Soft Swing Pt. 01

"How about Bridge?"

"Marla is the best Bridge player. I love to partner with her. Why are you asking about cards?"

"Hang on. What about Uno?"

I had to laugh. The conversation had ventured into silliness. "Nobody really stands out. We're all pretty good at playing Uno. That's kind of why we play it."

"Right," Jeff said, grinning deviously. I tried to read his mind and failed. "So, say you teamed up with Doreen and you only played all the card games with her. You played the best Canasta games you ever played before. Would you be satisfied if you only ever played cards again with her and not with the other girls?"

"No," I quickly replied, "that would not be fun at all. I like to play cards with all the girls. It's more fun that way. Everyone gets to join in. Some people are better than others. Sometimes people do dumb things that are funny. We all compensate for each other, and all of us contribute something to the fun. It's very social, and we all have a blast. It would get extremely dull and boring if I only played with Carla. We'd become great at Canasta, but I'd be missing out on so much more fun. So, would she."

Jeff kissed the top of my head. "Maybe," he said softly, "maybe swinging is like cards. You and I play incredible Canasta together as partners. But the game would be so much more fun with other REAL players to join in instead of a dummy hand. Plus, think of all the other games we can play and explore. Everything would be fun, and we would all contribute to it. That doesn't change how fantastic we are at Canasta or how much we enjoy playing together. It's just a way to have more fun experiences."

I laughed and kissed my husband. "You seriously just thought of that while I was sleeping?"

"Yeah, I know it's not a perfect analogy, but you get my point, right?" he asked.

"I think so," I replied. "You mean that our sex life is phenomenal. We wouldn't swing to compete with our sex life. It's not about either one of us trying to find someone to outdo our partner. It's about broadening our scope of fun to enjoy the game with others."

"There would have to be rules and limits established," Jeff said.

"Well, that's why Eve suggested we meet," I explained. "She said that the first thing we have to do is establish ground rules and all agree never to violate them."

"That sounds smart," Jeff replied. "Look, I'm not saying I'm agreeing to swing. I'm saying I'm open to considering it and would love to meet and talk with them about their experiences. Then we can decide if we want to take any future steps."

"Okay," I said, beaming happily. "I'll call Eve and let her know. I don't know if swinging is something I want to do either. It couldn't hurt to talk."

We finished our beers, and I got up to pee while Jeff got us another round. I found my robe and put it back on, then walked into our bedroom on my way to the toilet. I saw my phone on the dresser and picked it up, dialing Eve's number. She answered right away.

"Hey Eve, what are you up to?"

"We just had dinner on the square and stopped by Live Oaks to pick up a growler. How about you guys? Did you talk to Jeff about my suggestion?"

"Yeah, we have been discussing it."

"And? Wait, a second, are you peeing?"

"Yeah, sorry. We had a big talk, and we both are kind of feeling the same way. We're curious to talk to you guys about what swinging is, but we're not sure we're ready to jump into doing it. If we meet, can we make sure it is only to talk?"

"Oh my God, Mel," Eve whispered into the phone, "do you have any idea how horny you're making me talking to me while I can hear you peeing?"

"Want to watch?" I asked playfully.

"Yes!" Eve answered instantly.

"No way!" I laughed, "I'm not turning my cam on!"

"Tease!" Eve said, laughing with me.

"I didn't know you were into watersports," I said, giggling.

"There's a lot about me you don't know," she said, then added, "yet."

"So when do you want to meet?" I asked, changing the subject.

"How about tonight?"

"Tonight? It's already nine o'clock."

"Yeah, we're heading home. We can meet you at our place around ten. It's a Friday, we can have a couple of drinks and talk."

"Just talk?"

"Of course," she promised.

"Let me ask Jeff," I told her then wiped and flushed the commode. I found Jeff back in the family room. He had put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Game of Thrones was playing on the TV.

"Hey, baby," I began, "Eve wants to know if we want to come over to their place around ten to talk and have a couple of drinks. What do you think?"

"Tonight?" he asked, sounding just like me.

"Yeah, tonight."

"Just talk?" he asked, again sounding like me, which made me laugh.

"Yeah, just talk."

"Uh, yeah, ok, sure," he replied, looking a little nervous.

