2 comments/ 39303 views/ 6 favorites Dark Marbles By: thornapple Philip Johnson Chapter One "And I'm out." "Did you have to do that, Paula?" "I sure did," and the game was over. "Who the hell ever invented card games anyway?" The six of them were at it again. It was their chronic poverty that brought the three couples together in the beginning to play cards. Though now they could afford their pizzas, or some other take out, or even go out for a cheap dinner, they still gathered around the table most weekends to play cards or some other silly game like Yahtzee. Cam tossed his cards on the table and suggested, "Let's try Yahtzee. Maybe my luck will change, the first one to roll a full straight, orders dinner." "Why do I think that will be you?" "Thanks Ray, I needed that vote of confidence." It wasn't ten minutes later when Cam ordered their dinner. His wife Sharon patted his arm and said, "It could be worse, we could have been playing strip Yahtzee, and you lost your pants or something." Paula and Rachel laughed, and Cam stood smiling and said, "Tonight is not the night for me to play strip anything." The six of them had survived their financial hardships by helping each other. One might be skilled as a carpenter or mechanic, and another might be handy as an electrician or computer nut, so among the six of them they managed to keep going as jobs and money slowly became less scarce. The result was the close bond that they had formed along the way. They were still anything but flush with money, but in comparison they all felt a lot better about the future. With their dinner ordered and delivered they sat at the table and the women started talking over their food about the programs on reality TV. It was more than Tony could stand and moaned. "God, those shows are so phony." All three of the women said at the same time, "They are not." "They're phony and annoying to the extreme. Ones like, 'Sell This House,' or a better example, that wife swapping one. You can't tell me that a cameraman with a forty pound camera following so called adults around, will encourage the participants to behave as they always do. It's all staged." Paula finally added, "Okay, I'll grant you they work hard to find couples that are total opposites and put them together, but that's all." "So you admit it is staged then." "Not staged exactly, but to make the show more interesting is all." "About the only thing that might be authentic are the bratty kids they find. All those kids need is a dose of discipline applied everyday from those dysfunctional so called adults. And another thing, do you really think that for a whole season, couples live with somebody else's spouse for a whole week at a time, and there is never any sex between them?" Sharon reminded him, "They never say whether there is or isn't." "I'm sure they don't. All of those emotions flying around have to cause the urge to spawn once in a while at least." "So you think some of them end up sleeping together?" "Screwing together, sleeping together wouldn't be any big thing." "Okay, screwing. I can hardly imagine that." "I can hardly imagine every week, some duo spending a whole week with somebody else's wife for twenty six weeks or whatever, and not have something happen once in a while through the season." "But you have to remember they are strangers. You're thinking of them as friends like us." "No, I can even see it with strangers. I don't mean every couple, or every week, but it has to happen." "I think they end up hating each other." "Hate and love are in the same family of emotions and the lines can get blurred." "You must read some strange books." That ended that topic at least for the time being. Dinner was over and as the table was cleared. Tony was standing behind Paula and started to massage her neck and shoulders with his strong hands and she let her head drop forward and moaned in appreciation. Without moving, she said, "God, that feels good. Rachel, your husband is seducing me." "Tony be good." He leaned down and Paula turned her head toward him and they shared a light kiss as his hands continued to please her. He smiled at her and asked, "Was I good?" "Lover, you were very good." Tony smiled and straightened up and returned to his chair so the games could continue. At the end of the evening, as Paula and Ray headed home he said, "You really enjoyed the massage." "He's really good." "I thought you were going to climax before he quit." "That's stretching it a little, but he did a good job. Are you jealous?" "Hell no, but it's hard to imagine somebody like Tony having the right touch for that kind of stuff." "I don't know where he learned it, but he's good." At that same time Tony and Rachel were getting ready for bed, and she asked him, "What prompted the massage?" "I don't know, I was standing there and I just started." "You sure got Paula's attention." "She's a sweetheart." "You even got a nice kiss for your efforts." "Seems fair to me, I gave her one too." When they went to bed, Rachel lay on top of Tony and after kissing him said, "It's only fair that I get a massage too." "I couldn't agree more." Unlike Paula's massage, Rachel received a whole body massage, and it wasn't long before he was on top and sliding his cock into her. Afterward Rachel was on her back and said, "I'll bet I liked my massage a lot better than Paula liked hers." "I don't know, I made her moan once." "You made me moan a lot more than once, lover." He rolled onto his side to face her and slowly playing with her left breast as he said, "I like making you moan best." "I'm glad." Tony was the amateur carpenter of the group, and was putting new cupboard doors on Ray and Paula's kitchen cabinets. He had spent the last few weeks making them in his spare time, and on this Wednesday evening, was on his way over to install them. When he arrived, he carried a few of the doors in with him. Paula poured him coffee and the three of them took a minute to talk, and Tony showed them one of the doors. It wasn't much more than an hour later when he and Ray hung the last door and they stood there admiring the look. Paula stepped in front of Tony putting his hands on her neck again. "One more time, okay?" After just a minute of him massaging her he stopped, pulled a chair out and turned it around. "Sit on it backwards and lean forward toward the back with your arms hanging by your side." She did as she was told, and he gave her a serious upper body massage as she relaxed and moaned repeatedly. When his hands arrived at her hips he paused, and then worked his way back up before stopping. "The labor for the doors is free, but there will be a charge for the massage." "How much?" "I haven't worked up a fee schedule yet." "It's worth it whatever it is." "I'll keep that in mind when I write the bill." "Where did you learn to do that?" "A friend taught me, and I worked with him in a spa for a short time as a trainee, but since I wasn't licensed, I couldn't keep doing it as his student." "I'll bet you got to see a lot of naked women." "No, it was all very carefully done, you know with towels and so forth. I did get to work on some very good looking women though. Of course, I also had to do the really fat ones too. Now I'm going home and tell Rachel I made you moan as many times as I made her moan." Paula got up and kissing him on the cheek said, "I'll bet you made her moan for different reasons though." "Well yeah, I guess you could say that." Chapter Two Sharon was an artist and did wildlife paintings in watercolors, and