Chapter 27B

Cindy and her husband lived in the southeast part of Bloomington, in a development built on three sides of a common park that also held a clubhouse, a swimming pool and tennis courts. Their townhouse was one of a group of six at the far end of the development. It reminded Devlin of the row houses she'd once seen on a vacation to the East Coast.

The parking lot was nearly full, and more cars were pulling in all of the time. Devlin followed the steady stream of people; most of them were couples, and from the snatches of conversation she overheard there was a dance at the clubhouse. She wondered if there was a dance every Tuesday night. If so, it would be perfect cover for a lifestyle party. Nobody would notice a few extra cars in the parking lot and a few less people at the dance.

The path to the clubhouse wound around an artificial lake—currently covered with ice and snow—and through a large playground. The front door of Cindy's townhouse was around a corner and next to a single-car garage. The townhouse was light gray with white trim on the windows and doors, with only a number to distinguish it from all of the other townhouses.

Cindy opened the door almost right away. She was wearing a sleeveless yellow sheath dress imprinted with red flowers, and she practically dragged Devlin through the door. "It's cold out there tonight. How've you been? We missed you last week." The small entrance foyer was at the foot of a long flight of stairs. There were coats and boots to the left, and a door that had to open to the garage to the right.

"Yeah, well something happened and I couldn't come." She offered Cindy the bowl of fruit salad she'd bought at the grocery store. "I got this, I wasn't sure if you wanted something a little heavier."

"We'll put that in the kitchen. Everybody brings something, so there's plenty of food if you get the munchies. Now let's get upstairs where it's warm." She made sure the main door was locked and almost ran up the stairs to the main floor.

"That's the one trouble with winter," Cindy said when she pushed open the door to the living room. She rubbed her arms briskly. "There's no heat down by the front door, and I remember I should have worn a sweater only when I get down there." She pointed to a chair in the corner. "You can put your coat and muffler there."

There were already three couples standing in the living room talking. Everyone, Devlin noted, was conservatively dressed, the men in nice slacks and good shirts, the women mostly in cocktail dresses. It made her feel better about what she'd chosen to wear, good slacks and her white turtleneck sweater. She'd decided to wear that because it was an outfit nobody in the dorm would question.

"Everybody," Cindy said, "this is Devlin. She's Doug's partner." People nodded and returned to their talking. "The others should be arriving in a few minutes, everybody tries to be here before 7:00."

"Who's Doug?" Devlin asked as she followed Cindy into the kitchen. "And you said I'm his partner. What's that all about?"

"Doug is single," Cindy said as she put the salad on the counter. "We want a balance of male and female here, and that's why you're paired with Doug. Don't worry, nobody will force you to have sex with him. For one thing, he's gay, well, sort of."

"He's gay? And he's at a lifestyle party?"

"Only sort of." Cindy lowered her voice. "None of the other men are gay, or even bi-sexual..."

"Nothing new there." Devlin couldn't think of a single admitted gay man she'd met at a lifestyle party.

"Doug used to be married," Cindy continued, "and, well, things didn't work out and he and Lisa split up. That was a shame, they were a nice couple. Of course Lisa's a lesbian, so you can see there were a few difficulties."

"I guess. So what's he doing here?"

"He's after the same thing all men are. He might be gay, but he'll take a blow-job from a woman, and he'll eat you out afterwards."

"Sounds like he isn't that gay."

Cindy laughed. "He isn't. I'll let him explain it to you, it's complicated. Trust me, he's one of the few men you'll meet at a lifestyle party who won't be turned on by your body. You'll see when he gets here.

"All right, a couple of things." Cindy poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned back against the counter. "We pull the drapes and lock the door just after 7:00, and we generally wrap things up around 11:00 or a little after. There's no sleep-overs like at Emma's. After I pull the drapes most people get comfortable in some way. We have pillows and blankets in the bedrooms upstairs, and don't worry about leaving any messes on the beds, we have an industrial strength washer and dryer in the garage. There are two bedrooms upstairs, the master bedroom and a spare bedroom, and two bathrooms: the master and one at the end of the hall. The master bedroom has a balcony in back; I don't recommend you use it, it can be seen by the neighbors and they'd say something. In the summer my husband and I like to sleep with the balcony doors open. It gets rather stuffy upstairs and the air helps a great deal.

"One last thing, condoms are the rule here. I hope you brought some."

