by Marni Mann
“I kinda have that feeling, too.” She laughs.
Piper
“Are you awake, Pipes?” Cannon asks.
I hear the urgency in his voice after what happened tonight. It’s late—one o’clock in the morning—but we’re both wide-awake, staring at the walls.
I knew it’d be awkward after the first time, probably even the first few times, but nothing as tense as this. I’m afraid to breathe too deeply or think too long about anything. I can’t give Cannon any reason to think I’m not right here with him even if my thoughts are full of West—the way he touched me, the way that smile morphed into something so much more than our mornings at the beach.
Sex with West was different than anything I’ve ever had with Cannon. It was raw, carnal, and I felt it deep in the pit of my stomach, all the way to the tips of my toes. And, when he came, he held on to me with the promise of more. More of us. More of everything.
West might be controlling my thoughts, but Cannon is why I’m doing this. My husband’s arms are still where I belong even if Tilly was in them only hours ago.
Rolling over, I adjust my pillow, so I’m face-to-face with Cannon. His blue eyes make me think of Tilly’s, and then I’m brought right back to West. I can’t deny the fact that another man was inside me or that I don’t regret it. Whether Cannon feels the same way or not, I already know I want to swing again.
“Don’t, Cannon,” I whisper.
“Don’t what? We have to talk about it, Piper.”
“I know.” Still, that doesn’t mean I want to tell Cannon what I was feeling, what I am feeling. “I’m okay if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He sighs and then runs his hands over his face. “I want to believe that.”
“Then, believe it. I’ve never lied to you.”
“I don’t know what to think, Piper. My head’s a mess. And you’re being so quiet. I’m worried you regret it. I can’t undo what we did.”
“I don’t regret it, Cannon. Do you?”
“I don’t know. I fucked someone else, and now, I’m lying in bed with my wife, pretending like it’s normal.”
“I never said it was normal. But you liked it, right?”
“It’s just sex, Piper.”
“You can say it. I won’t get mad because you liked being with Tilly.”
That would make me a total hypocrite. Because I enjoyed being with West, and if I’m going to be with him again, I need to know that my husband is having an equally good time with Tilly. I want him to let go and hopefully come back to life—so I don’t feel as guilty for this wild plan of ours.
He shakes his head and bites his lip. I can tell he’s trying to carefully word what he wants to say, so he doesn’t hurt me. But I won’t be hurt.
“She’s a little crazy,” he finally says. “You give me sexy little moans when I make you feel good. Tilly just yells, and I swear, the first time she did it, I thought I’d hurt her.”
Laughter bubbles in my chest, and when Cannon sees me smile, he laughs along with me. It’s been so long since we’ve had something to be happy about, that it feels amazing.
“She’s definitely vocal.”
“God, I was so scared she’d freak you out. I mean, I wasn’t doing anything I haven’t done to you, but she was still screaming.”
“Because you’re good at what you do,” I tell him as I lean forward and press my lips to his.
He grabs the back of my head and massages my scalp with his fingertips. It’s possessive for Cannon—a reminder of whom I belong to.
“What was it like?” I ask him. Call me curious, maybe a glutton for punishment, but I have to find out if they had anything close to what West and I shared.
“You really want me to answer that?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “I didn’t get to see you with her.”
He inches closer to me, pulling me into his arms. When I’m tucked against his chest, he takes a deep breath. I pull back because I need to see his face. I feel like I’ll be able to read him better if I can look into his eyes. They never lie, even when the rest of him wants to.
Right now, he’s trying his best to protect me from whatever he’s feeling. I don’t want him to. I want him to give it to me straight.
“Just say it, Cannon.”
“Fine,” he exhales. “It was different. It was good.”
“Just good? You didn’t like Tilly?”
“She’s not my type. Tilly’s nothing like you. Obviously, we’ve only been together once, but she’s aggressive, freaky, and I think she’d be down for anything.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not sure what I was expecting him to say, but I can live with this. I even understand it.
“I didn’t want her to be like me. That’s kind of the point—to explore someone completely different.”
“So, West isn’t anything like me?”
“Not at all. I think that’s kind of obvious though.”
They don’t share any of the same physical characteristics, and their personalities are like night and day. Where Cannon’s vocal, West internalizes and comes off crude. His wife is loud, but he was careful with me, respectful, even though he owed me nothing. He gained points with me when he chose to keep our conversation between the two of us. What he said was meant for me and only me.
“I don’t know if I can watch you with him again,” Cannon says, “I get that swinging is a group activity, but we might need separate rooms.”
“It was kind of weird, knowing you saw the whole thing. Tilly, too. I felt like I was being analyzed.”
“I couldn’t stop watching, Piper. I just kept my eyes on him, making sure he wasn’t too rough with you or did something you didn’t want. If he ever forced you, Pipes, I’d rip his tongue out of his mouth and shove it down his throat.”
I thought for sure Cannon was watching me, maybe even getting turned on as West rode me from behind. But I was wrong. He’s never going to let go enough to enjoy seeing me with another man. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we do need separate rooms.
