Domestic Bliss: A Tale of Two Couples

by Kirsten McCurran

  “Hey, I’ve just been looking forward to this all week.”

  “I don’t know why. It’s only drinks.”

  “I just like your company,” he said. “You look fucking hot, by the way.”

  “Thanks, but you’d say that if I was wearing a paper bag.”

  “You’d look hot in nothing but a little paper shopping bag.”

  “Stop it,” she said without conviction.

  Perhaps she did put a little more effort into her look knowing she was going to be meeting Adam after work. The sleeveless navy sheath had fine white pinstripes and it hugged her trim body like a second skin. Only the little matching jacket really made it appropriate for work—only just. It came to the knee, longer than a lot of her work attire, but the slit made up for that. Alexandra was pushing the standards by wearing it and was shocked when Gary did not hassle her in the morning. The looks she’d been receiving all day had her pulse racing. One of the partners had asked her to drinks after work. It was an offer she should have accepted, but she knew what was on his mind and was not in the mood to fight off a drunken pass. Besides, she had plans and would not let Adam down.

  The day had left Alexandra more than a little worked up. It was probably not the way she should be feeling when meeting another man for drinks, but then Adam was not just any other man. He was a friend. This was not a date.

  “Maybe you’ll text me a picture wearing nothing but a bag,” he teased.

  She smiled and looked at him. “I wondered how long it would take you to bring that up.”

  “C’mon, babe. You can’t blame me. That was hot.”

  Adam was only kidding when he’d texted her back Monday. He told her he would need incentive to meet for Happy Hour again and she should text him a sexy picture. He knew it was over the line, but he was feeling cocky after last Friday night. It felt like something had changed between them. Alexandra no longer seemed to be just tolerating his flirting.

  She only responded with a long string of “hahahahaha,” but Adam kept working her. He texted a couple times a day asking for his picture. She should start slow if she was nervous, he suggested. It did not seem like he was getting anywhere—which was not surprising—but then on Wednesday afternoon his phone beeped while he was in a meeting. Adam took a quick glance down at his phone to clear the text—he figured it was nonsense from his wife—and his jaw dropped open.

  Alexandra looked like she was in the bathroom at work, in front of the mirror. She was wearing a tight green blouse and she’d undone several of the buttons—more than she could have gotten away with walking around the office. Adam saw deep into the shadow of her cleavage to the black lacy edges of her bra. He completely lost the thread of what he was saying and his boss asked if he was okay.

  The following day—without prompting—Alexandra sent another photo. In this one, her blouse was completely unbuttoned and pulled slightly apart so he could see almost all of her tits. They were constrained by a sexy deep maroon bra that pushed them up. Adam got hard at his desk and was rubbing himself before he realized it and stopped. He begged for more, but she did not respond. There was no picture today, but Adam understood why. Alexandra’s dress was exceptionally hot, but there was no way to show anything without taking it off. Maybe he could help her with that.

  Sending the picture was a spur of the moment decision. Adam’s begging was rather sad, and she thought the first photo she sent was pretty harmless. He’d seen as much peeking down her blouse in the past. But sending the text gave her an illicit thrill and soon she was thinking about what other dirty texts she could send. Knowing Adam was sitting and looking at her picture and lusting for her made Alexandra hot. It was just the thing a woman like her loved.

  She thought about it all night and the next day she couldn’t help herself. Alexandra went into the bathroom to send Adam another picture. She locked the door and unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it open. She took several photos before settling on one she liked, and by the time she finished she was so wet. She’d barely sent the photo when she slipped into one of the stalls and hiked up her skirt. Soaked panties were nudged aside and she rubbed her clit to bring off a rapid orgasm. Alexandra bit the side of her hand, but her muffled cries still echoed through the empty bathroom. The only reason she didn’t send a picture the following day was because she was afraid she might push things too far. Adam already had the wrong idea, she was sure. And he did. Adam brought it up as soon as they were together again.

  “You’re going to delete those pictures, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Only if you sent me better ones,” he taunted.

  “Come on, Adam. How do I know you’re not going to show anyone?”

  “How do you know I haven’t already?”

  “Have you?” She looked stricken.

  “Of course not. No one is going to know, Lexi. Certainly not Gary.”

  Alexandra let the Lexi thing go. “Christ. He’d kill us both.”

  “I don’t know about that. Gary’s not kicking my ass.”

  “Stop it, Adam.”

  “Just sayin’. But seriously, what’s my incentive to delete the pictures. What will you do for me?” Adam loved seeing the confident woman squirm just a little bit.

  Alexandra narrowed her eyes and fixed him with an annoyed look. “What do you think I should do? It’s just two pictures. Neither of them is really all that bad, and my face isn’t in the frame anyway. I could very easily deny it.”

  “Don’t be like that, Lexi. It’s more fun if you play along.”

  “Fine,” she sighed.

