Chapter 1: The Interview

About six months after we got married, Jason and I decided we wanted to try swinging. I think it was originally his idea, but I was the one who pursued it. I picked up swinger magazines and perused the personals in the paper, hoping to find a couple like us who wanted to swap, or maybe a bisexual woman to join us in our bed. But when I saw the ad for the club, I felt I'd struck gold. They had rules, the ad said, that were strictly enforced, and an even ratio of men to women. Single people were permitted to join only if they brought a friend of the opposite sex along with them. Members were required to provide proof of a negative HIV test every six months, condoms were mandatory, and all the swinging was done at organized parties—no phone numbers or last names exchanged. It seemed like the perfect situation.

I called the local number on a Tuesday and arranged an interview with the organizers that Thursday evening, and Jason and I could hardly wait to meet them.

When we arrived at their office, a small, tastefully decorated storefront space, we weren't even sure we'd found the right place. The lettering on the glass door read simply, "SC Productions — By Appointment Only." I was getting cold feet and suggested we just go home and forget about it, but Jason insisted we keep our appointment. If we had any misgivings after meeting Kiera and her husband, he said, we didn't have to join their club. On the other hand, we might just be standing at the door to the most exciting opportunity of our lives.

Inside, a nicely dressed thirty-ish woman sat behind a large cherry wood desk. She was beautiful, with long red hair, alabaster skin, and catlike green eyes that looked stunning with the burgundy silk blouse she wore. She looked up as we came through the door, then smiled warmly and stood up. "You must be Dani," she said to me, extending her hand. I accepted it, nodding agreement, and marveled at the softness of her fingertips as they lightly brushed my palm. "I'm Kiera," she said. "And this is Jason?"

"Hi," Jason said, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Very nice to meet both of you," she returned. "Ryan's waiting for us in the conference room. Can I get either of you a drink before we go in? We have fresh coffee and a full bar."

"Coffee, please," Jason said. "I don't drink." I wanted something a little stronger to calm my nerves. Kiera poured a cup of coffee for him and mixed a screwdriver for me at the counter behind her desk, then led us down a narrow hallway to a closed door. She smiled again and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be nervous," she told me. "Ryan doesn't bite ... unless you ask nicely."

"What about you?" Jason wanted to know.

She let her eyes wander over him and licked her lips. "I might."

He raised an eyebrow at me and touched my hand as Kiera opened the door. The "conference room" looked more like an expensive hotel room (minus the ugly art). There was a king size canopy bed directly opposite the door, draped with sheer burgundy veils. On either side was a glossy black nightstand with three drawers, and on each of those was a tall burgundy taper candle, already lit. In the corner to the left of the door was a cozy arrangement of black leather furniture—two loveseats positioned adjacent to each other, with a glass-topped end table at the junction. On the table was a thick burgundy pillar candle and a glass tumbler half full of what could be whiskey.

On the loveseat that faced us sat a tall, slender man dressed in black slacks and a charcoal grey sweater. His bare feet rested on the round glass coffee table in front of him. His tousled brown hair was cut short in back with longer layers on top, his bangs hanging seductively over large dark-chocolate eyes. I had to catch my breath when I saw him, and Jason glanced curiously at me.

"Sweetheart, I'd like you to meet Jason and Dani," Kiera told him, then turned back to us. "This is my husband, Ryan."

He regarded us coolly for a few seconds, then stood and walked over to stand beside his wife, towering over all of us. At roughly six-foot-two, he was easily six or seven inches taller than both Jason and myself, and we were no more than an inch shorter than Kiera. He shook hands with Jason first, then turned to me and took my right hand in his. "I'm very pleased to meet both of you," he said in a soft, smoky voice, and raised my hand to his lips. He kissed the back of it as I expected, but then he rolled it over and kissed my palm, too, touching it lightly with the tip of his tongue. I shivered, and he let go and finally smiled, which made me shiver again.

Kiera cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at her husband. "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, baby?" she said mildly.

Ryan turned his killer smile on her. "Maybe a little."

I looked at Jason, but he didn't seem the least disturbed. He was busy checking out our hostess. I smiled to myself, thinking he'd been right about keeping this appointment.

