Part Eighty-Seven
When both Roisin and Joe Channing had gone, the four of them settled themselves down in the lounge to watch a film on TV, the sudden spring rain making anything else impossible. "I like Roisin," John said as he and Jo lay comfortably back on the sofa. "She's fun." "And happily ensconced with a woman and two children," George replied knowingly, her and Karen snuggling up in the enormous armchair that had secretly always been George's favourite piece of furniture. "You're so suspicious of my motives," John quipped back, tucking his arm under Jo as they lay along the sofa facing the TV. "And do you blame me?" George asked, ever the one to have the last word. As the film began, and as they all began to relax, George thought that she couldn't possibly be happier. Here she was, leaning comfortably up against Karen, each with an arm around the other, spending an afternoon with three of the most special people in her life, and feeling wholly at ease with who she was. In the company of John and Jo, it didn't matter that she was sexually involved with one of her own sex. If either of them saw her show any sign of affection for Karen, that didn't matter either. With John, Jo and Karen around her, she could allow herself to be the woman she wanted to be, and could abandon the half-false persona it was necessary for her to maintain, both with her contemporaries and with her father. But having been in Karen's company all afternoon, and not having been able to touch or to kiss her because of the presence of her father, George was already visibly frustrated. Karen could feel the tension in George's body, the need to express herself clearly humming along her nerves. "You look like you could come at the merest provocation," Karen said into George's ear, about three quarters of an hour into the film. "And you saying things like that is making it worse," She said through almost gritted teeth. "Why so aroused?" "Because I haven't been able to be this close to you for hours." Having her right arm round George, Karen realised that if she moved her hand slightly upwards, she could drive George even more insane than she already was. When George felt Karen's hand moving on her right breast, she just managed to stifle a gasp. "You are so naughty," George said in a deep, sotto voce drawl. Karen laughed huskily, which was the first thing to draw John's attention to them. "You like it though, don't you?" She said, grazing a thumb over George's hard and erect nipple. "What about?" George said, dropping her arm down over Karen's wandering hand and gesturing to John and Jo. "Oh, they're perfectly happy," Karen said knowingly, still keeping her voice quiet enough not to reach either Jo's or John's ears. Looking over at them, George saw that John and Jo were taking as much notice of the film on TV as she and Karen were. They were kissing, gently and lingeringly, looking more beautiful than anything George thought she had ever seen. "Don't they look enchanting?" She said softly, turning her lips to Karen's. Had her mouth not been otherwise engaged, Karen would have responded that yes, they did.
It hadn't taken Jo and John long to turn their attention from the film to each other, their physical closeness making any other consideration unimportant. But when John heard Karen's low, husky laugh, he glanced over at them to see that they were also not paying attention to what was happening on the screen. With one eye on Karen and George, he kept kissing Jo, the soft familiarity of her lips making him fully relax. It had intrigued him at first to see Karen and George together. He could remember the first time he saw them kiss. He'd held a sort of fascination for what they did together, coupled with a desire not to know too much, in case George ended up preferring women to men. He'd been a little uncomfortable with seeing them show affection for each other in the beginning, and he'd had to force himself to get used to it. George was naturally a very loving person when she was happy, he could remember that all too well from the days when they were married. So it shouldn't really have surprised him that she would be like this with Karen. But that hadn't prevented his territorial hackles from rising the first few times he witnessed such a display of affection. He knew he was being ridiculous, because George was clearly happy with what she was doing. He'd at first thought he'd hidden his feelings quite well, but George had seen right through him, as no doubt had Jo and Karen. She'd been lovely about it when she'd eventually raised the subject, wanting to know why it upset him so much. He hadn't known what to tell her, except that it was taking him a while to get used to the situation. George had been sat snugly on his lap at the time, as if to further enhance the fact that she did still want him and that she always would. All she'd really said on the subject was that she loved him, and for him never to forget that.