“West wouldn’t force me, Cannon. He was comforting and gentle with his words.”
It was his actions that demanded my attention. No matter what he wanted to do to me, I know I would have let him because I wasn’t capable of saying no. I wanted him too much.
“I don’t care what he said; you’re still practically strangers. And, if I put you in his arms and he hurt you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“I feel the same way about Tilly.”
“You really think she could kick my ass?”
Laughing, I tell him, “No, she’s not a physical threat. But she could mess with your head, and that would hurt just as much.”
He likes my answer, and he kisses me. Even my lips are still swollen. My cheeks and chin burn a little from West’s beard. God, his beard felt so good between my legs. I didn’t expect him to suck my clit so hard or to fuck me with his tongue. But, when he did, I couldn’t hold back. I needed him, needed that mouth of his to do its worst.
“Piper?”
“Yeah? Sorry.”
“Baby, promise me that, if this arrangement becomes too much for you to handle, you’ll stop. If it’s too messy or complicated, end it. Okay?”
“Even if you want to keep going?”
“I won’t be into it if you’re not, Piper. I’m doing this for us, not me.”
“Okay, I promise. But I think we should talk to them about separate rooms. I didn’t like being watched, especially when I didn’t see anything you guys were doing.”
Cannon thinks about it for a few minutes, and then he nods. “I don’t want you far though. I need to be able to hear you if you need anything.”
“We can leave doors open and stay close.”
“Or we can invite them here. We have two guest bedrooms. But I don’t want West in our bed. And I don’t want you in his.”
“Okay,” I tell him. “We can talk to Tilly. Did she give you her number?”
“She off
ered it, but I wasn’t sure you’d be okay with that. We never discussed phone calls or texting.”
“I would have been okay with it, Cannon. But we’ll talk about it the next time we see them. Okay?”
Nodding, he kisses the tip of my nose and then my forehead. He runs his hand down my side and cups my ass, a gentle squeeze—unlike the rough palming from West—and then his fingers find the warmth between my legs. He brushes over my clit, and my hips buck. I’m so sensitive from West, even a little turned on still.
Cannon moans as he sinks two fingers into me, and I wince.
“What’s wrong?” he whispers.
“I’m just sore.”
He pulls his fingers out and rolls onto his back. A few seconds later, he rips the blankets off himself and leaves the bedroom, wearing absolutely nothing. I want to go after him, but he needs some time. Time to get used to the idea of another man touching me.
Cannon isn’t mad at me. He’s mad at himself. Mad that he doesn’t have control over West.
But it’ll get easier. We’ll figure it out, and it won’t always be this hard. The jealousy will fade, and we’ll be comfortable with the arrangement. At least I hope so because I want more of West.
West
I roll over and check the time on my phone. I’ve gotten so used to getting up early, I no longer need an alarm. Most mornings, the runner’s smile was enough to make me open my eyes. But, today, I know that runner’s name, I know what she looks like naked, and my eyes are already open.
I’ve been awake for hours, unable to get last night out of my head.
It’s not memories of the blow job Tilly gave me before bed that keeps replaying. It’s the way Piper’s pussy felt when it milked the cum out of me. The way her skin tasted. How she moaned my name.
Why the fuck am I thinking about Piper and not the woman lying next to me?
“You want some coffee?” I ask Tilly, pulling back the blanket to climb out.
“Mmm,” she grumbles. She covers her face with the top of the sheet. “I want more sleep. Or your cock. I’ll leave the decision up to you.”
“You’ll get my cock later. I’m going out for a run.” I lean down and kiss her forehead. Then, I move into my closet and throw on some shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers.
After I wash up, I hit the sand.
Since I don’t know where Piper enters the beach—if she lives in one of the houses that aligns it or if she drives here—I keep a slow pace. I don’t even know if she’ll show today. She didn’t mention it before I left the hotel. I just assumed today would be like all the rest.
But it isn’t. It couldn’t be. Things have changed between us.
And that could affect her running schedule, too.
I stay close to the water, scanning every face that appears in the distance. Just before the quarter-mile mark, I spot her. A bright pink sports bra hugs those delicious tits, and a black pair of spandex cups that tight cunt. She makes her way toward me and stops when she’s about ten yards away.
“I wasn’t sure you’d show,” I say, catching my breath, putting my hands on my waist to stop them from touching her.
There’s no reason to put them on her or to even give her a hug. We aren’t friends. I have a wife less than a mile from here who will do whatever I ask of her. Piper’s nothing more than a chick I’ve slept with. But, shit, she feels like more than that. And the desire to feel her skin underneath my fingers is burning through me.
“I’ll admit I’m a bit sore, and it almost kept me from running, but I’d still come down here even if I had to just walk.”
“Sore?”
Her cheeks flush. “You know”—she points at her pussy—“down there.”
I laugh a little at how adorable she is. “I was trying to be easy on you if that makes it any better.”
“So, you’re saying, next time, I won’t be able to walk?”
“You sure you want there to be a next time?”