  Adam watched her and it looked like she was really thinking about it. Of course he wouldn’t really blackmail her, but it was fun to play with her. Her green eyes darted to him, and then she looked away. A DJ, who’d been setting up on the other side of the bar, finally got to work and loud music began blasting through the bar. Adam didn’t recognize the song, but then he’d stopped listening to new music around 1990. Alexandra said something, but he couldn’t hear over the music. She had to lean in pressing her breasts against his arm. Her lips brushed his ear and he shivered.

  “I said, I could promise you better pictures, but that would put me right back in the same situation, wouldn’t it?”

  “If you weren’t lying to me.”

  Alexandra placed her hand on his thigh as she pressed closer. She felt Adam shake and smiled. Guys were just too easy to manipulate. But then, she wasn’t in her right mind either. She was acutely aware of how close they were.

  “I always keep my promises.”

  “That’s good to know. And you always tell the truth?”

  “I’d like to think so,” she answered. It felt like she was being led into a trap, but she still went.

  “Okay, so tell me the truth…”

  “About what? Are we suddenly playing Truth or Dare? This is Happy Hour, not a preteen sleepover.”

  “I just have a simple question,” he said.

  “Go ahead. I’ll give you an honest answer.” Alexandra anticipated a question about whether she was wearing panties. It a was thong—her dress was so tight it showed panty lines.

  “You’ve been thinking about last Friday just as much as I have.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Really?” Adam just stared at her.

  Alexandra knew what he meant, of course. But she did not want to confess what she felt about that. She’d rather have told him about her panties. They were both adults, but she didn’t know that it was safe to talk to Adam about that. Flirting with Adam was a fun escape—she didn’t want to bring feelings into it.

  “What do you want me to say?” she asked.

  Adam was a little confused. She was a woman. He just assumed she’d be ready to talk about what she was thinking, but then he could also see why she might not want to dig into anything that would cause trouble for their marriages. She had to know he was cool.

  “Listen,” he added. “I’m not getting all googly-eyed with you. I just want
you to know that you’re fucking hot and last Friday was fucking hot too.”

  Alexandra relaxed. She could see the lust painted all over his face. That was something she could deal with. She brushed her lips across his stubbly cheek and briefly sucked on his earlobe. She was aware she was sending mixed signals—that was part of the fun. “Last Friday made me want to fuck you silly,” she said in a whisper that was almost a moan. Then she added, normally, “Is that what you want to hear, Adam?”

  Adam audibly gulped, and replied, “You love being a fucking tease, don’t you, Lexi?”

  “I guess I like to play—within limits. It keeps life interesting.”

  “So what do you say you and I get out of here,” he suggested.

  “Where do you suggest we go? You can’t bring me home any more than I could take you home.”

  Adam racked his brain. He hadn’t really thought it through. He didn’t really think Alexandra would go anywhere with him, for one thing. He knew better than to suggest a hotel, although there were a couple no-tell motels out by the highway. Alexandra would be completely out of place in her sexy work clothes. They looked too expensive for a call girl. When was the last time he even just hung out with a girl? It was well before he met Maggie. Back in high school, when there was nowhere else to go, they would just find some secluded spot and have some beers. Adam thought he was onto something.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  Alexandra looked leery. “I am not going to a hotel with you.”

  “Give me some credit.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Adam dropped money onto the table to cover their tip and then led her through the crowd with an arm around her narrow waist. In the parking lot, he planted a kiss on her cheek and told her to follow him. His first stop was a package store, where he grabbed a pint of Jamison.

  Alexandra stayed in her car and shook her head as she watched him come out with a little paper bag. She was dying to know what he had in mind. He wanted to get her somewhere secluded, that was clear, but then what? What did Adam think was going to happen? She thought through several scenarios, and then each left her with that nervous, tingly feeling. It wasn’t right, but she realized she was game if he wanted to sit in the car somewhere and make-out. She could pretend she was a teenager again. That would be hot, it not silly. They pulled out of the small lot and she followed him. At least they were headed away from home.

  The large industrial park was deserted. Although it was late evening, the sun had not set yet, giving the place a weird, abandoned look. Alexandra worked in a big, old converted bank downtown and took the train in every morning. She was not used to these industrial parks, full of their big, concrete boxes. It had to be where Adam worked. Alexandra had heard him bitch about his boss and complain about reports stacking up on his desk, but she realized that she did not know exactly what he did. He was always content to talk more about her. So did Adam want to get her on her back on the conference table in his office? She squirmed as a rush of heat overcame her thinking of it. But that was dangerous. Would they stop themselves in time? Adam turned into a parking garage and she followed him.

  Adam was relieved when he saw Alexandra’s headlights flick on as she followed him into the garage. The orange sodium lights overhead left the structure pretty dim and shadowy inside. It was virtually abandoned at that hour, with only a car here or there. People only parked out in the garage when they could not find anything close to their building and had no choice anyway. Up on the fourth level it was completely clear, and he pulled into a parking spot. She got out of her little sports coupe and climbed into the passenger side of his big Expedition. He cracked the windows and left the radio on—turned to the local classic rock station.

  “Really? You want to go parking?” she asked.

  “When’s the last time you hung out with a guy in the front seat of a car?”

  “I always found the backseat to be more comfortable,” she said with a wink.

