Chapter 2

Jeni and I spent the drive over to Alec and Erika’s house in almost complete silence. The closer the GPS said we were to our destination, the more I felt like I was going to throw up. Jeni seemed nervous as well, fidgeting with the radio, continuously checking her phone screen, and reapplying her lipstick in the visor mirror at every stoplight.

“You okay?” I asked, my hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice a little squeaky. “Just ... um, are you okay?”

The GPS announced our arrival as we pulled up to a modest two-story house in a quiet subdivision. Warm light glowed from the windows, making the home look inviting despite the knot of anxiety tightening in my gut. I pulled over to the curb, put the car in park, and turned to look at my wife. “Just, what?” I needed to hear her say it, needed to know she was really still okay with this.

“Just nervous,” she admitted, her sexy, smoky eyes meeting mine in the dim glow of the dashboard lights. “But also excited. Is that weird?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I feel exactly the same way.” I glanced at the house, watching shadows move behind the curtains. “We can still leave, you know. Drive away right now. Text them we changed our minds, or that something came up.”

She was quiet for a moment, considering, then shook her head. “No. I want this. I want to explore this with you.” She leaned across the center console and kissed me softly. “But I need to know you want it too. Not just because I talked you into it.”

I looked into her eyes, searching for any doubt. “I want it,” I said, and realized I meant it. The fear was still there, coiled in my stomach like a snake, but underneath it was genuine curiosity, genuine desire. “Let’s go fuck some people we barely know.”

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “God, when you put it that way...” But she was already unbuckling her seatbelt, checking her reflection one more time in the mirror.

We got out of the car, and I came around to meet Jeni on the sidewalk. She smoothed down her tight black dress that hugged every curve and ended mid-thigh. I’d watched her try on five different outfits before settling on this one, sexy but not desperate, showing just enough cleavage to be enticing. I adjusted my shirt collar, suddenly too aware of how my heart was pounding.

The walk up the driveway felt surreal, like moving through a dream where your limbs weigh nothing yet everything moves in slow motion. Jeni’s stilettos clicked against the concrete, a metronome counting down to something inevitable. As we neared the house, the porch light cast long, distorted shadows of our bodies against the manicured lawn, each step bringing us closer to a threshold we’d never be able to uncross.

Before we even reached the door, it swung open, revealing Erika backlit by the warm glow of the interior. She looked even more stunning than I remembered; her platinum blonde hair cascaded in loose waves over her shoulders, framing a face that belonged on magazine covers. She wore a white silk blouse that was unbuttoned just enough to reveal the swell of her breasts, paired with a blue above-the-knee A-line skirt that showcased her long, tanned legs.

“You made it!” she exclaimed, her ice-blue eyes sparkling as she stepped aside to let us enter. “Come in, come in.”

The house smelled of vanilla, and soft music played from hidden speakers. As we entered the foyer, Erika pulled Jeni into a hug, then turned to me. Before I could extend my hand for a polite handshake, she wrapped her arms around me, pressing her considerable chest against mine.

“So glad you both could come,” she murmured near my ear, her warm breath tickling my earlobe. As she embraced me, her hand slid deliberately down my back until her palm cupped my bottom with a subtle but unmistakable squeeze that made my cock twitch and stiffen against my pants.

Alec emerged from what I assumed was the living room, moving with the casual confidence of a previous athlete. I had thought he would have been in his mid-twenties, like Erika, but his face held the distinguished weathering of a man who was in his mid to late forties. He stood around six feet, an inch or so taller than me, with dark brown hair, slightly silvered at the temples, styled back in perfect waves. His strong jawline was shadowed with precisely maintained stubble that accentuated the angles of his face, and his piercing green eyes assessed us with obvious interest, lingering first on Jeni’s curves before sliding over to me with equal intensity. He wore dark-washed jeans that hugged his thighs and a light gray Henley with three buttons undone at the collar, revealing a glimpse of his broad, tanned chest. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, exposing forearms corded with veins that ran like rivers beneath his skin.

“You must be Kyle and Jeni,” he said as he approached, his voice that same deep rumble I’d heard on the phone earlier. “I’m Alec,” he introduced himself as he shook my hand with a firm grip that lasted just a beat longer than normal, his eyes holding mine. Then he turned to Jeni, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Erika’s told me so much about you.”

Jeni’s cheeks flushed pink, and I noticed her breath catch slightly. “It’s nice to meet you,” she managed, her voice a little breathless.

Alec gestured toward the living room with a sweep of his arm. “Come on in and have a seat.” He strode ahead like someone who knew exactly what the evening would bring. Jeni and I followed, my fingers brushing against the small of her back, while Erika trailed behind.