s backers the sort who could afford original art? Michigan Style art? Louise wanted to get all three auto companies together at once. A truce to celebrate Michigan Style. This was a job for Frank. The sort of job that wouldn’t hurt a man’s career. Michigan Style wasn’t just about Michigan Motors. Modt and Crystal were Michigan Style, too. The attic would make a good dance floor, she thought. The attic bal- cony would be good for a Motown band... Maybe hip hop with a Motown twist? TV coverage in Michigan. Could Judy get them national coverage? And she needed a multi-page spread in an art journal. Maybe Art in America or Architectural Digest. Or both? This would be a party to remember. A party to make New York jeal- ous. And a good chance for George to sell some paintings. Saturday, 4/23/05, 1:45 P. M. The ranch house’s front door. Tom and Louise were leaving. “Goodbye, Tom,” Maxine said, pointedly. “I’ll send your wife home soon.” Tom smiled. “Take good care of her. She’s precious,” he said as he left. And now it was time. Mistress Maxine grabbed her little slave’s head in both hands, again. “Now I’m going to kiss you, bitch. I’m going to kiss your lips but it’s your tits I’ll be thinking about. It’s your left tit. Your left nipple,” she said, pinching Louise’s left earlobe. “While I kiss your lips I’ll be thinking about that little nipple getting hard. Getting hard while I suck on it.” She tugged on Louise’s earlobe, pulling it down as she said ‘suck.’ “Getting harder with each suck,” she said, pulling again with the ‘suck.’ “And you’ll feel it, too. Your nipple will feel my lips sucking. My teeth biting.” She rolled her fingers so the nails were pinching Louise’s earlobe. “You’re so hot, Mistress,” Louise said, feeling the moisture between her legs. “Please kiss me like that.” Maxine’s kiss was rough. Long. Hard. Mashing Louise’s lips. 640 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise could feel Maxine’s lust. Her nipple felt Maxine’s lips and teeth. They were both gasping when Maxine broke the kiss. Sunday, April 24, 2005, 9:00 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. They had thanked each other for being on The Plan. They had cursed Doctor Soeur for being stingy with orgasms, even though they were up to three for each of them in the last two weeks. They had promised each other that they would stick to its stingy rationing. It only held them cap- tive for ten more days. They had showered carefully. She wanted to be nice and clean for him. It was going to be a first for both of them. She was eager and scared, too. So was he. He gathered her stocking as she sat at her dressing table. He pulled it carefully up her left leg. He fastened the four garters on her left side. “Are you ready for this?” he asked. “Thirty years old and never been kissed,” she answered him. “Been a virgin long enough. You?” He finished gathering the second stocking. He put it on her right foot. He took it off again. The second try was better. You have to get the seam in the center of the heel to start or it will never look right, he thought. He answered her question. “I’m ready,” he said, trying to sound confident. She reached for the panties that went with her bra. His hand stayed hers. “Maybe you’re OK without those?” he asked. The bra and panties were a set, she thought. But then she agreed with him. The panties would just come off again. Probably pretty quickly. They lay down, facing each other. “How will I know when you’re in the mood for oral?” he asked her. “I guess I could tell you,” she said. Then she elaborated. “Even if I wanted oral, I’d still like to start slow. You know, some gentle kissing and caressing. Face, neck, tits. Warm me up a little bit at a time. Wait ‘til I’m frantic. If I say, ‘Eat me.’ you’ll know I want it.” He moved toward her. He looked into her eyes. He was going to start slowly when she spoke again. “Fuck,” she said. “I can’t wait. Eat me, Frank.” 44 Planning and Learning 641

He had seen the tops of her thighs when he pulled her stockings up. The flesh above the stockings was almost as provocative as her cleavage. It called him now. He slid his face in between her legs and applied his lips. He began with the front of her right thigh, kissing and licking above the stocking, between the garters. He thoroughly kissed her right thigh’s front. Then her left thigh. “Don’t tease me,” she insisted. “Eat me.” He could hear her words, so often repeated. ‘You want to make it last,’ she would have told him. Good advice, he thought. He switched back to the right thigh, but this time it was the tender skin inside, between her legs. It was softer and there were no garters in the way. Very kissable. Very lickable. He bit gently. He heard her inhale sharply. He kissed and licked the inside of her left thigh before moving on to the most tender skin between her thighs, just outside her outer lips. He kissed and licked toward her outer lips. Were they a little swollen? A little more swollen than if he had been just using his fingers? He kissed his way around her outer lips, from her left around to her right, carefully missing the inner parts. Then he licked his way back to the left side, still avoiding the inner parts. “Oh, fuck! Eat me!” she ordered. He heard, but he thought she had taught him the right way. He had never been here before. He had a lot to learn. He would make it last. Time to explore those inner lips. The outer ones weren’t that sensitive, he remembered. More sensitive than regular skin, but not like the inner lips. He kissed her inner lips, left then right, above the opening of her vagina but below her clitoris. He kissed gently. She gasped. He smelled. It smelled like she was aroused. He tried a taste. He licked where he had just kissed. Left, then right. Between vagina and cli- toris. Wasn’t that much taste, he thought, a little bit surprised. He heard her say, “Oh fuck. Eat me! Damn you, eat me!” She must really be liking this, he thought. He kissed the opening of her vagina. Then he licked it. He ran his tongue around in circles at the opening. “Oh fuck yes! More!” It was really getting a reaction, he thought. He made more circles around the opening. Eventually she got more specific. 642 Explicitly Sexy III

“My clit! Eat my clit!” He made more circles, as if he hadn’t heard. Then he started to lick his way up to the most tender part. He went up the left side until his tongue was just outside her clitoris. He licked up and down. Her clitoris was getting massaged in its little hiding place, he thought. She begged for more. He went back to the vagina and licked a path up the right side, again stopping beside her clitoris to massage it with up and down strokes. Her pelvis was rising. He was sure he was having a good effect. Maybe it’s time, he thought. He kissed her clitoris. It was better than he hoped. And better than she had hoped. He felt the hands on the back of his head, holding his mouth in place. He felt her hips rise trying to get firmer contact. He decided to try his tongue. He licked gently, from below to above her clitoris. That launched her orgasm. She screamed, “More! Fuck! More!” He licked slowly up and down. He pressed a little harder and licked more quickly. He felt her hands tearing at his hair. It hurt, but he wasn’t complaining. He tried licking side to side. Her orgasm bounced her pelvis with each contraction. He tried circles. She kept bouncing. Eventually she’d had all she could stand. “No more. Stop,” she ordered. He decided that this was the sort of order that should be taken as an order. One last lick, then a gentle kiss and he said ‘goodbye’ to her cli- toris. Her pelvis sank into the bed. His lips found the tender skin on the insides of her thighs. He gave her left, then her right a very fond goodbye kiss. Then he moved up the bed to wrap her in his arms. “That sounded like you enjoyed it,” he said. “Oh, fuck,” she said. She snuggled. “That was amazing.” “Gotta do something about those hands,” he said. “I don’t want to lose all my hair until I get older.” “Did I pull your hair?” she asked. “A little bit,” he answered. 44 Planning and Learning 643

“Oh, fuck,” she said. As her heart rate came down she realized that she wanted more. “What would you say if I told you I wanted to try that again, Frank?” He smiled. It makes a man feel good to hear something like that, he thought. “Is another one on The Plan?” he asked. “Oh, fuck The Plan!” she swore. “It’s working for us, Maxine,” he reminded her. She held his head. She smoothed his hair. “Did I really pull it?” she asked. Monday, April 25, 2005, 4:00 P. M. Teachers lounge, Turrill Elementary School. Our sleuths met again after Louise’s school day had ended. “I spent the weekend trying to poke holes in your theory,” Herman said. “Any luck?” “No. Your theory fits the known facts and explains everything we’ve seen.” “I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been happier if you’d just told me why I was all wrong,” Louise said. “You’ve got to feel all kinds of sorry for the little girl in my theory.” “Yeah,” he agreed. “Sorry and amazed that she survived. So what are we going to do?” “We’ve got two accidents to deal with”, Louise answered. “Mine and Fiona’s. We can handle mine. For Fiona’s we get the girl we love some professional help. I’m looking for the right psychologist. I think I’ll know her when I meet her. After that we’ve got to get Ace to agree that she needs help. “For my accident, we’ve got to get Ace to see the obvious. She’s so smart, it shouldn’t be too hard. First, the drunk wasn’t on the road because he had a license. He would have been on the road, license or not. Second, I’ve been enjoying the very best year of my life this year. In fact, the only little blemish on my year is that one of my best friends is feeling guilty about my feet. Get Ace fixed and my year will be perfect.” “I’d love it if your year were perfect, Lou. What do we do next?” 644 Explicitly Sexy III

“Set my accident aside. My accident will be easy if we get it untan- gled from her mother’s death. I’ll find the psychologist for that.” “So right now I do nothing?” “Right. When I find the psychologist, we can meet with her. Discuss the ‘how to convince Ace she needs help’ question.” “And be guided by what she says,” Herman continued Louise’s thought. “Exactly,” Louise recycled Acacia’s favorite word. “I’ve thought about confronting Ace directly. All we have to do is ask one question. Why was your mother’s seat belt unbuckled? That question reaches the deepest place inside her. A place she thinks is hers and hers alone. It tells her that you know. But that could cause an explosion. Explosions are dangerous. Let’s get her some professional help. I’m going to tell the psychologist that we’ll know Ace is getting better when she comes to us and tells us about her mother’s seat belt.” Louise’s hands were on the table in front of her. Herman took them in his own. “I want to say...” he began. Some times ‘thank you’ seems totally inadequate. Louise saw it. She smiled. “We both love her, Herman. And you get most of the credit. You found Rubick. You found Fiona’s accident.” He looked at her. Her smile was so warm. “Ace is lucky to have a friend like you,” he said. Louise wondered if Herman knew how much she owed Acacia. “Ace saved my marriage Herman.” She saw the surprise on his face. “Twice. I owe her. And I love her, too. Have faith Herman. We are going to get your Bitch Goddess back. All fixed.” Tuesday. April 26, 2005, 4:55 P. M. Louise’s car heading to The Rose. “I started it, but I think it’s time for a truce, Max.” “Started what?” Maxine asked her. “The War of the Kisses. I think we’ve gone too far.” “You don’t like being submissive, Kinky?” “No. That’s not it. In fact, that made my panties wet. But it was too close to being sex, if you know what I mean. Not conducive to matrimo- nial fidelity. We’re married women, you know.” 44 Planning and Learning 645

“Oh, yeah,” Maxine said. “Now that you remind me. Price we pay for our heterosexual tendencies, I guess.” “Besides,” Louise continued, “I’m supposed to get to squeeze your sexy big boobs, too. That’s the price you pay for a kiss, remember?” Maxine smiled. “Park in back, Kinky. The lot’s usually empty.” Louise glanced at the clock in the dash. They were five minutes early. She parked in the lot in back. Tuesday, 4/26/05, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. “You finished week ten yesterday?” Maxine asked Louise. Louise smiled. “Glad you got us on The Plan, Max, but I’m not sorry it’s over.” “How was your week ten?” Acacia wanted to know. “It was your teasing, Ace. You know, what you said about having the secretary note in the minutes.” “What? Did that inspire you to rise to a new height?” Acacia asked. “Well, maybe height, maybe plunge to a new depth. I talked to Tom about it. We decided to play with it. It was our last week, you know.” Acacia and Maxine exchanged glances. “How did you handle week ten?” Maxine asked. “Well, it’s a plus two week. So we both took our plus twos on Satur- day and Sunday. Then we had end-of-week on Monday. Nobody came the first four days and in bed we could do whatever we wanted. We used the last four no-orgasm days to make each other just as frantic as humanly possible. We talked about it. We stroked tender parts. We kissed tender parts. We made detailed plans for an absolute orgy of orgasms in week eleven. The only rule was that at ten thirty we had to stop. Lights out and go to sleep at ten thirty. “Saturday’s orgasms were heroic,” Louise concluded. Acacia and Maxine exchanged glances. “Let the secretary note in the minutes,” Acacia said, “that Louise Wilson was back at the top of her game in week ten.” Louise decided to add one last detail. “Of course we couldn’t just go to sleep at ten thirty in the first four days. We talked to each other. Sooth- 646 Explicitly Sexy III ing, calming, help your partner relax into sleep talk. It was fun. Very lov- ing. Peaceful. We should have done it in week nine.” Tuesday, 4/26/05, 7:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. Maxine and Frank sat together on their couch. This was their end-of- week nine. The Plan called for oral for both of them. He had given her oral for the first time (first for both of them) on Sunday and for the sec- ond time on Monday. The results had been better than either had hoped. “Ready for the third?” she asked. Her smile told him that she was more than ready. “I guess so,” he answered, cautiously. “If you’re sure you want another.” “Can you take next Wednesday off?” she asked. “A week from tomorrow? Yeah, I guess so. Why?” “Because we’ll finish week ten on Tuesday. I want your tongue between my legs starting with Wednesday’s sunrise. And then again, and again, and again, and... “Oh yeah,” she added. “For little breaks, I’ll do you. How many times you think you can come in a day?” “Can we throw in a little regular fucking?” he asked. “I’ll try anything, Hunk. I might like regular fucking, too. You think it’s as good as oral?” “Probably have to learn how to make it last,” he said seriously. “May take a little practice.” “Can you take a week off?” she pushed. “Let’s plan a vacation,” he answered. “I can do Wednesday next week, but a full week takes a little planning.” “Oh, shit. OK,” she agreed. “Now what about tonight. You want to try sixty-nine?” “Well,” he said, “I was thinking about that. I’m not sure we shouldn’t wait a little. I don’t know if I could concentrate on what I’m doing to you if you’re doing me at the same time. Maybe we should get better at one- at-a-time. You still have to learn to hold my head without pulling my hair out, you know.” 44 Planning and Learning 647

She laughed and tousled his hair. “I’ll try,” she said. “Poor hair,” she added, smoothing it. “If we’re going one at a time, who comes first?” “Ladies come before gentlemen,” he reminded her. “I think we need to give you some practice,” she said. “I could start on you and get you right to the edge. Then I could stretch out and enjoy your tender, loving tongue. After I caught my breath I could finish you off. Or I could...” An idea formed. He saw a devilish glint in her eye. It was scary, but it was sexy. “You could what?” he wanted to know. “I don’t think I’ll tell you. I might change my mind. Or I might sur- prise you. I think a good wife wouldn’t always let her husband know what to expect.” “You’re so sexy,” he said. “So fucking sexy.” She looked into his eyes. “It’s time, Frank. I want to thank you for being on The Plan with me.” He thanked her. It was becoming a tradition that they also thanked Doctor Soeur (and cursed her for being so stingy with the orgasms, though they suspected that was a big part of The Plan’s success). When it was time to discuss where they were going, she was specific. “If The fucking Plan ever ends, Frank, I’m going to have your tongue on my clit for an entire day.” “And when The Plan ends,” he said, being more certain, “I’m going to have my tongue pleasuring the sexiest woman I ever imagined. No. Sexier than I ever imagined. For days on end.” Tuesday, 4/26/05, 8:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. It had been a nice, long shower. No parts had been left untouched. He was stiff and she was lubricated. Newly skilled fingers had teased nip- ples, cocks and cunnies. Tongues had whispered sweet teases into ears and licked circles around bits that stood up to meet them. She had pushed him onto the bed and crawled on top. “You like my tits, Frank?” she asked, as if it were a question. She held herself up on arms and knees with her breasts over his eyes, just out of reach of his tongue. 648 Explicitly Sexy III

His head rose toward the targets just out of reach. Her hands were on his shoulders, She kept her nipples out of range of his tongue. “You haven’t told me if you like them, Hunk.” “Oh, fuck, Maxine. Your tits are so sexy. Don’t you want me to kiss them?” “Sexy? Does that mean you like them?” He did a crunch, curling up toward the forbidden fruit. It didn’t work. The crunch raised his chest and shoulders but her hands were on his shoulders. The crunch raised her breasts exactly as much as it raised his shoulders. Damn, he thought. “What do I have to do for a breast?” “Just tell me that you want one.” “You’re making me desperate.” She smiled. “Desperate for what?” “For a nipple between my lips. May I please have a nipple?” “Sure,” she said, lowering her left breast toward his mouth. “Why didn’t you say so?” His lips caressed her left nipple but it was promptly pulled away. She rolled off him onto her back. “Kiss me, you fool,” she said. He rolled toward her. “You’re making me desperate, you vixen. Do you really want to be raped?” “It’s just end-of-week nine, sir. Rape’s in week eleven.” He kissed her. Her mouth opened to welcome him. Their tongues tangled. ‘A girl can’t break the kiss when she’s on the bottom,’ she thought to herself. Then she went back to enjoying his tongue. She had plans for his tongue. Eventually he broke the kiss and lifted himself above her with a pushup. She stroked his arms, enjoying the muscles under her palms. “If you lay on your back I could have fun with you,” she hinted. It didn’t take him long. He lay on his back with his arms open for her. She ignored his arms and crawled between his legs, then sat up, one hand on his stiff shaft and the other cupping his balls. “Is this for kiss- ing?” she asked, stroking his glans. “Oh, damn. I’m close,” he warned. 44 Planning and Learning 649

“I’m going to teach you to last,” she promised. The hand stopped stroking his glans and returned to holding his shaft. He breathed a sigh of relief but she promptly replaced the hand on his glans with her lips. “Oh, no! Easy!” he warned. Her lips on his glans became whisper soft. He could barely feel them. It was enough to keep him throbbing, but not enough to come. She felt him relax. She licked his glans gently. “No. Not that,” he said. She smiled, full of mischief. “You don’t like it when I do this?” she asked, repeating the gentle lick. He turned violently onto his side, pulling his cock away from her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she cooed. “Did I hurt you?” “You’re supposed to be teaching me to last,” he reminded her. “I am teaching you to last, Frank. You haven’t come yet, have you?” “You’re so fucking sexy, you teasing bitch. So sexy.” “I think you need to calm down. Would you like me to help soothe you?” she said, stroking his face. “Here,” she said, “suck on this.” She fed him the breast that had made him frantic. He licked it gently. It was soothing. At least until it stiffened under his tongue. “Oh, that’s nice. Here,” she said, “try this one.” Her right breast’s nipple was already half stiff. He quickly made it all stiff. “Oh, that’s good,” she said, enjoying his tongue on her nipple. “I’ve got an idea, Frank.” He let go of her nipple long enough to ask what her idea was. “Would you like to lick me between my thighs?” He inhaled. “Fuck yes,” he answered. “Would you mind if I asked you to start on my thighs? Take your time getting to the really tender spots?” It was his turn to slide down the bed. He started on the insides of her thighs. It was where the skin was softest. He thought it was where the skin was most responsive, too. Then he wondered if this wasn’t too fast. He detoured to her navel. He licked around it and then inside it. 650 Explicitly Sexy III

Her hands held his head gently. She wanted him to feel appreciated, not to guide him. He licked his way from navel down to mons, then circled her outer lips. They were puffy. He kissed and licked at the top, just inside her outer lips, above her clitoris. Then he kissed and licked at the bottom, below her vagina. Then he started to lick small circles around the entrance to her vagina. “Oh, shit,” he heard someone say. “Again. More.” He reversed direction from clockwise to counterclockwise. Then he poked his tongue into her as far as it would go. “Oh, yes. More,” he heard above him. Time to move on, he thought. He left her vagina and kissed her cli- toris, trying not to massage it too much as he kissed. He heard the sharp inhalation. He repeated the kiss several more times. He let each kiss wig- gle her clitoris a bit more than the last. “Suck on it. That’s so good. Just suck. Please.” She was begging, he thought. That was a good sign. He licked to the left, then to the right of her clitoris. He licked above it and below it. He let his tongue slide a bit so it started licking directly on top. “Oh, fuck yes.” he heard. But hadn’t she asked for a little sucking? He pulled the little button in between his teeth for a little sucking. Then he added licking to his sucking and she exploded. “Fuck! I’m coming!” she shouted as the first contraction rolled through her. It started in her clitoris and exploded through her body. He licked and a second contraction, bigger than the first, followed quickly. A half dozen contractions later she pushed him away. He gave her clitoris a loving farewell kiss and came up to join her. She couldn’t talk. She grabbed his head and hugged it to her chest. He planted kisses on the top of her left breast, then her right and lay his ear between them. With his left ear on her breastbone most of the way up her chest he could cradle her left breast in his big right hand and push it up to his lips for a nice kissing. She purred during the kissing, so he repeated it again and again. She broke the pattern by asking, “How’s your cock? Wasn’t I doing something with it?” “Yes, you were,” he said, “but it’s doing fine.” 44 Planning and Learning 651