her studio, as she called it, was what had at one time been the guest room. She was very good, but it had taken her a long time, and winning a number of competitions to get any name recognition. She was just now starting to cover her expenses and adding to their income, and her contribution to the group was to do something special for each couple. For Ray and Paula it was a rural scene with a fox in it, and for Tony and Rachel it was a clutch of quail in the weeds. She was still working on the one for their living room wall. The next time the group got together, the subject of reality television didn't come up until late in the evening. It was Sharon that brought the subject up again. "Tony, I'm sure you didn't watch it last week, but the one woman actually hit the guy." "That's still so much side show to me." "Let me get this straight, you couldn't be in the same bed as somebody else and not make love to them." "I didn't say that. I just said it might be pretty damn hard to do it for seven days, and I just can't imagine them going through the whole season without somebody having a fling." "But we don't even know if they sleep in the same bed." "Then that isn't even swapping of any kind I don't think. I mean if they're having trouble, why not just have a professional come in for a couple days, and bang their problem could be diagnosed and help could begin. It wouldn't make much of a show, but it would be a lot more believable and a lot more helpful to the people involved. Of course, I doubt they are interested in help anyway, they just want to be on television." "You are so negative." "Just about most reality programming, other than that I'm an optimist." Tony was in trouble, because Cam and Ray stepped in. Ray started it with, "I could sleep with either Rachel or Sharon for a week and not make love to them. Not because they aren't sexy, but because I have control." Cam added his part with, "Same with me. I could sleep with Paula or Rachel and stay on my side of the bed." In his own defense, Tony reminded them, "Like I said, I could do it, but it wouldn't be easy, and not every guy is going to try very hard to resist temptation. Hell, I massaged naked women for two years without making any passes at them." "You would have been fired and arrested if you had tried I'll bet." "Not necessarily, there were a few women that would have invited it." Paula smiled and admitted, "I can see where some women would want more after one of your massages." Sharon was surprised. "Paula, you amaze me." "Girl, it feels wonderful I'm telling you. Tony, massage Sharon for a minute so she can see what I mean." Tony looked at Sharon and said, "I'd be happy to, but it's up to Sharon." With a shrug of her shoulders Sharon said, "Sure I don't care, but don't expect me to rip my clothes off and attack you." "Well then, what's the point?" Then he smiled at her and said, "Just as long as you enjoy it. If you don't, I'll stop." Rachel upped the ante saying, "Honey, get your mat out so you can do it properly." He retrieved the thick pad from their bedroom and put it on the living room floor. "Okay Sharon, lie on your belly for me." When she'd done that, Tony knelt next to her and instructed her to put her face in the opening at her head and look down. He then pulled her arms down along her side and talked softly to her. "Okay, now just relax and let your mind wander wherever you want it to go, and tell me to stop at any time." "Okay," and she put her head down as instructed. Cam sat on the couch and relaxed as he watched Tony start the massage. As it went along, he would occasionally talk softly to her but she was quiet. As his hands worked on her he said, "Of course you have to imagine this with your clothes off, because a massage through clothing isn't nearly as beneficial. That's why spas have you take everything off and you cover yourself with towels. That way, we can use scented oils on your skin to increase the soothing effects." Sharon was being resistant to prove her point, but Tony's magic hands caused her to moan and sigh in spite of herself. When he reached her pelvis, he gently massaged across the upper part of her butt saying, "This area gets tired if you have been sitting a lot, like playing cards tonight. It's the sacroiliac region and the source of a lot of discomfort for a lot of people." He finished up by working his way back up and massaging her upper back and around to her sides stopping short of the sides of her breasts. Tony stood up and said, "Without a table and oil, and having you undressed, that's about all I can do," and helped Sharon up. Her face was a little flushed and she smiled admitting, "That really did feel wonderful, thank you, Tony." "You're welcome." Rachel then asked, "Now how did we get to this from our argument about reality television. Sharon shrugged her shoulders and admitted, "I don't remember." "There is one thing that hasn't been brought up. What if the woman doesn't want to be left alone?" "Rachel, you surprise me" Sharon said. "That wouldn't be me of course. I could sleep next to Tony and not be tempted beyond control even with a massage." Cam shocked the group when he said, "Hell Sharon, sleep with Tony and get this settled." Five pairs of eyes stared at Cam until he said, "Well nothing will happen, so what's the difference?" Rachel was still staring at him and asked, "But what if it did." "But it won't." "And another thing, where would I sleep, with them?" "No. I don't know I hadn't thought that far ahead." Sharon raised her hand and said, "Excuse me everybody, but doesn't it matter how I feel about this?" Paula was getting into this too and added, "Okay, what if Rachel slept with Cam or Ray, and I slept with the other one?" "You guys are talking about switching partners." "No, just to sleep, it's no big deal." "It sure as hell is. We better consider the possibility of somebody being weak and giving in to the urge to merge." That caused the six of them to pause for a minute. Then it was Sharon again. "Look all of us have openly announced that they are strong enough to behave, so where's the risk?" Rachel added, "This reminds me of a Seinfeld show where they bet on who could resist masturbating the longest, and in the end none of them resisted it long enough to win the bet. Plus it goes back to what Sharon said earlier. The women have to be as strong as they guys. It only takes one moment of weakness by one person. We're all young, and pretty healthy sexually, I'm sure." "This is starting to feel like a college dare situation." "Well I for one am seeing this as a challenge now." "Listen to brave Cam talk. Sharon, how do you feel about Cam sleeping with somebody else?" "I trust him. I don't even care if they share a goodnight kiss." Paula stood up and added, "Okay, here's another one. Who sleeps in pajamas?" Not one hand went up until Sharon said, "I sometimes sleep in a tee shirt, or a silky top and I'd be okay in panties." "So do we get undressed in the dark?" Tony flashed on the image of Sharon in panties and a silky top and wanted to volunteer to sleep with her. Rachel added, "I hate to wear anything to sleep in, but I could come up with something I guess, what about you guys?" Cam said, "I have a pair of silk boxers that I could wear." Ray didn't say anything until he finally offered, "Yeah, I could too I guess." All eyes were on Tony until he said, "Yeah, okay, I can come up with something too." Paula was getting into the experiment and asked, "Okay, how do we decide who sleeps with whom