"We do have some paperwork to do," Kiera told us, and Ryan groaned. She laughed at him. "Relax, babe, it's the part you like. Dani and I did the boring part over the phone."

"Oh, good." He took my hand again and led me to the loveseat he'd occupied a few minutes before, dropping into his former position and patting the cushion beside him. I sat down, and he looked up at his wife. "Well?"

Kiera rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at Jason. "Forgive him," she said. "Subtlety is not his strong suit. Have a seat, and I'll join you in a second."

Jason watched her walk toward the desk in the other corner and ran a hand through his black hair, making some of his long bangs stick out at odd angles, then went to the empty loveseat and started to sit down at the end nearest the table. Ryan quickly seized his arm. "No," he said firmly. "Sorry, sweets, you have to sit over there."

Glancing at me, Jason asked, "Why?"

"That's the rule," our host told him. "We can't have you copying each other's answers."

"Answers to what?"

Ryan flashed his smile again. "You'll see."

When Kiera returned with two clipboards, Ryan took one from her and handed it to me, then let his hand come to rest on my right knee. His wife gave the other board to Jason as she sat down beside him, and he raised an eyebrow at her when she slid her arm around his shoulders. "Are you ready to be honest?" she asked close to his ear.

"Sure," he said warily. "What is this?"

"Our questionnaire," she explained. "We use this to determine which parties you'll be interested in, so nobody winds up where they don't want to be."

Now he turned his head and looked at her directly. "What do you mean, which parties?"

"Well, it takes all kinds," she said, smiling, "so we have all kinds of parties. Some are fairly tame, and some can get pretty wild. We need to know what you like—"

"And what you might like," Ryan interjected.

She glanced sideways at him and continued, "Yes, that too. So we can invite you to the parties you'll really enjoy."

"That's what it's all about," her husband added, turning to look at me. "Everybody really enjoying themselves." His hand slid a few inches up my thigh and then back to my knee while his eyes held mine. I couldn't look away.

"Okay," I heard Jason say. "So why can't we see each other's answers?"

"Because people lie to their partners," Ryan whispered, lowering his gaze to my mouth.

"We find that people are more open about their fantasies," Kiera said, "when they know their partners won't find out how kinky they really are."

I heard Jason draw in a sharp breath and wondered fleetingly what she might have done to him, but Ryan kissed me then, and my attention was fully refocused on him. His lips felt as soft and full as they looked, and his fingertips played lightly over my cheek and down the side of my neck before returning to my thigh—a little higher than before. He touched my upper lip with the tip of his tongue for only a second, then pulled back and smiled. "Unless they end up at all the same parties," he said then.

"What?" Jason demanded. "Are you saying we won't be going to these things together?"

"Well, that's up to you," Ryan said, turning to look at him. "You're certainly not required to attend any of them, so you can choose not to go if your partner's not invited. However..." he took a sip of his drink, "you're not allowed to go if you're not invited."

I leaned forward enough to see Jason, and his deep green eyes narrowed a little as he studied our host thoughtfully. "I see," he said after a moment.

"Good."

Kiera played with the back of Jason's hair where it touched his collar. She had turned toward him and now sat with her right leg bent over his left. He seemed not to notice while the two men regarded each other. Finally, he said, "You're planning to fuck my wife, aren't you?"

"Not tonight," Ryan told him. "And you're not fucking mine tonight either."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't have your tests." He swallowed the rest of his whiskey and set the tumbler back on the end table. "We don't fuck anybody without a test."

"Don't worry, sweetie," Kiera crooned, kissing Jason's neck. "You'll get to see ours, too."

"So," Ryan went on, cocking his head slightly, "are you going to fill out the questionnaires, or have you changed your minds already?"

Jason looked at me. "What do you think?"

I felt Ryan's fingertips lightly stroking the seam of my slacks about halfway up my inner thigh. Trying to appear nonchalant, I shrugged. "I don't see any reason not to," I said. "I mean, we don't have to go to any of the parties if we don't want to."

"Exactly," Ryan agreed and moved his hand a little higher. "But you won't get a chance if you don't fill those out."

