copyright © 2002 by the author

They say that all who love are blind
And I'm not one to disagree...
For more and more, each day I find
Love has made a fool of me
(Foolish, foolish me... )
--Each Time I Fall in Love, S. Grundy

As usual, the applause was intoxicating, and this year it was especially strong because Cal Morton's quartet had sung their hearts out. As he and the three other men who made up "Lazy River" left the stage, the crowd of barbershoppers, family, and fans were still on their feet, stomping and cheering the fantastic performance of "Ain't Misbehavin" the four singers had just delivered.

Cal's wife Eileen was waiting at the foot of the stairs, where she always stood when they came offstage. The pretty, petite blonde threw her arms around her husband and kissed him firmly before hugging Jeff, Kevin, and Jaleel, the other members of the quartet.

"You guys were FANTASTIC!" she enthused as they went on down the stairs to the photo shoot in the basement of the theater. "I've never heard you guys sing so well! God, it was exciting!" She hung on Cal's arm, her eyes bright. They all noticed the way her tongue wet her lips, and the way she rubbed against her husband.

"Jesus, Eileen," laughed redheaded Jeff, the group's tenor. "You sound damn near orgasmic! You turning into a barber-slut?" The four men laughed as the pretty young woman blushed. The she ran her hand playfully down Jeff's arm and pinched.

"Noooo, you big meanie, it's just that you were all really ON tonight, every chord rang, and everybody could feel how much you were into it. Ok, it was nearly a sexual excitement!"

"There's something you don't hear a lot of," Cal laughed, "Sex and barbershop in the same breath!"

Which was true. Barbershop singing had that "old-fashioned" reputation. It was family-oriented entertainment, thus nothing in the way of sexual content or even innuendo was allowed to sully the purity of the art form. Of course anyone with eyes in their head could see that the explosion of young men and quartets into the hobby, and the ever-present barbershop groupies, would lead to an undercurrent of sexuality that none of the old school would want to acknowledge. No one talked about it, but it was there.

Eileen kissed her husband again and whispered in his ear just before the photographer lined the guys up for their official photo. She ran her fingers through his thinning auburn hair as well, and licked her lips naughtily. Cal's eyes were wide with delight when the flash went off, and for years after Eileen would treasure that shot for both his bulging eyes and his clearly bulging crotch.

"Whatever she told you seems to have had an effect," Jaleel chuckled as they made their way up to the auditorium afterwards. The tall black bass glanced at his friend's wife and said conspiratorially, "You know she is looking real good tonight. You've got her all warmed up, you smooth bastard, you!"

Eileen giggled and pulled Jaleel into an embrace and kissed him firmly. "You flatterer," she said, squeezing his cheek before breaking away. He looked stunned, then smiled broadly.

"Who says there is no sex in barbershop?" asked heavyset Kevin. "Cal is getting some tonight, you bet!"

Eileen turned to the bearded baritone and stuck out her tongue. "I'm not a barberslut for everyone you know, just for the winner, my sweet sexy hubby, the best lead in the entire Lincolnland District! But I guess you deserve a reward too." She brushed up against him and whispered in his ear, and Kevin gasped. Then she licked it lightly, giggling as she went back to Cal's side. "So does that make me a barberslut, or what?"

They all laughed. The notion of demure Eileen Morton as a "barberslut" was amusing. Those were the female groupies that hung around the rising stars of the barbershop scene and, though many wanted to deny it, offered their favors to the men who could lock and ring chords like nobody's business. Some of the stories told about them were wild in the extreme. Eileen was definitely not one of them, in spite of her teasing words, not even for her husband.

She was a good-looking woman, with her petite frame and well-rounded figure. But Eileen Morton always dressed conservatively, always acted in the most proper and reserved fashion, and always seemed, to those who did not know her, to be the quintessential ice-princess. She was not what anyone would consider a "barberslut".

Tonight was different though. Cal could feel it in the way she held his arm and pressed against him as they waited for the quartet that had followed them to finish their set. He could see it in the way her eyes glowed as she looked up at him and in the moistness of her lips and the way she was breathing. Something had set her off, and if excellent singing was what tripped her trigger then by god he was going to do his damnedest to always sing his best.