I relayed the information to Eve and told her we'd be over soon. When I hung up, Jeff pulled me on his lap and kissed me. "You sure didn't waste any time," he said, grinning.

"Well, it's a Friday night, and the girls are sleeping over at my Mom's. What else do we have to do tonight?"

He untied my robe and fondled my breasts, again. "I can think of a few fun things to pass the time."

"Well, we can still do them. After we talk," I said then jumped up and ran out of the room shouting, "Dibs on the shower!"

Jeff poured us both a glass of wine as I fixed my makeup and changed into something cute, but not overly sexy. We made the five-minute walk over to the Miller's house. As we approached the front door, we could see inside as the storm door was closed, but the large wooden one was open. When we rang the bell, Max and Eve appeared, walking toward us, with warm smiles on their faces. I felt nervous immediately and squeezed Jeff's hand tightly. I think he sensed my trepidation. He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "We're just here to talk. Don't worry."

Max opened the door and Eve ushered us inside. Their home was warm and inviting, with a soft scent of cinnamon in the air. She hugged me, which I returned, exchanging kisses on the cheek. Jeff and Max shook hands amiably, which was a good sign. I'd been afraid there might be some kind of contest of male egos, so I was pleased that they both seemed happy.

"We picked up a growler of some pumpkin-spiced mead at Live Oaks Brewery in McKinney while we were out. We were going to pop it open tomorrow," Max said as he extended the container to Jeff to inspect, "but why don't we try it tonight."

"Oh great," Jeff replied, grinning broadly, "We love Live Oaks. We get their beer all the time."

"Cool," Max said with a smile, "The owners used to live down the street and were in Supper Club with us for many years. We always go to one of their monthly Brews & Brushes parties."

Our hosts eschewed the formal areas and led us into the back of the house, to the kitchen. Eve and I sat on some plush bar stools while Max and Jeff opened the mead and poured us all glasses of the spiced, honey brew.

Max proposed a toast, and we all joined in. "Why don't we go sit down in the family room," Max suggested. "It's more comfortable."

We moved over and sat down, Jeff next to me and Eve next to Max on the other side of the sofa. We looked at each other in awkward silence until Eve broke the ice.

"Well," she started, "I'm just going to be direct. Max and I invited you here so we can talk about swinging and see if it is something that you two might like to experience with us."

I snuggled closer to Jeff, feeling warm and protected against him. I was very nervous and more than a little unsure about this whole concept. I wanted him to know that I was here for him.

"It is something that Jeff and I have been curious about," I explained for us, "but we aren't sure it's something we actually want to pursue. I mean, we have great sex together already. Nothing is missing for us, sexually."

"Right," Jeff chimed in, "we talked about it earlier. For us, it's not like we're unhappy sexually and are looking to add some missing spice to our relationship. We think it could be fun in its own right and add to the great sex we already have."

"That's a great way to think about it," Max agreed. "Eve and I are the same way. We stumbled into swinging with some friends of ours. It was not something we planned on doing. Once we got started, though, we realized how much fun it could be."

"But, also," Eve added, "how risky and dangerous it can be if you don't go into it for the rights reasons."

"Or if you go about it in the wrong way," Max contributed.

"What do you mean, risky?" I asked.

"Well, there are a lot of risks," Even explained, "but probably the biggest one is that you destroy your marriage and end up divorced."

"Yeah, we don't want to go there," Jeff said, putting his arm around me. "Mel and I don't want to do anything that would harm our relationship. If that's what could happen, then we'll probably pass on it."

"It doesn't have to happen that way," Max said, trying to soften things a bit. "If you know what you're doing and you're careful, swinging can be a fantastic experience that brings a couple closer. That's why we have ground rules and pre-swing agreement."

I giggled. "That sounds so formal. Do we have to sign a contract?"

Eve looked nervously at her husband, then they both chuckled. "Well, actually, yes. We have a document prepared that we all have to agree to and sign before we are willing to swing with another couple we know. It's not as big a deal with people we meet at a club or an event. There's less risk of complications. But, with friends like you two, we don't want there to be any mistakes."

I looked at Jeff, and he shrugged. "What kind of agreement?" he asked for the two of us. I was just as curious.

Max led the discussion.

