Chapter 4

We spent the rest of that long weekend in Fantasyland. We shopped. We dined. We went out drinking and dancing, just us girls. Can you believe it? God, what a rush! We fucked; a lot. It was fast, furious, frantic. It was slow, soft, sensual. We did it everywhere in the house, over the hood of the car, in the changing room of the boutique where we were trying on clothes. I can hear the Blue Noses now. "They fucked? That's it? What about making love, like responsible adults?" Honey, it was all about making love; everything we did in every moment of every day. I had fallen in love with Danny in much the same way five years before. Now, I had fallen in love all over again — with Danielle. You want to talk about magic?

I grudgingly granted her a few hours with Celine Thursday evening. On the one hand, I wanted her to learn to be all the woman she could be. The thought of Danielle committed full-time to this new and utterly erotic lifestyle kept me constantly wet. On the other hand, I was already wet. I had the 'itch', and needed her to scratch it. When I saw the results of that first lesson — the makeup and hair styling which she proudly admitted she had done herself — I was fervently thankful I had let her go, and that Celine was there to guide her. Even my lover's voice sounded sultrier,

sexier. She and Celine had obviously worked on that, too. I made her exclusively mine for the rest of the weekend.

Danni had to kick me out of bed Monday morning to get ready for work. I did not want to leave her! We split the difference; she showered with me. After the 'sendoff' she gave me under the jets of steamy spray, my morning

coffee was almost superfluous.

We dressed together after. I lovingly laced her into her corset once again. In deference to my wishes, she donned stockings and high-heeled marabou mules, then a long. flowing peignoir and dressing gown, while I slipped into a blouse, 'sincere suit', and business pumps. There was something utterly erotic about this role reversal, having my sexy 'wife' see me off to work in the morning. For her part, she was taking to her new role as though she had been born to it. I didn't want the weekend to be over.

"What will you be doing today, Wifey?" I chirped brightly.

She smiled bemusedly, acknowledging her new status.

"I have an article to work on this morning," she replied, "then will spend the afternoon with Celine."

When I wrinkled my forehead in incomprehension, she giggled, threw her arms around my neck, pressed her body against mine and kissed me.

"It's Monday, Silly. The salon is closed. The lesson will probably last all afternoon."

I jumped at the opportunity.

"Why don't I take you out for dinner then?" I offered. "I'll call you later and we can coordinate the time."

Danni assented readily. I smiled and took her into my arms.

"Sweetie, I just wanted to ask. You are okay with all this, aren't you? I mean, it's all been so sudden - and so incredibly sexy..."

Danni blushed. The corners of her mouth twitched upward.

"It is overwhelming," she acknowledged with a hesitant smile, "and kind of scary. Yes, I am 'okay with it', as you put it..."

Her smile broadened with that.

"I just never imagined you would be into something like this, let alone so strongly. You asked me to give it a fair chance and I will — just for you. My biggest worry is, what will become of us?"

I smiled and stroked her cheek softly.

"You don't worry about that at all. Your only concern is making yourself gorgeous for me. I will take care of everything else."

I kissed her softly on the lips to emphasize my point, then turned and walked out the door. I smirked as I strutted to my car. Just for me, huh? You really don't want to admit to me how much you want it, do you? In that case, you little minx, I really will take care of everything else.

I called Danni's cell at five o'clock. She told me she and Celine were just finishing up. I invited her to meet me at O'Malley's for a drink. From there, we could decide where we wanted to go for dinner. She accepted, noting she hadn't been sure how fancy a place I had had in mind, and that she had done the 'sexy, sophisticated look' for me. I replied I couldn't wait to see.

O'Malley's is an Irish pub not far from my office. It is a favorite after-work watering hole and sometime lunch destination for my co-workers and me. From my vantage point on the end of the first high-backed booth, I

observed my sweetheart step through the door around five-thirty. Her smooth, feline strut oozed sensuality. She paused as her eyes adjusted to the changed light. I rose from my place and stepped forward to greet her.

We hugged and kissed each other lightly on the cheek. I gave her a very appreciative once-over and beamed my approval. 'Sexy, sophisticated' indeed! She had worn one of her new suits; charcoal with a subtle pin stripe. The fitted jacket had widely-spaced lapels and a peplum waist. The slim, tight-fitting skirt ended at mid-thigh. Her shapely legs were clad in sheer black stockings, ending in black patent pumps with five-inch heels. The black crepe blouse was undone to the "V" of the jacket's lapels. The halves were spread, revealing the deep valley of her cleavage.

Danni's hair looked salon-fresh and as full and fluffy as it had the previous Wednesday. Her makeup was still provocative, but less dramatic than it had been the previous five days. Her look was that of a sexy young

secretary who dressed for her boss's pleasure rather than office decorum. How appropriate!

I took Danni's hand in mine and led her back to our booth. As we rounded the corner of the high oak backrest, she froze in her tracks.

"Jackie, Beth, Gwen, may I present Danielle, the love of my life," I purred.

I tightened my grip on Danni's hand to prevent her from running away — or falling over in a dead faint. The introductions weren't really necessary, of course. My husband had met Jackie and Beth, both fellow agents, and

Gwen, our secretary, at various office parties and functions. When you work with a group of people long enough, you just know whom you can confide in and whom you can't. Of our agency staff, these three were confidants and co-conspirators on all things personal.

They had all been out "catting around" with me in one nightclub or another in the past, not to mention frequent after-work "Happy Hour" excursions to this and other pubs. I knew the most intimate, detailed knowledge of their love lives; the who, what, when, and how many times. It wouldn't have occurred to me not to share this momentous change in my love life with them as soon as I arrived at work that morning. I knew I could trust them to be 'cool' about it. When I invited them to join Danni and me for drinks, wild horses could not have kept them away.