She pushed his head off and sat up. “Let me see for myself,” she said. Resettling between his legs she saw for herself. It was still quite stiff. She stroked his glans gently. He throbbed enthusiastically. She kissed his frenum delicately. “I’m close,” he warned. “Eating you doesn’t turn me off, you know.” “That’s good to know,” she said, lowering her lips to kiss his glans. It was a very gentle kiss. His answering throb was not gentle. “Poor baby,” she commiserated. “He’s still so excitable.” She crawled back up the bed and whispered, “Can I ask you something?” Of course she could, he told her. She hesitated. “I don’t know if I should. It might sound pretty greedy.” He assured her that ‘pretty greedy’ was probably OK. “Really?” she wanted to know. “You can be just as greedy as you want,” he promised. “Tell me what you want. Your wish is my command.” She waited. She wondered if she were overdoing it. Finally she decided it was time. “Could you do me again? Just a little?” “I guess if you’re going to have me for a whole day, we should start training,” he said, sliding back down between her legs. This time he started on her navel. Her breasts hid the big smile on her face. He felt her hands in his hair. They were making an affectionate mess, but not pulling. When he thought her navel was adequately licked, he went to the insides of her thighs. From the tender, sensitive skin there he went imme- diately to her clitoris. He licked across the top just to be sure she wasn’t dry. Then he sucked the button into his mouth and held still. Her hands were still in his hair. They were still affectionate, not pulling. He continued to hold still. Eventually, he licked the little button. Ten- derly. Gently. “Oh, yes,” she said, hoping it would encourage more licking. He held still for some seconds. It seemed like forever. Then he gave her another little lick. 652 Explicitly Sexy III

‘I’m being teased,’ she thought. It was torturous. It was delicious. “Oh, yes,” she repeated. He waited even longer this time. When he licked it was a small, slow circle. “Oh, please,” she said, but bit her tongue before it could tell him exactly what she wanted. If he wanted to hold her on this plateau between foreplay and orgasm for a few minutes... or a few hours... It seemed like forever before his next little circle, in the opposite direction. Was he going too slow? he wondered. Or was she fighting her- self to keep control? He decided on patience. He was on the edge him- self. Without her permission, her hips started to rock, trying to get a little friction on her clitoris. ‘Don’t do that,’ she said to herself. He felt her battle. This was good. After a long wait he licked two cir- cles. One in each direction. “Oh fuck you’re good,” she praised him. The praise was welcome. Maybe shrewd. The important thing, he told himself, was not to go too long. This was just the first time. Next time he could go longer. He began to lick up and down, slowly but steadily. She felt the orgasm gathering itself. Shit, she thought, he started on my clit and hasn’t been anywhere else. Now I’m coming? And then thinking failed, lost in the first contraction. This orgasm didn’t start at its peak. A little contraction led the way. The second contraction was big. It exploded through her. “Fuck! I’m coming!” she shouted with the third contraction. She bounced with each contraction. He could barely hold his mouth in place. Her bouncing slowed. She hadn’t said anything, but he thought he should slow, too. She realized that something was happening. “Don’t stop,” she told him. He didn’t understand. But she had spoken plainly. He started again. It was what her third orgasm needed to get started. Again it was a little contraction that was quickly replaced by a huge one. 44 Planning and Learning 653

He felt it. He knew by the way her hips bounced with her contrac- tions. “Oh, fuck yes! More!” she shouted. That made it perfectly clear to him. It was definitely another orgasm shaking her whole body. Another half dozen contractions had the whole bed bouncing before she ordered him to stop. He decided to lick her down slowly, dropping speed and pressure as her body came to rest. “That was good,” she said. He wasn’t sure if she meant the orgasms, or the way he had slowed down at the end. Later he would have to ask. He would have to ask a lot of questions. He crawled up the bed again to take her in his arms. He held her and stroked her hair as she came down. Tuesday, 4/26/05, 9:20 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. “That was good,” she repeated, contented with the way he held her, with the way he was stroking her hair. “Did you just come twice?” he asked. He knew she had. “Yeah,” she said, not answering any of his unspoken questions. “Two big ones?” he asked his first question. “Yeah,” she said. Then she added, “I think the second one was the best.” “When you said it was good,” he continued, “did you mean coming twice or the way I kind of eased you down after the last one?” “Both,” she said. Getting more talkative she elaborated. “The orgasms were fantastic. And they way you eased me down was just per- fect. Remember that when I tell you to stop, next time. ‘Stop’ might really mean ‘let me down slow’.” “OK,” he agreed. She thought she was being greedy. Actually, it was her intent. She hadn’t known just how greedy it would turn out. Whatever. There was unfinished business. 654 Explicitly Sexy III

“Let me up,” she ordered. She arranged him on his back, herself between his legs. “How are you doing?” she said to his still-stiff cock. She kissed it. It throbbed. “He says he wants a quickie, Frank. Should we give him a quickie?” “It’s already been near an hour,” he said. “That’s not too quick is it?” She was going to be delicate. If he came immediately, it had already been nearly an hour, as he said. But if she were really delicate she might draw this out a bit longer. She was serious about teaching him to last. She kissed the tip of his glans just as gently as she could. He moaned. She thought a little soothing between kisses would be good. She massaged his abs. Good abs, she thought. They’d be good on a man ten years younger. She kissed the tip of his glans again. She continued rubbing his abs and kissing his glans. Was this exactly what he had been doing to her clit? she wondered. Certainly similar. Cer- tainly she had loved it. Made her explode twice in a row. She lost track of time. Her hand on his abs became a finger in his navel. Then it became little squeezes on his nipples. These brought addi- tional moans. Her kisses on his glans slid down to become light licks on his frenum. She realized that she had found it! Just the right balance. He was on the edge. Teetering on the edge but not coming. He would come when she chose! She could make him come, or keep him on the edge. She felt her clitoris tingling. Her clitoris loved the new power. How should she make him come? Go faster? Stroke a little? Flutter her tongue on his frenum? Any of these would probably work. It was up to her. His coming was up to her! If making him stiff made a girl proud, this was beyond pride. She was pulling his nipples between kisses. I should let him know, she decided. “You’re learning, Frank. Feels good to last, doesn’t it?” His groans sounded like agreement. “I’ve heard,” she said, “that there’s no time a man feels more like a man than when his woman holds him right on the edge.” She pulled his nipples and then licked his frenum. He moaned. “One thing I know. It sure makes me feel entirely like a woman.” Her fingers stroked his balls. Her tongue licked his frenum and backed away. 44 Planning and Learning 655

He moaned, “Oh, fuck! You’re so sexy!” “I think I’ll make you come now. Ready?” His cock throbbed wildly, though it was between kisses. She wrapped her lips around his glans and began to suck gently while her tongue circled his glans. The hand on his balls began to squeeze rhythmically. The hand on his shaft moved toward his glans until her thumb rested on his frenum. “Oh fuck!” he shouted. The thumb on his frenum drew circles and he exploded. She sucked, licked, squeezed and circled in time with his contrac- tions. His orgasm was big. He had been hard for an hour. On the very edge for maybe the last ten minutes. The orgasm was over too quickly, but its force was memorable. She moved up the bed, stretched out on her back and pulled his head to her chest. “Did that feel good?” she asked. Acacia and Louise both used that stupid question. “Totally unbelievable,” he said. “I had no idea. I’ve never come like that. You were amazing.” She smiled. No wonder her friends asked that question. She was learning fast. Learning how he worked. And hadn’t those been serial orgasms? Just two, but that could easily become habit forming. She was learning how she worked, too. “You know, Frank, we should really write a nice ‘thank you’ note to Doctor Soeur. Tonight’s sex has been wonderful. I could get used to doing this.” “Oh, shit!” he quoted her. Then he added, “Only on days that end in ‘Y’.” “Week ten starts tomorrow. I’ve got some ideas for enjoying the celibacy,” she thought, remembering Louise’s games with Tom. “We should talk about that tomorrow, OK?” “Remind me about taking next Wednesday off,” he said. “OK,” she agreed. She didn’t think he would need a reminder.

45 Being New after The Plan

Louise had enjoyed the tulips in the gardens as she drove to The Rose. Tulips after winter felt like sex after abstinence. That gave her an idea. An idea about building his anticipation. Tuesday, May 3, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. “End-of-week ten tonight?” Louise asked Maxine. “Oh, shit. Yeah,” Maxine agreed. “Oral or PIV?” Louise asked. “I guess it’s his choice,” Maxine answered. “Good to know his choice,” Louise said, “but the gentleman will let the lady choose, you know.” Maxine stared at Louise, digesting her comment.

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Louise added, “And ‘both’ is always a good compromise between this or that.” Maxine was trying to come to terms with ‘the gentleman letting the lady choose.’ She added ‘both’ and ‘compromise’ to her confusion. “I’m going to visit Doctor Soeur again,” Acacia invented, changing the subject. “Anything I should tell her?” Maxine forgot her confusion. “Tell her that I love her,” Maxine said. “She saved my marriage. She taught us to talk. She taught me how to teach him. She taught him how to please me. Tell her...” Maxine couldn’t finish. She was so in debt to Doctor Soeur. “Wait a minute,” Maxine decided. “I know. Tell her just this. Tell her that this frigid wife made him take tomorrow off so they could spend their first day after The Plan in bed fucking. I think that explains how I feel.” “Wow!” Acacia exclaimed. “Really?” “Really,” Maxine answered. “I figured that five years of bad mar- riage cost me maybe a thousand orgasms. We’ll be making up for some of them tomorrow. How many times can a girl come in a day?” “Good question,” Louise said. “What do you think, Ace?” Acacia’s eyebrows approached each other. “Maybe that’s going to depend on him. I’d say three in one day is a lot for a man. A girl might come four or five times for each one of his.” “Yes, that’s...” Louise started and stopped. She looked intently at Acacia. Then at Maxine. “Coolidge!” Louise’s excitement was obvious. Her partners wanted to know what part Coolidge had to play. “Refractory period. Being new. I think a woman with several outfits could make her man come several times.” “Once for each outfit?” Acacia wondered. She thought about it. “Interesting theory, Ms. Wilson,” Acacia said. “I wonder if Ms. Gulden could perform a test for us.” “Outfits, guys,” Ms. Gulden pointed out. “I don’t have that much to wear. My demi bras all show pretty much the same skin.” Louise looked at her watch. “We could be at the mall by six if we left now.” She got the change purse out of her purse. 45 Being New after The Plan 659

“Change so you can call Tom?” Acacia asked. “Uh huh,” Louise agreed. Acacia took a little silvery plastic thing out of her purse. “I’ve been meaning to show you this,” she said. She flipped her new cell phone open and dialed Herman. Herman would call Tom and Frank. The women would be back about eight. Maxine left a twenty dollar bill on the table, absurdly over- paying for their three unfinished drinks. Three excited shoppers were in Louise’s car, where they decided that Sintilla’s should come first, the mall second. Tuesday, 5/3/05, 6:05 P. M. Shopping in Steel. “Camille!” Louise greeted the Sintilla’s clerk that had sold her the ted- dies. (She read her name tag this time.) “Just the person I need.” “Oh, yes. I remember,” Camille said. “Teddies. You were shopping with your husband. How may I help you?” “My friend Maxine needs something sexy to wear for her hubby,” Louise answered her. “Hmm,” Camille said, studying Maxine. While Camille looked at Maxine, Louise was watching Camille. Yes, Louise thought to herself, definitely into women. “Right this way,” Camille said, leading them to the lingerie rack. She picked out the same cupless teddy that Louise had ‘tested’ for its attrac- tional value. Camille held it over Maxine’s chest being a bit careless, per- haps, about where she touched her customer. Louise noticed. Louise didn’t think Camille was being careless. “Just perfect for those sexy big boobs, Max,” Louise said. Then she added, making trouble, “She is sexy, don’t you think, Camille?” Camille was clearly flustered. She blushed. Were these women all... They had husbands, but some do, she thought. “Body stockings?” she suggested, recovering her focus and pointing out the display. Maxine thumbed through the boxes. The body stockings came packaged. Camille would not be holding them up. The models on the box covers all had D- cup or bigger tits, Maxine thought. Photoshop? She wondered. She picked out two. 660 Explicitly Sexy III

While Maxine looked at body stockings, Camille searched through the lingerie rack. She found a crotchless panty. Maxine liked it. “Got something to wear with it, Camille?” Louise asked. She drew circles around her own nipples. “Maybe an open nipple bra?” Camille found one. “I think we’ve got more in back. Would you like one for yourself?” she asked Louise. “I’ll come back soon,” Louise promised. They were about to leave when Camille remembered. “Wait, we just had a new item come in. It will be perfect for Maxine.” She brought out a not-quite opaque garter slip with matching thong. “I want one of those,” Acacia said. “Petites?” “Sorry,” Camille answered. “One size.” “Oh, shit,” Acacia said, quoting Maxine. Maxine bought the teddy, body stockings, the crotchless/nippleless pair and the garter slip/thong outfit. She was surprised to see the total was less than a hundred dollars. She would spend almost four times that on two corsets from Gymbals. Five times if she included the stockings. And then there were the treasures from a hasty visit to Vicky’s Whispers. On the way back Acacia tried, repeatedly, to call Herman. She was unsuccessful until they were in range of the La Pierre tower. Tuesday, 5/3/05, 8:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s home. They dropped Acacia in front. She rang the bell. “Max told us you were vacationing tomorrow,” Acacia told Frank. “We dragged her to the mall for some clothes.” Frank said they weren’t planning on going anywhere. “That’s what she said,” Acacia agreed. “But we still thought she should have something nice to wear. Why don’t you show me your kitchen?” As he led her to the kitchen, she confessed, “You know I’m just the decoy here to get you out of the way, right?” He said that it had occurred to him that this was possible. “I think Max and Lou will be sneaking the new clothes upstairs in just a minute. Pretend you don’t notice.” They both didn’t notice the sound of two women and three large shopping bags coming in the front door, through the parlor and up to the bedroom. 45 Being New after The Plan 661

Louise came down in a few minutes. “Ace?” she asked, loudly, in the parlor. Acacia and Frank reappeared from the kitchen. “I’ll give you a lift back to your car, Ace,” Louise told her. Then she turned to Frank. “Max- ine said she’d come and get you as soon as she was ready, Frank.” Tuesday, 5/3/05, 8:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. Maxine had tried on each of her new purchases, carefully removed tags and put them away for tomorrow. That left tonight. This was their last day on The Plan. They were at end-of-week ten. Tonight should be spe- cial. What...? She had wondered. She had decided that less would be more. She wore her transparent robe and her mules. Nothing else. He was sitting on the couch when she came down the stairs. He turned toward the top of the stairs when he heard her. “Oh fuck. You are unbelievably sexy,” he said. “You like this look?” she asked. “Totally sexy,” he said. “It just screams, ‘let’s fuck.’ And we can finally do it. We can fuck.” “Why don’t you make us drinks. We’re still on The Plan, you know.” He got her gin and tonic with a slice, his scotch and soda. She made it harder for him to concentrate. She stood behind him and rubbed his back with her breasts while he tried to pour. She smiled when the soda splashed on the counter. Then she led him back to the couch. “I’ve got an idea, Frank,” she said. “I kind of like the way we’ve been sitting together here on The Plan. I’d like to keep doing this. Sit. Sip. Thank each other. Talk a little. Tease a little. Then shower and to bed. Does that work for you?” He said it was a good tradition. Sitting, sipping and talking was good. Showers were good. Bed was good and would be getting better. She stroked the erection that was tenting his soft pants. Being stroked was another thing he liked. “Thank you for being on The Plan with me, Frank,” she began the formula. “The Plan has really worked for us. My wife is as sexy as she looks,” he said. She smiled. She smiled because she knew he meant it. And she felt it. 662 Explicitly Sexy III

Tuesday, 5/3/05, 9:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. She started with a little oral for him, halted when he got close. Then two strong orgasms from his tongue for her. This was finished, going as slowly as possible, with some basic missionary-position fucking. She stopped whenever he said he was close. She massaged his buttocks gently each time they stopped. “Feeling like a man?” she would ask him. He agreed completely. “You’re making me feel like a woman,” she encouraged him. She loved the feel of the muscles in his rear when he was pumping into her. Ace was so right about palms and asses. She liked the full feel- ing when he was all the way in. And the feeling when his corona rubbed her G-spot. Eventually she asked for her vibrator. She slid it between them. “Now fuck me, Frank. Slow as you can, but don’t stop. Tell me just before you come.” She was on the edge herself. Being fucked was sexy. It was keeping her turned on. He pumped slowly. He was determined to last. It was what a man should do, he thought. And she was so right about it feeling good. He didn’t want it to end. Neither had any idea how much time passed. They both thought that it was time when he finally said, “I think I’m going to come.” She turned her vibrator on. He came almost immediately. She was just one contrac- tion behind. Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 6:05 A. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. The sun would be up in a quarter of an hour. She sat at her dressing table, planning. White corset with white stockings for starters. White panties over the garters. Very bridal. This time would not be like the first time. What about shoes? Oh shit, she thought. Then she changed her mind. She was glad she hadn’t done shoes. That could have added a hundred dollars to the cost of each outfit. And shoes would be left on the floor when they went to bed. The Agent Provocateur corsets were extravagant enough. And they didn’t cover what you didn’t want covered in bed. No need to take one off until you were ready for something new. 45 Being New after The Plan 663

Her thoughts drifted back to Tuesday evening. Yes, they could do it again. Missionary position would be good for a bride and groom. Espe- cially for a bride and groom that knew how to please each other. Espe- cially for a bride wearing a demi-bra corset that pushed her big tits out and up. Planning! She ordered herself. You’ve got to have a plan, bitch. What came after the bridal fuck? How often should he come? Plan. Maybe breakfast. Then what? Maybe the open nipple bra with the crotch- less panties. They promised sex. No, they screamed SEX! That would be good. Probably get his motor running again. Then... Wednesday, 5/4/05, 7:10 A. M. Maxine and Frank’s home. She had kept her bathrobe wrapped tightly around her while they made coffee. He saw the white legs but had no hint what else might be under the robe until they were ready to sit down together in the parlor. Her bridal corset (and the breasts it pushed up) stiffened him immediately after he helped her out of her robe. “Going to get it right, this time?” he asked. “I want this to be our first time, Frank. We’ll just erase the first one, OK?” They sat down together and drank their coffee. He drank in her cleavage. He was the luckiest man alive. His bride was not bashful. She did not blush. She asked him to eat her when he told her he was close to coming. She came twice before they started fucking again. She came twice more the next time he said he was close. She used her vibrator and they came together for his first, her fifth. “Did that feel good?” she asked him. “That was the hottest sex any man ever had,” he told her. “Oh, shit. I don’t know what we could possibly do next,” she pre- tended. His bride would become his whore. Being new, she thought. Completely new. He untied and unlaced the corset. “Why don’t you start breakfast and I’ll see if I can find something to wear,” she suggested. 664 Explicitly Sexy III

