Athena's Story Ch 16

The hotel room is nice, and cold champagne is waiting. Sal understands what high-effort means, and the sexy underwear game has almost been a running gag in their relationship. Full sets with stockings, garters, lace, underwire, and all manner of other ungodly things make for good photo shoots, but not much else. Sal has chosen black, which is interesting, and Athena is in black as well.

It is deeply weird when they get to the room and strip. The date has gone well; it’s not as though anything bad has happened, but there’s no chemistry. Or, at least, not the steamy Hollywood kind. And that’s weird, because Athena is buzzing with positive vibes. Law school has given her an injection of purpose that really does crowd out some of the negativity that comes from learning what Sal did.

The dresses and garters are hurriedly discarded, shoes are vengefully kicked off, and uncomfortable bras hit the floor.

They find themselves on the huge bed with glasses in hand and the champagne bottle with them.

The room is beautiful, and so is the skyline. Materially, everything is at least close to perfect. Sal is not the athlete that she once was, but still looks good in black panties and stockings. Athena’s lost five pounds in a month, and if not for the blemishes on her face and neck, she would be feeling confident in her looks.

She feels good in any case, and Sal at least feels OK. But they aren’t having passionate sex, and both have enough sense not to try to awkwardly initiate a kiss and force it.

“Are we in trouble?” Athena asks finally, smiling as she says it.

“I think everything’s OK. You look nice.”

Athena twitches, but chooses not to nitpick about her face. “So do you. I feel like there’s an obligation here, like we feel like we have to have sex to reconnect or something.”

“You look like a woman that I’d want to have sex with.”

Athena laughs. “I better.”

“But I know. Like when your mom tells you to do something you were going to do. Now you don’t want to do it anymore.”

“Are you comparing me to my mom?”

“No. It’s like a…”

“I know, I know. My therapist could probably explain it to us.”

“Do we need to go to therapy?”

“No. You’d want to sleep with my therapist.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I want to,” Athena admits. “Sometimes.”

“I will try not to take that personally. Come here.”

“Oh, we’re gonna just muscle through?”

“Please. I am your wife. I know what I’m doing,” Sal says, a trace of her college cockiness there.

“OK—oh, jeez,” Athena says as Sal scooches in and starts positioning them. She laughs and narrowly avoids an undignified snort as Sal arranges their legs as though they intend to scissor. “Babe, I’m not sure I’m up for that right now.”

“I’m not trying to do that. I’m trying to have a conversation.”

“Oh.” Athena sobers. They’re seated upright, entwined, nose to nose. “You think if we make out long enough and grind, it’ll take off?”

“It so would. But I have a better idea.”

“I’m intrigued.” Athena takes a sip of champagne.

“You’re playing pickleball with all these horny MILFs, right?”

A spit take is narrowly avoided. Bringing champagne into bed carries a certain amount of risk. “Uh, horny?”

“You said they took you to a sex parlor and squirted all over the place.”

Athena takes a deep breath for patience, then looks into Sal’s eyes. Sal’s face is straight. Athena does not laugh; instead, she summons a little sternness. “That is not what I told you happened.”

“The sex parlor happened.”

“It was a sensual massage, and I never said anything about squirting. I’m sure everyone got off. That was the whole point. And they aren’t all MILFs. Kayla’s like our age, Blair’s younger than us, and the others—I guess they do have kids. Jess doesn’t.”

“Who’s the most attractive?”

“Oh, I see where you’re going with this.”

“I remember Jess Tiffin. She was gorgeous back in the day.”

“She still is. But she’s such a cheerleader. She’s married.”

“Yeah, to that ratty biker chick. She’s got a donger, right?”

“Stef? I think so.”

“Are you fantasizing about Stef boning her? Groping her tits and giving her a big creampie? Cumming in her mouth?”

Athena laughs. “Sounds like that’s what you’re thinking about.”

“So whose pickle do you want to ball?”

“None of them have pickles, and if I was into that, I wouldn’t be married to you.”

“Excuse me, ma’am, but you are never louder than when we’re doing the whole strap thing.”

In perhaps her greatest display of queenly dignity, Athena does not guffaw. “You know this could backfire on you.”

“I know. It’s dangerous. That’s what makes it hot.”

Athena rolls her eyes and opens her mouth; Sal kisses her with tongue. That gets heated. Only the fabric of their panties separates them down there. Sal gives a little push, and Athena shudders, holding her even closer.

“Come on,” Sal says, nuzzling. It’s working.

“Your nips are hard.”

“Are you not answering the question?”

“What question?”

“Which MILF!”

“Oh my god.” Athena takes Sal’s face in her hands. “Not Jess. I don’t really know Nadia. Mary or Tracy. Tracy, I’m sure.”

“You’re doing this on purpose.”

“No, I’m doing this on purpose.” Athena leans into Sal; their nether reasons press tightly. Sal’s breath shudders, but the look in her eyes is a little unfriendly.

“We can’t cum from this.”

“Why are you trying to get your rocks off? It’s intimacy.”

“Inti-what?” Sal asks, cupping Athena’s breast. She plays gently with the nipple. “You’re being weird.”

Athena stiffens. She strokes her wife’s hair for a moment. “Maybe.”

“Busted.”

“But I can do what I want. I have a blank check in perpetuity. You can’t say anything.”

“Oh my god. You really do have a pickleball crush. And you don’t want to tell me.”

Athena glares. “People are allowed to fantasize.”

“Tell me.”

“No.”

“If you don’t tell me, you have to go down on me.”

Athena balks. “Says who?”

“Oh, so that’s a hardship? A second ago, you said you wanted intimacy.”

Athena snorts and leans her forehead against Sal, giving up. She knows who she married, and she loves her, so much that it’s a little scary. And Sal has unquestionably succeeded: Athena is not in her most passionate frenzy, but the engine is going. Her panties are damp, and her body is awake. She’s more turned on by the second.

Should Athena tell the truth?

Or just get physical?

[ Open ]