Piper snorted. “Actually, there are 1-800 numbers coming out of the woodwork. But I have no idea who uses them. Too freaky for me, because you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. But don’t worry, I have contacts. When Michael and I entered into this, we sort of got an unexpected magical ticket into the sexual underground. From there, you quickly find all these other couples who share the same lifestyle. It makes it less scary—and squicky—at the same time. I’d probably have you meet Emma and Pete first. They are this awesome, well-adjusted couple who love each other. They’ve been doing this for years and years and seem to have no issues that we can ever detect with their lifestyle choice. They live totally guilt-free. We’ve only met one other couple, through them, and that was enough for us. But they have a lot of contacts, depending on what you like.”
Caroline knew how Piper and Michael had met Emma and Pete. It was one of the things Jace had shared from his lunch with Michael.
“Emma is drop-dead gorgeous,” Piper continued. “Long, red hair. Creamy, perfect skin. She’s flawless. Pete is blond and looks like a surfer, only cuter. They’re in their mid-twenties, like you guys, but they have a great hippie vibe.” Piper and Michael were in their early thirties. “We joke that in their past lives they met at Woodstock. They swear they’ve both been into the free-love movement since birth. They’re a perfect match and will take it slow with you. They will also totally dig you and Jace. A good-looking, normal couple in love is a triple threat.”
Caroline honestly couldn’t believe she was having this conversation.
Or that she’d actually confided her deepest sexual desires to Piper.
But it had been good to purge, even though it was beyond strange that having this conversation was starting to feel normal.
The next step would be to tell Jace, and that wouldn’t be as easy.
He’d been all for them venturing into sexual experimentation, but she’d seen the way he’d looked at Piper that night—involving other couples wasn’t his true desire. In fact, she had no idea what his true desires were. Jace always seemed focused on her needs and pleasure, above his own. He’d never really told her what he wanted. Caroline turned toward Piper. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Piper answered. “That’s what I’m here for. To answer your burning sexual questions and to consume this delicious ice cream.” She took another spoonful.
“How did you know that what you wanted sexually would work with what Michael wanted? Did you tell him outright? Didn’t you worry that if you told him what you wanted he might think you’re…somehow off?”
Piper chuckled as she set her spoon down. “I’d have to profess to enjoying sex with cadavers for him to think I was off.” At Caroline’s shocked expression, Piper laughed even harder. “Don’t worry, that’s not my thing. I was just trying to give you perspective. Michael is far dirtier than I am, and up for much more. But you asked a good question. The answer is, I didn’t even know what I wanted until I saw it for the first time. And when I did, Michael was there. I guess you could call it serendipitous that I found out the easy way.”
“Did you realize you might need something more before then?”
“No, not really. Not until I saw it. Our sex life had started to drag a bit. We’d dated four years before we got hitched, so we were five years in. It wasn’t bad, but it was working its way to becoming kind of boring. Strip down, ass up in the air, or reverse cowgirl, and wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. It was fun, and I love having sex with my husband, but it didn’t feel new anymore. It wasn’t until I saw him chatting up this girl at a party that it hit me. She was rubbing herself all over him, and then, like a lightning bolt, I knew what really got me hot. It was just lucky that he was as into it as well, but if not, who knows?” She shrugged. “I’m sure we never would’ve come this far if he hadn’t been into it. And if we both didn’t continue to get something out of it, we wouldn’t stay in this lifestyle. But we do, so we do. How’s that for waxing poetic?”
“I’m worried about that,” Caroline confessed. “I don’t think the sharing thing is for Jace. But he did say that seeing another couple might be…interesting.” It was her turn to chuckle. What Jace thought was interesting and what she did were likely two different animals. “I just don’t know how to tell him without sounding like some kind of horrible woman who doesn’t think her husband is enough.”
Piper swished her hand in the air in dismissal. “Are you kidding me? Jace knows he’s enough. The way you two look at each other is nothing short of sigh-worthy. You guys have always been super connected. He’ll understand this, and in fact, I believe he already knows. From the bit of information he shared with Michael, he knows you want something more. Just keep the discussion open, and you’ll be fine. And, like I’ve said the entire time, baby steps.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think I’m actually at steps yet. I think I’m still crawling.”
7
__________________________
____________
Jace raised his wine glass. “I propose a toast,” he said. “To the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
Caroline brought her glass up, a small blush dotting her cheekbones. She clinked her glass with his and murmured a quiet thank-you and took a sip.
Jace had tried everything he could think of to ease Caroline out of her shell, but nothing had worked. He was trying not to be worried, but he was anyway.
They were seated in a secluded booth in one of their favorite restaurants. Jace had been lucky to snag a reservation at the last minute. A variety of small tasting plates were arrayed on the table, along with a nice, chilled bottle of Pinot.
Caroline had picked at her food, favoring the wine.
Jace had come home from work to find her soaking in the bathtub. She had apologized for not answering the phone, citing her long day and exhaustion. She’d readily agreed to go to dinner, however, and had seemed upbeat about their date as they’d gotten ready.
But once they’d arrived, she’d been on the quiet side, keeping the conversation low-key. Mostly about work and the new garden she wanted to start.
Jace took a sip of his wine and set the glass back on the table. “Care, you’re going to have to talk to me at some point.” Jace leaned over the braised brussels sprouts, one of her favorite dishes, which she’d hardly touched, and took her hand. “I know you’re still upset about the swing incident, but I thought we ironed it all out. You know I hate it when you’re upset. Please tell me what’s going on. You’re killing me here.”
Caroline straightened and casually glanced around. Jace followed her gaze, wondering who she was worried about overhearing them. No one was near their table. They were in a corner and the waiter was across the room. “It’s not the swing incident,” Caroline said, almost too softly for him to hear.
“Then what is it?”
“I’ve been…” She broke his grip on her hand, pulling it back, and grabbed for her water, then took a long drink. He waited for her to finish, more worry creeping in. “I’ve been thinking a lot this week.”
“About what? Us?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “All this focus on our sex life is making me crazy. To be frank, it’s been occupying my mind day and night. I can’t seem to stop thinking about it, so I understand we need to discuss it. I just haven’t been ready. This has been hard for me…” she trailed off.
Jace read her face and her concern. “Care, please, I don’t want you to worry about this anymore. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you hate the room downstairs, I’ll put it back to normal. It’s not an issue. I don’t want you to feel any more pressure about this.”