After breakfast they had returned to the couch in the parlor with orange juices, just squeezed. He helped her out of her bathrobe. From behind he saw but didn’t understand the thick line where the two halves of her panties met. He started to stiffen again when she turned and he saw her nipples so obscenely framed. She pulled her panties open as she sat down. He was amazed. She invited him to kiss her. He asked which lips she wanted kissed. “Both,” she compromised. She came twice more before they fin- ished their orange juices. And twice again after he took her back to bed. His second of the day was in his whore’s mouth. They visited The Rose Café for an early lunch. Burgers and fries. Not health food, but they would burn the calories. They talked about corsets and crotchless panties. “Is this what you went to the mall for?” he asked. She told him that Sintilla’s had played a part, as well as the mall. “That was fantastic,” he said. “The innocent bride or the open-crotched whore?” she asked. “Both,” he said. “You’re sexier than I ever imagined,” he told her. She smiled because she knew he meant it. And we’re not done yet, she said to herself. She wasn’t going to let her friends down. They expected her to test their theory about being new. She wanted to be sure that it was adequately tested. Even if it meant enduring a lot more orgasms. She owed it to them. ‘Oh, shit,’ she said to herself, ‘I’m starting to think like Louise.’ She smiled. Orgasms were better with foreplay and cuddling. She liked thinking like Louise. “I’ve got to ask you for your help,” she told him. He volunteered. “I’ve got another little item I’d like you to look at, but it’s really hard to put it on without help, so I can’t surprise you in it.” He was willing to help, he promised. At her insistence, he fixed drinks and they sat on the couch together, though it was midday. They thanked each other. They were no longer on The Plan. Today was their destination, she pointed out. They showered again. He had been soft when the shower started, but was showing defi- nite signs of interest before they got to the bedroom. She had him start by helping her into her stockings. Then she got out the black, half-cup corset. He saw immediately that this was not a com- mon garment. She showed him how to hook the busk and then do the laces. After each pass on the laces he looked at the front again. Each time 45 Being New after The Plan 665 he looked at her breasts pushed still higher above the cups. At her waist shrinking as the corset got tighter. The new garment had passed its test. The male refractory period had been arrested. He had made love to her breasts, especially the nipples, for almost an hour. He had used his fingers to bring her to two orgasms and then tongue and fingers on her G-spot together brought her to two more. She showed her appreciation by applying her tongue to his frenum while her hands played with his balls. His orgasm had less semen, she noticed, but no fewer contractions. Time for a bodystocking, she decided. She chased him out of their bedroom so she could ‘get comfortable.’ Her friends had said that men generally welcomed providing a bit of time for their women to ‘get com- fortable.’ They were right, again. She chose the bodystocking with the open crotch. It was split from the waist in back to a point just above the mons in front. It had a halter neck that was split down to the navel. She topped it with her transparent robe and mules. It was midafternoon when she went downstairs. He was leafing through the County Press. She walked through the parlor on her way to the kitchen. Had he not noticed? she wondered. Or was three the limit for a man’s day? Then she heard, “Oh, my god.” coming from the doorway. Appar- ently he had looked up after she had passed him. Apparently, three was not the limit. She turned toward him, pushed the robe behind herself putting her hands on her hips. “You like what you see?” It was more of a challenge than a question. “You are unfucking believable,” he told her. She sauntered past him, stroking his now stiff cock on the way by. “You want to come upstairs with me, Big Guy?” she asked. He swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. For a moment she thought she might be getting raped. She thought a rape might be nice. The slow, gentlemanly sort of rape, of course. He lay her in the center of their bed. She pulled the bodystocking’s neckline wider, showing more skin. Her breasts were delicious, he thought. He kissed, licked and sucked lustfully. Before the rape was over, he had come for the fourth time. She had come four more times. She thought about her friends as she cuddled into 666 Explicitly Sexy III his strong shoulder. She thought about the cupless teddy. And about the not-quite opaque garter slip. Perhaps dinner first, she thought. They returned to The Rose for sustenance. Rose greeted and seated them. “Does she actually let you play with them?” Rose asked Frank. Her stare left no doubt about what ‘them’ meant. “Sometimes,” Maxine answered for Frank. “If he’s been very good.” Rose rubbed Maxine’s shoulders. “I can be very good, you know,” Rose said. “Just ask Jillian.” “You’re a married woman,” Maxine reminded her. “We have a lot in common, Maxine,” Rose parried. Their meals arrived and Phil arrived, too, with two glasses of red wine. “On the house,” he said. “Boss’s orders.” On returning home, Maxine asked Frank to fix them drinks while she ‘got comfortable.’ He remarked about her seemingly limitless supply of outfits. But he made no effort to dissuade her from ‘getting comfortable.’ She returned wearing mules, stockings and the cheap, obscene, cup- less teddy. She was pleased to see that Louise’s research regarding its attractional value was confirmed as they sipped their drinks and once again thanked each other for committing to The Plan. Her hand on his crotch made him very appreciative of The Plan. Appreciative of her, too. Their day ended with three more orgasms for her and a fifth for him. The garter slip and the second body stocking would have to wait for another day. Friday, May 6, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. “This testing of attractional values can be exhausting work,” Maxine opened the subject after Jillian set their margaritas down. “But I think your ‘being new’ theory has some merit. I’m willing to pursue additional testing if you like.” Her listeners looked at each other. They smiled at each other. It looked like situational FSAD was in the rear view mirror. Maybe com- pletely out of sight behind them. “I think you should tell us the full story, Max,” the attorney said. “Yes,” the teacher/agent agreed. “The full story, and don’t leave out any details.” 45 Being New after The Plan 667

Maxine laughed. “Was I that horny?” she asked. Her friends assured her that she had, indeed, been that horny. “Well,” she said and she began with the bridal corset outfit. Friday, 5/6/05, 7:20 P. M. Outside The Rose Café. “That was fantastic, Max,” Acacia praised their new raconteur’s stories. They had listened to Maxine’s story of five different ensembles. Each had ignited his fire. It was highly unscientific, they agreed, but it seemed likely that the ‘being new’ theory had merit. Acacia remembered that she had speculated about three orgasms for the male. Her friends remembered but were kind enough not to say anything. Maxine had not remembered how often she came with each ensem- ble. She had been pretty sure that the average was near four. When told that four times five was twenty she agreed. “Yeah,” she had said. “Twenty give or take one or two. About that.” Louise remembered seven in a long afternoon with Tom. Acacia had got this started with her tale of just three in an evening with Herman. Maxine thought that she’d made a good start on the thousand she had missed during the last five years. She asked her Kinky friend for an idea for something to try this evening.

46 Would You Like a Kiss?

The best weather in the Michigan year often comes in May. Warm days precede cool evenings. A few decorative clouds dance in blue skies. This was one of those days. Tuesday, May 10, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Café. While they waited for Acacia, the talk turned to Maxine’s new home. “It’s started to look like a barn with a ranch in front, Max.” “They tell me I can get a tour next week,” Maxine said. “I think it will be great,” Louise said, “but right now I hate it. 7 A.M to 7 P. M. our quiet country home is in the middle of the most awful racket. Tom says the noise stops next week, except for the landscaping work.” “Sorry,” Maxine apologized.

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“Don’t be,” Louise assured her. “I can’t wait for you to open your pool. It will all be worth it when we go for our first swim.” Acacia arrived. Margaritas arrived. “I have something to say,” Maxine announced.“I followed your script Friday, Lou.” Acacia asked, “What script?” “After you left, Ace,” Louise answered, “Max bugged me for ideas. I suggested she try her sexiest underwear, hidden under baggy sweats to confuse him. One garment at a time being removed, by way of explana- tion and arousal.” “Max is right, Lou,” Acacia said, respectfully. “You are a kinky bitch.” “Oh, pish tosh,” Louise said, declining the compliment. “That wasn’t all,” Maxine explained to Acacia. “I was supposed to promise him a handjob in return for oral for myself. At least three orgasms for me. Sounded pretty greedy, to me.” “If you think it’s greedy, he’ll think it’s hot,” Louise explained the differing viewpoints. “It’s softer if you ask a question, like, ‘Can you make me come three times?’ Men love challenges.” “Did you try it?” Acacia asked, rather surprised at the strength of Louise’s script. “Yeah.” Maxine’s answer was hard to read. “And?” Louise’s curiosity was not hard to read. “He really does love to make me come. Sometimes its hard to count a run of serial orgasms. Not sure if it was three or four or maybe five for me. “His handjob didn’t last for as long as I wanted, but it wasn’t too fast. Afterward, he said it was the best sex of his life.” “Men do like to make their women come,” Acacia said. She was thinking that she was remiss in her wifely duties. Herman hadn’t made her come much this year. Maxine saw marital relations in a new light. She said, “I think I’m retiring the phrase ‘conniving bitch.’ You really were doing your wifely duties. I see that now.” 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 671

Louise smiled and kissed her cheek. Acacia was next. “Kinky?” she started, respectfully. “Yes?” “You’re inspiring me.” “Thank you, Ms. Donovan,” Louise answered. Louise and Acacia exchanged very warm smiles. Louise had found the right psychologist. Louise and Herman had met with Doctor Rubin. Acacia’s first appointment was tomorrow afternoon. “And you’re inspiring me too, Max,” Acacia added. “Maybe you could tell us about what you wore under your sweats? And how he reacted as you took them off?” Louise agreed. “Absolutely! And tell us how you told him that you wanted three? And when it was over, did you ask him if it felt good? Was that when he told you how good it was?” “Maybe you could take it from the beginning, Max,” Acacia sug- gested. “All the details.” Acacia and Louise had so many questions that they were started on their second round before Maxine even told them how he reacted when she started taking her sweats off. Tuesday, 5/10/05, 6:50 P. M. Outside the Rose Café. Louise sensed that both her friends had something to ask, or something to say. What to do? She thought perhaps Ace needs a hug and some reassur- ance? That could be second. Better be honest. “I want a private word with Ace, Max. You’ve got something on your mind?” “Just trying to figure out what I’m going to do when I get home, Lou.” “Feeling horny, Sexy? Or have you had enough?” “Shit. I’m always horny. Does a farmer want rain after a five-year drought?” “What do you think, Ace?” Louise asked. “Should we feed her some ideas or should we make her figure it out on her own?” 672 Explicitly Sexy III

Acacia’s eyebrows knitted together. “Maybe an idea for tonight, Lou, but the next two are on her own.” Louise smiled. Nice compromise, she thought. “Want one that always works out for me, Max?” “Of course I do!” “Tell him it’s his turn,” Louise said. “What?” “You sit together and chat for starters, right?” Louise asked. “Yeah, we do.” “Well, while you sit together tell him that tonight it’s his turn. He gets whatever he wants, however he wants it. He owns you for the evening. Totally unpredictable result, but often very interesting.” Maxine stared at Louise. “You really are a kinky bitch, Wilson,” she said, thinking about telling Frank that it was his turn. Then she added, “That’s why I love you. Thanks.” Maxine headed for home. Louise turned to Acacia and opened her arms. “Come here, wee colleen.” Louise had guessed right. Acacia needed a hug. “Thinking about tomorrow?” Louise asked. “Exactly.” “Don’t worry,” Louise assured her. “It won’t hurt. I wouldn’t expect too much. Probably some getting-to-know-you chatter. She’ll want you to get comfortable talking to her. You’ll probably want to get comfort- able, too.” Louise’s hug made Acacia feel better. Secure. Acacia returned Louise’s hug. “Thank you, Lou. I’m lucky to have a friend like you.” “You were there for me when I needed help, Ace. It’s what friends do.” Louise was very happy. Happy to be hugged and to be hugging. Happy to be helping. Tuesday, 5/10/05, 9:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. Her heart was racing. It had been her third orgasm of the evening. 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 673

“Oh, shit, Frank. You’re getting good with your tongue. Fuck.” His right index finger drew lazy circles around her areolas. “What about you, Frank? It’s your turn tonight.” “I just had my turn,” he said. “That was what I really wanted to do. It’s very satisfying, you know. Makes a man feel good about himself.” “You could fuck me, if you like,” she suggested. “God knows I’m wet enough. Or a little oral? And I’m pretty good with my fingers, too.” “Can I just kiss your boobs?” he asked, proceeding as if she had said ‘yes.’ She ran her fingers through his hair. His lips felt good on her nipples. “Don’t you want to come?” she asked. “Sometimes if the entree’s perfect I’ll skip desert,” he said. “I should have been making you come like that all along.” “Oh, shit,” she said. “I should have told you how to do it all along.” “Glad we went on The Plan, Maxine. Better late than never.” “You sure you don’t want desert?” “Yeah, I’m sure. After-dinner mints are perfect tonight.” He licked and sucked her mints. “You know what, though?” he asked. She didn’t know. “Maybe tomorrow should be your turn. I’ll have an extra day’s worth in my nuts. Give you something to work with.” She ran her hands through his hair as he nibbled on her mints. “OK,” she said, thinking about calling Louise for some advice. Then she remembered Ace saying, ‘an idea for tonight, but the next two are on her own.’ She was on her own. OK. I’m on my own, she thought. I’ll think of something. Friday, May 13, 2005, 4:55 P. M. The Rose Café. “If you want to tell me about Doctor Rubin,” Louise had told Acacia, “I could be there five minutes early.” After Acacia agreed, Louise had called Maxine and asked her to be five minutes late. Just in case. Louise and Acacia were punctual. Coming from different directions they had met outside the door. After telling Jillian they would wait for Maxine, Louise leaned close for a private chat. 674 Explicitly Sexy III

“It started just like you said, Lou. She wanted it comfortable. She poured some sort of magic ‘comfortable sauce’ over us.” “I remember when I met her,” Louise said. “I hadn’t noticed but I guess she poured some of that sauce on me, too. I guess that’s the busi- ness of a good psychologist.” “Exactly,” Acacia agreed. “But I think you underestimated her. It didn’t take her fifteen minutes before she had me blabbing away about stuff I’d never told anyone. I was amazed. Afterward I felt really good about it. She didn’t tell me what to do. Just listened. Another thing a good psychologist can be is non-judgmental. She’s good. I owe you one, Lou.” Louise smiled. She was delighted. “Going back soon?” “Twice a week,” Acacia told her. “I’m looking forward to it.” Then she added, “Your wee colleen has been a total idiot when it comes to her- self, Lou. I should have done this years ago.” Louise smiled and looked around for Jillian. When she made eye contact she held up three fingers. This was going to be a pleasant evening. When Maxine arrived, her margarita was already sitting at her place, waiting for her. She raised it and toasted, “Here’s to my favorite bitches!” The three friends drank to that somewhat unorthodox praise. Then Acacia raised her glass again. Maxine and Louise raised theirs and waited. “Triskaidekaphobia,” Acacia toasted. “I’ll drink to that,” Maxine agreed. “What would you have done if she’d said, ‘celibacy,’ Max?” Louise wanted to know. “Spoilsport,” Maxine complained. “I’m in the mood for drinking. A little wastin’ away again in Margaritaville.” “How’d your Tuesday evening turn out?” Louise changed subjects. “Oh, shit. You really know how to make trouble, Wilson.” From the tone of voice, Wilson judged that it was a good sort of trou- ble. “You want to be more specific, Gulden?” she asked. “Well, I told him it was his night, like you suggested,” Maxine answered, starting to get specific. “You know what he did?” Neither 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 675

Louise nor Acacia knew what he had done. “He ate me to three orgasms in a row. He barely let me catch my breath between them.” Louise looked at Acacia. They both grinned. Men do like to make their women come. “And when it was his turn, Max?” Louise asked. “He didn’t want a turn. Said he didn’t want to spoil it. Said he would skip desert.” “Oh my goodness,” Louise said. This was surprising. “I pressed him, but he was happy. He was happily nibbling my tits, to be exact. I was happy being nibbled. We’d fall asleep that way, but he said something before we drifted off.” “He said something?” Acacia repeated. “You’re not teasing us, are you Max?” “Oh, alright. He said that Wednesday it was my turn.” Louise was delighted. This story just kept getting better. They were lovers having sex like lovers. Not three months back this marriage was nearly over. “So what did you do for your turn, Sexy?” she asked. “The first thing I thought of was calling you, Kinky. But then I remembered what the Ace had said. One evening’s advice and then I was on my own. So, ‘what am I gonna do?’ I ask myself.” Two listeners were now on the edges of their chairs, leaning forward so Maxine could speak privately. Maxine enjoyed the attention. She waited a bit and then went on. “I went back to Sintilla’s. Bought another totally slutty teddy and three cock rings. Wasn’t sure what size we’d need, so I made sure we had one that fit.” The listeners on the edges of their chairs were totally focused. “Greeted him in teddy with robe and mules. Told him it was my night and I wanted my bartender naked. On the couch I made sure he had a good view of my tits and my cunnie, through the teddy’s split crotch. Stroked his hard on ever so gently. He must have taken his eye off me for a moment. Maybe to cool down. ‘What are those?’ he asked about the rings on the coffee table. “I told him, ‘It’s my night, isn’t it?’ Then I picked up the rings. It looked like the smallest one would fit. It would be tight, but I wanted it tight. Got him to help me put him into it. 676 Explicitly Sexy III

“Upstairs to shower. He didn’t deflate. I guess the cock ring keeps the blood from leaving, once it’s in the cock. As I washed him I told him that he was going to finger me to my first, oral me to my second and fuck me while I got my third from my vibrator.” Louise squealed with delight. Acacia nodded her head and said, very seriously, “I am impressed.” Maxine continued. “Well, he used his fingers. The whole scene had made me so hot it didn’t take long. Then oral. It was spectacular, though it was pretty quick, too. Then he stuck it inside me. I told him to tell me when he got close. He said he was already close so I turned my vibrator on and slid it in between us. We came together. It was explosive.” Louise kissed her cheek. “Can I ask you for ideas from now on, Sexy?” Louise asked. She was serious. Acacia offered a correction to her previous. “Make that ‘very’ impressed, Max. Very impressive.” Maxine smiled. She smiled at the memory. She smiled at her friends’ approval. She finally thought that ‘Sexy’ referred to more than just her chest. After the second round arrived, Louise wanted to hear all about Thursday evening. Unfortunately, it was a very short story. Maxine explained, “He stayed in Detroit. Marketing Department din- ner last night and breakfast with the designers this morning. I told him that I wasn’t the only thing in life he should pay attention to. “Anyway I’m going to have my friend before he gets home.” “You cut him off when you get your period?” Acacia asked. “It’s time for those premature ejaculation exercises, Ace. You know, where I bring him to the edge and I squeeze the base of his cock to close the urethra so he can’t come. It’s becoming a fun game. I try to be so sexy he comes, and he tries to hold it back, telling me to stop at the last second. We’re up to five in a row without coming. Give us three days and maybe we’ll get to ten.” It was Louise’s turn to be impressed. “Any woman can have fun between periods. But it takes a little creativity to make use of all the days of the month. You really are sexy, Sexy.” “Oh shit,” Maxine said, remembering something. Louise prodded her. “I’m not sure I should even say this,” Maxine hedged. Louise assured her that sharing was a good thing. Acacia agreed. 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 677

“Well,” Maxine started, clearing her throat, “remember when Lou told us about divorcing Tom?” she asked, directing the question to Aca- cia. Acacia wasn’t sure that returning there was a good idea.”She was adjusting,” Acacia responded. “That was some seriously bad news, you know.” “Yeah,” Max agreed. “But remember about the stockings? I stole that idea. Taught Frank. I guess you could say we’re carrying on your tradi- tion, Kinky. You were right about it being sexy. Makes Frank all kinds of hot. Makes me hot, too. I’m sorry Lou. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Louise laughed. “It was hot,” she said, “and it still is. I went back to Diedrika. We ruined quite a few stockings before she got it just right. Now she sows them shut with a bit of flat elastic under the stumps. Tom still loves to nibble just above the stockings. You should try it, Ace.” “Sometimes I still do the ‘get comfortable’ thing,” Maxine explained, “but he really loves to help me dress. Not just stockings. Bras, panties, anything. Especially corsets.” Acacia’s eyebrows almost merged into one as she digested this. “Dressing as foreplay? I can see how that could be hot. How did you get him started?” “Shopping,” Maxine was positive. “Men don’t do shopping, but dressing rooms in lingerie seem to be an exception. Ask him if he’d like to help when you get home.” “You bitches really are kinky,” Acacia complimented her friends. “Gymbals or Vicky’s Whispers?” she asked. “Do what Kinky, does,” Maxine answered. “Compromise. Both.” Having said as much as she cared to say about her sex life, Max- ine turned the conversation to her new home. Louise told her that it was moving quickly. The good weather had helped. The buildings were all enclosed, including the greenhouse and the pool inside it. Topsoil had been spread, ready for seeding. Jim still said the home would be ready for moving in by the first of June. Louise was excited. She had ordered ‘mermaid feet’ (waterproof prosthetics fitted with swim fins) from her prostheses company. They should arrive before the month was over. She might model for them. 678 Explicitly Sexy III

