Big on Education

by Laurie Ames

  As they pulled their sweaty bodies together in a loving embrace and laid there for several minutes, they started dreaming about their future. Helen had not had this level of sexual excitement since her relationship with Erin, it has been so many years that she’s been deprived of sexual fulfillment. It felt so good to be totally free and satisfied once again.

  After coming back down to earth, the two women enjoyed a frisky shower together and changed into some comfy clothes. Toni sliced a lime and put slices in two coronas for them, then they headed up to the main house to join the other women.

  Rita was standing up on the deck watching Helen and Toni approach, sipping on a margarita, wearing a lovely sundress with red and yellow flowers, “welcome ladies come and join us on the main deck” laughed Rita. This was the kind of luxury that Rita loved to be surrounded in, so she was certainly in her element and enjoying every minute of it.

  “Where are the other girls?” asked Helen.

  “Val went to use the privy, and Molly and Lily are in the kitchen making some preparations for lunch. I offered to give a hand, but I was sent out here to drink my margarita, so I am doing as I am told” replied Rita with a grin. Molly is going to give us a grand tour of the property, including your little love nest down there, smiled Rita. It is such an impressive piece of property; I would love to have something like this to come to. Molly had mentioned that the owner of this property is selling it. Who knows if the price is right, if you are still interested in buying a cottage together Helen, what do you think of this one as a possible cottage property to purchase?” Helen and Toni sat down along with Rita. Helen knew she would love to be able to have a cottage, her and Rita had discussed buying a cottage together about a year ago—but nothing came of it. Now here they are at this beautiful property that might just be for sale. But along with this property is going to be a big price. Helen certainly could not afford it on her own, but maybe together with Rita she could do it.

  “Well Rita you know that I would love to have a cottage, it would be so nice to have somewhere like this in this type of setting, right on the lake—it is just so lovely here—and not too far of a drive from home. And it has all year around access —it is easily accessible. And lots of room for extra guests, perhaps renting out the smaller guest cottage is something that we could do to reduce costs. If you girls would be interested in a possible third partner, I would love to join you in the cottage deal” replied Toni. “It would be great to have a cottage where I could leave my kayak permanently, so I don't have to drag it back and forth” replied Toni with a grin just before taking a sip of her corona.

  The women all agreed that they would go in on this cottage together, they decided it was only fair to offer the other ladies a chance at buying a piece of the cottage deal. That evening after dinner they all sat out on the deck and discussed the “cottage deal”. Molly decided to join in on the deal, so now there were four women buying a cottage property together, possibly the one they were staying in. They discussed setting schedules if they wanted to book the cottage privately for a certain time—it would have to be put past other owners. The rest of the time the cottage would be open to owners and guests all year whenever they wanted to visit their cottage. Molly's friend Eve had agreed to come out the next afternoon to discuss the property with them and give a more in-depth description of the property and its history.

  Later that night while they were all down sitting on the deck, looking at the lovely starry night before them and the calm peaceful water, Val blurted out, “I am divorcing Brian—I am sick of his cheating ways, and now that the boys are grown, I am done with that little prick. I know you have all been wondering why I have been so quiet and distant for the past couple of months, but I needed time just to process what my life was and what it was going to become when I was single once again. I told Brian before I left that I was filing for a divorce. I told him I was going to be spending the weekend in an area that he was quite fond of—near the lake Morey Resort. You should have seen the shocked look on his face when I told him I had followed him two months ago up to lake Morey Resort. I found out that the woman that he met there was “Sheila Vagger” she works at the front station as a clerk at the resort. I found out her name by doing a bit of detective work, got it from another staff member. Yeah, I just had a feeling when he told me he was going on a weekend run to some place in Oklahoma, I went with my gut feeling and I followed him. He didn't go to the yard where his transport truck is stored, but instead he headed right up here to lake Morey resort, where I saw him greeted with a hug and kiss by an attractive dark haired, younger looking woman. I sat in my car taking pictures of Brian and his girlfriend with my cell phone.”

  “Arm in arm they headed to the restaurant in the hotel, they had dinner, then got into their cars and Brian followed her right back to town to her house. So, there it was right in front of my face—I was hurt and furious—I wanted to jump out of my car and go retrieve my husband. Then all of a sudden, I thought I deserved better than what Brian was offering me—that's the moment I knew that our marriage was truly over and done with. I headed home and just continued on like all was good, I waited for that moment just before coming up here to present him with the news. I felt so free walking out of that door leaving Brian behind standing in shock, trying to absorb what I had just told him. I told him not to bother trying to attempt to fix things, I was not changing my mind—I was done. I asked him to make sure that he was not at the house when I got home, I also mentioned that I had some great pics of him and his girlfriend getting all hot and heavy with each other—to prove that he was cheating on me during our marriage. So I told him to leave quietly and not to cause anymore grief. I told him if he did still care about me, then he would do as I have asked and be gone. He phoned me about an hour ago to let me know that he was packing and would be out of the house. So ladies that is why I have been a bit distracted as of late, but I am all right now” replied Val as she rose her glass in cheers of being single once again!