"You guys go on in, okay?" he told his partners. "I want to talk to Eileen for a minute." They nodded, grinning, figuring that they would not be seeing Cal anymore until they made the rounds of the hospitality rooms after the first contest session was over. A burst of applause signaled that the quartet onstage was done, the doors opened, and they went in as Cal drew his wife aside.

"What's got into you, honey? I've never seen you so flirtatious!" Cal looked into his wife's eyes and her smile was vibrant and stimulating.

"Cal, I really don't know for sure, I'm just, well..." Her voice trailed off, and then she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, pulling his head down to hungrily press her lips to his. To his utter shock, her other hand slid down the front of his vest and over his pants to squeeze his cock. She broke the kiss to whisper, "You sang so well, and god, I think you have a chance to win this year, and I just got so excited and frisky and then downstairs I wanted to make you hard so I told you I was going to fuck your brains out tonight and you'd better get me back to the hotel room before midnight so I could be your very first barberslut!"

"First and only, baby," Cal moaned softly against her ear. "But this isn't the place for it. Let's go over to the hotel now." He was surprised when she pulled away.

"Oh no, we can't! We have to see the rest of your competition, and I want to hear when they announce you in the top ten! God, that will REALLY get me going, lover!" Cal was a bit disappointed, but his usually reserved wife's excitement and her whispered promises of action he normally did not get to enjoy made him grip her hand tightly and head for the auditorium.

They slid into empty seats next to the rest of "Lazy River", all three of whom looked at the couple with knowing grins. Eileen flushed and gave them a dirty look, a little embarrassed that she had loosened up quite so much in front of her husband's friends. She pointedly sat on the outside of the row, opposite the guys, and ignored them for the rest of the evening.

"Well, now she's gone all cool and haughty again," Kevin whispered to Cal. Her husband grinned.

"She's not cool, believe me," he replied in a hushed voice, and Kevin could see his hand resting on her leg. "I bet she just is a little ashamed that she was acting like such a bimbo in front of you guys. Anyway, you were right." Cal smiled the smile of the winner at the finish line, and turned to watch the next quartet.

The next two groups were no competition for "Lazy River". They were serviceable enough, and the men clearly enjoyed what they were doing but they did not have that lock, that ring, that energy that makes a classic barbershop performance. Cal dismissed them as any challenge to his quartet's domination of the contest.

Then the emcee announced the night's final competitor. "Representing the Southcreek Chapter, Winner's Circle!"

Cal knew all four members of the quartet, and knew that they were very, very good. Here was the single group most likely to defeat "Lazy River" and take both the district trophy and the nomination to compete in the international competition that summer.

Cal winced and sighed as they sang. They were even better than good, and they were "on" tonight. Then he became aware that Eileen was gripping his hand very tightly.

Turning to look at his wife, he saw that same bright-eyed look, the same moist lips, and the same tenseness in her body that she had displayed after his own performance. He watched her surreptitiously for the remainder of "Winner's Circle's" first song, and was surprised to see her shifting in her seat, as if she was rubbing her thighs together. She sighed softly when they finished, her tongue sneaking out to lick her lips in a most appreciative gesture. She wasn't the first to leap to her feet and applaud, but she was pretty damn close, and Cal frowned at her.

Eileen blushed at her husband's disapproval, and quickly leaned over to him and kissed him gently. "Sorry sweetie," she whispered, "They were pretty good, and I find I am really coming to appreciate good performances." She was quiet a moment, looking up at him, then she added, almost as an afterthought, "You guys were better, really."

She was more circumspect during the second song, but Cal still caught her staring open-mouthed at Tony, the lead. The quality of his voice was high, bright, and clear, and a marked contrast to Cal's own deeper, darker tone. Tony also had a stage presence that was a bit more arresting than his own, Cal admitted, and if the truth were told, was a better looking guy too.

Eileen caught Cal watching her and looked him straight in the eye, a bit challenging. He grinned sardonically, looked pointedly at Tony, then back to her. She shrugged. Her look said "We'll talk about this later." They had to, because "Winner's Circle" had reached the end of its second tune, a rousing rendition of Dave Wright's "Love Eyes Medley". And the crowd went wild, shouting, cheering, stomping, and it was just a little bit more enthusiastic than when "Lazy River" had performed.