Nodding slowly, Jason licked his lips and gave his attention back to our hostess, who was still kissing his neck. He reached up into the back of her hair and turned his face toward hers, then kissed her passionately on the mouth, obviously using his tongue. I glanced at her husband, but he only smiled knowingly and then ignored them. To me, he said, "There are no right or wrong answers here, so you don't have to worry about making a mistake." "What?" I said blankly, preoccupied with the scene on the other couch.

Ryan tapped the clipboard I was still holding and pressed his lips close to my ear. "Tell me what you want," he whispered. "I promise you won't shock me."

At last, I looked at the questionnaire, which consisted of several pages. On the first was a long list of sexual activities and fetishes, each preceded by a short blank line. The instructions advised me to mark each blank with a number—0, 1, or 2—to identify my level of interest in that activity. Zeros would indicate no interest, while ones were meant to imply curiosity. I skimmed the list, very aware of his eyes on me, then reached for the pencil that was tucked behind the clip. He laid his right hand on top of mine as I slid the pencil out, and he gently pushed it back. I swallowed hard, and he pulled it out again. "I'm sorry," he murmured, releasing me. "Go ahead."

He watched in silence for a few moments while I marked the lines, and then he ran his finger about two-thirds of the way down the middle column and stopped. "I want to do that to you," he breathed in my ear. "Do you know what that is?" I wasn't sure I understood the term, so I shook my head, expecting him to explain it to me. Instead, he said, "You'll like it—especially if I do it."

I had a strong suspicion that he was right, whatever it was, so I asked instead, "Do you do it to your wife?"

"Baby, I do it to everybody." He licked the side of my neck, just below my ear. "And they all love it." I wrote a two on the line, and he smiled and kissed me, then asked, "See anything you want to do to me?"

This time, I decided to leave him guessing, so I just smiled and went back to the list. He laughed softly but said nothing. I heard Kiera giggle and wondered what was happening over there, but it seemed unfair to ask, since Ryan and I were having our own private party.

"Seriously," Jason said, "I think you should add that to the list."

She shushed him, and he laughed.

Ryan rolled his brown eyes. "I need a refill," he announced, standing. "Anyone else?" He looked at my drink, still mostly full on the coffee table, and shook his head. "You do," he told me, handing me the glass. "Finish it quick, and I'll get you another one."

Although I don't normally respond well to orders, something about him made me want to do as he said. I took the glass from him and drained it quickly, and he leaned down to kiss me when he took it back. "Don't go away," he whispered.

When he left the room, I looked over and saw that Kiera's left hand had wandered far into Jason's lap, and she was rubbing him through his tight black jeans. It seemed as though they hadn't noticed Ryan at all, either when he spoke or when he left. I considered following him out to the front office, wondering if they'd notice me, but I still had a questionnaire to finish. Turning the page, I found a number of multiple choice questions concerning such things as how many orgasms I might reasonably be expected to have and what kind of undergarments I wore (if any). Contemplating what Ryan's answers might be, I marked mine and turned to the next page.

More multiple choice, the first having to do with visual stimuli—"I would be aroused by watching (blank) have (blank) sex. (Circle all that apply.)" My options for the first variable were: (a) a straight couple; (b) two men;© two women; (d) an interracial couple; (e) a group of three or more. For the second blank, I could choose from missionary, doggie-style, manual, oral, or anal. I decided to come back to that one.

After several questions about masturbation as well as various other stimuli, I reached the last page, where I discovered only three questions. The first was open response, asking me to describe any fantasy I might have that was not covered in the previous three pages; I left it blank. The second question was far simpler, although it had two parts. I was asked first to circle yes or no to the proposition of having sex with Kiera, and then the same with Ryan. I answered yes to the second part without hesitation, then looked over at our hostess again. She really was gorgeous, and Jason appeared to be enjoying her immensely. I watched her undo the last button on his shirt, then brush it aside and lick his left nipple while she continued to rub his jeans. When he looked up and caught me watching, he smiled sheepishly for a second before his eyes rolled back.