and where, also, for how long and when." "Damn, I think our constitution was written with less effort than this, and all to prove something that isn't even important." Sharon said, "I want to stay home, because I often get up very early to work in my studio. Again, everybody was quiet until Paula said, "Okay, the guys do the changing then. Now for how long, one night, or three, or seven, or what?" Back to Cam again. "Hell, if we're going to do it because of that damn show, then let's do it for seven." Tony stood up and said, "This could take a while, and I can't believe we're going to do it. I need a drink, anybody else?" All hands went up, so it took him a while to come back with six mixed drinks. Chapter Three All of them drank in silence for a minute and then Tony started it again. "When is this grand experiment to begin?" Ray shrugged his shoulders and said, "This is Saturday night, so we might as well start with tomorrow night." "Just for the nights or do we stay switched full time for seven days?" "That damn show is supposedly full time." Six people looked at each other waiting for somebody else to make the decision. The reality of it all was starting to sink in then, so it was some time before Sharon nodded. "I agree it should be full time, or at least most of the time. I mean we don't want to move a ton of clothes around." "Then no talking to the other's spouse, even if they do go home for something, we save it all until next Sunday." "Now all we have to do is decide who goes where." "That's simple. Three slips in a dish. We draw and go home with the name on the slip." "God, this is stranger than a key party." "Nah, those are just for one night." "Yeah, but those are purely for sex and everybody knows it up front. No teasing involved." "I don't think we'll be teasing each other." "Are you kidding? It doesn't matter how good my new wife behaves, I'll be teased no matter what happens." With three slips in a bowl, and Tony standing closest, he drew the first name. "My wife for the next week will be...Sharon." She flushed a little as she looked at him. Cam was next and drew Paula, so that meant Ray would be sleeping with Rachel. The three women were about the same height, with Rachel weighing more than Sharon, but less than Paula, and of the three, Paula had the largest breasts, though even hers weren't overly large. They were all attractive, but couldn't be considered beautiful and they were full of life. Cam raised his glass and toasted, "To the next seven days" and they emptied their glasses. Once alone, each couple would talk about their coming experiment with some trepidation, but also with a lot of excitement. Rachel asked, "What if one of us slips, do we admit it or just leave it alone?" "I don't know. Keeping secrets might not be a good idea though." "Maybe not, honey just for the record, I don't plan to be bad." He kissed her and said, "It's when you're bad that you're at your best. But just for the record, I feel the same way." Ray and Paula had a similar conversation on their way home, as did Sharon and Cam. It was to be a long seven days of teasing for them it seemed. Sunday was a flurry of calls between the women, and they set it so each guy would leave for his new home right at seven o'clock. Taking Tony for an example, he had a small suitcase, and after kissing Rachel goodbye, he headed home to Sharon. She was watching for him, and even though they had known each other for a long time, they had an awkward period before they settled down in front of the television. Of course, neither of them were paying a lot of attention to the program as they tried to grasp what it was going to be like in the coming days. On the surface, their lives wouldn't be all that different with Tony going to work and coming home at the end of the day, changing his clothes and playing on his computer for an hour to relax. But he wouldn't have his computer. He was losing one way of coping with temptation right off. He tried not to look at Sharon a lot. He knew what she looked like and even knew what it felt like to hold her. But now, no matter how much he told himself nothing was changing, he was looking at her differently. That is, except he'd be in bed with a different woman for next seven nights. Other than that, it would be routine days. With all that in his mind, he did look at her when he could and kept seeing her with her clothes off. He kept seeing her as a love partner, and he kept wondering what it would be like with her. He hadn't been there two hours, and he could feel his urges stirring. She was the most reticent of the three women, so he didn't see anything happening between them. Sharon did her best to stare at the television, but when Tony went for a drink she watched his ass and crotch shamelessly. When he returned however, she was looking at his face and smiled innocently. She couldn't help but feel his hands on her as he massaged her just hours ago. When he massaged her low back and across the top of her butt, she was imagining what it would feel like to have him keep going lower, to feel his hands between her legs. She took a quick deep breath and refocused on the mindless show on the screen. Dark Marbles Paula, the most extroverted of the three flirted with Cam a little, but not too much. They still had to make it through until next Sunday, but she planned to have her fun with him the last day until they were to all meet at Tony and Rachel's at six. Cam was the picture of confidence on the outside, but inside he wasn't doing as well. His eyes kept sneaking looks at Paula's chest, and when she went to the other room, he watched her ass as it snaked its way out of his sight. He'd bragged that it would be no problem for him, and he was silly enough to believe his boasts until he was alone with her. He thought about Tony being with Sharon, but he wasn't worried about them. He figured Tony was more talk than action, and he knew Sharon was a lot more timid about things dealing with sex. Ray and Rachel were going through the same issues and attempts to be mannerly and in control. They too took every opportunity to look at the other, even though they had been friends for several years too. This was a whole new ball game, and confident as she was, Rachel knew she had a long week ahead of her. She was wishing she and Tony would have made love before the switch had been made, instead of a couple of nights before. When it was time for bed, Tony knew he had to face up to it if he was going to be worth anything at work Monday morning. Sharon watched as he went to brush his teeth so she knew the moment had come. She had looked, and really didn't have anything to wear to bed, so she found the most conservative pair of panties she had, and put on her one silky top that looked a little like a pajama top. The prominence of her nipples made them very obvious through it, but she figured the bedroom would be dark enough that it might not matter too much. Tony only had a pair of boxers to wear and he hated them, but it was either them, or a pair of tight briefs that would show Sharon most of his equipment even if he could keep it down. She got a glimpse of him as he went to the bedroom and pulled the bedclothes down. He was just sliding in when she appeared, nervous as a bride and he openly stared at her as she approached the bed. She hit the light switch and for a moment it was totally dark, but their eyes adjusted and he could see her again. He turned on his side and told her, "Sharon, you look fantastic." "Tony." "No, I'm