Acacia was excited, too. As soon as Maxine moved out, renovations would start on the Victorian that would become her new home, and on the carriage house that would be her new office. At the rate she was pro- gressing, her new mistress bath might be home to a Bitch Goddess before the summer was over. She looked forward to more ‘relaxing’ in her own whirlpool. Saturday, May 21, 2005, 9:40 P. M. The mistress bedroom. “What would please me right now is to have your cock buried in my pussy,” Louise told him. He was hugging her tightly. He reluctantly loosened his grip. Then stood up. She tossed the paddle half way toward Venus, then slid into the middle of the bed. She held out her arms. He was groggy, full of dopamine, endorphins and adrenalin. “Turn toward the wall,” she ordered. He did, not knowing why she wanted him to. It didn’t seem like it would help employ his cock. “It really is red,” she said, referring to his rear. “You poor baby. Come fuck me.” He positioned himself over her. She directed the head of his cock into her vagina. “All the way in,” she ordered, giving his rear an encour- aging blow from her paddle. He moaned and sank into her. She played her flute when he was buried. Then hit his rear with her paddle and played her flute again. “Get the finger vibes,” she ordered. He got the toys from the headboard. “One for me and one for you,” she told him, taking one and putting it on her left forefinger. “Use yours on my clit. But not until you’re going to come. I’m already on the edge.” She turned her vibe on. Next time he was fully buried she ordered him to hold still. She played her flute and spanked him with the paddle at the same time. He was lost in pain and pleasure like nothing he had ever experienced. “Hold still,” she said and slowly circled his anus with a vibrating fingertip. “Oh, fuck! I’m coming!” he said, pulling out and then slamming into her. He applied his vibrating fingertip to her clitoris. “Oh, fuck yes!” she exclaimed. Her flute playing was no longer needed. She was contracting hard on his cock. “Hold still,” she ordered 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 679 him. She wanted to enjoy the last throbs from the cock inside her. She encouraged the throbs with final spanks from her paddle. Eventually the spanks became love taps. Her vibrating fingertip con- tinued its erotic circles on his anus, getting the final throbs from his cock. “No more,” she said. He pulled his hand out from between them and turned his vibe off. She dropped the paddle and stroked his rear gently. “Me on top?” she asked when her heart rate was low enough for words. He understood. He rolled over, holding her so she ended on top, her face on his shoulder. They lay quietly. Eventually she asked, “Did that feel good?” “I’ve never...” He couldn’t find words to finish the thought. “Is your ass sore?” she asked. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Was that too cruel? I was waiting for your safe word, you know.” “Dole pineapple,” he said, letting her know that he still remembered. “But you didn’t want me to stop?” she asked. She had started with just her hand. With gentle love taps. She had tapped for several minutes before turning the taps into real spanks. She had asked him to leave her lap, kneel in front of her and eat her. After coming twice she had taken him back over her knees and picked up the paddle. Each spank had been a bit harder than the last. Each had been spaced by gentle caresses soothing his reddening skin. Each had been placed just a bit farther down than the last, slowly finding the very tender skin at the tops of his thighs. Before she had stopped the spanking had become very serious blows from the paddle. Very painful, followed by erotic caresses of his rear that chased the pain away with feelings of raw lust. The caresses had started on top of his cheeks but migrated in until the final ones were on his anus. It had been so erotic! He remembered the caresses. He remembered the way she would bring him from pain to the peak of lust. Then she would pick up the paddle. He felt nothing. He knew the pain was com- ing. She let his fear build before each paddle strike. Her blows had become harder as she went along. But his body had adjusted to the pain by releasing endorphins. It was a small price to pay 680 Explicitly Sexy III for the erotic caresses. And he couldn’t remember how many times she had ordered him to eat her. Four, he thought. Or was it five? Finally he could speak again. “That wasn’t cruel, Mistress. That was the most erotic thing I’ve ever known.“ She kissed him. She stroked his cheek. “You made me so hot, Thomas. You were so good to your mistress. She was sorry to interrupt so often but her pussy needed its relief, it was so hot. Would you like me to rub some lotion into your poor, red ass?” “No, Mistress. I can still feel some of the sting. It’s a good memory.” “When did you know I was going to push us further than before?” she asked. He thought about the question. “It was what you said about warming up, Mistress. You said that you’d read about warming up slowly. You were still really gentle so I could still think. After you said it I realized that ‘read about it’ wasn’t just flipping through the County Press. I real- ized you were doing some serious online research.” “Yes,” she agreed. “I had been doing my homework. Learning about endorphins and other spanking stuff that goes on in your body.” “Lots of stuff went on in my body. Like I’d taken big doses of lots of drugs. I was pretty high there, for a bit.” She digested this. She knew it should happen. Especially if she went slow. She wanted to learn more. And part of her wasn’t quite done. “Thomas, I want you to do something for me. Are you able to do two things at once?” “Two things?” he asked. “Yes,” she said, sliding off him, lying on her back. “Give me a hand.” She took the hand he offered. “Put it here.” She placed it between her legs. “Now draw circles, slow and gentle circles, on my clit.” He liked pleasuring her. “Oh, yes,” she said. His finger felt so good. Almost soothing. “Now tell me about it from the beginning. Maybe from just before I told you I’d been studying spanking.” She closed her eyes as he began. ‘Yes,’ she thought, ‘this will be interesting.’ 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 681

Tuesday, May 24, 2005, 5:05 P. M. The Rose Café. Maxine no longer asked her friends, ‘What do I do tonight?’ questions. She could make up her own mind. Nor did she ask her husband, ‘Are you in the mood?’ questions. He always was. Doctor Soeur’s four-times-a- week claim had proven a conservative estimate. But she was still an eager student. “I’m thinking about broadening our horizons,” Maxine said. “So tell me, how do you know if he’ll like this or that?” “Where ‘this or that’ are things you haven’t tried?” Acacia asked for clarification. “Yeah,” Maxine agreed. Louise smiled. “Want to know the secret technique?” she asked. “Hell yes, Kinky.” Louise smiled. She leaned forward and beckoned Maxine to get closer, too. This was a deep secret. “You ask him,” Louise said. “That’s some big fucking secret, you bitch,” Maxine complained. Acacia smiled. “Listen to Kinky, Max. Ask her to tell you more.” Maxine was skeptical, but she asked Louise for more. “You can’t just ask over supper,” Louise explained. “You want to open his mind before you ask. You want your answers from deep inside. So get him good and stiff before you ask him. He’ll tell you anything when he’s good and stiff. “And there’s another time, too. Ask him in the afterward as his cock is deflating. Ask, ‘Was that good?’ and ‘Suppose I had done...?’ If ‘Sup- pose I had done...?’ gets a little twitch from his cock, you have your answer. If you ask him when he’s still stiff you should look for a throb for your answer. “Either/or questions are always interesting, too,” Louise went on. “Try, ‘If we were going to try spanking, would you be the spanker or the spankee?’ And watch his cock for an answer.” Maxine had listened carefully. She realized that this was exactly what she wanted to know. “Thanks,” she said. “You really are a kinky bitch, Kinky.” 682 Explicitly Sexy III

“A year ago, Max,” the kinky bitch said, thoughtfully, “I would have thought that was an insult. Now when I hear it I know it’s a compliment. Just about the nicest thing a man could say to his wife. It means he thinks she’s hot. She’s doing her wifely duties.” “I meant it as a compliment,” Louise’s eager student explained. The three friends smiled and sipped their margaritas. “You told me about asking what he likes,” the eager student pursued her education. “Got more along those lines?” “Talking, in general,” Louise said. Maxine wasn’t sure what Louise meant. “Talking?” “I’ve been really keen on talking, since the start of this year,” Louise explained. “It can be so hot. So hot that I’ve been teaching him to be talking, too.” “Got an example?” the eager student asked. Acacia was glad Maxine had asked that question. She wanted specifics, too. “Let’s see,” Louise said, organizing her thoughts. “There are three times when you might talk about something. By ‘something’ I mean what you are doing in bed. Well, I mean ‘in bed’ or anyplace where you might be having sex. By ‘having sex’ I mean... No. You know what I mean. Suppose he was stiff. You might stroke his stiffie, right?” Her listeners thought Louise might have gotten to a real example. They agreed that they might stroke a stiff cock. “Well, you could just stroke it, or you could talk about it before you stroke it. Ask a question. ‘Would you like me to stroke your stiff cock?’ Or work in a compliment. ‘Your stiff cock turns me on. Would you like me to stroke it?’ Before you do something is a good time to talk. It builds anticipation. And it helps him focus. “And asking permission is always nice, too. ‘Your stiff cock turns me on. May I stroke it?’ or even, ‘May I stroke it, please?’ You know he’ll say ‘yes’ but it’s nice to hear. Ask again, you know, ‘Are you really sure you want me to stroke it?’ and you might even hear some begging.” Louise sipped her margarita as her friends thought about getting some ‘begging.’ “You said, ‘three times,’ Lou. Is ‘before’ one of the three?” Acacia asked. 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 683

“Yes,” Louise agreed. “The second is during. You stroke his stiffie and you ask, ‘Does this feel good?’ or ‘Do you like it when I stroke it like this?’ He loves it, of course. Doesn’t hurt to get him focused on the feeling and it’s quite nice to hear him tell you how much he likes it. He may like it a quite a bit, you know.” Her listeners thought ‘like it quite a bit’ was pure Louise Wilson understatement. They understood. “And the third time?” Acacia prompted Louise to go on. “Oh, yes. Of course. The third time is afterward. ‘Did you like that?’ or ‘Did those strokes feel good?’ I always ask a question like that after he’s come, but that’s silly and totally vain. Of course he liked it. But vain Louise enjoys hearing him tell her how much he liked it. He probably thinks that coming felt quite nice, you know. “But you can ask after just anything. You saw a stiffie. You gave it just one gentle stroke. ‘Did that stroke feel good?’ you ask. And then you return to the beginning. ‘Would you like another stroke?’ Tom seldom begs, so I’m always particularly turned on if I can make him beg. ‘How badly do you want me to stroke it?’ may do the trick. “I’m so vain. I used to try not to be vain. I tried to be sweet and nice. But vain is good in bed. Sweet and nice should be saved for outside the bedroom. “You know how Santa Clause has lists of who is ‘naughty’ and who is ‘nice’? I think a woman’s wifely duty is to be on the ‘naughty’ list when she’s in the bedroom.” Maxine tried to return Louise to her original subject. “You said you’ve been teaching him to be talking, too?” “Yes. He likes it when I ask questions. Questions like, ‘Do you want me to do...?’ It builds his anticipation so nicely. And it works just as well on the woman. Maybe even better. ‘I’m thinking,’ he says, ‘about kissing you. Would you like a kiss?’ That’s just about guaranteed to make me want to be kissed. That may be even better than just starting with a kiss. “Starting with a question, ‘Would you like a kiss?’ is just so effec- tive. You think about the question. Yes, you like to be kissed. I like to be kissed. I taught him long ago to start kisses gently. That’s how I like kisses to start. So he’s asking me if I’d like him to start a kiss gently. Yes, I’d like that. In fact, I’m thinking that’s exactly what I’ll want tonight when I get home.” 684 Explicitly Sexy III

There were two others at the table who also were thinking about what they might want tonight when they got home. The trio would go their separate ways this evening, without a second round. Tuesday, 5/24/05, 6:20 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s parlor. “You’re home early,” Frank noticed. “Everything OK?” “Yes. We got to talking about kissing,” Maxine said. “Somehow we all seemed to want to do it, not just talk about it. May I ask you a ques- tion, Frank?” He was fine with a question. “Would you like a kiss?” She was testing Louise’s theory. This was not the first time she had tested a Louise Wilson theory. Louise’s theories had proven sound on previous occasions. This was no exception. He crossed the parlor to the front door and looked at her. A smile played around the corners of his mouth. He helped her out of her jacket and hung it up. He returned to her, ready to put his arms around her and begin the kiss. With an introduction such as hers, he didn’t think that a ‘hello’ peck was what she wanted. She smiled at him. Time to test Louise’s technique. “Why don’t you fix us drinks and we can talk about that kiss, Frank.” She made sure that they were sitting together, still anticipating that kiss. “You know,” she remembered their first kiss, “this is exactly what you did to me when you asked permission to kiss me while we were crossing the Diag. Got me totally focused on that first kiss.” He remembered, too. “You ready?” she asked, setting her glass on the coffee table. Tuesday, 5/24/05, 6:20 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s living room. “Early night, tonight?” he asked. “Louise was explaining an interesting theory,” Acacia said. “Her the- ory was that if you asked your mate, ‘Would you like a kiss?’ it would get him thinking about kissing. This might result in a better kiss than if you just initiated a kiss without the question. I thought the theory worth testing. “Would you like a kiss?” she began the test. 46 Would You Like a Kiss? 685

He smiled. Little-by-little she was getting better. This was better. “Is Lou ever wrong about these things?” he asked. “I don’t know. Would you like a kiss?” she continued her test. “Right here, or should we start in the shower?” he escalated the question. “Whichever you prefer,” Acacia let him decide. “Both, if you like,” she offered as a compromise. She was convinced that Louise’s theory had merit. After a long, tongue-filled lovers’ kiss, they headed down the hall. “Tell Lou she’s right,” he said. “A little anticipation converts a simple ‘hello’ kiss into something more important.” “Wait a minute,” he let a memory tumble through his brain. “You used this technique on me before, remember?” “When?” she asked. “We were coming back from dinner at Romo’s. I told you that I liked you for your brains and your butt. Quite rude of me, talking about your butt on our first date. You said you were trying to decide if you should slap me or kiss me. That really got me focused.” She laughed. Tuesday, 5/24/05, 6:20 P. M. Louise and Tom’s kitchen. He had been working in their office when the car drove in, nearly an hour before he thought she would be home. He got up and went toward the garage. Was everything all right? They met at the door to the greenhouse. Her smile was reassuring. “Surprised to see you at this hour,” he said, looking for an explanation. “I was talking about kissing,” she confessed. “I guess I talked Ace and Max into going home to try kissing, instead of staying at The Rose drinking. Do you think kissing is more fun than drinking?” He thought about it. “Depends, I guess. Are you lonely or are you thirsty. I think you can live longer without kissing than you can without drinking.” “What about right now?” she persisted. “Would you prefer a nice glass of cold water, or a kiss from your wife?” 686 Explicitly Sexy III

She smiled at him. She had no doubt which he would choose. Nor did she have any doubt about what she wanted. It’s funny, she thought. Asking him the question created anticipation in his mind. But it created just as much anticipation in the mind of the person asking the question. He hadn’t answered the question, but he hadn’t stepped out of the doorway. “If you stepped aside, I could come in and take my jacket off while you think it over,” she said. She noticed again how the anticipation was building in her own mind. Words. Anticipation. She decided to prolong it. Later, she would add to her idea about building his anticipation. She wouldn’t be wearing a bra for Maxine’s ‘Michigan Style’ show, she thought. Another opportunity to pair words and anticipation. Hmm. A week of anticipation? A chance for his mistress to test her control? ‘Oh dear, sweet Louise,’ she thought to herself. ‘You really are start- ing to think like a kinky bitch.’ 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, came on the 30th. Memorial Day weekend was, for many, the unofficial start of summer. Beaches were opened. Patio grills were opened. Wednesday, June 1, 2005. Maxine and Frank’s new barn/ranch home. Their builder had committed to the first of June and, with good manage- ment and cooperation from Mother Nature, he had stayed on schedule. Maxine and Frank had spent the weekend making last minute prepara- tions for their move. They had created a real Victorian showplace in their village home. (Completely inappropriate for Maxine’s abstract art and their new home’s modern look, of course.) They were selling it, furnished, to Acacia and Herman. Acacia and Herman’s ranch house was furnished economically in ‘early-married’ style. Tom assured them that it would sell faster if they left it furnished.

687 688 Explicitly Sexy III

Frank had left their Victorian Tuesday morning. (He would return to their new home Wednesday evening.) The move supervisor had arrived Tuesday, just after Frank left. She labeled everything ‘staying’ or by the room name in the new home. Maxine’s Victorian closet was her closet room closet (in the barn) before noon. Frank’s followed. (The closet room was still mostly empty.) Maxine had moved the contents of her night table herself. The vibra- tor and the Hitachi Wand were tucked neatly into their new, Wilson- designed four-poster’s headboard storage. The move supervisor was making her final inspection by 2:30. The cleaners were doing a final vacuuming by 3:00. By 4:00 Maxine was opening the new sheets and making the bed. (400-thread Egyptian cotton. Monogrammed.) Making the bed, slowly and carefully, she thought about making a mess of the bed. Frank would be home by 6:00, he had said. In the closet room she chose her stockings, an open-crotch garter-panty and a demi bra. All dark red. She brought them to the boudoir where she laid them out carefully on her divan. Wednesday, 6/1/05, 6:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s new barn/ranch home. When he had arrived, Maxine had given him a very welcoming kiss. The sort of kiss that makes a man think his woman has plans. She had plans. They had held hands as she led him through their mistress suite. She had shown him his suits neatly hung in the closet room. She had shown him their new bed (California king, so his feet wouldn’t hang over the edge) waiting under its monogrammed linens. Louise and Tom arrived just as Maxine was showing bartender Bow- ers where glasses and the other mixologist tools were stored. Louise had brought the traditional, so-you-don’t-need-to-cook casserole. Frank made drinks. They sat in the north conversation pit, around the gas fire. After a pleasant chat, Louise and Tom beat a strategic retreat, leaving the new homeowners alone. After saying ‘goodbye,’ the new homeowners returned to the fire pit. He sat, looking at the fire. She lay down on her back, head in his lap, looking up. Turning a bit, he saw something more interesting than the fire. “Go ahead,” she told him, “but very gently. I’m feeling like very gently tonight.” 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 689

They had become lovers. He knew what she meant. His left hand caressed her breasts very gently. She was ‘feeling like very gently tonight,’ he thought. He could caress her breasts this way for hours. Or at least until the peaceful feeling gave way to another sort of feeling. She had thought it was a dream. Not the home, which was certainly the kind that would make some people dream, but the husband. The hus- band/lover she had once dreamed about was now real. The hand caress- ing her breasts was real. She smiled. The beauty of the dream was now her reality. Like an early-morning mist, the soft haze of her dream started to clear. It was being burned off by another, equally welcome, feeling. A feeling between her thighs. “I think it’s time I thanked you, Frank,” she said as she lifted his big left hand off her left breast. She kissed his fingertips. He was happy. His left hand was especially happy. He didn’t want to stop. But ‘time I thanked you’ had a very special meaning, dating back to The Plan. It meant time for a chat. Then a shower. Then... “Can I tell you something, Maxine?” he asked. She wanted to know. “This was my dream when I proposed to you.” “This?” she asked. “You. Me. In love. Together.” Maxine repeated her kisses on his fingertips while she thought about his words. “Me too, Big Guy. Can I add another word?” He wanted to know. “Fucking.” He laughed. “You’re so romantic!” He stood and let her lead. Maxine led Frank into their bedroom, where they sat on the window seat (it wrapped around from the east wall through southeast and south- west to the west wall). They had their first post-Plan, pre-shower chat in their new home. They had modified the chat to be appropriate, after The Plan. They spent fifteen minutes, thanking each other and Doctor Soeur, letting sex hang in the immediate future, a presence felt but not seen, anticipated but not discussed. Then they tried the mistress bath for the first time. They played in the shower while the tub filled. Maxine began testing the shower’s ‘pul- sating functionalities’ between her thighs. The result was orgasmic, but more of an appetizer than an entree, she thought. 690 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise had told the truth, she decided, after thoroughly testing the whirlpool’s jets. It was a long time before they would leave the mistress bath. She was very satisfied but still hungry. She led him through the bedroom to her boudoir where she asked him to help her put on the lingerie she had laid out. He got so much hot- ter when he helped her dress, she had discovered. Getting him hotter got her hotter, too. She was so hot! he thought. He decided he liked the effect the new home had on her as he followed her into their new bedroom. She showed him the ‘secret’ storage in the headboard cabinet. Three cock rings were already there. He chose the smallest. She was so hot and he wanted this to last. Friday, June 3, 2005, 10:45 P. M. Louise and Tom’s mistress bedroom. Louise and Tom were snuggling on the window seat in her boudoir. She wore the bottoms of her cream snuggling pajamas. Her breasts were bare. “Too hot?” he asked. “No,” she answered. “I just thought you might like to kiss them farewell. These tits are going off limits to you until after Max’s show.” Maxine’s show was a week away. He was already feeling deprived. “Did I do something wrong?” “You’re letting a cruel mistress manipulate you,” she answered. “No kissing. No touching for a week. I want you frantic. After the week’s over I want you to tell me whether it was worth it. Don’t even mention it until then.” He inhaled deeply. Whatever she was planning was probably scorch- ing hot, he thought. He began to apply lips and fingers in a very fond farewell. Friday, June 10, 2005, 6:00 P. M. The barn, outside the studio. Five student artists had arrived on the mini-bus from East Lansing, fol- lowed by another mini-bus with six from Ann Arbor. They were assigned to four places on the second floor, outside the studio where Maxine would be ‘working’ while talking to her guests and seven places in the third floor ‘attic,’ where George would be selling from Maxine’s ‘ware- house.’ 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 691

