Let's Swing

by Piquette Fontaine

  Four

  The evening was cool, a little cooler than the sun would suggest, and the sun was dipping over the horizon, sending a crimson streak spearing through the sky, making it look as though it was bleeding. The guides led the party through a corpse of trees and pointed out some notable landmarks. In the distance they could all hear the cascading waterfall, and Dan promised them they they would see it the following day. As they walked along Natalie was filled with a strange feeling. She felt calmer than she had, but being away from the city and thoughts about Mark almost made it seem like things with him hadn’t been as important as she had thought. When something could be ended that easily was there any point in starting anything? She wasn’t sure how to answer that question, all she knew is that she wanted to find an escape. The prospect that Dan was interested in her stirred something in her heart, and although she had denied anything to Cindy, she had to admit that she was intrigued for she had never been with an alpha male type. Dan seemed so powerful and confident, and it seemed like he knew exactly where he belonged. It was quite the contrast to Mark, and although she hated to compare them she found it difficult not to.

  When they returned to the cabin they all played some games until the night, and then people started to bid each other goodnight. Cindy and Natalie went to bed, and while Cindy was soon snoring Natalie found it more difficult. She turned her head to the side and gazed out of the window at the full moon. The silvery glow bathed the world, and the stars twinkled by its side. When she strained her ears she could hear the soft cascading of the waterfall, and found that her heart longed to be free. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for hours she crept out of the cabin and walked slowly outside, towards the direction of the waterfall. She vaguely remembered the direction in which they had walked earlier, but she made sure not to get too far away from the cabin in case she got lost, because she had seen far too many horror movies. The threat of bears was also in her mind as well, even though she knew she was mostly likely being foolish.

  Despite it being the middle of the night it was actually quite light, for the moon was bright. Natalie felt soothed by it, and as she made her way to the waterfall she felt good at leaving everything behind, because she wanted to be alone and away from everything else. Things with Mark were still difficult, but she knew that she had to move on, it was just so hard when she was surrounded by everything they had built together but being out in the open like this made her realize that there was a wider world out there.

  As the trees opened up to the waterfall she was taken aback by the beauty of what she was seeing. The waterfall flowed down in a constant foamy stream, and the water shimmered under the silvery light of the full moon. The whole place had a mysterious tranquility about it, an ancient feeling that made her feel like she was stepping into another dimension. She crouched down beside the small pool and dipped her hand into the crystal water. It was cold to the touch, and she gasped as she brought her hand back to a warmer climate. She turned around, and the noise of the water faded in the general ambiance. She heard a rustling in the bushes, and fear seized her. She looked around and her eyes peered into the darkness, and when she saw a vague shadow move she found that her breath caught in her throat. She heard another rustling and turned to face it, and when she turned a bear had launched itself through the air, and landed before her. She was too afraid to scream as she looked into its beady eyes, and before she knew it another had come out of the forest. She backed away and cowered in fear, wondering if her life would be over. They looked bigger than normal bears, and soon revealed themselves to be Dan and Philip as they transformed into the men. Their naked bodies glistened in the dim light of the moon, and Natalie’s heart raced.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Dan said, going up to her.

  “You shouldn't be here,” Philip growled, “You shouldn’t know about this.” Dan went up to her and squeeze her hand. She felt his warmth spread through her.

  “It’s okay, she won’t tell anyone. You can keep our secret can’t you?” he asked, and she found herself nodding. “I took note of what your friend said. I get the feeling that you could use an escape from life right now, out here nothing about your world matters. You’re in our world now, let yourself go.” As he said this he ran his fingers through her hair and she found herself drawn to him. Dan pulled her into him, and her soft curves pressed against his chiseled muscles, She found herself irrevocably drawn to him, and although she wasn’t quite sure of the powerful sensations coursing through her soul she found herself giving herself to him, and as her lips parted she felt a burning kiss, the likes of which she hadn’t experienced for far too long.