When Ryan returned with our glasses, he pushed the door closed and stood still, watching his wife with an unreadable expression. After a moment, he looked at me, pressed a finger to his lips, and set the tumblers on the floor, then moved to the end of the loveseat. Kiera took her right hand from Jason's hair and used it instead to cover his eyes, while Ryan reached down and smoothly replaced her left hand with his own, stroking the bulge in my husband's jeans. My jaw dropped, and Ryan winked at me. A few seconds later, he let her go back to stroking while he took over licking Jason's chest. Kiera smiled over her shoulder and blew me a kiss, then gently pushed Ryan away.

He picked up the drinks again and returned to his seat with a wicked smile. Setting the glasses on the coffee table, he turned and kissed me, this time easing his tongue into my mouth. So far, I'd been simply playing along, too nervous to let go. But now I couldn't hold back. I reached up with both hands and ran my fingers through his silky brown hair, then pulled him closer, sucking hungrily at his tongue. He wrapped his arms around me, caressing my back while my right hand explored the front of his sweater. Beneath the ultra-soft velour, the muscles in his chest and abdomen were hard and well defined, and I longed to feel them against me. I wanted him like I hadn't wanted anybody since I met Jason.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Ryan suddenly reached between us and tugged the bottom of his sweater up to his chest. I tried to touch his belly, but he seized my wrist and pulled his head back. "No," he whispered, gazing into my eyes. "Take it off me." I nodded, and he let me go. He cooperated, raising his arms above his head while I peeled his shirt off, then abruptly pulled me onto his lap and embraced me once more. He let me touch him now while he dipped his head to lick my neck, and I caressed his smooth, bare chest with enthusiasm.

Pushing his strong fingers up into the back of my hair, he held my head still and pressed his lips to my ear. "Did you answer all the questions?" he murmured.

"Almost," I said, nearly panting.

"Mm, almost doesn't count," he admonished. "Can I help you finish?"

I nodded, and he managed to reposition me with such a fluid series of movements that I barely had time to register what was happening. Then I sat with my back to his chest, his arms encircling my waist, and I could feel his erection against my ass. He lightly brushed the back of my neck with his lips and slid his hands upward until his thumbs grazed the undersides of my breasts. "Show me what you've got," he directed. It took me just a second to realize what he meant, and then I retrieved the clipboard from the arm of the sofa. Rather than take it from me, he let me hold it while he perused my responses, stopping when he reached the last page. "What's this? No fantasies?" he whispered then. "I'm very disappointed, Dani. How can I fulfill them if you won't share them with me?"

"I will," I promised, though I had no idea what I'd tell him.

"Of course you will," he agreed. "Next time you come here, I want at least one in writing. Okay?"

"Okay."

He rewarded me with a lingering kiss behind my right ear, then another just above my shirt collar as he pointed to the circled "Yes" beside his name. "Good girl," he crooned. "Now look over there."

He didn't need to tell me where. I looked at the other loveseat and saw Jason on his back with Kiera sitting on top of him, straddling his pelvis. His black button-down shirt was gone, and her blouse hung open, revealing a lacy white bra that gently supported her firm breasts and fully camouflaged only her nipples. Jason's pale hands were at rest on her hips while she rocked them back and forth, and he gazed up at her pretty face with blatant desire.

"Now that's beautiful," Ryan breathed against my neck. He ran the backs of his first two fingers slowly under my chin and asked, "Can you honestly tell me you don't want some of that?" While he awaited my response, his fingers changed direction, trailing ever so lightly downward to my sternum, where my bra was fastened. There he stopped and pivoted his hand, cradling my right breast. I took a deep breath as he brought it up to cover the entire mound, then exhaled sharply when he began to squeeze. A few seconds later, his left hand mirrored his right, and he kneaded my flesh urgently.

As if on cue, Kiera turned her feline eyes to me and licked her lips.

"You do, don't you?" Ryan said, and now he started to roll his hips beneath me, pushing his hard cock against my ass while he poured his hot breath down my chest. He wasn't really asking me, though; he was telling me. "Yes," he continued, his right hand gliding down to rest between my thighs. Through my grey slacks and red thong, he found my clit and teased it with the tip of his middle finger. "You want to fuck her," he said in a low voice, "because I want you to fuck her."