Each student had two finished paintings for sale. Each had one nearly finished (also for sale) that they would be ‘working on’ during the show. Students came with their own paints. George had supplied lights. They had all signed gallery contracts and priced their works, with George’s help, from two to eight hundred dollars. Louise was not representing the students, but she had insisted they be given the standard fifty percent artist’s share. George’s gallery would have a special room for student ‘Michigan Style’ work after the show. During the show, Louise had counted on the students to create a Mont Marte atmosphere. Maxine’s works welcomed the visitors to the ranch house, and wowed the visitors at the stair wall. Maxine in the stu- dio, George in the warehouse, the string quartet on the second floor bal- cony and Judy’s TV videographers completed Louise’s decorations. Bill had accepted a freelance assignment. He was supposed to go an hour out into the country for an artist opening her studio. It sounded crazy but you don’t turn Architectural Digest down. He had met the artist’s agent when he arrived. He wouldn’t mind taking some pictures of her, he thought. His skepticism disappeared when she led him to the stair wall. ‘OMG,’ he thought. Then he started studying the stairs. Angles. So many angles. Louise introduced Bill to Tom, then left him to his work. Louise had been so busy with preparations that she had not gotten her cardio. She celebrated the seven o’clock opening by assigning Tom to manage any additional crises. She went out to the bathhouse, put on her ‘mermaid feet’ and dove into the pool for a long, slow swim. Louise had been preparing Tom, too. She thought about those prepa- rations as she swam. She swam slowly. She wanted to be relaxed, not tired. Friday, 6/10/05, 7:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s front door. Frank opened the door. He was on greeting duty. Sam Gulden was stand- ing outside with his café partners, Rose and Jillian. (Rose’s lover had been given a share of the cafe as a wedding present.) “Hello, honored father,” Frank said with a faux-Japanese bow, before a genuine American handshake. “I told you he doesn’t like lesbians,” Rose whispered to Jillian just loudly enough to be heard over the noise of the other guests. 692 Explicitly Sexy III

Frank laughed and hugged Rose. “Does your lover know you’re after my wife’s tits?” he whispered his retaliation, just loudly enough so Jillian was sure to hear. “You’re in trouble, Frank. I’m after those tits, too,” Jillian returned, while she hugged him. Sam was chuckling. “This younger generation,” he muttered scan- ning his daughter’s new home. It had no walls! His eyes scanned right to left, from the kitchen to the raised-platform dining ‘room’ to the living room-like conversation pits where the black-tie-and-gown set were set- tled. Then he saw that he was standing in the gallery with the blue-jeans set. Those must be Maxine’s paintings, he thought. “You guys sleep on the floor?” he asked Frank, seeing that there were no bedrooms. “Nah, we sleep out in the barn.” Frank loved that line. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” He led them to the back where they admired the sun room through the window from the kitchen. Beyond the sun room the bathing-suit kids were splashing in the pool. (They’d been asked to stay out of Louise’s lane. Compliance was as good as one might expect from kids playing in a pool.) “The barn’s fitted out for Maxine,” he informed them, leading them back through the gallery, past the raised dining platform. They saw the barn’s stair wall as they walked between the conversation pits. They crossed into the barn’s shed and stood at the stair wall railing. The visitors’ eyes roamed over the four-story-tall wall, over Maxine’s paintings, over the three flights of stairs hanging in space in front of the paintings. There was a still photographer hanging from the stairs twenty feet (6m) over their heads, busily snapping. Sam was first to speak, expressing what they all felt. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed. Rose and Jillian looked at the wall, looked at each other, shar- ing their amazement, and returned to looking at the wall. “I’m on door duty,” Frank said, taking leave of them. “Use the stairs to get a better look at the paintings. Maxine’s probably in her studio, sec- ond floor in the back,” he said, pointing. “Maxine let me have the base- ment,” he told Sam. “Man cave. Some of the Michigan Motors guys are down there.” Sam wondered what he would find in ‘the basement.’ As Frank made his way back to the door where the bell was ringing, he was smiling to himself. The wall blew people away. ‘Second floor in the back,’ along with pointing, led to the studio, the artist, and the artist’s 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 693 love for light. The artist, in turn would point potential buyers up the stairs to the ‘attic,’ where paintings were stored and George was on duty, sell- ing. In a few minutes Frank would round up some of the conversation-pit sitters for a tour of the first-floor mistress suite, led by the designer him- self. The plan was to start with the closet room, the mistress bath and then the mistress bedroom and boudoir. They were pretty sure that the narrow back stairway (the ‘secret stairway’ they called it) from Maxine’s boudoir up to the studio would be irresistible. Tom had put just enough complex- ity in to get a visitor lost. ‘Gotta hand it to Lou, too,’ Frank thought. The agent really knew what she was doing. Michigan Motors, he thought, didn’t have even one PR person with her deft touch. The governor would be arriving soon. ABC would carry Granholm’s brief remarks re ‘Michigan Style’ live. Prime time. They’d been teasing it all week. Friday, 6/10/05, 8:40 P. M. The attic ‘warehouse.’ George was sure he could recognize him, but neither name nor position would attach to the face. George was not happy. He must be getting tired, he told himself. The man was obviously comfortable in a well-tailored tuxedo. After George finished making arrangements and thanking his new customers, the recognized, but nameless gentleman approached, extend- ing his hand and card. George breathed a sigh of relief. CEO, Crystal Motors was not someone to forget. “Do you know the artist’s husband?” George knew Frank, he said, though only slightly. “Could you see that he gets this?” Then the CEO pulled out a second card out to go with the first.. “This one too.” It was a personal, not business card. Home address and phone, personal email. George said he would make sure Frank got the cards and asked if he were talking to a collector. He was not. Friday, 6/10/05, 9:15 P. M. The barn’s stair wall. The reporter and TV crew were wrapping up their interview with the Michigan Style designer. They’d shot him standing in front of the barn’s stair wall, naturally. The designer had been ‘aw, shucks’ modest. The reporter had been pretty sure it was an act, (it wasn’t—it was Tom) but they would air it anyway. 694 Explicitly Sexy III

After the interview the producer asked Tom, “And where’s your beautiful wife?” She wanted to thank Louise for giving them this exclu- sive. Tom guessed she was out in the pool. She would be doing laps to get in her cardio, he explained. The producer thought they might get a beau- tiful young woman in a bathing suit into their show. A bathing beauty who was also a double amputee, and who was also a legitimate part of the story! Part of the producer’s job was to make sure dumb luck like this didn’t escape. She grabbed her best cameraman as Tom led the way. Friday, 6/10/05, 9:20 P. M. The greenhouse. The door in the back of the kitchen led into the glass-enclosed sun room. Candles lit the tables and a wood fire kept hors d’oeuvres sizzling on the grill. A door in the back of the sun room opened into the ‘greenhouse’ which was half plants, half bathhouse and pool. They were just in time for the shot the producer wanted. Louise climbed out and stood up, wearing her ‘mermaid feet’ (waterproof pros- theses fitted with swim fins). “Hi, Judy,” Louise greeted the producer, trying to ignore the camera- man shooting them. The cameraman said, “We need more light, Judy.” He was still shooting. “Damn,” Judy swore. Then to Louise, “I just wanted to thank you for setting this up for us. It’s going to be a great show. We ran Granholm live. We’ll have the news on air again tonight, and then the full half hour Sunday morning. Michigan Style will be all anyone talks about.” Louise smiled. Her smile wasn’t symmetric yet, but the surgeon was right about it being just fine. A warm smile on a beautiful face. “Oh, shit,” the cameraman exclaimed. “What’s the matter Jack,” Judy asked. “That was a great shot, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to lighten it enough so we can put it on air.” “You’re not supposed to be putting me on air,” Louise said. “Air time is for the artist and the designer. I’m just PR.” 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 695

Judy was thinking fast. “Louise, you want to help me make a big success out of this show?” Of course this was what Louise wanted. “Then let me have just one shot of a beautiful woman in a bathing suit. She has to be an actual part of the story. I can’t use a model.” Louise looked thoughtful. It was unplanned but she and Judy were becoming partners. She had an idea. “Jack?” Louise asked. They hadn’t been introduced. “Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “Did you get my mermaid feet?” Louise looked down. Jack’s camera panned down, across the well-formed torso, across the double-amputee’s prostheses to her ‘mermaid feet.’ “I did now,” Jack said, “but I’m not sure they’ll come out if we don’t get some light.” “Do you need those glaring lights, or could you shoot in daylight?” Louise asked. Jack may have thought the inquiry was off topic. “Daylight’s fine. Can you make the sun come back up?” “Of course,” Louise answered, as if his question had been serious. “I’ve got two spare bedrooms so you guys can stay over. I wouldn’t mind going for another swim in the morning.” Judy protested. She didn’t want to impose (or be indebted). And she had nothing with her except what she was wearing. ‘Time to explain my question,’ Louise thought. “You know, Judy, Max likes to swim with me. You could have two women in bathing suits. Including the painter would be a lot more relevant to your story, you know. And if you hadn’t guessed, Max looks super sexy in a bathing suit.” Judy was thinking about Maxine’s breasts in a bathing suit. That would certainly be... ‘Super sexy’ might not be an exaggeration. Tom had been standing, out of the way, listening. He asked Judy for a word. They sat down at the table under the beach umbrella, out of hear- ing range for Louise and Jack. The two at the edge of the pool watched the two at the table. Directly behind the table ‘Louise’s door’ (Maxine had given her a key) opened onto ‘Louise’s path’ to the Wilson’s deck. 696 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise and Jack saw Tom point to the door. Tom was speaking earnestly. Judy was listening intently, nodding her head. In a moment they got up. “Louise, if you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, we’d be delighted to stay until morning, wouldn’t we, Jack?” Jack didn’t look at all delighted, but he answered his boss, “Of course we would.” Louise smiled. Whatever Tom had said had done the trick. The remaining part was persuading Max. “Judy, could you find our painter and tell her I need to talk to her? Don’t explain.” Before Judy left, Louise added, “And ask her to bring champagne for both of us, OK?” Judy left, Jack in tow, to find Maxine. Champagne? Would that help Louise sell this project to a reluctant Maxine? Whatever it took. Louise turned to Tom. “What did you tell her that made her change her mind?” It was Tom’s turn to smile. “Just the truth. I started by telling her she was sitting in front of ‘Louise’s door’ at the end of ‘Louise’s path.’ She caught on. I told her that there was exactly one person on Earth that could talk Max into getting on camera in a bathing suit. Judy needed your help or it wouldn’t happen.” Louise grabbed his head and pulled it to her for a very warm kiss. “You’re a good man in a crisis, Tom Wilson. I guess quarterbacks learn to think fast.” She gave him another very warm, lingering kiss. They both heard Maxine ask, “Am I interrupting? I was told I needed to talk to Louise and that we needed champagne.” Louise looked up and took the glass Maxine offered. “Cheers!” she toasted, taking a swallow. “Yes, we should chat. In private would be good.” Louise, flopping along like a duck, led Maxine into the bath- house. Her mermaid feet were very clumsy out of water. Ten minutes later, Louise and Maxine emerged from the bathhouse. Louise had changed into her floor-length, backless, gallery-opening dress, above her normal running-shoe-based prostheses. The champagne glasses were empty. The women were holding hands. “Max insists that they stay with her, Tom. She says we’re going to have breakfast here. You think you can use the sun room grill to do sausages for us?” Tom thought about his beautiful wife ‘persuading’ Max. Lou could be very persuasive. And she must have been naked while she changed. 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 697

Max’s opinion of Lou’s breasts couldn’t be any higher. There might have been a kiss involved. Lou was in a kissing mood he guessed, judging by her smile. Maybe in a just-been-kissed mood. “I guess so,” Tom answered his wife. “That grill’s got gas burners, doesn’t it?” Friday, 6/10/05, 10:30 P. M. Louise’s boudoir. In her boudoir, Tom helped Louise out of her backless, silk, custom-made dress. “How long has it been since you last touched my tits?” Louise asked (though they both knew). “You put them off limits a week ago tonight, Mistress.” “I was being cruel. Were you thinking about my tits when you saw me tonight?” “Yes, Mistress.” “Were you thinking about my tits when you saw my bare back and knew I wasn’t wearing a bra?” “Yes, Mistress. That dress is like you. It’s a total tease.” He hung her dress carefully. She wore her new, red garter-panty with red stockings. He turned and reached for the breasts she had been using for a week to make him frantic. She slapped his hand away. “Not yet. I’m going to be cruel for the rest of the evening. Would you like to touch my tits?” “You’ve made me desperate, Mistress.” “I will allow you to touch them after we get to the bedroom, but only if you decide they are more important than something else. Let’s shower. You can watch me while I wash them. I’ll enjoy watching my cock’s opinion of the tits you can’t have.” Friday, 6/10/05, 11:05 P. M. Louise and Tom’s bedroom. He had helped her remove her feet in the boudoir. As always, he placed them neatly beside the bed so she could put them on when she got up. He had carried her into the shower, then into the bedroom. In the shower she 698 Explicitly Sexy III had washed her own breasts while he watched. She had watched his cock throb as her hands reminded him of what he had not had for a week. “Kneel here, beside my feet,” she ordered. “Your wife told me not to do this,” she explained after he knelt beside her. “She said the choice was cruel. She was right, you know.” His cruel mistress looked into his eyes. “I want to talk to you. After you hear me, you may choose to touch my tits.” She caressed her breasts. Her fingertips moved slowly. Sensuously. His eyes were focused on her nipples as she pulled. A gentle twist had them standing stiffly. “But you may prefer the alternative.” She waited for him to ask. He waited for her to go on. He could touch her tits again? She had deprived him for a week. It had made him desperate. He wanted them so badly. But there was an alternative? Her smile was so sexy! He was sure she knew. She knew he was desperate to touch her beautiful tits. And she knew he wanted to know what the alternative could be. Finally he had to ask. “What alternative, Mistress?” She knew she had him. Her vagina was dripping. She smiled. “I’m going to stretch you out on the bed. I’m going to tie you to the corners with ropes made from love and lust. Then I’m going to talk to you. Your body will be mine to play with. And your brain will be mine to play with. I’m going to whisper words of love and lust that will make your cock throb. I’m going to talk to you about ideas that are so erotic you’ll be on the edge of orgasm without even being touched. “Here,” she said patting the bed. “Lie down next to me. I’ll get started and then you can decide if you want my tits or my talk.” He shook his head. She was amazing. He had never been harder and she hadn’t touched him. He climbed over the foot of the bed to lie next to her. “On your back, please.” Her request was polite. A mistress in total control had no need to be harsh. She saw her control. Her vagina dripped. “Now picture soft cuffs. Strong, leather cuffs with soft, satin-covered padding next to your skin. Start with your ankles. Ropes made of love and lust are pulling your ankles to the corners of the bed. Can you picture them?” She stroked his face gently as her lust bound him to the bed. As her lust bound him to her voice. “Now your arms. Strong leather cuffs around your wrists. Strong but lined with satin. Ropes made with love and lust tie them to the bed above you. Can you feel them pulling?” 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 699

The invisible ropes pulled. She smiled as his arms visibly stretched toward the corners of the bed. She stroked his face. “Comfortable?” He nodded his agreement. “My cock’s veins are bulging,” she said, stroking him lightly. “You feel lust. You feel my lust. It makes me drip to know that I can make you so stiff. I like having you tied here. Do you like knowing that I’m drip- ping while I’m looking at my cock’s veins?” He was lost. Lost in throbbing waves of lust. “Well, speak to me, Thomas. I see by my cock that you find this erotic, but it would be nice to hear it in your words. Do you want to go on?” “I’ve never been more turned on, Mistress. Your words are magical. So erotic. So... I’ve...” She liked his words. She liked having him so high he couldn’t finish sentences. “If you like, I’ll untie you and let you play with my tits. Time to choose. Will it be tits or talk?” He thought. It had been a week of mounting desperation. Now he could have her tits, but... “Mistress, you’ve made me desperate for your beautiful tits, but I don’t want you to stop. Your words are too sexy. I can wait for your tits.” She had dreamed of this scene. Of having him so under her spell that he would pass up her tits. This was control! She dripped. “I’m so hot, Thomas. I’ll go on. You think this scene could not be more erotic, but it can be. It will be.” She ran her right hand over his chest as she spoke. She pulled and twisted his nipples. She was not gentle, but not harsh. “I think, though, that I’ll need to come before I go on. Should I use my fin- gers or your tongue?” She compromised. They used both before she went on. Friday, 6/10/05, 11:55 P. M. Louise and Tom’s bedroom. She couldn’t resist. “Did that feel good?” she asked him. “Oh, fuck. You were unbelievable. I’ve never been so hot. You’ve never been so sexy! Amazing. Oh, fuck.” She smiled. “You passed up my tits for that. Was it worth it?” 700 Explicitly Sexy III

“No, no, no,” he said, looking at the breasts he hadn’t touched in a week. “I’m not going to answer that question while they’re right here, looking at me.” “Go ahead. You can touch them. Maybe kiss the nipples. They’ll for- give you.” While his lips and tongue were asking her left nipple for forgiveness, she continued. “While you’re kissing her, listen to me,” she said. “There’s one more thing. But first I should give credit where it’s due. It was Angie who suggested the talk.” “Angie? Someone at The Rose?” he wondered. “No. del Moro. Venus. She used to give long talks to Titian. Made it sound very hot. I added the talk or tits choice, and the week-long tit denial bit. I thought a week of no tits followed by an evening of no bra would be a nice lead in. Make your choice a bit harder.” “You and Angie are quite a pair,” he told her. “Don’t know how I got so lucky. You’re even smiling like her.” She smiled at him. It was the knowing, I-own-you smile Titian had recorded in 1538. “Look at Angie’s left hand,” she directed his attention. “Picture just one of those fingers moving gently. Caressing something. She’s driving her lover crazy.” He looked. He saw how Venus was teasing. Destroying the painter’s concentration. Turning the lust dial to ‘hi.’ And how pleased the model was with the effect she was having. “She’s a teasing bitch, isn’t she,” he agreed. “And he loves it,” Louise agreed. Her smile matched del Moro’s. Both women understood teasing. Driving him crazy. “You’re the one who put Angie on the wall beside the bed,” she reminded him. “Yeah,” he remembered. “Cropped her too.” She laughed. “All your women are cropped.” He smiled and she laughed again. “What’s your ‘one more thing’?” he asked before he began begging her right nipple for forgiveness. “It’s your turn now,” she told him. “I started planning this little chat in early May. I want you to plan a little chat that I can listen to. OK?” “Oh, fuck,” he said again. “Don’t know if I can be half... Fuck. I’ll try.” 47 ‘Michigan Style’ Opening 701

She smiled. She smiled like her friend Angie. “I know you can do it,” she told him, running her hand through his hair.

