Chapter 1: Getting To Know You

‘Honestly, sometimes I think he’s a pervert! Millie said. “He just wants me to play some fantasy every time we have sex!”

“The bid is yours, Millie.”

“Sorry, two clubs, then.”

“Ah, men, the little dears and their weird desires!” Alice laughed.

“I’m serious, last night he wanted me to pretend I was a school girl and he was the teacher ... I mean, my god, what is that all about.” Several of the women laughed at that. There were three tables for bridge and as usual, sometime during the afternoon, the conversation turned to sex. “He even wanted to spank me.” Several nervous laughs again.’

“Oh, yummy!” Catherine said quietly. Loud laughter followed.

“We had a big argument and he stalked out of the house. Didn’t come back for over an hour.”

Jackie was fairly new in the group and was now ‘first alternate’ meaning she only played when one of the regulars was unable to come. This meant she played most of the time because there was usually someone missing from the regular card group, which had been meeting monthly for several years.

“None of my business, but that doesn’t sound like it worked out very well ... For either of you.”

“Well, what would you do!”

Well, I’m not sure, but what harm does it really do to play along with them? They seem to ALL like a little fantasy with their sex. I say, let them have it if it isn’t harmful. So he gets a boost out of pulling down your panties and smacking your bottom, is that really so bad? My husband wants me to tell him about my high school boy friends and what we did in the back seat of the car! He gets more excited about that than just the me that he has become sexually bored with.” There were some oohs and aahs amongst the bidding comments.

“Hands up all whose hubby’s have suggested fantasies?” Several hands up good-naturedly.

“Almost everyone. Doesn’t it have to be rare to be perverted?” someone asked.

“Well, I think it is perverted.” Millie muttered.

The discussion faded and Jackie felt she had probably offended some of the women with her outspoken comments. But secretly she knew she couldn’t hold things like that back and she fought back a little smile of self-satisfaction.

Jackie hurried down the street to her parked car when one of the girls who had been quiet in the discussion caught up with her.

“Someone told me you have a bicycle?” Joy said, her sentence rising as in a question.

“Oh, yes. Not that I get it out much, though.” She grinned at the athletic looking woman.

“Want to ride together sometime?”

“Sure, but I might hold you up. I’m more of a lazy biker and favor a lot of pauses to admire the daisies.”

“That’s OK, I was thinking of tomorrow morning?” Her sentences were short and seemed intent on not offending or seeming aggressive. Jackie eyed her with an open-faced smile.

“I can do that, I think. Where.”

“Can I pick you up? About 8? You live on Delaware, am I right?”

She nodded. “It’s a date. I need someone to stimulate me to get the damned bike down off its peg! Thanks, Joy.”

Jackie watched her long-legged gait as she walked on to her own car and then swung her legs inside. They had spoken across the card table, but not much more. Joy had always been friendly, but never forced herself into the conversation. Jackie judged her to be moderately health-nut who got enough exercise to have a firm, yet feminine softness to her frame.

“The tires need to be pumped up. Would you do it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it after dinner.” John, or Jack as he was more usually known, was engrossed in the nightly news and tended to be a little grouchy about the way things were going until he had been fed.

“Don’t forget!” Jackie nagged slightly, stirring the soup.

“No, no.”

It only took one more reminder before she heard him in the garage hoisting down her bike and muttering about having too damned much ‘stuff.’

“All set.” He told her when he came back in the house.

“Thanks. Going with Joy in the morning.”

He nodded and went back to his newspaper.

“She’s a nice girl. Seems to do things like bike riding and stuff.”

“Oh, yea?” he said distractedly, rustling the paper.

“Little older, I think ... about your age.”

“Mmmfh.” He continued reading, ignoring the sticky pin about being a little older than Jackie. It amused her to throw that into the conversation in attempts to provoke him into conversation.

“She plays cards. Good at it. Better than Betty! I’ll probably slow her down, though. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”

“The pigmy tribes in Africa may start a war, I heard at card club.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

She smiled and decided to leave him to his beloved newspapers.

“I’m going downstairs. Anything I can get you first?”

“Nahhhh.”