not trying anything, but I just wanted to tell you." "I tried not to be so uncovered." "I'm glad you failed. May I have a good night kiss?" "Yes." He put his arm around her and felt her warmth through the light fabric of her top, and then leaned down and kissed her gently, but didn't hurry it at all. He could feel her breasts against his chest as they touched him, and he wanted to lower himself onto her. But he kept control and reluctantly moved back to his side of the bed. She lay there on her back staring into the darkness and tried not to move or even breathe too much. A few minutes later she whispered, "Are you still awake?" "Yes." "Thank you for the compliment." "You're welcome, and I meant it." A minute later she again whispered, "Thanks for the kiss, too." "Thank you. I'm sorry it had to end." She didn't respond to that as she continued to lay there afraid to move. "Sharon, one more thing, I sometimes talk in my sleep, or so I'm told. It usually doesn't make sense, but I just didn't want it to alarm you." "Thanks for telling me." Sharon was used to sleeping on her left side and it was driving her nuts to stay on her back, so she abandoned her attempts not to move and turned to face him being very careful not to touch him. Chapter Four They managed to drop off to sleep, and Tony ended up on his side facing her. He stirred during the night and touched her, which made him open his eyes. He looked at her and the blankets were down almost to her waist. His eyes were very dark adapted now, and he could see the outline of her breasts and how they moved when she breathed. He took a chance and pretending to be asleep eased his hand over so his arm rested on her side just above her waist. He didn't move it, but as little as that was, it felt good and he left it there as he drifted off to sleep again. When he woke in the morning, he was on his back and had about five minutes before the alarm would go off. As he lay there, he realized she had her hand resting on his abdomen and he slowly turned his head to look at her. She was asleep, so he just looked at her and wondered what she might be dreaming about or how her night had gone. Rather than let the alarm wake her, he eased out from under her hand and shut the alarm off before heading to the bathroom. He didn't know where she kept the coffee, so he couldn't get that started, so he jumped in the shower and got that out of the way. After toweling off, he slipped on his briefs and started to shave when the door opened and Sharon appeared. She was a couple of steps inside before she realized he was standing there and it startled her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Tony." He looked at her standing there in her panties and smiled as he said, "I'm not and good morning. Let me step out." "No I..." "That's okay, that's how life is with one bathroom." He went out and waited for her until she opened the door and they stood there not sure what to say or do. "Sharon we have almost a week being together, so we better just get used to this part of it." "I guess so." She did her best to look at his half shaved face, but she couldn't stop herself from looking between his legs for a second before diverting her eyes. "I'll...just go make coffee then." He watched her as she went down the hall and disappear around the corner enjoying every second of it. She had put on a robe and they had a quick breakfast together before he brushed his teeth, and then came back to the kitchen where she was sitting at the table. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, and then kissed her again before saying, "I'll see you about five, love." "Bye, have a good day." Once he was gone, Sharon leaned back and held her cup close to her lips without drinking as she sat there thinking about Tony and their crazy idea about swapping partners. It was scary for her and a lot harder than she thought it would be, but at the same time, she was enjoying the teasing and the danger of complications if they dropped their guard. Even though she had overslept, she got a lot done in her studio as she used that to keep her mind busy. It wasn't entirely successful, because she took a scrap and spent half an hour drawing Tony's pelvis in his briefs with his cock on display for her. Then she shook herself from her reverie, and went back to working on her latest project. Monday evening, the two of them went out to eat and that helped them to relax since they couldn't very well get in trouble in public. On the way home however she said, "Did you know you had your arm over me last night?" "Did I? I'm sorry." "No it was fine, you were asleep and it felt nice." "That's funny, because you had your hand on my belly when I woke this morning." "No, really?" "Yes, and just like you, I liked it." "At least we behaved ourselves." "We did do that." They rode on home in relative silence and settled in with a mixed drink and watched television. One thing about having limited finances, they didn't have that many options, so watching a movie together was about it. Tony missed his computer though. "Tony, is this how you and Rachel spend your evenings?" "Sometimes." "And other times?" He just looked at her and smiled without saying anything. "Oh...yes, of course, that was stupid of me." "Well that, and play on my computer." "You can use Cam's, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." "I could check my email if you're sure he wouldn't mind." "No, that would be fine." "I'll wait until tomorrow night and check it then." Monday night was a repeat of Sunday night and they ended up sleeping close together with their arms over each other. Sharon was wearing a smaller pair of panties but kept the same silky top and Tony wore the much hated boxers. The only difference from Sunday night was she kissed him goodnight, and it was enough of a kiss to give him an erection almost instantly. Had he been able to see her face better, he would have known it was flushed pink with desire. They woke together in the morning, and they lay there talking for a few minutes before getting up and taking turns in the bathroom. His full bladder was making him just hard enough to tent his boxers a little, and when she came out she noticed right away. He gave her a light kiss as he passed and went it to pee. They were past worrying about being seen in their underwear now and when he finally saw her in her bra and panties, his erection jumped to attention yet again. It was only his slacks that diminished that view for Sharon. When he was ready to leave for work, he pulled her close and said, "I am behaving, but it isn't easy." "I know, and it isn't for me either, but we just have to." Rather than comment, he kissed her and went to work. Their routine for the evening was a lot the same, except after dinner Tony went to check his email, and when he turned the computer on he saw Cam's desk top image. It was Sharon in the nude in a very sensual pose smiling at the camera. He was taking his time studying the image when he heard Sharon say, "Oh I just wanted to tell you the printer doesn't...and her eyes fell on the screen. She too froze, but for a different reason. Her face went beet red and then she mumbled, "He didn't tell me he...oh my God" and she went to the bedroom to try and collect her thoughts. Tony abandoned the computer and went to find her. She was sitting on the side of the bed and staring at the wall, so he sat down next to her and took her hand in his. She didn't say anything so he put his arm around her and looking at