By this time, I had begun to acknowledge the hypnotic power of his sultry voice, and I realized that he could direct me to kiss my own ass, and I'd probably break my back trying. "Tell me you will," he commanded, tapping the clipboard. I circled the answer he wanted, and he whispered, "I can't wait to watch."

Finally, I read the last item on the questionnaire. It was not a question but a statement: "A minimum of one hour of orientation is required before initiates are granted membership and permitted free participation in party activities. Organizers will accompany initiates to said orientation and will remain on standby until such time as both initiates complete or opt out of orientation. Initiates who opt out must attend an interview with the organizers in order to be reconsidered for membership in the future. Signature below indicates understanding and acceptance of these terms."

I turned my head toward his. "What's orientation?" I asked quietly.

He smiled. "Fun."

I bit my lip for a second, wondering if he planned to keep me in the dark until it happened. But I couldn't very well indicate my understanding if I had none. "Seriously," I said. "What is it?"

Before he replied, he laid his hand flat between my thighs and began to rub my crotch. "It's sort of a trial run," he explained, "to see if you're really ready for swinging."

"Okay," I said, then caught my breath as he applied a little more pressure. "So what happens?"

Now he closed his eyes and nuzzled my ear. "Anything you said you were into on the first page."

I quickly flipped back to the beginning and re-read the list. "I'm not sure I understand," I told him. "Are we just supposed to watch for the first hour?"

He chuckled at that, then kissed my cheek and whispered, "No."

"Then how does it work?"

Drawing his hand back, he gently patted my right hip. "Turn around and face me," he said softly. I set down the clipboard, stood and turned around, and crawled back onto the short couch, straddling his lap. Ryan grasped my hips and pulled me closer, planting me squarely on top of his cock. He looked up into my eyes while his large hands moved up my sides to my shoulders, then down my arms to my wrists. He wrapped his fingers around them and pulled them together at the back of his neck. "Don't move," he said, letting go. Then he put his arms around me again and pressed his face between my breasts, raising his pelvis at the same time to remind me of his erection. Tilting his head, he leaned slightly and opened his mouth against my right breast. His tongue found its way to my nipple, sending a tingle from there to my groin, and I exhaled sharply. He looked up at me again and moved to my left breast, where he repeated the trick and achieved the same result. Finally, he slid his hands up to my shoulders and pulled me toward him once more. I opened my mouth a little, anticipating his kiss, and he licked my lips and tongue. His hips resumed their rolling motion, fucking me through our clothes, and at last he said softly, "Orientation is a special party ... where you and Jason will be the entertainment."

I pulled my head back and looked at him. "Entertainment?" I repeated. "Meaning what? We have to fuck in front of everybody?"

He smiled. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Come here," he said, and pulled me closer, pressing his right cheek to mine so he could speak quietly into my ear. "It means you'll be in front of everybody," he told me. "But you won't be fucking each other."

I stiffened. "Then who—?"

"Everybody," he said before I could finish the question. This time, he didn't let me pull back to look at him. He held me still and went on, "You'll be naked in the middle of the room, and everybody there can do whatever they want to you—as long as it's on your happy list."

"Are you serious?" I asked, hoping he was just teasing me.

But he wasn't. "Yes," he whispered. "But don't worry; you'll be safe. I'll be right there to supervise and make sure you don't get anything you don't want."

Now I was freaking out a little. I had assumed we'd be able to choose our own partners, but Ryan was saying we'd be an open buffet for the whole party.

"You won't even know who's touching you," he told me, "because you have to wear a blindfold."

"Ryan..." I said.

"What?"

"I don't think I can do it."

"Yes, you can," he insisted and kissed my neck. "You can and you will, because you have to."

"But—"

Abruptly, he drew back and looked at me, holding my face in his hands. "You have to," he said again, "because I'm not allowed to fuck non-members. And I have to fuck you."

I stared at him. Finally, I asked, "Why?"