But now here he was, lying on the sofa with Jo in his arms, gently kissing her, and with his wandering eye fixed on Karen and George. When she shifted her position slightly, John could see that George was clearly aroused, but trying to hide it because of his and Jo's presence. If he swiveled his gaze slightly, he could just make out Karen's hand, which was definitely moving on George's right breast. "What are you looking at?" Asked Jo with a smirk. "As if I didn't know." "Nothing," John said, forcing himself to stop watching Karen and George. When he began giving Jo what Karen had moments earlier been doing to George, she made an incredibly erotic little noise, deep in her throat so as to remain as quiet as possible. But John couldn't quite prevent his attention returning to Karen and George, his hands attempting to mimic what they were doing. But Karen had taken note of John's appraisal of their position. Detaching her lips from George's, she said quietly, "I think we've got an audience." Taking a swift, discreet glance at the two on the sofa, George smirked. "Well then," She said seductively. "Perhaps it's time we really gave them something to look at." "You're quite a little exhibitionist at heart, aren't you?" Karen said grinning wickedly. "I'll put on a show for anyone," George drawled in an undertone. "If they ask nicely, that is."
Jo was well aware that John's attention kept straying back to what Karen and George were doing, and was surprised to find that it faintly excited her. She had occasionally wondered about what they did together, and she'd decided that this was perfectly natural. But to actually be a witness to it was an entirely different matter. She knew that John had often wondered about Karen and George, about what they did together, and she couldn't really blame him for that. He knew George's body better than anyone, and having once slept with Karen, knew a good deal about hers as well. Putting these facts together, Jo could quite understand John's curiosity about them. But what of her own? She could remember that night back in early March, when she'd been on the phone to George, unknowingly interrupting what they'd been doing before she rang. George had maintained a masterly act of hiding her reactions to what Karen was doing to her, but had eventually been forced to make some utterly feeble excuse to get rid of Jo. When Jo had realised, a little while later, just why George had sounded quite so distracted and inattentive, she'd blushed and laughed both in the same moment. But now here she was, lying on the sofa, being kissed and fondled by John, in the same room as Karen and George, who were clearly doing the same. If she squinted slightly, she could just see George, with the lasciviousness she usually associated with John, sliding her hand up underneath the simple black top Karen was wearing. When the outline of George's hand moving on Karen's breast became clearly visible, in spite of the supposed concealment of Karen's top, Jo gasped. Taking a quick glance at John, Jo saw that he'd seen this too, which was perhaps why he was now doing the same to her, unbuttoning her blouse, and sliding his hand under the lace of her bra, to trace the curve of her finest assets. But when John momentarily removed his gaze from Karen and George to focus on Jo, he saw with a shock, that she was just as intent on watching the other two as he was. "I didn't know you went in for voyeurism," He said very quietly between kisses. "Neither did I," Jo said dryly, not caring for the moment what he might think of her. What she was seeing in front of her was far too fascinating.
When George's keen ears picked up the sound of Jo's gasp of sheer arousal, she smirked. "I think someone might be enjoying the show a little more than she thinks she should," She said softly into Karen's ear. "I think we should test the waters, don't you?" "Oh, don't tease," Karen replied quietly, with only a hint of admonishment in her tone. "Why not, it's fun," George persisted. "I suppose you might inadvertently introduce her to an avenue of pleasure she hasn't so far explored," Karen said contemplatively. Fixing her eyes on Jo's wide open, totally enthralled ones, George took Karen's hand, and led it to the buttons of her cream silk blouse. Jo's eyes widened fractionally more as Karen began undoing the buttons, gradually exposing George's small, pointed breasts encased in a cream lace bra. Jo could see George's pupils dilating with lust, as Karen's skilful hand coaxed her nipple to full hardness, but George still held her gaze. Her look was almost challenging, testing Jo, as if wanting to see just how far Jo wanted her to go. Being the first to lower her eyes, Jo switched her gaze to George's open blouse, to Karen's still wandering hand, and to George's clearly erect nipple, just visible between Karen's long, slender fingers.