her, slowly brushed her hair back and kissed her cheek. "God, I'm sorry, Tony, I didn't know he'd done that." "It's obvious he loves looking at you, and I can see why. It isn't his fault at all. I shouldn't have gone in there." She turned a little and put the side of her face to his chest and just put her arms around him. "We're trying so hard to behave ourselves." "And we are." "But now you've seen me naked." "Okay, so that's our secret. Want to see me naked to make it even?" She looked at him and smiled. "Oh sure, that's just what we need. I've already seen you almost naked." "Pretty close, but you've seen me in a bathing suit so that's no big deal." "I saw you this morning with an erection." "Oh, is that right." "Well you had your skivvies on." "Then you didn't see the one I got from looking at you in your bra and panties." "You didn't." "Wanna bet? Sharon honey, you are a wonderful person, and so sexy that you take my breath away. I'm getting one just sitting here with you." "You're just horny." "And whose fault is that?" "No, I mean you would be even if I wasn't here." "How wrong you are, love." "Tony, you never thought about me like this before." "How do you know what I think about when I'm around you?" "But you have Rachel." "And I love her very much, but that doesn't mean I don't think about you and find you sensual, sexy, and very desirable." She was still holding him with her face against his chest so her eyes had direct access to his manhood. He had pants on, so it was hard to tell, but she was pretty sure he was erect even then just as he said he was. Tony put his hand under her chin and tipped her head back and they kissed, only this time it was a kiss of passion and desire that very nearly carried them over the brink of control. The kiss continued and it held them on that precipice for a long time before she caught herself and pulled away. But she stayed close to him as she once again looked between his legs. Her hand went down and she gently pushed until she could feel his cock push back against her. She quickly stopped and said, "I'm sorry Tony, I shouldn't have done that. I don't want to tease you." "Don't worry about me, I'll survive. It felt so good to have you touch me." "But we can't do anything about it." "It still feels good." "You feel so hard even through underwear and pants." "I am very hard ,and it's because of you." "We better go to the other room." She stood up and looked at him as he stood up next to her. It was easy to see his hardness now and her hand went to him once again and felt it for several seconds before she almost ran out of the bedroom and went to the livingroom. Chapter Five It took some time but they settled down at last. He was leaning back and had her hand in his again as he asked her, "Okay it's my turn, did you ever think about me in a sexual way before?" "Well...yes, of course. I mean I would wonder how you were built and how you liked to make love. Until tonight, I wondered how you kissed when you were excited. I would try to imagine...I better stop this, but you get the idea." They did their best to focus on the television but their attention was divided at best. When it was bedtime, Sharon went to change into her usual panties and top and Tony met her in the bedroom where he peeled to his underwear. He held her close and they kissed again as his hands slipped under her loose fitting top and felt her warm softness. "That feels so good Tony it reminds me of my massage." "Would you like another one?" "Now?" "If you'd like." "I'd love it." She lay on her belly on the bed and with her head turned away from him she couldn't see, so he slipped his underwear off and straddled her and started to gently massage her. "I'd do much better if I had some massage oil." He took his time with her and let his hands brush the sides of her unencumbered breasts, but was careful not to go too far. He wanted to make love to her so much. His erection was pressed against her butt cheeks, but her panties likely prevented her from being aware of that. He worked his way down, and then once again did her low back and across her pelvis letting his hands work under her panties until her butt was exposed to his eyes. He kept the massage going and worked her thighs and lower legs and then worked his way back up until he was once again near her sex. He could feel her hips move very slightly, and she moaned so he continued in that area and let his fingers slip between her cheeks and down very close to her pussy before he backed away and worked his way to her upper back again. He leaned down and whispered, "Turn over and I'll massage your front for you." She did as he asked without a second thought and submitted herself to his hands. She still wasn't aware of his nakedness as he kissed her and then went about his task. When he came to her chest he calmly eased his hands under her top and pulled it up until he was looking at her breasts. He continued with some semblance of a massage, but added his lips to her nipples as he suckled her and felt her breasts. Her breathing was coming fast and he let his left hand move down under her panties to her mound where he slipped a finger down until he felt her wetness. She was groaning and her hips were pressing back against his hand as he slipped a finger inside of her. He put his lips close to her ear and whispered, "Relax, and let it come, honey. I want to please you," and his finger increased its stimulation as his other hand pinched her nipples and he kissed her all at the same time. She was only seconds from her orgasm so he used his left hand faster and kissed her hard as she moaned into his mouth and her body seized up in a hard climax. He felt like he could cum with just a touch, but he focused on her for the moment as she slowly eased down and opened her eyes. Sharon smiled weakly and put her arms around his neck to pull him down to her lips. Her heart still hadn't slowed down completely, but she felt relaxed and dreamy as they looked at each other. She took a breath and said softly, "Thank you." "You're welcome. I loved watching you climax, you were so sexy." "What about you?" "I wanted this to be for you." Her top was still pushed up almost to her chin and her panties were shoved down nearly exposing her pussy, but she no longer cared. He was beside her and on his haunches and she rose up on her elbows. "I'll bet you're hard now..." and she saw he was nude and had a very hard erection standing up between his legs. She stared at him before she rolled to her left and reached for his cock. He stayed still as he felt her fingers close around his stiffness and slowly move up and down as she looked at it. "Lie down for me so I can see you better." He lay on his back and she got close to his cock and balls, but didn't release her hold on him. She kissed him as her hand moved up and down in a slow stroking motion and then she moved down so she could look at him better. His cock head was dripping with precum and glistened as she studied it and felt its steel hard softness. Sharon moved between his legs so she could watch his cock and his face at the same time as she started to pump him with a steady rhythm. He watched her as she tended to him and then her left hand cupped his balls and gently massaged them as her right hand continued. He could feel his balls tighten and then ease back only to tighten again. He watched her as she moved her head down and slowly took him in her mouth and sucked him as she kept up that steady pumping action on his cock. She