After that it was all anti-climax. The judges' report of the top ten was made, and not surprisingly, "Winner's Circle" and "Lazy River" made the cut. As they left the hall a bit later, the talk was about the expected fiery competition for the crown and bragging rights between the two quartets.

Cal felt unsure throughout the evening: unsure of his quartet's ability to top the other group, unsure of his wife's newfound desires, unsure of what her excitement at both his and the other quartet's performances meant. Though he had intended to get her back to the hotel room for a quick fuck after the contest (and he thought she had wanted that too), she would not follow his lead.

She stood around in the lobby chatting with other wives and barbershoppers, until "Winning Circle" came up the stairs from the basement. Eileen was one of the first in line to congratulate the members of the quartet, and Cal watched as she paid particular attention to Tony, taking his hand, smiling in the winning way she had when she was pleased, speaking softly to him, and clearly pleased at his response to her. She even pressed close against him and kissed his cheek, and Cal screwed up his face in irritation as he saw the other lead drop his hand and grab a feel of Eileen's well-rounded ass. She jumped back and waggled a finger at him, but she was laughing as she did so.

When she finally returned to Cal and they were crossing the street back to the hotel, he looked at her sidelong. "Well, you sure seemed to find the competition interesting," he said a little sourly.

She glanced up at him, surprise on her face. "What? I just thought they sang really well and wanted to congratulate them. What's wrong with that?"

"You spent the whole time they were singing staring at Tony Quinones, and when you went over to them afterwards, you sure were hanging on his every word, not to mention his arm. And you let him grope you too." Eileen stopped and Cal had to catch himself in order not to walk on past her.

"Cal Morton, I think you are jealous!" And she laughed, not the affectionate tinkle that made him smile because he could hear her love in it, but the harder, ice-princess snicker that meant he had said or done something she found inexpressibly stupid. "For your information, yes, I think they sang very well, well enough to beat you in the finals. I don't want that to happen, because I want 'Lazy River' to win. So yes, I hung on their singing and I hung on his arm, and I told him not to touch me like that again, AND I found out what they are singing tomorrow night so you can have a bit of an advantage going in."

Cal stared at his sweet, pretty, and thoroughly Machiavellian wife. "Why you sneaky little vixen," he chuckled. "You're a regular Mata Hari." They walked on for a moment before Cal continued. "You had me worried there."

"Worried about what?" she asked, sliding her arm through his and pressing her sexy form against him. "That I had the hots for another man? Maybe I do, but there's only one man for me, and that's you! Besides, that Tony is an arrogant prick. He treated me like I was some kind of whore, so even if I was attracted, that ended when he couldn't be bothered to treat me like a lady and started feeling up my ass."

"Well, that's what barbersluts have to expect, babe," Cal laughed, leading his wife toward the elevators. She pouted prettily.

"I told you, I'm not a barberslut, except for you." But Cal thought he heard something more in her voice.

"I don't know, your sneaky way of getting information could be a qualifier for barberslut status, fawning all over the guy, even kissing his cheek, letting him grope you, and all just to find out what they were singing tomorrow. God knows, I'd give just about anything to be able to beat them tomorrow!"

Eileen looked at Cal, her eyes veiled and calculating. "Really? Anything at all?"

"Well, I wouldn't want anyone hurt, but most anything else, yes. Why? You got some ideas on backstage sabotage?" He was chuckling, he didn't mean it. But Eileen persisted.

"You want to win that badly, love? You know not winning at one thing doesn't mean you are a loser at something else. And vice versa. And sometimes one can fixate so much on winning one thing that they lose another."

"I want to win, that's all. If you have some secret plan to help, go for it. I mean, as long as you're not going to knock somebody off." Eileen stared at him for a moment.

"And if I have a really good time doing it, is that ok with you, Cal? If I really enjoy it, as long as it helps you win, that would be all right with you?" Her eyes were glistening brightly, excitedly, again.

"What do you want to do, get some barberslut to screw his brains out so he can't sing? Now THAT would be funny as hell!" Cal laughed, oblivious to her excitement.