"John," Jo said after a while. "Let's go home." "Why?" He asked between kisses, thinking he already knew. "Because I'm not an exhibitionist," Jo said with a smile. "And I need to take this further." "Then your wish," John said silkily, "Is undoubtedly my command." As they untangled themselves and rose from the sofa, Jo hurriedly tried to do up the buttons on her blouse. "You two off somewhere?" George asked in a drowsy, self-satisfied voice. "Yes," John said as they passed the armchair where Karen and George were ensconced. "Jo," George said, the laughter dancing in her eyes. "Your blouse is fastened crooked." "At least mine is done up," Jo responded with a smirk, glancing down at George's cleavage, still on display for all to see.
When they'd gone, Karen and George began furthering their pursuit of passion in earnest. "You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" Karen said, as they moved of one mind towards the stairs, undoing buttons, and casting clothes aside as they went. "I found the prospect of a mini orgy, really rather tempting," George replied, in a low, husky drawl that turned Karen's arousal up to maximum. "John might have been up for it," Karen said with a knowing smile. "But I'm not sure about Jo." "Oh, trust me, all Jo needs is a push in the right direction, and a lot of encouragement. She was as turned on by our little display as John was." "You do like showing off, don't you?" Karen said, swiftly unhooking George's bra and dropping it on the landing. "If you've got it, flaunt it," George replied succinctly. "Absolutely right," Karen drawled, as their hands moved over each other's skin. With a practiced flick, the duvet was thrown aside as they fell on the bed. "Do you have any idea how much I've wanted you all afternoon?" George asked between kisses. "Judging by just how gloriously wet you are," Karen responded, slipping a hand between George's legs. "I'm surprised you haven't resorted to internal combustion." "It's all your fault," George said with a delightfully wicked little laugh. "Oh, really," Karen said knowingly. "I think it's just your insatiable greed for sexual satisfaction." "And is there anything wrong in that?" "Nothing at all," Karen assured her, as George moved out of Karen's arms, fully intent on kissing her way luxuriously down Karen's body. "Turn round," Karen said with sudden inspiration, and when George realised what she was suggesting, she did so with alacrity. Lying on their sides, lips and tongues engaged in silkily manipulating each other's clits, one might have thought that any vocal expression would have been impossible. But when Karen gently hummed, providing George with an incredible feeling of vibration, George let out a cry of abandon and almost lost her concentration. When hands were also introduced to increase and prolong their climb towards pleasure's peak, their breathing quickened, George thinking that she might just burst from all the feelings flooding her mind. Karen was always quieter than George when she came, but George's slightly strangled sound of appreciation seemed to be enough for both of them. Karen had previously wondered on occasions if this was because George was a singer, and so used to opening her throat and exercising her vocal cords, that it was second nature to her to do it at the point of orgasm. When they lay afterwards, close together with their faces only slightly apart, George waited for her breathing to return to normal. "I haven't done that since I was married," She said eventually, the post-coital grin stretching from ear to ear. "Mmm," Karen said, stretching luxuriously. "It's not something I've done for quite some time, and never with a woman." This pleased George immensely, and made her feel a lot less like an extremely gauche schoolgirl, doing everything for the first time. "You're beautiful," Karen found herself saying, the afterglow always making her say exactly what was in her mind. George put her arms round her and kissed her, both of them tasting herself on the other's lips. "You're not so bad yourself, you know," George said fondly. "I haven't been this happy for a long time." "Not even with John?" Karen persisted, giving voice to her one main insecurity where George was concerned. "That's different," George replied, touched that Karen was revealing one of her innermost worries to her. "I will always love John, because he's utterly complex, sexually my equal, and most of all, because he understands me. But being with you, it's incredible. You've unleashed a part of me I'd forgotten I had, bringing out in me a part of my soul I banished after Charlie was born. I know that sounds unbearably soppy, but that's how it is." Karen was stunned. Never, in her entire life, not in all the relationships, brief or otherwise, that she'd had with anyone, had she heard something so beautiful. Touched by Karen's total speechlessness, George strove to qualify what she'd said. "I don't think you've been appreciated anywhere near enough throughout your life," She said, kissing her gently. "So maybe it's about time you were."
