Pairs touch each other sensually, then sexually.

"And thanks everyone," Miriam concluded. "That was so beautiful seeing you. And hearing the love as you, mothers and daughters, introduced each other's vulvas." Miriam was the only "solo" introduction of the circle of thirteen.

"Thank you, Miriam," Betty said. "I hope the evening will be beautiful for you." She looked round the circle. "And for everyone."

"Yes, thank you, Miriam," Joyce said. "And thank you, Nicola, for coming with Lillian and helping her feel at home. I know this is the first circle for both of you." She cleared her throat. "Let's move on to the next exercise." Joyce nodded to Betty.

Betty nodded. "Mixer?"

Joyce nodded. She looked to her daughter. "Bernie, will you get the cards ready?" she asked.

"Okay Mom," Bernie said. She started working on the "dance cards" for the next exercise.

Joyce stood and spoke up to the circle of nude women gathered in her living room. "You'll be working in pairs again for this exercise," she said. "This will be a little more like a mixer dance, though."

Dorinda laughed and whispered something to Dorothy, who giggled. They had just come from a ladies' Western dance mixer.

"You'll be going around the circle, practicing asking for and receiving touch from the other participants," Joyce said. "The first time round, I would like you to ask your touch partner for something sensual, so that you can feel each other's rhythm of touch. The second time, you may ask for sensual or sexual touch if you feel comfortable." Joyce looked across the circle. "Sonia, will you help me demonstrate?"

Sonia laughed. "Oh, sure, choose the token straight girl," she said. Sonia caught a look from Betty. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Being naked always makes me giddy."

Nicola raised an eyebrow, but stifled a remark she was going to whisper to her god-daughter Lillian.

Sonia rose and walked up to Joyce, facing her. "Would you touch my tummy, Joyce?" she asked.

Joyce extended both hands, framing Sonia's slightly rounded belly and touching down with her palms. Joyce held them for a second, sharing warmth, then swept them round in a gentle massage stroke before pausing, squeezing Sonia's tummy gently, then releasing her.

Sonia smiled. "You have a nice touch," she said. "Always warm."

Joyce smiled. "Would you touch me over my heart, Sonia?" she asked.

Sonia rubbed her palms together for warmth. She put one hand on Joyce's golden skin between her heavy breasts. After a moment, she felt Joyce's heart beating. She circled her hand round in a gentle caress, touched her other hand's fingertips to Joyce's upper chest, and took her hands back.

"Thank you, Sonia," Joyce said with a smile. Joyce looked to the circle and said, "Something like that for the first round. Just brief for this exercise, a minute or so."

"Awww," Dorothy said. There were laughs from round the circle.

"There ARE thirteen of us," Joyce said. "And I'm sure you don't want to run too late and have to miss the later exercises."

"Vibrators!" Amanda said.

Betty smiled at the mention of her favorite subject.

"Motherfucking!" Dorothy said.

There was a pause for the space of a breath.

Willow laughed. "Right on," she said cheerfully.

The circle broke up in laughter.

"You little stinker," Dorinda told Dorothy. But she hugged her daughter. Amanda and Willow hugged side to side, favoring their pregnant bellies.

Joyce surveyed the circle. The women's faces were pinker, excited or a little embarrassed, perhaps. Betty and Sherah were holding hands now. Tamara was whispering something to her aunt Miriam.

"So let's proceed," Joyce said. "The second time you may ask for more sexual touch if you feel comfortable. And remember you can always say no, or not tonight. Sonia?"

Sonia said, "I dunno, would you like to touch me somewhere, Joyce?"

"May I bring you pleasure by touching your asshole, Sonia?" Joyce asked.

Bernie and Amanda had each been drifting a bit. They opened their eyes wider at Joyce's suggestion. Tamara and Lil giggled.

"Not tonight, Joyce," Sonia said. "But I'd do it for you. Would you like to squeeze my buns?" she asked.

"With pleasure," Joyce said. Joyce treated Sonia to a quick buttock massage as they stood, squeezing and stroking Sonia's buns with her warm, sure hands and spreading the strokes to Sonia's lower back, hips and thighs.

There was some giggling from the circle as the others watched. Sonia hammed it up, wiggling her butt a little. Then it was Joyce's turn to ask for touch.

"Would you kiss me on the lips, Sonia?" Joyce asked.

Sonia balked. "Uh..." She swallowed and remembered the routine. Joyce was aiming for a no. "No thank you, Joyce," Sonia said. "Would something else feel good?"

"Yes, would you touch my anus, Sonia?" Joyce asked.

"Gladly," Sonia said. She accepted a glove from Bernie and a dab of gel on a fingertip.

Joyce faced away from the circle and bent forward, bracing her hands on her knees.

Sonia parted Joyce's buttocks and circled her fingertip round Joyce's pleated anal ring. When Sonia felt the ring pulse under her finger, she asked, "In?"

"Yes, please," Joyce asked.

Sonia stuck her finger up Joyce's butt. There was a sigh from the circle. Suddenly self-conscious, Sonia held still, letting her breathing even out. She counted to twenty with her finger inside the heat of Joyce's body, then slowly withdrew.

Joyce turned and rose. "Thank you, Sonia," she said. "That felt very nice."

"Um, practice. Nursing school. You're welcome, Joyce," Sonia said.

Bernie helped Sonia dispose of her glove.

Betty introduced the format. "We'll start with everyone round in the circle," she said. "You'll be working in the pairs that you came in."

Miriam looked up. She was the third woman in her group along with her niece and sister in law. "I'm...?"

"Right," Betty said. "Would you like to go round with your group of three, or would you prefer to pair up with Sherah?" she asked.

"I'll sit out," Sonia offered, looking to Miriam. "I've done this before. You go around with Tamara."

Tamara nodded and Miriam agreed.

Sherah looked away to conceal a smirk. It would break the mood to tease Sonia. Still, Sherah couldn't resist mouthing silently toward the corner, 'Lezzed out.'

Betty continued, "You'll be going round the other women of the circle in the pairs you came in. Each pair will exchange sensual touch with all the other pairs once, then we'll pause, then we'll have a second circuit."

There were some expressions of confusion. "How?" "Who?"

"It's easiest just to follow a list," Betty said. "Bernie?"

Bernie handed out six cards, one to each pair. "Your dance cards."

Nicola scanned hers and Lil's. "Hem. 'Pass'?" she asked.

Bernie said, "With six pairs everybody has five turns, but you have to skip a turn when everyone you haven't been with is with someone else."

"Oh," Nicola said. "That's a'right then." Nicola looked again. "Do we match mum to mum, daughter to daughter?"

"Match up as you wish," Betty said.

Lil asked to see the card. "Who are we with first?"