  The other women joined her, but they felt shocked at how calm Val seemed regarding her upcoming divorce. But Val explained in more detail, she had endured Brian being a cheating sod for years, she kept keeping up the hope that her husband was going to change his cheating ways. But as the old saying goes “A zebra can't change its stripes” she knew her husband had no interest in stopping his cheating ways. She finally came to a point where she realized that she had raised her sons, and now it was time for her to start living life in a way that would make her happy. That would not involve chasing her husband down to catch him cheating on her once again. She came to the realization sitting in her car outside Sheila's house that night that she deserved better—she was through with Brian. She said it was almost like a light went on inside her head that she was seeing clearly for the first time. She knew right then that her future was not going to include her cheating husband. She said it was like a great weight had been lifted from her once she admitted and came to terms with the fact that her marriage was over. She looked forward to her new fresh start in life.

  The next afternoon, the ladies sat on the deck after receiving a grand tour of Wapanachee cottage from Eve, whom was the real estate agent representing the property. The women had discussed an offer for the property the night before and were now ready to present to Eve. Eve said that she was going to meet with the owner later today and would be pleased to put the very fair offer before them. The women became optimistic and excited as they waited for their offer to be accepted. They enjoyed a lovely lunch of barbecued salmon, accompanied with a light garden salad, while they sat on the deck enjoying a lovely day. All they could discuss was the offer and how they were anticipating the possibility of owning this wonderful property. Two hours later Molly's phone rang, and it was Eve with a report on their cottage offer. Molly turned on the speaker phone for Eve to present the news.

  “I’m sorry to tell you all that things didn’t go quite as planned…. they actually went better! I was able to negotiate f
or the seller to throw in all the lovely furnishings as a bonus. Ladies, your offer has been unconditionally accepted!”

  The women sprung up and hooted and howled while hugging one another, jumping about the deck like a group of little schoolgirls.

  They were enjoying some herbal teas with lunch but upon hearing the good news, it was time to put away the tea. It was now time to break out some fine champagne to celebrate their good friendships and their exciting new lives. Once all the champagne flutes were filled with the delicious bubbly, Helen interrupted to propose a toast.

  “Ladies, I have never felt better now that I am blessed with Toni in my life. I also want to declare it here and now, that I am truly in love with Toni. I want you to all know that she is very, very dear to me. But best of all, I feel we are all headed for a happier future that will be filled with many joyous years together—and many of those special times will now be spent at our beloved new get-away, Wapanachee cottage.”

  The End

  Return to Table of Contents

  Holding Hope

  By: Michelle Hart

  Prologue:

  Hope has a dirty little fantasy, a very secret fetish that she has only dreamed about. But what would it feel like to be naughty for just once, to do it for real? And how could she possibly make it happen?

  Chapter One

  Hope stood up from her yoga mat, stretching along the length of her spine and moving very slowly, in case her hip locked up from standing in a cross-legged posture. It felt good to move, letting the heat of her practice spread through her body and joints. If her and Michael had one thing in common, it had always been Yoga. It had taken her a while to get back to the mat after their separation. Now loneliness was waiting for her whenever she rolled out that layer of latex and stepped into mountain pose. Today, it was eight months since he left. Today, she turned thirty years old. Today, it had felt right. When she'd put her feet on the mat, the pain was still there, but it didn't cut in the same way as it had. She missed him still, but it was a minor ache now, something she'd grown accustomed to.

  She struggled through her routine. Her stamina was weak, and her flexibility was mushy. She'd known going in that her body had gotten soft in the past 8 months, but she'd been surprised by how very much. It was now time to get back to her sexy body tone.

  Her phone had pinged halfway through her Sun Salutations, and she'd gotten a chuckle out of the fact that she'd never thought to turn it off. Her Mom Cynda, had absolutely insisted on phoning her twice daily after Michael’s departure. In some ways, his sudden departure had really shaken her Mom. Cynda had grown to be quite fond of Michael, especially considering she was originally against their marriage, mostly due to him being white and her being black.

  Hope, who had lived with Michael every day, had seen subtle signs that things weren't quite right in their relationship. He'd grown colder, and subtle clues such as kissing her cheek instead of her lips made her ask if things were okay. He would always say everything is just fine, but he hadn't fooled her. Then suddenly one day, the cold bastard said he was moving to another state to live with his new girlfriend.

  She was furious at him for leaving, but deep down inside she could see it coming. Among other things, she missed their swinging lifestyle, but truth be known, the thing she missed the most was his willingness to administer to her needs. But there was always one need she desired, one he could not deliver. She remembers the first time she asked to experience what it was like to be spanked – not just slapped on the ass for doing something wrong. She wanted an naughty erotic spanking, to feel that pain in her flesh and that sting move through her body. She had asked Michael for it and at first, he had agreed. She dialed it up by intentionally trying to displease him and then hoping to be properly corrected. It turned her on, she had to admit. She remembers the anticipation of what was to come, and wondering how he would administer her corporal punishment. It had made her shiver slightly in both fear and anticipation, and feeling deliciously vulnerable. When the time came for her punishment, she dropped her mini skirt, revealing only black high heels and her plump buttocks.

