Amber & Aaron: The Next Day

The lovemaking continued the next day. When they woke up. In the shower. Halfway through breakfast when he found her making pancakes in nothing but an apron and he lost control of herself.

The pancakes burned, and they ordered pizza so they could get right back to it.

Later, when they finally stopped long enough to actually eat it, Amber lay on the couch on her stomach taking care to give him a generous view of her long legs and backside. Aaron sat on the opposite chair, having fixed a towel around his waist; a cute and characteristic gesture that always made her giggle. In spite of all his energy, he was weirdly bashful about his own body. She could feel his eyes on her and adjusted accordingly, showing off her generous bottom as she stretched out for another slice.

Her phone vibrated, and she reached for it reflexively. It was Caroline.

Caroline: I need you down at the office. I talked a group into collecting yard signs so someone needs to…”

She couldn’t finish reading before Aaron stood to pluck it from her fingers.

“No way, little lady.” He said. “If these people make you put on pants today, I’m going to be a very angry man.”

She smiled up at him. It was emblematic of their contrast. Where she was a serious, driven career woman, Aaron was a stock image photographer that made his own hours and chose his own clients. They provided one another balance, him keeping her mellow enough to relax once and awhile, she keeping him serious enough to stay motivated.

“Hon, if those people make me put on clothes today, I’m going to be a very angry woman.”

She shrugged.

“It’s yard signs. They can float away on the wind for all I give a damn. Now, may I have my phone please?”

“Absolutely not.” He said, pulling it behind his back. “In fact, I think you should stay away from it for the day. All week, if I can help it.”

Amber pushed her hair back and resolved to bring up a matter that had been on her mind for a while now.

“What if...I don’t want it for work?” She asked.

“Then you’re just going to binge Twitter and…” He paused, picking up her meaning. “Oh…That.”

Suddenly he seemed almost uncomfortable. She wasn’t surprised.

She turned over, pulling a blanket from the couch to cover herself.

“Aaron, I wanna talk about it!” She said. “I know it freaked you out, but can we really just ignore it?”

Amber wanted to do a lot more than talk about it, in truth. The mystery app that had appeared on both their phones back just after the primary, in the days before she’d been assigned to Caroline’s race, seemed to scare her husband. But it had lit something exciting in her. Something that, in the wake of her post election meltdown, she was dying to explore more of.

“It didn’t freak me out,” Aaron said. “Well, okay, it did. But not for the reasons you’re thinking.”

Well now, that was certainly curious. She cocked her head, waiting as he seemed to turn the words over in his head.

“I don’t want you to think I haven’t been thinking about it,” He said eventually. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

“God, me too.” She admitted.

He smiled.

“That you didn’t need to tell me. I’ve been thinking about it. You’ve been obsessing about it.”

She sat up straighter, suddenly on edge.

“I...what do you mean obsessing? What makes you think that?”

“Because I know you babe. Every time I’ve mentioned it you’ve gotten all flustered on me, which tells me it struck a nerve.”

“Also,” He admitted with a wry grin, “I get a read receipt every time you read my messages to you.”

“What?!” She said. “You’re kidding.”

He laughed.

“You check it two or three times a day. I’m guessing when you’re stressed out, right.”

Amber blushed, bringing her finger to her temples.

“Oh my god…”

He laughed again, but slid onto the couch between her back and the end.

“Don’t be embarrassed, babe. I get it. Or...well, I think I do anyway.”

She looked him in the eye.

“Really?”

“Well, I have a theory.” He said, “You drive yourself like crazy. You’re so level headed under fire. It’s kind of amazing to watch. But sometimes I get the feeling that you put so much on yourself that you barely get to be yourself.”

“Only when I’m with you.” She admitted quietly. “Well...you and sis and my friends I guess, but...mostly just you.”

He took her hand in his.

“My point here is that you are very in command. And after some of the stuff we tried? My guess is you enjoyed letting someone else take the wheel for a bit. Am I wrong?”

She shook her head with a sigh.

“No. You’re not. You pretty much nailed it, actually. Although there is something else, too.”

He cocked his head. Jesus, she hadn’t expected this conversation to get so personal. She took a deep breath.

“I love you. And I’m very, very lucky to have you,” She said. “And given how much you have to put up with me being gone, well...I kinda feel like I don’t deserve you.”

“Baby, no…” He protested.

“No, let me finish,” Amber interrupted. All of a sudden, she was fighting back tears again. “I know I’m not around enough and that I put work before you. You don’t get anywhere near the attention from me you deserve. So it was nice, y’know...I enjoyed becoming something for you.”

“Baby,” Aaron said with a warm laugh, “You really don’t have to do that. I…”

“And it was really fucking hot, okay?” She said. “Like, really, really hot. One-of-the-most-erotic experiences-I’ve-ever-had hot.”

