Chapter 54: Straight Friends

At home the next weekend, Fran laid out the next challenge we had now that we’d coped with explaining our lifestyle and rough wedding plans to my parents. Fran had two close friends she’d grown up with – Val and Loren – neither of whom were sexual players as far as we knew, and they both needed to be convinced to be in the wedding and to play sexually with our perverted bunch of partiers. Val was an old high school friend, and Fran worked with Loren and they’d become BFFs outside the family circle.

Fran said, “I think the best plan is for the two of us to approach them one at a time, but together – you and me. I’ll do the hard sell, and you turn on the romance and flirt outrageously with them. By the way, Loren is probably going to be very shy.”

I shrugged. I could do flirting with the two women just by being present, at least according to René. I’d seen pictures of Val and Loren, and they were both knockouts, although it had been hard to tell much more due to the limited nature of the photographs and their Facebook snapshots.

Val lived and worked about ninety-minutes away in Newport, Rhode Island. Fran arranged for us to go down and see her for lunch the following Saturday. Val was thrilled she’d get to spend a little time with her old friend, and also get to meet me again without the distraction of large lawn party.

Val did some kind of telemarketing and customer service, but Fran and a search of Facebook didn’t provide any more details than that. I’d had a couple of friends doing cold-call telemarketing, and they told me it was the most unrewarding job they could think of.

We caught up with Val at a waterfront restaurant and pub in Newport. She was a hot woman Fran’s age, with glasses, but the kind of personality that made you think she was a sleeper and that her sexuality ran deep but had been suppressed to the point it was just ready to explode into a fourth of July fireworks.

Seeing her again, I wondered what she’d be like in bed. I scolded myself for that thought, but I realized I assessed almost every woman I saw that way. God, I was such a schmuck.

We were about the only ones in the pub, and since the weather was relatively warm we sat outside on their patio overlooking the water but kept our coats on. I played a relatively silent role as Fran and Val caught up. They hadn’t seen each other for almost two years, since Fran and I had first started to go together, but they had had various telephone chats.

I almost dozed off in the warm sun, listening with half an ear to the feminine chatter about old friends, who was where, who’d seen what on Facebook, and so on. That said, I occasionally turned on the charm with Val, even touching her hand or arm to make a point now and then in a way I’d been told warmed a woman up to you. When talk about the wedding started, I tuned in a little more, but I had no idea how Fran intended to broach the delicate subject she’d really wanted to explore with Val.

Fran spoke, “Val, this is a bit delicate, but I would like you to listen to me because your participation in our April wedding as a bridesmaid is so important to me.”

“Sure. Oh, I’m looking forward to it. I don’t see what’s delicate at all. I’m flattered to be asked.”

Fran said, “There are some details that I need to share with you.”

“Details?”

“Well, for one, we’re doing a destination wedding in St. Maarten’s in the Caribbean. We’ve picked a resort, and this is the delicate part, the dress code at the resort we’ll be using is clothing optional.”

Val smiled and said in almost a teasing tone, “I still don’t see the problem.”

I jumped in after touching Val’s shoulders to get her attention and share the burden with my fiancée, “What Fran is trying to say is that part of the wedding may be clothing optional too, and ... well, the reception and rest of the party will go on another five days in that spirit.”

Val looked between Fran and me. Fran said, “Let me explain a little more. Steve and I have lived together about two years, but my two sisters and two other friends also live with us ... with an intimacy between all of us.”

In a very hushed tone but an odd look, Val said, “Oh, interesting.”

Fran continued. “Steve also has some other women he loves, and they too will be part of the ceremony along with some of the men who are my intimate friends.”

Val repeated softly, “Intimate friends?”

We both nodded. Fran emphasized, “Very intimate friends.” She put an emphasis on the word ‘very’ and the fact that ‘friends’ was a plural noun.

Val said in a matter-of-fact tone, “So, if I’m to participate in the wedding or reception I may need to be nude?”

“Maybe. We’re still planning the wedding,” Fran assured. “That’s our inclination, or maybe at least topless or something akin to that. Does that shock you?”

Val laughed for the first time since our conversation had taken this turn, “Actually, no. I sort of like the idea, in part because it holds the middle finger up to authority and the status quo. You should know, I’m no fashion model or porn queen.”