"It's just a simple agreement about what we're trying to achieve and some important rules. I can read it, and we can discuss the points." He cleared his throat than proceeded to read the document.

"The undersigned participants agree to follow the swinging rules of engagement as follows: Rule 1) If at any time any one of the participants is uncomfortable and does not want to continue with an activity, the participant simply needs to say the safe word 'peanut butter.' When anyone uses the safe word, all participants will return to their spouse, and the swinging event will end. Nobody will argue or complain or have any negative feelings. Anyone is free to say the safe word at any time without repercussions. Any questions?"

I shook my head. "No, that makes sense, and it's reassuring to know we can stop things anytime we want without upsetting people."

"We might be disappointed, but not upset," Eve replied, grinning broadly.

"So, I guess we never use peanut butter as a sex prop during swinging," Jeff asked while trying not to laugh.

"I have a peanut allergy," Max said with a wink.

"Rule 2) Fraternization between opposite spouses (meaning the husband of couple A and wife of couple B or the wife of couple A and husband of couple B) will be strictly limited to swinging events. When not participating in a swinging event, the opposite spouses will behave as nothing more than neighbors and friends, with no affectionate contact or intimacy. Opposite spouses will never engage in romantic gestures, flirting, kissing, or sex of any kind, when not participating in a swinging event."

Max paused while we processed the rule. I was struggling with this rule, so I spoke up. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean or why this is a big deal. I mean, we're likely going to be fucking, why is this a bad thing?"

Eve answered. "One of the biggest risks of swinging with people you know is to take the sex and the intimacy you feel with your swinging partners outside of swinging. Once you cross that bridge and start engaging with the other spouse outside of the safe, swinging event, the road to cheating and infidelity is wide open. Not only that, you run the risk of becoming too intimate, too affectionate and developing feelings for the other person. That can put your feelings for your spouse at risk. It's not worth taking the chance, so we prohibit it."

"Ok, I can see that," Jeff offered.

"Yeah, ok," I said. "It makes sense."

"Rule 3) Opposite spouses should not have any private communication at any time. This includes phone calls, text message, instant or direct messaging, social media, secret conversations or meetings."

"That seems kind of rigid," Jeff commented. "I mean, I can't call Eve if I need to about something?"

"Do you ever call Eve now?" Max asked.

Jeff considered the question for a few seconds, "Uh, no. I guess I don't, now that I think about it."

"That's right, and I never talk directly to Mel, either," Max agreed. "If I need something from you guys, I either go to you, Jeff, or I get Eve to talk to Mel. I mean it's just not appropriate anyway, but given rule 2, it's even more important not to tempt fate. Trust is one of the most important things to have in a relationship, and it becomes even more important when you're having sex with your friend's spouses. I want to trust Eve. If she is having private conversations with you in the hallway, behind my back, or texting you at lunchtime, I will start to lose trust."

"Right," piped in Eve, "and if I found out that Mel was calling Max up and asking him to lunch, I'd be pissed. To me, that's cheating."

Jeff nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I think that there are degrees of cheating, but it's like a snowball going downhill. It may start with harmless flirting, or a dance, a touch here and there, going for coffee, or lunch, or meeting for drinks. You should reserve those things for your spouse. If you don't start down the road with any of them, you don't get to the destination of cheating on your spouse."

"Okay to go on?" Max asked. We both nodded.

"Rule 4)," he continued, "We all agree to keep no secrets from our spouses, including sharing access to our phones, texts, and emails."

"I guess that ensures we can trust each other," I said. "I like that."

"Trust but verify," Jeff said, chuckling.

"Rule 5) We will establish a pre-swing agreement about what is and is not allowed during the swinging event. We agree not to attempt to change the agreement once the swinging event has started. We agree that we will all limit our actions to those in the agreement and that none of us will make any suggestion or flirt with attempting to do more than is agreed."

"Ok," Jeff said, "I'm confused on that one. What the heck is that about?"

"You ever go scuba diving?" Max asked us. I hadn't, so I shook my head.

"Yeah, I'm open water certified," Jeff answered.

"Ok, so then you know in scuba diving, you plan your dive before you get in the water and then once you are in the water, you never alter your plan, no matter what, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"So, why is that?" Max asked.

