Chapter 5

The two couples spent the next little while relaxing by the water with another beer. Not much was said, the summer sun made them drowsy.

"I'm going in for a swim," Fred announced.

He strode into the water and swam out past the end of the dock. Fred was a strong swimmer and could stay out for a long while.

Charlie excused himself and made his way to the cabin.

"I hope for your sake that he doesn't burn up all his energy out there," Pat said coyly to Maggie.

"I'm not worried," Maggie answered. "He'll cruise out there for a long time. If he needs a rest he'll just float for a while. He's working off those two beers to get into game condition for tonight."

Pat giggled a bit at the answer, knowing that it was true. "I should get Charlie out there!" she suggested.

"He will, if he wants to, but he's not as good in the water as Fred," Maggie advised.

Pat stirred restlessly. From the sexy beginning to their afternoon, activities had taken on a quiet, unexciting tone. She felt a need for action. She thought briefly of ambushing Charlie in the cabin for a session of mid-afternoon one-on-one. That sounded interesting, but it would have meant taking off her new bikini that she had waited so long to put to use.

"I wonder if this suit will survive in the water," she pondered aloud so that Maggie could hear her.

"It would probably be alright." Maggie said. "There's not much to it, so you better be careful that it stays together, if you know what I mean."

"Well, the water looks so refreshing, it's hard to resist. I think that I'll give it a try." She removed her sunglasses and set them on her recliner. She tugged at the edges of her suit, checking the connections, and then turned toward the water. "I think that I'll surprise Fred," she mumbled as she waded into the water. She wasn't sure whether Maggie heard the last remark. She hoped that she had. It was a kind of test.

Pat fell forward into the water, breast-stroked out about ten yards, and then stood up. It was still shallow enough for her to stand. She looked out at Fred doing the crawl another ten yards out. She wondered if he would stay there all afternoon. Pat submerged again and swam a little to the side. The cool water was soothing, and her suit was staying together. She knelt down in the shallow water to stay cool. It wasn't easy to see her. She watched Fred swimming and Maggie watched her.

After a while Fred decided to come in. He swam toward the shore. He made his way to the shallow point and stood up, catching his breath and rubbing water from his eyes. He had enjoyed the exercise, and decided to reward himself with a beer.

"Fred!" he heard his name screeched behind him. He turned instantly, expecting to find one of the women in trouble in the water. As he about-faced, his blurred vision was filled with an indefinable object inches from him. He raised his hands up to avoid crashing into whatever it was. In the split second that passed, he felt his hands fill with something alien, yet strangely familiar.

In a moment Fred regained his bearings and found himself in possession of Pat's lush breasts, one in each palm. He looked down at them and then at her face. She was grinning at him. It was if the breasts had fallen out of the sky.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Pat purred in feigned innocence. "You see, my halter became untied in the water and I thought that you were going to bump into me."

"Huh?" was all Fred could muster. He was confused. He stood there motionless, waiting for coherent thought to return.

"Anytime, Fred." Pat hinted. Fred was still confused. "If you're finished with them, I was wondering if I could have them back now."

Fred looked down and realized that he was still cradling Pat's two assets.

"Sorry." Fred mumbled as he released them, wondering why he was sorry. He noted that they hadn't changed much in the years that he had gone without them. He turned without speaking further and swam back out into the lake. He was sure that Maggie had seen the little collision and he was not walking up on the shore until his erection subsided and he had figured out what to say.

Pat retied her halter and waded up onto the shore.

"That wasn't very nice," Maggie said calmly as Pat waded out of the water.

"Just having a little fun with my ex," Pat chuckled. "I don't see him complaining."

"What if I were to complain?" asked Maggie.

"Don't worry, it was just a tease. Besides, we said 'what happens at..."

"Yes, yes, I know," Maggie interrupted. "We better be careful. This could get going too far, too fast if we're not careful."

"How much farther and faster would that be?"

"We just better be careful," Maggie repeated.

"We already started down this road. I'll put the brakes on when I need to," Pat assured her. "Why don't you have some fun with Charlie?"

"And what if Charlie and Fred don't feel like having the brakes put on?" Maggie asked.

"That's when I'll come to your rescue—and you come to mine. The boys will love it."

"And what line do we agree not to cross?" Maggie asked.

"Do we have to decide that now? We'll know it when we get there. In the meantime let's have fun with it. It's too late turn back now."

"Sorry I was gone so long. Did I miss anything?" a voice called from behind them. It was Charlie.

Maggie wasn't as adept at teasing as Pat. She thought about a quid pro quo with Charlie, but got cold feet and gave up on the idea. Charlie and Pat took their seats in the chairs next to her, enjoying the last rays of the afternoon sun. Charlie glanced back and forth between the two women, trying to figure out the silence. He wondered why his and Fred's arrival always created silence.

Fred finally decided to swim to shore. He was going to talk to Maggie about his unexpected encounter with Pat, but decided to put the conversation off when he saw Pat and Charlie sitting alongside her. He surmised that she couldn't have been very angry, since she hadn't stomped back to the cabin. At any rate, he would have no difficulty in entering a plea of innocent.

Fred dried himself with a towel and then opened the cooler and took out a beer. "Anyone else like one?" he called out. After a chorus of 'yeses' he took out three more, distributed them and then sat down.

"Don't forget our tee time tomorrow, Charlie."

"I did forget," Charlie replied. "What time is it?"

"Eleven o'clock."

"What are you girls going to do while we're playing golf?" Charlie asked.

"I think that I'd like another chance at that gift shop at Blue Mountain Lake, and maybe lunch over there," Maggie answered.

"Sounds fine with me," Pat added.

They finished their beer as the sun sank lower, touching the mountains in the distance. They decided to change out of their suits, so they marched to the cabin together. Fred looked for a chance to speak to Maggie about Pat, but it was hard to find an opportunity with the other couple at such close quarters. Anyway, she didn't look very upset so Fred decided to save it for later.

Dinner was simple fare of hamburgers on the grill. They chattered away about nothing important. Curiously, as their vacation days were closing out, they spoke about things at home. It was after ten 'clock before anyone looked at their watch.

"Why don't we turn in?" suggested Pat, putting her arm around Charlie's waist.

"That's a good idea," Fred agreed. "Maggie, why don't we have a drink by the lake while they're getting tucked in?"

Maggie grabbed a beer and followed Fred outdoors.

The moon was full and high over the lake. The warmth of the day was still present and only the chirping of the crickets and an occasional frog broke the silence. Fred and Maggie placed two of the lawn chairs side by side.

"Are you glad that I invited Pat and Charlie?" Maggie queried without warning.

"You know, I was opposed to it at first," Fred conceded. "Now it seems to have turned out well."

Both were quiet for a minute as Maggie pondered the answer, and her next question.

Fred spoke to the question that he was sure was on Maggie's tongue. "What happened between Pat and me in the water this afternoon was an accident."

"You didn't seem to mind."

"It was an accident!" Fred insisted.

"I know," Maggie admitted. "I saw the whole thing. It wasn't an accident, though. I think that Pat did it on purpose. She ambushed you."