When John pulled hurriedly to a stop in Jo's driveway, they were out of the car and inside the house in a matter of seconds. "You're certainly a surprise," John said, as they moved of one mind down the hall to Jo's bedroom. "Don't make fun of me, John," Jo said almost desperately, as they began furiously removing each other's clothes. "I'm not," He said between kisses. "I haven't seen you this fired up for a long time, that's all." Hands wandered at will when they met under the duvet, John discovering that her nipples were already as hard as bullets. Jo badly wanted him deep inside her, but she wasn't sure she could last long enough to make it worth his while. But John made the decision for her. He knew Jo was close, and he could easily wait. Making love with Jo was always wonderful, and he knew he could never get enough of it, but he was always a little aware of her holding something back from him. It was as if a part of her was telling her she shouldn't be doing it, as if a part of her was remaining slightly distant from her body's sexual gratification. But not so today. She had obviously found the sight and maybe the thought of George and Karen together extremely erotic, something neither he nor her had expected. When he slipped his hand between her legs, the tantalising combination of heat and wetness that greeted him, told him just how exciting she'd found the idea of Karen and George together. Her breathing quickened as he slid three fingers inside her, and moved his thumb back and forth over her clit. "You wouldn't have minded staying to see more of that, would you?" He said, briefly detaching his lips from hers. "That's not such a bad thing, is it?" She asked between gasps, knowing she would regret this admission later. "Oh, it's extremely bad," He said, his voice turning her on even more. "But not in the way you mean." She'd never admit it, especially not to him, but she occasionally loved it when he talked to her like this. It somehow made him abandon the moral high ground he inhabited in the rest of his life. John knew she liked him doing this. Jo had always found it difficult to tell him what she liked and what she wanted, but that didn't usually prevent him from working it out. "How would you feel," He said slowly, not quite sure how she would react to this. "If it were George doing this to you?" He said this as he continued moving his hand between her legs. "Too weird, even for you, John," She said, almost laughing at his question. "Besides," She clarified, "It'll never happen." As his hand increased its speed, her breathing quickened, her gasps becoming more and more frantic. "John, please," She begged, her desire for orgasm almost consuming her. She squeezed his fingers hard as she came, the force of her internal grip almost crushing them.
As she lay in his arms afterwards, her breathing gradually returning to normal, Jo knew that there had been something different about that time. Just for once, she had really let herself go, allowed herself to give in totally to her sexual desires. John knew this too, and was determined, while she was letting her guard down, to give her as much enjoyment from it as possible. "What do you think they're doing right now?" He asked, once he realised that he had her attention again. "If we'd stayed, you could have found out," She said with a smile. "Hey, what's all this I could have found out? You were just as curious as I was, if not more so." Jo began to laugh softly. "I know I'm going to regret every word I'm saying when I look back on it tomorrow, so I may as well enjoy it while it lasts." "Why should you, regret it later?" "Because that's usually how it works with things said or done in the heat of the moment." "It's really very rare that you are so open with me," He said seriously. "I wish you were like this more often." "Oh, no," She said with a theatrical shudder. "You'd discover far too much about me if I did that." "I like what I've discovered so far," He said, his eyes meeting hers in an utterly lovestruck gaze, that just for once revealed his true level of feeling for her. "Besides," he added, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not about to tell me that you like being tied up as well, are you?" Jo laughed. "No, I'm not. Why, who does?" "George, sometimes." Jo's fond exclamation of, "Typical," Made John smile. "Returning to your earlier question," She said, gazing at him challengingly. "Why don't you tell me what you think they're up to?" He was forced to admit that she had him over a barrel there. "Showing you would be far better for both of us," He replied, kissing her, and therefore