  Dan held her tightly against him as their tongues danced and they fell into the kiss. Natalie moaned softly as she felt his arousal press against her, and in the silence of the night their moans were the only noise that accompanied the waterfall. She felt a hand come around her head and pushed her to her knees. She sank down and started pleasuring his erection with her mouth, soaking it with her saliva. She closed her eyes and looked up at the beast that was now a man, and was fueled with forbidden lust. Natalie kissed and teased Dan with her tongue and lips, and as she was sucking enthusiastically she felt Philip come close to her. She looked up at him, and gazed upon his powerful figure, and the desire she felt inside was double. His thick erection stood rigidly next to her face, and she started to stroke him with her hand before she moved her lips over to service him as well. Her jaw soon began to ache as she pleasured them both, and they groped and tore off her clothes until she was as naked as they, and she felt herself revert to a primal state where she was nothing but a being of erotic sensuality.

  They kissed and fondled her, and they explored her body as she lay splayed out on the mossy grass, letting her arms stretch out against the soft caress of nature as strong explosions of passion sang through her body. She moaned and murmured as their fingers slid in between her lips and made her body writhe as their lips came over her bullet nipples. Her vision went blurry and she didn’t know where she ended and they began. Her whole body prickled with sexual energy and the air began to crackle as she was pulled and pushed about. Their hands were all over her, feeling every inch of her, until she was pulled up and hoisted over one of them. She was lowered onto him and had to ride him, feeling his thick erection get deep inside her. He controlled the rhythm and she rested her full weight on him, letting the moonlight caress her exposed, milky flesh, while the other stood in front of her, and filled her gasping mouth with his erection. She sucked as she was fucked, and delirious sweat poured down her face. She moaned loudly, although they were muffled by the erection in her mouth. Through bleary eyes she made them out, and locked eyes with both of them as the overwhelming pleasure cracked her mind. She rode Dan as she sucked Philip, and let the pleasure surge through her like an inferno, immolating the doubt and heartbreak she had been nursing. As sweat poured over her curves and Dan fucked her she was torn asunder. Her face was covered in a thick, warm cream and she licked it all up as she was flung into the air by the force of Dan’s jerking hips, until he released himself in a moment of pure bestial rawness.

  They kissed and held her before they transformed back into bears and disappeared into the middle of the woods. Natalie bathed in the waterfall before she returned to room. When she crawled into bed Cindy stirred.

  “You okay?” she asked. Natalie smiled and replied in the affirmative. She was better than she had ever been, and she was already looking forward to the following night.

  The End

  Battle Menage

  The morning sun filtered through the window and Toni’s alarm went off. The droning sound pierced her hazy mind and with her eyes still closed she flapped her arm about until she eventually hit it. Toni breathed a sigh of relief and nestled into the pillow again. It was six in the morning and her third week of her new exercise and diet regimen, but it wasn’t going well. Her long blonde hair was matted to her face and her eyes ached. Outside she heard birds tweeting an
d the sprinkler systems of the neighborhood sang their usual watery song. To anyone else it would have been an idyllic morning but to Toni it was pure hell. She was addicted to bed and all she wanted was to remain there for eternity.

  Then the alarm sounded again. This time it came from across the room and was more of a shrill, fast-paced beeping. Toni groaned and rolled over onto to her back, pressing her pillows against her ears, wishing that time would freeze and the alarm would go away. It didn’t. Relentlessly it beeped until it forced her to get out of bed and press the button. It was the same routine every morning; always an ordeal to get out of bed. Now that she was up she lurched to the bathroom like a zombie and looked at her reflection through bleary eyes. After splashing some cold water on her face she gasped at the shock of it, and blinked herself awake. Now that she was more conscious she looked at herself in the mirror and remembered why she was putting herself through this. Her body was lithe and slender, although her generous curves remained intact.