She descended the stairs between yellow walls that cheered the hobby space/office she had fashioned on the lower level. The computer screen popped open with a bouncing pop-up message from Yahoo.

“OK, Joy, lead on, but take it easy.” She cautioned. Joy had arrived promptly at 8.

“I have a favorite route that’s not too hilly, if that’s OK? Along River Street. Nice scenery.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They parked the car and unloaded the bikes. Joy wore snub white shorts and a green golf shirt and looked perfectly attired for the trail. Her white visor shaded sun-glassed eyes and tucked neat brown hair close to her head. She led the way and Jackie followed along. The trail was scenic and led along sun-dappled streets with not too much motor traffic and well marked bike lanes.

“What did you think of the card club conversation?” Joy asked as they stopped under a large Oak tree.

“Oh, let’s see. Oh, you mean Millie?”

Joy nodded and then looked away seeming interested in something distant.

“Uh, you know big mouth me. I had to shoot off my mouth. Sorry if I offended...” her voice trailed off. She looked into the distance to see what Joy was looking at, smiling. “Everyone has their own battles I guess.” She looked back and smiled at the pretty woman. You were a little quiet, though...”

“Yes. I like Millie, but she does go on, doesn’t she? Surprising sometimes.”

“Well it seemed to bother her. I should just shut my big mouth. What do I know?”

“No, I was interested in what you said.”

“You mean you agree.”

“I guess so. Well, that is, I mean that’s the way I act. Andy does things like that, too. I don’t object.”

“Oh, well me too. I don’t think it hurts. Better to fantasize than be off somewhere doing ... I guess. Don’t think Millie thinks that way, though. But I’ve had more experience like that, I guess, than she ... has.” She came to a stop as if realizing that she was opening up more than she really wanted to say.

Joy stared at her but didn’t pry. Finally, she nodded and led the way again down toward the river visible through the trees.

The next time they stopped there was a park bench and the two women leaned back and stuck their legs out to allow the muscles to rest, Joy’s close together, toes pointed, Jackie effected an open-legged sprawl.

“I’ve heard you say you are a nurse, too.”

“Ohmigod, you too? I’m an obsolete one, I’m afraid. Every time we moved, I started over on the seniority roster and worked endless holidays. I finally gave up after, let’s see, the third or fourth move! I loved it though, pediatrics usually. How about you?”

“O.R. And E. R. Mostly. But more recently administrative things.”

They stopped again. “Had enough? Maybe we should turn back before the heat gets too much?”

While they rested, the conversation turned back to the sex fantasies.

“So, Joy ... what dark fantasies have you two been hatching?” Jackie made big eyes and stifled a grin.

“Oh, dear. I didn’t mean...”

“Come on, you can tell me, I’m a nurse!” they laughed at the old line all nurses have for any situation involving someone being exposed or embarrassed.

“Oh, I’ve never talked about ... well, sometimes I make up ... something like visiting a geisha house and being entertained ... by those girls...

“Oh, ever been to a Geisha house?”

“No... “ she smiled self-consciously, “I just make it up and entertain him. You know.”

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a fantasy if you’d already done it, would it.” Jackie squeezed her knee and they both laughed.

“What does your husband, John, is it? What does he want... ?”

“Oh, he likes to have any excuse to pull down my panties and spank my too-big bottom! I guess that’s the key. Like pretending to catch me showing off my undies to the grocery boy and having to punish me for it. You know, over the knee, pull my skirt up, panties down and take off his belt to me!” Jackie grinned at Joy and laughed un-self-consciously.” She watched the blush rise in Joy’s face.

“Hey, I didn’t know nurses could blush!”

“I know! I can’t help it. I think Andy would like that fantasy, too! Especially with your cute butt!” she giggled and pushed off down the path again.

They arrived back home before the heat of midday settled over Ohio.

“That was fun, Joy. Thanks for thinking of me.” Jackie was a bit winded and her words still sounded as if gasped from sore lungs as she helped Joy load her bike.

“It was, wasn’t it? I enjoyed the company.” She pulled the shirt away from her body. “This is a little clammy, though, I think we stopped just before the heat got to be too much.”