"Whatever," Eileen said, frowning as her husband refused to respond to her probing. "I was just thinking out loud. I'm sure you'd rather win fair and square. Come on, let's go to our room, I want you bad, honey." But Cal shook his head and held her back.

"We can't, I have to get the other guys and make the rounds of the hospitality rooms," he reminded. Eileen growled in frustration.

"Well damn it all anyway, I want to fuck my husband." Her laugh was charming and, somehow, erotic.

Cal smiled. "I want to fuck my wife too, but it will just have to wait."

Up on her toes again, Eileen kissed him, and once more fondled his cock through his pants. "Think about your music then, beloved, make all the men sit up and take notice when you sing, and make all the women hot for you, and we'll have some fun time after, okay?"

"I don't know what's got into you, babe, but I want to take advantage, you know what I mean? I've never seen you like this. You've got a definite date!"

As they proceeded into the elevator, Eileen saw Tony across the lobby, and smiled slyly to herself.

I thought that we had found the golden ring
That we would taste the joy love brings...
--Why Do I Miss You So, unpublished barbershop song, K. Payne

It wasn't until some hours later that Cal and Eileen got to their room in the convention hotel. Cal was tired and a bit raspy, "Lazy River" having sung through their entire repertoire of tunes for appreciative fans of barbershop in a long line of hospitality rooms. He flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes with a sigh.

Eileen smiled and went to the small refrigerator-bar and bought a ginger ale, which she poured into a glass over ice and added just a touch of alcohol. She brought it to him, and then ran her hand over his chest. She was also tired, but when Cal opened his eyes he was surprised that she still had that fiery gleam in her eyes. Wow, he thought, she's maintained that desire since we finished the first round of the contest!

"Uh, Eileen, babe, you look like you could use something to eat," Cal offered, willing his tiredness away as he gazed at his wife standing there beside him. She licked her lips slowly and her grin was, if anything, that of the tiger about to spring on its prey.

"I could," she said huskily, "but you lay there, enjoy your drink, be comfortable and rest your voice. I'm going to change." She grabbed her bag from the floor by the bed and went into the bathroom. Cal could hear her humming her favorite songs amidst the noises of running water, clinking glass and metal, and rustling fabric. The mix of sounds, and her occasional wicked chuckle, had his blood flowing freely.

He got up and slipped out of his performance costume. Knowing that he was well down the road of hot and sweaty after hours of singing, he padded over and got his deodorant from his shaving kit. After a moment's thought, he also pulled out the bath powder and gave himself a quick once over. He didn't think there would be time for a shower, not with Eileen looking so determined.

Slipping into the silk dressing robe Eileen had gotten for him last Christmas; Cal lay back on the bed and waited. He was not disappointed.

His wife stepped into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. In the low glow of the bedside lamp, she looked-exotic, wild, and distinctly erotic. Her long blonde hair was tousled, and she had touched up her makeup just a little, so her blue eyes seemed to sparkle even more and the flush in her cheeks was enhanced delightfully.

She was wearing sheer antique-white stockings that made her legs appear as pillars of finest marble. They were attached to a creamy white bodice that enhanced her already narrow waist, making her appear that epitome of femininity: 36-24-36. Her breasts, large C cups, were lifted high by the bustier and the tips of the pale, milky globes were exposed. Large pink nipples stood erect in the cool air of the bedroom

She also wore a very slender pair of panties, the gusset of which did little to cover her sweet pink mound. In fact, Cal was shocked to see that the fairly thick golden hair she had once sported between her legs was gone, at least from what he could see in the semi-darkness. He felt his already stiffening cock grow even harder at the sight of his wife's now hairless sex.

"My god, Eileen," he said hoarsely, "You shaved?" She smiled in the dim light and climbed onto the bed, turning a bit to show him her beautiful, well-rounded ass. He moaned softly at the sight. The firm cheeks were divided only by the narrow thread of her thong nestling deep in the valley between them. Cal felt a pang of jealousy for the fabric and reached down to slide his hands over her bottom.