'Cool' was an understatement. After the consensus "Oh, my GOD," all three piled out of the booth to get a better look, head-to-toe. Hugs and enthusiastic praise go a long way towards salving a bruised and fragile ego. After re-seating ourselves — Danni between Gwen and me, Jackie and Beth on the other side — and two rounds of drinks, my sweetheart felt a little more like one of the girls.

Naturally, the subject of Danielle and her 'coming out' dominated the conversation. There were a lot of questions, as I knew there would be. I hadn't prompted any of it.

My office mates were naturally curious, yet sensitive to the impact of so emotional a subject on a girl who was 'new to the game'. To her credit, and my unvoiced encouragement, Danni answered freely and frankly. I could tell she danced around certain questions — particularly about any attraction she might feel towards men. The important thing was, she was facing the issues and her own emotional responses to them — something she had to do if 'Danielle' was to grow as a person.

I made certain she and I went alone to the Little Girl's Room to powder our noses. I knew she would have something to say in private, and had a firm idea what it would be.

She didn't disappoint me.

"How could you do this to me?" she burst out incredulously. "I almost died of shame!"

"Baby," I responded, "it was never my intention to humiliate you. I can only say what I have said before; you have nothing to be ashamed of. You cannot hide in the closet forever. You have to get out, meet people, and let them meet you. You were fine with Lexi, Celine and the girls at the salon. You also had no problem with the people at the clubs we went to last weekend."

"The clubs were different," Danni retorted. "They were all strangers. These three have known me as long as you and I have been together."

"That is exactly my point," I replied. "These three do know you — as an intelligent, funny, warm, loving, caring, thoughtful human being. You are still that person. We just made the 'packaging' a bit more attractive. Our girlfriends are fine with that, just as Lexi and Celine are. They have been jealous as Hell of me all this time, jealous of the love I have. From what I can see, they are even more so now."

"You could have warned me up front," Danni reasoned, "so I could have been emotionally prepared."

"I could have," I agreed. "Would you have shown up?"

She just stared at me in the mirror as we freshened our lipstick.

"How will I ever be able to face them again as your husband?" she sighed.

I held her close and smiled coyly.

"Why would I ever want you to?"

My sweet Danni sighed again in resignation.

"Do you have any more surprises for me?"

I shrugged my shoulders a bit and cranked my smile up a notch.

"The night is young and so are we."

When we returned to the booth, the topic of conversation turned almost immediately to dinner. Five grumbling stomachs were not to be denied. Someone voiced a desire for Steak on a Stick and potato skins. In no time,

we all adjourned to Friday's. Jackie and Beth rode with me; Gwen accompanied Danielle. My two companions never shut up about my 'new wife'. They remarked, as others had, how attractive they had always considered

'Danny' to be. Now, they couldn't get over what a gorgeous female he — she — was becoming. They danced delicately around the subject of our sex life, wondering how far I intended to take Danielle's transformation? I assured them that, whatever other changes she had in store for her, that would not be changing within the foreseeable future. I had been correct in my earlier assessment of them. At that moment, I could see they were

beside-themselves envious of me.

The three of us arrived first and were seated immediately, much to our delight. That event is rare enough any time. It is doubly so on a Monday night during football season. Danni and Gwen arrived ten minutes later. Danni took her seat next to me and Gwen took the empty chair between Jackie and Beth. The conversation resumed where it had left off in O'Malley's. I knew immediately something was wrong. I have always trusted my instincts and now they were sounding extra alarms. It wasn't anything either one said, nor the way they looked at each other. Rather, it was the way they studiously avoided looking at each other that gave them away. It wasn't hostility; I would have read that in their body language. This was something else.

The hackles on the back of my neck stood up. I knew Danni inside and out. I had never had to worry about 'him' cheating on me; he was devoted to me. Likewise, I didn't expect 'her' to stray for the same reason. Then again, she was new to the game and an accommodating personality. I knew Gwen was anything but. She was a man-eater, a sexual predator with a taste for fresh meat. She seemingly changed lovers more often than she changed her mind — and loved to try new things. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who had made a play for whom on the way over.

I stared a hole through my spouse's head. It didn't take long for her to sense my gaze and meet it. Danni and I share that rare quality that one can tell with a glance what the other is thinking. She read my unspoken question with ease. My lover knew full well how I felt about her and other women. The little smile confirmed my suspicions. The almost imperceptible shake of her head bespoke: the offer had been graciously declined. Her leg pressed against mine, with her hand gently stroking my inner thigh, confirmed her allegiance. Damn, I loved her! I made a mental note; I would

have to keep a closer eye on Gwen whenever Danni was around...

The partisan football crowd was getting rowdy. After a few more rounds, so were we. I wasn't really surprised when we picked up an 'escort'; five guys who graciously seated themselves with us, each gifting us with another round of whatever we had been drinking.

My girlfriends and I were used to this; it happened often when we were out together. Then again, this was the first time it had happened when my lover was with me — and she now had an admirer of her own!

Mine was a tall, seriously-muscled, towheaded hunk of manflesh named Ron Randall. He was a personal trainer (surprise!) at a local health club. I made no attempt to hide my wedding band and he made no attempt to let it

dissuade him. In the meantime, Danni was distracted by an equally-buff (same occupation, same club) Terry Kennedy. Hmmm, a gregarious Irish lad, in search of a fair colleen. If he only knew... Our three friends were

similarly occupied. It was fun. It was flirtatious. We talked of football, movies, and of course, Real Estate (that was the salesperson in us). I would be lying if I said Ron wasn't an attractive man — one that, under different circumstances, I wouldn't think twice about having. Then again, Danni and Terry... I thought briefly of the spur-of-the-moment spoken fantasy that had started us down this path. It was making me wet.