felt him tighten again so she started a rapid pumping action and increased her manipulation of his balls and let a finger drift toward his anus. His pelvis tipped a little and she concentrated on his cock head until he pumped his first shot. She dipped down and took him in her mouth, catching the rest of his cum in her mouth and she thought she might gag because he just kept cumming. When he finally stopped, she slowed to a stop with her hand and then sat up so he could watch her slowly swallow his load before she kissed him hard. She got rid of her top and panties and lay next to him then as he continued to retreat from his orgasm. His heart was pounding and he looked at her nakedness before he pulled her to him and kissed her. Just feeling her against him was almost enough to urge him to get hard again. She lay close and said, "Well, at least that might help to keep us from doing more." "I thought it might but I doubt it now. Now I want you even more than before." Sharon pulled a blanket up to cover them and they got as close to each other as they could before they fell asleep. The whole modesty routine was gone now as they got up in the morning and took turns in the bathroom and then showered together. They had done everything but make love, but Sharon still thought they should stop short of that. She spent the day painting, and when he got home from work, they went out to eat again, taking their time over a couple of drinks before going home. The two of them knew they were walking a very fine line, and to not make love for the remaining three days and it was going to be one of the hardest things they had ever done, assuming of course that they would succeed. During those days of struggles and partial successes for Tony and Sharon, Ray and Rachel had experienced a lot of the same frustrations but had managed to behave them selves, at least through Wednesday. They too had given up on not seeing each other in their underwear and in fact had given up totally on the modesty issue and were nude as much as dressed. They had also given up on not touching each other. The best that could be said of them was by Tuesday, they too had decided on a compromise in the slight hope it would keep them out of trouble. Cam and Paula didn't even make it past Tuesday before they had abandoned night clothes entirely, and had come very close to making love on more than one occasion. It was going to be a very difficult time for them until Sunday. This was the Cam that bragged that it wouldn't be a problem for him, that he was strong enough to behave. If they did succeed, it would be more from Paula's efforts than his. Dark Marbles Chapter Six It had been decided that they would all meet at Tony and Rachel's at four o'clock on Sunday. Before they left Sunday, Tony took Sharon in his arms and they kissed passionately. They held each other close and she told him, "It's been wonderful being with you. I don't know if I would want to go through that again or not, but if I did I'd hope it would be with you." He kissed her lightly and added, "I've always had a special place in my heart for you, but after this last week you occupy a much larger place now. Cam is so very lucky to have you and I almost feel jealousy knowing you'll be with him before long." They kissed one last time and headed for the grand rendezvous. By five after the hour, the six of them had assembled and were back in their spouses arms. It was almost comical the way they studied first their mate, and then the others like there would be some kind of sign on their forehead of what had transpired over the last six days. It was unusually quiet and almost awkward until Tony said, "I've been thinking about today and I have an idea. Let's go to the table and I'll explain it." He disappeared and then soon came back with two bowls and a bag of his childhood marbles. He sorted through the marbles and put a dark one and a light one in front of each person and then put the bag down. "Okay, I'll start this by asking a couple of questions. If your answer is yes, put the light marble in the yellow bowl, and if it's no, put the dark one in the bowl. The brown bowl is for your other marble so nobody will know how you answered." All five of them looked at the marbles they had picked up and looked to Tony for the first question. "Was this more difficult to survive than you thought it would be?" Tony held the bowl high so nobody could see inside and he went around the table until he had heard six marbles drop in the yellow bowl with a plunking sound and six more in the brown bowl. Then turning the yellow bowl up he showed everybody six light colored marbles. "I guess it was a lot tougher for all of us then." Passing the marbles out again he added a third color and asked, "Is this something you would ever consider doing again with the same partner? If you aren't sure put the bright colored marble in and the other two in the brown bowl." Once again he went around the table and then showed the bowl contents. There were four yes votes and two not sure. "Next question, would you like to do it again?" Around he went listening to the plunk of the marbles and then emptied the yellow bowl. Five light ones and one bright colored one. "Here's the next one. Remember your marble color is secret so be honest. If you did this again with the same partner would you be afraid of losing control of your emotions?" Six marble votes again and again six light ones. Ray added, "Another question. If you were to do it again would you do it differently with your partner the next time?" This vote was four light ones and two colored ones. Rachel was next asking, "Did you enjoy your week with your new partner?" The bowl showed six light marbles. The next question came from Ray when he asked, "Do you feel guilt for what happened over the last week?" Tony tipped the yellow bowl into his hand and put down six light marbles. There was a period of silence as they considered the results of their votes and then Tony said, "Here's a tough one so take your time and think about it. If you were to do it again would you be able to enjoy the experience if the six of us were together at some point?" They sat there in silence and looked at the others around the table. Tony held the bowl and waited for quite a while before going around the table again. Tony held up the bowl as he went around again. Then he emptied the yellow bowl onto the table. Six marbles rolled around, six light colored ones. "No dark marbles." Tony added , "Here's the last question I have. Were you successful in controlling your emotions?" Eyes flitted around the table and it took some time before the marbles rolled out of the yellow bowl. There were three light ones and three dark ones that rolled out. Everybody looked at the marbles and then around the table. Paula laughed and said, "I'm curious how that is possible. Is everybody being honest? Or perhaps there is a gray area where you're not sure if what you did qualifies as loss of control. Tony let's try that again." The next time around produced four light ones and two dark ones. So there was one couple that had succumbed to temptation, but who was it? The silence seemed to go on forever as eyes danced around looking at the others, before quickly moving to glance at somebody else. Then Tony said, "Okay then, let's take this a little farther. Did you engage in anything beyond a goodnight kiss?" It was no surprise that all the marbles in the yellow bowl were light colored. Now each of them knew their spouse had, at