48 Loving Kisses

The morning had started at 8:30. Louise and Maxine wore the Speedos that long-distance swimmers prefer. Jack had the bright sunshine that videographers prefer. He had shot the artist and her agent before they got into the water and continued shooting while they did their first lap. Then he left the swimmers to shoot the designer with his boss. Saturday, June 11, 2005, 9:00 A. M. Louise and Tom’s home. They left 8 Harrison Lane to visit the house at 6 Harrison Lane. Standing on the brick walk to the front door, Judy asked Tom to describe it. “Well, you see it’s a formal, two-story home. Symmetric elevation. Door in the center. Real estate people call it a ‘colonial’ home, but there’s a problem with that. “The colonial period refers to the time before our revolution when we were colonies, of course. Mid eighteenth century. The only homes in Michigan then were deer skins on sticks. Detroit was just a British fort

703 704 Explicitly Sexy III until 1796. We began to get our first larger homes in towns in the early nineteenth century. Back east, the colonial style became the federal style and was being replaced by Greek Revival. “Here, let’s look at the attic story from the side.” They moved to the driveway. The cameraman trained his lens on the triangular gable. “That was our homage to the Greek temple’s pediments. That would have been high style for a two-story town home about 1835, when we became a state.” He pointed the cameraman to the matching gable on the side of the garage and the third one on the porch over the front door. Judy had not anticipated that the real estate agent/designer would turn out to be a serious student of domestic architecture. She may have thought Louise had married him for his looks. This was more than she expected. His airtime in tomorrow’s show was increasing as she listened. The tour of the Wilson home included a stop on the deck. “Seventy feet to the pool,” Tom said as they looked at ‘Louise’s path’ to the green- house where the artist and her agent were swimming. “Wow,” Judy said as they went through the pantry between kitchen and dining room. “I see what you mean about space for everything. Max- ine doesn’t have anything like this in her big kitchen.” Tom smiled to himself. “Max’s pantry is twice this size,” he said. “It’s hidden between her carport and the sun room.” Saturday, 6/11/05, 9:45 A. M. Maxine and Frank’s home. Acacia had replaced Maxine as Louise’s swimming partner. Coming out of the bathhouse together, in dry clothes, Louise wearing her regular feet, the mermaid and the wee colleen were struck by the commotion in the kitchen and the sun room. Chef Herman was directing the three other men and Judy and Maxine. Tom and Frank were in training as omelet chefs. Louise, took Acacia’s hand and led her into the sun room. “I’ve something important to say, wee colleen,” Louise told her. Then, “Oh, look!” Good California Champagne was waiting in ice buckets on a sun room table, along with flutes. Louise poured two. Acacia wondered what was on Louise’s mind. It couldn’t be too dire, she thought, taking the glass Louise offered. Champagne isn’t often paired with bad news. 48 Loving Kisses 705

Louise took Acacia’s free hand and led them into the house, past the stools at the counter between kitchen and dining platform. “Let’s look for a place a bit more private,” she said. “I want to kiss you.” Acacia laughed. Louise was flirting with her as she did so often with Maxine. Acacia wasn’t sure if Louise were serious. She wasn’t sure she wanted a kiss from a woman. But it felt good to be the object of Louise’s flirting. “This is a Tom Wilson design,” Louise said, leading them past the elevated dining platform. “That means there’s an intimate corner some place nearby, always.” Acacia remembered. “Like your office window seats?” she asked. “Exactly,” Louise confirmed, using the lawyer’s favorite word. “In fact, just like this,” she said, pointing to the corner of the south conversa- tion pit. The conversation pit was sunken, the adjacent dining platform raised. With everyone else at the other end of the house, the 24-inch (61cm) tall wall on the dining platform would provide complete privacy. Louise sat and patted the seat beside herself. When Acacia sat down Louise leaned forward and took her hands. Louise looked into Acacia’s eyes and smiled. The wee colleen wasn’t sure what was happening. Was Lou trying to seduce her? She knew about Lou and Max, or at least thought she knew, but she’d never been tempted that way. She’d never even been asked. “What’s on your mind, Lou?” she asked, hoping to bring Louise up to a verbal level. Acacia was good with words. Louise was executing her plan. One part of the plan, a small part but not unimportant, was a kiss. “I owe you so much, Ace. And I was serious. I want to kiss you.” Before Acacia knew what was happening, two hands held her head gently. Lips pressed against hers. They pressed into hers not with hunger but with unmistakable warmth. With an affection that felt like love. Aca- cia had never felt anything like this. It was very nice. Very wrong. Very confusing. Finally the lips pressed against Acacia’s lips backed away. Louise smiled. “That was very nice, Ace. I wanted to tell you how much I love you.” The blonde’s beautiful blue eyes looked from one to the other of Acacia’s blue-green eyes. Roamed over her freckled face. Acacia saw 706 Explicitly Sexy III tears in the corners of the blue eyes. Acacia felt tears growing in the cor- ners of her own eyes. “I love you too, Lou.” And then Acacia was crying. “Oh Lou, Lou. How could I ever...” Acacia knew that the woman sitting next to had lost her feet. She lost her feet because of me, Acacia thought. I cost her both feet and she’s telling me she loves me. No, worse! She means it. She does love me. Acacia was crying. Louise’s arms were wrapped around her. “God, Lou. How can you...” “Hush,” Louise told her. “I know what you’re thinking. For once, my ever-so-smart wee colleen, you’re wrong. So wrong. I owe you so much. You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. Nothing.” Had Acacia heard right. Did Lou mean her feet? The drunk driver? She had to know. “But it was all my fault, Lou. The drunk driver I mean. He should never have been on the road. He wouldn’t have been on the road if it weren’t for me. Me and my stupid legal work. So smart. So suc- cessful. I nearly killed you!” Louise stroked the head on her shoulder. “I know all about it, Ace. And you’re so wrong. I owe you so much. You have nothing to be sorry for. Except maybe one little thing.” Acacia wondered how Louise knew. And why Louise didn’t blame her. And... Then she heard the last sentence. ‘Except maybe one little thing.’ What did that mean? “One little thing, Lou? What little thing?” Louise smiled as she took Acacia’s head in her hands. She pressed her lips into Acacia’s again. Gently, warmly, lovingly. It was quite a nice kiss, Louise thought, until they heard Herman calling them to brunch. “In a minute,” Louise shouted back. “Lou, I love you too, but I don’t understand.” “You will. You will understand. I promised someone I’ll get you all fixed. So I want you to promise me two things. But first I want to explain something.” Acacia waited while Louise lifted her champagne flute. “You too,” Louise ordered Acacia. “To us!” Louise toasted. Then she got thoughtful. “Remember when stupid Lou told Tom he didn’t deserve a crippled wife?” Acacia definitely remembered. “Well, how stupid was that? I’m not a crippled person. I just have plastic feet. I’m glad you gave me a lec- ture. That’s what friends are for.” 48 Loving Kisses 707

Acacia said, “You’ve made a model recovery. We’re all so proud of you, Lou.” “I think my recovery started that night at The Rose, Ace. I owe you.” She smiled and then added, “Now I want those promises.” “OK, what?” “First,” Louise explained, “I want you to ask Tom how his life has been since the accident. Don’t accept euphemisms. Get specifics. Be a lawyer. And while you probe remember that except for you, Tom and I might not have had a life after the accident. OK?” “OK. What’s the other thing?” “That’s the one little thing. Kiss me whenever you can. I like kissing. If I love someone I want to kiss them. And I love you.” Once more their lips pressed together. The wee colleen’s arms squeezed her friend tightly. Louise spoke as they stood up. “Without you, one uninsured alco- holic would have been driving without a license. You don’t really believe that losing his license would have kept him off the road, do you?” Acacia hugged her again. Saturday, 6/11/05, 10:00 A. M. The ranch house’s kitchen. Herman looked from Louise to his wife and back. Louise had told him she was going to talk to Ace. The women had talked. Louise had promised Herman that he would get Acacia back, ‘all fixed.’ Herman didn’t believe in miracles but Louise’s smile gave him hope. “Here,” he said, pointing to the ingredients. “Feta, cheddar, onions,” pointing to the pearl onions, “mushrooms, broccoli, bacon, chorizo sausage (should be perfect with Spanish olives).” he went on. “Just load one of these toothpicks with your choices and your omelet will appear outside.” Louise’s toothpick skewered two kinds of olives and feta cheese. Acacia’s had broccoli, chorizo and a green olive. The red was leaving Acacia’s eyes. It didn’t matter, Louise assured her. They had been swim- ming. Chlorine from the pool. Tom and Frank welcomed them to the sun room where the men were on grill duty. Eggs, pans and toothpick orders were coming from the kitchen with ingredients, all pre-measured. 708 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise sent the wee colleen to talk football with Frank while she went to socialize with Judy and Jack. “Sunny enough for your work, Jack?” Jack looked pleased. “Glad I stayed. This is perfect,” he said, hold- ing his hands out to the bright sunshine. “So Judy, can I interview you, now?” Louise asked. “Married? Kids?” Judy laughed. “I’m a lesbian. I thought everyone knew.” She watched for the reaction. Some people found this upsetting. Jack shook his head. ‘I’m single’ was all she needed to say, he thought. Louise smiled brightly. “The closet wasn’t big enough for you?” Judy laughed again. Her country-girl companion had more than just her looks going for her. “Bingo.” Somewhat more sympathetically, Louise asked, “Do you have a part- ner?” “Until quite recently,” Judy told her, “but not at the moment.” “We’re semi-broad minded about that here in this little village,” Louise explained. “Maybe you met Rose last night? She’s the Rose in The Rose Café. Opened a couple years ago. She came to town with a young lady named Jillian. Introduced her as ‘my lover’ and that was that. Hard to spread rumors about someone if they’re completely up front about it. And The Rose serves great margaritas.” “I like your attitude,” Judy smiled. “It’s not who you sleep with, it’s the way you make your margaritas.” “Or your TV specials, right Jack?” Louise turned the conversation. “This is gonna be good,” he said. “The governor, that wall of paint- ings and the painter too. She’s made for video.” Louise was excited. “Hold that thought, Jack.” Then she shouted across the room, “Hey, Sexy. We need you.” That rude summons was enough to get Maxine. Louise made her pull up a chair and asked Jack to repeat himself. “We were talking about the show,” Jack said. “I said you were made for video.” 48 Loving Kisses 709

“I’d rather think I was made for painting,” the flattered painter responded, perhaps not entirely honestly. “I think you were made for hostess,” the TV producer said. “Great rooms and champagne brunch. Even got Jack thinking this is good work if you can get it.” Jack grinned. “Is this all-you-can-eat?” he asked. “And all-you-can-drink,” the hostess answered. “Go bring me a toothpick and I’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” she said, refilling his flute. Jack took a swallow and headed for the kitchen to create his tooth- pick order. “Did you do good business last night,” the producer asked the artist. “I don’t do business. My commercially-minded agent worries about that,” the artist forwarded the question. Judy turned to Louise, who smiled. Her smile grew slowly, from small to huge. “Low to mid-seven figures, Judy.” Judy was stunned. “Can I quote you?” “What’s it called when you cite ‘informed sources’?” Louise asked. “Not for attribution,” Judy informed her. Louise nodded her agreement as she smiled. ‘An inside source in the Gulden camp...’ Judy was writing her story in her head while she looked at the commercially-minded agent with new respect. Judy tried mental arithmetic. Low-to-mid seven left low seven after the gallery owner’s cut. Low seven times an agent’s commission was more than a Detroit TV producer’s annual salary. And that was just last night. I’d be smiling too, Judy decided. Jack came back with a bacon, cheddar, bacon, cheddar and bacon toothpick. “Did you get the painter in her bathing suit?” Louise asked, trying to make trouble. “Some great video! Bet we’ll have a lot of men getting interested in Michigan Style painting,” the cameraman opined. “Oh, shit,” Maxine said quietly, glaring at Louise. “I’ll get you for this, Kinky.” Maxine took Jack’s toothpick and delivered it to the chef. 710 Explicitly Sexy III

“Kinky?” Judy asked, looking for additional information on name origins. “Only with Tom,” Kinky responded, smiling but hoping to throw a little cold water on the topic. She couldn’t resist adding, “Only Max calls me that. Our pet name for her is Sexy. The bartender at The Rose hung that one on her. Rose thinks her boobs are sexy. And I agree. Now, ‘fess up, Judy. You’d love to squeeze them, wouldn’t you?” “I thought small country towns were supposed to be boring,” Judy said, not quite confessing. “You’re not reporting all of this, are you?” Louise asked, wondering if she might have gone too far. “Reporters call it ‘on background,’ Louise. Helps us get a more com- plete picture even when we don’t pass on everything we know.” Louise censored an immediate urge to comment on her tête-à-tête with Acacia. No sense in shocking the city folk. Tom pulled up a chair between Judy and Jack. “You keeping our guests entertained?” he asked his wife. His wife answered, “Getting better acquainted. Anyway, don’t waste your time flirting with Judy, she’s into women.” Judy was enjoying Louise’s company. “I think Tom and I have a lot in common, Louise.” And to Tom she asked, “You’re into women too, aren’t you?” “Only Lou,” the gentleman answered, chivalrously. “Mr. Wilson,” Judy said formally, “you have very good taste. She’s beautiful.” “Thank you,” Tom said to Judy as if she were flirting with him, not his wife. “I guess we do have a lot in common.” Louise asked Tom if they had more champagne. He left for the kitchen with two empty ice buckets. Louise excused herself to follow him. Tom was pulling two more bottles from the restaurant-sized fridge when Louise caught up with him. “Remember what we discussed about Ace? She’ll probably want to talk to you after brunch.” “My heart, my soul and our bedroom will be bared,” Tom promised. 48 Loving Kisses 711

Louise didn’t want any joking on this subject. “She’s been carrying an awful burden since my accident, Tom. In some ways she was hurt worse than me. And we both owe her so much.” Tom nodded his head. He knew Ace from high school. If there was anyone that he could talk to, it was Ace. He hoped she felt the same about him. He refilled the buckets with ice, twisted the wine in and gave one to Louise for the return trip. In the sun room he would pop the corks. He liked to pop them into the ceiling. Saturday, 6/11/05, 12:00 noon. The Harrison Lane homes. Judy and Jack were on their way back to the studio in Detroit. Maxine and Frank, Louise and Herman were cleaning up. Acacia and Tom were on the jogging trail walking toward the adult playground. The play- ground had two sides, one on Wilson property and a matching one on Gulden property. The Wilson side featured various Tom-designed equipment including a long overhead ladder. “Good for shoulder strength,” Tom said, lifting Acacia so she could grab the first bar. Acacia reached for the next bar, missed and fell into the sand. It was deep and soft. Tom helped her up. “Why’s this side empty,” she asked, pointing to the Gulden side. “Frank’s got to design us some apparatus,” Tom explained. “And you’ve got to swing a little before you start reaching.” He lifted her to the first bar again. Acacia hung for a moment, then started swinging. Timing her reach she grabbed the next bar. She was six bars away before she fell again. Tom gave her another hand up. Then he kept her hand as they walked along the jogging trail toward the south end of the property. They were actually walking northwest as the trail made serpentine curves that would eventually get to the southeast corner of the Wilson’s acre. (Tom had laid out the trail to get the maximum trail length within the available space.) With a few good growing years, the baby plants would make a secluded English shrubbery. Louise would wear something very nine- teenth century. A girl could show quite a lot of skin in a nineteenth cen- tury dress, Louise had explained. 712 Explicitly Sexy III

“Lou says something’s been bugging you, Ace,” Tom opened the conversation as they walked. “Sometimes she understates things, Tom.” Tom laughed. Nothing could be more true. “Wanna tell me the true truth?” he asked. “Yes.” Acacia suppressed a sob. “Yes I do.” She squeezed his hand and tried not to cry. “It was my fault, Tom.” “The accident?” “I got that drunk out of a DUI. His second. He was on the road because I got him off. I almost got Lou killed, Tom.” She was almost crying. At the southeast corner of the property they came to a private bench. Hearts were jigsawed into the sides below a bit of roof that kept the bench dry in the rain, shady on sunny days. They sat. Tom put his arm around Acacia’s shoulders and hugged her. Then he pushed her far enough away so he could turn toward her. “Doesn’t the drunk driver count?” he asked. “What you did in a courtroom was a long way from the accident, wasn’t it?” “I tell myself that, Tom. But he shouldn’t have had a license. Second DUI you lose your license. At least you lose your license if you don’t have a smart lawyer.” “And how about the truck that ran over her? That was just incredibly bad luck. No truck behind and she would have had a bad scare. That’s just luck, Ace.” “I tell myself that, too, Tom. Just luck. But then another part of me says it’s just luck that she’s still alive. That’s just luck, too.” “You’re not being very good to yourself, Ms. Attorney.” She looked at him. She looked at him and nodded her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Aren’t you mad at me, Tom? I nearly killed your wife. Your beauti- ful wife. The one with golden hair and blue eyes and so much life and love and...” She covered her face and cried. He reached for her. Hugged her. “Nope. I’m not mad. Just luck. Good luck for me. Good and bad for Lou. Only one’s really hurt here is you, Ace.” 48 Loving Kisses 713

She couldn’t stop crying, but this made no sense. Yes she hurt. She hurt like she hadn’t hurt since her mother died. She was eight when her mother died in the crash. Somebody had said it was a drunken driver. She was eight. She didn’t know what ‘drunken driver’ meant, but she remem- bered the words. Now she knew what the words meant. It meant falling asleep on your steering wheel at highway speed. It meant running into innocent people. Her mother died. Her best friend lost her feet. What had Tom said? No. That made no sense. She lifted her head. “I got your shirt all wet, Tom. Sorry. I didn’t mean to get your shirt all wet.” He used his sleeve to wipe her eyes. “Now that’s a good example for you Ace. We’ll use Max’s new laundry room when we get back. You’ll be glad you got my shirt wet.” “Oh, Wilson. Make some sense. This is serious.” “I am serious. I put her laundry room right on the first floor balcony next to the big wall. You pull out the ironing board and you’ve got a great view of the wall and Max’s paintings. Lou says she’s going to bring all her ironing over to Max’s just to enjoy the view. So it’s not such a bad thing that you got my shirt all wet.” “I’m not talking about a wet shirt. Losing both feet isn’t like a wet shirt.” “Yeah, but maybe it’s not all bad. All bad for you. Good for me. Mixed for Lou.” “It was good for you, Tom? You can’t possibly mean that. What was good about it? Louise wanted to divorce you so you wouldn’t have to live with a crippled wife.” “Well, I owe you one for that, Ace. You beat her up pretty bad for that. Worked out OK, though. You made her see some sense.” “But how could it have been good for you, Tom? You were in pretty bad shape back then.” “Yeah, but that was just for a few weeks. Then you beat her up. I drove her home. She cried and we were getting better by morning. That was the morning we turned the house on. Been six months since then you know. Six pretty good months. No. Take that back. Six really good months. The best.” “Lou told me to ask you for specifics. I don’t want to go all lawyer on you Tom, but could you tell me more?” 714 Explicitly Sexy III

He drew a deep breath. There was a lot to tell. More than six months worth. “Let’s go back to when we got married. Lucky me. Touchdown Tom has got himself the most beautiful girl in school. Most beautiful in La Pierre, for sure. Most beautiful in Michigan and Michigan State com- bined, too. It’s pretty easy making love to a beautiful woman.” “I can imagine it must be nice if you’re a man.” “Yeah. More than nice. Don’t go all Louise on me, OK? It’s way more than nice. For the man and for the woman. But when you’re a kid you don’t know anything. She was beautiful but she wasn’t hot. Do you know what I mean by that? Beautiful and hot are two different things.” “I think I know what you mean. Beautiful is what a woman, a lucky woman, could look like. Hot is how she makes her man feel. Is that what you’re talking about?” “Yeah. You’ve got it. A beautiful woman can get a man all excited just because she’s beautiful. But a hot woman can get him all excited even if he’s blind. “Well, Lou and me, we didn’t know about hot but life was pretty good until I left accounting. I mean Lou and me were pretty good. My job I hated. That was horrible. But Lou made up for most of that. Then I quit and started trying to sell real estate and Royal closed right after and we were all in a depression. “I was going no where fast. Depressed. Avoiding even Lou. She blew up. She shouldn’t have waited as long as she did. Too much patience isn’t always for the best. Anyway that was when she started getting hot. And Monica was my first sale, so my career started to thaw out and then warm up pretty quick. Little by little, Louise got hotter from then on. “I guess that all started right about the time you joined Lou and Max at The Rose to make that pair a threesome. Lou says that you were teach- ing them stuff about being hot. She never told me enough so that I really understood what that meant. Except for the soft pants. Did I ever thank you for that?” “Lou got you into soft pants?” “Yeah. Says it was your idea.” Acacia smiled for the first time since they had left the house. “I guess it was my idea.” “Well then, thank you. Lou’s made a lot of mischief with me in those soft pants. I’ve loved all of it.” 48 Loving Kisses 715