She was blushing furiously now.

“Ohmygod, can we just forget about this.”

He hugged her.

“No way. This is something you clearly want to explore. And I’ll be real with you, I do too. Badly, actually.”

“Really?” She asked, meeting his eyes again.

She found sincerity in them.

“Absolutely. And I’ll admit, it was kinda fun taking you out of command for a bit. Twisting you around however I wanted. I’d be lying big time if I said I hadn’t gotten a kick out of it.” He leaned into her ear, his voice dropping to that husky register he liked to use right before he’d bend her over a table. “And I definitely wanna try it again sometime.”

Her heart raced.

“Jesus fuck that’s hot.” She whispered.

“But I am a little hesitant,” He admitted, sitting back up and growing more serious. “For a couple reasons.”

“Such as?” She asked.

“Well for starters, as much fun as that was, I married you because I love you, not some fantasy version of you that I make on a cell phone. And I feel like I just got you back after a long vacation. I’m not sure I’m ready to give you up yet.”

“Awww…honey...” She said, kissing him.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back a bit.

“The other thing is that I’m kinda worried about you. I can tell you want to get away for a bit, and I totally get it. But I don’t want a little vacation to turn into a runaway from reality. It’d be an easy trap to fall into with all that you have to think about.”

“I...hadn’t thought about that.” She admitted.

He smiled.

“You wouldn’t. The thought of being irresponsible probably never crossed your mind.” He kissed her hand. “Just promise me you’ll be careful with it if we pick this up again.”

Behind her, on the floor, her forgotten phone began to ring again.

“Should you take that?” He asked.

She drew herself into his lap, straddling his hips as she kissed him.

“Not on your life.” She said.

She guided his hands to her hips.

“Let’s table this discussion for now,” She said. “Right now, I got an eye on making up for lost time.”

*******

After a few days, Aaron had to go back to work. Amber didn’t (she’d be effectively on paid time off until her next assignment), and lapsed into the pattern of TV binges, heavy workout sessions and the general bored internet browsing that she always did during these interwar doldrums. She even forgot about the app almost entirely now that her life was in less urgent need of escapism.

She also slept, as much as she could for as long as she could. That she was at least a month behind on, and she seldom awoke before 11. Thus she barely noticed when, on a typical Friday, Aaron mumbled about taking pictures of dragon fruit before leaving her to her beauty sleep. An hour later, she was awoken by a phone call from him.

“Mornin, lazybones. How goes the freeloading?”

“Peaceful until you called, you ass.” She groaned. “What’s up?”

“Check your messages. I was getting impatient.”

“Messages?” She asked sleepily, sitting up. “I didn’t get any texts.”

“Who said anything about texts?” He asked, a playful note in his voice.

Her heart leapt.

“Oh! You could have given me some warning!”

“See you tonight babe,” He said. “I’ll be very interested to see what you choose.”

And on that cryptic note, he hung up.

Amber immediately went to the Couple Connection app where, indeed, she had a new message waiting for her. She opened it, so excited she almost dropped and had to juggle the phone.

"You have 5 outfits waiting on the dining room table. Each has a note with two words describing its nature, and the change that I’ll make to you if you’re wearing it when I get home. If you’d like, you can also choose your own for me, and I’ll improvise something. But I have plans for each one on the table."

Still wearing nothing but his t-shirt, she rushed out to find five folded outfits on the table in the dining room that they never used.

One consisted of a polka dotted, midriff blouse, a lacy pair of skimpy pink panties with garters and hose and an apron. The small sticky note attached said. “Domestic. Sweet.”

To its left was an elegant blue, silk dress. The skirt looked long enough to pool over her ankles if she put it on. Or at least it would have been, were it not for the slit cut into its ride side which rode so high that would probably expose her ass if she moved too quickly. It was backless too, with a strap that ran over the back of the neck and deep v cut in the front to expose her cleavage. A matching pair of stiletto heels rested atop it with a sticky note that read simply “Trophy.”

Next up was a short, tartan skirt. It wasn’t so short enough to show off her ass, but it probably wouldn’t have come further down than about a third of the way over her thighs. It was paired with bright red, low top Converse and a long sleeve t-shirt for the local state school; a notorious party college and one far less prestigious than she went to. It had a button up collar conspicuously bereft of buttons, and he’d set a strappy red thong and push up bra atop it. “Youthful. Fun.” The note read.

The fourth outfit was a black sports bra with black and gray yoga pants. Another strappy thong, this one hot pink, was included and she was sure it would be visible through the pants. Pink sneakers were provided along with a note that read “Physical. Exhibitionist.”

Finally, the last outfit was a simple, though very small black string bikini with bracelets and an anklet. “Simple. Bubbly.”

Amber looked over her options, intrigued and not a small bit aroused. Finally, she settled on her choice.