  “We can certainly…” Adam gestured to the backseat. It would be more comfortable back there. He didn’t like the center console between them—it was a longer reach for her.

  “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself there, Adam,” she said, holding up a hand. “The front seat is fine with me. This thing is pretty roomy.”

  Alexandra sat with her back against the passenger door, so she could face him. She kicked off one of her heels and her left leg was folded somewhat awkwardly, but she was flexible and the seat was large. But the odd position rode her dress high and she was hard pressed to keep Adam from seeing her panties. She kept a hand in her lap and just hoped he didn’t notice. But of course he did. He cracked open the bottle and passed it to her, still in its paper bag, and his eyes flicked right to her lap. She didn’t know if he could actually see anything, but he seemed to be trying really hard.

  “So when was the last time you went parking with a boy?” Adam asked. His eyes swept up and down her tight body, but they were drawn like magnets to her crotch. He was sure he would see her panties if she moved just the right way.

  “I’m pretty sure I was done with that by college. Honestly, I don’t think we had to resort to that more than half a dozen times. Maybe if I met a guy at a party and there was nowhere else private to go, but generally if I was out on a date there was somewhere to go. The guy I dated the longest in high school had a pool house.”

  “That’s hard to compete with. I’m sure the backseat of a Buick doesn’t measure up after that.”

  Alexandra laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. There’s a certain charm to a quick, frenzied tumble in the cramped backseat of a car. For one thing, there’s always the risk of getting caught, and that’s hot. And you’re pressed so tight together, and you’re doing it because you’re so horny you don’t care how uncomfortable it is. You just want to fuck, so you figure it out, right?” The look on his face was priceless. She knew exactly what Adam was picturing.

  “Yeah, I understand just wanting to fuck, Lexi.” He took the pint back from her. He needed a drink.

  “Why do you purposely try to get under my skin like that? You’re like the boy pulling my pigtails in elementary school. I am not Lexi to you.”

  “You don’t know why boys want your attention, Lexi?”

  She leaned forward across the console. The top of her dress was tight, so he didn’t see much more than cleavage, but that was enough. He looked back up into her green eyes. She was right there. Alexandra kissed him. It was quick, but laden with promise. “You have my attention.”

  Adam was frozen, brain short-circuited by his sudden erection. By the time he could react, she was back in her seat, just out of reach.

  “How about you?” she asked. “Do you have a lot of experience with girls in cars?”

  “More than you, it sounds like. I didn’t have a pool house to go to,” he said and chuckled. “Back when I was a teenager the standard date was grab some food, maybe go see a movie or go to a concert, something simple like that. If it was a movie, the fooling around usually started in the theater, so we were pretty hot and bothered by the time we left.”

  Alexandra looked wistful. “I remember those days. Fooling around in the back of a movie theater was hot.”

  “You like that risk of getting caught, don’t you? Or is it someone watching that gets you?”

  “Who says it can’t be both?” She smiled and took a long draw from the bottle.

  “I had an old Cutlass Supreme coupe, so the backseat wasn’t too bad, but if it was a double date someone was stuck in the front and that big armrest thing always got in the way.”

  Adam could almost put himself back there. His best friend didn’t drive, so he was always bugging for a double date. Adam drove, of course, so he and his girl—he was dating Dana at the time—always got stuck fooling around in the front when they went parking at the community college. He’d end up humping that armrest more than he did Dana.

  “Looks like you’re remembering some fun times,” Alexandra
commented.

  “I had some fun back in the day, when things worked out right.”

  “You mean a stud like you didn’t always score?” she teased.

  “Not all girls are as easy as you.”

  “Ouch.” She laughed. “So you think your chances of scoring are good tonight?”

  “I got you here. That’s half the battle.” Adam watched her shrug her way out of the little jacket, leaving her smooth, bare shoulders in the open. He always wondered how strapless dresses stayed on. He figured it must be the tightness. That dress hugged Alexandra like a second skin. He said, “I’ve already got you taking your clothes off. That’s progress.”

  “Yeah, how about you turn the air back on. It’s steamy in here.”

  The windows had already begun to fog up, just from them sitting there. He cranked the ignition and turned the air conditioning to MAX. Adam had to admit it was pretty hot in the SUV, but he was just in a polo and khakis because it was casual Friday. But he actually didn’t mind getting dressed up for work. He knew he looked good in a jacket and tie, and he certainly liked it better when the women in the office were dressed up—though no one measured up to Alexandra. He didn’t know how anyone in her office got any work done with her strutting around in that dress—jacket or not. It looked more like a little cocktail dress than something for work. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and when she shifted he was finally rewarded with a flash of black panty between her tanned thighs.

  “My eyes are up here,” she chided. She was smiling when he met her eyes.

  “You can’t blame a guy for looking when you’re in a dress like that.”

  “Guys always assume we dress for your attention. Maybe women just like looking good for themselves.”

  “You put on a dress like that, you know what kind of attention you’re going to get. You must like it.”

  Alexandra played innocent. “Maybe.”

  “I think we’ve already established you like to tease.”

  “Have we?”