“Good to know. Thank you for telling me.” “Thank you for telling Lou.” “Are we up to the accident yet?” “No. Lou’s got me in soft pants and she’s getting hotter, maybe I should say ‘warmer,’ one little step at a time. She tied me up. I’m calling her Mistress and she’s calling me her slave. That sort of thing.” “You liked that?” “Liked? No. I’d say I loved it. Loved every minute. One afternoon she got me good and stiff and kept me that way for four hours. Being beautiful isn’t enough for that. Woman’s got to be hot to do that. Was some of that your doing, too?” Acacia was smiling at the memories. “I pushed a little, I guess. Soft pants was my idea. Bondage and the Mistress/slave thing were all Lou’s ideas. I’ll take a little credit for the general ‘being hot’ thing. I called it being ‘sexy’.” “Well, I owe you a lot, I guess. Now we’re up to the accident. There’s a lot more details and I’m under strict orders to answer you. Truth, whole truth and nothing but, like you lawyers say.” The lawyer laughed. Then she clenched her gut. The accident. “Go on.” “Well, the accident. That was for sure the worst night of my life. At least until that doctor told me she was going to live.” “It couldn’t have been so good even then. I mean, when you knew she’d lost her feet and all.” “I was afraid she’d die. Finding out that she’d need plastic feet was a huge relief. I mean, rebuilding the face was a scary thing, but that came out all right in the end. “Anyway, you know most of that story. We’re all rooting for her. Lots of friends rally round. The Rose’s best drinks smuggled into the hospital. Kind of fun in some ways.” Acacia nodded her head and smiled. There had been some fun. Even in the hospital. “But?” “Well then there was the divorce thing. I guess a person’s entitled to make a bad decision if she’s just lost both feet, half a hand and half her 716 Explicitly Sexy III face. No big deal. Her friends set her going in the right direction. I owe you for that, Ace.” “I did express my opinion rather plainly one evening.” “Don’t go Louise on me, Ace. You beat her up pretty bad. But your timing was perfect. She was strong enough, healthy enough that she was bouncing back the next morning. You knocked some sense into her. We both owe you for that, Ace.” Acacia smiled again. She’d judged Louise to be ready for the truth. She’d organized her talk more carefully than her most important jury summation. It had been brutal, but it had worked. “Does this explain why it was good for you, Tom?” “Nope. We’re just getting there. Something clicked in my beautiful wife. Maybe I should say in my not-quite-so-beautiful-as-she-was wife. She started to put heart and body and soul into the business of being hot. She was just my wife until one night before Christmas. My Mistress came back. Took me out for dinner. I’ll never forget. She wore a black corset under a see-through lace blouse. Corset was laced up tight so it pushed her tits up and together. She looked so hot. “Ah, shit, Ace. I’m telling you about Lou’s tits? Not very nice of me. I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry, Tom. Louise has beautiful girls. Max, who really knows tits, says they’re the best. Can’t expect to hear much about how a man reacts to Lou without those beautiful tits playing a part. Go on. Be honest.” He looked at her. He was impressed. “You’re the best, Ace. OK. Where was I? Oh yeah. Restaurant. Corset. Cleavage. See-through blouse. She was hot and I was stiff. All through dinner she talked about how the accident had changed her. About how she was going to be lustier than before. “Well, I’ll make a long story short. You’ve got a license to ask all the questions you like. She’s gotten lustier, as she called it, ever since. I mean, you remember how she dressed for our first dinner in the new house? She was showing a lot of skin. Kind of skin that makes a man proud. And stiff, too. “Ever since she’s gotten nothing but hotter. Even that 10-Week Plan. Some of the hottest I’ve ever been was when The Plan didn’t let us have sex. She drove me crazy. Unbelievable. I bet that one of these days she’s 48 Loving Kisses 717 going to just look at me, show me that Titian’s mistress smile and I’ll come. Awesome hot!” Tom paused to organize his thoughts. “I don’t want you to take this wrong, Ace. I don’t believe in ghosts or anything, but I think it’s some- thing about Titian’s mistress. Venus, you know. Lou calls her ‘my friend Angie.’ I know they’re over four centuries apart but somehow Lou under- stands her. And Venus knew how to be hot. At least Titian thought she was hot. “Lou can smile just like her, you know. Not just the way her lips curl, but the whole thing. Attitude. I want to turn you on. I want to drive you crazy with lust. “Am I making any sense?” She assured him he was making sense. “Is this related to the acci- dent?” “Oh yeah. Yes it is. Losing her feet made her kind of over-the-top when it comes to hot and getting hotter. She’s taking it seriously. She used to make my cock stiff. Now she gets right between my ears. Into my brain. Like she strokes my pleasure centers.” Acacia was thinking. This was so personal. Almost embarrassing. She’d heard Lou’s versions. But stripped of Lou’s modesty, it sounded real. She had to be sure. “But without the accident?” she asked. “I don’t know. I mean you never know, do you? She was beautiful and she was hot. Well, maybe warm. Bit by bit she was getting hotter. Maybe in five or ten years she’d have been as hot as she is today. I wouldn’t have known what I was missing. Would have been fine, I guess. But today she’s just unbelievable. “I thought she was hot before the accident. I didn’t know she had just barely started. You know, it’s like now I see she was just warming up back then.” He thought about how to explain what he couldn’t explain. Then he figured it out. “It’s this way. Suppose their were two women. And I had to pick one to marry. The first woman was original Louise. A beautiful girl, inside and out. The second woman was footless Louise. Mostly beautiful still, but a little damaged. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. I’d pick the footless Louise. She’s so much hotter!” Acacia heard him. ‘... just warming up’ before the accident? “What about Lou? You said ‘good and bad’ or something.” 718 Explicitly Sexy III

“Well, she’s lost her feet, you know. Goodbye bicycle. That’s too bad of course, though she’s doing more than OK with Max’s pool. Her thighs are still great. And we’ve got stockings worked out, too. “But ‘footless’ like she says... She’s on an incredible roll. The open- ing here was one helluva show and I think George said it was twice as big as the second show in sales. The TV thing could take it even higher. “Her life with me is so hot. Oh, yeah. She’s constantly giving me lessons in what she likes. She says she’s gonna make me as hot to her as she is to me. I love that stuff. The hotter I make her, the hotter she makes me. You know how that works. “And another thing. I was kind of blocked designing Max’s home. Couldn’t figure out what to do for a stair hall in the barn. Lou unblocked me. It was like she had a magic wand, gave it a wave and there was Max’s painting wall. Maybe it had been there waiting all along, but I couldn’t see it until Lou waved her wand. “And it’s not just me. She’s got Max wrapped around her pinky, too. They flirt like teenagers. I don’t know if she kisses me or Max more often. And Max loves it. You too, I guess. Can’t you just feel a love vibe that comes from her?” “Yes. Yes I can feel a love vibe. We all love her, you know.” “Jeez. Is it Max and you, too?” “You want to know a secret?” Acacia lowered her eyes and smiled to herself. He asked her to go on. “She made me promise to kiss her more often. Just before brunch.” Tom laughed. “That’s the new Lou all right. She’s been on a roll all year. And she’s loving it. I’ve never seen her happier. It’s like every day is her wedding day.” Acacia was quiet. She was letting it all sink in. She’d seen it. Louise had been so happy this year. So confident. Willing to tell a girlfriend ‘I love you’ and back it up with a kiss. What a perfectly outrageous thing to do! What a perfectly Louise thing to do. She looked up at him. “So maybe the accident wasn’t all bad?” Tom smiled at her. Perhaps he’d said enough. “Can I ask a really none-of-my-business question?” Acacia didn’t like the sound of that. He was going to pry into her own life? But she wanted to hear the question. “You can ask, as long as I don’t have to answer.” 48 Loving Kisses 719

Tom smiled at the lawyer. Couldn’t stop thinking like a lawyer. Well, here goes. “Did Lou kiss you before brunch?” She smiled at the question. She wanted to answer it, but perhaps he should ask Louise. “Fifth amendment, Tom.” He laughed. “She said she didn’t think it was fair for her to be kiss- ing Max and leaving you out.” “So she didn’t want me to feel left out?” “Could be,” he said thoughtfully. “Sometimes she says things that are true only to hide other things. I’m betting she wanted to kiss you and that was as good an excuse as any.” Acacia looked at him. She thought that if she were Louise she’d grab him and kiss him right now. She compromised. She grabbed his head and kissed his cheek. “You’re wonderful, Tom. Thank you.” He was pleased. He’d done his part. It looked like the last of the accident’s damage was healing. “You wanna try that ladder again? See if you can go a little farther?” At the playground he lifted her to the first bar. She started to swing. “Keep that swing going,” he said. She got two-thirds of the way to the far end before she missed a bar and ended in the sand. “You’re a strong little thing,” he said, helping her up. “I don’t weigh much,” she answered. She was smiling. “Actually, you look like you’ve lost a little weight today.” She smiled up at him. She wondered what Lou would say. She decided. “I love you, Tom Wilson.” For one fleeting moment she knew how good it felt to be Louise. He smiled. He understood. “Good to see you smiling,” he said. They hugged and walked back to the house. Saturday, 6/11/05, 2:30 P. M. Herman’s car, driving home. “How are you?” Herman asked his wife. She was smiling to herself. It was a Mona Lisa smile. Impossible to read. “That’s a funny question to ask in the middle of the afternoon,” she observed. 720 Explicitly Sexy III

“Well, I guess it is, usually,” he answered. “But something tells me you’ve had some interesting chats with the Wilsons.” Sometimes she wished he weren’t so smart. “You’re very perceptive, Mr. van Houten. Very perceptive.” “One needs to be perceptive when one’s wife is skilled at the art of talking while saying nothing.” His skilled wife smiled. “Would you like to hear about my day?” “Yes. That is, yes, if it’s been an interesting day.” “I think I might tell you all about it.” “Might?” “Well, there will be a small price.” “How small?” “I think a full-body massage would relax me enough to get me talk- ing.” “You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Donovan.” “I’ll make sure something is hard, Mr. van Houten. You just think about relaxing my glutes. Swimming makes them tighten up.” “You’re a bitch,” he said, picturing his palms pressing into her very sexy glutes. “Don’t be insulting. I’m a Bitch Goddess.” Herman smiled. Louise had promised to return his wife to him, ‘all fixed.’ He would hear details soon, but from what he had already heard, it sounded like Louise was keeping her promise. Saturday, 6/11/05, 2:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s sun room. Maxine and Frank, Louise and Tom sat around the sun room’s large table. Their hostess distributed the last bottle of champagne among four flutes. “I could get used to this bubbly,” Louise said, raising her glass. They all toasted champagne. Louise rested her head on Tom’s shoulder. “Can you carry me home from here, Tom?” “You’re a tease, Louise,” the husband rhymed. 48 Loving Kisses 721

“What would you do if you found your wife lying in bed, half drunk?” his teasing wife asked. “Would you take advantage of her?” “Dunno,” Tom said. “Never actually saw her half drunk. I’d suspect it was a trap.” “What would you do if it was me, drunk in our bed?” Maxine asked her husband. “I’d be sure it was a trap. And I’d fall right into it.” “Wait a minute, Frank,” Louise interrupted. “You can’t have her yet.” “Why not?” Maxine asked, thinking about being the bait in a trap. “Because you have to kiss me ‘goodbye’ first, Sexy.” Saturday, 6/11/05, 3:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s mistress suite. “Did you have a nice kiss?” he asked. “Are you jealous?” He said he was, though he didn’t sound too wor- ried. “I’ll give you a slight advantage, Frank.” He asked, as she knew he would, about his advantage. “She only kissed me on the mouth.” “And where else would you like to be kissed?” he asked. “I can think of a few spots that are sensitive,” she suggested with a sly smile. Then she remembered. “Wait a minute. I almost forgot.” She led him into her boudoir where two cards lay on the vanity. “George asked me to give you these.” She handed him the cards. He looked. First at the business card, then at the personal card. “Kind of suggests that a call at home would be welcome,” Frank said. The artist knew a little about the car business. Frank’s division of Michigan Motors was bigger than all of Crystal. “You thinking about running a car company, Big Guy?” He smiled at the thought. “How about a test drive?” she asked. “You think you can get your woman’s motor running?” He stared at her. Crystal faded as he thought about getting his woman’s motor running. “What are you thinking, Big Guy?” “I’m thinking about the sensitive spots on your neck.” 722 Explicitly Sexy III

That was rewarded with a shiver as she imagined his lips exploring. “But maybe...,” he thought out loud, “maybe I should start with gen- tle licks right on your clit.” “You bastard,” she swore. That was much too fast. And she knew she would love it. “Stop talking and do something.” He looked into her eyes and smiled. “Maybe I’ll just keep talking,” he said. “I think your motor’s running already.” Sunday, June 12, 2005, 10:00 A. M. Louise and Tom’s library. Louise had been so happy with her cuddling pajamas that Tom had bought her three more pairs. Louise enjoyed mismatching the colors. This morning she wore the red bottoms and the cream top as she snug- gled into Maxine’s shoulder. They were snuggling on the couch in the library. The same couch that had pulled out to become Louise’s bed half a year ago when she couldn’t climb stairs. The ‘Michigan Style’ show would start as soon as the ads stopped. Maxine sat on Louise’s left. Louise reached as far as she could (or as far as she chose) with her right arm. Her right hand reached the left side of Maxine’s left breast. Louise squeezed it and pulled Maxine toward her. ‘A Michigan Style Opening’ the title read. Judy, off camera, narrated. The camera swept over the outside of the ranch and barn, before going inside. While Judy introduced the show, the camera approached the stair wall. The shot followed the stairs from the basement up to the first floor, the second and then on up to the third level. George waved from the third level and spoke while the camera panned over the paintings on the wall. Tom was edited in, explaining that he wanted the paintings to be the star of the design. A minute of the artist showed a bit of her interview (and a lot of her leg). “Oh, you’re so sexy!” Louise gave Maxine another squeeze. Sixty seconds of Governor Granholm’s short speech highlighted the middle of the show. At the end, just before and during the credits, the artist and her agent dove into the pool in bright morning sunshine. They swam away, then the shot dissolved into the pair returning and climbing out of the water. The camera lingered on both women’s figures a bit longer than was necessary. 48 Loving Kisses 723

It panned down to the agent’s ‘mermaid feet’ and back up. The artist and her agent held hands and waved goodbye to the camera as the show closed. The artist stroked the agent’s gold hair. “They treated ‘Michigan Style’ with a lot of love,” the pleased artist said. “It’s all about love,” the agent agreed, hugging the artist.

49 Confessions

The farmers that planted early would have tomatoes by the end of July. Corn that should be ‘knee high / by the 4th of July’ was already knee high. The weather had been excellent. Other things were going well, too. Tuesday, June 14, 2005, 5:00 P. M. The Rose Cafė. The wee colleen arrived first. The Harrison Lane neighbors arrived together. “I want to talk to Lou,” Acacia said to Maxine. “It’s private. Just an update on something old.” Maxine was confused, but she understood what Acacia was asking. She excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Acacia said, “I’ve got something to tell you.”

725 726 Explicitly Sexy III

“I’m all ears,” Louise said. She sent Jillian away with, “Wait until Maxine gets back.” Acacia looked at Louise. She’d already told Herman. It had not been easy. It still was not easy. “I was brushing my hair,” she said, barely above a whisper. Louise was confused. “When? Before you came here?” “In 1987,” Acacia answered. Louise began to understand what Acacia had just said. She had to know for sure. “In the car, with your mother?” “Exactly. I dropped my brush. On my right. She unbuckled to get it back for me.” “Oh my God!” Louise suddenly knew. This was the pony. She stared at Acacia. And it began to sink in. “You told me.” Acacia’s head moved up and down, indicating agreement. “You told me!” Louise exclaimed, remembering her challenge to Doctor Rubin. ‘When Acacia tells me why her mother wasn’t buckled in, I’ll know she’s getting better.’ “You told me,” Louise repeated. Acacia knew that Louise knew. Knew what a giant step she had just taken. “Doctor Rubin says that talking about it is part of the healing process,” Acacia explained. Louise tried to put Acacia’s words into a bigger picture. “I’m 27 years old. You’re 26, right?” Acacia agreed. “And you’ve kept that all bottled up since you were eight?” Acacia’s head bobbed up and down. “18 years.” “Have you told Herman?” Acacia brightened. “You know what he asked me?” Louise didn’t know. “He asked me if I’d told you. He confessed about your conspiracy, damn you both.” And she wondered if Louise were reading her correctly. “I love you, Louise Wilson,” she added, just to be sure. “You feel better now?” Louise wanted to know. “It’s a huge relief, Lou. Just huge. To be able to just say it and hear that the ones who used to love you still love you. To see your smile. It’s huge. I was so dumb.” 49 Confessions 727

Louise had an idea. “Here’s a plan,” she said. “Why don’t we drink and celebrate here. Then you can come home with me. I’ll shoo my hus- band away. We’ll take over the library. There I will wrap both arms around you, wee colleen, and you can put your head on my shoulder and have a perfectly wonderful cry. You deserve one.” Acacia smiled. ‘A perfectly wonderful cry’ sounded just right. Knowing Louise, however, she asked, “Are you trying to be nice to me, or are you just angling for another kiss?” Louise smiled. “Both,” she confessed. “That sounds like a wonderful plan,” the attorney agreed, smiling. “The cry, or the kisses?” Louise asked, not settling for just one kiss. “Both,” the attorney confessed. “You order. I’ll find Max,” Louise said, heading for the ladies’ room. Trio reunited, margaritas in hand, Acacia unveiled another topic on her mind. “To Lou’s new best friend, Angie,” she toasted. Louise raised her glass. She thought about Acacia’s chat with Tom. She smiled like Angie. Maxine raised her glass, too. “Sure,” she agreed, “if you’ll promise to tell me what the hell is going on. To Angie.” “You meet her at your house?” Acacia wanted to know. “Her villa. Weekend lunches,” Louise explained. “When she’s not posing. 1535 was a very good year for Chianti.” “Sounded like she was teaching you about more than just wine,” Acacia commented. It was really a question. Louise smiled and agreed. “She’s totally Thing One, Ace. What you’ve taught us raised to perfection.” “Oh,” Maxine answered, beginning to understand. “But Olympia’s got nicer tits.” Louise thought back to December. “Let me ask you to choose, Sexy. Would you rather have Venus’s smile or Olympia’s tits?” Acacia’s course work had not had room for art history. She was get- ting lost. “You’re right, Kinky,” Maxine agreed. “Venus really turned Titian on. Olympia didn’t give a shit about Manet.” Then she asked what every 728 Explicitly Sexy III art historian would ask any friend of Angie, “Was she really playing with herself?” “That finger between her thighs? It was between Titian’s ears. She was driving him crazy. “She told me he had a couple brushes, soft and softer, that never touched oils. Used them for another sort of painting after her posing. I think I’ll be visiting an art supply store.” Maxine thought about teaching Frank to paint the painter. Acacia’s interest in art was growing. Tuesday, 6/14/05, 7:15 P. M. Louise and Tom’s home. Acacia had followed Louise to 8 Harrison Lane, where Maxine was dropped and then to 6 Harrison Lane where they parked next to the garage. “I’ve got company,” Louise shouted. “You decent?” Working in the office, Tom had seen both cars pull in. He wondered who might be in the second car. He was on his way to the greenhouse door to welcome them. Hugs were exchanged. “Nice pants,” Acacia said about his soft cot- ton beachcombers. “Thanks to you,” Tom thanked her. “We’re going to the library for some girl talk,” Louise told her hus- band. “Please call Herman and tell him that I’ve kidnapped Ace.” Then she added, “And we’ll probably want to make mad, passionate love, so don’t barge in on us, OK?” Tom laughed. Acacia punched Louise’s shoulder. Louise grabbed the hand that had just punched her and led the way to the library. In the library, Louise shut the door, then sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. She kissed Acacia warmly when she sat down. Aca- cia hugged her. “You know, little one,” Louise began, “when I took my masters for teaching I did quite a bit of child psychology. You know what I learned?” Acacia wanted to know. “I learned that deep inside every one of us, we’re still just little girls.” And she patted her shoulder, pulling Acacia to her. 49 Confessions 729

Acacia lay her head on Louise’s shoulder. “You know that was a really brave thing you and Herman did,” Acacia said. “Brave and full of love. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” “It was a brave thing you did for me when I wanted to divorce Tom,” Louise said. “Brave and full of love, too. That’s what friends are for.” Acacia’s arms tightened around Louise, like a little girl, hugging her mother. “I love you, Lou. God, how I love you.” Louise stroked the red hair on her shoulder. “Have a nice cry. When you get done crying, we can go skinny-dipping in Max’s pool. I’ve got a key.” Acacia was laughing and crying and hugging Louise tightly. Tuesday, 6/14/05, 8:30 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. “Did you hear something?” Maxine wanted to know. He hadn’t. Then he heard something. “Sounds like it’s coming from the greenhouse.” He sat up. “I’ll go take a look,” he said, pulling his pants on. Maxine thought about it. There was one other person who had a key. “We can see from my studio,” she said, leading him through her boudoir to the secret stairway. “Let’s not turn the lights on. I think I know who it is.” From the studio, as their eyes adjusted to the dim light they saw that ‘who’ was a ‘they.’ And that ‘they’ were splashing like naughty little girls, skinny-dipping in her pool. Then the studio phone rang. There were exactly two people who had Maxine’s studio number. One of them was standing next to her. “What the fuck are you doing, Kinky?” she answered her phone, without even a ‘hello.’ “You’re as sweet as an unripe lime,” Acacia complained. Then she answered, “Lou and I are skinny-dipping in your pool, Sexy. Want to join us?” A smile spread across Maxine’s face. This was naughty. Little girl naughty. “Be there in a minute.” She flipped the lights on. “Sorry, Frank. Coitus interruptus.” Frank knew who ‘Kinky’ was. “Can I join you?” “They’re skinny-dipping. I think it’s girls-only.” 730 Explicitly Sexy III