  “You are the master of this household, and I have displeased you.” She then handed him a twelve-inch wooden ruler. He paused for a moment, then stood there dumbfounded. He tried to bring himself to do it, but he could not.

  She loved and respected his reasons in not being able to deliver a sound spanking. He simply could not bear the thought of causing her physical pain, even if he knew she wanted to receive it. It was a hard answer for her to accept at first. Why could he not understand how badly she needed it? Why did his sensibilities matter more than her needs? In the end, she thought, it was a thoughtful thing he had done, but it did nothing to ease her itch. Their marriage from that day forward was never the same.

  Of course, her life changed once he was gone. At first, everyone had included her in everything, but she and Michael had two kinds of friendships. There were couples that were friends and other couples that they had sex with. It was too painful to be with the friend-couples, watching them go through the same pattern of living together and caring for each other. The couples that they had slept with didn't want only her; Michael had been as much a part of the attraction as she was. She'd bowed out of some gatherings, and she just wasn't invited to others. Slowly, she'd grown used to time alone. She'd rediscovered writing and was experimenting with poetry. She'd, god help her, taken up gardening. She'd considered adopting a cat.

  But now today, to her surprise, there was a message from someone entirely different. Looking down at her iPhone, it took her a moment to connect the name and face to the person. It was Liza Bellerose and she had been part of a scandal in both of Hope's circle of friends.

  Bill Jepsen, who most people had considered a confirmed bachelor had married a model known for posing for artists' nudes. Not only was Liza older by half his age, but was also a woman of mixed race.

  What Hope knew of Liza was that for all the artists she'd posed for, none of them claimed to have slept with her. Several months ago, when Hope ran into her at a friend’s gathering, she'd embraced Hope with a strength that most people had eschewed. Everyone else had treated Hope like she was made of glass and about to shatter. Liza had squeezed her tight and then leaned back, tears glinting in her bright green eyes.

  “You'll get through this," Liza said, “it’ll be impossibly hard for a while, but you'll get through. You have friends.” Another squeeze, and the woman had stepped away.

  If Hope dug deeper into that memory, she knew that Bill had been standing near her, and had watched Liza walk away. At the time, she hadn't thought much of how Bill had gone after the woman. She'd been busily wrapped in her own cotton wool of unhappiness.

  When she'd heard about their quick marriage, she'd crossed her fingers like a girl, pleased that at least someone is happy. But for herself, she was feeling more and more like she was past her prime.

  She pushed away the feeling of dust and grime on her life and opened the message from Liza Bellerose.

  Hello! I hope I'm not intruding. I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday, and also to invite you to dinner this evening. Bill and I have a – well, I suppose you could call it a proposition. What do you think?

  She smiled to herself, thinking of what a proposition had meant not so long ago. She and Michael never had much use for monogamy before or after they were married. If there was something more erotic than kissing her husband's mouth after he'd just finished eating out another woman or taking a mouthful of cock herself, she didn’t know what it was.

  Just thinking about it caused hot rushes to run between her thighs, and left her wanting to slip into the bedroom to tease herself until she cried out. She and Michael had played such wonderful games. He'd fill her up with toys, then demand she go to business meetings with a butterfly kissing her clit or an egg up inside, leaving her wet, desperate and unable to concentrate. She missed the tease almost as much as she missed the sex.

  She was quite su
re that Liza was not asking for that sort of proposition. Although some of the women that she and Michael had dated wanted to see Michael alone – this was how she'd gotten to know Bill – no one ever particularly wanted to spend time with just her. It didn't bother her, precisely, but as her separation pains had lifted and her sex drive had returned as strong as it had always been, she'd started to wonder how the hell a 30-year-old woman went about finding a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or someone who didn't identify as either one; she didn't particularly care. She was just finding herself more and more tired of coming alone.

  Michael had once been her best friend. Her companion. Her lover. She found herself rattling around their townhouse, over-cleaning and resisting the urge to call Cynda, yet again, and talk about nothing to just hear a human voice. She'd bought herself a little cake for her birthday, but eating it by herself was just too sad.

  But maybe it was time for Hope to accept that she needed to rebuild herself a new life, now that Michael was gone.

  I'd love to, she typed back to Liza. What time?

  Chapter Two

  She'd fretted over her clothes for longer than she wanted to admit; she hadn't realized exactly how deep into the yoga pants and sweatshirt hole she'd fallen until she had to go looking for something dressier to wear. She'd thought her yoga pants had begun to hang on her, in fact she'd lost weight, in a good way, a model way. She'd found a perky black silk dress in the back of the closet, and put on a matching red bra and panties. The creamy sheets of the silk dress slipped onto her shoulders, peppering her body with soft, sensual kisses. Like a lover, it seduced her senses and conveyed the skillful the art of dressing for pleasure.