"Mmmmmmmmm, that's nice," Eileen whispered as he touched her, and she shimmied up beside him and bent over, bringing her lips to his and kissing passionately. For a moment they lost themselves in the heat and desire of the kiss, then she was thrusting her tongue into his mouth, lost in her lust. He responded in kind, twining his own tongue with hers, their lips grinding against each other's, their hands slipping under robe and lingerie to touch bare flesh, to caress, to stroke.

Eileen raised her head and the moonlight spilling in the window splashed across her face and shoulders. Cal sat up just a bit and captured one of her swollen pink nipples between his lips and began to suck firmly on it. This was one of her favorite things and she responded with a low, fierce purring and her own hands fumbling at his robe, reaching inside to slip hotly around his throbbing shaft.

Without pulling her breast from her husband's suckling mouth, she pulled the drawstrings of her thong and let it fall away. Her other hand, awkward as the position was, began to stroke Cal's large erection, and he moaned around her nipple, and bit it lightly. She squealed and pushed him away, laughing softly. "Naughty! No biting!" Then she lifted up and exposed her bare mound to him, and he gasped in surprise. She had trimmed off every bit of hair except for the letters LR in her soft golden fur just above the pinkness of her clitoris.

"Jesus Joseph Mary!" Cal whistled. "I don't know what's got you in its grip, but I hope it never goes away! Too bad the other guys will never see the honor you've given our quartet." He slid quickly down the bed under her straddling thighs and placed a firm kiss on the little letters, followed by a quick swipe of his tongue over Eileen's wet heated pinkness.

"Oh yessssss, Cal," she moaned, and her fingers slipped into his hair, holding his face against her sex as she began to ride his tongue, enjoying the sensation of him plunging deep inside her.

His hands once again found her cheeks and squeezed, rubbing and plumping and teasing over the firm, hot flesh. He pushed his fingers into the deep cleft and ran them up and down, tickling across her rosebud and delighting in her squirming and moaning atop him.

A few minutes of this double pleasure was all Eileen could bear, and she suddenly pushed his face away from her puffy sensitive lips and slid down his body. Without preamble she gripped his cock, which she had been stroking for the long minutes his tongue drove into her. Notching it against her steamy sex, she thrust herself down, impaling herself with a delighted moan and settling until he was completely inside her.

She looked down at him then and smiled. "I love you, Cal Morton," she said softly and began to move on him, gripping him like a velvet glove, her muscles milking him for the stuff of life that was seething inside him.

Cal for his part ran his hands over his wife's soft skin, gently massaging as he arched his back, thrusting up to meet her riding down. Both of them were beginning to moan with the heat of their passion, and Cal could not resist sitting up just enough to once again capture a nipple between his lips. His bite this time did not draw a remonstrance; instead it brought a delighted cry and his wife's hands on his head, pressing his face to her lovely breasts.

Cal knew he could not hold off much longer. The pleasure that had begun around his crotch had spread like wildfire throughout his body. Even his lips tingled with lust as they suckled on her pretty pink nipple. He knew that she must be feeling much the same. Her moans told him that much, and her fleeting whispers.

"Oh god yes, lover, fill me, take me, that's sooo gooood!" She had never been particularly verbal during sex, and her new volubility was as wondrous a surprise as her flirtatious manner earlier, her newly shaven sex, and the way she had been acting all evening. But this was no time to wonder about those things, it was a time to take charge and give his all for his wife's delight.

Gripping her hips, Cal began to thrust furiously upward. Eileen screamed out her shocked joy at his sudden aggression, and her thighs closed more tightly around him. "Yes yes yes yes yes yessssssss," she hissed and suddenly began to spasm atop him. "Oh gaawwdddd, beloveeeeed, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" She was tossing her head back and her keening was driving him wild, at least as wild as the intense muscular contractions now shooting through her sex.

It didn't take long for Cal to groan his way to a passionate explosion as well, his thick, hot cream filling his wife, jetting deep inside. Eileen began to wail again as another orgasm shook her body, the sensations of her husband's seed boiling through his shaft and into her depths driving her over the precipice once more.

The joyous husband and blissful wife slowly wound down from the concentrated force of their desire, and she slowly collapsed into his arms, tracing her fingers over his chest as they lay together, their perspiration drying in the cool air.