the very, least touched their temporary mate in some intimate fashion. Sharon had to force herself not to even glance at Tony as she asked, "Did you...did you do about everything short of making love?" "How do you mean that," Ray asked. "Well...I mean...okay, how about this, did you touch your mate intimately?" Again there were no dark marbles. So now they knew that one couple had been intimate and all of them had engaged in some form of foreplay. Rachel had been pretty quiet through the whole process, but she made up for it by summarizing the whole experiment. She stood up and said, "Okay so we know one of the three couples have made love and we all know that Ray and I have at the least fooled around just as the other couples have. With all of us now aware that at the very least Tony and Sharon have seen each other naked and have...well who knows what very intimate things they have done. We know that Cam and Paula have had their hands...everywhere probably at the very least. With us all now aware of all of that and being aware that one couple has done the dirty deed, the question is again, do you want to do this again," and Rachel sat down. This time there were six light marbles. "My last question is would it be with the same partner?" The votes were cast and six light marbles spilled out of the yellow bowl. Even knowing that there was little if any doubt that all three couples would almost certainly make love, they were all ready to once again trade partners. Then Sharon said, "I think we each need to talk privately with our temporary spouses and then go home and spend the week talking to our real spouses because we're talking about something very serious and irreversible. Be damn sure you can look at your loved one and accept the fact that he or she has made love to somebody else: Hard fast passionate love again and again, night after night." Ray smiled and said, "Damn Sharon, you're getting me going just by listening to you." Cam chuckled softly but other than that the room was silent. The point she had made affected all of them at least to some degree. Then Rachel added, "Let's meet back here next Saturday evening for pizza or Chinese or whatever. Now let's pair off and talk about being together again and next Saturday we'll share our thoughts and decisions after talking to our spouses." Ray and Rachel went to the guest room, Cam and Paula stayed in the living room so Tony and Sharon went to the bathroom and closed the door behind them. Each couple had their arms wrapped around each other and shared kisses and talked in near whispers. Could they not make love for a second week? Or in the case of one couple, did they want to risk getting tangled up in a serious emotional dilemma by making love for another whole week? Chapter Seven Tony and Rachel stood in the doorway with their arms around each other and waved to the others as they left, and with one last wave they turned to look at each other, wondering if either of them were the ones to succumb to temptation with their temporary mate. They smiled timidly but neither offered a yes or a no. Instead, they made it as far as the middle of the living room before embracing each other again and pronouncing their love for each other and shared a kiss. "Tony do you know how you'll vote next weekend?" "No, and I don't think we should even know how the other one votes. We do need to talk about what has happened so far though. I mean we both know that you and Ray were close to being intimate assuming you weren't, and I was the same with Sharon. This whole thing is crazy. Who in their right minds would expect all six of us to sit around and live like nuns and monks while sleeping together, share bathrooms in the morning and see each other nearly naked at least, but more likely totally naked. Honey I'll tell you that Sharon and I saw each other naked by the third day." "It was the same for Ray and me. We both tried not to, we really did, but like you say, all of us were just asking for something to happen. Maybe even hoping something exciting would happen." "So we have to decide things like...you accepting the idea of me making love to Sharon, and the same with me about you and Ray. Can I accept the idea that you two would make love? We have to decide and be damn sure of ourselves by next Saturday." "Another thing to consider is if we all do make love to our other partner how will it be afterward? Will we want to repeat that experience? Dare we repeat that experience? Would that mean that you would like to make love to Paula? Would I be hot to be with Cam? This could get pretty complicated and very risky." "My first thought is if we do go through with it, we better not repeat it with the same partner, because I could see strong emotional bonds developing." "I'm trying to picture you making love to Sharon." "And?" "I think we should continue this discussion in the bedroom." While Tony and Rachel were talking, Cam and Sharon were making their way home and talking about what was happening within their little group. "Cam was it you and Paula that...that lost control?" "What makes you ask that? I was the one most sure of being able to handle the situation. Besides isn't it better leaving that whole thing alone? I mean isn't it easier for everybody if nobody knows who weakened? What if it was you and Tony?" "I suppose it is better and yet..." "So what do you want to have happen now? Do you want to be with Tony again?" "I'm not sure that would be a good idea." "Care to elaborate?" "I guess not. It could be a real problem for any of us. The more time we spend with our second mate, the more risk there is for...for bad things to happen." "So you and Tony got along very well." She smiled and agreed saying, "We did get along very well. You see Tony used your computer to check his e-mail." "That's okay I don't...oh. Your photo, he saw you naked. Well, I'm sure he saw you naked anyway" "When I saw what he was looking at I about died. But after that it just didn't matter much if I was dressed or naked around him, and as you know by the marbles I saw him naked too, about everyday in fact after the computer event." "Okay, all of what we did aside, and assuming you had my blessing, would you like to make love to Tony?" She studied him for several seconds but she was sure he knew the answer. "Yes I would, and you'd like to make love to Paula with the nice tits." He smiled and just nodded his head as he kept his eyes on the road ahead. "Okay, so does this mean we don't need to talk about all of this after all?" "We'll have to decide that as we go along I guess. We have until next Saturday. What do you think Ray and Paula are saying right now?" "I'd imagine about the same thing we're saying. Think about it and decide by next Saturday. I'll guess that Paula will say yes, but Ray...no, I think he'll say yes too." "Of course the way Paula acted after Tony's massage, she may want to have a chance at him next." "Maybe so, we both know that this has been building for a long time, touches here and there, so called innocent kisses and comments, a pat on the ass or a blatant look down blouses." "I think you're right. Do you suppose Tony knew he would start something when he groaned about the reality programs?" "Of course not, but as that progressed, it was like all of us could almost see where it would end up once we started talking about trading partners, both on that show and then for us." "It sure as hell was an adventure. More excitement than I've had in a very long time." "It was for me