Tuesday, 6/14/05, 9:45 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s ranch house. The phones had begun to ring with calls between the men that the girls had abandoned. The men would spend a pleasant evening shooting pool in Frank’s ‘man cave.’ Before they settled in, Herman and Tom had found bathrobes for their wives, Herman had found a bottle of tequila and Rose had ‘given’ Tom a quart of mix. (She could lose her license selling drinks to go, she had explained.) Back on Harrison Lane, bar- tender Bowers was able to make a very good approximation of The Rose Café’s margaritas. After playing in the pool for some, shooting pool for others, the women and men had become three couples and gathered around the gas fire pit in the east end of the ranch house. Acacia told the story of her mother’s tragic death. It was the same story Louise had told Herman, except that the pony was a hair brush. “Yes,” Acacia said, “I dropped my brush. My mother unbuckled to get it back for me. I loved my mother. She died because she was unbuck- led. I thought I had killed my mother. “If you like irony, my psychologist is telling me I’ve got to start thinking like an attorney. I didn’t unbuckle her seat belt. She did that. She did it to help me, but she should have pulled off the road before she unbuckled.” “My psychologist is helping me come to terms with it, eighteen years later. She tells me that talking about it is part of the injury healing.” The story was new to three of them. “Oh my God,” Frank said. He shook his head. “Oh, my God,” he repeated. “That’s a horrible thing. I mean, just losing your mother at that age is bad enough. But losing her and thinking that it’s your fault...” That was how Doctor Rubin had told her people would react, Acacia thought. She had her script, too. “See, it really was partly my fault, Frank. She was unbelted because of me. Got to look it right in the eye, my doctor says. “I guess it was because of Louise’s accident that I ended up getting help. I’m still amazed at how stupid I was. I mean you don’t need a degree in psychology to hear my story and say, ‘Well, she needs to get help.’ 49 Confessions 731

“By the way, how did you guys figure it out?” she asked the investi- gators. “The part about her unbuckling to help me?” “Lou figured it out,” Herman said. Everyone turned to Louise. “I couldn’t have done it without Herman. I knew something was wrong with Ace. I had a hunch that in some weird way she was blaming herself for my accident. I’d finally seen enough to go to Herman and sign him up as my partner in the investigation.” “I didn’t want to, at first,” Herman said. “She twisted my arm.” When Tom asked him how, he summarized. “She told me my wife was in pain and I was in denial. I couldn’t disagree on either point.” Herman continued. “She made me admit there was ‘something.’ We had no clue about what the ‘something’ could have been, but it was there. There was a big ‘something’ hiding somewhere.” “And after Herman signed up,” Louise continued, “he did all the sleuthing. He found out that Ace had met with a judge at about the time ‘something’ happened. We met with the judge. We found out about the drunk driver. Ace had defended him for a second DUI and got the court to let him keep his license. That’s a pretty thin excuse for saying she caused the accident, but believing she had killed her mother, Ace kind of overreacted.” “Oh, shit,” Maxine said. Ace thought she had killed her mother. So she thought she had cost Lou her feet. So... ‘Oh, shit,’ Maxine thought. Louise continued. “Herman had this gut feeling that we hadn’t found the whole problem. He kept sleuthing. He found Fiona’s obituary in a May, ‘87 County Press and then the accident story a couple weeks ear- lier.” “I knew we were onto something, but I couldn’t put it together,” Her- man reported. “It was Sherlock Wilson who figured it out.” “How did you figure it out, Sherlock?” Acacia wanted to know. “It was really pretty simple. We had to figure out what your mother was like. If you think the daughter will be like the mother, you can also think the mother will be like the daughter. I started with freckles. Did Fiona Donovan have freckles? We thought it highly likely. We know that you’re smart and responsible, Ace. We guessed that your mother was smart and responsible. Driving without wearing a seat belt isn’t smart or responsible. But a smart and responsible person might unbuckle just momentarily to reach for something. So she had just momentarily 732 Explicitly Sexy III unbuckled to reach for something. Likely reaching for something related to her daughter. “We knew from the accident report that the daughter was correctly belted into her car seat. The car seat meant that if you dropped something Ace, you couldn’t pick it up. At that age I would have been playing with a toy pony, so I said you had dropped your pony. “It was a good explanation. It made your reaction to my accident make sense.” Herman, who thought Louise’s insights were brilliant, said, “That explanation sounds so simple, after you hear it. Think about how specific it is, how Lou pictured exactly what was going on in that car, and how few facts we had.” “Oh, pish tosh,” Sherlock Wilson said. “Did you want to say more, Ace?” “Uh, not really. My doctor told me that if I told people, they’d think I’d been the victim, not that I was some kind of matricidal maniac. I guess she’s right.” “These are good, Frank,” Louise said, changing the subject to their margaritas. “I don’t deserve much credit,” Frank responded. “From Rose?” Maxine asked. “Yup,” Tom confirmed. “She says she wants to squeeze your boobs, Max. She gave me the mix for free. I think she meant the price was a boob squeeze.” “Oh, shit. If I let her squeeze my boobs, then Jillian will want to squeeze them, too.” Louise was laughing. “So will I, Max. What do you think, Frank? Are they as squeezable as they look?” “Totally,” Frank said. “Totally squeezable. Every bit as sexy as they look.” “And they look very sexy,” Louise agreed. “I think we all agree about that.” Then she thought about it. “We all agree, except Tom, who secretly agrees but he’s much too polite to say it out loud, and Herman, who is a total ass man.” “How did you know that?” Louise’s sleuthing partner inquired. 49 Confessions 733

“Look who you married, silly. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that out.” Herman laughed. Louise continued, “But that leaves the wee colleen, who has never said she wants to squeeze those sexy big boobs. Do you suppose she’s so hopelessly heterosexual that she doesn’t know that boobs are for squeez- ing?” The wee colleen had been a bit lost in her own train of thought. She would tell Doctor Rubin she’d been talking about it. The doctor would be pleased. The patient was pleased, too. But the patient was not at all sorry to move on to another subject. “Boobs are for squeezing? I know what boobs are for. They’re something God invented to make those of us who don’t have them insanely jealous of you guys that do have them.” On the way out the door, Herman pulled Louise aside. “You know, Lou, I didn’t believe you when you said you would get Ace ‘all fixed.’ But you did. ‘Thank you’ seems so inadequate, but thank you.” Acacia heard and interrupted. “No, that’s not how you do it, Herman. With Lou, just ask me to thank her. I’ll do it like this.” She took Louise’s head in both her hands and pressed her lips into Louise’s. She kept their lips together much too long for a mere social kiss. Separating, she said, “I love you Lou. You’re wonderful.” And she repeated the kiss. Louise’s smile had never been brighter. She gave Acacia a huge hug. To Herman she said, “No more blemishes for me. My year is perfect.” Maxine had watched. When Acacia and Herman turned down the steps, she looked at Louise and asked, “My turn?” “Were we making you jealous, Sexy?” Louise asked, hoping that they were, at least a little bit. “Nah,” she disagreed. “But why don’t we make our men jealous.” She moved closer, taking Louise’s head in her hands, looking into her eyes, lingering a moment. The women smiled, letting their anticipation build. “Did we get everything turned off, Frank?” Tom asked. The men headed for the man cave. Maxine’s right hand slid down Louise’s side, coming to rest on her left hip. “That’s so sexy,” Louise told the hand’s owner. “Are you going to kiss me?” 734 Explicitly Sexy III

Maxine stared intently. Her hand made circles on Louise’s hip, teas- ing the parts in back and in front. “Do you want to be kissed?” she asked, not quite answering Louise’s question. “You’re making me frantic. Where’d you learn to be so sexy, Sexy?” “I’ve been taught by masters, Kinky.” “I’m a mistress, not a master,” Louise corrected her. “How badly will you want that kiss next time, if I leave you hanging this time?” Maxine asked, ignoring Louise’s correction. Tuesday, 6/14/05, 10:15 P. M. Acacia and Herman’s living room. “You’ve come a long way today, Ace. First you told me and it was almost gut-wrenching. Then you told Lou. Must have been a little easier. Then you shared with everyone else, as if it were just some little story about your past life.” Acacia snuggled into him. “You’re exaggerating, Herman.” “By a lot or just by a little?” “Well, by a little, at least. ‘Gut-wrenching’ was too strong. But you’re right about the third time being a lot easier.” “Lou kidnapped you?” he asked. “Not exactly. It was a girl thing. You know what she promised me?” He didn’t know. “She promised that I could have ‘a perfectly wonderful cry’ on her shoulder. Men don’t have ‘wonderful’ cries, do they?” He thought about it. He realized that on this point his sex was not competitive. “No. No man would describe a cry as ‘wonderful’. Was it nice?” “I’d say ‘wonderful’ was a well-chosen word. I had a perfectly won- derful cry.” “And then you went skinny-dipping in Max’s pool?” “Lou has a key. She let us in. We dove in and then we used my cell to call Max. It was a lot of naughty little girl fun.” “Just the thing after a wonderful cry?” “Exactly.” 49 Confessions 735

There wasn’t much left to say. Acacia snuggled. Eventually she said, “I’m sorry, Herman. I’ve not been a Bitch Goddess for months. Not even a decent wife. You deserve better.” He smiled. “You get better, Ace. You’ve been through more than I could have imagined. I’ll wait patiently.” She lifted her head just long enough to kiss the shoulder it was lying on. She lay her head down again. He stroked her hair. Sometimes being stroked is better than talking. Sometimes being stroked is its own interruption. “You’re making me horny, Herman. What would you say about a little, gentle sort of fuck- ing? Nothing Bitch Goddess. Just a gentle sort of fucking with little orgasms and a big cuddle at the end?” He hugged her tightly. Lou had promised ‘all fixed.’ He promised himself that he would re-evaluate his position on miracles. Tuesday, 6/14/05, 10:15 P. M. Maxine and Frank’s bedroom. From the window seat in their bedroom they looked out on their green- house. The pool was empty. “Was the skinny-dipping fun?” Frank asked. “We played like naughty school girls. Yeah. It was fun. How was your pool?” “Very pleasant. None of us is very good at it, so it was pretty even. We wagered pennies. I think I’m down four cents.” She laughed. “You know I think Lou is magical,” she said, thinking about the way Ace had kissed her. Ace was too straight to kiss a woman like that. Way too straight. Only Lou. “Yeah,” Frank agreed. “The way she’s recovered... But Ace’s story really blew me away. She’s one tough little wee colleen. Can you imag- ine an eight-year-old with a burden that heavy?” Maxine thought about it. Finally she just said, “No. No I can’t imag- ine.” Then she remembered the sleuthing. “And Herman and Lou figur- ing it all out. Amazing break for Ace.” Then she thought about Maxine and Frank. She took his hand and smiled at him. It was a sly smile. The sort of smile that spoke of shared secrets. “I want to thank you for being on The Plan with me, Frank.” 736 Explicitly Sexy III

He smiled and thanked her, too. “What part are we on tonight?” Maxine consulted her parts. “My neck says it’s her turn again,” she said. “You?” Tuesday, 6/14/05, 10:15 P. M. Harrison Lane. A waxing half moon lit the way from 8 Harrison Lane to 6 Harrison Lane. Louise and Tom held hands, strolling slowly, trying to make a one- minute walk last for ten. “Did you have a nice kiss?” Tom asked. “No,” Louise said, taking Tom by surprise. “She didn’t kiss me.” “Something wrong?” “She wanted to know how badly I’ll want to be kissed next time if she didn’t kiss me this time. She’s teasing me.” “How badly do you think you’ll want to be kissed next time?” he wondered. “Very badly. She’s being cruel. I want to be kissed very badly and she was very cruel.” Tom asked, “Are you mad at her?” “It was really sexy, the way she didn’t kiss me. I was quite turned on.” Tom smiled. His idea about the ‘good bye’ kiss had never worked better. He looked at the moon. “Louise Odegaard Wilson is my wife now,” he told it. “Were you talking to me?” she asked him. “I was remembering the first time we kissed. The moon reminded me.” Then he added, “Would you like a kiss?” “Yes. Yes I would. A kiss would be quite nice,” she understated. “Any particular part?” he asked. “I was thinking about being kissed on the mouth. A traditional sort of kiss.” They stopped under the big maple that guarded the northeast corner of their lawn. It was cool and dark under the maple. He started the kiss, 49 Confessions 737 the traditional sort of kiss, at the left corner of her mouth, sliding his lips slowly, softly, toward the center.

50 Three Together

Summer was approaching rapidly. Three women agreed that it was a good time to sit under a rose bower sipping frozen margaritas. Sipping and listening. Listening and learning. Friday, June 17, 2005, 5:10 P. M. The Rose Café. The small talk gave way to a moment of seriousness, at the little one’s request. She looked at Louise. “I’m meeting Doctor Rubin again in 90 days.” A big smile broke across the wee colleen’s freckled face. “Is that as good as I think it is?” Louise asked, hardly daring to hope. Acacia’s smile bobbed up and down. “She gave me a writing assign- ment. I’m writing myself notes. She says I’ll be fine.” Louise was delighted.

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“May I tell you about how last night ended in my bedroom?” Acacia asked. “No!” Maxine interrupted. “Start at the beginning!” “That’s not important, Max,” Acacia insisted. “Just how it ended.” Louise saw the twinkle in Acacia’s eyes. “How did it end?” Louise asked. She didn’t ask for an antecedent. ‘It,’ was something that had taken place in the bedroom. Louise thought that was clear enough. “Herman was quite happily exhausted,” Acacia explained, “but before he went to sleep he asked me for a promise.” Louise was intrigued. (So was Maxine, though she would not admit that Acacia had a good excuse for not starting at the beginning.) “What promise?” Louise wanted to know. “He made me promise to thank you. He said I should tell you that his wife was ‘all fixed’. He told me to use that exact phrase, ‘all fixed’.” Louise smiled broadly. She knew exactly what Herman had meant. He had his Bitch Goddess back. “Could I ask a favor?” “Of course,” Acacia replied. “Could you hold the ‘thank you’ until we’re outside?” It was Acacia’s turn to smile broadly. “I wonder which one of us is looking forward to it more,” she said, blowing Louise a promissory kiss. Maxine looked from one to the other. “Anyone care to tell me what I’m missing?” Louise held her hand out, indicating that Acacia could tell her. Aca- cia returned the gesture, suggesting that Louise could tell her. Louise took a sip from her margarita. She wondered how to explain. What to explain. How to simplify. She decided on brevity. “You’re miss- ing kisses from the smartest lawyer in the state, Max.” Maxine looked back and forth between her two friends. “I’m jeal- ous,” she decided. “What do you have to do to get a kiss?” Louise held her hand out again, inviting Acacia to respond. “Was Frank home last night?” Acacia asked. “Yes,” Maxine answered, “but isn’t that off topic?” Acacia smiled. “I’m never off topic, Max.” 50 Three Together 741

“Maybe you could explain?” Maxine wanted to know. “Because,” Acacia explained, “I think we want to hear a story from the one we call Sexy about what she did yesterday evening.” Maxine tried to piece this together. “Is that the price of a kiss?” she asked Acacia. “If you tell a good story and don’t leave out any details,” the attorney negotiated. “Oh, shit,” Maxine said to her drink. She took a swallow, digesting Acacia’s position. “Why me?” “Because,” the attorney explained, “from the very first time we shared a drink here, I’ve dreamed of having two friends, three of us together, who could share our sexiest ideas for turning on our mates. And we’ve finally all got stories to share. It’s your turn, Sexy.” Friday, 6/17/05, 7:25 P. M. Outside The Rose Café. Maxine’s story had kept two eager listeners fascinated past their usual departure time. When she closed her story with ‘happily ever after’ Louise had told her, “That was outrageous. You were over-the-top sexy, Sexy.” “I owe it to the Ace,” Maxine had answered, passing all the credit on. “Remember what she told me?” Louise hadn’t been sure. “She was talk- ing about what I could get from a lover. She said, ‘The limit is what you ask for.’ It was outside my comfort zone, but I asked.” “You used to call that ‘conniving,’ Max,” Louise had reminded her. Maxine smiled. “Yeah. And he loved every minute.” “You’re making my dreams come true, Max,” Acacia had told her. “I think that’s the way a goddess should be treated,” she added, thinking about Herman. She had suggested going home. Acacia owed Louise a ‘thank you’ on Herman’s behalf. And Maxine had earned a kiss ‘from the smartest lawyer in the state,’ too. When they were outside, Maxine held out her arms to give the wee colleen a hug. Acacia wrapped her arms around Maxine’s waist. She felt arms around her back. She lay her head down on the big boobs that Louise always called ‘sexy.’ She wasn’t sure about ‘sexy’ but they were certainly nice against her cheek. 742 Explicitly Sexy III

Louise watched her friends and smiled. Louise didn’t want to intrude. They deserved a special moment. She turned away and looked down the street. She saw the ‘Murphy’ sign. She squinted. Was gas over $2.10? Then she looked at her watch. It was really time for her to be going. Tom would be waiting. She looked at the two. Maybe... She thought about them. Maybe they’re a little bashful about kissing? “Oh, come on,” she said, sounding more impatient than she felt. “You’re both all warm and mushy. So now you kiss each other. I can’t wait forever, you know.” Acacia lifted her head off of Maxine’s ‘sexy big boobs.’ The artist and the attorney looked at each other and laughed. Louise was right. They kissed. It was gentle and warm. “That didn’t hurt, did it?” Louise teased, glad that she had pushed. Acacia turned to Louise, took the blonde’s head in her hands and kissed her. “Thank you, Lou,” she said. The words didn’t sound like a fraction of what she felt so she kissed her again. All three smiled at each other. “Come on, Sexy,” Louise said. “Let’s go home.” Friday, 6/17/05, 7:35 P. M. Harrison Lane. Half way home Louise had broken the silence. “Great story, Sexy. Hot. Lusty and loving at the end. Great sex.” Maxine had smiled. “I’ll try and catch up. I owe you guys, Kinky.” “Did you like kissing the Ace?” Louise had asked, perhaps hoping for a little credit. Maxine had smiled at the memory. “You’re a pushy bitch, Louise Wilson.” The ‘pushy bitch’ had been pleased. “Your ‘thank you’ has such grace and polish, Maxine Gulden.” Louise pulled into the garage beside Tom’s SUV. “I’ll walk you home,” she said. They walked through the house. Tom was greeted with a friendly ‘hello’ from Maxine and, “I’ll be right back. I just have to kiss her goodnight,” from his wife. The women went across the deck, down the steps and then took ‘Louise’s path’ to the pool. 50 Three Together 743

Tom smiled to himself, thinking about the effect the ‘goodnight’ kiss might have on Louise. He went upstairs to turn the water on in the whirlpool tub. Louise unlocked ‘Louise’s door’ but didn’t go in. Maxine looked at her, wondering what came next. Louise put her palms on the outsides of Maxine’s ‘sexy big boobs’ and pushed them together and upward. “Irresistible,” Louise said, making no effort to resist. She buried her lips in the cleavage hiding under Maxine’s blouse. Then she kissed Max- ine’s lips. “You’re so kissable,” Louise told her. “Oh, shit, Kinky. You’re making my panties wet.” “Why don’t you go find someone to take care of that,” Louise sug- gested. “Tell him we just kissed and you want to compare.” “Good idea,” Maxine agreed. She went into the greenhouse, locked the door and blew a parting kiss to Louise. Louise’s thoughts and her steps turned toward home. She thought Tom should get a kiss. Or he should kiss her? Both, she compromised. Maybe in the shower. Or with Venus watching? Venus was the goddess of love, after all. And of lust, too. Both, she compromised again. Readers’ Group

Join Explicitly Sexy Readers' Group. Free! Benefits: • Access more Explicitly Sexy outtakes • Pre-launch ARCs, next projects (Advanced Review Copy, free) Standard list confirmation process: Click here. Enter your email. Click the ‘confirm’ email we send you. Names never sold, leased, rented or otherwise made available to anyone else. Reviews wanted. Please! Reviews are like oxygen in today’s book market. A review only takes two or three sentences. Picture a potential reader who just read the back-cover blurb (or the online description). S/he wants to know if the book delivers or if the blurb is BS. You were promised an erotic, married romance. Did Explicitly Sexy III deliver? Amazon is key (even if you buy elsewhere). Goodreads is a close second. Everywhere is appreciated. Send your author a link. (He’s the one who sends the ARCs.) MartinRinehart at gmail dot com.