cutting off any comment on his avoidance of actually saying it. As he kissed his way down her body, she knew exactly what was coming, and began wondering if Karen and George really did that to each other. As his tongue probed her entrance, and then swept over and around her clit, Jo remembered Karen's remark of two weeks ago. George, with her charming inability to think before she spoke, had said to John that she wasn't going down on her own, and Karen had remarked that she'd never heard George complain. As John continued giving her this delightfully sumptuous delicacy, she couldn't quite escape the vision of George doing that to Karen. What did it taste like, she wondered, and was it really possible for a woman to enjoy doing that to another? Her second orgasm, when it came, was even more powerful than the first, the picture of George and Karen accompanying her to the end. She cried out as she came, the feelings John was inducing in her, coupled with the image behind her eyes, serving to break down any barrier she had left. John didn't know what she was thinking about; at least she hoped he didn't, so it wasn't as if she was hurting anyone. If that was the case, then getting some pleasure out of the thought couldn't possibly be wrong, could it?
When he moved back to lie beside her, John could see that she was utterly relaxed. Her gaze was momentarily far away from him, dwelling on some inner fantasy. When she eventually focused her eyes on him, he was smiling softly at her. "This might be a stupid question," She said drowsily. "But precisely why do you enjoy doing that so much?" John laughed softly, remembering the occasion when he'd shown George why he did. Falling back on his philosophy of actions speak louder than words, he leant forward and kissed her, knowing that the taste of her was definitely still on his lips. "Different," Was her immediate response. "Ask George," John said succinctly. "She seems to like it." "Oh, she told you that, did she?" Jo asked knowingly. "She might have done." "John," Jo said slowly, not quite meeting his eyes. "Do you think it's terrible of me, to have found the sight and thought of them so, exciting?" She had to search for the right word. "No, of course not," John said softly. "You found the sight of George and Karen kissing and touching erotic, because it's something you'd never witnessed before. So you've found something else that you find sexy. Why should that be terrible?" "I don't know. I suppose I just feel a bit stupid, that's all." "Don't," He insisted, kissing her long and hard. "I love you, exactly the way you are, and I always will. You had absolutely no idea that you would find what they were doing such a turn on. I thought I probably would, but I didn't know you would. I'm glad you did, because it showed you how to really let your guard down with me. Do you remember when you once told me that all you'd ever wanted was to be overwhelmed, even though that was the one thing you feared?" "Yes, I think so." "So, today, in a sense, you have been overwhelmed. If not by love, then by sexual arousal, which I'm told is the next best thing." "I love you," She said, kissing him again, and this time, wanting to make him lower his guard, to make him lose control. As he fondled her breasts, she began stroking his cock, wanting to at last be one with him. When he slid inside her, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, as if desperate to keep him with her, never to let him go from her life. As he thrust himself deep into her, he buried his face in her neck, breathing in the smell of her perfume, combined with a slight aroma of cigarette smoke from her hair. He loved his Jo, every fibre of her being, every nuance of her voice, and every little quirk of her soul. It didn't matter to him that she appeared to find the idea of two women together attractive, because this was his Jo, and she couldn't ever do anything that would stop him from loving her. He held her to him, feeling the softness of her breasts against his well-muscled chest, and the slimness of her back and shoulders under his hands. When they simultaneously soared over the edge to completion, Jo briefly thought that she would like to die like this, held safe in John's arms, and being taken to heaven and back in a moment. But as they lay afterwards, their breathing returning to normal and the sweat glistening on their skin, Jo reflected that she wanted to stay very much alive. For all his faults, John loved her, needed her, and in some instances worshipped her. She didn't need to fantasise about other women, she had him. What more could a woman want?