She looks at the sand, her arms already around her chest, but she tightens them, clinging to herself like she needs the comfort. “I talked to Cannon about it, and he’s in. I think it’s safe to say, there will be a next time.”
“It’s on him to decide?”
She shrugs, but she knows the answer. Several seconds of silence pass before she gives it to me. “He’s doing this for us, but I want him to be comfortable with it. I mean, he’s sleeping with your wife, so he has to be a willing participant.”
I say nothing, processing her response.
She adds, “What did Tilly think of everything?”
“It sounded like she had a hell of a time, and she told me she wanted to fuck him again.”
She adjusts her arms and shifts her legs the same way she did last night before I asked her to walk over to me. She’s nervous, and I wonder if that has anything to do with the topic of my wife.
“Does that bother you?”
“No,” she answers quickly.
I don’t believe her.
If her eyes weren’t covered by sunglasses, I have a feeling they’d show she was lying. But her voice did that instead.
I’m sure some jealousy is involved. I’m just not the one who feels it.
“I can’t be in the same room with them again,” she adds. “So, maybe two rooms next time, king-size beds in each. Or you can come to our place. We live right over there.” She points at a house that’s about thirty yards from where we’re standing. That puts her just over a quarter of a mile from our place. “I think our house would keep things more discreet.”
I wait for her to follow that up with something. She doesn’t. I’m not sure if that means she knows who I am or if she just thinks her place is more comfortable than a hotel.
“I’ll talk to Tilly and see which she prefers.”
She nods. “Do you want to give me Tilly’s number? She offered it to Cannon, but he wasn’t sure if he should take it.” She breaks eye contact again, and I can tell she’s struggling. “This is all really new to us. We don’t know what’s appropriate or not and—”
“It’s new to us, too.”
“Really?” She sounds relieved yet surprised at the same time.
“You think I’ve done this before?”
There’s that smile that’s always on my mind.
“You’re so good at it. You turned your back to Cannon and Tilly like they weren’t even in the room. You made me feel like I was the most important woman in the world.”
In that moment, you were.
This moment isn’t all that different; my hands just aren’t on you.
But they want to be.
“Something like that takes practice,” she continues. “You can’t just tune out your husband or wife unless their feelings don’t mean much to you.”
“Swinging isn’t about feelings, Piper. If those get involved, it would defeat the whole purpose. Then, it wouldn’t really be called swinging, would it? It would be called an affair.”
I’ve seen the emotions on her face all along, and now, they’re raging through her.
“Sounds like you’re good with separate rooms,” she says, completely changing the subject. “I won’t mention it to Cannon. I don’t want him to know we see each other during our runs. That’ll only add an unnecessary layer to all this. So, I’ll make sure to bring it up when we get together again.”
“Take out your phone.”
I wait for her to unclasp it from her arm and tap on the screen before I recite the ten digits.
“Thanks for giving me her number.”
“I didn’t give you her number. I gave you mine.”
She glances up from her cell. She’s chewing her lip so hard, I wait for it to split open and start bleeding.
“You know, I’ll just shoot her an email and ask for her number. It won’t make any sense if you gave it to me because then I’d have to explain how I got it.”
That was the reason I gave her mine.
I don’t expect her to call me and plan our next da
te. That’s Piper’s and Tilly’s job, and I’m sure it’ll happen through email. I just want her to have my number to do whatever she wants with it.
I take a few steps away from her. “I’ll see you later, Piper.”
I don’t wait for her to respond. I don’t watch to see if she takes off running in the opposite direction or if her eyes follow me down the beach.
But, about thirty minutes later when I run past her place on the way back to mine, I swear, I see her standing in front of the balcony window, and I’m positive I feel her staring at me.
Piper
My phone’s taunting me now that I have West’s number. When he rattled off the digits, I assumed they belonged to his wife. She and I are the ones who set up the dates and times, and having her number would make it that much faster. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to speak to her or hear her voice so soon. Email’s easier for me. It’s less personal, if that’s even possible when you’ve seen each other naked.
I want to swing again, but I’m still accepting the fact that my husband’s been inside Tilly. She radiates confidence, knows what she likes, and has no trouble asking for it. She’s completely uninhibited.
If I were anything like her, I’d have called West by now and told him what I wanted him to do to me. But I’m not. And I can’t be that person.
I could barely look him in the eye when he was standing in front of me on the beach. I just let the water lap at my feet until I was buried up to my ankles in sand. Just like his smile, the ocean pulled me close and tried to keep me there. Only when I started to lose my balance did I take my eyes off West long enough to pull my feet out. And, when I looked at him again, I saw something that made it hard for me to swallow.
The first time he’d asked me to kiss him, he’d had that same look. It begged me to listen to him, to really hear him, and be comfortable in his embrace. He’d wanted me to break free and come alive.
From the second he’d licked the seam of my lips with his tongue and I’d let him in, I’d prayed I’d be enough to satisfy such a gorgeous man. Once he’d had my permission, that was all he asked of me, never pushing for more than I was able to give. But he had taken all I gave him, and I swore, it went beyond want; it was need.