"Candace called and invited us to go down to the Lariat Club for a drink tonight. I said we were free. Alright?" Jackie called out as he went up the stairs to change his clothes after a long day.

"Sure. Sounds like fun." John replied. He left all such arrangements to his wife and almost never refused or changed her decisions on the home front.

The Lariat Club was jumping on this Friday night, with a traditional Western combo playing on the stage at one end. The sound was pretty loud because the place has fairly low ceilings. Everything about it was cozy and reeked of friendliness and drunken love for your fellow man ... or woman.

Line-dancing was first and Jackie and Candace were up there first, their husbands in tow, but less enthusiastic. They swung right into it though and began a long evening of pleasant neighborly fun. The occasional excessively rowdy customer was calmed down quickly. There was then the traditional sad song cowboy music for the lovers to dance as close as they could manage under a colored light system that whirled colored beams in all directions. You could find any part of a girl being groped someplace on the dance floor.

Candace took John by the hand and Jackie took Sam, switching off, as friends will do. They danced neighborly close and Candace was aware of her neighbor's excitement of their dancing so closely. In the middle of the floor after two numbers they switched partners and husband and wife were back together.

"I think Sam has a thing for you." John teased.

"You think? That's OK, I like Sam. Candace seems to have the hots for you old boy, too."

"Don't think so. but I like her too. Nice people."

She nodded and pressed close. Is that thing poking me because you danced close and slow with our neighbor?"

"No, couldn't be. I'm not that kind of boy!" he laughed.

They were joined by two other couples from the neighborhood and another round of drinks showed up.

After a few rounds of drinks and more dancing, Jackie and Candace went off together to the ladies' room. Fifteen minutes later, Candace returned alone, cheerful and laughing. "We stopped and talked to those young guys at the bar. They are out for a good time and are terrible flirts."

"What happened to Jackie?"

"Oh, she stayed talking with them. She'll be back in a minute."

John looked in the direction of the bar and there among the garish lighting was his wife, seated on a bar stool and surrounded by a handful of local wolves. He shook his head with a wry smile. As he watched, one of the wolves put his hand on Jackie's thigh, heading for a spot under her skirt. Typically, she continued her spirited conversation and after a couple minutes, smiled at the wolf and pushed his hand down her thigh. He had seen her do that a hundred times, giving the man a few minutes to enjoy the silky feeling of her stockings and the warm flesh under it, and then politely and slowly removing his hand with a smile. It was the ultimate in flirting, because she enjoyed someone putting their hand under her skirt, in fact.

A few minutes later, John looked again and yet another guy was in the same sequence, his hand firmly on her thigh, fingers down between her legs. Her skirt was a little higher right now and so was Jackie's alcoholic haze. He watched for longer than was comfortable, but eventually, she put her hand on his to stop his progress, waited a while, then pushed his hand away, holding onto it for another minute, still talking gaily to the guys.

John walked past the scene and went to the Men's room and took a cigarette outside for a few minutes and returned past the bar. Jackie was gone and no place to be seen. After checking his table, he stepped back to ask one of the guys if he knew which way the pretty girl had gone.

"Oh, Jackie? She went with Rick Gibson. He's taking her for a ride in his Ferrari!" the young man smiled broadly. "She's a great gal. And she has a set of tits on her that are outa this world."

"And who is Gibson?" John knew it was a foolish question.

"Oh, Gibby is a good guy. Got a Ferrari! Ol' Jackie's likely to get laid taking a ride with old Gibby." He slurred drunkenly. He laughed at his own comment. Another bar hanger smiled and added: "Ol' Gibby likes married pussy! He'll bring it back, but he loves good married stuff!" they had caught on that she was John's wife so they laid it on a bit. He walked away and sat pensively at the table and took a long swig from the scotch and soda at his place. He noted that he was behind on the drinks, which had piled up in his absence.

"Everything OK?" Candace asked, a worried expression following his eyes to the bar. "Should I see if she is in the little girls' room?"

"No ... I'm sure she is all right. She went for a ride in a Ferrari."

"Uh-oh." Sam muttered quietly, his lips betraying a smile he was trying to hide.

"Sometimes, she gets a little wild. Does things like that." John said not quite convincingly.

John looked at his watch and realized that she had been gone at least 45 minutes and his mind went over some scenarios of what she was doing out with a stranger in a fast car. An accident was one of course, but there were many other possibilities, including lying back over the hood of an expensive car with her skirt up and the fast driver taking liberties. The latter image gnawed at him. He dove back into the conversation.

After more than an hour, John saw the Ferrari driver and his wife welcomed back to the bar. Her hair looked like someone had had his hands in it mussing it up and her blouse had that hurriedly stuffed into her skirt look. The gang at the bar greeted her with great enthusiasm.

"Oh, there she is!" Candace exulted, giving John a big smile. "Told you she'd be all right."

She made for the Ladies' room first and then half an hour later sauntered up to the table smiling and cheerful. "Went for a ride in a fabulous car! That fellow Gibson, over there has a new Ferrari. You should see it. And fast! Whew!"

After the conversation about fast cars died down, John invited Jackie to dance and they went out on the floor.

"I was worried." He said into her ear.

"Why? Just went for a little ride!" she snapped.

"Two hours?"

"Oh, no, it couldn't have been."

"Pretty close."

"Well ... you know I have to ... Well, anyway it was a nice fast ride. We parked for awhile and just sat there looking at the moon in the most expensive car I have ever seen."

"You kissed I suppose."

"Well ... of course ... you know how it is..."

"And more?"

"A little more. He's a very nice guy!"

"He got in your panties." It wasn't exactly a question.

She didn't answer and they finished the dance. She led him back to the table by the hand.