Devlin made a face. "I hate the taste a condom leaves on a guy's dick, but I can live with it. And, yes, I brought a box." She patted her purse.

"Good. I've always thought a good tasting spermicide would sell like crazy. Any questions?"

Devlin nodded. "Just a couple," she said. "Is it all nude all the time like at Emma's? And if not, where do we change?"

"All nude, that's up to you. Upstairs, yes. Downstairs, well, as the evening goes on you'll see more and more skin. As for a changing room, we don't have one, but we don't have the problem Emma does: nobody steals anybody's underwear. What did you decide to wear?"

"I was going to wear a chemise," Devlin said. "Instead I brought a black lace wrap. I have it in my purse."

"Sounds sexy. Maybe I should get one."

"They add sexiness without covering too much. And with the right accessories, say matching pan and maybe a push-up bra..."

"A push-up bra would work for you, I don't have that much to push up. Panties, though... I have these crotchless panties I've never quite dared wear. I've always thought them just a touch too revealing."

"They'd be perfect for this. A wrap lets you control just how much people see."

Cindy smiled. "You may have talked me into it. I'll have to look around. Where did you find yours?"

"Victoria's Secret, but most lingerie stores should carry wraps."

"That should be easy enough to remember."

Devlin glanced at the clock. "Should I change now, or circulate a bit?"

"Wait until after 7:00," Cindy said. "Rita, she's one of the gals here tonight, hosted the party once, and was wearing this sheer baby doll when some bible-thumpers came to the door." She laughed. "You can imagine how that went over."

The doorbell rang before she could say more. Cindy hurried off, leaving Devlin standing uncertainly in the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of iced tea and went to introduce herself.

She knew a couple of the people in the living room—she had met them at Emma's parties. The others introduced themselves in a blur of faces.

Cindy came upstairs with another couple and a man with permed blonde hair wearing a lavender suit. "Doug," she said, bringing him over, "this is Devlin."

Doug's handshake was a little soft. "Did Cindy explain about me?" he asked, smiling.

"Some. I know I have some questions." She noted that his hands were manicured, something she had never seen with a guy.

Doug drew her to one side. "Despite what people may tell you, I'm not really gay. I act like I am, but it's partly a professional thing."

"Professional?"

"The two men who control the teaching assignments in the department are lovers. If you're male and not gay they can make your life miserable."

"So you're really straight?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not a breeder, either. I'm not really sure what I am. I've tried it both ways and neither one did anything for me. How about you? Cindy said something about you having a woman lover."

"Just one woman, and that's sort of up in the air. We have a lot of issues to work out. Normally I'm fixed on men."

"Sort of like me." He sighed dramatically. "There's this one guy I could be gay with, but he's happily married, and he's definitely not gay. That can certainly make life miserable for some of us."

"Tell me about it," Devlin said.

The doorbell rang. In moments Cindy came back up the stairs with one last couple. She locked the door and then closed the front curtains. "Party time, everyone," she called.

"Thank God," said a woman in a dark red cocktail dress. She reached behind her and pulled down the zipper. She was wearing a black thong, a black lace push-up bra, and a black garter belt with black thigh-high nylons underneath it. She unzipped a guy's pants, reached in and took hold of his cock. "C'mon, I can't wait."

"There goes Cherie," someone said as the couple climbed the stairs. "I wonder if she'll give him a chance to get his pants off."

"Does she ever," another woman said with a laugh. She began unbuttoning her blouse.

"Cherie and Jack are having an affair," Doug said in a low voice. "Everyone knows it."

"An affair?" Devlin looked surprised. "That's... different. You don't often see that at a lifestyle party."

"This is the only place where they get together. While they'll be consummating themselves, their spouses will be in the next room pretending nothing's happening." He turned back to look at Devlin. "So, what can you tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell. I'm a student, I'm not staff or faculty."

"That makes you unique. Everyone else is staff or faculty."

"I've been in the lifestyle for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

She laughed. "I'm not telling. Along with my weight and age, that question is off-limits."

"Fair enough. I won't tell you my age or weight, either."

Enough people were undressing in the living room that Devlin began to feel a little self-conscious. "Hang on a bit," she said. "It looks like it's time to get comfortable."

"I always wondered about that phrase," Doug said as he took off his jacket. "I'm comfortable in this suit."

Devlin pulled off her sweater and bra, piling them on the kitchen counter. "If you had to wear a bra all day you'd know where the phrase came from."