He kissed me then, probing my mouth with his tongue while his hands caressed me everywhere. There was an urgency in his kiss, in his touch, that I'd never felt before. He seemed to need me in a way I couldn't begin to fathom. But why? He was married to one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met, and he obviously got more sex—with more partners—than most people could even handle. What could he possibly see in me that he couldn't get somewhere else?

"I want you so bad," he breathed in my ear when he broke the kiss. "I want to fuck you right now. I don't even care about the fucking test."

"Whoa," I said, taken aback. "You can't mean that."

"I do mean it," he assured me. "I'd die to fuck you. Right now. In front of your husband."

"And your wife," I reminded him.

"Yes."

"No," I said flatly, pushing him back. "Are you crazy?" I was too loud. They heard me.

"Everything okay over there?" Kiera asked.

"Yeah," I told her, keeping my eyes on Ryan.

"You sure?" Jason pressed. He sounded suspicious, and I hoped he wouldn't persist. I didn't want to have to tell Kiera that her husband was willing to risk his life to have sex with me. Of course, I was sure I didn't have anything, but there was no way he could be without the test.

I turned and smiled at Jason. "I'm sure," I said. We're fine."

He nodded, and Kiera told me, "By the way, since you asked, he is crazy. But he's so sexy, I just have to keep him around."

"He is sexy," I agreed, and I definitely wanted him. His yearning for me frightened me a little, but I can't deny that I was flattered by it. Had we both been single and met in a bar, I probably would have taken him home. Of course, I would have insisted he wear a condom—which would have been sufficient for me that night in their office, but their own rules precluded that possibility.

"I like yours, too," Kiera said and licked the corner of Jason's mouth. "He's very pretty."

'No argument there," I said honestly. I think Jason is beautiful. Pale skin; high cheekbones; heavy, dark eyebrows over emerald eyes with long, dark lashes; a perfectly straight nose that turns up ever so slightly at the end; naturally pink lips; an easy smile complete with adorable dimples ... I fell in love with his face the first time I saw him. It's one of those rare faces that is perpetually young and sweet, yet somehow grownup and sexy at the same time. His jet-black hair accentuates his features and gives him just a touch of badness to offset the innocence of his smile. If he'd only been a head, I would have loved him no less. Fortunately, he has an amazing body to go with it.

"Fuck me," Ryan whispered, kissing my neck.

I turned my head and caught his mouth with mine—mostly to shut him up—and he ran his hands up into my hair again. He kissed me passionately, then moved back to my neck and breathed, "I need to be inside you.'

"You can't," I said, careful to keep my voice low.

"Why can't I?"

"The rules—"

"Fuck the rules."

"They're your rules," I pointed out.

"Exactly," he said. "They're mine, so I can break them if I want to." With that, he grabbed my ass with both hands and thrust his pelvis upward, driving his erection into my crotch to make his point.

"What about your wife?" I asked, trying desperately not to give in.

"What about her?" he returned as if the subject didn't interest him. "Let her fuck Jason. She clearly wants to."

I tried to look again, to see what was happening on the other loveseat, but Ryan quickly wrapped his right arm around my shoulders to stop me. "You want to watch her fuck him? That's fine. I'll wait till they're finished, and then there'll be no reason why I can't have you."

"But you said—"

"What?" he cut me off. "Not tonight? I changed my mind."

"No, you said you don't fuck anybody without—"

"I'll make an exception."

My mind was reeling. I felt as though I'd had much too much to drink, although I hadn't even touched my second screwdriver. "Wait," I said firmly, surprising myself as much as him. "Just fucking hold on a minute."

Ryan closed his eyes and waited.

"Hey, Kiera," I said over my shoulder. "Can you come over here for a second, please?"

She sounded mildly perturbed when she said, "Sure," but she climbed off of my husband and came to sit beside her own. "What's up?" she asked.

"Me," Ryan answered before I could say anything.

She smiled and lovingly brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "Yes, my love. You always are." To me, she said, "He's insatiable."

"So I gathered," I told her. "He's suggesting a change of plans."

She looked sideways at him. "Such as?"

He seemed to hesitate, as if he was afraid of upsetting her, but he told her the truth: "I don't want to wait for the test results. I want her tonight."