"It's because when you dive a few things happen that can cause you to make poor decisions once you're in the water. The main one is the longer and deeper you dive, you build up Nitrogen in your blood and can get a kind of high, called Nitrogen Narcosis. If you're down at 100 feet, you're high and cannot make rational decisions. The other thing is you sometimes get so carried away with what you're doing, that you can easily lose track of time and forget what you're doing. So, you strictly make a plan before the dive, and everyone agrees to it. Then, you help each other enforce the plan and stick to it. That way, everybody comes out of the water safe and healthy."

"Right," Max agreed with a grin, "It's the same thing with swinging. Having sex in front of each other, with other people, is intoxicating. Sometimes you get so carried away, so turned on, that under the circumstances, you may decide to do things you would not normally have agreed to or wanted to do. You may regret it later or feel bad for having done them. Even worse, your spouse may not be thrilled that you did something, not on the approved list."

"So, we always insist on agreeing on the limits for the event in advance. Then, all of us swear to stick to them, no matter what is said and no matter how horny we get. Furthermore, we agree not to try to coerce or seduce people into breaking the agreement. That's devious, insincere and is not what friends do to friends. If you didn't want to fuck when you were thinking clearly, then we will not fuck, even if you get so turned on you beg for it. We'll do it next time."

Jeff was grinning and shaking his head. I understood it too. I liked Rule 5 the most. It made me feel much more comfortable about what we might be willing to do.

"So, for example," Even added, "we agreed that tonight, we would talk. Even though I would love to do something sexual, anything sexual, with you both here, we won't. Tonight is just to talk. Sure, sex tonight might be great. But, if it is great tonight, it will be just as great another night, when we all agree beforehand that it's what we want to do."

"Ok, only two more rules," Max said as he refilled our glasses with the spiced mead. "These are easy. Rule 6) At least the first and last ten minutes of each swinging event must be spent by the spouses together. That ensures that it is all about the couples. Ok, the last rule. Rule 7) Have fun."

"Any questions?" he asked and looked back and forth between Jeff and me.

"Nope, it's all pretty straightforward," I said.

"Yeah, it all makes sense," Jeff agreed.

Max spun the papers around and held a pen out to me. I looked down and noticed that he and Eve had already signed in their designated spots. I signed on the line by my name and passed the pen to Jeff. He signed as well. "Does that make us officially swingers?" he asked.

Even giggled, then said, "No, that won't be until we fuck."

I blushed, and we all laughed.

"So, what's next?" Jeff asked.

Max smiled and suggested that we come back the next night for more than talk. I looked to Jeff. I was very excited about the possibility of what might happen. I could see the glint in his eye and suspected he was just as turned on by the idea. He winked at me, and I knew he wanted to take the next step. "Ok, let's do it," I said.

"Yay! I'm happy!" exclaimed Eve.

"So, I have a suggestion for tomorrow night. Let's do what we call a soft swing."

"What's that?" Jeff and I both asked almost simultaneously.

"So, there's no sex between opposite spouses. Instead, we meet. We spend the first ten minutes with our spouse, dancing and being romantic. Then, we swap partners, and we dance, sit together, sit on laps if we want. We are limited to kissing, fondling and nothing you couldn't get from a lap dance with the opposite spouse. We do that for one hour max, then swap back. At that point, each couple can do anything they want, in the same room and in front of the other couple. But, at no point do we swap for sex of any kind. At least not tomorrow. That is an exciting start, without going too far."

Jeff looked at me with his eyebrows raised and the "what do you think" look on his face. I gave him a little nod and a wink back.

"Ok, I think we'd like to do that," Jeff said. "I can't guarantee we will want to go too far and we may decide we don't want to go any farther. I think it would be a good test."

"What about clothes?" I blurted out, suddenly.

"Clothes? What do you mean?" Eve asked me.

"I mean do we stay dressed for it all? Do we strip? When do we strip?" I asked, shaking nervously. "What's acceptable?"

"Oh, I hadn't anticipated that question," Max said as he thought about what to do.

"Well, you did say like a lap dance, right?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Max replied.

"Ok, then how about the girls dress like a stripper giving a lap dance would be," Jeff suggested.

"I've never been to a strip club," I said, "so I have no idea what strippers wear during lap dances."