too. Were we getting bored with our lives?" "I never thought so, but now I have to wonder. Honey, I want you to know that I love you more than anybody in the world." "I love you too. Is it possible to have sex just for sex, and you and me make love because we love each other?" "Are you afraid I'll fall in love with Paula, or whoever just because we screwed?" "The thing is, we've all been together for so long, I don't see how it's possible for it to be that simple. We won't be able to just screw as you put it. There will be an emotional bonding make no mistake about that. In fact, that's where the danger lies. I can see you making love to either of them and that's okay I guess, but only if I can feel assured that you...or I, will end up getting in way over our heads." Chapter Eight Late Wednesday afternoon, as Tony cleared his desk before going home, Sharon called him. "Hi, Tony, sorry to call you at work, do you have a minute or is this a bad time?" "This is a good time, how are you doing?" "Fine...I think. I'm not even sure why I'm calling." She sounded hesitant like something was chewing on her but she was afraid to talk about it. "It's just that we..." "Take your time love." "It seems so strange that after we lived together and shared so much in that short week and now...Tony, I really enjoyed being with you, and you were so loving and, for the week at least, were so devoted to me. Tony, I don't know what to think about Saturday." "Do you mean about should or could we go through that again?" "Yes. I can't go through that again unless we can be intimate. I mean truly and completely intimate." "I can't either, Sharon. I've thought about us so many times since Sunday. At the very least, we already have some sweet memories, and I can never look at you again without remembering how it feels to lie naked next to you and touch you." "Oh God, Tony, that's what I mean, just hearing you talk like that makes my heart go crazy." "Are you planning to vote against another week of...well swapping." "I don't know. I want you so much, but I'm afraid." "I hate to say this, but if you're not sure come Saturday night you have to vote no." "I don't have anything more to say, but I hate to hang up. I like hearing your voice." "It helps to hear your voice, but at the same time it makes it harder for me to think straight." "We can only wait and see what it's like Saturday when we're all together again." "Have you decided?" "Sharon, you had such an impact on me, that if there is a chance we can be together again I'll say yes. I'll beg if I think it might help." "Sorry to bother you at work, Tony." "Call me anytime and if I'm not at my desk, I'll call you back as soon as I can." "What will you say if they all decide we should switch and be with somebody else?" "I'll vote no. We're already confused enough and for us to change partners would be too much to deal with." He could almost see her smile appear as she said, "I'll bet Paula would love to be with you." "What makes you say that?" "When you massaged her she about melted into a puddle, you and your damn magic hands." "I'd like to finish the massage that you and I started." "Oh God. I better go hon...Tony. See you Saturday." "Sharon?" "Yes?" "Don't hesitate to call me okay? I mean if...you know, you're feeling troubled or whatever." "I will, but I think I'll make it to Saturday now. Bye." Tony sat there staring at his desk and then out through his window to the parking lot but he wasn't seeing cars. He saw naked Sharon and felt her in his arms. How the hell was he going to vote. A yes vote could be so damn dangerous, but a no vote would be the ultimate test for him. Was he strong enough to reject the opportunity to make love to her? Saturday morning, Paula and Ray talked yet again about what their thoughts were about their coming event, but neither would say which way they wanted to see things go. Ray smiled and told Paula, "I'll bet I know what you'd like to see happen." "Oh, and what is that?" "You with Tony." "Okay, and why do you think that?" "Don't even tell me you don't remember that massage." "Oh that. That was just on my shoulders, neck and upper back." "Uh huh, and you almost drooled on yourself. You have imagined what it would be like to have him do that to all of you." "I've had full massages before." "Not by somebody you know very well, and not by somebody that could potentially be your lover." "So you really aren't bothered by any of this then." "Not really." "So I could ask Tony for a full massage at some other time, no matter what happens tonight." "Well that might be different then." "How? We all know what will happen tonight assuming nobody drops a dark marble in the bowl anyway. So how is it different if he and I made love tonight or some other night?" "I don't know, but it is. Now he could give you a total massage whenever of course." "Honey, if I get naked for him and he has his hands all over me and rubs me with warm oil, I can just about bet stopping won't be something I'd want to even consider, and probably not him either. Besides, I just might end up with Cam." They were quiet for a second and then she added, "You'll want to be with Rachel again I'll bet." "I certainly wouldn't mind, but either her or Sharon, I don't really care." Without a doubt, neither of them was going to have a problem with swapping. Since the whole thing about swapping had developed, Tony and Rachel's had become the default gathering place and this Saturday was no different. The air was heavy with anticipation and wonder, and the first little while was almost awkward for all of them. They tried to make small talk, but the only thing that was really on their minds was would they be trading partners for the next week. They didn't even sit down, but instead each of them mixed their own stout beverage and talked standing up. The tension suddenly went up and room went quiet when Tony reappeared with the two bowls and the marbles. "Well," Tony began, "It's time to find out our futures. Well at least for the next seven days anyway." He handed out a dark and a light marble to each and then holding the yellow bowl high continued with, "Okay, the question is, do we trade partners again or not?" He went around with the bowl and then paused and looked at each of the five. "The outcome of this vote could certainly change our lives, all of us and forever. With that said, let's find out what our future holds for us." The vote was taken and everybody's eyes focused on him as he knelt and emptied the contents onto the carpet. Tony looked up at them as they all unconsciously let out a breath. There was one dark marble. He stood up and said, "Well, I'm sure we all wonder who voted no. That brings our experiment, or whatever you want to call it, to an end." The tension and mystery was gone and their glasses were suddenly drained as they looked at each other. Who voted no and why did they vote that way? A sudden change of heart was the logical guess, but a guess was all it would be. With the suspense now eliminated, everybody relaxed and only talked about their near life changing event for a few more minutes, but there wasn't a lot more that they could say about it. The next time Tony disappeared into the kitchen, Paula joined him and mixed herself a drink before turning to him. She put her hands on his hips and with what could only be called a sultry smile she said, "I was hoping you and I might get to spend a week together and I was going to demand one of your full massages: Oil, towels, the whole thing."