I did find Marci’s theory interesting but still believed Susan’s “exhibitionism” was an accident.
“Marci,” I said. “There’s no need to speculate about motive or intent. I’m sure it’s as Susan says. She simply forgot she was standing there in her underwear.”
“Good, because it’s the truth,” said Susan.
“Your reaction is interesting, though,” I said. “Inadvertently, you discovered something about yourself.”
“That’s sort of what I told her,” said Marci.
“Marci,” said Susan. “I think you used the word ‘whore’ didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I was joking, kind of. What I mean is, you woke something up in your, well, erotic nature. See how you responded to Ryan last night? You said you were both like animals. You said it was the best fuck you ever had.”
I enjoyed this review and felt Marci was onto something. Something had woken in Susan and we’d both been the beneficiaries. If it meant Susan and I were now going to have a scorching sex life, I was all for it. I wanted to keep that fire going.
But how? And what summary were we drawing here? As everyone seemed comfortable discussing the matter I saw no point in not pursuing it into some form of conclusion.
Marci was ahead of me.
“What you guys need to do is experiment,” she said.
“How?” asked Susan.
“I’m not sure,” Marci said. “How about a reenactment? See if it has the same effect.”
“I’m not following,” I said. “Do you mean us making love on the deck again, or Susan’s ‘accidental’ exhibitionism?”
“Obviously, Susan has to expose herself again.”
My body, meaning my cock, responded favorably to this idea before my mind had a chance to speak. Why? Why did the word “expose” when associated with my wife have such power? It was an enigma for sure.
“I don’t want to do that, Marci!” said Susan. Her tone conveyed a notion that she wasn’t being sincere like it was a false protest begging me to egg her on. It would nonetheless require some tact to do so.
“I’m not suggesting anything too weird,” said Marci. “Something innocent, like sunbathing. It’s what people do on weekends in the suburbs in early summer. Everyone’s getting a jump on their tans now. We do it every year, but in our suits.”
“Ryan used to notice Greg’s wife Kathy when she sunbathed,” said Susan.
I hadn’t been aware she’d noticed.
“Was she nude?” asked Marci.
“No,” I said. “She just occasionally sunbathed in her suit. I may have looked over once or twice. This was before we had the high fence. It’s only natural for men to look at women sunbathing.”
“Right,” said Susan. “Once or twice.” She laughed.
“There ya go,” said Marci. “See, do something like that, but don’t wear a suit.”
“I couldn’t do that. It would be too weird, plus Ryan wouldn’t like it.”
Marci looked at me. “Well, Ryan, would it bother you?”
It wouldn’t. In fact, I was already responding covertly in my loose-fitting gym shorts, meaning I wouldn’t be able to rise from the table anytime soon. What Marci was suggesting was a test. Would Susan sunbathing nude and being seen by Greg have the same or even more powerful effect on us as the incident the day before?
In short, would it further fuel our erotic fires?
“I’m sorry,” said Susan, before I could reply to Marci. “I just can’t do it.”
She had been more than willing the night before to be naked on our deck making love. I pointed this out.
“It was dark, Ryan,” she said. “No one could really see.”
“You had me turn on the living room lights.”
“Jesus, Susan,” said Marci.
“I know,” said Susan. “But still, that only lit us up a little. It wasn’t like a spotlight or anything.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” said Marci. “Anyway, sunbathing nude now sounds kind of innocent. How about if I join you? We could do it today. Ryan won’t mind. He’s already seen every inch of me naked and then some.”
“Oh, thanks for pointing that out!” said Susan, not really sounding bothered.
The prospect of it happening that day jarred me. Without a precise date, there was no pressure and I could mull it over. A precise date such as today put it front and center. As a thinker, I tended to take my time making big decisions.
However, despite my panic, I was now feeling very excited by this proposal. But I wasn’t clear on how I would play into it.
“Marci,” I said. “What am I supposed to be doing while you two sunbathe?”
“Hmm,” she said. “Maybe you keep an eye out for Greg? See if he notices?”
“You could watch us from our bedroom window, Ryan. You’ll be able to see if Greg is watching us.” Susan was clearly now on board with the scheme.
She was right. I would be able to monitor the situation from our bedroom. It was starting to sound a bit creepy though I wasn’t sure why. It was an experiment, that’s all. We were investigating whether my wife’s exposure to other men would fuel our marital bliss or something of that nature. We were still speaking hypothetically so there was no harm in imagining it.
What if Greg wasn’t home? How long would the experiment run? Would I have to remain out of sight? There were details to consider, so I put them on the table.
“Don’t over think it, Ryan,” said Marci, responding to my concerns. “Let’s just hang out today, which means let’s spend it like we do most weekends. If we notice Greg is home, Susan and I will strip, you’ll go to the bedroom, see if Greg spies on us, then report. You can even join us, whatever. I don’t care. Do you, Susan?”
Susan thought about the question, then seemed confused. “Do I care about what? If Greg sees me nude? Or if Ryan sees you nude?”
“Both, I guess. Anyway, Ryan’s seen me naked tons.”
“Yeah, I think you mentioned it already. No, I don’t care either way.”
The real question was, how did Susan feel about Greg seeing her naked. The only way to know was to ask.
“Susan, how do you feel about Greg