  After her break-up with Ryan she had gone on a diet of chocolate, ice cream, and hot pockets, and had quickly put on the pounds. Her skin turned blotchy and sallow, and she felt tired all the time. Now she just felt tired in the mornings and the evenings, and sometimes in the afternoons too but she was feeling better about herself and she was looking great. She sighed, patted her flat stomach, and bit her bottom lip before making her way to the kitchen. Once there she took a smoothie out of the fridge and gulped it down. That was breakfast done. Hardly filling but it was healthy, even though it left her stomach growling. The strawberry taste lingered on her lips as she stretched and slipped on her sneakers for her morning run.

  The dawn air was fresh and the world looked clean. The metal bodies of cars glistened in the golden sun and the pale blue sky was clear and perfect. The wide black road was quiet, and nobody else was around. Toni sighed in contentment and took a moment to bathe in the warmth of the world. She tied her hair back into a ponytail and shook her body, springing up and down on her heels. She got her iPod out and cycled through to her running playlist, and then she was off at a steady pace.

  Until, that is, she saw her nemesis jog out onto the sidewalk. Toni’s heart beat with frustration. The same thing happened every morning and it was beginning to drive her crazy. This woman kept trying to mirror everything Toni was doing. Toni glared at Denise as she fell into pace beside her. In some ways she was the complete opposite to Toni. Toni was a little shorter and had long blonde hair with bright blue eyes and an hourglass figure. Denise was taller, with even longer auburn hair, and a slimmer figure, and she always seemed out to outdo Toni.

  Their feud had begun a few months ago at a neighbor’s dinner party. It had been an effort to bring people closer together. Ordinarily Toni wasn’t the type of person to go to these sorts of things but she had just broken up with Ryan so it seemed like a good way to get out of the house. She’d made her famous potato salad. This dish had always gone down well at parties. It was one of the few things she could make successfully in the kitchen and it was an old family recipe that had been passed down from her grandmother to her mother, and then to her. But when she arrived at the party and said her hellos she went to place the bowl down on the food table when she saw that someone else had made potato salad. As the party went on she heard people rave about the potato salad. At first she was filled with pride but then a thought occurred to her…she made her way to the table and to her horror saw that everyone had been eating from the other bowl and hers had hardly been touched! Her face creased in anger and she made it her mission to find out who had brought the other bowl of potato salad. She questioned everyone, and eventually found out that it was Denise. At first she tried to be friendly.

  “Your potato salad is going down a treat,” she said, “tell me, what’s your secret?” Denise studied her and raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m afraid I don’t share my secrets with anyone, in all honesty I just threw it together at the last second, it’s only potato salad after all it doesn’t take much effort.” Toni was stunned and filled with an intense hatred. She had slaved over that potato salad and put so much effort into getting the measurements exactly right that. What Denise had said was galling, and Toni made a vow then that one day she would show Denise some true effort. But that day still hadn’t come. Other parties had been thrown and every time Toni had tried to make something new. Yet Denise outdid her every time. Everyone loved her cooking and Toni’s got left behind. All that effort went to waste and every time Toni had to watch Denise wear that same smug, self-satisfied look. To top it all off shortly after Toni had started exercising Denise came out and started running too! It was clear that she was only doing it to aggravate Toni but Toni was determined to not let it affect her, and she wasn’t going to let Denise win this time. But somehow Denise always managed to last a little longer than Toni, and managed to look a little fitter.

  “Beautiful morning isn’t it,” Denise shouted. Toni pretended not to hear, preferring instead to focus on her music. But Denise wasn’t going to have that. She leaned in closer as they ran, so close that Toni could smell her mango scent, and shouted in her ear. It was so loud that Toni was almost shaken off-balance. Reluctantly, she pulled her earphone out and replied.

  “Yeah, it is, nice and peaceful,” she said ironically.

  “It’s nice to see that you’re sticking to this, how many months has it been now?”

  “Three I think.”

  “Mm, I know how difficult it is to get up in the mornings for most ordinary people. I’m used to it though, it’s always been my philosophy to get a good start to the day. That way I don’t have to feel guilty about relaxing later on. I’m sure you feel the same way.”