Within a few minutes, Cal could hear Eileen's steady breathing, and he cautiously sat up, looking down at this wild woman whom he hardly recognized. Whatever had set her off, he hoped it didn't go away any time soon. There was nothing wrong, per se, with their sex life, but this sudden burst of lustful energy was a dream come true, and he wanted to enjoy it as long as possible.

He gently laid his hand on Eileen's breast and caressed it gently. She mumbled a little in her sleep and turned her back to him, so he regretfully let the soft mound go.

What the hell was up with her? Suddenly she was so turned on by his quartet's success and the music they were singing. And she was noticing other men too, a big surprise, since she had never paid attention to anyone else before tonight, especially Tony Quinones.

Cal suddenly remembered something that had vaguely registered when "Lazy River" had been singing in the contest judges' hospitality room. "Winner's Circle" had come in behind them and were waiting their turn to sing, standing along the back wall. Cal had noticed Eileen work her way across to where Tony stood, and stand with her back to him throughout LR's five-song set. He couldn't give it a lot of attention because it was necessary to concentrate on the music he was presenting, but he recalled that at one point he had been surprised to see her gyrating her hips, apparently pressed right up against the other quartet's lead!

Cal felt suddenly cold, and looked down at his wife. She had been openly flirting, no, sexually coming on to Tony! He was sure of it, and that explained everything else she had been doing today. In fact, thinking back over the last year, he recalled her commenting on what a sexy guy Tony was at the barbershop shows they had been to.

He suddenly didn't want to sleep with Eileen. He spent the night sitting up in a chair across the room, staring at a woman he wasn't sure he knew anymore.

Who'll take my place in your heart when I'm gone?
Who'll know the bliss of your kiss from then on?
... Who'll take my place in your wonderful arms?
Who will embrace all your wonderful charms?
--Who'll Take My Place, arr. J. Clancy

Eileen woke horny, and she sat up, surprised to find Cal seated across the room, asleep. She went to him, tried to pull him close, even slipped to her knees in front of him and took his cock in her mouth, but he pushed her away. She was hurt, and confused.

Cal didn't say much at breakfast, and Eileen was curious why he had gotten out of bed and slept in the chair. His lame excuse that he couldn't sleep and wanted to study his music just wasn't the truth, but she could pry nothing more out of him. She wanted to push a little harder, but after his rejection of her sexual advances, he seemed to be closed off for the moment. She unwillingly decided he was just trying to preserve his voice and get his mind into gear for the afternoon quartet finals.

"Love, I'm going to go downtown and maybe do some shopping," she said, brushing his forehead with a kiss as he sat staring at his music. Her eyes dropped to the page and she looked up in surprise. "You guys planning to sing that one?"

Cal nodded gruffly. "Yes, it's one we do well, and it is rarely done in contest anymore." He pulled some other music over. "Besides 'Falling in Love', we're planning on "Once upon a Time' and 'So Long, Sally'. If we win, we'll do 'Ain't Misbehavin' again."

"Three ballads? Shouldn't you do an up tune?" Eileen was mystified with the change in music. She had expected them to swap out at least one song when they learned what "Winner's Circle" was singing, but all three? And three songs in the same genre?

"We don't WANT to do an up tune," Cal said harshly. "We want to make all the ladies cry, and all the men hug their wives and girlfriends close and remember what they share. Even the barbersluts."

Eileen recoiled from the vehemence in his voice, and her eyes grew cool, an icy-blue that usually warned Cal he was treading on very thin ice. "I don't know what's bothering you, Cal, but you'd better work it out before you sing this afternoon, or you won't win. I'm going shopping. I'll see you when you sing." She turned and walked away, inwardly fuming at her husband's odd behavior.

Her morning in the shopping meccas of the city was not as enjoyable as it could have been. Her husband's anger bothered her deeply, and while she suspected that part of it was because she had been so uncharacteristically coy last night, she didn't quite grasp why he wouldn't tell her what was obviously hurting him so deeply.

She had just returned to the hotel and stepped into the elevator to go up and change for the finals when four men entered the car with her. Eileen turned to look up at the gray-haired handsomeness of Tony Quinones, and the others in his quartet.