  “Oh of course, I just love getting up in the mornings,” Toni lied. As they jogged Toni noticed that Denise was getting slightly ahead, so she increased her pace. This led to Denise increasing her pace. Both knew what they were doing but neither one would admit it, or show any sign of weakness.

  “Have you gotten the invitation to Bradley and Dean’s party?” Denise asked.

  “Of course, it should be fun. I like we have these regular parties.”

  “What are you planning to make?” Toni shot Denise a dirty look.

  “I don’t know yet, how about yourself?”

  “I’m not sure. It might be time to bring out my famed potato salad again, although it came together so hastily last time that I really don’t remember what I put in it.” Toni glowed and her brow furrowed. She looked at the horizon ahead and she could feel her blood pumping fiercely through her body. She increased her pace and Denise matched her.

  “I’m sure people will love it just like last time,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “I’m sure you’ll find something cute to make,” Denise replied. Both of them were speaking breathlessly as they pushed themselves harder and harder, and soon enough they were outright sprinting. A man walking his dog was blindsided by them and thrown into a whirl as they passed him. Their feet slapped against the ground and their lungs felt as though they were going to burst. Side by side they ran full pelt, completely missing out on the beauty of the scenery around them. Filled by a competitive fury they were almost screaming by the time they had come to a stop, and to Toni’s dismay it was she who faltered first.

  Sweat dripped from her forehead and she was bent over with her hands on her thighs, gulping in mouthfuls of air. Denise remained standing with her hands on her hips, just as sweaty as Toni.

  “You shouldn’t bend over like that, it’ll give you cramp,” she said. Toni glared at her, and despite not wanting to do anything she advised she did in fact stand up. Toni pulled out her water bottle and swished some liquid around in her mouth. The refreshment was needed and she and Denise stood there, panting, like exhausted cowboys in a stand-off.

  “Well that was a good workout,” Denise said.

  “I know, I’m feeling good,” Toni said, having to pause after every word.

  “It was nice se
eing you again. We’ll have to do this more often,” Denise remarked before turning away and jogging. Toni threw up her hands as she watched Denise disappear into the distance. Her own legs were aching and all she wanted to do was to rest, but she couldn’t let Denise win like that. It was the same thing every morning. Sometimes Denise didn’t join her, instead she just ran off into the distance and made a point of doing laps around the block long after Toni had finished her circuit. Toni tried to continue but her legs were like jelly, and she didn’t have the same iron will of Denise so she slunk back to her place, defeated.

  After grabbing a shower she settled on her couch and watched a bit of television, only to wince as she saw Denise run by her house. The other woman made a point of pausing to stretch and Toni watched with disgust as the sweaty, glistening body clad in tight running clothes made a performance outside her home. Then, Denise continued running, and Toni just felt awful. She couldn’t let Denise keep beating her like that and she hated that no matter what she did Denise somehow managed to burrow her way in. All through the day she thought about what else she could do to improve her fitness and general wellbeing, and then it occurred to her – yoga! And if she went to a random class there was no way that Denise would be able to follow her. She checked online and found one that was happening that very night, so in the evening after enjoying a light and healthy dinner she packed her exercise bag and made her way to the gym where the class was being held.

  She’d tried to go to the gym when she first began her new lifestyle but it didn’t really agree with her. She felt so self-conscious with everyone else working out around her, especially because they all seemed to know what they were doing when she had no idea. Mostly though, people seemed to be chatting and taking pictures of themselves rather than working out and she wondered what the point of it even was. After a few sessions she gave up and preferred to work out at home, so coming back after all this time was a strange experience. It was an odd thing, she thought, a large building with shared exercise equipment where strangers came to get all hot and sweaty with each other. Most people as well only seemed to use it on a casual basis, and only a few hardcore bodybuilders could be seen. As she walked through she tried not to breathe in through her nose too much as she hated the smell of the grimy sweat, but then she saw Denise working out and she stopped in her tracks.